Dear December,

“Sometimes beautiful things come into our lives out of nowhere. We can't always understand them, but we have to trust in them. I know you want to question everything, but sometimes it pays to just have a little faith.” 

― Lauren Kate

You have been the most surreal month of my life to date. You are neither here nor there. Christmas lights gloriously strung everywhere. A baby girl whose every breath seems almost too good to be true. And late nights spent with my husband in bed, laughing and reliving her every iphone-captured move. The hushed excitement as we tiptoe into her room. Home-cooked meals and freshly pureed food. Fire places and plenty of room (a far cry from our Boston-one-room). Bowls full of clementines and slippered feet. The most beautiful tree I've ever seen. Anticipation tangled in brightly clothed evergreen and the smell of inevitable change intertwined with cinnamon sticks and pine. And so it is during this dreamlike time, that I hold tightly to faith and try to repose my mind giving thanks for every minute before it passes by. 

It's finally May!

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” 

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Even though I've hit the "full term" mark, my actual due date isn't for a couple more weeks...so the waiting begins. And as much as it kills the planner in me to not know the exact date we will meet or the color of her hair or the way she will feel in my arms...I feel peaceful, almost prepared (can that be?!)

But as excited as I am to finally hold our baby girl, I don't feel rushed (even though I wanted to cry trying to put my socks and shoes on yesterday). Still, I am loving my multiple daily naps and the time spent alone feeling her kicking and elbowing the sides of my belly. I'll never be this close to her again and I am making a point to treasure every moment I have these last few weeks with her in my womb. 

It hasn't been easy getting used to Mr. D's new work schedule. I miss him so much and I'm anxious about how our life will be with this new little one. I hardly see him and lets face it...its not going to be easy. Still, Ive never been more thankful for this time in our lives and for our little growing family. 

Even though there is so much unknown ahead, one thing is for sure...this May will be full! 

photo here. 

the great affair...and then some.

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. 

I travel for travel's sake. 

The great affair is to move.”
― Robert Louis Stevenson

I've heard that some of the top stresses in life are money, jobs, having a baby and health. 

I am pretty sure moving should be added to that list (and maybe a few others). 

I truly believe we are only given what we can handle and like my dad said the other day, 

what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. 

So, we are seeing how many of the things on that list we can take on all at the same time. 

 So far I think we are doing a pretty darn good job - 

thankfully we both have good health (and baby too) and  

we are feeling pretty blessed and thankful for all that we have been given...

but prayers and happy thoughts are very much welcome over here : ) 

 

photographs taken by Amber of Live It Out Photography

25 weeks...and another adventure on the way!

25 weeks and...we're moving to Boston! 

Another exciting [and quite unexpected] adventure for the Davis family this year. 

The past couple of weeks have been quite stressful to say the least.
A couple of days before we were about to sign a contract on buying our first house here in DC,
Rob was given a job opportunity in Boston that we decided
 [after much praying and contemplating]
we just couldn't pass up. 

So, this family of three [with one on the way] is headed to Boston!

Its a little bittersweet leaving this city of ours... 

but we plan to move back to the District in November
so we are so excited to live in and explore Boston in the meantime. 

Here's to leaps of faith and life's many adventures and a plan 

that is thankfully much bigger than we could ever design!! 

having a hot chocolate kind of day.

“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things,

and only the wise can see them.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

 Making [multiple] big grown-up decisions [all at the same time] is so hard...

especially when the outcomes no longer just effect you, but a family (with a baby) too. 

If only we had a tree of unlimited funds...and maybe a crystal ball.

The most important thing at the end of the day is this little family of mine.

Oh, what a full year I feel like we have already had...its so hard to believe its only the end of January.

I see a lot of hot chocolate in my future today.

 

decisions.

“Crying is all right in its own way while it lasts. 

But you have to stop sooner or later, 

and then you still have to decide what to do.”
― C.S. Lewis

Yesterday was long and hard. The kind of day that leaves you feeling achy and wobbly the next. 

But the day never really ended, because I never really slept. 

Around 2:30 a.m., I tip-toed across our squeaky wood floors and made my way to the couch. Sinking down into its welcoming cushions, my body felt so heavy - as if the very weight of my swollen eyelids might cause it to go crashing to the ground. I sat there frozen in the silver glow of the familiar room.

The crescendo of silence was soon broken by those old wood floors as Lucy came and rested her head on my lap. What a sweet little friend. Slowly, she crawled up on the couch with me and we laid there comforting each other for quite some time. 

Eventually we made our way back to bed and watched the time creep by.

------------

This is proving to be a big week for our little family. I don't think I have ever felt so generally exhausted by the weight of decisions before in my life. Suddenly even small-ish decisions seem monumental when it involves another human life...and so when the bigger decisions come swooping in demanding to be made, my heart then aches a little every time I feel baby girl kick. But I guess this is what being a grown-up is like...right?

photo one | photo three 

Merry Christmas!!!

“Christmas doesn't come from a store, 
maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more....” 

― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

There is nothing quite like Christmas morning at home. 

We got back from NYC on Friday night and after a Christmas party that night

we headed home to homemade cookies, delicious meals and a constant glow from the fireplaces.

Rob's sweet grandmother passed away the night before Christmas Eve

and so this Christmas our family means more to us than ever. 

We are celebrating life - Grandmother Davis' full life and the 

very beginning of baby girl's life growing in my belly -

and the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!!! 

One within one.

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
― Marcus Aurelius

 Having life growing in my belly - the surreal idea of it as a whole - 

has wrapped me up in a calm I have never felt before.

Every morning I wake up and lay my hand over my growing belly just to make sure its still there

and the affirmation fills me with so much joy and excitement. 

We did everything we could to be "responsible" and "safe" in planning 

this pregnancy for a [MUCH] later date...

but now even those words seem kind of silly to me because

I feel like this is exactly where we were always meant to be. 

I am so enjoying this time we have as a family of three and a half...

I wouldn't trade a single moment of it for anything in the world.

This growing belly, Lucy girl and the kind, fun and handsome man by my side

and this plan that is so much better than we could have ever laid out ourselves

brings me such an amazing and peaceful joy.

magic, dreams and lots of good madness.

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. 

I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, 

and don't forget to make some art -- 

write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. 

And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”
― Neil Gaiman

 I have really never been happier or more surprised than I was yesterday. 

A joy that is too hard to ascribe feelings to in the form of those simple lines and curves 

that come together to make words...

I am so happy and thankful to be sharing this adventurous life with the man I am married to - 

there is no one else in the world that I would rather spend days like yesterday with than him. 

This is my very favorite time of year...

and it is proving to be even grander than I had ever hoped or planned

and that is what makes life especially beautiful - those unexpected gifts.

Photograph by Amber of Live It Out Photography

The Loveliest Day

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, 

while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
― Lao Tzu

 These pictures are making me smile today. 

Our photo session with Amber of Live It Out Photography 

is featured on The Loveliest Day and I wanted to share!

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The other thing bringing me great joy today

is the realization that finding peace and letting stress wash away - 

with current struggles fighting to cloud the day -

is simply an act of trust and faith.

Even when Mr. D has a lot weighing on his mind,
he takes such good care of our little family
and never stops making me smile and laugh....
something about my husband that I am so grateful for.

strength.

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. 

Small people always do that, but the really great 
make you feel that you, too, can become great." 
— Mark Twain

 I have learned a lot about people lately.

Which only proves how much I must still have to learn. 

I married a man who every day believes in what I can do.

And I am learning that there is so much strength 

in people who continually lift those around them up.

Especially when those who are in power have the strength to empower others.

"the really great make you feel 

that you, too, can become great." - Mark Twain

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And on a similar yet unrelated note, 

I found this post by Meg really interesting - I do so love her words.

nothing quite like it.

"He who kisses joy as it flies by will live in eternity's sunrise."

— William Blake

Ever since my dad broke his hip on Sunday,

Mr. D and I have been staying out in the country.

And even after a daily hour and half commute in rush hour, the evening destination is completely worth it.

There is nothing quite as refreshing as breathing in the mountain dipped sky

and watching the hills roll by.

Mr. D took this picture of the sunrise.

As much as I hate waking up so early to face the day, there is nothing quite as full of hope

as those first few early morning hours out in the country -

how faithful the sunrise is...a great reminder from its creator.

Husband and I will be stealing away into the beautiful Virginia countryside again tonight...

anxious for my dad to join us soon.

light without windows

"Happiness is the settling of the soul into its most appropriate spot."
— Aristotle

 This is the view out my kitchen window. 

A place where I often feel the happiest - those few hours after work before Mr.D gets home

when I cook and dance around our tree house - listening to French music - all of my senses swirling.

Cooking directs my mind in a way little else can. It is becoming just as much an escape for me 

as reading or writing can be...and often its end result is much more gratifying...

at least to my taste-buds.

And after spending the day in my windowless box, 

I feel quite at ease in my window-filled kitchen....

But today, my day job just got a little brighter...I've been promoted indeed!

