a christmas-y weekend.

i have been really excited about this weekend.  we had some fun things planned for our little family and it did not disappoint.  we did get snowed in today, but it was a good day to be in our pj's and watch the pretty white stuff outside.

friday night, we headed to a big old historical home downtown for "santa claus for a cause", an event to raise money for the cancer center at our local hospital.  it was *frigid* and when i say "frigid", i mean sub zero temps.  seriously.  so cold.  so we didn't stay for long, but it was one of the most beautiful things i've ever been to.  a big old home, luminaries lining the driveway, pictures with santa on the front porch, homemade goodies and lots of old fashioned christmasness.  it was totally up my alley.

we went with some good friends, and everyone came over to our house after for chinese takeout, christmas movies and parents trying to visit amidst the kid-craziness.  absolutely love having our families do life together, and our kiddos make memories like these... so thankful for our friends.

saturday, we packed up and headed to portland... a few weeks ago, my sister and i bought tickets for both of our families to go to "the polar express", a ride along the ocean in an old train designed to emulate the polar express.  growing up, our mom read us this book every christmas eve, so we were super pumped!  i'll post more on this later, but here are a few photos...

the girls absolutely LOVED it!  i will never forget their little faces, and watching them sip their hot chocolate, dance up and down the aisle of the train and greet santa with hugs.  such a magical experience for them.  it's the stuff i live for as their mama; such a joy to watch them experience christmastime!  we drove home after the ride singing christmas songs on the radio, giddy with excitement that a huge snowstorm was coming.  we kind of love being snowed in.

sure enough, this morning we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow and flakes still falling from the sky.  it snowed all day long.  we drank hot chocolate, bundled up on the couch and watched "the polar express", watched football and nick&i took turns shoveling and clearing the driveway.

it was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend!  many times over the last few days i have stopped, drank in all of these precious moments, and thanked the lord for his many gifts.

so very grateful.

days of gratitude: {3} my girlfriends.

{source}

one of the greatest blessings in life is friendship.  friendship that stands the test of time and distance.  friendship that builds up and speaks truth in love.  friendship that is both life changing and life giving.

i grew up in a home where my parents put such an emphasis on the importance of relationships.  from a young age, i saw my mom and dad invest in others.  we shared life with other families, made memories and laughed a lot; those were some of the biggest things that shaped my childhood.  friendship was taught and shown to me my whole life, and it is something i hold so dearly.

this last weekend i went away with some of my best friends from high school.  we've done annual get togethers the past few years, and this was the second year we've gone away for a weekend in the fall.  it's something we look forward to all year.  our husbands are so gracious and just all-around awesome to help make this an annual thing!  we stay at a hotel in portland, lounge by the lobby fireplace in our cozy clothes, huddle up on the pullout couch for movies and chinese takeout, walk around the old port and shop with starbucks in hand.  all of these things are such luxuries to us and we drink it all in, savoring each second spent together.  we did the math this weekend and we've been friends for nineteen years.  yikes.  we're getting old, friends.  getting old.

but i hope this tradition lasts fifty more.

life has brought me several different places and through many various seasons.  at each stop along the way, i've been blessed with the sweet gift of friendship.  some for just a time... but others that have lasted and endured through the passing of years.  high school and college friends.  roommates.  seminary classmates.  we've celebrated with one another as god has given us careers, traveling opportunities, husbands, homes, families... we've supported each other through trials, losses, disappointments and tears.  it's a pretty sweet journey, friendship is. 

i would not be who i am today without the gift of friendship.  i share with these women laughter from memories retold or just being silly, tears from honestly sharing in each other's hurts, words spoken in challenging truth, prayers of support and hugs of love.  

to all of the women who have walked life beside me; thank you.  i truly am honored and blessed to call you my friend.  i am better because of you.

"and in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and the sharing of pleasures.  for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."

- kahlil gibran

friends.

"i awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new."

