Pleased to Meet You!

My husband and I just returned from a lovely trip way up north. Our little family will be relocating in June and we wanted to begin the process of narrowing down the particular area where we would like to put down our roots and call home. It was a grand little adventure which included wandering through apple orchards and savoring changing leaves. And if you happened to read my last post, you know just how lovely that was for me!

While we were a-wandering these last few days, we had the pleasure of introducing ourselves several times. And as we were meeting and greeting I realized that you and I, most likely, have not properly met yet! My sincerest apologies - why don't you grab some fresh apple cider (my oh my, was it delightful up north!) and let's chat.

Hmmm... where to start.

I am the oldest of eight children, seven girls and one boy. (My brother is right smack in the middle. My mother always says that she had one boy and went right on back to having girls. Don't feel too sorry for him though, he was always the center of attention.) I spent most of my childhood in Wisconsin and Minnesota and became a four seasons girl through and through.

I met my sweetheart in college and was smitten from the start. We were married about 10 1/2 years ago and have been walking hand in hand through this crazy life ever since. I graduated with a degree in American Studies and taught second grade until my son was born, about a year and a half after we were married. Our sweet daughter was born almost two years to the day later. While we had hoped for a home filled with children, that hasn't quite been the Lord's plan for us. This sadness has helped us to grasp each others hands a little tighter and celebrate the two miracle children we do have. Our children bring us tremendous joy, along with the occasional headache of course, and having the opportunity to help them navigate this life is one of our very greatest privileges.

Our lives center around our faith and our family. Our faith and family are everything to us - and doesn't that just make life wonderful?

I could keep chatting all night long, but I'm afraid you've probably finished your cider and are ready to head out the door. So I'll just shoot out a random list of things I love and we'll call it a night!

I love snuggling up with a good book, planting a vegetable garden in the spring, baking goodies in the kitchen, touching bolts of fabric in a quilt store, eating coconut cupcakes, reading to my munchkins, date nights with my husband, the smell of books in the library, playing the piano until my fingers are sore, singing lullabies, laughing until I cry, late night chats with dear friends and finding a reason to celebrate each and every day.

Now it's your turn to properly introduce yourself!

What are some things you love?