Have A Little Faith in We

A little bit delayed…. got sick last night and did not finish updating this post :(…. so here it is just a little delayed!

Hi friends happy fall Tuesday! This morning when I hit the pavement with my dad for an early run I had two sweatshirts and my cell phone read 47 degrees…… it is official we are in a new season and so as I wrap up summer here on HALF, I realized we need a little life lately post! Here is a little bit of what the heck has been going on in our world!

One of the biggest things we will remember about this summer were some of the full weekends. For the first time in years Danny and I had several weekends that we were running completely different directions. It wasn’t about hospital time, it wasn’t about cancelled plans, and it wasn’t about hiding out in the basement – it was about living life. One particular weekend Danny had a packed hockey schedule and I was tied up with classes and personal plans, so we actually had to carve out time for a date. We landed on a late lunch Saturday afternoon, complete with our puppy dog at a cute little sandwich shop located next to our rehearsal dinner restaurant. The location, the sunny day, my two boys and a completely different life – I loved that moment.

 

Something about summer time – longer days, sunny blue skies – it makes you want to get out and have some fun, especially with friends! This summer included catching a movie with my brother…..

A gal’s dinner with two of my favs – Randi and Libby. Our last meal as a threesome had been this tough day in December – and boy has life come a long way! But no matter the changes, they remain constant.

And of course a summer isn’t any good without a delectable brunch or two! This one was particularly fantastic because it was with co-workers from a few jobs ago…. who have become very special friends! Taylor always keeps us rolling in laughter with his great stories and Court is incredible with the quick witted one-liners and words of perfect wisdom. This particular breakfast we also got to toast to her big arrival – Baby Brooks! He just arrived last week and now we can’t wait for the next brunch to include a new little guest!

And of course it would not be summer without some of our favorite summer things! Long days that drift into nights on the back deck with a good book and sweet treat….

Pool days that can somehow last up to 8 hours and include a tasty summer beverage for toasting…..

Or for those who aren’t as interested in worshipping the sun… the pool will include things like volleyball. Another thing Danny has not done in years and there he was, new lungs and all, just jumping into that pool and playing along.

We celebrated 7 years of marriage…..complete with a surprise balloon and flower delivery from my mom and one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received: a seven for seven years made from a penny that was made each year we were married.

Plus we added a summer tradition this year….. Lola’s birthday!

While still keeping a few of the old, like summer night dates with tangy salsa and sweet margaritas!

Finally I close this summer life lately with a few new things we tried that hopefully will continue through other seasons:

Danny and I have lived the life of illness. The heavy parts: ERs, procedures, bills, and bad news. We have survived the scary parts: weeks in the hospital that seem like they will never end or losing it with each other because the strain is just too much. As we begin to experience a different way of life, with better health, we crave to only improve and there is no doubt about – that means diet! This summer we tried our hand with zoodles (zucchini noodles) and they were a hit, which now appears in our regular rotation.

Ya’ll know my love for planners, list making, and taking notes. As our life changes from just playing the defensive of always catching up or preparing for the what could happen, our life is now little more focused on goals and the possibility of what we to do. Suddenly some of my ways of keeping a calendar, making to do lists, and setting goals was not working so well. Lucky for me, thanks to List Producer I won a copy of Dot Journaling and have adopted this new way of thinking. Starting in August I have kept a dot journal and have loved the flexibility and motivation to set goals and track them.

We have been brewing a lot of our coffee at home these days – save a few bucks and limit the calories – but this summer brought  a love for iced coffee drinks…

And last but not least, Baltimore dates. Yes this is something we have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future, but the frequency of them has changed quite a bit. We have been blessed enough that it sounds like that will be how we will proceed into the future. So for this trip, we opted to take advantage of our final overnight stay in Charm City by booking a nice hotel that overlooks Camden Yards and making a celebration of our visit. Yes we still had the doc appointments and yes there are still rough patches and tough days – but things are looking up, so this visit we opted to celebrate!

Fall is such a lovely time of year with the excitement of holidays brewing, the glorious colors and rich flavors – I know some of the memories to come will be a blast too! We hope you take time to enjoy …. and if you have some favorite fall actives to share, leave them in the comments below!! Maybe some of the fall life lately will include your suggestions.

Thank you so much for reading and remember to make it a great day!
Jackie