have you wondered where i was last week?

So have I. It was sort of a whirlwind.

In a nutshell, my sweet momma stopped breathing early Monday morning & was rushed to the ER. She was put on a ventilator which stayed for 2 days. It was a real scare- we thought we were going to lose her. (I dont even want to talk about it...) Bottom line is that she has some health problems that we are working out and she it (finally) at home resting a week later. For those of you who I shared this with, thank you for all your love & support & continued prayers.

So this week I've been catching up on homework & work (neither of which I did last week). I've also been cleaning & packing up. This weekend I am going to meet some very special people out in Wisconsin who eternally changed my life. Will share more when I return.

Until then, here's to a 14-hour day of travel tomorrow, 4 days without my husband, escaping the 110 degrees weather, and rest.

Stay tuned...

much needed.

This weekend, I will get some much needed down time with my Danny.

Gosh, I love this man.

Hope yours is just as sweet...

these days...

...this song is on repeat. I can't get enough of Bon Iver. (especially these dreamy myspace transmissions versions.)

sailer cara.

This is our cousin, Cara.

She just so happened to earn her sailing license the week before we made our way out.

So we spent half a day on the Potomac River.

Fancy that!

creative & inspired.

Our new house has been making us feel pretty creative & inspired lately.*

For instance, last week...

Danny & I painted together.

Danny played and played his guitars.

I went running three times.**

I have 3 sewing projects lined up.

*Don't let Denver make you think otherwise.

**I don't run. Well, I do now...

julia & first last day.

Dan & I love love loved the Smithsonian while we were in DC. I could have stayed in Julia's exhibition for hours, but didn't for D's sake. (although, he really enjoyed it, too!)

Raise your hand if you want these copper-bottomed pots & pans.

(I am currently raising both.)

Love me some Julia :)

Happy Monday! Today is my first (last) day of fall classes.*

Classes this fall include:

Pastoral Counseling

Field Education

Paul the Apostle

Dynamics of Christian Formation

*Unless I go back for my Ph.D. Just kidding. Sort of.

jack&ella.

Next time you move, check out Jack & Ella Paper Press. She'll make moving something to look forward to.

Jessica was such a joy to work with. Her prices are the best out there (trust me.) & she was speedy, which was perfect for my I-want-it-now syndrome. She even threw in a few free samples with my order. And come on, who doesn't like free samples!?

Here's to a happy weekend...I'll be bbqing with friends, celebrating a hot mama to be, relaxing with my boys, and just being.

Enjoy your life this weekend.

Mom Mom.

This is our Mom Mom. & her 10 kids. A rarity to have them all together, so she was glowing. We had a BBQ our last night there and I sat next to her to eat. I told her, "See all this? This is because of you!" She sat back and watched all her children, their spouses, their children...

She just shook her head and smiled.

We stayed at Mom Mom's house in Virginia, which was such a joyful experience. It was the first time I met her and I tried to soak up every second. I wish I had a video camera to record her and her husband's story. (He died a few years ago...) She made it sound so magical and lovely. (Which I am sure it was.)

She is sarcastic, funny, loving, and compassionate. I could sit with her four hours just being.

I love that woman.

One thing I also enjoyed about staying at Mom Mom's was her amazingly beautiful home. From the 40 year old velvet couches to the different patterns & fabrics, it was almost too much beauty to take in! See what I mean?

Simply beautiful.

first stop: wilmington.

I should start by saying (very, very, sadly at that) that I never got to see my sweet friend Kaylyn. (Did I ever mention we met on blogger and then became real-life friends? Crazy!) Our flight out of LAX got delayed by 2 hours which meant we missed our 1-am connected flight. (This also meant we spent a 6 hour layover in Charlotte. I don't want to talk about it, but let's just say I slept on the airport floor while a floodlight shined in my eyes and janitors vacuumed the carpet around me.) Because we got into Jacksonville over a half a day later, all of our plans got changed. Sad.

So our first adventure was in Wilmington, North Carolina. And boy, was it a good one.

Car, I thought of you. I know you would have split the first item on this menu with me. Right?

Cute. cute. cute.

I love this man.

This is Eric, our cousin-to-be. Also know as Top Chef of Wilmington. & he deserves it. Yum.

Us & our fam & our top chef. His armpit smelled good.

His waterfront restaurant, Mixto. Try the guacamole- trust me.

(sorry for the blurs.)

Next stop: Fairfax, VA

PS It's 2:52 as I write this. I am such a terrible sleeper. Wah.

corners of our home.

welcome to our living room.

(sans pictures of our couches & beastly mirror that we have yet to hang.)

Danny calls this our wash room. I like that.

kitchen. the other side isn't as fun.

our bedroom.

spare room.

yet to come...

sunroom.

porch.

backyard.

& rest of living room.