Remember That One Time: Rest Stop Edition (and the super-fun trip that followed)

Bryant has taken a handful of trips to work for a client in Houston over the past couple of years and had a few on the calendar this summer, so we decided to join him on one.  It was the longest of this summer's road trips - both in road time and stay time - and was honestly fairly daunting, but only until it was the next thing on the list and we had a chance to sit down and think it through.  After doing a bit of research, finding several options things to do that would please several individuals, making a list of restaurants to try, and getting the low-down on Houston traffic, we felt ready for the adventure. 

Narrator: Little did they know what an adventure it would be...

This leg of the trip brought to you by The Boxcar Children audiobooks and lotsss of stickers from Grandma.

Our first pit stop was in Wichita.  The boys went to the Kansas Aviation Museum (It has been on Jacob's list to take Bryant there since about a year and a half ago when the kids and I went during the day on another one of Bryant's work trips.).  They happened to catch not only free admission, but also several planes rehearsing for the air show the following weekend!

He saw a pair of the plane pictured on his shirt!
(Can you see them to the right of the light pole?)

Lydia and I went to the Exploration Place - another attraction we had visited last time we were in Wichita.  We invested in an ASTC membership this year - mostly for the free admission to Science City - and were able to fully take advantage of free admission to other museums on the list over the course of this trip.  Exploration Place was the first!

This is where we spent most of our time - in the pretend garden area, picking and washing pretend produce.  Glad we weren't paying to be there...hahaha. 😉

We also stopped here to bulk up our snackle boxes and pick up some "thank you" treats for our next stop.

the first of several successful strategic snoozes
(Can you tell we're studying alliterations?)

We broke up the trip down with a visit/stay at Bryant's extended family's farm. 
It was such a wonderful visit, all around - we were treated to a delicious homemade meal, enjoyed playing with cousins, got to see and pet some animals, and slept well in these perfect accommodations!

We planned our lunch stop around our proximity to Buc-ee's (the kids and I's first time).
It didn't disappoint in food or entertainment value!

How lucky to run into the Buc-ee himself!

About two hours from our destination, we simultaneously lost almost all acceleration, saw the check-engine light flash on, and passed a "rest area two miles" sign.  Bryant put the hazards on, pulled us into the rest area, and set about assessing the situation.  The kids and I used the facilities, had a snack, played several rounds of "Mother May I?" and "Simon Says," and bought Bryant a Coke from the vending machine (a fun, new experience).  We found a quarter-mile trail around the little pond behind the rest area, ate more snacks, played my tiny-purse-Uno, and finally, set up camp on some benches in the rest area and broke out the iPads (something we hadn't done, yet, on this trip, so they were fully charged and loaded with some fresh entertainment).  While this all certainly wasn't ideal in the TX mid-day heat, we considered it a small miracle (the first of many) we weren't on the side of the road.

Since we were on the front end of our week-long trip, our snack (and water) reserves were high!  We fairly quickly burned through a couple garden cucumbers and tomatoes and the last of the previous week's grapes we had thrown in.  Small Miracle #2: I had brought along some "easy mac" as a treat for a hotel meal, since they only required water and a microwave.  Thankfully, there was a security guard/custodian on duty at the rest area who gave me permission to go "in the back" and use the microwave, because, "It seems like sort of an emergency, I guess."  The kids were so thrilled to "get to" have mac and cheese!  We also enjoyed some caramel-apple cookies our oh-so-thoughtful hostess from the night before had sent along.  They were very delicious and certainly a moral booster!

I actually found this unplugged and far from an outlet, so scooted it over to make use of it.  I chose not to photograph the inside, because I'd rather not remember it on purpose...yikes.  But it cooked our noodles, and that's all that mattered, at that point!

We had our picnic blanket along not knowing how handy it would end up being!

Yay!  Everything is wonderful!  Can't you tell?!  😏

Bryant spent literal hours on the phone with a buddy who used to work for Hyundai, roadside assistance, the local dealership, tow truck drivers, our hotel for the night, and who knows who else.  I had complete confidence in him to figure out the best possible outcome, so (surprisingly), I wasn't terribly stressed (this was also the Lord's provision of peace, for sure).  I just stayed in my lane and kept the kids as happy as possible.  I knew we wouldn't be there all night, and if we were, we had a couple sleeping bags packed, so...  We were just very glad to not be on the side of the road.