-ralph waldo emerson

as i get older, i am increasingly aware of the blessing of friendship.  from the time i was a little girl, my father instilled in me the importance of being in community with others.  for hundreds of nights as i was growing up, my father would tuck me into bed and sit on it's edge, having a heart to heart with me.  a very much one-sided heart to heart, mind you, but never preachy.  "relationships are what life is all about, megs" he would tell me "they are the most important thing in this world."

i carried those words with me from the time i was a young girl, and they have been some of the greatest tools in molding me and shaping me into who i am and what i value today.  i will always be so thankful for those wise words from my dad.

it's an amazing thing to have friendships in my life that are tried and true.  that have weathered life's storms, that have stood the test of time.  i believe they are truly some of god's greatest gifts.  being the nostalgic gal that i am, nothing thrills me more than to have girls that i've been friends with since i was fifteen, or since i first stepped onto a college campus, or rolled into the big city of dallas, still be by my side.  through each season of life god has blessed me immeasurably with beautiful women to journey with... and who have stuck by me through thick and thin, all these years.  now i get to watch the children of many of my lifelong friends play with and make childhood memories with my girls, and that is just the cherry ontop of my nostalgia sundae. there's something to be said for that song we used to sing in girl scouts as we looped our arms through each others: "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold."  so very true.

 

this weekend two of my best friends from college came to visit.  we hadn't all been together since my wedding five years ago.  we were pretty pumped.  to say we had fun in college is definitely an understatement.  but not the typical fun you'd expect from college girls.  no.  we went to a conservative christian college in the middle of the cornfields of ohio.  so, we had to get a little creative.  snowball fights in the dorm in the middle of winter, late night trips to ihop with pillows stuffing our shirts pretending we were all pregnant and countless pranks (one of which involved throwing a live lobster in the middle of a group of people who were watching tv in the dark) were just a few.  i know what you're thinking.  we were awesome.  i drove to boston to pick them up and felt like a little kid on christmas eve.  we didn't get home until after two o'clock in the morning, fueled by laughter, chatting and three styrofoam cups of dunkin donuts coffee.  they loved on my girls, we laughed with nick over snacks and good wine, the three of us crowded in my tiny kitchen and cooked a delicious feast that we attempted to eat on our back deck (thanks for nothing, mosquitoes).  saturday we spent the day in the coastal village of bar harbor, store browsing with coffees in hand, walking by the water, pausing leisurely for conversation on a park bench and enjoying a good lunch. it all went by way too fast, but i savored every second of their company.  there's nothing quite like time with girlfriends.

i'm so thankful for all the women that have walked through life with me.  i pray often, even now, for bella and emmy to be surrounded by good girlfriends; some that will just be for a season, but for a handful that will be for a lifetime.

a day in pictures.

 morning sweetness

bella's random collections

making masterpieces

bathtime

towel wrapped

mama squeezes

blueberry bagels & princess plates

flowers from my love

naptime swaddle

hot summer days

open windows

pretty baby

stylin shades

bathing beauties

longtime friends


creating memories.  savoring moments.  making each day count.

one is silver and the other's gold.

friendship is such a blessing. as i grow older and have seen many seasons of my life come and go, this i know and have experienced.

treasure friendship.

there are some things that cannot be replaced in life, and this is one of those things. as my life has changed throughout the years, there are friends that have walked through life with me since those awkward adolescent years. friendships that were maintained through letters in the mail and trips to see each other every few years. friends that i met in college dorms and others i met throughout my life in dallas. and others i am meeting now, or have yet to meet. we giggled as we passed notes to each other in high school, sneaking when the teachers weren't looking. we stayed up late at night talking about what boys we thought were cute. we said tearful goodbyes as we parted ways for college. we grew up in college, and sprouted our wings. we saw each other move into (and in some cases shared) first apartments, landed first jobs. we cried with each other through break ups, grieving deaths, and other various hardships. we rejoiced with each other when we met our husbands, and celebrated the birth of our babies. and even if we didn't talk all the time, these friendships are always savored and held dear.

i've been reminded of this lately as i am on the endeavor once again to make new friends in this new phase of my life. and this past week as bella and i spent three days with two of my best friends from high school and their little ones. it reminded me that although life changes, some things just stay the same. and sometimes those things are the gift of rare friendship. those friendships that stay the same even though so much has changed. the ones where your heart feels at home.

i *love* that.

last week, farrah, kellie and i watched our little ones play together, had big meals at their kitchen table including us three adults, and five little munchkins, took a trip to ikea with four kids in tow, went to the beach, and even found time to have an adult-girls-only-night-out :)

it was such a refreshing time and one i had been looking forward to all summer long.

the kids playing in the backyard

farrah, kellie and me at dinner

our girls! eli, olivia and bella

there is a little tune we sang when i was a little girl in girl scouts (which literally feels like a lifetime ago) and it goes like this:

"make new friends, but keep the old

one is silver and the other's gold."

as i've gone from high school to college, college to seminary, seminary to my life in dallas, and dallas to my new life in maine, it's been a challenge to consistently keep in touch with the precious friends in my life. as i've moved away from best friends and made new ones, it's been a balancing act of sorts. but no matter what, there are so many friends in my life that will never be replaced... and that is silver and gold of the highest worth :)

multitude monday.

