It’s been over three months since I’ve shared anything in this space, which is probably one of the longest hiatuses I’ve taken since starting my blog in 2010. I spent a lot of 2017 focusing on (read: overthinking) my purpose and my why for everything I do. That being said, I know I want to continue writing and sharing my life in this little corner of the internet but I know I want it to feel different. I’m still trying to figure out what it’s going look like, but right now there’s no pressure. So instead of trying to backfill posts (like I’m tempted to do) I’m just going to dump lots of photos here and let you see what I’ve been up to recently.
I went to California in October and I snagged this shot out of my car window before heading to St. Louis to catch my flight. Chloe looks out the window at me every time I leave the house, and I loved having Kevin in this photo too.
My trip to California was a surprise that only my mom and I were in on, so it was fun to show up and catch everyone off guard. I love a good secret and it was so fun to be there for my cousin’s birthday. We got to do a lot of normal stuff – soccer games, bake cakes, and sit on the patio in the nice weather.
Kevin and I aren’t huge fans of costumes, so we normally put off deciding on one until the last minute. This year we went for something super easy that we could wear over our normal clothes. Best. Decision. Ever.
We were gifted a DNA test for Chloe and it turns out that all of her recent ancestors are labrador retrievers. Not sure where she got her height, weight and personality from, but we love joking about her being a purebred.
The California fam was in town the weekend before Thanksgiving, so we opted not to head home again for Thanksgiving day. I worked both Wednesday and Friday so it made sense not to drive to St. Louis for less than 24 hours. It was the first Thanksgiving that we didn’t spend with family, but we were lucky enough to be invited to Thanksgiving with our sweet friends. These pies? All handmade by Claire.
The following weekend, Taylor and I spent the weekend in Wisconsin for Brittany’s birthday. We had a blast meeting Evan, shopping, eating and breaking out of escape rooms. I knew I had found a new favorite city when I found my way into a bookstore that had a collectors edition of Gone with the Wind and a complete copy of the Chronicles of Narnia before we even left the airport.
To celebrate Kevin’s birthday and some job changes, we ate dinner at our favorite steak house. This place is right around the corner from us, and gosh darn it, we can smell it every. single. night. We love a good meal and this is the best place on the planet, especially when it’s all decorated for Christmas.
Kevin finally let me put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving (for the record, he was the one who put the outside Christmas lights up on November 21st last year (Instagram Evidence) . I purchased this tree for $6 three years ago when I was working at Walgreens. Since we moved into our house, I’ve been looking for a taller replacement but haven’t found anything that fits the space. This was the first year I included the Hallmark ornaments my parents have bought for me over the last 26 years as well as Kevin’s childhood ornaments. I have to admit, the sweet memories made me like the tree a little bit more.
Great post, Jacqueline! Lovely photos, too. Sending you lots of love and prayers that you have a beautiful and blessed time over Christmas. Lots of Love, michelle (your Scottish cousin!)x x x x