A Post of Exclamations (Catch up style!)

~We're going to Ireland in March! Eeeek!
April and I have talked about going when she graduates high school for years.
So this past year we saved our pennies (and dimes and quarters and silver dollars....)
 and surprised her with a week long trip.
We're going to get to see some friends and explore to our hearts content.
We're over the moon about it (:

~We've had SO much snow! And lots and lots days with the highs in sub zeros!
And it has been so beautiful.

This winter has been such a contrast for me to past winters.

January has almost always been a just awful month, 

one to be survived and hard to enjoyed.

This January however has been so beautiful and I've come to love winter

days with their clear light and light airy snowflakes always surprising you.

We've loved cozying up while Josh studies and I know we'll miss these times
when the heat comes back round so we're cherishing them extra hard.

~We have a garage space!
We're such adults now (;
For a sum of money (thats kind of more than the holey walls and floor are worth, but anyway...)
we ALWAYS have a space to park and we don't every have to
dig the jeep out of the snow again!
We're in love.

~We went to Zoo lights while it was in the middle of a small snowstorm!

It was SO much fun! 

~We painted our bedroom wall black! I've admired black walls

on pinterest for longest time and we took the leap of faith 

right after we got home from FL.

I hope to get a good picture next sunny day we have.

~We went to see Bethany's senior recital!
It was soooo sweet to see her and all of the Woodfins
and we can't wait to see all of them again in May for her graduation.
But I think that will be our last winter roadtrip for a long long time,
icy roads are just not our thing....

We went and saw Frozen!
And it was adorable!
We giggled the whole time about how the icy girls' name was Elsa (;

And I think that's about all,
Well, other than some colds and stuff but who wants to hear about that :P
I'm so happy to be coming out of January and the sunny days
that are becoming more and more frequent.
We have so many little countdowns going on, from Ireland,
to Jon's wedding, to Bethany's graduation,
this is going to be such a fun full season.
We're so very very blessed.

Happy End Of January (:
Did you make it through all right?

xoxo,
lyss

Each time January comes round I feel like there's nothing to say.

 Not there there isn't things to talk about or to share, in face there's usually lot to share, 

but there just are not words.

As if they somehow get stuck in the cloudy grayness that settles both in the 

beauty of the sky and the murkiness of my brain.

There are January joys and beauties but they seemed to get mulled in 

with the sad things until I can't decipher one from the other and

decide to just drink some more tea and be quiet instead.

I've come here several times the last few weeks trying to string together words

in a tangible way.... but the words are far and fuzzy if there at all.

I feel like I need to explain the quiet, the silence.

It's not because of a lack of joy or things to talk about, 

we are so enjoying this season and are cherishing it to remember

in the the heat of summer days when warm drinks

and snuggling under blankets seems a lifetime ago.

And I honestly think we are enjoying winter as we never have before

(so grateful to not be on dairy anymore!)

There just are not words at the moment (:

So don't worry,

we'll be back in a week or two with regaling stories or below freezing

weather and hiding away in bookstores (:

xoxo,

lyss

May Your Days Be Merry & Bright

This Christmas was our favorite yet! 

Full of laughter, catching up on this and that, and relishing every 

moment knowing that it was soon to give way to another one.

We are so very grateful for such a fun relaxing Christmas

and are honestly overwhelmed by just how loved we are and how many

wonderful people we are honored to call family.

We loved each and every moment with each of our dear families

and the warmer weather wasn't so bad either (;

Now we're counting down the days till we go back

down for the two cuties' on the right wedding!

Happy New Year!

Dear 2013,

You were a year of questions asked and decisions made, of changing and exploring.

We took our learnings from years past and built upon them relishing in the joy of "us" as we did.

A year of yearning and rich blessings, of some dreams realized and others left behind. 

A year of new found friends and old friends found to be closer than ever.

A year of travel and of family.

A year of unexpectedness in the most predictable of ways.

You were road trips to here and there and everywhere.

You were a year of seemingly endless waiting and painful hope.

You were hot summer adventures and and cold winter walks filled with good conversation.

You were a year of laughter and a growing comfortability with who we are and how we work.

You were a year of oxymorons and we wouldn't have had you any other way,

but we are quite happy to leave you here.

You were our happiest and hardest year yet.

So good bye 2013, you were a favorite year in many ways

and we can't wait to see what 2014 brings (:

xoxo,

lyss