embracing the good

As you may have noticed if you've been following for awhile, the site recently got a new look. When I first started this blog in March of 2015 (how has it been that long?!), we had just learned that we'd be moving to Germany. I was a veritable basket case of emotions. I was also about four weeks pregnant, which didn't help matters, but we didn't know that yet. I knew I'd be temporarily leaving behind my business, and I wanted a space of my own both to both document our adventures and use as an outlet for all these big feelings.

Then, we had Miles. The single most life-changing, heart-altering experience of my life. This blog quickly became a place to preserve milestones and memories. Since it was easier to type than write, I would usually go back to my posts every few months to update his baby book. It also served as a way for family and friends to keep up.

And now, here we are almost to the flip side of our two year stay in Europe. Our grand adventure abroad may be coming to a close, but one thing I didn't want to end with it was this space. Writing is good for my soul and cheaper than therapy. I've been questioning what I want my career and my life to look like when we return, and though I'll be continuing my photography in some capacity, I kept coming back to words. Maybe I could find a way, once again, make a living from my passions? After all, I've done it once. I explored the idea of narrowing it down to a smaller niché... that's what all the "experts" recommend. I have my blog for my photography work, and I had an inspirational blog with my friend Miranda. Maybe this one should focus on parenting? ...travel? ...food? Those are the things that take up most of my time and headspace, but putting this space in a tiny box just didn't sit right with me. My favorite bloggers are the ones who cover a bit of it all - that is real life anyway, right? 

And that's where I came up with the following - not necessarily a new purpose for this blog, but rather a sort of mission statement... a hope, which is this:

“This space is about embracing the good things in life - whether it’s the adventure in living 4000 miles from all you know, the light-your-heart-up giggle from a toddler playing in the room that looks as if it’s been devastated by a tornado, or the satisfaction in sitting around a table with people you love enjoying a home-cooked dish. It’s the freedom to be your realest self and share your deepest, darkest thoughts. It’s finding the time to read a book. It’s helping new moms, new business owners, newlyweds get through the challenges and celebrate their own goodness. The good things can’t be contained. They are everywhere, in the memories and the epic adventures, in the mundane and monotonous. And I’m not sure about you, but I intend to savor them all.”

I hope you not only find the musings of these pages mildly entertaining, but that they also inspire you to embrace the goodness, no matter how simple.

My favorite people: sleep deprived, jet-lagged, and sick, but this - this is the good stuff.
Photo by Rachel Moore.