In the end, here's how it all shook out:

The car was not drivable - there was a terrible knocking in the engine.  The first tow truck (that would supposedly accommodate all of us) was called off the job after we had waited an hour for its arrival.  The second was en route not too long after that, but was two hours out and wouldn't hold all of us.  Neither Uber nor Lyft would come out to where we were.  The highway patrol line was busy.  So, our last option was to call a buddy Bryant met on a previous work trip who lives in south Houston.  

Small Miracles #3-7 or so: The friend was available; he so graciously drove the two-hours-one-way to pick us up, dropped us off at the airport Enterprise (the only location open at 11 p.m., but also the one where we'd planned to pick up Bryant's rental for work, anyway, the next day...so we just got both necessary rentals at once), and waited in the car with the sleeping kiddos while we got the rentals squared away.  His truck accommodated all our things, his kiddos are the same ages as ours, so we just used his car seats and didn't have to install/uninstall ours, and he was a great conversationalist after our unexpected five-hour layover at the rest stop.  He also was able to recommend a hotel that was closer to our next day's planned activities, ended up being cheaper, and came with a view!  (We had cancelled our original reservation thinking we'd stay closer to where the car was, but that didn't pan out, after all.)  Not all heroes wear capes!

11:30 p.m. - taking in the moon-on-the-water view while waiting for the boys to bring the luggage up

After a good night's rest, a hotel breakfast buffet with a view, and no ability to make any tracks with the car situation since it was Sunday, we were ready to move forward with our trip as planned.  We purposefully traveled down a day early so we could all go to the Space Center together (That annual pass I mentioned previously admitted us all for free here, as well!  It more than paid for itself with this admission, alone. 😮), and we were so very grateful to still be able to do so, despite the car trouble.  

It really was so cool!

I'm especially glad we went with Bryant, because he could answer all the questions I couldn't...haha.

We also took advantage of our proximity to the beach and headed down to Galveston for a couple hours.  Small Miracle #8: the forecasted rain dissipated and left sunny skies!  All Jacob wanted to do was be in the waves, and all Lydia wanted to do was build a sand castle.  Both requests were granted.

Tried a fun local seafood place for supper that evening!

We stayed in an Airbnb outside of Houston for the rest of our time there (pro move by my husband - it was so much easier than a hotel set-up, all around, but esp. for him to come and go from his 12-hour work shifts while the kids were sleeping).  After consulting the aforementioned museum list, I had found that we could get into both the Health Museum and the Houston Children's Museum, and upon further research, found that they were right across the street from each other!  So, we drove back into the city to go to both. 

He was very much fascinated by this.

I've known this guy since he was oh-so-tiny and spent many a summer babysitting him and his two siblings.  Small Miracle # 9: He was off work and available to meet us at the Health Museum and for lunch!  What a true pleasure and delight to spend some quality together as adults and with my own kiddos!

The "Kidtropolis" exhibit at the Children's Museum was truly wonderful.  Jacob spent the better part of nearly two hours going from ATM to ATM (there were probably ten or so) depositing, withdrawing, and being generally enamored by putting in a PIN and accessing his very own account.  We can tell you more in person, if you want - it was just really, really cool.

Lydia was a little more diversified in how she spent her nearly-two-hours, but was equally engaged and delighted by it all. 

We don't miss the chance to explore a new-to-us grocery store. ☺

Tuesday was spent closer to "home," so we could take advantage of the chance to meet Bryant for lunch.  When looking at the map for parks when we were planning out our days, I happened upon an equestrian center, so reached out to see if we could visit.  We spent over an hour watching training rides and petting horses!

It was pretty cool (and mind-blowing) to see the vast infrastructure of this and other companies in person.
(We were dressed to head to a really cool splash pad after this.  It sprinkled on us, a bit, but we were getting wet, anyway, so just stuck it out.)

Due to the afternoon's rainstorm, Bryant got off work early and was able to join us for supper!  The only plans that changed when the car broke down Saturday was a ferry ride to a restaurant on the shipping channel Bryant had been to on one of his trips here.  I had re-planned to take the kids our last evening there, and we were so glad Bryant got to come with us (Small Miracle #10!).  We got a window seat, shared a great meal, and were even gifted an extra dessert after the decision/indecision between two different ones ended in a 3-1 vote.

It really was cool to see all the tugboats, ships, and other watercraft.

There was a fun park across the street, and since the weather ended up being so wonderful (thanks, God!), we spent some more time watching the ships go by.

