Little Toes

I just love this job of mine - visiting mommas with their brand new babies, and sometimes documenting with my camera.  I took a sweet little "honeymoon" break with my doula client and these cute little feet in her peaceful backyard.  Lovely.

Treasure Hunt

Today was the first real day of our "honeymoon week" - a day trip to Crane's beach for some sand, sun, shell-collecting, and time spent together wearing our shiny new rings.  Just perfect.

Early

So grateful for Fergie and Luna this morning, for waking me up early and taking me on a beach walk at sunrise to begin my day.  It felt like we were the only creatures awake, and I was able to give my thanks for this gift of early light, contentment and joy.

Hurricane

Today was the perfect day after the perfect day.  Gratefully, Hurricane Irene held off on sharing her fierce winds and rains until after our wedding.  When she finally made an appearance in Maine, the storm had dissipated a bit and we enjoyed a cozy day of eating leftovers, listening to the wind howl, and watching the magnificent surf. Laura and I snuck out on a rain break to walk the beach and let the dogs run - so awesome.

Married

I had no idea when I started this gratitude project that one of my most grateful days would end up on August 27 of this year.  Standing beside Meg on this gorgeous beach, beneath big hazy sky, and along brilliant ocean waves, I got to marry the love of my life.  I am feeling so grateful for this perfect day, and I will never forget the love and support that surrounded us near and far. 

Pizza Party

We kicked off our wedding weekend festivities with the "non-rehearsal dinner" - a family pizza party at the beach house!  It was so great to finally have both of our families together, in one of our favorite places on earth.  I especially loved seeing our nieces and nephews playing together and making new "best friends."

Fancy Footwork

Taking a break from the lists to enjoy the most luxurious "Milk and Honey" pedicure with my sister, Jenna, at our new favorite nail salon!  I thought it would be really hard to carve out time on this busy day before we leave for Maine to just stop and relax.  Turns out, I'm doing a pretty great job of being a pampered bride for an hour!  So grateful this this relaxation and sister time. 

Beadwork

Finding some time on this late evening to work on a handmade gift for our wedding officiant and I found this special box I have of beads from my Nina's necklaces.  She's been showing up lots of places in this month of her birthday, and my heart has been missing her a lot lately.  I know she'll make an appearance on Saturday under that big sky and by that gorgeous ocean, and I am so grateful that I can feel her still so strongly with me, especially during important times like these in my life.  I am pretty certain that she would be so happy for this wedding and my marriage to Meg - they are both Leo's after all. 

Lists Lists Lists

Oh, how I love making lists!  Can't wait to start crossing some things off of it this weekend!

Wedding Doula

Meg's best friend Gerrie is in town for the week, and I'm not sure what we'd do without her.  Everyone should have a Gerrie staying with them the week before they get married.  Aside from keeping us organized and helping us prepare for the big day, she has also cooked meals, done dishes, and most importantly, helped to keep our stress level low with her wonderful humor, support, and love. Every bride deserves a doula!

Birthday Brunch

Happy First Birthday to our little Fergie!  We grateful humans celebrated with a beautiful brunch, followed by a fun trip to the dog park. 

The Good Women

I feel exceptionally grateful to have so many amazing women in my life. Glad to spend an evening with these particular goddesses: Katie, Kerry, and Mary. 

The Rings

Today's exciting pre-wedding activity - picking up our wedding bands!  Our super sweet jewelry designer and eco-metalsmith, Jesse Danger, presented them to us in these handmade boxes with his special seal. We are so in love with these gorgeous rings, and drove them home like proud parents of two new babies.  We can't stop looking at them!  

City Clerk

We decided to make our trip to city hall to apply for our marriage license even more memorable by taking a spontaneous drive to New Bedford to see our favorite City Clerk - Mom!  We loved surprising her, and it was totally sweet having her sign our paperwork and help us make it official. 

Lazy Susan

Morning walk with the dogs through a different part of the neighborhood - so many beautiful gardens and porches to behold! I especially love all of the Lazy Susan flowers.  With their sun-gold blooms and cheerful stems, they feel like the official flower of summer.

