Steppin' Out: 4/9

Last night was date night. We are trying to be a bit more adventurous on our dates so we tried a new place last night. We love Mexican and randomly drove by this brightly painted restaurant that looks to be housed in an old Victorian home. While I was glad to try a new place, we most likely won't go back. The food was just ok, the prices were a bit too high and there were screaming babies. And obviously? Who are we to judge? But on date night, deal breaker.



 

After dinner we went to this tiny little joint for live music. It was perfect. We were cozied in a corner,  slowly sipping beer, enjoying music and each others company.

Once we arrived back at the grandparents' house to pick up Meredith, they showed us photos and a video of their outing to the park. She was happy as a little clam. I loved seeing that, knowing she was in good hands and enjoying herself. All in all, a perfect night.

Vote for us?

on a perfect day like yesterday, with the sun shining brightly and warmly outside while inside my house is clean and organized and my baby crawls around the house, smile from ear to ear, i feel so happy i could burst. i ran. i read. i cleaned the refrigerator and baseboards. little accomplishments but
things that give me great contentment.



but then, i think about families that are facing health challenges and grief and stop in my tracks. and then, i think about the families who have similar struggles, but don't have the same incredible support systems these families have and i get even sadder.  it doesn't seem fair or right for some people to suffer so much. i almost feel guilty for the joy i feel.



but that doesn't make sense. i think the only way to honor these families to live in the moment, make the most of each day and be so incredibly grateful for the health and happiness i have. life is so beautiful and yet, so fleeting. there are no guarantees and while i don't want to live my life in fear of what could happen, i do want to live my life acutely aware of the lavish blessings that have been bestowed upon me.

8

Today marks 8 years since Chris and I started dating. Oh, what a wild ride it has been. I decided to re-post last year's letter because it is one of my favorite posts and perfectly captures how I feel about our journey.

my senior prom, about a month after we started dating :)

"Seven years ago as I stood in my ratty timberland brown boots and tan zip up hoodie with no make-up on in front of you- you asking me to be your girlfriend I had no idea the journey we were about to embark upon. I had no idea you would become the love of my life, the man I would marry. I had no idea how giddy just the thought of you would make me over the coming years. I had no idea that I would spend my nights sleeping in your arms and my days longing to be wrapped in them. I had no idea seven years from then my belly would be taut and round from carrying your baby, the start of our own little family. I had no idea that I would one day love you as much as I do now.

And what I love, and what I know, is that in another 7 years I will say the same. That right now I can't imagine what our future holds anymore than I could then. But I know I will love you even more 7 years from now and that's all that really matters."

a challenge.

I've set myself a goal. Thanks to Kristin, I am feeling motivated to get serious about running. I haven't  run consistently since I was training for a 10K in October of 2009. Then I found out I was pregnant. In fact, little embryo Meredith ran that race with me.

I love running, but I am not good at it. It never feels easy and I am never fast. But I feel good about myself when I run regularly. So I'm going to give it a go. My goal is to run a half marathon in October (and at least one 5k and 10k before that). I am also going to work my way through Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.

Everyone sets goals at the start of the year to get in shape, but here in New England it is difficult to get out and be active. This winter, in particular, when the sidewalks were literally not wide enough for my jogging stroller, I just didn't make it happen. So now that Spring is starting to show it's beautiful face, I am going to get committed to staying fit. This morning I did my first jog. It was only about a mile and a half and it seriously kicked my butt, but I did it!

image

Nothing But Love... (VII)

I haven't done a celebrity crush post in a long while. And you know what else? So far I've only done women! So, it's high time I write about someone from the opposite gender. Who better to kick it off than Sean Connery. After watching First Knight on Friday, my love for him was rekindled. He is so handsome and his accent is to die for. And the scene when he greets Guinevere in Camelot? The stuff dreams are made of.










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