Watch timer selfie for the win!

The kids and I headed back home mid-week and were able to break our trip up again with a stay (with extended family on my side, this time) in Dallas.  My mom flew in there at the beginning of the week to spend some time with family and rode the rest of the way home with us.  It all worked out so well!

This was also the day we (finally) heard back from the Hyundai dealership about the car.  The tl:dr version and Small Miracle #11: the failed engine will be replaced under warranty.  Here's Bryant's expert explanation of the issue:

When the dealership called, they said that the engine had failed the bearing clearance test (which caused the engine knock we heard at the rest area).  This was due to the batch of bad "theta" engines they had made.  Apparently, the resulting class action lawsuit gave us a lifetime warranty on the engine.  It is a huge blessing that we are not going to have to pay for it out of pocket.  We were also grateful that the dealership had worked our vehicle into their schedule to get that ball rolling since we had been told it could be even the following week before they were able to diagnose it.  

So, we drove our rental back to KC.  Thankfully, Hyundai also agreed to cover the cost of that (equivalent sized - phew) vehicle.  The only downside: there was no CD player in the new-fangled rental, rendering our volumes of Boxcar Children CDs - our inflight entertainment - unusable.  😬

This is the sign for the same rest area, just going the other way.  The kids really wanted to stop, again, because they had such a fun time (?! - patting myself on the back for that one).  We didn't stop, but I snagged a picture, at least.

I have great memories of swimming in this pool at my mom's cousin's house!

Notice any resemblance to that other guy we got to hang out with?  😉
We were so grateful it worked out to see this young man (Small Miracle #12) and get a tour of (some of) his day-to-day.  It was just really rewarding to get to spend time with these guys that I babysat as infants/toddlers/little boys and see what amazing men they've grown to be.  It was also beyond special to watch my kids be so immediately drawn to them...and vice versa. 💗

♥

The rest of our drive home was without incident, and Bryant flew home safely a few days later.  To be clear, his job doesn't take him away from home as often as this post might make it sound.  We were glad for the opportunity to see some things we'd never seen and spend some extra time together, and all (mostly) on the company's dime.  ☺  God's provision and protection was so evident in all of this, and we certainly thanked (and thank) Him for it on the regular.

Gladly (for it all, but also, to be home),

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

recessing at the splash pad

coming home to freshly-arranged flowers from our very talented neighbor

stamping weekend (that also allowed for time with besties and an "11 years later" photo shoot)

 

whoopsie-daisy (you wouldn't believe the rabbit hole I fell down when researching the correct spelling of this...)

Goodness! (Apparently, I say that a lot, because Jacob has adopted it into his fairly-extensive vocabulary.) How is it that suppertime around here can drag on for what seems to be hours as we wait for the eldest child to do more chewing and less talking, yet I can't tell you where the four months since I last posted have gone?!  What I can tell you, however, is that we've been thoroughly enjoying the weather - outside playdates, making great progress in the garden, and splashing in whatever body of water we can get our feet in.  We now have a four-yr.-old (what?!) and a nearly one-yr.-old (again - what?!).  Though some parts of life seem to be back to the old normal, we have certainly adapted to and become fairly content with a new normal.

An additional (and significant) piece of news is Bryant nearly lost a finger while protecting his family from a ferocious wild bear.

;)

That's what he refers to as the "fun" story, as opposed to the "real" version.   The truth is he actually lost a fight with a table saw that hadn't quite stopped turning while he was cleaning up after a project.  It was an accident in all senses of the word.  While it certainly could've been worse, it was still an emergency situation that ended up requiring reparative surgery and rehab therapy.

The injury occurred on Bryant's right index finger, and the surgery also affected his wrist.   During his recovery, he was instructed not to drive or lift, and at the beginning of it, he was not supposed to get that upper arm wet.  Needless to say, that put a wrench in our normal routine.

If you have ever cared for someone after surgery, you know how much there is to manage.  (I had not.)  If you know me at all, you know I'm pretty terrible at asking for help, so was prepared to figure it all out myself.  (I couldn't have.)  Thankfully, our village stepped in immediately...for real - I didn't even take him to the ER when it happened right at the supper/bath/bedtime crunch.  They went on to help in countless ways; to name a few:

• weedeating
• rides to appointments (including the initial ER trip)
• watching kiddos
• providing meals
• sending thoughtful notes, etc.
• coming over to help with baths and bedtime
• offering to mow the lawn
• lots of prayer and moral support

This help was not provided by just one person or one circle of friends.  Our neighbors, family members, church friends, and many others stepped in to help in our time of need, and we are so thankful.  

