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. 

breech.

“The words in this book are all phooey. When you say them, your lips will make slips 
and back flips and your tongue may end up in Saint Looey!” 

― Dr. Seuss

 Happy Friday! 

Please send all the flipping thoughts you can this way. 

We are praying baby girl will turn around by Wednesday...

(I dont blame her...Im not much for being upside down either, 

but like the doctor bluntly said this morning, "you can't deliver her sideways...")

So, this Davis family is wishing everyone a "flipping" good weekend! 

we are here...this new adventure has officially begun

“Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that,

 the quicker we will be able to treat life as art.”
― Maya Angelou

We are officially here in Boston...we even have the license plates to prove it.

And to welcome us, Boston has been a bit of a mid-summer dream. 

The weather has been unbelievably beautiful - 

perfect for exploring our new neighborhood and city streets -

and I could not love our little apartment more. 

We still have some unpacking to do, 

but I have already begun feeling much more at home than

I ever thought I would.

I met my new doctor this morning and really liked her which is a relief.

I am measuring right on schedule for eight months, 

and baby girl's heart beat was as strong as ever. 

We are off to a good start...

for life truly is pure adventure.

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

my best.

"True friends are always together in spirit."
— L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

 

This past year has been so full in so many ways

but one of the greatest gifts has been this girl who is

much more like a sister than just a friend to my blood sister-less self.

She is one of the strongest most resilient women I know 

and too dear a friend for mere words to recount.

I'm hoping to see her soon - its been months too long. 

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Irene came and went taking quite a few trees from our neighborhood along with her

but she left the most beautiful weather in her wake.

The air is crisp and the sky so blue.

old tavern road

"i thank god for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees

& for the blue dreams of sky & for everything which is natural, 

which is infinite, which is yes."
— E.E. Cummings

 There is a row of trees along the road toward the walls of which I once called home.

I've driven by them more times than I can count

and with each passing, I find myself, eyes closed, running beside them with my arm outstretched -

the tips of my fingers brushing against their leaves, rustling them to dance.

 Standing side by side, some more withered than others, 

they fill my lungs with desire and my heart with courage.

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. 

I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues."
— Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

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.

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.

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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

fond hopes of spring

"Saw a little girl touch a big bug and shout, 

"I conquered my fear! YES!" and calmly walk away. I was inspired."
— Nathan Fillion

 Today, in no particular order:

Spring is here again. hallelujah its here again.

While meal planning, taking a note from this list of what NOT to buy at the grocery store.

Thankful for the boxes of thank you notes sold at target in counts of 50,

they come in lots of different prints and the box is sturdy and quite handy.

Spent a good deal of time this morning considering and repeating this quote:

"Do the right thing, the results are up to God." - Quincy Adams

Thankful for my husband who is such a good example to me.

Figuring out what to wear to a wedding (or two back-to-back) is much easier 

if you are the bride(s), suddenly everything seems white.

Thankful to be gainfully employed, but would rather be self-employed.

Contemplating the line between writing for oneself and writing for others which is so often crossed.

I am admittedly very aware of my fears, but very rarely chase after them...
oh, to shout them out upon conquering and calmly walk away.

To love wholly and unconditionally 

is the most gratifying and liberating feeling

and to be loved unconditionally in return - even at my most vulnerable state -

is earth shatteringly beautiful and nourishing 

beyond even my fondest of hopes.

for whatever reason

"The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. 

And the most you can do is live inside that hope. 

Not admire it from a distance, but live right in it, under its roof."
— Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

 Optimism doesn't always come naturally to me. 

I see people - usually girls for whatever reason - who are so bubbly and full of daily exuberance, 

and a part of me feels like I must be missing something - that somehow somewhere I lost that part of me ...

and if I'm not careful, I begin to mourn its loss
[except, in reality, I know I never had it to begin with - for whatever reason]

But I am at this point in my life, where the future seems so wonderful - even...and maybe especially

in all of its unknowns, that I want to run full sprint into it. 

When the reality of a known love is so great that you can't help but be full of hope -

maybe not bubbly, but joyful just the same..then I am able to discover the kind of optimism
that can be rendered even in the face of trials.

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I've been thinking a lot about the future. New opportunities and barely visible doors, 

and I cant wait to see where they all lead.

photography by Annette Pehrsson

dreams and things.

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."
— John Lennon

There were several moments yesterday afternoon that I just wanted to savor.
Feel them on my tongue and let them just stay there slowly melting with the late setting sun -
making them last as long as I possibly can.

I went for a run, and then to the grocery store...I walked carefully and slowly through the aisles 

partly resting my tired legs, but also taking in the fresh colorful vegetables and rows of fruit - dreaming up recipes
and future meals at home with husband.

When I left, it was barely past 7 pm and the sun was just beginning to light the sky on fire.

Our neighborhood was full of laughter and the pounding of tiny sneakers on the ground. Just as our little 4 year old neighbor began yelling,
"Butterfly! Look! A butterfly!"
I stopped on our big white porch and just stood there fully realizing there was no other place I wanted to be. 

