Happy list v25

501. Taking this little bird to new places even if just for the day (IOP)

502. Quality time in the sunshine with my first [fur] babe while Wren naps

503. Our new Ameraucana hens

504. Hammock time, which is her favorite 

505. Time with B, especially before she leaves for Charleston

506. Tight lines catching brownies with Michael

507. Milestone bows

508. Munching on fresh veggies together

509. When playtime suddenly turns into a nap

510. Kicking off summer with bath time on the porch

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v24

480. Of course my cup overflows with love and happiness over our new daughter, Wren.
481. Little bird, 481 will always be my favorite for it's the happiest of them all!
482. That Wren shares a birthday with Sully Bink
483. Sweet cuddles that last for hours. Time has never seemed so fleeting.
484. Our special bow beanie from our favorite nurse 

485. When Wren puts Daddy to sleep

486. Stroller walks with two of my favs

487. Nutella once a day...for the milk (:

488. Mike using the baby monitor like a CB radio - little bird come in, over.

489. Wren's poop face. Her teenage self may very well hate my commitment to thorough documentation.

 490. Our first hike in Hendersonville with sweet friends

491. Seeing our families and friends love on Wren - it is so very special and we are grateful that her heart is already so dear to so many

492. Oowa singing the funny face song on repeat

493. The most special letters and their perfect timing

494. Baby wearing - the gifted freedom of using two hands

495. Mike's hit single and when it gets stuck in my head during the day

496. Chatting with my dad about becoming a parent - so neat to finally share some perspective

497. The way Aunt Shellee beams at Wren

498. Sweet baby toes

499. Moonlight communication with other new moms - camaraderie is key.

500. A mid-afternoon decaf coffee as big as my head to make me feel like a real person

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v23

463. Mike helping me make mobiles for the nursery. Seriously swoon-worthy!
464. Sweet drop by visits from friends with babes and gifted hydrangeas
465. Going back to visit houses that I did a lot of growing up in
466. Impromptu all-day hangouts with friends
467. Our literally multiplying community group (:
468. Hearing Mike tell "our story"
469. Snail mail from my mom and the sweet and simple baby gifts she's included lately
470. Having a dad that keeps up with my OB appointments and hunts for old antiques for me
471. Jumbo cups of QT crushed ice and gifted "preggo" ice from JB
472. Doodling names in my journal, not knowing what our Baby Bink will be yet
473. Friends that give up weekend after weekend to help Mike build our back deck
474. Special trinkets with sentimental value
475. Our PERFECT homemade cake from my aunt and cousins for Baby Bink's final shower with family - so very special, not to mention, delish!

476. Line dried laundry warm from the sunshine
477. Making Mike's favorite meals
478. A happy Sully when he gets to do his favorite things
479. Fried plantains for dinner
480. Doubling up on Chocolate Silk Pie from Adam's with Katie for our last pre-baby hoorah. Halvsies just won't do. 

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v22

459. Playing hide-n-seek with Sully and Mike in the backyard
450. Pool days at Honey's with the gang
451. Sully helping us round up the hens back into their coop at night - such a farm dog at heart
452. Katie rushing over to my aid with meat tenderizer when I got stung on.the.butt by yellow jackets while cutting grass
453. The most relaxing babymoon down in Beaufort with Mike and Sully - our last hoorah as a family of 3

454. The occasional Peanut Butter Fudge Milkshake (for the baby, of course)
455. Coffee dates with Andrea, chatting about all things motherhood
456. FINALLY creating a wedding album and having it printed.......just 5 years out
457. Our very first egg from our backyard girls

458. No judgement portions of cheesecake with Megan paired with sweet cuddle time with Myers
459. Playing in the fountain downtown with Mc and Amos
460. Neighborly walk/bike over visits with Ben and Em
461. Watching Mount Everest documentaries with Mike when I can't sleep
462. Our couple's baby shower thrown by all of our very bests. Our growing family is immensely blessed by life lived alongside such a special bunch of friends!

Poor Mike had to eat baby food all mixed up for his last place finish

Makes me melt, thinkin' of my sweet one becoming a dad to our little love! 

