I'm home!

And what a whirlwind trip it was.

England, Holland, France, and Italy, with a number of stops along the way in Belgium, Germany, etc. Planes, trains, ferrys, tubes, metros, taxis, and tons of walking. Laughing, wandering, a few sibling screaming moments followed by hugs and tears, and even an incident that involved me losing my cool in a way I have never, ever done before. Ever. It was humiliating. I may never fully recover.

So many forever wonderful memories. So many lessons learned. So many stories and photos to share with you in the next few days!

In other news, I also celebrated my 29th birthday this past week. Last year as part of the birthday festivities, Christine (at the time nine months pregnant with sweet Luci Belle) planned a little nighttime picnic. So this year we thought, why not do it again?! This time Luci Belle was even more present. She even 'made' me what is quite possibly the cutest card I've ever received.

How adorable is this?? (I thought it appropriate to photograph in a morning patch of sunlight ;-)

Look at her little scribble mark and the crayon copyright on the back. Love.

What can I say? I have creative friends ;-)

Oh how we love this little girl.

I've also added to my ever growing treasure-hunting collection in recent days, thanks to a friend moving across town and downsizing. Can't wait to show you those trinkets!

And lastly, on an entirely different note, my heart has been wrecked. And restored. I'm still processing in many ways but definitely want to share soon, at least in part. God has outright astounded me with His providence, His concern and intricate orchestration of my every day. Even when I accused Him and spewed my anger at the heavens, laying false charge against Him... He didn't relent. There was no way in the moment for me to understand how the pain would profit, or why He was literally causing it. But now I see, oh how clearly I see, and how unspeakably grateful I am.

So there's a few tidbits for ya! See you soon ;-)