A few weeks ago I mentioned that the Mr and I were making the most of the little time we have to spend together this summer. Here’s a little romantic soundtrack that has been playing in the background during these sweet times, if you’d like a listen.
It’s also just a lovely playlist for lazy summer days. :)
Enjoy! xo
Photo: Natalie Wood & Robert Wagner
Over the last month, the Mr has been training away from home during the week, making our weekends extra precious. It makes us appreciate the time we have together, and we’re much more intentional about planning special memory-making outings.
I couldn’t think of anything better to kick off a summer weekend than a picnic dinner. So last Friday, to help him unwind after a long week, I packed up a basket: roasted chicken sandwiches with avocado and arugula, chips, salami and cheeses, strawberries, and my go-to chocolate chip cookies (and a couple fouta towels to lay in the grass). When he came home that evening, we rode our bikes a few blocks down to a nearby park, with a view of downtown San Diego and the flight path.
We popped a bottle from our wine club collection (a sweet gift he gave me a few months ago, with the idea that each bottle would only be enjoyed together, on special occasions – and a romantic summer picnic certainly qualified). It was so dreamy.
I so enjoyed planning it out, and looked forward to it all week. It was the perfect start to a restorative, romantic, summery weekend… So go on and take your love outside! Be intentional. Pop a bottle of something special.
Are you planning any romantic outings this summer? I’d love more ideas!
I am so thankful for a father who filled life with adventure and laughter, sang me to sleep and taught me the depth of my beauty and worth.
Daddy, for all these things, thank you. I love you.
27-year-old Deontay Wilder is a currently undefeated heavyweight boxer, and is the only American to win a medal for boxing in the Summer Olympics. But before he ever discovered boxing, his baby girl Naeiya was born with severe spina bifida, and was never expected to walk. He abandoned dreams of becoming a professional athlete, working several jobs in order to pay for the surgeries and medical care she needed. With his success as a boxer, he can now afford to give her the best care possible, and she is walking on her own.
I love hearing stories of sacrificial love and that result in such powerful triumph. I hope this beautiful film serves as an inspiring start to your week! xo
The other night when the Mr and I were out to dinner, we started talking about some of the quirks we’ve observed about each other, that maybe we didn’t know about ourselves.
He told me something I was completely unaware of. Apparently, when I’m in a large group in friendly conversation and am trying to make a point among a lot of competing voices, I raise my voice suddenly (and my eyebrows). Since I am mostly a soft-spoken person, this often catches him off-guard, and when he demonstrated his reaction (a funny expression of shock) it made me laugh out loud.
I love those moments when you get a glimpse beyond the everyday familiarity and see each other in a new way. It brings back a little of the new-ness and the mystery from when we were dating and getting to know each other.
Other questions we’ve asked each other on dates: What were you like when you were little? Where did you go on “dates” in high school? What was your favorite music in college?
I’d love more date night question ideas! Do you have any?
(Also, another list of funny questions to ask your date.)
Last weekend, the Mr and I were gifted a one-night stay here, to celebrate our four-year anniversary. Here are a few pics of our mini getaway just a short drive from home, if you’d like to see!
The weather could not have been more perfect. We sat by the pool for hours and read books (his + mine).
We enjoyed a lovely dinner and cocktails, and cozied up by the fireplace every chance we got.
The next morning, fresh orange juice was delivered with a morning paper (isn’t that such a great idea?). We ordered room service for breakfast, and enjoyed coffee by the fire.
It was such a lovely time of reminiscing about all our sweet memories of falling in love, traveling, figuring each other out, and just enjoying life together. It was hard to come back from such a beautiful and brief trip, but we both came home so relaxed and recharged.
Thanks for taking a peek! xo
Four years ago today, the Mr. and I got married. It was the most precious day of my life.
P you are my hero, my life, my dearest friend. I can’t wait to celebrate when you get home!
Photography by the amazing Gabriel Ryan Photographers.
On Sunday, the Mr. finally caught up with me.
He turned 30, six months after I did. Thank goodness, because every year, he loves reminding me that I am older than him for those six months.
I’m not a particularly crafty person, but one of the little ways I showed him the love was to make a pseudo-scrapbook, showing 30 (of many, many) things I adore about him.
Since I plan on spending the next 50+ birthdays with this guy, I’m always looking for new and creative ideas to love on him every year… any suggestions? I’d love to hear some!
My grandparents in the mountains of NC
This tune by Lori McKenna is haunting, and at first listen, sounds like a mournful ballad about how her man doesn’t love her the way he should.
But the chorus clarifies the intention of this bittersweet song, which is that the love he has for her runs more deeply than what he does or doesn’t do to give her a sense of value or beauty.
Sometimes he loves me more
than I deserve to be loved
And sometimes he’s more than a heart like mine
could ever dream of
I’m thankful that my husband is the kind who listens when I tell him how my day went. And the love he has for me is sweeter than I could ever hope for. But the daily reality is… he is just a man. And he knows well that I am just a woman. And this mutual understanding of one another’s humanness frees us from the expectations of perfection and fulfillment that would ultimately crush us both. It frees us to love each other, wildly and without fear.
This song reminds me to be thankful for the darling man God gave me, regardless of our circumstances, our expectations, or our broken humanity… and reminds us both that our ultimate value is found in our Maker, not in one another.
AWEIGH WITH ME 