Monday, March 18, 2024

Flowers are in Bloom!

The first "official" day of Spring isn't until tomorrow but the past weekend was gloriously Spring-like and so we took advantage of the wonderful weather and tried to spend as much time outside as possible all weekend long! 

I had grand plans; after Friday being a gorgeous day all day long, of sitting out at the lake with Ryan to have our dinner and enjoy the gorgeous weather! We cooked a pizza and headed for the lake but the clouds had rolled in and the wind had picked up, so we ended up gobbling down our pizza and coming home pretty quickly to finish Masters of the Air and also watch an episode of Somebody Feed Phil before crashing for the evening! 

Ryan and I have been hoping to start hiking again every Saturday in March and finally - the third Saturday in March was an absolutely glorious day! So after Ryan returned from the Men's Bible Study, we packed our lunches and headed into the Shenandoah National Park for a huge chunk of the day. 

We decided to hike the Compton Peak Trail - and my navigation skills led us first up and down the Compton Peak Fire Road for a little over two miles before I realized we might be in the wrong spot. *face palm* Thank goodness it was a beautiful day! After returning to the car and eating our sandwiches, we headed out on the ACTUAL trail! 

Compton Peak is not a long trail - only 2.2 miles round trip - but be aware that the first mile is essentially all up, over rocks and switchbacks... but hey, once you've conquered that, the rest is flat or all downhill! The views from Compton Peak are gorgeous and we realized pretty quickly that we could see the Christendom College Cathedral from the peak - and beyond. 

Y'all know I can't not be goofy, so I had to get Ryan to take a picture of me pretending to "fall" off the side of the mountain, ha-ha! We stopped in at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center before heading home to get clean and chill some and then grill burgers for dinner. We watched John Wick 4 to end the night and I slept like the dead after almost five miles of hiking! 



Sunday was another gorgeous day and after church, Ryan and I popped over to the Arboretum to see what it was looking like. Alas, Spring is still on it's way and not much was in bloom quite yet. We will have to make a return trip in the coming weekends! I spent a huge chunk of the afternoon soaking up the sun on the back deck and reading - and had Mission BBQ for dinner! It was a wonderful weekend!


And because I cannot resist sharing cuteness whenever I see it - my younger sister has been doing some training for work and while she was in her classes, a roommate stumbled upon a sweet pup that had been abandoned on the side of the road, so she brought her home! Have you ever seen anything quite so cute as this little lady?



The last report was that the little lady was going to be adopted - so her story will have a happy ending. And she was certainly spoiled for the 48 hours she was living with the girls in their crash pad! Okay - that's all I've got for today, please enjoy the pictures of flowers and the puppy!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Lately... Early March

It's been a minute since I've posted anything that's really life-related, so I figured I'd share some pictures from the last two weeks or so. It hasn't been a particularly eventful few weeks, but depending on what type of eventful ... that can be a good thing! 


February feels like it ended quietly - nothing big or crazy; just a quiet ending and March came in like a lamb as well (I'm hoping this doesn't mean we are due for a snowstorm at the end of the month...). Ryan and I found the perfect outdoor vehicle for future kiddos and I got to benefit from some leftovers from the tea my Mom and her friends had, ha-ha! I continued to make my new office my own and now that jelly bean season is here - I'm living my best life! 



One of the lovely parts of my job is that I get to make trips between my office and City Hall - and with Spring coming along nicely here in Northern Virginia, the walk(s) have been really enjoyable! I am really enjoying my new job so much and I am able to feel like; even if it's in a small way, my job is making a difference and helping someone. It's been a really lovely change in my life and I'm blessed to see how the rest of the year unfolds in this new position!



Another change that definitely involved me stepping outside of my comfort zone was that I auditioned to join the church's praise team and on March 3rd - I was part of the team that led worship! If you'd told me even a year ago that I'd be singing on the praise and worship team at church, I'd have laughed at you! I've always been able to sing but usually I hone my skills in the car - when I'm alone. However, I know my ability to sing is a gift from the Lord and I need to use it for more than performing for myself in the car... so here we are! I really enjoyed my first outing and can't wait to help lead worship again soon! 



Ryan and I have started using our pickleball paddles and trying to up our skill levels - I definitely don't know my own strength and sometimes end up sending the ball soaring over the net and out of the court. Oops! We had a really fun Sunday afternoon recently where we went and spent about an hour playing pickleball and then wandered over to the clubhouse and got our own post-game drinks: a mocktail for me and a Heineken Zero for him - we are also cultivating our favorite non-alcoholic drinks in the last few months. All the new things for us both!  


Spectacular sunsets have also been on display as Winter is slowly fading and Spring is coming onto the horizon! This particular sunset was on the horizon last Monday when my Mom and I went to our monthly book club. It was just stunning! 


