Splash!

First Mother's Day: fountains, pink polka dots, and a new camera.

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

My first Mother's Day was absolutely perfect.  More than anything, I felt so very thankful - to finally be a mother, to be parenting alongside a passionate and compassionate man who is an incredible father and husband, to have friends who are like family and treat our daughter as their own. There are many daily challenges and hum-drum activities in motherhood.  But over the last 10 months, I have found that each day is painted a certain color depending on my mood and perspective.  I set the tone.  And it's not always a positive one, but I am learning day by day.

The day before Mother's Day, Steven and I spent a glorious afternoon with our little girl, playing in the fountain at our "beloved SMU" as I've come to call the Southern Methodist University campus that we consider our own private park here in Dallas.  She splished and splashed and tried incessantly to remove the pink polka dot sunhat. In the end, Mommy was victorious, thanks to the chin strap.  That's why they have velcro, my dear, that's why they have velcro.

Meanwhile, I sank my toes into SMU's carpet-like grass.  Ahhhh.  One of my favorite feelings in the entire world...

And not another soul to be seen.  See?  Our own private park.  I guess the secret's out now.

The next morning on Mother's Day, our dear friend Kyle asked if she could cook brunch for us.  Did she really have to ask?  She made a delectable spread: crisp bacon, asparagus frittata, juicy roasted tomatoes, and blueberry drop scones... 

Then, she presented me with a card that said our close friends had all chipped in equally to give me a special gift.  The card said,

"This is something we know you'll love and appreciate, something you'll get much use out of and will be a part of the tools God uses as He continues to write you, Steven, and Luci Belle into His story.  You have a special way of seeing His world - may you continue to bring it to our world." 

((Insert tear here.))  I felt so understood by those words.  And I didn't even know what the gift was yet!  To my utter surprise, I opened a large manilla envelope to find a print-out of a brand new Canon Powershot 12.1 megapixels camera!  WHAT?!  The Sony Cybershot I currently use for all my photos is 5 megapixels and almost 7 years old now, although it has been very, very good to me.  Once I receive the new Canon, you better buh-lieve I'll be debuting it here first!

3 simple joys.

More to come soon from my recent Nashville trip, but until then...I was inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Walk Slowly, Live Wildly, to share 3 simple joys I've experienced lately.  Won't you join in?

A luscious green smoothie first thing in the morning.

I've been craving these lately...first, I juice apples, oranges, carrots, pineapple, lemon/lime, broccoli, peaches, or whatever fruits & veggies I have in the fridge.  Pour the fresh juice into the blender, and add a few handfuls of fresh spinach leaves on top.  Give it a good whazz {as Jamie Oliver would say} until the mixture is grass-green and frothy!  I feel so energized after gulping this down.

The perfect table setting for a country lunch.

A simple Mason jar filled with dainty flowers greeted us as we sat down for lunch at Joe Natural's in the tiny hamlet of Leiper's Fork, TN. The lunch was out of this world!  They grow many of the ingredients at their own farm down the street and use other local vendors as well.  My friend Angela and I split the Miss Mary Bobo {all-natural roasted turkey sandwich with roasted fig, garlic chutney, and grilled onions} and the Organic Veggie Bowl with Grilled Chicken {avocados, quinoa, olives, fresh seasonal veggies, hummus, grilled chicken, and sprouts, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette}.  Can you say YUM?

The luxury of our own row on the plane.

Traveling alone with a wiggly 10-month-old is what I would call "challenging"; holding her on my lap for the entire plane ride is nearly impossible.  Thankfully, we found a row all to ourselves where little Luci Belle could have her own seat, look out the window, climb on everything in sight, and play with the emergency instructions booklet to her heart's content.

What are  3 simple joys you've experienced lately?

Mother and daughter.

A faint scar on my lower abdomen is a forever reminder of how she was pulled into the world.  It would not be the first or last mark she would make on my life.  How thankful I am to have this life, with my sweet husband and precious little girl.  I treasure each day we have together as the gift that it is!

Places to play in and pray in...

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." ~John Muir

The author of the above quote is John Muir, after whom Muir Woods in Northern California is named.  If you've ever been there, you know it is one of the most majestic displays of nature here on earth - redwoods so wide you could drive a car through them, others towering so high they look like poles reaching straight to heaven.

The Texas woods are hardly Muir Woods but they're what we've got, and they are beautiful.

We got to enjoy the Cedar Ridge Preserve again with our dear friends Tommy and Linda.  Luci Belle is getting quite used to the Boba carrier, where she arches herself backward so she can see the tops of the trees.  I let her arms hang out so she can brush her fingertips against the of shrubs and flowers.

There are so many quiet places there to sit, reflect, pray.  And so many treasures, everywhere you look.

We wore the little girl out, so while she slept on my back, Tommy and Linda played...