188. road trips. even really loooong road trips (35 hrs to be exact).

189. dunkin donuts coffee.

190. hills, trees, the ocean... being in nature.

191. the quaintness of new england. oh, how i've missed it.

192. dirk nowitzki. let's hope he pulls the mavs through. who really wants to see lebron and dwayne win? not me.

193. wedding anniversaries... and the nostalgia that comes with them.

194. lobster rolls.

195. hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

196. new england pubs.

197. strawberry rhubarb pie. or strawberry rhubarb anything. yum.

198. fried clams.

199. sweatshirts on cool summer nights.

200. doing/eating/seeing all the above with really, really good friends. the kind you will always be friends with; the kind you will never replace. love you guys!!!!

hello, goodbye.

aaaaaaand i'm back. after all the packing, moving, and traveling across the country (thirteen states to be exact) i'm finally returning to the blogging world.

and it feels good.

this week i will be playing catch up. and it may take me a while, so bear with me. alot has happened since you and i last chatted. a cute little girl turned one. a woman and a handsome man celebrated their third wedding anniversary. and said family relocated thousands of miles away from their home in dallas to bangor, maine.

(yes... bangor, maine).

it's been quite a whirlwind. but a good one.

now, let me back up a bit. i moved to dallas seven years ago from living in ohio with my girlfriends after we graduated from college. i headed there to go to dallas seminary, and figured once i graduated i would pack up and head back home. to maine. and then came nick cornwell. a handsome--really handsome--guy with bright eyes and a constant smile. and that was the end of the that plan. we were married within a couple years and settled in irving, texas. moving to maine was something we had prayed about and talked about for a long time, but never felt fully released from our life in texas. and then came bella cornwell. a chubby-cheeked, flailing arms-and-legs, crazy-haired baby that stole our hearts. and we began revisiting the idea of moving and re-evaluating what we wanted for our family.

we decided a while ago, after much prayer, to move our family from dallas to my home state of maine. the reasons were various (aside from god's leading in our lives) but simply put, we wanted a simpler life. we wanted seasons where we could pick apples in the fall, and play with our kids in the snow. we wanted cooler summers where we could sleep with our windows open, go for walks in the evenings and watch the ocean waves pound the rocky coastline. we wanted a place where we could relax a bit more and live life more slowly. we were dreading saying goodbye to our family and friends in dallas, but the life that awaited us, along with god's promise and sovereignty, kept nudging us forward.

neither nick nor myself have the personality where taking risks and trusting god comes easily. we both struggle with having faith in what we can't see. so you can imagine how scary this move has been for us... and not surprisingly, god has provided courage and grace for every step. it has been incredibly humbling to watch jesus show up and continually remind us that we are following his leading even if it feels as though we are walking a bit blindly.

yeah... he's good like that.

we spent our last week in dallas packing up our apartment, and spending as much time with our family&friends there as possible. my parents (thank you, mom&dad!!) flew in on thursday to get bella and fly back with her so we wouldn't have to take her on our thirty-five-hour-road-trip. my parents and our friends so graciously pitched in and helped us put all of our belongings into cardboard boxes and loaded them into the back of our moving truck. phew.

saturday morning we met a group of about twenty of our best friends at a local diner for a tearful breakfast. as i looked around the room, i saw the faces of people that had been such a special part of the last seven years of our life in dallas. nick&i are exceedingly grateful for the blessing of friendship in our life--those that will never be replaced, those that will never be severed.

we pulled out of dallas at about ten thirty that morning with three of our best friends, matt&camille and candace and had the road trip of our lives. thirteen states in two and a half days, endless conversation, some music thrown in, junk food, and lots and lots of stops at mcdonalds (ehhh). through the mountains of tennessee, the hills of virginia up through the hectic highways of new jersey and new york and into scenic new england... it was quite the drive.

