Jayson, Karissa, A Little Guy, Jane & Ruby: Spring (in my step)

I'm having one of those weeks.

No, not one of those weeks.

One of the ones where life just feels sooooo good.

Maybe it's all of the sunshine and BBQ food I've been eating?

We had our very first BBQ with an actual grill. Jayson was crazy-excited to be "the grill master."

BBQ's are one of my all time favorite things (Oh hot dogs! They're just delicious) and it was so much fun to be able to host one with a real grill at our very own house with these lovely people.

I seriously feel like I have the greatest support group in the whole entire world. My friends and family are just the best. I know I say it all of the time and so many others do too, but I truly mean it from the very deepest part of my heart.

Most particularly my husband. He's always my greatest cheerleader. He's always there to help out, to listen, and to laugh with me.

Also, I feel like people are one of the biggest sources of joy. I love getting together with people, whether it's for a fun trip, a wedding, baby blessing, family dinner, lunch on Tuesday, etc. People just make the most simple events simply lovely and it's so much to share the big events with those that you love. And sharing other people's moments is just as wonderful. Few things put a bigger smile on my face than when the people I love have good news. Gah! My people are just the greatest.

And my house. I still just love it so much. Every now and then I catch myself thinking about our second house and then I remember that means we'll have to move out of this one and it makes me want to cry. I adore my cute little house. I love that we've put so much work into it to make it our own. I think it's turned out really nicely and the we're just beginning on the back yard. Oh that back yard!!! It's such a pain sometimes, but honestly, it's one of the biggest reasons that the thought of ever moving makes me so sad. Let me tell you, we have big dreams for that big piece of land.

I love my Ruby pup. She's just the cutest. She makes my life more complete and she's the biggest sweetheart. I'm obsessed.

On Sunday I was looking through my instagrams. Oh, how I love my instagrams! I think my instagram pictures are actually a fairly accurate representation of my life. Each picture reminds me of a lovely time. They remind me that wonderful things happen on perfectly average days and how much beauty is all around me.

Yesterday was beautiful. I was rather late for work because I was enjoying being outside with Miss Ruby. We took a walk around the neighborhood, enjoyed the morning sun, and soaked in the views of spring blossoms on the trees. After work it was windy, but the air was warm and felt a little humid. It almost reminded me of being Maui and it was delightful.

I was just telling Jayson today that I don't like when people say things like, "High school days are the best days of your life!" or "Your mission is the best two years of your life." Or, "It doesn't get better than the college years." Don't get me wrong, I think all of those things are fantastic. I didn't go on a mission, but i really liked high school in general and college was, hands down, one of my favorite times in life. But, why should we let the fact that those things were good destroy any hope for future goodness? I mean, if we put in our minds that those were the best times of our lives, is it all down hill from there? When Jayson was on his mission his mission president said, "I hope these are not the best two years of your life. I hope that you don't look back after having a family and say, 'man, my mission was the best and it was all down hill from there.'"

I want every time in my life to be the best. I know that's not always going to be the case. I know there are going to be hard times, but there are always things to look forward to. There is always beauty. There can be celebration in each and every day if we look for it. So, I'm making a resolve right here and right now to always make each and every time of life just as good, if not better, as the last.

Because, while i loved high school and college dearly, I love right now even more. I feel like Jayson and I have really established a new family culture that is all our own. I feel more and more all of the time that we are our own little family and I LOVE that. It's been a really rich experience combining what we were taught and making our own lives/way of life. It's like we're a team now, ya know?

And tomorrow it is May. I love it when May comes.

And there are so many blossoms. I love blossoms on trees!

I've been thinking about these ones: