Swords and Plants

Thomas finally used his fencing lesson from last year's birthday! He now knows way to much about fencing. Note: He is using a saber in this picture.

Summer in WA is always an exciting time because you really don’t know what you are going to get. For instance last year we had 1 month of summer. This year, we have already had 1 month of summer and it is only May! I should say that my definition of summer has changed drastically from my So Cal upbringing to my WA adulthood. Summer is now multiple sunny days where I can wear a tank top and not freeze.

This is our farmer's market tomato plant.

So we are already filling up our calendar clear out into August. Between the gardening/yard work days, the camping, and the craft fairs, we will be quite busy this summer! We did our first yard work/gardening day 2 week's ago. Thomas and I have both discovered that we love to garden, but mainly when we are with other people (each other). In college I would go to a lady named Jean’s house once a week and help her with her garden. Now San Diego gardening and WA gardening again are quite different, but it all started there as a time to chat while we tended to her plants. So now Thomas and I chat and tend our plants.

This year is our year to redo our backyard. We have been in our house for the 4^th summer and we now know what survived and what needed to be redone.

So we are in the redoing phase. But we along with our yearly geraniums, we also bought a new hydrangea and we planted our garden which includes lettuce, spinach, bell peppers, green beans, cucumbers, spinach, sweet peas, brussels sprouts, kale, rhubarb, and our raspberry shoots from our friend Randi. 

 I copied a pinterest idea (2nd tab on top) and used cinder blocks as a planter border. Soon there will be little flowers in each mini planter :) And Thomas is destroying the stump of our apple tree that we took out cause it was so sad and old. We absolutely love the summers here, but we get so busy we have to schedule weekends to clean and breath!

Just a wee bit o' Ireland

Thomas and I flew to Ireland for a little vaca and to hang out with one of my college roomies Katie.

After a very long travel day and with a police escort (they kindly took us to her house when we were lost) we made it to Katie's house in Coleraine.

After church on Sunday, our first tourist visit was to the Giant's Causeway. This was an amazing place where there are hexagonal basalt columns. Crazy amazing.

Thomas has the traditional Ulster Fry.

We visited the Mussenden Temple, which is a library right on the water. Thomas and I decided we will have a library on the water someday.

 It might look a little something like the above.

 Thomas decided to stay in the car while Katie and I explored the Carrick a rede rope bridge, which I did not think was all that bad.

 Every where we turned there were sheep. All spray painted so the shepard's could tell them apart.

 College friends.

 Coastal town homes.

 The Dublin Castle

 A Irish phone booth in Gaelic.

 Our absolute favorite city, Kilkenny.

 More in our favorite city.

 The Kells Priory just moments from Kilkenny. Probably the most beautiful place in my opinion. Could have been the sunshine though.

 A wee bit of hilly countryside.

 Our experience in Cork.

 Naturally we had to visit the Blarney Castle/Stone. We had to climb to the top, which Thomas quickly headed for the exit as you can see in the below picture. Not so much with the heights.

28 Years of Life

Today I am 28. It is kinda a weird thing to think about. But here is what has run through my mind lately….

I know by all means that I am not old. I also know that I have by no means passed up my having kids time, however I can tell you that not in a million years at any time leading up to my 28^th year, would I have believed you if you would have told me that I would still not have kids at this time. As I look back at what I thought my life to be when I was in high school. I have succeeded and even surpassed what I believed my life to hold, with one exception. I definitely would have had kids no later than 26. I mean really, that would have given me 4 years post college to be married, spend time with my husband and have a good job. Right?

Well God has other plans. I am 28. With no kids yet. And I am ok with that. I love Thomas, I love our life, I love that I am completely content with where God has us at this moment, and I love that with each additional month that goes by I get to pour that much more into the lives of Thomas and all the people I love around me because I am not wrapped up in the world of spit up and baby love. Yet.

I am 28 and content.