For this Texas farm girl and my Nebraska farm boy, it was a no-brainer to take our engagement photos in the wide open spaces. We picked the orange groves on one of the pretty spring days of the year in late March, with the smell of orange blossoms all around, and had so much fun with our incredibly talented (and patient!) photographer Kristen Swanson.
Can you believe I get to marry this handsome guy?! Lucky girl.
As if the fact that it’s Friday wasn’t enough to cheer me up, here’s a little hidden gem that I came through my Facebook feed this morning.
Operation Nice… a site dedicated to making others happy with the simple concept of niceness. Here, blogger Melissa Morris posts motivational tips such as “88 Ways To Make a Stranger Smile”, shares inspirational stories her readers have shared with her, and takes on the overall ambitious goal of making the world just a little bit NICER. Good for her! I’m a new fan and can’t wait to make this site a regular stop.
Here’s what she says about her site:
Don’t you love it when people go out of their way to be nice? Like when someone waits to hold the door for you. Or when a stranger waves you into a line of traffic. Or even when a coworker shoots you a friendly smile along with a “have a nice day.” If everyone was a little bit nicer to the folks they encountered each day, perhaps the world would be a more pleasant place. Operation NICE was initiated to remind you that a little NICE goes a long way.
Some lovey dovey goodness from me and some of my favorite sites for Valentine’s Day!
My very own handsome Valentine…
Love this quote! (And the crazy big bright balloons too, of course!) From Tumblr
XO earrings from SOFTGOLDSTUDIO
Valentine’s Day card from gingerpdesigns
With a pouty face that’s just too sweet not to share with the world, meet Karmi – my most lovable beagle bear with a personality that’s about 10 times the size of her furry self.
She has a fast-paced social life and enjoys visitors to the house, walks to the dog park, romping around with her beagle sis and big furry brother, chasing lizards, standing guard over the house from her perch on the back of the couch, and snacking on the occasional poop nugget in the backyard (hey, no one’s perfect). Continue reading
A family member shared this with her daughter on her birthday, and I thought it was so beautiful. I’m admittedly not normally into poetry unless it’s something written by Winnie the Pooh, but this is really inspirational.
On Children
Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
Continue reading
I think this is so sweet.
A recent high school grad received the book Oh the Places You’ll Go, by Doctor Seuss from her father. The first page had a short paragraph written by her kindergarten teacher, and the next pages included messages from her teaches from the past 13 years. So special! What a Dad. Read the full story here >
Awwww, I just love this! What a great movie. Must watch The Help again soon.
From PorchSittingDesigns.
These photos came in a really cute forwarded email. Growing up, I can’t remember a single day without our dogs – this is exactly why kids need pets!
