nuts.

life is crazy sometimes. ok, all the time. sometimes it's the good crazy. times you look back on and say "dang. that was awesome. i wish i could live that all over again." sometimes it's the awful crazy. times you look back on and say, "how the hell did i ever live through that?" during the good crazy and the awful crazy, my husband is always by my side. i know my life would be infinitely different if i didn't get to share it with him.  i am so unspeakably grateful he chooses to spend his life with me.

 {image source}

Easter Weekend '12

it was another fairly typical spring/summer weekend for the boatmans. a little home repair, a little DIY project, sprucing up he crib a bit and some quality time with our pups and family. we spent the entire easter sunday visiting both sides of our family. we are just blessed beyond measure when it comes to family. our families are so different in many ways, except in the ways that really count. they are so supportive, so loving, so generous and so FUNNY. my sides are still hurting from all the laughs we shared yesterday. it was a good day for the soul. laughter binds us together is a special way. laughing with {and at} each other is all part of being a real family in my book.
i loved this weekend, i hope you enjoyed yours too.

 {la parilla & ice cream date with my family ... look at the cutie pie!!}

 {tandem dog walking & enjoying a sweet summer cocktail with dinner}

 {DIY Ikea hack on a Poang chair and the hubs fixing our window screens}

{trying my hand at 3 mini succulent gardens ... i hope they survive, they're so cute!}

St. Patrick's Day '12

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day 2012 in Carrollton with some dear friends. We even managed to bump into a few more friends during the course of the evening's festivities. We are really lucky to have such wonderful peple in our lives. There were lots of laughs, which is always the case when we all get together. Some at ourselves, lots at the foolishness happing around us. All in good fun. I hope you found luck on this fun holiday ... even if you aren't really Irish!!

{dinner at the corner cafe ... my favorite!! green beer at plates & the pub.}

 {two of my favorite bar tops ever -- pennies @ the pub and corks @ plates/uncorked}

{here's just a little something extra} 

An Irish Prayer

May God give you... For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer.

cabin weekend {no boys allowed}

i have never been on an all girl vacation. never. weird right? even i find it hard to believe. with so many years participating in youth groups, bible studies, sports teams, young life, fca, life groups and tri delta sorority, it seems all of my trips have some how ended up being co-ed. well, this weekend was my 1st ladies only get away ... and it was fantastic! some of my sorority sisters and i rented a cabin and spent the weekend just relaxing in the blue ridge mountains. we had a little weather scare on friday night with tornadoes blowing their way through the entire state, but we made it through just fine. we chowed down on a crazy amount of delicious food, enjoyed many sweet treats and played lots of {hilarious} games. the wine was a flowin' and my sides are still recovering from hours of uninterrupted laughter!! the one-liners and metal images created by round after round of catch phrase & guesstures will not soon be forgotten. priceless moments people. priceless.

 

{Blue Sky Cabin Rentals -- Buckhorn Lodge}

i can't thank these ladies enough. my soul was in desperate need for all of it. the laughter. the fellowship. the conversation. the acceptance. the junk food. the hugs. it was a total blessing for me in every way. it's true what they say, it is the little things that make all the difference. i feel a sense of renewal and healing. i am so grateful that i know so many strong, caring, empathetic, funny, smart, creative, free spirited, unique, genuine women. ladies like that are difficult to come by and my life has been abundantly blessed with them. i am in awe of each of them for so many reasons. thanks again ladies. i will be dreaming of our next trip together! 

 

leap.

it's February 29, 2012 ... LEAP DAY!!
once every four years we get to celebrate this "extra day". i can't think of anyone who doesn't feel like they could use more time. i know i have longed for just a few more hours in the day, especially lately. i'm going to do my best to make good use of these extra hours. what will you do with yours?

{google images}

when tomorrow rolls around, i will be staring at a calendar with March 1st marked with a big, goofy, red heart. it is my wedding anniversary!! my last post was a total love-fest for my sweet husband {i'll spare you two in a row}. as march begins and another year of our married life is recorded ... i feel the need to let myself just LEAP. the boatmans have a lot of exciting things happening in our life right now. some of which we have control over, but most of which we don't. 2012 has been a series of life lessons in the art of leaping out on faith. i'm a control person. leaping into any kind of undefined, uncontrollable, ever-evolving, situation typically doesn't sit well with my soul. i'm trying though. i've been letting myself creep closer and closer to edge of things ... but now i leap. whole-heartedly. passionately. i am not giving into my fears. i am not giving into my anxiety. i am striving to just enjoy the ride. i am leaping {in faith}. knowing that my husband, my partner, my best friend is right beside me makes the "falling" a little more bearable. i know whenever and wherever we land from this leap, we will have each other. when it is all said and done, that is what truly matters most to me.

happy anniversary boo.
happy leap day everyone.   

V-Day

me & the hubs are sticklers about NOT celebrating this particular holiday. i've never been a super romantic girl and compulsory lovey-dovey-ness on one single scheduled day of the year just doesn't make the cut in my book. i'm a big advocate of the showing each other the love in some small way, every day philosophy. for example, my dear sweet husband has been slaving away for the past few nights after work on a stunningly beautiful new desktop for my {currently under construction} home office. the fact that he comes home after a long day at the office and spends hours of his free time doing something ultra-sweet for me SCREAMS love more than any card or box of candy ever could. i can always "hear" actions more clearly than words.  i am one lucky lady to have snagged such a smart, sweet, funny, genuine, handsome, caring, generous, loving man. he is my best friend. i love him today & every single day. he really is the best. thanks for making all of our days together special. xoxo

 

2012 ... so far.

2012 is in full swing and my little blog is way behind. what can i say, i was so wrapped up in participating in the new year that i didn't make time to blog about anything. oh well. i hope each of you have had a beautiful start to the new year!!

as for the boatmans, we are doing our best to take it one day at a time and soak it ALL in. as 2011 came to a close, we took a step back and reflected on the events of the year. it was truly a roller coaster year for us. the highs were wonderfully high and the lows were tragically low. i can say without hesitation that we were blessed beyond measure in so many areas of our life. as painful as the periods of loss and disappointment were, they served us well. we kept our hearts open, our minds clear and let each one helped us to grow as individuals and as a couple. they forced us take stock of the things we thought were important and reevaluate many of our priorities. i am grateful for the good times, but i am profoundly thankful for the difficult times. our hope is to take the lessons that 2011 taught into this new year and beyond. 

2012 has been busy already, but we are looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead!! 

{we rang in the new year and celebrated scott's birthday in las vegas}

 {our pups still rule the roost over here and piper has settled in nicely}

{our littlest peep charlie is getting so big & we just love her to bits!}

{we are always busy sewing, sanding, stripping, building or painting something}

{more alterations to our humble home - carpet, paint, organization}

{picking out paint colors is a regular occurrence. i've putting my knitting/crocheting skills to work on a baby blanket for some dear friends -- HUGE Florida fans.}

{lots of regular work & fitting in time for some gym work}

 

{this winter/spring/winter back & forth is pure madness, but sometimes we get to build a great fire to snuggle up next to ... so i'm not complaining too much}

{i gave our blog a little facelift for the new year}