In case you were wondering...

I cannot seem to catch up lately. Every time I turn around there are more dishes to wash, more boxes to unpack, more bills to pay, and not enough rain to keep the gardens alive. But it's all good. Hub and I have definitely been busy, but we're learning to take a break sometimes too.

Last weekend, in a nutshell...

• We cleaned the house and mowed the yard, which caused me to literally become sick from heat exhaustion and possibly a bit of dehydration. I was okay, though. Hub came home from work early, scolded me for being ridiculous, and later bought a Powerade slush for me, which made me feel much better. What can I say when it's 90° in May? I didn't expect it.
• My parents, Grandmom, and my aunt came to visit for dinner. My aunt was visiting from Chicago for the week and wanted to see our new house. I love when family comes to visit with us. Plus, it's a great excuse to clean and reorganize.
• Monday, due to Memorial Day, we didn't have to work. It was wonderful to have a three-day weekend. (Two and a half days for Hub.) We visited Crystal Bridges, which was amazing, though I didn't get any decent pictures because I'm a lousy journalist these days. You'll have to settle for iPod pictures again. Later we visited our friends, Bart and Adrienne and little Firecracker. It's nice to have friends that don't mind a random "hey, would you like some company?" now and then.

We have big plans again this weekend, if all goes well. And no, I do not plan to unpack more boxes. At this point, I am almost willing to pay someone to finish unpacking for me. I lost the motivation three months ago. All I want to do now is decorate and buy furniture. Would you like to sponsor my living room?

We leap

Love.

Such a small word, though it's length is the only small thing about it. Love is anything but small. It has the power to take life by the throat and make unreasonable demands, which we obey because it feels right. Love cannot feel wrong because, if it feels wrong, it is not love. True love is powerful. Irrational. Overwhelming. Jet propelled. Intertwining. Frustrating. Ridiculous. Romantic.

Love is love. Is there a better way to describe it?

Earlier this week, Hub and I ended a three-day wrestling match that had nearly ruined the weekend. He flexed his muscles and I showed him my signature move. He told his side of the story and I told mine. We disagreed, disengaged, and offered empty apologies half a dozen times. It was relentless. We haven't fought like this in a long time and, now that I write about it, it seems silly.

Somewhere between work and everything else lately, we stopped spending any real time together. It all happened so quickly and naturally that we barely noticed. He wanted to go this way and I wanted to go that way. Instead of talking about it and compromising, we went opposite directions trying to cover twice as much ground. Epic fail. We were pushed two steps back for every step forward and then blamed each other. (This is part of marriage any good relationship.)

Eventually, mostly by chance, we managed to spend some quality time together. Laughed. Talked. Laughed again. Ate something. Enjoyed the silence. We reclaimed our "best friends" status, although we had never truly discarded it, and agreed that all we had been missing was togetherness.

It's hard to have love without togetherness -- not impossible, but hard. The word "me" becomes regular vocabulary when people start drifting apart. Hub and I both have stubborn personalities. We usually try to tone down our disagreements and simply talk, but every now and then we put on our war paint and host a full-on battle of the fittest. It ain't pretty.

All the same, I believe it's okay to argue sometimes. If there was nothing bad in love, there would be no good. No strengthening of the bond. No peace treaties or learning to be less self-consumed. No let's-hug-and-be-friends-again date nights. No leap of faith back into the arms of the one you love.

The bounding, conquering, heart-pounding leap is the best part, in my opinion.

Love = Leap

Follow me, erinmy, on Instagram 

to see more of my photos.

I ♥ Instagram (in the city)

Photo 1: At Farmer's Co-Op I found a pale yellow Gerbera Daisy. Lurve.

Photo 2: This old building across from Farmers Co-Op always catches my eye.

Photo 3: There's something about a Hippie van...

Photo 4: A clawfoot tub and an old bicycle is used as garden decor here.

Photo 5: I adore old water pumps.

Photo 6: We haven't eaten at Italiano's but it's pretty.

Simplicity is...

I always thought that by growing up I would achieve some means of affording all the things my heart desires. I think most children are naive in believing, to some extent, that adults have it all. On the flip side, many adults would give an arm and half a leg to relive the simplicities of childhood.

(I might give a finger and a toe to swim in mud puddles again without any cares or concerns.)

(Yes. Yes I did.)

Nowadays, I am more focused on paying bills and buying groceries and affording new furniture and it's time to change the oil in my car and Hub needs a new cell phone and... Life is complicated. Especially since we bought our first home, it seems nothing is simple anymore. It's all about deadlines and due dates and, if we're lucky, we might clean the house occasionally.

