It's the Little Things.

Gosh...as I sit here on my back porch.  I am truly reminded of the sweetness of those little moments.  It has been ages since I have had time to simply sit and write, or maybe I should say it has been ages since I have actually taken the time to simply sit and write.  As I sit here, my fingers can't seem to type fast enough.  I HAVE SOO MUCH I WANT TO SHARE!!

And I have so many posts I want to write...but for now, I want to share with you the little things that I have enjoyed and discovered this past month.

I have realized this past month just how blessed I truly am, and I hope and pray I never lose sight of those blessings.  I know I have said it once and I will say it again...but it truly is the little things in life that make it so beautiful isn't it?

Life is meant to be enjoyed...every last bit of it, even the smallest of bits.  This is something I have really begun to realize, whether it be sitting outside on a  beautiful sunny day, listening to one of my favorite songs, driving around town with the windows rolled down, capturing something truly beautiful on my camera, a good joke, a good book, baking a cake from scratch, a good conversation with a friend, the smell of fresh cut flowers, the sounds of kids laughing next door, experiencing the joy my husband gets from mowing the lawn and pulling weeds - the list of joys is simply endless.  And it is so easy to lose sight of those things in the busyness and chaos that is life isn't it?

So today, I find myself thankful for this time that I have to sit and type...and today, I find myself SO very thankful for the beautiful women in my life.  I feel so blessed beyond belief to be able to walk through life with the most amazing women who simply inspire me with every breath.

I had the privilege to travel to California with some of my oldest friends this past weekend.  And saying it was amazing is simply an understatement.  I found myself missing them dearly - their laughter, the jokes, the love.  We have so much history together and that history and that love run soo very deep!!

I will write so much more about this, but for now, I will leave you with this lovely photo!

And let's just say I walked away from this past weekend so very enlightened.  The girls informed me of sock buns, ribbon hair ties, and the coobie bra.  As you can tell I am slightly obsessed with the sock bun - so check it out!!  And I have already purchased some ribbon hair ties on Etsy, and I have the coobie bra in my Amazon cart.  Thank goodness for stylish girlfriends!!

This past weekend, I got back into my baking groove.  I baked a chocolate Guinness cake with store bought frosting...nasty!  The cake was delicious, but the frosting just wasn't right.  Our hand mixer broke, and I have been putting off buying another, which I finally did so I could make the frosting for the second cake, a spice cake.  And that frosting is delicious!!  Peter and I were off all things flour for lent, which meant I had to forgo all sorts of baked goodies.  And let's just say I found it easier to go without those items when I wasn't baking them all the time!  

Also, we have planted some items in our garden, but the potatoes are the things that are truly flourishing.  And we have begun the journey of growing some edible items indoors!  And a picture of our back porch with the lovely hanging baskets my darling husband bought - more on that later.

Until next time,

Malia

*Linking up with Finding Beauty in the Ordinary *

February Gabfest

Love these ladies!  On Friday night, we had our monthly Gal Pal Gabfest.  I have written about this monthly gathering once before - so I don't want to repeat myself too much.  But I will say a little bit about it - each month I get together with some of my dearest friends from growing up to share a meal together, drink some alcoholic beverages, and laugh until our bellies ache.

This month one of the five was away visiting her grandma in Iowa, and we had a special guest join us for the night!  It was such a blessed night, and it still blows my mind how long I have known most of these women.  We have been through all sorts of things together - puberty, bras, boyfriends, hairstyles, college, engagements, weddings, pregnancies (well one of us at least!).  So many memories, so many years shared together, so many tears, so much laughter, so much life lived ...together.  And it has been such a beautiful journey...one that we have shared together.

I will be 30 in October, and it is crazy to think I have known these women for MORE than half my lifetime!  Some of us met before we hit double digits, but by the time we were teenagers all of our paths had crossed.

I feel so blessed to share life with these beautiful women who are changing the world one step at a time!  And I am already looking forward to next month.

Going to the Chapel.

This past weekend was Sarah's bachelorette weekend. It was a beautiful weekend away in Lake Stevens with Sarah's closest friends. We laughed much, ate much, and showered Sarah with so much love. It was also my first night away from Peter. We have been married nearly 7 months, and we had never slept apart. Don't worry, I survived, and my friend Jennie told me I was extremely lucky that it had taken us this long to sleep apart! So I came home with a new perspective on bed and blanket sharing and a renewed love for my girlfriends.

Girlfriends.

Well I have a few moments before peter comes home from his core group and I wanted to share some thoughts. So I just came home from bible study and I am wondering how long it will take me to come down from my high. Now it may be a result of spending good, quality time with my girlfriends or it could be spending good, quality time talking about God, or it could be both...spending good, quality time with girlfriends talking about God. Now I have always valued my friends and I have always known just how blessed I am to have people in my life who I love and care about and who love and care about me. But some things change when you get married. I spent most of my life living in community with women - growing up it was my mom and sister until my sister moved out when I was 17, and then there was the glorious sorority days where I lived with 100 girls from 18-22, and then there was the 5224 house and the 136 which were both filled with beautiful women, and I can't forget to mention that somewhere in there I also lived with two boys and that experience partially prepared me for living with Peter.

I have been blessed with amazing women in my life, and once I got married and moved in with a boy, I was once again reminded of this tremendous blessing. Don't get me wrong I adore my new roommate, who just told me a minute ago that he would fart in my face if I didn't move to my side of the bed, but obviously as one can tell it's very different. I mean truly my female roommates never would have said that! I miss the spontaneity of friendships, the late night talks, carrying the burdens, baked goods, sharing meals together, and ultimately, intimately sharing life together because you live in such close quarters. But thankfully, I see my girlfriends every Monday for bible study and the time flies by, but it is beautiful because God always shows up. Within this group we have the capacity to be real, raw and vulnerable and I fully trust that these women will listen with open hearts and open ears and support me through it all. I truly thank God for this group of women and I am already looking forward to meeting next Monday and sharing our raw encounters with God.