The Week(s) According To Instagram

Birthday celebrations, more weddings, and a stomach bug that swept through our whole family have kept me busy for the last couple weeks.

Let's catch up!

 I'd say one of the biggest themes of the last couple weeks has been my on-going quest to figure out what it means for me to live a "good day". I am really happy with the major events in my life---marriage, kids, work, friends.... But I haven't figured out how to enjoy a day. Days are often a blur, something I just want to get through so I can finally rest or have some quiet time. But that's not cool. I want to wake up excited about the day, savor meals, find satisfaction in every day tasks, take time to just BE with everyone in my family, enjoy simple pleasures, and sleep peacefully (I tend to have stress dreams at night).

 So I am experimenting with daily rhythms. I am not a morning person but I've been getting up extra early some days to head downtown, buy fresh baked bread from the person who made it, pick up coffee that was just roasted, and get back home before anyone else is awake. The quiet, alone time before the craziness of the day has been really sweet. Don't tell anyone this, but this night owl can be kind of cranky in the mornings while trying to get everyone dressed, fed, and out the door on time. But somehow waking up EARLIER and spending time alone makes me less cranky during the morning rush. Weird.

 October 10 was my birthday and the whole family celebrated by getting a stomach virus.

 Everyone took off work and school that day and we just settled in to watch hours and hours of movies. Not a bad way to spend my birthday, actually.

 Then Andrea took me on a super special birthday photo shoot day. I'll have LOTS of pictures to show you. We went to some of my favorite places and ate some of my favorite foods all while changing into different outfits and having our pictures taken by our own photographer. Fun stuff!!

I am trying to savor fall here. Leaves are changing, the temperature is dropping, soups and stews are showing up in my weekly meal plans. I hope you're enjoying whichever season you're in!

Arian : )

Papa's

We spent the weekend camping with my mom, Andrea, and Tye at Papa's house. It was perfection. And by "camping" I of course mean cooking hotdogs and s'mores over a fire and then leaving the boys outside in tents while Eli and I slept indoors in a bed. You know.... camping!

 Though I love life in the city I am so grateful to have our family country retreats. We can spend the day surrounded by the people, architecture, business, coffee shops, and excitement of downtown.... then pack an overnight bag, hit the road, and in an hour or two be sleeping to the sound of crickets and nothing else.

 Papa has lived in the same house on the same hill since long before we were born. It's a big part of our history and we love day dreaming about its role in our future---- hosting creative getaways, outdoor concerts, recording studio, rustic modern guest cabins.... Who knows what this place will become as the seasons in our lives change!

 As we huddled around the campfire past midnight with Tye and Andrea, catching up and casting vision for our futures, I saw TWO shooting stars! TWO!!

 And in the morning we ate homemade biscuits and gravy with cappuccinos.

 Andrea, denim, coffee, vintage mugs, pretty rings, Papa's house.....yeah, these are a few of my very very favorite things.

I'm super grateful that September has held so many sweet gatherings and retreats for us. The summer felt hard and tiring. I needed this month to reset and get inspired.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Arian

Wisdom

It's a constant battle---this whole "live a simple, beautiful life" thing I'm trying to do. It's pretty counter-cultural in America. I have to wake up each morning and plan simplicity, open my calendar and intentionally schedule free time. Today---so far so good : )

During breakfast I resisted telling Jude to hurry up and finish eating, like I sometimes catch myself doing. And I sat and drank my coffee instead of drinking it while I do the dishes.

Then we took a slow walk to the neighborhood plant nursery to pick out some flowers and pumpkins. Time to start decorating for fall!

Poinsettias getting ready for Christmas in a few months.

After bringing home our loot we opted for a simple lunch on the front porch.

I've been reading the wisdom books in the Bible --- first Ecclesiastes, then Proverbs, and now Song of Songs. Dude, there is good stuff in there!! Why did I not study these books sooner? You want to live a good life? Have deep, long-lasting friendships? Be madly in love with your spouse? Enjoy all the beauty the world was created to offer? Be successful in business and leadership? Steward your resources fruitfully? Then study these books and do what they say! Wisdom. Get you some!

I think I've always thought wisdom is something that only old people and owls have : ) But since I've been praying for more wisdom recently, I feel like I see things a bit more clearly and can make better decisions. Our late night fireside conversations have been amazing---long talks about vision for our family, business, rhythms, relationships....good stuff! Wisdom, I've gotten a liiiittle taste of it and I want more!

I keep trying to puuuuull our family deeper and deeper into a simple life where we enjoy long talks, quiet dinners, simple pleasure, real relationships, beauty, art, etc. It's hard! But we're getting closer!

Happy Friday!
Arian

Weekending

 September celebrations continued over the fun-filled weekend. We drove the two hours through the country to Daniel's hometown. Those two hours are often our best two hours for conversation. Many life decisions are made and problems are worked out on those quiet drives.

 We attended the annual Jackson Co. Apple Festival....it's a big deal in those parts.

 The famous Jackson County veal sandwich.  One part pork, two parts fried breading, 100% all-American : ) America might be the only country where eating a sandwich bigger than your face is something to be celebrated.

 As always, a quick trip to the country was what we needed to catch up on rest and clear our minds.

 Some Chronicles of Narnia story time.

 We made it back to Cincinnati just in time to celebrate another wedding! Love these guys!

 And these guys too : )

 It was a beautiful end to a great weekend.

This week I have art goals and home decorating goals! Time to get cracking!

Arian

September Celebrations!

September has been a month of celebrations with more to come! We've been celebrating weddings,

baby showers and bridal showers,

surprise birthday parties,

and surprise guests! Jason's good friends, Stanley and Emily, flew in from California to surprise him. He didn't suspect a thing!

 Stan is a storyboard artist for Pixar. Yeah, THAT Pixar. And Emily is a sweet freelance illustrator. You know I have a soft spot for artist couples : )

 (photo by Jude) : )

 We celebrated by taking them to Sotto, maybe our favorite restaurant in Cincinnati.

And we celebrated the opening of Carabello Coffee, our friends' new coffee shop! What started out as a bean-roasting hobby in the Carabello's basement is now an amazing fair trade, social justice-oriented coffee company! So proud of them!

 So many amazing coffee shops in Cincinnati, so little time.

September also means we are celebrating fall! The leaves are still green but there in a new crispness in the air, the thicker blankets have emerged from storage,

 and my trusty white hat has made its first appearances of the season. It's been a "fall is coming" sign for years.

I love celebrating! And there are more weddings and festivals and gatherings and showers to come! But my introverted heart is also looking forward to some down time. I think a glass of wine and some sort of documentary on pretty things sounds preeetty nice right now.

Hope you're enjoying September!

Arian

New Things

It's a new season. With Jude in kindergarten and my afternoons now available to work, I feel eager to jump into so many projects. This is the new work area I set up in our bedroom. The wall is begging for artwork or a chalkboard or clipboards or something. I'll get to that soon.

New season, new bedroom arrangement, new projects....seemed fitting to have a new blog look too. Hope you like it!

Check out the tabs at the top. There might be a few things in there you've never known about me, or forgotten...like our music videos or the book I wrote with my mom and Daniel. There are still a few more blog features I am working on adding. So stay tuned for more!

Arian