Pretty darn special growing babes with my best friend 

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v21

444. Homemade ice cream with the help of Dad's 1923 hit and miss engine
445. My new "mom" set of wheels - had to happen.

446. Shooting more with my 50mm fixed lens
447. Looking through old pictures
448. Sitting in the nursery daydreaming. It's coming along...
449. Game of Thrones shockers
450. National Park instas, because every day is made better with a pretty view!
451. Father's Day flyfishing with Mike and Roid

 452. Stuffing my baby bump into my waders

453. Sittin' on the porch when the talk turns to birds
454. Building cozy pallets with Mike. Throwback to sweet childhood.
455. Homemade chicken salad
456. Runtastic
457. Teaching Sully to help herd the chickens back into their coop
458. Baby Bink's very first shower thrown by two of my very bests! Just perfect and so very special to me. Grateful for such wonderful friends who will love our babe, too.

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v20

427. Orzo, because it sounds more exciting than pasta
428. Back porch sittin' at my Mama's after way too much homemade chicken and dumplings and berry cobbler
429. Patients that are easy going and fun to laugh and cut up with
430. Passing around ankle braces and crutches between sweet friends
431. The feeling right after a new haircut
432. Random FaceTime chats with Nick, Jessy and Max!
433. Our one black hen, Token. Because we're not racist. 

434. Matt and Johanna's wedding with our community group crew

435. 4/29/14 - the very first time I felt a definitive kick from our babe

436. 5/4/14 - the first time Mike was able to feel a kick from our babe

437. Neighborhood walks with Megan and Isaac in perfect weather

438. Sully grunts when you scratch his ears for him

439. Good for the soul time with my Shellee, getting sappy between sisters and all

440. Homemade ice cream celebrations with the gang

441. Collecting antiques with Dad

442. Sweet snail mail notes that your heart needed to hear

443. Shout out to my big city beef on her birfday, today! So glad you were born and stuff (:

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v19

413. Now that we're out with it...of course Baby Bink is at the top of our happy list. Each.and.every.day our joy grows!

414. Announcing our pregnancy - I'm no preteen, but viral comments are pretty fun to wake up to!

415. Taking shameless selfies to pick out my new Warby Parker's

416. GOAT Sunday's in the park complete with slack lining and boys against girls volleyball

417. Homemade pimento cheese! Another potential repeat (why is it always food?!) but worth a second shout out nonetheless.

418. Weekly pregnancy texts every Thursday

419. Babysitting this sweet and handsome fella

420. Gifted fresh tulips and cowboy bark from Trader Joe's

421. Fresh buds on our red bud tree we planted last year right after we moved in

422. Sunny afternoons spent in the yard with Mike and Sully

423. This Spring weather, y'all. Here's to hoping it is here to stay!

424. Fresh life perspective after time in the Word

425. At home crossfit WOD's with Mike

426. Knowing my mom's boyfriend, Richard, who went to be with the Lord last night. He taught me about the power of a positive attitude, a thirst to know and draw near to God, the joy to be had from a full life lived and the perspective to be gained only from one's end of life. 

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends? 

Happy list v18 - 27th birthday edition

401. Taking the day off work and how that's more and more exciting the closer I get to 30
402. Happy birthday voicemails left in song
403. My sweet morning note from my Mike before he left for the airport
404. Surprise flowers from brother bear
405. Spontaneous lunch with B, even though it's hard to beat the 18th birthday party she threw for me
406. Dad coming all the way to Greenville to take me out for a birthday dinner at Adam's Bistro since Mike was out of town
407. A bazillion sweet texts and messages that make me wanna pause life and go catch up with everyone all at once
408. Hand delivered cupcakes shared with the very best of friends
409. Grown up sleepovers with Katie even though we're old and go to bed on time
410. The grand opening of a brand new QT near our house - c'mon, y'all, they're the cleanest!
411. An hour spent in the sunshine
412. Soakin' up sweet snuggles with my Sully to get my snuggle fix while Mike is away

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v17

381. Mike Rowe's voice
382. The Guardian
383. Playing ski lodge for the whole gang for one of our snow days - 2/12/14
384. My sweet husband that runs out to the store for me when I've forgotten something
385. Sully in his Vibram boots...in a sled...in the snow

386. Low key plans
387. Amos' adorable snow suit

388. Early morning Bible study at Wa-ho with the girls

389. Wild by Cheryl Strayed

390. Winter gear sales

391. Brita water

392. Ginger Ale - always reminds me of my Mimi

393. Sweet, perfectly on time talks with my sister, Shellee

394. New recipes swapped with friends

395. Friends to play like little kids with - bonus when they double as neighbors that you can literally borrow sugar from!