We are also incredibly thankful that Bryant was permitted to work from home while he was in the cast and not able to drive.  His job requires him to be on location for about 90% of the work he does, so we were definitely not expecting him to be able to work during this time.  His employer was very accommodating, though, and as a bonus, we got a couple extra hours with Bryant during the days, since he didn't have to commute, at all, and I was also able to sneak out for the occasional short errand during naptime.  Typing and moving a mouse with one non-dominant hand was no walk in the park, but he never complained.

Bryant's wounds have healed, he has regained nearly all the strength and range of motion he lost, and he is optimistic about his recovery.  It's amazing to us that all this happened in April - a little over three months ago.  It feels like forever ago, yet at the same time, only yesterday

I'll spare you the gory documentation, but for posterity's sake, here are a couple pictures of our patient at various stages in the recovery process:

I appreciated Bryant's intentionality and thoughtfulness during this time, as well as his willingness to be creative in finding ways to make things as normal as possible for the kids and I.  I know it was not easy to navigate caring for a wiggly baby and playing with an active toddler with one non-dominant hand, but he figured it out.  He also managed to make this delicious Mother's Day dinner (albeit with a little help):  

God's protection, provision, and peace were so evident to us in this situation.  It is not lost on us that the outcome of this accident could have been much more severe, people could have looked past our tricky circumstances, Bryant could have taken a pay cut for several weeks, there could have been complications with the surgery and/or recovery - the list goes on and on.  This is yet another of life's seemingly-major obstacles that is so alarming and consuming in the moment, yet in hindsight, becomes a small bump in the road.  No matter the size, we are glad to have this "bump" behind us.

Gratefully,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

hospitality - both giving and receiving

These two.  Jacob has been so excited, lately, to get to sit next to Lydia in shopping carts, and without a thought, immediately puts his arm around her. ♥
Remember that time I was worried about how I'd feel about having two kiddos and about how Jacob would feel about a sibling?  Many of you told me how wonderful it would be, and while I believed you then, I understand you, now.  It's just priceless.

Our matching swimsuits!

BFF(AE!)

Hey, all!

I'm writing from a completely nostalgic/sentimental/sappy place today.  Don't say I didn't warn you.  ; )  I'm also writing, from a thoughtful/thankful/reflective place, though, so if you can wade through the personal stuff, I think you'll find some practicality here, too.

This post is in honor of my best-friend-for-life's 30th birthday!  Please join me in celebrating Katie today (and always, really, but especially today)!

Many of you know this, but Katie and I have known each other since the 2nd grade, and have "officially" (ha!) been best friends since the 5th (or maybe 4th) grade.

I really don't even know where to start to tell our story...  We lived 5 mins. from each other.  We attended the same school(s).  We were in 4-H together.  Our moms were friends.  We had the same piano teacher.  Our families became each other's families.  We vacationed together.  Etc., etc.

Looking back on our childhood is quite a trip, but it also makes me teary to think of the blessing it was and what a foundation it created for the friendship we have today.

One of the reasons this is currently at the forefront of my mind is this:

Katie recently unearthed our friendship journals.

Yes, you read that correctly.  We had friendship journals...plural.

One even had a matching bookmark.

Not only have these been hilarious and entertaining to read through, but they've also provided for some reflection and "deep" thoughts (not unlike ones we used to write about in these - haha).  So much life has happened since we started that first journal in the 5th grade.  What a treasure to be able to look back on not only our friendship over the years, but also our individual lives and day-to-day thoughts and happenings.  I think I've mentioned how terrible my memory seems to be, especially lately.  It's always been hard for me to remember things from my childhood and school years, except for a few milestone/big deal occurrences, of course.  These journals have reminded us not only of various life events, but also of how our days used to look and what mattered most to our younger selves.

We've known for a long time what a treasure our friendship is - we documented how thankful we were many times - and we are continuously grateful for each other and our ever-strengthening relationship.  Please know I am not sharing all this to brag, to one-up your friendships, to say our friendship is perfect, or anything like that.  Rather, after reading back through these journals, there are some recurring components in various "entries" that provide clues as to how we've made our relationship work over the years, and I thought I'd share them with you.

