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this is my ninth year of taking a photo each and every day.
check out all of my past year’s photos here.

i continue to do this project because of what it does to my heart and to my life. it forces me to pay attention to the little things, every single blessed and horrible day.

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talking to my oldest boy on the phone is everything
this text from my oldest girl is everything
homemade sourdough is everything
the sun on my face is everything
the breeze on my back is everything
the splash of the pool in the afternoon is everything
that song in the car is everything
the zoom with the most amazing woman is everything
the best water ever is everything
the fabulous dinner out with dear friends is everything
the tears and the laughter with them is everything
seeing the moon like that is everything
taking that photo is everything
how my littlest boy always wants to help me do everything is everything
the clarity that God has given her is everything
the way that my youngest girl smiles is everything
the delicious little nap i got is everything
his newest script is everything
her late night update is everything
(it means she is home which is glorious and is everything)
how we now throw shoes in response to what she is telling us is everything
her mess everywhere is everything
His gentle whisper is everything
this moment is everything
and this one is everything
and this one also is everything
this little life is everything
it is so good
and it makes me want to cry
and so i do

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how he adamantly wants to sleep on the top bunk
the purple flowers on the side of the freeway
how he puts a whole new meaning to the muffin man
the now famous muffin massacre
and how my tears soon turned to laughter
how happiness is turning all of your alarms off
the syrup splattered on the table each and every morning
how he said that he couldn’t have done this last year without God
how she doesn’t keep in touch with politics
me telling him my plans and him saying “what about me?”
hearing Him whisper, “this is art.”
seeing her stuff on the bathroom counter early this morning
the blessedly long drive home where i got to hear about all of the things
needing more roses
delighting while having music on in the kitchen while there is a sleeping daughter in her bedroom
a moment i never thought would happen when they were little and i couldn’t even walk down the hall without creaking the floor and threatening to wake someone up
a big break and being able to be productive while i was away
my most favorite combination of things
realizing there is a big difference when i say i was wrong versus you were right
what seeing the row of mailboxes does for my soul

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more of them to come.

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how the song lines up to real life so well
seeing: see you space cowboy in the parking lot
and shedding a tear
how there’s nothing quite like having a friend that you can tell everything to
not knocking over the giant iced coffee that i just made
his song during cool down
the ways the trees whisper to you in this most special place
the roaring fire
the drops of rain on the skylights
the freshly made chocolate chip cookies each night
hearing them singing beautiful songs
and how they glorify the Lord while they were in the hot tub on a rainy night
the very best showers for some reason
and how nighttime showers signify vacation
so many
too many choices of fun things to do
receiving mysterious keys in the mail
watching the boats anchor right out front
nap time or ice cream time?
how i found the contacts for Mr. Funn
while looking for the code at 1am
and how nobody that i called knew the code
seeing a mama and baby deer and not thinking they could possibly be real
the lovely little spots on the back of the baby
how the drive was so dark but there was still light toward the east even at 12:18am
getting on that ferry
and only having 5 cars behind us
a really really smooth day of travel

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keeping up with the laundry folding
rewriting my to do list beyond what is absolutely necessary in this exact moment
able to not break down and sob at every momentous first and last thing that tiptoeing into this summer holds
instilling fear in my daughter when she decided to push herself to a new level during her ballet performance (of course she nailed it)

i have been:
feeding lots of people
taking lots of photos
editing lots of photos
enjoying all of my kids being under one roof
leaving voice memos for my friends, reminding them that God sees and that God knows
and in doing so, reminding myself of the same

watching my youngest girl get fitted for another pair of pointe shoes with the most fabulous and knowledgeable woman
writing all the things on the grocery list that we are in dire need of

sneaking in the occasional reading of a book
praying for wisdom as to what to do next
figuring out all of the details of our unusual amount of upcoming travel
introducing Luke to cinnamon raisin bagels, which we have lovingly renamed as Christmas bagels which is a huge diversion from his typical plain bagel for breakfast that he has had every single morning for so many years upon years

enjoying him help me with an extra hand

reluctantly watching the birds make a nest out our kitchen window
doing loads and loads and loads of dishes

longing for my delicious cup of coffee in the morning (always)

a little date at one of our old favorite haunts (that has been around as long as we’ve been married)

going to the best concert (the paper kites) that i have ever gone to in my entire life with my husband who is always aware of those good things

playing dutch blitz and realizing that i am no longer better at this game than my children
laughing
laughing so very hard

harvesting lettuce for dinner from our hydroponic garden

lifting weights with my personal trainer
enjoying popcorn and pb and apples for dinner with Luke