and then we were home.

on monday evening, nick&i rolled in to my parents driveway in our big, yellow moving truck at the same exact time we were married three years ago to the day. i love god's timing like that. he always amazes me in the small things. it's his way of reminding me he is there; divinely orchestrating the events of our lives... big and small.

we said goodbye to texas last week, but hello to our new life in maine. we will never forget our time there. dallas was where we met, fell in love, had our first apartment as newlyweds, had endless hang-outs with some of our best friends, brought home our beautiful bella grace and became a family of three. our hearts will always be tied to texas and the memories we have there.

as we pulled closer and closer to our new home, i sat in the moving truck with nick, holding his hand, tears streaming down my face. excited about what's to come. hopeful about our future. amazed by god's goodness, his provision and his faithfulness.

hello, maine. i know your winters will be cold, it will take some time for us to get to know you, and i know life will not be perfect, but i know god has lead us to you. and i trust him. and i'm excited about our life together. really excited. because you are pretty great. and god's plan is even greater.

"great is thy faithfulness

o god my father,

there is no shadow of turning with thee

all i have needed thy hand hath provided,

great is thy faithfulness

lord, unto me."

ten things {restaurants in dallas}.

i think a side job i would like to have is to be a food critic. i mean, i love food so then i would love working! so... what's not to love? as we are getting prepared to leave dallas in a mere three weeks (ahhhhh!!) i've been thinking about all the things i will miss. besides people (obviously) and our church, i think the restaurants will come in near the top. if you live here--or plan on visiting any time soon--check out this list. seriously some of our *favorite* places to fill our bellies. YUM. along with some great memories. as julia child would say...bon appetit!

1. eno's pizza (bishop arts district, oak cliff).

nick&i were first introduced to eno's at a first baptist academy staff christmas party two years ago. i was then with child, so the experience of having unlimited mouth-watering salad, pizza and pasta was especially fantastic. what we love so much about this place is not only their oh-so-delish thin crust pizza, effort to use locally grown, fresh ingredients and yummy root beer floats, is the rustic, laid back vibe. not to mention it's location in the cutest area of dallas which really feels like you're walking around in a normal rockwell painting in the 1950s. i am seriously in love with this place. be sure to try: central pie, harvest pear salad, gotham kitchen and homegrown sandwiches. also have a great beer selection and, as previously mentioned, outstanding root beer floats!

2. chuy's (knox/henderson, dallas).

ahhhhhhh chuy's. just that word brings to my mind brightly colored, festive decor that just puts you in a good mood, 50s diner-style seats, queso and fixins served out of the back of a plastic cadillac and really, really good margaritas (especially at happy hour when they are like three bucks). i. love. this. place. in my single days, i came here allllll the time. i have fond memories of summer days spent laying by the pool, deciding on a whim we felt like chips and jalepeno ranch, throwing on shorts and tshirts and heading straight there, sunburned skin, wet hair and all. be sure to try: tortilla soup, mexi-cobb salad, fajitas, baja tacos, big as yo face burritos aaaaand you *must* request a side of jalepeno ranch dressing with your chips for dipping. i want this in a permanent iv running through my veins at all times.

3. eatzi's (oak lawn/lemmon, uptown dallas).

feel like going to europe but can't afford a plane ticket? a trip to eatzi's just might hold you over until you can. with it's wine, bread and cheese selections, fresh flowers, bakery, specialty foods and classical music billowing in the background, eatzi's instantly transports you to a world beyond dallas. located near dallas seminary, i may have skipped a few classes on a nice afternoon to go grab lunch with a friend. don't judge. you would have too :) a stop at this italian market is a must for a picnic date, lunch with a friend or just a change from the ordinary. be sure to try: a made-to-order sandwich on the signature bonebread... soooo yum, basil cream spread, southwest chicken salad, hummus or a made-to-order salad with anything you can imagine.

