Springtime

It's spring! And it is BEAUTIFUL here this time of year! I think because I grew up in a place where the seasons weren't distinct, I'm especially taken aback every time the seasons change and we get to experience the colors of the fall leaves or the blooms in the spring. The weather has been pretty fickle - beautiful and sunny one moment, gloomy and rainy the next - and it's been fairly windy even on the days where the sun is bright and shining. Still, it's nice to see the green returning, wonderful to experience the days get longer (the sun is setting FIVE hours later than it was in December and I am so thankful for longer days), and the slowly blooming trees and flowers are great to see too. I'm always so impatient for summer, with consistent warm days and sunshine, but spring reminds me of new life and it has a certain freshness too. I'm embracing it!

This is in our backyard. And I must say I'm living in that navy H&M puffy vest. It's my favorite thing ever.

The Promenade.

Carson grilling outside our window. It was a breezy day, and the bushes protected him from the wind.

It's the Easter bunny! There are SO MANY rabbits in Münster! I'm sure whoever is in charge of public landscaping HATES them because there are bunny holes (burrows?) all over, and tons and tons of rabbits of all shapes and sizes. Since I don't have a lawn or vegetables and am not impacted by the rabbits at all, I just think they're cute.

Trying to enjoy a day without jackets in the sun, but the wind did its best to ruin that idea.

Easter 2015

Will we spend all our holidays with my family from now on? No, but the thought occurred to us that we are close enough to spend Easter with family, so... we did.

We drove up on Friday afternoon and arrived just in time for the Good Friday service at my parents' church. Afterward we hung out at the house and gave the dogs the attention they obviously (thought they) deserved. 

On Saturday, Carson and I joined Mom and Dad in a jaunt to Charleston, after a lazy early morning at home. Dad rarely has weekends off, so it was fun to be visiting family AND spending time with dad at the same time. We went to the Charleston Farmer's Market, ate lunch at Mellow Mushroom on King Street, and walked on the Battery and around Battery Park a little before heading back.

Lots of people were there to witness this couple we didn't know get married in the gazebo. When they kissed you could hear clapping all over the park. 

Sunday, we joined the family for church, where we enjoyed celebrating the resurrection! It was also so great to see old friends. We didn't have much time between services so I didn't get to see a ton of people, but I got to connect with Jillian (and baby Wren!) and to see Brooke, Levi and baby Clayton who are spending time in the South this summer before moving up to the Northwest! Connecting with old friends makes me feel, well, old... but it's so fun to see and connect with people even though it's often for a hug and a picture in between services.

And here's a throwback to us in the same spot in 2008, the last time we were home for Easter:

And now here we are with husbands and a baby.

After the service, we rushed home and began prep for a family Easter lunch. We'd planned it all just a few days before, but it came together wonderfully and there was more than enough food. I claimed to enjoy Easter food more than Thanksgiving food and that news was not well-received. I still stand by my unpopular claim, even if it is based solely on the fact that Grandmama's potato salad (one of my favorite foods) is seasonally appropriate for Easter and not Thanksgiving. Also, there was quite the abundance of delicious desserts, and I much prefer cheesecake to pumpkin pie. I will likely be disowned for that claim, but it's true.

We had to leave the gathering much too soon because we had to get back so that I could go to bed and open the next morning. Unfortunately, my work doesn't look kindly on skipping shifts. What are the odds? Also, there was rerouting due to road work they weren't doing, so that was fun. 

It was lovely being home for Easter!

April Showers Bring Wonderful Things

It seemed to take forever, but spring is here! It's been sunny and green and beautiful. When I'm home, I smell the best warm weather smell of all (charcoal grill smell) wafting down the street. I've been routinely woken up by birds singing outside, I've spent time on a towel on the tiny patch of green grass in the yard. I see buds and blooms on trees, animals coming out to play, and there are suddenly ants that have decided to hang out in our house now that it's warm (they're huge ants coming from who knows where), smell grass being cut and see many more people outside than I used to. My favorite time of year is whenever it's warm, so I'm loving it right now. 

I took these pictures recently, all unedited because they were beautiful and clearly didn't need it. 

Cleveland Metroparks

We've heard good things about the metroparks surrounding the city and since it's been warm (there have been random days with snow flurries and days where scraping the car has been needed too), we headed over to a nearby one recently. We discovered walking trails, playgrounds, a river (I feel like waterfalls cast a spell on Carson. He loves the water.) and the loveliness of being outside our suburban surroundings.

Chagrin Falls

One of the places we were told to go before we ever moved to the area was Chagrin Falls. It's a little village about 20 minutes away. It's cute and touristy and they have waterfalls, so there's fun for the whole family. You've seen our adventures there in the winter with Brooke and Levi, and there's one other time we went (we had just moved here), but one afternoon, we decided to drive out there for a little date night. It was after 5 when we arrived, so many of the little shops were closed (except for a used bookstore, where Carson of course found a treasure). Still, it was nice to be outdoors in nice weather and enjoy warmth, waterfalls and snacks (popcorn for me, ice cream for Carson).

Things That Happened in April

Better late than never. Here are some things that happened this month that didn't merit one post but altogether let you know a little bit of what we're up to.

Carson got this bookshelf from a sale his school was having - now it resides in the guest room. In case you're wondering, this makes a total of seven bookshelves in our home. 

While he was setting up books, he told me that he thought I could probably fit into this bucket. He was right. Getting up was more of a problem.

This was taken a month ago, but Carson's been busy researching, writing, giving lectures in undergraduate classes, presenting papers, and naturally doing a little light reading. I used to think that I read a lot. 

Told you this was random. The Yankee Candle outlet (I didn't know they existed) was having a really great sale, which landed me with 18 little candles and scented wax "tarts" that I'm using in my Scentsy warmer. We'll be set for a long time.

The snow shovel and the beach chair. Because you can never be too prepared. 

I keep green onions in water in our breakfast nook. Just snip off the tops, change the water, and they last forever. I added a basil plant to this little indoor garden and plan on adding some more herbs as it gets warmer.

My retainer cracked down the middle recently. For eight years I wore this thing faithfully every night, until it fell out of its case, onto the floor and I stepped on it. 

I just really like my co-workers. 

These things were found on Carson's night table. Always be prepared.

I'm not sure why, but he texted this to me one day. I don't even remember him using that thing.

Carson made dinner one night: a yummy pasta sauce, too much pasta and smoothies. I know that sounds like a weird combination, but it's basically a salad in a blender (spinach, carrots, an apple, protein and raspberries), topped with whipped cream to make you think it's not healthy. 

Mr. Diligent.