welcome

welcome to the new home of my blog and welcome to fall.

Oh it’s just so cliché to talk about a new season and a new outlook on life and new this and new that and yada yada yada. But…it’s just too hard to sit here watching the trees change colors as my sweet and strong mom recovers from her big surgery {more on that in a minute} anddd to not feel happy and optimistic about the promises of a new season. {smile!}

The past couple of weeks have been absolutely packed yet absolutely joyful. Since it’s been a while, here are some highlights:

Josh and I took a long weekend trip to Chicago which was just so blissful {see the pictures on instagram using the hashtag #ChicagoHalliday}. I know we will always cherish the memories we made there- riding bikes along the lake, eating fabulous food, watching our Braves play at Wrigley and discovering a new city at our own relaxed pace.

We also celebrated our first wedding anniversary with wonderful dinners at West Egg {where we hosted our Rehearsal Dinner a year before} and at The Optimist {where we had octopus for the first time!}, we spent a day hiking along the Chattahoochee river {my ‘happy place’} and we cheered on our Braves in one of the most exciting games I’ve ever attended. I also finally decorated our front room as part of my gift to Josh, I realize that probably makes no sense…I will take pictures and explain soon. Josh is such a wonderful person and thoughtful husband, he made our anniversary weekend so very special. Much like our trip to Chicago, I enjoyed slowing down and simply spending time enjoying one another.

On a complete and total whim I have semi taken up jewelry making as a hobby. It’s a great creative outlet for me and I have loved getting to make necklaces and bracelets for my family and friends through my new little Etsy shop. I find myself thinking of new designs all the time {sometimes in my sleep!} and I may enjoy shopping for new materials a touch too much. 🙂 I adore these shiny onyx stones that I found and have been adding different color tassels to them for different looks. The white one in the picture above is my favorite right now. {Also, you need this dress}

Most recently Mom had her long-awaited scoliosis surgery. She had over 10 hours of surgery across two days and almost a week-long stay in the hospital. I’d like to think that no one is ever really prepared for surgery or to watch a loved one go through surgery because we {maybe just me?} were so not prepared. The surgery went well but the recovery process has been nothing short of intense. Mom had to spend two full days laying flat on her back {i.e. torture} and is now working hard to regain strength and learn how to function with two metal rods lining her spine. She is taking the whole process like an absolute champ- she is headstrong, positive and 100% focused on doing whatever it takes to recover fully and quickly. My mom is a fighter and now I better understand where my restlessness comes from 😉 We are focusing on relaxing this weekend- so off we go to watch a movie and eat sea salt caramel ice cream brought over by a sweet friend.

I hope everyone takes care of themselves this weekend- be thankful for others and the blessings in your life, be focused on self-care and remember {or in our case- learn} that it is a-okay to just sit and relax for a while.