In no particular order, here are a few key components of our friendship and how we've applied them over the years:

Grace
Then:  One of the very first entries in the very first journal is, "This will also be a book of appologies (bless my fifth grade speller's heart), and here's one..."  From using our "code names" outside of the journal to jealousy to failing to make time for one another, we recognized and sought forgiveness for actions both big and small.
Later: Though we found a surprising amount of these "I'm sorry" notes throughout the journals, I know there were so many more in-person requests for forgiveness over the years.  As we matured both in our friendship and as individuals, we recognized the things that might upset the other and learned to avoid them.  We also had grace for each other in knowing life changes meant making some adjustments in our relationship, as well, and were patient with the process of working through all that.
Now:  We haven't had a major conflict in years, and I'm having a hard time remembering even having a minor one.  Though we had never intentionally hurt one another in the past, we learned from the times that we unintentionally did, and have since been able to avoid doing so again.  Our grace is likely often extended without a prerequisite apology, though, because we're human and mess up, but we know and love each other in a way that allows us to recognize when hurt wasn't intended and forgive without an apology extended.  Perhaps this just came with practice, too - practicing apologizing and forgiving and moving forward.

Shared Interests
Then: 4-H, gel pens, boys, puppy chow
Later: slumber parties, shopping, Bible studies, puppy chow
Now: pool time, hospitality, awesome bargains, puppy chow ☺
Seriously, though - a relationship without shared interests is much more difficult to maintain, in my opinion.  While our differences allowed us to grow as individuals, our commonalities allowed our friendship to thrive.  Quality time is much more enjoyable when you're spending the time doing something you both truly enjoy.

Honesty/Vulnerability
Then: Sharing what boys (a.k.a. "flowers"...don't ask...) we liked.
Later: Sharing what boys we liked (haha - but seriously - this is what girlfriends are for, right?).  But also: opening up about various situations and how we felt about them, calling each other out and keeping each other accountable, writing/talking to each other during our lowest of lows and highest of highs (which usually involved tears on both ends of the spectrum)
Now:  All of the above and much more!  As our friendship has deepened, so has our level of vulnerability.  It has become clear to me that this is such an important part of any real relationship.  Though I may not tell her EVERYthing, there isn't anything I wouldn't feel comfortable/safe sharing with Katie.  With great vulnerability comes great...

Trust
Then: Keeping the journal(s) hidden from others' view (both intentional and accidental). "Mom just came in my room without knocking AGAIN."  Heaven forbid our own mothers lay eyes on our precious journal.  An entry written while writing during a high school class, "People keep looking at me like I'm crazy.  Do u know how horrible it would be if people took this and read it!  lol.  It must be a secret."  The next entry started with an "*idea*" to only write in the privacy of our homes and simply transfer the journal at school.  haha
Later: As our relationship grew, so did our level of trust.  We learned we could trust each other with our insecurities, emotions, and "deepest secrets." From petty thoughts to important feelings and decisions to knowing the other wouldn't back out on plans; we gained each others trust through many, many opportunities to not let each other down.
Now: I hardly know how to quantify this, at this point, except to say that I know I can trust Katie with absolutely anything.

Foresight
Then: Making a plan as to how we're going to use the pages in the journals (this was a surprisingly prevalent topic of conversation (and consequently, use of space) in the books.
Later: Comparing school schedules and finding several opportunities for quality time during the school year when we were living in different states, because we knew that simply trying to meet up when we were home at the same time wasn't going to be enough.
Now: Knowing that even though we're in the same metro area, we need to make plans somewhat far in advance to spend time together, because life just seems to get in the way if we aren't intentional about it.  (The opportunities for spontaneity and the times we're able to take advantage of it, however, are so wonderful!)

Loyalty
Then: "Kensy and I have been having big problems with a group of girls who are extremely rude to us.  They are rude to everyone!"
Later: Our friendship survived junior high.  Enough said?  ☺
Now: Though we have various commitments, several different circles of friends, and husbands(!), we continue to make an effort to prioritize each other and our relationship.

Another big contributor to the success of our friendship is our shared faith (our 5th grade selves even wrote a special prayer for us to say when we spent the night together...I have no memory of ever actually saying it, but it's in the friendship journal!  Bless our hearts...).  Though we went to different churches (different denominations, even), we attended events/services at each others churches and participated in several Bible studies together.  In "Christianese": The intersection of our faith walks was a huge blessing, and Katie's faith continues to challenge me and keep me accountable.  In plain terms: Katie's faith definitely impacted on my own, and still does, to this day. ☺

Truly, the list of components goes on and on: intentionality, thoughtfulness, respect, encouragement, etc., etc.  I could write a book about all the hilarious and meaningful memories we share, as well as the important conversations we've had and the ways we've built this friendship to be what it is today.

