last weekend we ventured out into the great outdoors with the youth group from our church! can i just take a little minute to just brag on these kids?
i think too often we forget about this amazing group within our various communities. they can do so much & offer a wide variety of talents. it was truly an honor to spend the weekend with them.
we set up camp on friday night at devil’s den state park while the kids started our first fire of the evening. we cooked entirely over the fire, including these cheesy campfire fries from this recipe.
the agenda was simple: fishing, relaxing, reading napping & hiking.
we had zero cell phone service so our time was even sweeter spent disconnected from the online world. we all tucked away our phones & enjoyed playing cards, hiking, chopping wood & napping in the hammocks.
i wouldn’t have ever thought luke & i would still be living life as just us two even after six years of marriage, but i am grateful for the opportunities this time has given us. we have the time & space to kidnap our dear friends’ kiddos & invest in their lives. it’s a gift & one we’ll cherish.
love,
natalie
last week one of my favorite bloggers shared that she was taking a break from her blog for awhile due to reasons unique to her own story. while i mourn the loss of reading her words every morning with my breakfast, i celebrate this big change in her life.
& as i thought about her story, i reflected on my own & why i still continue to blog even after seven years. i thought about all of the reasons why i share our story here week after week… and in the end, it came down to this: i am drawn to the personal.
let’s be honest – blogging is slowly becoming outdated.
we crave the abridged version, the quick scroll of instagram & the 1 minute clip. we struggle to find time to read our favorite books, get a full night’s rest or eat a good breakfast. with the juggle of everyday life, it feels almost impossible to sit down & read a full blog post. so we scroll, we scan & we glean what we can.
can i be brave & say i want to challenge that notion in this space?
i crave the personal, the big cups of warm coffee & the good conversation. i crave the full story, the listening ear & the deep questions. i crave the details, the loss & the gains. that is why i blog here. i want to share details of our home & full-length paragraphs rich with thought. i want to share step-by-step recipes & detailed tutorials of creative projects. i want to sit down & write about the big stuff, the little stuff & the in-between.
i get it – we’re all busy. but let’s maybe make a little more time & create bigger margins for the details & the in-depth.
thank you for entering into this space every week & reading our story. it means so much to me.
love,
natalie
this moments: a friday ritual. a single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment. a moment i want to pause, savor & remember.
have a moment you’d like to share? please include the link in your comment so we all can see!
love,
natalie
p.s. some weeks call for tuna sandwiches & takeout so i have very little to share in the cooking department today. bless. hands to the heavens, thank goodness for amy of euna mae’s. doesn’t this frittata look delicious? i’m making it next week! yay!