my mom.

“Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, 

but ... life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.”
― Gabriel García Márquez

 I have never been more thankful for my mom as I have been this past year...

and as this new year is promising to bring a host of surprises and new adventures, 

I can imagine no other person I would rather turn to for advice than her. 

I don't know what I would do without her.

I love and admire her so much and can't wait for my baby girl to meet her.

Happy Birthday, Mom! 

Happy Birthday, Lucy!!

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. 

To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,

where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.” 

― Milan Kundera

Our Lucy girl is a whole year old. 

We celebrated with Logan and Janelle at one of Lucy's favorite places, The Dairy Godmother. 

She enjoyed every lick of her peanut butter puppy pop. 

Poor girl is still growing out her hair from her recent shave, 

but she was a hit with her party hat. 

Those first few puppy months weren't easy...but I can't imagine our family without her now.

She is such a good little companion and constantly has us laughing and smiling.

We are pretty convinced she's the best dog around.

Happy Birthday, Moose. 

twenty-six years and fourteen weeks

“Birthdays are the gift of your life, and life is the gift of your birthdays; 

enjoy every moment that you breathe.”
― Enfal

  Today is my birthday, and in my opinion birthdays should never fall on Mondays.

However..I am 26 years old and 14 weeks along on. this. very. Monday.

We started celebrating on Friday with sweet friends, though and continued celebrating 

with family all weekend ...and my dad made my VERY favorite dessert...

his homemade Hummingbird Cake! 

(which I maybe had for breakfast yesterday morning and other various times throughout the day!)

I'm so thankful for this past weekend AND the short work week ahead (hooray Thanksgiving!)

So, this Monday isn't so bad...

And I can honestly say that this birthday 

I feel more blessed and thankful than any year before. 

New York on my mind

“I would give the greatest sunset in the world 

for one sight of New York's skyline. 

Particularly when one can't see the details. Just the shapes. 

The shapes and the thought that made them. 

The sky over New York and the will of man made visible."

- Ayn Rand

 Mr. D and I got back from NYC late last night. 

And if you think our eyes look tired in these pictures, you should see them now!
We are exhausted...
but would do it all over again in a heart beat.

Talking with dear friends until 3:00 a.m. | Cuddling their new baby Eloise, the cutest little French Bulldog | Visiting the 9/11 Memorial | Birthday celebrations at Cipriani and the most delicious bread | The High Line - a new favorite | Brunch with friends at Eatery | Meandering through Eataly and swooning over the pasta and cheeses | Subway sounds and a growing new skyline

This weekend was devine. 

But its the friends we saw that made it so fun and worth the while.

Now we are back in the District [much to Moose's delight] 

full of memories and longing for a much needed and highly anticipated nap. 

may the best be yet to come

“The night you gave me my birthday party... you were a young Lieutenant 

and I was a fragrant phantom, wasn't I? 

And it was a radiant night, 

a night of soft conspiracy and the trees agreed 

that it was all going to be for the best.”
― Zelda Fitzgerald

 My handsome husband turns twenty-eight today.

And as he begins his 29th year of life, 

I have never loved him more.

I am so thankful for this man's life 

and that it did intertwine with mine.

I cannot wait to celebrate with him tonight.

Happy Birthday, Mr. D!

precisely here.

"If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing."
— J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan 

 On our way to see Bon Iver

we stopped by the National Mall.

And while standing between the Washington Monument and the Capitol building,

I felt overwhelmingly thankful to be 

precisely here

and specifically with Mr. D.

After a few rounds of ultimate frisbee (Mr. D... not me)

we gathered with kind friends at the concert to celebrate Annie...

brilliant really of Bon Iver to throw her such a party. 

shooting stars and forget-me-nots.

"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this."

— Henry David Thoreau

"Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven,
Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels"
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

There is nothing like a wonderful weekend to thrust you forward into an exciting week.  I have never been more thankful for the love of friends and family. For kind words and uplifting voices. I have learned so much about myself over the past month and I feel so strong and thankful for it. 

On Friday, Mr. D and I were driving to a fundraiser just outside of the district. The night had fallen just moments before and there painted across the obsidian sky a shooting star dashed before us. Like the sweeping line of a painter's brush, a reminder of just how grand His plan is.

Many thanks to all of the texts, calls and fb posts yesterday!

because its officially my birthday ...

and because we are getting married 

and I could not feel more thankful and blessed. 

thankfulness.

I can hardly wait for this week to be over. 

My birthday is Sunday and a trip West awaits just days after.

Also, I have exciting news to share soon.

Its delicate and vulnerable and oh so warm in my chest

just waiting on a few things. 

In the meantime, I have never been so thankful for friends dear. 

Friends who's words have been truly uplifting and in many ways healing. 

 This is very much the month to be thankful. 

timeless friends.

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one." — C.S. Lewis

I can mark stages of my life with friends. It seems they have morphed into periods of time. Furthering my belief that no friendship is an accident - also confirming my lifelong suspicion that I am indeed some way flawed. Well, many ways I know.

There are a handful of friends though that span across multiple periods of the time line. A line marked by camp and high school, college, first jobs and a summer abroad. Friends that remain no matter the distance between us or the circumstance I am in. And I know almost the minute our acquaintance grows to friendship when I have met a timeless friend. 

And today I am celebrating the life of just such a friend. A friendship that I knew would continue to grow even as the Summer faded. Somehow our lives are uniquely aligned in a way that brings compassion, encouragement and understanding so delicate and sweet.

Ive known no greater comfort at 2 a.m.
Happy Birthday, Blakely Ann!

photo by violaidi

one.

Happy Birthday, Hattie Layne.