making loaves and loaves and loaves of sourdough and baguettes
playing beat the clock (my favorite game in life) on every single drive
pausing just long enough to feel the breeze coming in through the kitchen window as i fill up the dog’s water
scheduling haircuts for nearly all of us by our in-home haircutter
getting a fabulous trim by him as well

organizing seashells and bobbleheads and ointments
dreaming about a little getaway with my family and desiring for it be as analog as possible
christening the new picnic table with my loves for a very late lunch from a new favorite sandwich place in town

looking for beauty because i know that it is there
in the midst of the overwhelm and the gray and the too muchness of this life
the too much heartbreak and too much joy and too much mess and too much beauty
so i watch
and i wait
and i click
and i wouldn’t have it any other way
above all else,
surrendering,
surrendering,
surrendering
when my grip gets too tight
to the One who holds it all
to the One who holds us all

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feeling the sun’s warmth on my face as we wait in the car
with the cool breeze flowing through our windows
having her home from college and her willingness to make dinner while i have a headache
plans to shop
and watch a movie
how she picked the perfect movie for mother’s day for me
how her eyes didn’t to be dilated
again
how she gave me that same familiar frantic face that her brother used to
that i am surrounded by hysterically funny people
when the project is just clicking right and you’re kind of excited about it all day and all night
how she made dinner for the family and did the ballet drives
hair and nails in one day
and how God revealed to me a list of people when i thought there were none
the cows on the hillside on my drive home from the grocery store
running into his old PT
seeing one of my favorite tj’s workers, finally
hearing my checker celebrate that his third daughter is married!
a solo trip out
a tiny window to finish the laundry and work on my project
cutting the light pink roses and putting them in the tiny vases

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the very best playlist (always)
the striped towel in the best place
seeing the little cloud in real life
a fresh and clean and waxed car
and doing it with most of the family
being in the hammock with him
not being on call
a midday bath soak
reading by the pool with my girls
and all but one of my boys
fresh cut flowers from the garden
clues to find in the morning
a happy and beautiful banner
made with so much love
how Luke miraculously let me sleep yesterday morning
the pup feeling better
a slow morning at home
the best bubbling bath fizz from a dear friend
reminiscing about some of my favorite books
being able to speak to my own heart while i spoke to hers
how she asked me what would be most life-giving
being able to think about and then articulate to her what fills me up
both of us wondering what we would do
how she so quickly thought about the character in the tv show as a perfect example of something that she learned at college
in-n-out for mother’s day dinner (the best)

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how every day is her new favorite day
how his favorite worker came out of tj’s and yelled goodbye to us!
hearing her bubbly voice while she is walking four miles at the airport
so inspiring
the updates and the lowdown from our precious oldest daughter
watching the clouds slowly drift by
arriving early to the doctor
again
which never happens
ever
wisdom on what to say and what to ask
grateful that even with a broken windshield, i can make many many many day trips far away
a brand spanking new windshield!
and our insurance paying for the repair
how unbelievably foggy it is and how unbelievably sunny it was
having the three coyotes flee early in the morning
seeing a horse right now, just this very moment
a cleaned up clear app
how things are so good that it makes me want to cry
receiving so many sourdough text messages in one day!
the little bunnies on our front lawn
finally getting the motivation to get stuff done
finding my bread knife in my purse at church
how she had the bread knife and cutting board all ready for me
delightful words of encouragement
an evening out with the ladies
a dear friend’s delicious home-cooked meal
with the most spectacular of desserts
chances to just simply sit and hear stories and ask questions and praise God
and laugh out loud without the beeping and distractions of phones
what a rare and beautiful evening

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a walk around the island with my dad
how the internet is incredibly slow here in the best of ways
how the pup wants to be in the middle of everything
this glorious sun
a new book that i am flying through
the most delicious canadian maple syrup latte my dad treated me to
the ferry ride
the most glorious beach in almost all the world
their jumps and then their screams into the water
watching the launch while on the dock
kind words always
how Luke opened the doors because he was curious
frozen bananas all day
every day
finishing my goal at just the right time
and voice typing it all
a photo of the five of us
plus Dusty Bottoms
the water slowly lapping at the shore
God’s consistent whisper of “look for me”
noticing how people behave differently around Luke when he’s in his wheelchair
how he loves that new thing more than i would have thought
how it actually fits in our car this time
which makes the six months of trying to get it all the more worth it
running into so many cousins
watching the little one learn how to sail right out front
listening to Isaiah on my walk
coffee walk coffee (link to recipe)
hearing “let the sail out. let it out. let it out. let it out”
and letting that be symbolic for this season in life
the reflection of the water on that boat’s side
always that boat
how we are SO glad that we brought her along
deciding not to worry but to be right here with my whole being
getting snippets of everyone’s conversations as they walk
by the distant sound of a boat honking
His gentle prompting

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