almost a month ago, a friend & I drove about an hour out of town & down many dirt roads to a farm belonging to her grandparents. we sat outside, among the wildflowers & hummingbirds, & talked until the late afternoon. her grandfather, before we left, insisted that we each take a bag of his homegrown salad mix from his garden & I couldn’t resist. 

it was incredibly peaceful, being out on the farm. and as it gets closer to graduation, I sometimes wonder where luke & I will end up. next spring, we will start the process of applying for the peace corp. but after that, will we travel to another state, perhaps oregon? will we continue our lives in columbia & make a permanent home here? & will we decide to live out in the country & create a farm together? or will we decide to make a small plot in the city & still enjoy the small pleasures of riding bicycles to the library & market?

there is still so much time, but I am always wondering. I know that wherever we end up, it will be good. one of my favorite things about luke is his hard work in pursuing his dreams. i see that now in him as he works at uprise bakery. so, I am sure that luke & I will continue to foster these spirits for a life of simplicity, of traveling, of making a home & serving Him.

love,

natalie

{images from here. go & visit- it’s delicious!}

with family emergencies, working full time, floating along the river, & assembling wedding invitations, there hasn’t been much time for any blogging. life is hectic, to say the least. but- i am so happy despite all of these changes. floating left me feeling relaxed & ready for these next two months.

in less than two weeks, i will be moving into a tiny home in the woods, with a friend, for a month. i hope for many meals on the hardwood floor, to wake up & spend my mornings on the porch with a cup of coffee, & to actually finish a book & start a new one. 

in less than six weeks, i will be mrs. freeman. our tiny wedding will be over, but we will be in the blue ridge mountains, enjoying nice walks on the farm & delicious, local food.

in two months, we will be moving into our new home & starting daily life. there will be lots of love, i just know it.

love,

natalie

Excuse my lack of photographs, but I’ve been away from home & in Arkansas since last Wednesday. I’ve enjoyed the break & have spent a lot of time with family & friends. Yesterday, I was able to start canning strawberry jam as favors for our wedding. Six hours & two blisters later, I made thirty-six jars. It was exhausting, but I’ve realized that canning is something that I really enjoy doing. I’ve also enjoyed rides to Whole Foods for green tea with kombucha & half-off sales at my favorite thrift store with {Tori}.

Although it has been a relaxing time, I’ve made a few (actually, a lot) of bad food decisions. I’ve stuffed my face with all kinds of processed foods & desserts. I plan to make some changes in my diet by cleansing my body for fourty-eight hours with lemon water, fruits & nuts. I was inspired by Animal Vegetable Miracle, a wonderful book I cannot put down.

Enjoy the rest of your week & I’ll be back on June 2nd.

love,

Natalie