Praise the Lord for technology and the ease it eventually brought to our constant communication, esp. when we were living in separate places.  The first friendship journal documents our first e-mail addresses, and we even wrote, "E-mail me!"  That said, however, these hand-written words are so precious; there's just something about the time and effort it takes to write, as well as the ability to have it all in one place when we want to reminisce and have a good laugh.

I hope that all made sense to you, dear readers - especially those of you who don't know me well and/or don't know Katie, at all.  My goal was both to give you a glimpse into our specific friendship, as well as present more universal thoughts on relationships, in general.

Happy birthday, Katie Sue!  I love you so, so much, and am inexpressibly grateful you're in my life.

Friendly-ly,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

This girl, who stood by me (in literally every way) even when I had those bangs.
(I had such a hard time not sharing more pics than this one...there are some gems, for sure! haha)

sunshine and pool/splash pad/water time

rhubarb custard bars

My younger man ♥

This is one of those posts I started several months ago. I've added a few things since, but it's mostly as I wrote it then. Glad to be able to share it now, though, because today is the subject(my husband)'s birthday! Please enjoy this post about how wonderful he is and join me in celebrating him! (Yes - he's younger than me, but not by much.)


I just need to brag on my husband for a bit. Not in a "my husband is better than yours" way, or anything like that. Just in a "he's amazing and I want to publicly thank him" way.

Here's the thing:

We often say, "We sure got a good baby!" Not only is he so precious and adorable, but he's also just been an easy baby. He's spoiling us, for sure.

That being said, there have been hard days. Some of those hard days may be the norm for other parents; some of them may be on par with what others experience; some may be worse. Regardless, they get to me, sometimes. I've been labeled a "high achiever," "goody-two-shoes," and a "perfectionist" at various points in my life. I can't help but get down on myself and feel as though I've failed when even the smallest thing doesn't go as it should. (And I can't function well if something is unresolved/out of place/lost/etc.) So, needless to say, when I don't know exactly what to do for my baby and/or nothing I try seems to work, I feel like I'm failing him. Because of my woman's "spaghetti" brain, this permeates into every other aspect of life, and I end up feeling like I'm not succeeding at anything - esp. at being a wife.

Those hard days when I'm feeling like a failure and can't seem to figure out how to function normally are the days when my husband shines especially bright. He never fails to greet me with a hug and a kiss, regardless of how I look or feel. He asks how he can help and/or observes a need and meets it without being asked. He gives me what I need without me knowing I needed it. (Examples of this include: sending me to Target with instructions to get a Starbucks drink and look around a while, even though we only need one thing; clipping a mani/pedi coupon and making sure I go redeem it; finding a Groupon for a massage and sending me to redeem it only after I go get something I want for lunch; taking the load of laundry I just pulled from the dryer and telling me to stay downstairs to watch figure skating while he folds it upstairs.) My personality type does not do a good job of self-care. Self-initiated self-care makes me feel selfish/guilty/unproductive. I'm getting a little better at it, but only because my husband strongly encourages me in this department. I've fought him on it at times, but he stands his ground, and I always come out better for following his instruction. And though he totally deserves to do so, he doesn't even say, "Told ya."

I may have said it before, but he's just such a great dad...and a great husband to me as a mom. He works hard for our family and comes home excited to spend time with us and ready to help however he can. We've continued to do lots of work on our house (more on that later), and I'm continually amazed at all he knows how and learns to do!

We celebrated our third wedding anniversary in October, and in addition to taking me out for dinner (sans baby for the first time, thanks to some dear friends), he also got me these very thoughtful gifts:

Red roses, because that's what my bridal bouquet was comprised of.
The traditional gift for a third year anniversary is leather, so he arranged to have this special sentiment printed on a piece of leather! ♥ 

Though I wrote most of this post months ago, it still all rings true today - perhaps even more so! I simply can't imagine life without this amazing man by my side, and I'm so very thankful for him and the life we've built together.

Happy birthday, Bryant!☺ Love you so much! ♥

With-all-the-heart-eyes,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

consignment sales

podcasts (let me know if you'd like recommendations!)

This tiny cake, because #moderation, but also #birthdaycake. ☺