Savored Moments & The Open Road

:: nebraska ::

Today we spent 13 hours on the open road...en route from Colorado to Minneapolis for my brother's wedding. We stopped in Des Moines to crash for the night, and let me just say that sleep will be SO WELCOMED!

Let me also just say that SUMMER + LIVING REAL LIFE = LESS BLOGGING.

At the end of the day, I've been crashing onto the couch for some quick online catch up time...but haven't felt motivated to blog at all. This isn't an apology or a promise for more blogging...just keepin' it real. I tend to blog a lot more when life isn't moving so fast and when the sun goes down at 6pm. :)

I have a backlog of ideas and drafts of blogs that are half written, but haven't had the time (because wow, blogging takes a lot of time yo!)...or the energy to complete. I tend to be a perfectionist in all things, so if I don't have time to write a perfectly well-thought out post, then I won't post at all.

However, I really like what my friend Olya at Life Inspired said about her new goal in blogging:

I am going to embrace the randomness of our daily life and not be afraid to be random here as well. Because in reality, our life consists of a myriad of random moments that happen throughout the day, every day. Trying to tie them together into one post with some deep meaningful title to go along with it is what often overwhelms me, takes too much time and causes me to not document those things after all.

And in that spirit, here are a few of my favorite moments from the last couple of weeks:

I have received several lovely letters in the mail from treasured friends. I SAVORED their every word and soaked it all in...with a delicious hot beverage in hand.

We had friends over for taco night and we enjoyed a beautiful evening on the patio.

After supper, we listened to some live music in downtown Longmont.

Bella spent 3 days at Sun Pony Ranch for horse camp! She had a BLAST and can't wait to go back next year.

Shortly after that, she got her cast off! She will still wear a splint for playing for 2 more weeks, but she is enjoying the freedom!

I rode my cruiser and met Natalie on the front porch of Caffe Luna early one morning. It was a really fun time of connection and laughter and I cannot wait to do it again.

We spent time in southern Colorado at Monument Lake...what beauty! God's creation is truly incredible.

We had a slumber party with our cousins in Castle Rock. A sweet time of fellowship by adults and kiddos alike.

We spent time with Ellen and her family in Lyons for the Outdoor Games. Fun!

Matt and I celebrated 11 years of marriage on June 17! He still makes my heart skip a beat with that killer smile and his sweet sense of humor.

We had some hard days after saying goodbye to Bella's best friends in the neighborhood...they are moving on July 1, before we return from the wedding. She has spent so much time with them over the last couple of months...up to 6-7 hours a day between the park and in the backyards. It will take some time to adjust...luckily, they just moved an hour away and we plan to see them again!

And lastly...I've been hanging out these two amazing daughters of mine who teach me daily what it means to truly live life in the moment. To see beauty in the small things and remain in awe of airplanes and birds in flight. They make me smile. They make me crazy. They are the best gift I've ever been given.

And now I must get to bed, so I can be rested for the amazing wedding weekend of family, feasting, and fun!

 

 

Lots of Love in Lyons

Do you remember my friend Ellen? I told you about her awhile ago. We hung out last week in Denver at her place and had a blast. And then she came over again today and we hung out in Lyons with the kiddos at Meadow Park (the most beautiful park EVER). We will definitely be going back. Like tomorrow. :) Our kids play together splendidly and we plan to get together a lot more in the coming months!

The crew!

Bella surveys the rapids. This park has awesome little "still water" inlets for the kiddos to splash around in and have fun. Of course, the water is ICE cold (because it's melting off the mountains), but they didn't seem to mind.

Ellen and Lucy have a moment.

I fell completely head over heels in love with the little coffee shop in town...The Stone Cup. Super kid friendly and beautiful views. She was asleep before we even hit the city limits...which means it was a good day!

And lastly...an awesome magnet I saw today. Such a wonderful reminder! Say YES! to your life this weekend...look for the little blessings in all things and be happy!

*Note: The filter on these photos is done with Instagram, which is an iPhone app. For those of you without iPhones, you can still follow my feed here. I post a lot of photos there that I don't post anywhere else. If you do have an iPhone, download the Instagram app and follow "livelightly"! :)

Flashback Friday: Chubby Legs & Hula Hoops

I can't believe it's only been a year since this photo was taken! Lucy's legs are so chubby...and my hoops are so new and shiny! We spent Memorial Day weekend in Minneapolis last year with family...and this year we'll be with family again, but this time in Colorado!

My parents are driving out from Iowa as I type this, so we're looking forward to seeing them again. Dan, Jess, and Scotty will be here too.  I'm guessing there will be lots of good food and sunshine involved. Bella is ready and rarin' to go with her new cast too.

I have been dreaming of the veggie pot stickers with spicy peanut sauce since Monica and I had them at the Boulder Farmer's Market. Oh.my.word. Amazing. Or how about some iced Bhakti Chai from Laughing Goat? Yes please. As a recovering Boulder-hater, I am working on finding my bliss there again. I've been less than thrilled about the traffic and gaggles of people in the past...but I am embracing it now. It will be extra nuts because the Boulder Creek Festival is happening. Bring on the crazy!

Lucy's birthday is on the 29th...so I'm sure we'll do a little something fun for that. We had a celebration in Iowa with everyone...but she's too cute not to celebrate again. :)

There are summer breezes pouring in every window and pretty birdie songs floating through the air. In the distance I can hear Bella playing with her besties and the wind chimes I took from my Grandma's patio are joining in the song. The RV "guest suite" needs clean sheets and fresh flowers...so I need to sign off and get busy on that.

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend...I have lots of good stuff planned for the blog (and for you!) this summer. Can't wait!!

God is good. Life is good. Cherish each moment. Much love...