Walking...

Today's blessings: Walking the quiet trails around my house. The sky was lit up in glorious shades of pink...

Soaking...

Today's blessing: My nightly ritual of soaking my cares away with some friends.

Counting my blessings...AGAIN!

I started this blog as a blessing blog. I was going to try to keep track of each day's blessing...no matter how small.

I've kind of gotten away from that and I was challenged last night by a question that Layton asked me. We were eating dinner and I was telling him about my day. He stopped my mid-sentence and said, "Tell me something good that happened today." I have been one to often focus on the negative and I try so hard to get away from that; however, I often find myself slipping back into that negativity.

Here I am again...trying to count my blessings. I shouldn't even have to try because they are bountiful. I'm going to try and do this everyday, even if it's only a picture with one sentence written.

Today's blessing: Getting my nails done. Enjoying Starbucks. Having an hour to read.

Stopping and starting...

I'm going to stop...

...making friends with people who are unavailable

...always being the one to call, text, email or get in touch

...trying to please everyone and make everyone happy

...allowing people who have too much drama in their lives suck me in

...letting other people make me feel bad for their relationship issues

...opening up to people that only reject me a few years later

I'm going to start...

...making friends with people that have enough time for ME

...allowing other people to pursue me, get in touch with me, and show me that they are interested in what is going on in my life, not just theirs

...taking care of myself, my husband, and my family before my friends

...ridding myself of drama filled people

...encouraging other people to deal with their issues and not drag me into them

...letting people into my life that will love me unconditionally, no matter my slip ups

9 years of sewing and plenty more to come...

"Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years." ~ Simone Signoret

Layton and I celebrate our 9th anniversary on August 4th. I love the above quote because I definitely don't feel chained to Layton :) I feel connected to him through those tiny threads that have made up the last 9 years. Those threads are made up of laughter, tears, harsh words and kind words, conversations, hugs, kisses, date nights, cuddles, vacations, experiences, trust, and most of all L O V E.

The more I think about marriage I realize how much hard work it is and just how extremely fragile it it. If marriage were truly held together by chains, then marriages would not be broken so easily. Marriages are broken easily because of the fact that they are held together by tiny threads of life. Marriage is a fragile thing that should be protected and nourished at all times.

I am so thankful that I get to grow old alongside such an amazing man that has vowed to protect and nourish our marriage. I look forward to many more years of sewing with Layton.

Haven't we changed in the last 9 years?!?

Summer Highlights of 2010...

I go back to work on Monday, which means summer is officially over!! It seems that each summer vacation is entirely different from the others. Layton asked me the other day how my summer was and as I think back on the last 10 weeks I would have to say that it was a pretty great summer. I feel like I did a lot and spent a lot of time with family and some great friends. Here are the highlights of my 2010 summer vacation along with some of my favorite pictures

taken this summer:

Our National Parks trip
Bodega Bay w/ our niece and nephew

Taking a photography class at REI

Reconciling w/ a friend after a year and a half
Lake Tahoe w/ Wedgeworth family
Taking a day hike in Big Basin

The 3 week marriage class I went to at BaysideKayaking w/ Sheley family
Our 9th anniversary trip to Healdsburg

Many dinner & movie dates w/ Hannah

Many lunch & pool dates w/ Jessica & Sarah

Over the last week...

Over the last week I have been amazed at the healing power of forgiveness...I have experienced something that I never thought would happen again in my life...I have laughed, cried and talked a lot, trying to catch up...I have really learned what it means to forgive someone....I have had a dear friend come back into my life after a year and a half of absence...I have been astounded by how God works.