AND WE'RE BACK! // MONTH EIGHTEEN.

My dear readers, I think I'm finally ready to touch this little corner of the internet again. I took a long, unscheduled break as our family trudged through the stress and busyness of last semester, and it carried on well past our holiday travels. Poor J has had so much on his plate:  multiple GRE tests, PhD applications/writing samples/recommendations, the presentation of a paper of his at a conference in the Midwest, and, of course, the normal workload of the semester. I actually think we handed that season quite well, despite the mountain of challenges.

Now J has roughly ten weeks left of his time at Duke. PhD application results are rolling in, slow as molasses. The snow is melting and Spring is just around the corner. We're constantly reworking the math to figure out if we can afford to live on a meager stipend for the next five years. Oh, and I'm pregnant. (We are thrilled! More on this later.) We are on the cusp of so much change right now that I'm finding it impossible to live in the moment. I've never been known for my patience, and I'd rather start making all of these adjustments now. Nevertheless, here we are and I must wait.



Anyway, as usual I would like to take this time to rant and rave about the preciousness that is my firstborn. Finnegan is a whole year and a half now. His personality is huge, his sense of humor is remarkable, and his eagerness to experience and understand is simply inspiring. He has finally decided to pick up a couple of words:  dough-jee (doggie), kiggy (kitty), nine-o (dino), mum (more), hun-gee (hungry), and so on. These words are peppered throughout his usual strangely commanding baby talk, which probably gets him the most attention by strangers, only second to his red hair. His answer to nearly every question is "no," with exception to one (this is possibly the most tear-inspiring -- for me -- development I could share:  if I ask Finnegan if I love him, he gives me lots of huge, enthusiastic nods of his head. Tears... forever. He also always, always, always offers a kiss to Mama. He has a whole mouthful of teeth, really; he got eight all at once over Christmas and I think we're just waiting on those last molars now. He has grown into a lanky little guy, with skinny arms and legs and an impressive belly. He developed a fear of the dark and likes to sleep with his door open now. He loves other kids and is so wildly tough in his spunky play that it is almost concerning. "You really let him fend for himself, don't you?" a mom said to me the other day at the playground. "...Yeah, he doesn't really need my help." Its true.

Finnegan's current hobbies include:  walking backwards, dancing to any/all music, singing the Handy Manny song, exploring the outdoors, playing with cars and trucks, touching (destroying) all phones and laptops, eating blueberries, doing somersaults, making phone calls, talking about doggies, wearing my shoes, knocking on doors, and waving to bu-dee (birdies).

CULT LEADERS: FERN LOUISE.

// This is part one in a series I have planned entitled CULT LEADERS, in which I will feature women who inspire me. I look forward to sharing with you women from which we have lots to learn. Keep your eyes peeled. I am ecstatic to show off some really incredible people! //

Fern Louise, what a beauty.

I am fortunate to have some really wonderful women in my life. One that especially stands out is my grandmother Fern. When we are together, I try desperately to soak up as much of her as I can, so as to hopefully become like her in as many ways as possible. At every turn, she is inspiring.

My grandmother is a beautiful mixture of completely silly, incredibly practical, and unbelievably wise. She is always a listening ear when I need one. She carefully chooses her words and scatters my name throughout our conversation, making me feel as though she hasn't a care in the world but me in that moment. She grabs my hand at just the right time. She knows the questions to ask and the questions that will be hard for me to answer. She is kind and full of sweetness, and yet has this way about her that allows her to be completely honest and charitable all at once. She has always made me feel respected. She handles life with a powerful blend of determination, bravery, and meekness. It is really something to behold. She has lived a life that I never tire of hearing stories about.

While talking this summer she gave me some incredible advice (like usual). It is a phrase that I can't get out of my head. How she knew that it was exactly what I needed to hear, I will never know. "Find yourself in hard times, don't lose yourself." This past year I have been, well, honestly, an absolute brat about where I'm at in life. It has been emotionally and physically draining for me to look around and find so much displeasure and it has been hard on my husband, who is pouring himself into an incredibly challenging graduate program. I can't imagine what it has done to Finnegan, but I'm sure that we can easily draw that out when he ends up in therapy later... ha.

Anyway, Grandma, you are a remarkable woman. Your determination is beautiful, your prayers are oh so coveted, and you are an example to all. Thank you for being an absolute joy to go through life with.

IDAHO PT. V: FAMILY.

“Going to the woods is going home.”
― John Muir

IDAHO PT. IV: ADVENTURE.

“Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.” 
― John Muir
































See the rest of the series here:  pt. i / pt. ii / pt. iii / pt. iv / pt. v

IDAHO PT. III: WARREN.

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

― John Muir

Little ol' Warren, Idaho. Now that place is a sight for sore eyes. Warren is a little... well, town isn't the right word. It is a collection of abodes several miles down the road from my grandparents' place. To just give you a little taste: there is a very questionable school building with a backwards "N", a tiny, bathroom-sized post office, a closed down restaurant, and a bed and breakfast that has been for sale for about fifteen years. This place is the perfect setting for a horror movie. In all of the trips I've made out there, I think I've only ever seen actual people there three times. And yet, there are people that live there year round. That takes a very special kind of person. I snapped lots of photos of the various buildings around Warren and thought they made a wonderful little photo series. I've decided to share with you my favorites.

IDAHO PT. II: FINNEGAN'S BIRTHDAY.

“Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.”
― John Muir

IDAHO PT. I

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity...” 

― John Muir

Earlier this month, we three made a trip to Idaho. Idaho, you say? Idaho is where my grandparents bought land and built a cabin in the sixties. Idaho is where I spent time every summer of my life growing up. Idaho is full of beautiful, colorful mountains, swift rivers, towering trees, remarkable thunderstorms. I can say, without hesitation, that my grandparents' cabin is my favorite place on God's green Earth. And it was such a pleasure to be able to share this place with my little family this summer. We took tons of pictures (duh!) so I'm going to break them up in a series of posts. Here is part one: