We are back from a trip to my homeland in the mid west for a friend's wedding, and I am left feeling happy, wistful, content and nostalgic. So many emotions are always wrapped up in my trips back home. There are sweet, treasured memories, painful regrets, awe at how some things never seem to change, and shock and how quickly other things can. People age, buildings deteriorate, and nothing ever quite prepares me for the dreary bleakness of Iowa in January. But despite its flaws, it will always be a beautiful place, because it holds so many that are so dear.
The wedding occasion gathered in the sisterhood from near and far, and we were able to spend time together catching up on each other's lives which was SO NEEDED. I don't know how I ever got to be so lucky to have such a quality group of precious friendships in my life, but I hope I never ever take them for granted. Because if there's something that only becomes more strikingly clear as the years go by, it's that you cannot make old friends.
Our sweet Lindsay is the youngest and last to get married, and with this closing of the wedding chapter in our group, I sincerely hope it isn't the end of our reunions as well. Amongst the 8 of us, there are 7 (going on 8) children and 7 different states that we all call home, and so it will certainly take more effort to reunite but will only be the sweeter because of the sacrifice required.
I also thoroughly enjoyed bouncing a plethora of blogging ideas off of sweet Nicole from Iowa, and hopefully there will be a lot of fresh changes coming to Frame of Mind soon. I find I get so stuck in a rut with this blog (and with lots of my other goals and ambitions, come to think of it) and sometimes it is just what I need to have someone on the outside looking in to give me new and fresh inspiration and motivation to start again.
Well, the laundry is calling and as always, I have more to-dos than I have nap time. So that's all for now! January is almost over folks, and you know what that means! 2 months down, and 3 more to go until I can start truly hoping for spring! And only 4 more months until my due date month! So, all kinds of things to look forward to.
What are you looking forward to this spring?