396. Early morning chats over coffee and snuggles with Michael

397. Dim lighting

398. Rustic picture frames

399. The way a simple scarf or necklace can make a boring outfit instantly more fun

400. Close friends that don't mind you napping at their house during a visit

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v16

364. 14ers, especially Bierstadt (our first)

365. Our new mattress
366. Pep talks
367. Daddy daughter movies
368. Eating clean consistently
369. Sleepy Poet in Charlotte
370. The Tobacco Barn in Asheville
371. Organizing our household files in January to close out each year
372. Ezekiel raisin bread with my eggs
373. Morning Bible study breakfast dates with the girls
374. Sunday afternoon naps
375. Sleeping in outdoor gear apparently 

376. Chai tea with a little soy milk and honey

377. When none of our coffee mugs are clean and Mike is forced to take my purple butterfly print one with him to work

378. Any clearance section

379. Sticking to a budget

380. A staple gray t-shirt that can be worn with literally anything

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v15

339. "Wherever we go happiness grows"
340. A cold Stella
341. Using baby powder to get the oil out of your hair - cheaper than dry shampoo, ma lady friends!
342. Memories of riding my bike to my Papa's house for a little debbie cake and a game of cards
343. Making our family's special cream cheese cookies at Christmas

344. A full row of friends squooshed all into one pew at Grace on Sunday mornings
345. Movie nights snuggled up on the couch
346. Making homemade soup
347. Making a wrong turn and happening upon a surprise sunset view

348. Trip planning with Michael, wishing we could go on them all!
349. Our new-to-us old leather chair from the Allens that's been passed around since college
350. Stocking stuffers
351. A brand new year's Christmas card collection from friends and family
352. Main street Walhalla all lit up at Christmas time

353. Starting holidays off with a run
354. Geeking out over national parks
355. Meeting kindred spirits
356. My sweet Sully's rosey pink nose

357. Shooting guns at the farm
358. Brother bear's cookin'
359. Full afternoons spent at the Lawrence's, especially with little Max now part of the fun

360. Lighting a brand new candle
361. Breakfast dates
362. Larry McMurtry
363. My savior, Jesus, his steadfastness on earth towards sacrificing himself for the likes of me and the gift of the holy spirit

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?

Happy list v14

314. My nightlight willows from Mikey - I asked for them the very first week we were married and 4 years later, well...here they are

315. Winter squash

316. The ability to pay our bills - such a blessing

317. Chris' chocolate silk pie from Adam's Bistro

318. Bruce's sweet potato pancakes, especially shared with friends

319. Our newly painted swamp water, chicken sheet green guest bedroom

320. Listening to Freddie's crazy voicemails at dinner

321. Having our first real Christmas tree this year even though it's a simple, tiny guy

322. Homemade ornaments made just for me by my sweet friend, Julie at OrangeOdge

323. Hearing about people's dream vacations, talking about favorite places traveled

324. How my dad and I always immediately start our conversations right when we get on the phone, no hello needed

325. Watching my mom do sign language

326. The Anderson's big back yard, perfect for sibling rivalry throwdowns of any kind

327. Our annual Thanksgiving trail run at Yellow Branch, bonus for cousins coming this year!

328. Our new clever little knickknack - thanks to Steven at New Leaf Letterpress. It's in our bedroom. I think you know where this is going. So us!

329. Spontaneous crockpot dinners with the Daviiii

330. Running into Gina at The Maxx

331. Chicken littles free to roam back at the ranch

332. Reading whatever page Michael's bible is opened up to on the kitchen table every morning

333. Touchscreens

334. Still wearing my retainer. Yeah yeah, laugh away!

335. Healthy doses of sarcasm

336. The night at the McDonald's that I met my may-as-well-be lil sis, Kelly when she was just in 7th grade. Much love (:

337. All my old FCC girls...my favorite group of young people of all time!

337. My senior year scrapbook from Linz - one of the most thoughtful gifts ever for a reminiscent bird like me

338. Ridiculous photo shoots with this fine crew 

Blessed far beyond what I deserve.

What keeps you smiling, sweet friends?