a little bit of life | ed.4

Taking a moment to treasure the moments that go by too fast…

Sunny, blue-sky days, even when covered in a blanket of snow.

Winter visits with mom.

Cooking together, having company during the day while I worked, mountain drives, snuggling under hot towels fresh from the dryer while watching the Olympics + drinking wine…pretty fantastic.  Days not to be taken for granted.

Okay, I was the only one drinking wine.

Rare lunches out with Chris + my mom.

#allthevegetables 

Kitchen messes.  Again + again.

Bonus points if you can guess what kind of sauce I made in the blender.

Cracking open a brand new cookbook.

Unfortunately, this is our new coffee table and not a new photography surface.  Fortunately, we have a new coffee table!

Celebrating 11 years together with impromptu plans involving popcorn, beer, Mexican food, and margaritas.

13-inch long bananas.  Because, when does that ever happen?

Also, wearing pajamas until 3pm on a weekday.  Sometimes I don't even realize it's happening.

Noticing our house actually becoming a home with lots of new paint and small details. 

Curtains will make you feel like an adult.

Weekend hangouts with friends.

These aren’t my friends, but we were with friends on this night.  I was actually taking a photo of the table because I loved it.  Not creepy, promise.

It’s easy dwell on the not-so-great, challenging, daily life things while really great things may be happening at the very same time.  I often get caught up in day-to-day stress and busyness and forget to take a step back instead of focusing on 1 day or 1 week.  Sometimes it feels like I'm walking backwards but when I actually remember to think about the entire past year I realize I've taken a big leap forward.

I try to not over-photograph my life, staying more present in the moment and making mental photos in my mind, but the photos I do take make the memories last forever and help me to continually appreciate this lovely life.  Turning 30 has brought many new challenges and a whole lot of perspective into my life.  Easier is not always better.  Challenges bring growth.  Happiness is sometimes a choice.  I'm being shaped by these experiences and am very slowly--very slowly--learning to take the bumps in stride and push on.  The photos above are my reminders. <3

Ashley