Mr. D stayed at the office late last night, and when he finally got home I was already in bed. 

And it was there that I, bundled in sheets, listened to husband talk about his day, stresses and future dreams and things
at the foot of our bed.

He looked so handsome sitting there in the blue light of the full moon outside our window and the faint,
warm glow coming in from the hall.

One of my favorite things is talking about the future with him...hearing his dreams.

And the fact that they are now our dreams. 

photo by annette pehrsson

joy cometh in the morning

"It is good to love many things, for therein lies strength, 

and whosoever loves much performs much, 

and can accomplish much, 

and what is done with love is well done."

— Vincent van Gogh

 A great peace came over her when she awoke -

the room looked like a water-logged brush dipped in blue-gray paint had touched its surface

pigment spreading to every corner and through the sheets

blanketing every inch of the bedroom just before sunrise.

The watercolored room made her smile.

Not because of its stoic walls

or the silence they possessed

but because it was morning

and she had finally slept the night away.

photo by rose hardy found here.

frozen ground.

"Hold fast to dreams
for if dreams die
life is a broken-winged bird
that can not fly

Hold fast to dreams
for when dreams go
life is a barren field
frozen with snow"
— Langston Hughes

 There is a silent stillness after ice shields the ground

louder at night than in the morning. 

I laid awake listening to it.

A cleansing of hope and a prolonged view.

This morning I felt the ground crack beneath my feet, 

a crescendo of silence.

-------

There was a two hour delay this morning

and I have never been so thankful for those two extra hours of sleep. 

photo from flickr

snow on 22nd street

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again." — Lewis Carroll

Its snowing here in the District tonight 

and its not supposed to stop until early morning.

Our street looks staggeringly beautiful.

A wonderland. 

And just like that I have fallen all the more 

in love with this new little home of ours. 

Now if only we could have a snow day tomorrow...

I've already done what I promised myself 

I wouldnt - I have my hopes up 

way too high for just such a break.

I'm afraid I wont take the fall very well 

if there isnt at least a delay.

photograph by Carin Davis

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. 

hope.

some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

life is about not knowing, having to change, 

taking the moment and making the best of it, 

without knowing what's going to happen next. 

delicious ambiguity...  - gilda radner

I am currently reading a book about controlling your own thoughts and the direct link your thoughts have to your circumstances. It is surprisingly hard to control your thoughts - to make them only positive. 

I am working on this, breathing deeply 

and keeping my shoulders back...

photo here, found on it's mary ruffle.

Sweet September.

"My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way." — Ernest Hemingway

 I sat writing for a long time last night, but when I glanced down

I saw only circles drawn again and again on the page.

I had high hopes to escape to some coastal town this Labor Day weekend

soft images of where the water meets and waltzes with land had already started to cloud my mind 

but the onset of the hurricane has made it a difficult thing to plan on.

So, I am rewriting my weekend plans

going back to the drawing board, so to speak and maybe scrapping the whole thing altogether.

And while I continue the never ceasing challenge to convince myself that life is better unplanned,

I am once again looking inward

and in doing so searching out the cloudy path ahead.

Continually remembering to be thankful for every pot hole and hill along the way.

 New beginnings never cease to both overwhelm and excite me,

hope magically dancing around in the breeze and standing tall before the foreboding hurricane clouds.

photo from it's mary ruffle.

morning ease.

Today feels productive. Maybe its the cool, gray skies with no chance of rain or the fact that my 9 am meeting went really well...but today just feels good. It started out that way. From the time I woke up - 45 minutes before the alarm went off [as is my now daily routine] - I felt the calm of the day seeping in through the windows. There is something about waking up on gray days - not rainy days, just gray days - that makes it easier to get out of bed. There is no need for your eyes to adjust to the light - you just sort of ease in to the morning and hope the rest of the day follows suit. 

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photo found here

If only I could see into the future...

I keep running different scenarios in my head

and plotting different rescues

trying to find what to say 

but mostly how and when to say it

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

When I saw you I fell in love, 

and you smiled because you knew.

-Romeo and Juliet-

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photo by Bryan Shutmaat 

Romeo and Juliet quote found on oh so i feel

Yes, I know its only Thursday....

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers."  - Charles W. Eliot

I am so glad that the weekend is just steps away, hours even.

I am in the process of reading a handful of wonderful books...

including The Help by Kathryn Stockett which has received rave

reviews from everyone I know who has turned its pages. 

There is something about reading that is so much more 

than a movie or tv show. It forces you to imagine. To picture

the characters in your mind, to become a part of the

white paper in front of you. And it inspires me to write, 

to dance along similarly white pages and create my 

own steps and way around the dance floor. It fills me

up in a way some movies leave me still searching.

I hope your weekend is full of things that fill you up,

whether its a good book, a long bike ride or just 

spending time in the midst of good company.
Happy [almost] weekend!