Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood

Joy moved to California!!   My youngest sister decided our hearts could no longer be divided, packed up her tiny pants and moved across the country - AND in with me and Bill to our new house!  We have been in transition for a few weeks, and I feel like things are starting to feel more settled and fall into a bit of a rhythm.  All three sisters live within 20 minutes of each other and because of that, my heart is happy. Having her here is the most wonderful.  I am not sure I can put it into words.  She is contagiously excited and caring and she has made me feel at home in my new home.  I know our time is short lived and in no time she will have a bunch of friends and find a roommate and settle into a schedule apart from me, but I am clinging to this in between.  The time where we pass each other in the kitchen, we read the Bible out loud to each other before bed and we get take out Indian and sit and watch a show on Netflix while we eat and laugh.  This time is precious and

Moving in is a process.  We have been in our new home for about a week and a half and it is starting to feel real and sink in.  These lovingly worn wood floors are ours, those oranges growing on those big beautiful bushy trees are ours, that pink sink that has held many plates after family dinners in the kitchen is ours, those near perfect roses growing outside the kitchen window are ours, and that sunroom that is warm and cozy and wonderful is ours.  It is all ours.  Every weird quirk and every fabulous feature.  We own a home and I am starting to believe it.  I am focusing on the little things, rather than being overwhelmed by all the projects. I am a list person, and I am learning that everything cannot get crossed off when you want it to when it comes to home owning.  The other day we ended up picking oranges and squeezing a pitcher of fresh juice rather than a bunch of other items on my to do list, and that is great.  I loved every minute of it.  I a

The second leg of our birthday trip was equally wonderful!  We traveled down to Portland as a big group and went big.  Walked a lot downtown, went to the weekend market, searched out a fabulous brunch with bottomless mimosas, acted like tourists (as you can see my friend making fun of us at Stumptown), ate some of the best Thai food in America at PokPok, strolled through Powell’s book store and spent a ton of time laughing and enjoying each other’s company. But seriously you guys, if you are ever in Portland (and you like Thai food), you MUST go to PokPok for Thai.  It is the closest thing Bill and I have found outside of Thailand and everything we had was incredible.  Also visit Stumptown Coffee Roasters if you are in the area, sure it is touristy, but dang it their coffee is delicious and worth the trip! I have to say, this traveling group was perfect.  Sometimes traveling in a big group can be very stressful and high maintenance.  Different people get really dramatic, i

As you will see, as I attempt to catch you up, we have been very busy!    While my posts may be brief, I just feel some things need to be written about even though they were awhile back now!    This trip was back in March, but it was too good not to post about now.       My husband turned 30, and I don’t want you to think we did not celebrate that! He is my absolutely favorite and spending time with him traveling is the most fun.  For Bill’s 30 th birthday (and my 29 th ) we took a family/friend trip up to Seattle and Portland for 5 days and explored the Pacific Northwest as a group.  My sister and her husband, Bill’s parents and Bill and I flew up to Seattle and stayed just outside the city with Bill’s Aunt and Uncle in their beautiful home.  We went to Pike Market and soaked it in eating oysters, watching fish get thrown, enjoying mid-afternoon beers at a brewery, and admiring all the local artisans, food and gorgeous flowers.  A couple of Pacific North friends drove up

Ignore the time stamp - Our realtor forgot to update the date! Wow it’s been awhile friends!! In my absence I have been concentrating on being present, practicing yoga and moving into a new home!  Yoga has become a 3-4 times a week practice for me (over the past 4 months) and my heart feels satiated by it.   I found my forever form of exercise and don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.   It has truly made my heart soar and brought me such peace in my own skin.   In other news, my youngest sister moved out to California and the three sisters are reunited on the West Coast!   Her presence has brought me such joy and peace and wow I feel like crying just typing these words.   This season of life feels really rich in love and family.   Blessed doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. Bill's Parents with us when we went for our property inspection This past weekend Bill and I moved into a house that we purchased, and to say it is glorious wouldn’t be giving it enough cr