This last weekend Ryan and I did the Target Date Night Challenge - I think we both did pretty good! One of the things I got Ryan was this Pickleball Club water bottle that can be worn with a strap over the shoulder; I figured it would be perfect for our budding pickleball skills! Also, how cute are the "carrots" that were out for customers to grab this weekend at one of our favorite shops! They were cheese balls - which I haven't had in ages, but they were as good as I remembered! 



Ryan and I visited a church this past Sunday and I was a little taken aback at how much it reminded me of the church I grew up in! The pews - the carpet (the pink carpet) - the wooden ceiling with beams - the light fixtures - it was all so similar! Talk about a blast from the past! I cannot believe that we are already almost to the middle of the month of March... this year is flying by! 

I'll leave you with a lovely sunrise that I snapped a picture of this morning as I headed to the office.


The time change isn't always easy - but I am so glad for the sunshine lasting longer into the evenings and I do believe that I'm also thankful for being able to see the sunrise each morning! 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Three Years Ago...


It has been three years since I hopped out of the car and into Ryan's arms for the first time - and I have to say, the last three years have been the best three years. I tell Ryan often; but he is my best yes, and I would say yes to him again and again. I'm so glad that three years ago today, he asked me to be his girlfriend... the first yes in a long line of yes-es, and every yes made my life all the better. 


Friday, March 1, 2024

February Book Review

Would you look at that? I actually got to the February book review right after February ended! It's a miracle... or a sign that my life is a little more back on track... or maybe it's some of both? As predicted, I definitely didn't conquer seven books in February - but I did get through four and considering two of the four had a combined 1100 pages, I'll consider that a win for the month of February! 


The Englisch Daughter by Cindy Woodsmall: Old Order Amish wife & mother Jemima has put her marriage & family ahead of herself for year. She's set herself aside. Raising four children, she's followed all the rules & has been patient in looking forward to her time to chase a dream of her own.

But when she finds out that her life savings for pursuing that dream is gone - and her husband, Roy, has been hiding a child with another woman - her entire world is shattered. Will she be able to listen to God & love Roy's child? With so much at stake, how can she & Roy fix their relationship before their lives come crashing down?

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of 5. I'd really be more apt to give this a 3.5 but there isn't a half star emoji available! This book was a good read and I liked how the story played out... although I think my views of how Amish families operate is a little skewed because of being married to a man who was raised in/is only a generation removed from being Amish.

From This Day Forward by Craig & Amy Groeschel: Everyone dreams of a fairytale marriage - the perfect spouse, the perfect home, the perfect family. But reality tells us that those expectations don't hold up very long. Many studies indicate that close to fifty percent of marriages don't make it. With those odds, is it even possible to have a good marriage - let alone a great one?

Craig & Amy Groeschel open their hearts, share personal experiences, & walk you through five powerful commitments you can make to fail-proof your marriage: Seek God, Fight fair, Have fun, Stay pure & Never give up. If your earnestly choose to do all five things, you will discover a richer, deeper, more authentic marriage. Starting right now - from this day forward. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of 5. Another really easy read; this book was right at 150 pages and Craig & Amy's writing style is easy to read; like listening to someone talk! The commitments they recommend are excellent & something I plan to continue to put into practice in my own marriage. A great read for anyone engaged or married!


The Women by Kristen Hannah: Frankie McGrath is a young woman from a wealthy family who decides to enlist as a nurse in the Vietnam War after her older brother is killed in action. In doing so, she leaves her sheltered & comfortable life in California to serve in a war-ravaged country working under dangerous conditions. When she returns, the atmosphere in America is hostile to veterans, dismissive of women's contributions in the war & she struggles to reassimilate. 

In a story about patriotism, friendship, remembrance & defying expectations, The Women tells an often-overlooked story of the courageous women who served in Vietnam. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐of 5. Another incredible book by Kristen Hannah; I was hooked from the first chapter and devoured all 400+ pages in four days! This book was such an engrossing read and opened my eyes to the place women had in the war in Vietnam. I could not recommend this book more and I find myself saying again - I would read anything written by Kristen Hannah! 

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas: Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger & slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron & becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern & all she lost in it. 

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand & Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites; the fire between them is undeniable & only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other. 

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realm, & the key to halting them might very well rely on Nesta & Cassian facing their haunting pasts. Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war & plagued with uncertainty, Nesta & Cassian battle monsters from within & without as they search for acceptance & healing. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of 5. I really enjoyed this book and I enjoyed following Nesta's story since (if you've read the series) we already know so much about the other characters. I still think book two of the series is my favorite by far - but I've enjoyed reading all of them and this one was no exception!

*******************************************************

Now it's on to March and even more books to be read! Y'all have a great weekend!