Christmas in the Cottage

I'm just popping in really quickly to say Merry Christmas! For the last few days, every day feels like it must be Christmas Eve and I find myself surprised that it isn't. I've been existing in a cozy, holiday bubble but today it actually arrived and I didn't want it to get away from me without a little tour of the house. I wanted to capture it knowing that next year will look very different.

The entry:

Trouble:

The family room:

My favorite ornament:

Kitchen and dining room:

Bedrooms and upstairs:

Merriest Christmas, lovely people! I'm off to make fudge, have a festive cocktail, eat appetizers, wait for the jammie fairy, open a present and watch Elf! 

On the Eve of my 50th Birthday

 

Tomorrow dawns a new decade for me. In the blink of an eye, I find myself standing at the door of 50, equal parts disbelief and gratitude. There were a couple times I thought I might not make it. And while I arrive at this milestone a little worse for wear, I'm also a little better and wiser for having lived a half century. A half century full of joy, heartache, babies, true love, loss, emotional scars, physical scars, resilience, gifts, cancer, adventure and everything in between. I'm grateful for every bit of it.

And while I enter my 50's with a few more wrinkles, there is also a twinkle in my eye and an excitement in my spirit for what lies ahead. I have a confidence at 50 that I didn't have at 40 and certainly not at 30. My Sweet Man has told me recently that there is a change happening in me- that there is just something different there. I know what he means and while it is hard to put it into words, I feel it with every fiber of my being. I have come into my own. 

So, yes 50, I welcome you with open arms and excitement and a thankfulness that at the end of a year that was especially challenging, I find myself happy, healthy and dreaming about what's next. 

Wedding Day- The Rest of the Story

 

I thought before it's officially December, I would take a moment to post some more photos from the wedding. I really loved the way the photographer captured the details, the real moments and our home. I mean obviously she did an amazing job capturing Maddie and Daniel and the big moments of the day too! 

It was really a beautiful, perfect day that I will never forget. It was small and personal and reflected them so well. 

I will record the toast I gave them here so that she will always have it.

Maddie and Daniel, I remember vividly the day of your first date more than 10 years ago. Who could have guessed when Maddie vomited twice that day from nerves, that it was just the beginning of a lifetime of you making her sick!

May your life be filled with laughter

May you have enough hardship to make you appreciate the good times

May you have enough of what you want and all that you need

May life’s challenges bring you closer together

May you always make your marriage your top priority

May you go through life married to your best friend

But most of all, may your love grow stronger and deeper every year

And I will leave you with my favorite non wedding couple photograph of the evening, my Sweet Man holding my hand while I gave the toast. Neither of us has any memory of this- it's as natural to us as breathing. I wish the same for them. 

Wedding Day- The Happy Couple

I've struggled to post these wedding pictures because the photographer (Katie McBroom from Louisville) did an amazing job and honestly there are so many gorgeous photos that I get overwhelmed every time I look at them. I've decided to split it into two posts- this one will focus on getting ready, first look and the ceremony. The next one will focus on the details, reception and the setting because you will see that Katie also did an amazing job of capturing our home...but nothing shines as bright as the happy couple!

Maddie and Daniel have been together for 10 years and have grown up together. They've already had a lot of challenges that I hope will help prepare them for a lifetime together. I look at these photos and all of that happiness and I just wish them such a beautiful life. One of my favorite things about Daniel is his sense of humor (except on long road trips where it gets very old ;) ) and especially the always present mischievous glint in his eyes. They laugh a lot. I can attest to how important that is in a marriage.

They both got ready here, did their first look in the green space behind our house, took photos on Main Street and had the ceremony in our favorite little park in the Village where we also have had family photos done, been to many a summer concert and had Emma's graduation party- a special place for us. The reception was held back at our house in the garden. The wedding was very small and personal. Everything a wedding should be. 

Getting ready:

First look and around town

The park and ceremony