4. daddy jacks (denton tap rd, coppell).

we are *huge*--huuuuuuge--daddy jacks fans. nick worked there all through our first year of marriage as he finished up his undergrad, and occassionally still will pick up a shift here and there. this is one of the best date places to go because it's so small, candlelit and intimate and of course because they have a-mazing food. aaaand we happen to think the owners are pretty great :) i have tried a lot on their menu, so bear with me as i rattle off a list of must-tries: goat cheese bruchetta, ahi tuna, shrimp and grits, hummus, lobster bisque&tomato soup, bistro salad, blue cheese hashbrowns, baked stuffed shrimp, beef tenderloin tips, and they also have a menu with your choice of meat, just brushed with olive oil, sea salt and lemon and grilled for your health-conscious decisions (because you will definitely want dessert). for your sweet tooth: their creme brulee is oh-so-scrumptious, but our favorite is the chocolate bag; a "bag" made out of hardened chocolate and filled with cubed poundcake, berries and chocolate. ummmm... yes please.

5. seven salsas (macarthur blvd, valley ranch).

this place is not only great because of their fantastic-mexican-fare-that-doesn't-break-your-wallet, but it is also special to nick&i because it is where we had our first date (everyone say it with me now "awwwwww"). yes, that's right. this is where we first spent time together, where we first knew we liked each other and where i first ate off his plate. yes, yes i did (to my mother's dismay). oh well. guess it didn't scare him off, did it?! needless to say, we love it here. their salsa (no big surprise if you note the name) is amazing; and sometimes they will bring out a platter of--you guessed it--seven different salsas to sample. delicious. laid back, authentic and just good, good food. be sure to try: cadillac fajitas, chicken soft tacos, ground beef nachos, sangria swirl margaritas.

6. breadwinners (mckinney ave, uptown dallas).

one of my all-time favorite places to eat in dallas... especially for brunch. when i was training for a half-marathon with a couple of my friends, we would do our long runs on saturday mornings... a couple times with the motivation that it would be immediately followed by a brunch at breadwinners. this place not only has amazing food, but a unique, artsy, fun vibe and is perfect for everyone... but especially perfect for girl time, i must say :) be sure to try: homemade granola, nature pancakes, san fransisco cobb salad, waldorf chicken melt or california turkey club sandwich. their flavored iced tea is amazing and so are their homemade potato chips. yum.

7. cafe brazil (many locations in the metroplex).

i was lucky enough to live close to a cafe brazil when i first moved to dallas and was a seminary student. it was open 24 hrs, so when my roommate and i would get hungry we would sometimes make a trip to cafe brazil. it's eclectic, unique style is not only evident in their decor but also their food. aaaaand they have a bottomless coffee bar with flavors like "vanilla colada" and "butter pecan". yesss. be sure to try: veggie deluxe sandwich, their version of a grilled cheese which is complete with every cheese under the sun, make-your-own crepes, not just another egg sandwich, breakfast migas, and pancrepes. you'll never go to another place like it.

8. trinity hall (mockingbird station, dallas).

a couple of summers ago, this became a favorite hang-out-spot for our group of friends. the perfect place to go sit for a few hours, have a drink or two, people-watch, chat and maybe get some food. an old-world-ish irish pub set in trendy mockingbird station, trinity hall is always a-buzz with live bands, sporting events and trivia nights. a really, really fun place to go with friends. voted "best beer selection in dallas" in 2010, it also has great irish fare. be sure to try: fish&chips, irish soda bread, shepherd's pie, irish chicken enchiladas, and for dessert? steamed bread pudding. super scrumpsh (i just made up that word).

9. johnny b's (southlake blvd, southlake).

this family owned burger joint is one of our *favs*. my father l-o-v-e-s this place and would seriously consider flying to dallas just to grab a hamburger (and see his granddaughter) and fly back. just kidding, but maybe. this in-and-out-burger-inspired-hole-in-the-wall establishment is just so cute... and you just feel good knowing you're supporting a family by bringing your business here. right? yes. their signature sauce (like i said, similar to in-and-out) and their fresh baked, slightly sweet, buttery hamburger buns are hard to beat. be sure to try: their BURGERS! (duh) and fries. and the shakes are out-of-this-world, too.

10. fireside pies (knox/henderson, dallas).

love. this. place. they not only have mouthwatering pizzas, but just-as-delish salads, appetizers and really, really yummy drinks. aaaand you can eat outside on a patio when the weather's nice and it just makes you love this place more. perfect for a girls night out, a romantic date for two, or a dinner with lots of friends. i mean, who doesn't love a good pizza? yeah. everyone. be sure to try: fireside fondue, fireside cheese salad with chicken (one of the best salads that has ever blessed my tastebuds), peta pie and any cocktail i've had there has been really, really tasty. yum. now i'm hungry.