Sunkissed

Can it be true that spring has finally arrived? Now that we are just over a month away from the official beginning of summer?

Today was gorgeous, although the breeze was still a bit chilly, and the girls and I spent a lovely two hours at the park after school. Tonight I feel reminders of the sunny day on my arms and back.

I LOVE rain. Ask anyone.

I also love sunny days when it is not too hot and I can spend time with the girls at the park. They love swinging and sliding and teeter-tottering and all that park life entails. I love watching their antics, witnessing their joy, knowing they are getting good exercise and fresh air and Vitamin D, photographing them, and maybe scribbling in my notebook for 5 minutes.

Today was just one of those days, and it made me excited for summer. No school schedule. No packing lunches every morning. Sunglasses and flip-flops and a tote bag full of things like bandaids, water bottles, wet wipes, snacks, and a book. Coming home sunkissed, with grass stains or sand in between our toes.

Oh, it will be lovely...

I {Heart} Tulips!

Tulips are my favorite flower. In April our family visited two tulip farms/festivals. I loved it and hope to make tulip festivals a spring tradition. Here are some pictures of our visit to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, Oregon.

My daughter, Hannah (6)
My daughter Natalie (3)

Natalie wanted to smell every.single.tulip
Hannah was game to help her try
Every tulip was beautiful
They did the best they could to smell them all

But when all was said and done...
...there were just too many.

We had a wonderful afternoon tiptoeing through the tulips
The girls posed with their favorite color tulips
I couldn't pick a favorite
I can't wait to go back next year

These are the moments...

Take time to stop and smell the daffodils
We only get to live today once.

I only get today that my firstborn is this small. Tomorrow she will be older.

This is one of the last few months she'll be in Kindergarten.
One of the last few months I'll hug her and say, "I love you. I'll see you at 3 o'clock."
One of the last few months I'll watch her walk into her school -- so big and yet so small...

Walk into the world, to learn & to grow.

Have you taken any time lately to capture the best parts of your life? Whether that's with a camera or a pen, don't forget to make time. Things change so fast, and your memory will not hold onto the details you think it will.

Possibilities & Potential...

I was excited today to step on the scale and find I have made more progress on my goal to shed some extra pounds this year.

In 4 days, I am leading a journaling retreat for 7 ladies and we are going to spend the weekend laughing, reflecting, writing, sipping hot drinks, and "retreating" from our normal, busy lives. I can't wait to spend time with these women, and to focus on journaling for a couple of days.

When I started this blog last September, it was my dream that maybe someday it would be a foundation for things like journaling retreats. I can't believe this dream is already becoming reality.

The sunshine today (for the 2nd day in a row!) reminded me of Spring, and sure enough, even on the calendar, it is just around the corner. I heard the sound of lawn mowers in my neighborhood all afternoon, and wondered, on the way to pick up my Kindergartener, where my sunglasses are. The whole day seemed to be a reminder that there is always hope, there is always possibility and potential and promise.

Do you have goals for the year? Do you have dreams? Are you making any progress? What's one small step you could take this week to begin, or continue?