A literary smorgasbord, natch.

I'm sitting here watching the NCAA final and remembered I have a blog. If it were a child it would be starving, unkempt and starved for affection. Since it is not, I neglect it at will and then smother it with love and kisses sporadically. ....so get ready for a sloppy wet one, interwebz.

Happy belated Easter! He is risen, indeed! I shared a verse that struck me particularly this Easter on Instagram: In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"  Luke 24:5  I am just struck by the fact that I serve a risen savior who promises us abundant life.  Not the kind that leaves me feeling exhausted, unappreciated, or unsettled. The kind that fills my heart and even overflows it because of how perfect and life-giving it is.  But.  Sometimes I still walk away from it or ignore it because I believe that life can be found in children or my husband's affection or social media or losing post baby el beeeees.  Spoiler alert: life is not found there.  So why do I look for life among what is dead? The answer is embarrassing.  I am human and selfish and forgetful.  I was grateful for this reminder this weekend.
In the vein of Easter is spring.  I just have a simple thought here.  I am so grateful for what age has done to me in regard to seasons. I literally drive around seeing green and realize GOD DOES THIS EVERY YEAR! Do you people realize this? He lets things die and then brings them back to life.  I used to just be all, 'ummm, yeah, that's what spring is. BFD.'  And now I'm all, 'God is so artistic and faithful and amazing! His Earth screams of His power, and we just drive around it singing Taylor Swift nonsense and don't even appreciate the tulips and cherry blossoms and lots of other flowers I do not know the name of.' (Hey, I said I appreciate it, but I'm no horticulture genius!)

Moving on.

I gave up Diet Coke for lent.  And I actually followed through on it.  Short of the resurrection, this may be the biggest miracle of all time.  Some have referred to Diet Coke as the Nectar of the Gods, NBD.  So.....lent turned into rehab for me this year.  Days 1-10 were torturous.  There was anger, gnashing of teeth, tremors and things of this nature.  Days 11-20 were uncomfortable and my 'can do' attitude was more like 'suck it' at this point.  Days 21-40 were just your basic grind it out kind of a situation.  But friends, there was no denying that I am an addict in truest form and it ain't a good feeling.  It forced me to look at my vice with new eyes, and suffice it to say I don't plan on going back to it for the forseeable future.  Why? I sleep better at night and snack less at night because of it.  I think clearer and don't rearrange my life to find a gas station when the clock strikes lunch.  Will I go back to drinking my beloved DC? I won't rule it out.  But if you're on the fence about giving up a vice, I would of course encourage you to do it.  You'll never regret it and you'll learn a few things about yourself along the way! Another side note? Group text is the new support group! (I'm lookin at you, Jen and Tara! Couldn't have done it without ya!)

Gwendolyn is 5+ months old, y'all.  She's just now giving us a glimpse into her real personality, and I love every bit of it.  She's relaxed but excitable, determined yet sweet, and man does this girl love her siblings.  She always keeps one eye on Ingrid (right on, sister) and her eyes light up when Henry gives her his attention. She loves the whispers of her daddy and she's pretty keen on me too (boobs)! We love Gwennie P with all our hearts!!

Let's see....I'm watching this show lately.  It speaks to me on 63 levels and is genuinely a positive show.  That hardly exists any more, so I'm loving it!
I follow these girls on Instagram and it's my favorite follow lately! Who knew that joint was hiding so many gems! And these girls do the hard work for you, so you can get in and get out quickly if you know what I mean!
You know I can't leave you without my expert fashion advice, so I leave you with these gems.
Get these sandals if you want to feel romantic and vintage.
Buy these if you are practical with a side of hipster. I got them last fall and haven't looked back!
Wear this if you are super confident and could care less what people think of you (AKA my hero).

Let me know if you are aware of a one piece swimsuit that makes you look like a million bucks but costs under 50-tummy control action preferred, thankyaverymuch.