I crave simplicity. Sometimes I wonder whether or not we're making the best decisions for our health, our future, our sanity. Do we really need such a big house? And two cars? Cell phones drive me crazy anyway. Maybe we don't need new furniture after all. An empty house is easier to clean.

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. ~ William Morris

But, at the end of the day, I always appreciate our comfortable couch and an hour or so of television with Hub. My clothes appreciate a good bath sometimes and the dog likes water too. I'm sure the double oven will be handy during the holidays. I use my iPod all the time. My guitar is too awesome for words. And my collection of shoes is only growing.

It is true that I could be totally happy with a much simpler life. Almost every day I wish I could grab a bag full of basics and hit the road to never return to anywhere specific. Nevertheless, I am grateful every day for all my blessings and the opportunities I've been given to earn those things. It's a delicate balance to be hopeful and grateful at the same time.

"The grass is always greener..." but even the most complicated life has simplicities and the simplest life can be quite complicated. Simplicity {and happiness} is not judged by the number of things one possesses but by willingness to acknowledge the good things, the simple things, in all the ruckus.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
~ Leonardo DaVinci

All photos taken on Mother's Day 2012

with my (unnecessary) iPod

It's good to have these women nearby

Left to right: Me, Mom, Baby Nephew, Sis

I still haven't been able to pull pictures from my iPod this week, so I stole borrowed this pic from my sister's Facebook page. (Thanks, sis!)

Mother Nature provided perfect weather for us on Mother's Day. After church, we attempted to go "out" to eat but the minimum wait for a table was an hour. Being the spontaneous and always prepared people that we are (ha!) and knowing Nephew wouldn't be a happy camper for that long, we ran to the grocery store and grabbed some simple lunch items, took it to my sister's house to grill, and had a wonderful afternoon together.

It's funny for me to see this picture because we took an {almost} identical picture a couple years ago on Mother's Day, but Nephew wasn't even a twinkle in our eyes. It is fascinating to me to see Sis with a baby because I can still remember when she was a baby and, other than being taller, she hasn't changed much. She is a wonderful mother, though, and beautiful in every way. I'm lucky to have her in my life. 

It's also strange for me to think of my parents as grandparents. I always dreamed they would get to see our children and now... dream come true. It makes my heart leap.

(On a side note, I love my mom's silver hair. I hope to have silver hair someday. I hope to have several of my mom's traits.)

Mom has seen me through so much. Although we didn't always agree on everything, such as curfue and what time to get out of bed on Saturday mornings, she was always understanding and patient with me. We've had many long talks about boys and cars and school. I remember "sunning" together on the back deck while we talked, and laying on her bed with the bedroom windows open while we read a book together, and swinging on the porch swing that sits under the carport (a.k.a. veranda) while we drank hot tea and admired the sunset.

She held me when I cried, but also told me to "put your big girl panties on and get over it" when necessary. She forced me to spend time with my sister during our teenage years, which I now truly appreciate. She homeschooled us during high school, which was probably the worst possible years to try it, but we did it. She taught me to cook some darn good eggs and Irish Soda Bread and how to bake cookies and cakes totally from scratch. She taught me to hide chocolates in my sock drawer for rainy days, although I don't do this often because I'm always tempted to eat them. She taught me how to milk a goat. She gave us "Saturday chores" for so long that now I can't seem to clean my house any other day of the week.

Mom is third oldest of nine children, mother to three, grandmother to one (and counting), a country girl, tea drinker, green thumb, creative, genuine, a wee bit Irish, hot-tempered, stubborn, and sweet as pie. And, best of all, she's MY mommy. I love you, Mom. Happy belated Mother's Day.

I talk about my 20s

Because the wifi connection isn't working today and all my weekend photos are on my iPod, I'll have to wait another day or two to tell you about our holiday weekend. Bummer. Sometimes I kick myself for depending so heavily on my iPod. (Hub calls it an iPood.)

Luckily, you can find me on Jen's blog today, where I wrote about all the things I'm learning in my 20s. She invited guest-bloggers to post lists all week. Jen is awesome for letting us bombard her blog with stories and advice. Thanks, Jen!

Lastly, read more 20s lists on Sarah's beautiful blog and Kristie's rockin' blog. Read Jen's list on Sarah's blog too. All three of these girls are amazing. I follow their blogs and I am always highly motivated and inspired by them.

Happy Monday.

Lakota ♥s Ducky

In a desperate attempt to keep Lakota busy and hopefully prevent her from digging craters in the yard, we brought home a new friend for her.

