weekly gratitude

thank you rainbows for walking me across the city
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May 13th.

This is a pretty good day.

It's Mother's Day, Baby Jack's first birthday, and a shoutout to Mr. Cullen who turns three!

Seriously, how did this particular Sunday turn out so good?

I can't even be bothered to try and write a clever intro here because the sheer awesomeness of the day in and of itself would just overshadow even the most brilliant thoughts!

And so...

1. Thank you for my mom. We've had some serious ups and some perilous lows, but you know what? She's my mom and I wouldn't be the woman I am without her, for better or for worse. She has given her life to keeping mine. She has taught me how to love unconditionally, the secret to amazing spaghetti sauce (a dash of sugar in the ground beef!), the beauty of sleeping in, why The Beatles are the greatest band in history (also, why one ought to scream like a fool whenever you watch Hard Day's Night), that there is always another way, that if you just take an extra moment to do it right the first time you won't have to go back and redo it later, that meat is so fricken delicious it's okay to crave it regularly (there's a joke there somewhere), and that in love and life it is of the utmost importance to never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever settle.

And thank you to all the women in my life who have "mothered" me over the years. You have no blood bond with me and yet there you are, come hell or high water. How did a girl get so blessed?

And on a similar note, this is what would happen if Blake and I ever tried to make a video mother's day card.

2. Thank you for my friend Andrew. And this video:

3. Thank you for family dinners. Between Shamoo's mom and her friend Allison visiting, and this past week with Dakota in town we've had a couple of bang up meals and plenty of wine (plenty). It's a safe bet that we've all collectively consumed enough dairy and carbohydrates to knock down a bull in his prime, but it's the risk one must take in order to enjoy life a little more than most. And we are so good at life it hurts. (Another recipe post full of cheese and meat coming up this week!)

4. Thank you for solitary walks around the city. Friday afternoon after I left Jodi's I decided to capitalize on the overwhelming sunshine and take my camera out for a walk. I went up to Pittock Mansion to harness the incredible view of all the mountains (my God), and then back down to the waterfront to stroll along the edge of The Willamette, then back and forth across The Hawthorne Bridge to get some shots of the city skyline for a photo wall I'm working on for Jared. Beyond wishing my feet to remove themselves swiftly from my body (poor little soles have been coddled by boots all winter and forgot what it was like to be strapped into my trusty - and well-worn in, mind you - Rainbows. Ah, the pain makes me feel alive. But really, the chance to hermit myself in a little introverted moment while still in public (read: social) was life-giving. I needed that. 

5. Thank you Jared and Dakota for coming to church with me this morning. It always makes the day a little brighter to have a friend with me, let alone two, and let alone two that I love so much. You boys are two of the best men I know and I mean it more than I can say, it meant the world to me that you guys were there sitting next to me this morning. It's not often that I have a "church buddy" but when I do I cherish that time spent with people I love, loving a God who loves us in return. 

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And to close on a delightful non-sequitur:

It is so hot in here I want to pour blueberry yogurt on myself just to cool down enough to sleep.

Too bad I'm out of yogurt.