Door Prize

Upon returning home this evening, I was greeted by the sweetest surprise - a package from my aunt Susan, bearing a wonderful wedding gift for me and Meg.  I have always admired Susan's various beautiful dishes for entertaining, especially her cheese plate with it's green leaf parchment paper liners.  How very generous and thoughtful of her to send us one of our own!

Chilly

It's a night for sweatpants, a warm blanket, two snuggly pups and one cozy black cat.  If it has to be chilly in August, we'll make the best of it.

Loving a Leo

Spent the day celebrating this girl of my dreams on her 34th birthday! Of course, I was full of ideas and plans for her big day, and yet, we spent the day exactly as my Meg likes to live her life: without plans, enjoying family, quality time, and simple pleasures of the day.  I'm so grateful for this amazing woman, for bringing so much love and laughter into my life, and, for reminding me to keep things simple.

Muchachas in Love

We had so much fun at our fabulous friends' Mexican-themed bridal shower, complete with margaritas, sombreros, and a mariachi band.  These brides-to-be are the kind of people who bring feel-good fun and love everywhere they go.  While the shower was very unconventional, Meg and I enjoyed making them traditional paper plate bouquets from their gift ribbons and bows.  (Two broken ribbons = two kids for this happy couple!) I am so grateful to have their gorgeous energy and friendship in our lives.

Triumphant

I had the honor and joy of supporting this family for the second time as they welcomed their new baby into the world.  The birth of this sweet baby was especially triumphant for this momma who had a cesarean section for her first baby.  I was so inspired by her deep relaxation and strength as she surrendered to her swift, powerful labor and birthed her baby without intervention.  Happy Birthday, Baby Finn! 

August

One of my most favorite things about August - farm (and home!) grown, sun-kissed tomatoes.  Our CSA share this week yielded 7 pounds of this gorgeous fruit.  They are just so beautiful, and so DELICIOUS!    I love having this weekly farm share, and this regular reminder to be grateful for fresh abundant food.

Sleeping In

I was so happy to begin my day with no alarm clock, and no place to have to run off to right away. Instead I got to relish in a few extra hours of being in pajamas, drinking coffee in bed, and enjoying a snugglefest with my Meg and the pups. Such a sweet and grateful entry into my day.

Hoo-Mee

A childhood favorite after a long day.  Thanks, mom, for insisting on sending me home with this.

Kitchen Sink

Wedding planning, wedding planning, wedding planning!  This afternoon's appointment was the easiest planning meeting we've had so far - deciding on the wedding cake.  Meg's Auntie Anne, baker and chocolatier extraordinaire, is generously making our wedding desserts.  What could be better than munching on her homemade "kitchen sink" cookies and talking about dessert?  Best afternoon break ever.

Overcast

This beach in Maine is miraculous. The past few times we've come it's been overcast or rainy. I don't mind. It's one of those places that I love in rain or shine. I'm grateful for walks in the sand, the sound of the ocean, and the fact that Meg and I get to exchange our vows in this heavenly place.

Ice Cream Consultation

Meg and I are big fans of our wedding photographer, Isabel Furie.  She's talented, funny, generous, often irreverent, honest, and enthusiastic...best of all, she shares our love for mexican food, fountain soda, and ice cream.  We couldn't be more excited about having her shoot us on our big day! 

Kitty in a Basket

Just enjoying a grateful moment with the afternoon light and BadBoy, cozied up in our fruit basket.

Big Time

We danced, we cheered, we sang along...what a THRILL to see Javier live on the big stage at the Pavillion tonight!  I was just in awe of his performance, his graciousness, and how naturally he took this huge step in his career.  As I took a moment to watch the crowd screaming and applauding when he took the stage, I felt enormous pride for this amazing landmark in his journey.

TV Night

Been so long since we had a night of mindless tv-watching on the couch.  Let's hear it for the new season of Project Runway and lots of couch snuggling!

Jungle Fruit

I have been giving thanks every day for this lush green garden with her unruly stems and tangled leaves. This week we savored home-grown swiss chard, nutty squash, and the sweetest tomato I ever did eat!

Dog Tired

We were all pretty exhausted after our two-hour home-visit with our new homeopathic veterinarian.  Her warm and gentle presence cast a spell on our girls - it's a rare occurrence that these two will snuggle up in the same bed.