What The World Needs Now....

is love, sweet love....xo

{This Moment}

{This Moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo -no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordianry moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you are inspired to do the same leave a link to your moment in the comment section below for all to find and see. Wishing you a wonderful weekend! xo 

In Honor Of Dr. King

Thank you, Dr. King, for your wisdom, your guidance and your fierce belief in love and equality. xo

The Fourth Light Of Advent::Love

The fourth light of Advent is the light of man.
The light of love, the light of thought, to give and understand. 

Love is patient,; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way;it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.  -1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Ten Years In The Making

We spent this past weekend in New York City celebrating the wedding of our friends Frank and Brady. Dave and I had a rare overnight just us, while Grace and Emma stayed in New Jersey with Donna and Peter. 

The view from our room at the W. 

A fancy day calls for fancy hair. 

We sure do clean up nice. 

Frank and Brady celebrated ten years together this past December by getting married at City Hall. Since they didn't have a chance to say their vows to each other that day they decided to do so at their celebration on Saturday. Brady's vows to Frank were done through song. 

Frank was left wondering how you possibly top that?! 

First dance. 

Each of the guys asked a friend to give a toast. Here Rob toasts Frank and Brady. 

It was such a beautiful speech!

There was lots of picture taking on Saturday. It was so lovely to be reunited with our college friends after all these years. We've all remained connected thanks to Facebook but to be together in one spot was truly incredible. Some friends we've gotten together with over the years. Some we have not. On Saturday though it was just so good to be together again. 

Fraternity brothers. 

Kindred spirits. 

So happy to get to spend time with all these ladies this past weekend! 

Even though they've been together ten years already (and probably have all this figured out) these words just felt like the perfect piece of wisdom to share with them on such an auspicious occasion as this. Congrats, boys, on the first decade together! May this next decade (and your first one married) but just as incredible! It was an honor to celebrate with you this weekend and is a day we will treasure forever. All our love, support and friendship. Always. xo

Sunday

A lovely Sunday. A day spent almost entirely outside. Mini-golf, coolattas (Grace and Emma's first one), time spent in the garden harvesting our first zucchini and lots of time spent outside playing. After dinner Dave and I sat on the porch in our rocking chairs taking it all in and chatting while the girls played. We were outside 'till dark and only came in 'cause we were all good and tired. What a lovely ending to a lovely weekend. xo

In Celebration Of Fathers

On this Father's Day we would like to take time to honor all the amazing, hands-on papas that we are fortunate to count among our friends. Most importantly we would like to take a moment to honor my Dad and David and David's Dad. Three men who posses a quiet strength and who are our biggest champions. For without these three men life as I know it would not have been possible. It is due to their hard work and dedication to their families that we are able to live these amazing lives. Thank you guys for all you do! We are blessed beyond measure! xo 

To David: On this day (and every day) we are so very grateful for all that you do to make this incredible life of ours possible. You are truly an amazing man and I am so blessed to be your wife and the mama to these two sweet girls of ours. You are a true partner and there is no one else I would rather journey through this life with. Thank you for all that you do, for all that you are, and for loving us and encouraging us no matter how wacky our ideas are! We love you and are so happy that you are the blue in our house of pink! xoxo

The Father And Daughter Dance

Last night was "the father and daughter dance" (as Emma spent the entire week calling it). The girls counted the days to this special night all week long, and the hours seemed to go by far too slowly for them on Friday. Finally, the time arrived to get ready. Dresses were chosen, hairstyles decided on (simple headbands for both) and a little make up put on (it is a special night after all, and a special night calls for a little bit of make-up we agreed). They headed out and I settled in for a little bit of time to myself... 

About an hour later I received a call from Dave asking if I could come get Emma. Off I went to pick up our sweet youngest girl and see what had her feeling done with this night that she spent all week and all day looking forward to. "Are you sure you want to come home, sweet girl?  Would you like me to come in and have some ice cream with you?" "I'm sure, Mama. It's loud in there and lots of people and I want to go home and get my jammies on and sit on the couch and snuggle with you." So off we went, back home to do just that. You see, this little one, who so many expect to be the life of the party also has a very shy side to her as well. She does not like crowds, especially large ones, and she has no use for loud music. She is a homebody this youngest girls of ours (as the rest of us are as well) and she finds comfort in being quiet and with those she loves. "Thanks for picking me up, Mama!" she said once again as we arrived home. "I always will, baby. Any time you need me I will always be there." She kicked her shoes off and headed upstairs to change. We made some hot chocolate and got snuggled on the couch to watch the Gilmore Girls while we waited for Dave and Grace to return home. Emma did assure me that she wants to go again next year. "When I am seven I will still remember being five and six but maybe I'll be ready to stay at the dance longer. 'Cause I'll be seven then you know." We'll see what next spring brings, but even if she only goes for an hour again next year (and the year after that or even the year after that) we'll support that as we always do and meet her where she is. I'm happy to be her safe place whenever she needs. xo 

"Life Is Better With You"

Every day's not Valentine's, 
But you make it feel like most of the time, 
When I'm all alone with you. 
Pickin' up pieces of my life, 
Sometimes there's ones I just can't find, 
But they found a home with you. 

Woah, I'm not afraid to be alone, 
But bein' alone is better with you. 
Life is better with you. 

Woah, woah, life is better with you, 
Woah, woah, life is better is with you. 

When I think about the things that we've been through, 
I know just one thing is true, 
Life is better with you. 

Some days are better than other days, 
But these days, life is better with you. 
Some days are better than other days, 
But these days, life is better with you. 
Life is better!

Tell me what you want, I'll give you all
That you need with my heart and my hands, 
Sayin' please baby please because nobody does
That thing you do better than you.
Thoughts still swimmin' 'round in my head, 
With all the words we ever said, 
My favorites remain; "I love you!"  

Woah, I'm not afraid to be alone, 
But bein' alone is, 
Better with you.
Life is better with you!

Woah, woah, life is better with you.
Woah, woah, life is better with you. 

When I think about the things that we've been through,
I know just one thing is true, 
Life is better!

Every day's not Valentine's
but you make it feel like most of the time with you. 
And all my life I've tried to find the one who makes me feel the way you do. 
You. 

Some days are better than other days, 
But these days life is better with you.
Some days are better than other days, 
But these days life is better with you, 

When I think about the things we've been through
I know just one thing is true,
Life is better with you!

I believe that life has a soundtrack. There are certain songs that instantly transport me back to events in my life and certain songs that, from the minute I hear them, just speak to where we currently are on this journey. Songs like "Crush", "How Sweet It Is",  "Little Miss Magic", "I Won't Give Up", "As Long As We Got Love" "You and I", and now "Be OK" and "Life is Better with You". At Jazzercise last night I happened upon the last song. I had not heard it before but while we danced I couldn't help but start to sing along (it's easy enough to pick up) and while I was singing and dancing I realized that I just found another song that needed to be added to our family playlist. Such a sweet song, and one that I knew David, Grace and Emma would love as soon as they heard it. It made me think back through all that we've been through over the years, the good and the not so good, and how in the end no matter what's going on as long as we're together life couldn't get any better. xo