Hey guys!

It’s been a very long time – too long of a time. And the new year has me dreaming like I’ve never done before!! (Ok maybe I have, but let’s just say the life has been blown back into me, and I’ve got a fresh vision for this blog!)

I think the last time I was on here, I had just gotten engaged, and I was heading into wedding planning with a plan to not worry about my blog, at least for a while. And, well, life happens. Not only were we busy during those months with wedding planning, we also encountered a year of surprises that I could not have predicted (or wished to predict). My dad ended up having a severe stroke the May following our engagement, and he’s still in recovery (which we hope and pray will bring him back to his former abilities).

Also during the past year, my bedroom got ripped apart to be renovated, and ended up being a bigger job than planned… so, I spent the months leading up to my wedding sleeping on couches, in other siblings’ rooms, or just wherever it made most sense at the time. Which was ok – that renovation job had to be done, and we had a lot of really wonderful people taking care of us through the whole thing, working hard to make it happen. But… yes, it did happen, and in that timing. Also – just for the sake of recapping my situation leading up to the wedding, and to keep things interesting, I’ll note: I not only slept in my sister’s bunk bed the night before my wedding, I also headed to another sister’s hotel (she was in town from Texas for occasion) to get a shower that night, since our sewer backed up the night before as well, and… well, I needed a shower! I feel like I should earn some kind of badge for all of that… 

Anyway, to top all of that off, I also did a huge cleaning and renovating job on the apartment I now call home (which took the majority of my summer), as well as worked my job (pretty much full time), planned my wedding, helped with my family’s business here and there, and also… well. You know. Life stuff. It’s sprinkled into everything you do, and somehow takes a lot of time as well.

I feel like I need to catch my breath after writing all of that. And that’s not even everything this past year held. Wow. It’s been a very, very hard year, filled with great challenges. Yet, I also need to say – that amidst all of that struggle, we also celebrated some great joys. Which is where I want to turn my attention now.

First, I got married to a man who loves the Lord and who loves me. He is the definition of a gentleman, eager to bless and serve, not only myself but all of those around him. He works hard, loves well, and serves loyally. This is my James, and the Lord gave me this man as a sweet gift in 2019:

*melt*

Yeah, he’s a keeper.

Also this year, we’ve been blessed with an apartment to call home, my parents’ house is getting a lot of needed repairs thanks to my hard working aunt and uncle (and my siblings!), I’ve been able to work, we stayed under budget for our wedding, and many many other things. We are loved people, and we are so grateful for the many who bless us with so much so consistently. And… to top it all off… 2019 brought us this wonderful gift: James and I just found out (right in time to surprise our parents for Christmas), that we have a growing little family of our own, expecting a new little baby to join us in July this year. WOW! It’s an amazing gift to be given, and we are thankful and excited!

All of that said… I am back, finally. Back at blogging, and my heart is full of hope for what it could become. Blogging for me is a way of bringing all of my greatest joys together in one place – I can write and share my heart and what matters to me, I can take (hopefully beautiful) pictures, and I can share my cooking and baking adventures with others. These are all such great areas of joy to me.

To those who have followed my turbulent journey of blogging and the years of “Life stuff” that has often kept me from it, thank you. Thank you for sticking with me. 

I raise my cup of tea to yours, and say– here’s to some new exciting days ahead! What are some of your goals for the new year? I’ll wait to share mine for another day, when I haven’t completely talked your ear off…

Happy New Year! Thanks for visiting. <3

Photo Credit: Danae Marie Photography (<– She’s my friend and she’s not only crazy talented… she’s also completely wonderful!)