Life Lately via Cell Phone Pics

Well, this is a long one! I always forget to do these posts but love having them here to look back at. So here’s a catch-up of “life lately!”

It’s beach season! And a beach day is best enjoyed in this order: Beach-Burgers-Donuts.

Thursday Thrift Day. I met my mom here one morning for a little shopping therapy. We’ve been coming here since I was in high school.
It’s one of our favorites in J-ville!I came home with a vintage school desk and coffee table and some clothes.

Celebrating 7 years! Anderson has never given me a card for the right occasion. He just buys one he thinks is funny and scratches stuff out/writes all over it.
I save every one. And they make me laugh when I find them in random places! (Found this one in a book.)

I already shared our anniversary trip last month but forgot to post some of the pictures from our phones. We loved staying at the Jekyll Island Club!

Left: The view from our room.
Right: We had the pool all to ourselves!

It’s was a gorgeous day, so we headed out to explore. Anderson asked me why I didn’t bring any “walking shoes.” Seven years in, and he’s still asking that?!

Do you ever go to the grocery store (even though you hate it) just to get away from your people for a few minutes? Yeah. Me neither.

It’s a little scary how much my idea of a productive day has changed in just two months. Well played, God.

After dinner one night we walked down to the beach. It had just stormed, and the clouds were beautiful! Kingston said, “God is so good to make all this stuff.” And we had one of those “Awwww” moments until we realized he wasn’t even looking at the clouds with us. He was staring lovingly at my car.

🙂

Left: “Smells like vinegar and a fart!”
Right: I dress us alike all the time. I figure this is my only chance. Once he starts noticing, it’s all over!

Left: I got him a yellow Mini Cooper at Goodwill, and he didn’t really put it down for days. He named it Cooper. We’ve read to it, given it snacks, and I even tucked it in bed a few times. I guess it’s the boy version of a baby doll?

Right: We went to a wedding, and my whole family was there! That rarely happens, so it was fun.

Left: My two favorite men.
Right: We built NYC one day. The tiny building is Little Italy “because it’s little.”

Left: The secret to contentment from the guy who had every reason not to be, The Apostle Paul. Philippians 4:11-13 Jesus is enough!!!
Right: We’ll be here ’til September.

Left: I’ve been thinking about my relationship with Jesus, and why I love him and talk about him all the time… And I think this kind of sums it up.
To me, worship is my response to this: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.” (Psalm 40) The same God who created the universe saw me in all my muddy sin, and out of love – the kind of love that a dad has for his daughter – he reached down into the slimy pit, the one I couldn’t claw my way out of, and pulled me out of the darkness and into the light. He saved me from my own mess! And he placed me on a firm foundation. He didn’t wait for me to figure things out on my own or expect me to clean myself up first. Instead, he climbed down into the mud with me! How can my response to this be anything other than a heart overflowing with thanksgiving and praise?! How can I not love someone who loves me so perfectly? This is why I love my Savior. Not because of me, but because of him!

Right: For the first 3 months of the year we studied the book of Exodus at church. It’s been nothing short of life-changing. But as a former cheerleader, (no I usually do not admit that) I have a special appreciation for Moses up there. Can we just take a moment to admire his perfect (half) high V?
Arm straight, tight fist, straight wrist. Great form, Moses!

Left: Ice cream and candy for dessert at Sweet Pete’s. We like this place a lot more than we should!

Right: I’ve been looking for curtains for our dining room forever and can’t find what I have in mind. (You know, granny chic?!) So I made them from a vintage bed sheet and quilt pieces! I’ve actually been working on a lot of projects around the house lately and realized that it’s starting to look more and more like my parents’ home. They tried to tell me I’d like old stuff one day!

Left: Brain tumor check-up day a few weeks ago.

Right: A few days later when I got good news from the doctor! My tumor is “stable” so I don’t have to go back for a whole year! Thank you SO much for continuing to pray for me/with me!

Left: Annual Miller/Almeida egg dyeing eggstravaganza.
Right: Grandma telling Kingston a doozy of a story on the porch. Grandpa looking at me like “She’s crazaaaay!!”

Left: I love when Kingston brings home artwork. The problem is, I want to display every bit of it. What am I to do? Wallpaper maybe?!
Right: Mr. Almeida’s coconut pancakes.

Left: Group hug.
Right: DONUTS!!! P.S. They taste better if you’re wearing the hat. 🙂

Left: Sometimes working from home feels like to much. Like, I HAVE to get out of the house.
So I’ll go to a coffee shop after preschool drop-off and work around other humans.

Right: K. Rock has mastered the cheesy preschooler smile. 🙂

Left: So… if you eat carrots and hummus for dinner you can have these for dessert, right?! (I mean the whole box. Obviously.)

Right: This is a little story about some magic hair potion. Since cutting my hair I’ve used a lot more product in it. (Do you have any idea how much work it takes to get that “I woke up like this” look with short hair? Ha!) The result is a lot of product build-up. So I’ve started doing this treatment about once a month. It gets rid of all the build-up and leaves my hair super soft. I mix 1/4 cup of baking soda with about 4 tsp of water until it turns into a paste. Then I rub it through my hair, concentrating on the roots, and let it sit for a few minutes. Then rinse, shampoo, and condition as usual. It works great!
One word of caution: I stay away from any heat styling for a day or two after the treatment.

Left: King of the castle.
Right: Decisions. Beach reading season is here!

Left: “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.” Matthew 7:1-5

Right: “Our” mirror in Neptune Beach!

Left: Rainy day = perfect for a little crafting while Kingston “naps” (yells random things at me every 30 seconds from his bedroom.)
Right: “Kingston why did you make those crazy faces?” “To make you laugh, Mom!”

Left: Anderson’s body in 4-yr-old size. #daddylonglegs
Right: Hallelujah for weekends!

Left: He wore that Krispy Kreme hat for an entire weekend. Even slept in it!
Right: Waiting on our dinner date. Kingston is really into hand signals right now. This one is “V.” 🙂

Left: When your kid wants to do the hotdog dance, you do the freakin’ hotdog dance.
Right: Somebody had to do it.

Left: We met in the Birmingham airport about 5 years ago. It was her birthday, and her mom had hired me to do a photoshoot with her. We hit it off immediately and had the best weekend exploring her city! I’m so happy that she’s finally moved “home” so we can meet up for lunch!

Right: Anderson worked on a video that was shown in church, and I had to take a picture. #proudwife

Scenes from One Spark. I’ve had so many thoughts about this pom pom covered elk! (I think it’s and elk.) Hmmm. What can I cover in pom poms?!?

Left: Lazy, rainy morning.
Right: I love having photos printed and hung all over the house! These are from our shoot with Sara Eddy last fall.