----------------------------

Its not just windows that make the world brighter...

its confidence in the form of a surprise promotion, 

a surgery that went well and a dad who is already up and walking again (!),

its a husband who makes my life feel blissful beyond belief

and a higher power who once again makes me feel nothing but thankful

He never fails to take care of us...even in the tiny details.

change[s]

"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely."
— Louisa May Alcott

 We have been driving a convertible around the District lately, 

and the fact that the weather has been absolutely divine has made it quite dream-like.

Change is in the air around here, 

so I am having to breathe deep and pray a lot...

But driving around in a convertible, the wind rushing through my lungs

and the air weightlessly combing through my hair

makes breathing deeply a whole lot easier

and I'm that much closer to the sky up there.

And when facing change with Mr.D on my team, 

I feel like we can do anything.

So, I am working on my attitude,

[I sometimes have a tendency to lean toward pessimism and call it reality]

 putting trust in my husband

and relying on a whole lotta faith.

 Plus, whenever we are faced with a challenge - 

if we go about it the right way...we only become closer and grow stronger in the long run. 

So, here's to thankfulness, the next adventure and a brand new week!

Happy Monday, y'all. 

solstice

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees,

just as things grow in fast movies,

I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."
— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 

 On Summer's Eve, we saw Sixteen Candles outside on a lawn with another couple we really love, 

it was the perfect way to kick off the Summer...

and then this morning...

I was met at work with an email that brought not only this Summer, 

 but life in general into perspective.

Just when life starts to seem crazy and I start to feel a little defeated, 

I am sent a gentle reminder of how lucky I am. 

Thankful to be here, now 

Happy to be married to Mr. D 

and feeling overwhelmingly blessed by those around.

Praying today for my family who has lost

and thankful for those who are near.

----------

I am looking so forward to this Summer and all that it holds, 

I want to make the most of every minute of it - taking not a single day for granted.

It is a Summer of beginnings, after all.

photograph by the amazing and wonderful Amber

Love and Hot Dogs

"We must have pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie." 

- David Mamet

Some days are simply tougher than others. 

And on those days especially, I am so thankful for Mr. D and our family.

We went to DC-3 last night for hot dogs. It was really good and it's true - 

stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie...or a hot dog in this case.

I'm thankful for where we are and all that we have been blessed with...

but also admittedly wish I could just take a peek at a year or two or three down the road.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

cake & flowers

"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. 

When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."
— Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist 

 Whenever I get a little stressed thinking about the day or the next 6 months...

I think about our wedding day - a reminder that everything always works out, 

a token to just enjoy every minute.

On New Years Eve, the day before our wedding,

we went to the flower market in NYC to pick out flowers

and later that night we walked a couple of blocks to this little bakery on the Upper West Side

where the sweetest old women anxiously whipped together our wedding cake. 

I treasure each and every person we ran into that weekend

and their shared excitement and joy even though we were strangers.

 Hope you enjoy every minute of the weekend -

knowing full well that it works out...

sometimes even better than you could have imagined.

photography by Carin Davis

through her eyes

"Death is no more than passing from one room into another. 

But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see."
— Helen Keller

 If ever the world seems a little gray and muddled

I need do nothing but open my eyes

and be thankful.

hello, Wednesday.

photo found here.

the art of being present.

"Right now we are here, and nothing can mar our perfection,

or steal the joy of this perfect moment."
— Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife

 Sometimes I get to feeling like I'm in need of something new...

A different skyline or job maybe, 

but almost immediately following that urge for displacement - 

I am made aware of the present. 

And as if an answer to prayer, I become so thankful for everything surrounding me. 

The huge front porch standing proud in front of our house 

and that safety and peaceful joy I feel when I walk in our home. 

The Potomac River floating alongside the road like a ribbon dancing carefree in the wind

and the Washington Monument unwavering and strong framed perfectly in my windshield 

on my drive home each day.

Singing in the kitchen with Lucy girl frolicking at my heels as we cook dinner for husband each night -

the breeze blowing through the open windows of our tree house --

I wouldn't trade it for anything in sight.

And Mr. D, who makes me laugh more than any other person

and feel like a winged bird soaring through the sky.

And I get the feeling that there is no such thing better than this -

to be here in the District, the luckiest girl married to the best guy.

So as long as we're here - wherever here may be - 

nothing can take away my joy of the present.

Photograph by the amazing Amber of LiveitOutPhotography

"Everyone in me is a bird, I am beating all my wings" — Sylvia Plath

"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance"
— E.E. Cummings

 The theme on Saturday has a lot to do with birds. For many reasons. 

And in anticipation, the birds have joined in getting ready for the party by making

the most perfect nests I have ever seen 

with the most beautiful blue eggs inside of them. 

My mom sent me these pictures of not one, but TWO perfect nests in her garden in the country.

Even as the world seems to be bursting at its seams,

birds continue singing and creation once again has me still.