The good news: She absolutely loves Ducky. She cannot get enough of Ducky. She can barely take her eyes off Ducky. A few nights ago, I went outside to check on Lakota before bed. Thinking she might earn a treat, if she behaved, she immediately trotted into her kennel. Suddenly she realized Ducky was still outside the kennel where she had been laying and, after giving me a "I'll be right back" glance, she tip-toed out of her pen, picked up Ducky ever so politely, and tip-toed back into her pen. It was definitely an "aww" moment.

The bad news: Despite Ducky's presence, she is still digging craters even more than usual. When I say "craters" I mean holes that are two feet wide and at least a foot deep. We realize that having a dog means sacrificing a perfect yard, duh!, but she is digging up the deck stairs and the foundation of our home. We would move her to a different place in the yard further away from the house, but we can't afford to fence it yet. We are beyond frustrated and fresh out of ideas.

By the way, these pictures make me laugh. Lakota has such a funny personality. I have a few ideas of my own, but would love to know how you would caption each of these pictures. If I get enough comments, there might be a prize for the best caption. Tell your friends!

This is a {wild} tribute

"And [he] sailed back over a year
and in and out of weeks
and through a day
and into the night of his very own room
where he found his supper waiting for him
and it was still hot."

- Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are
(RIP, Maurice.)

Baby slobbers rock

I had an unexpected visit from Baby Nephew this weekend. We had a chance to hang out for a few hours while "Mommy and Daddy" went shopping. (Hub had to work. I don't like this when he has to work Saturdays. *huff puff*) Minus a few moments of crankiness from teething, we had a blast.

I tell you, I didn't know it was possible to feel this way about another human. It's a totally different kind of love, a different kind of infatuation. Being an aunt is one of the proudest feelings... ever. Although I look forward to watching him grow up, I know I'll miss those "eat yo face" kisses someday so I'll take all I can get now. He is nine months old (already!!) and quite a charmer, as you can see. I just love him.

My dreams say...

There is a full moon this week. I know, not because the calendar tells me, but because I dream deeply at night. I wake remembering my dreams vividly and sometimes feeling physically drained due to the realistic nature of the dreams. This happens to me nearly every month around the time of the full moon.

The thing is that I always wonder what my dreams mean. Do they have meaning? They rarely make any sense at all and often include friends or family, some current and some from my past, or even total strangers. Sometimes there is a mix of all these people. It's confusing, even to me.

My dad has always been a deep sleeper and heavy dreamer. As children, my sister and I would sometimes catch him mumbling in his sleep. We always wondered what he was saying or to whom. We hated to wake him because he would often jump or even gasp or both. No matter how often it happened, his reactions never failed to surprise us almost as much as we startled him. Nowadays, I react similarly.

Hub knows when I am stressed because I jerk or jolt as I try desperately to fall asleep. Just as I begin to drift off to Neverland, my entire body convulses and wakes me as if to say, "Don't fall asleep! There is too much to do!" Hub usually snuggles closer and holds me tighter and talks to me softly to help calm my nerves. Sometimes this is the only way I can sleep peacefully anymore... with his arms around me.

But the moon. What magical powers does it possess to cause my dreams to be deeper? My mind to be fuller? My imagination to be wilder? Am I the only one?

I received an award

A couple days ago, Maggie tagged me for this blog award, which means she likes my blog. Thanks, Maggie! I feel warm and fuzzy about awards.

I haven't known Maggie long, but recently started following her blog when I noticed her comments on mine. She is a feisty, fun, and interesting girl. Go meet her!

The rules of receiving this award are as follows: (1) Link back to the person who nominated you. (2) Thank the person who nominated you. (3) Choose 5 people you believe deserve this award too. (4) Leave comments letting those people know they have been awarded. (5) Write 7 things about yourself.

It didn't take me long to choose 5 more blogs for this award. If you don't already read them, stop by each and say 'HI' for me. They are all sweet and talented ladies.

Jen from A Little About Everything and Nothing

Adrienne from 180° From Crunchy

Kristie from Kristie Was Here

Sam from Young People in Love

Micaela from Dolce Vita

7 Things About Me: (1) I genuinely love my hair, my natural hair. (2) Flips flops are the best shoes ever. (3) I absolutely do not enjoy dressing up, but I always appreciate compliments when formalwear is necessary. (4) I listen to music according to my mood. (5) I ♥ cereal. (6) Winter is not my favorite season. (7) The #1 item on my wish list is a Canon DSLR camera.

Now, go! and read other blogs and enjoy the beautiful day, friends.