a month of mondays

last christmas was a pretty tight time financially for us, and john and i decided to forgo gifts for one another. this year was a bit better and honestly, i think we missed the fun of giving each other presents. so we set a budget and got to it. christmas morning, john handed me an envelope and a gift bag and instructed me to open the envelope first.

inside was a card in which he had written that his gift to me this year was a "month of mondays." mondays just so happen to be my least favorite day of the week. (anyone else with me?) what can i say? i really enjoy weekends full of time with my husband, friends, church family, and having the chance to work on projects and goals for myself.

so my wonderful husband has a card for me for every monday in january and included with each card a gift or two to help make mondays a day to look forward to.

this honestly may be the most thoughtful gift i've ever received.

this morning, i was treated to breakfast and this evening there is a bottle of wine awaiting my return from work. monday, you and i may be friends one day yet.

and in case this post is too sappy, let me also share what happened last evening after i'd opened the first card for today. not twenty minutes after i'd posted about the sweetness of his gift on facebook did i lean in to give john a hug. my cheek was pressed against his ear and apparently with the hoodie, scarf, leg warmers and blanket i was wrapped in, i had gotten quite warm to the touch. my thoughtful husband said to me, "wow, your face is fat! ... uh, i dunno what just happened ... i mean ... that's not the word i wanted ... hot! your face is hot!" second time in a week that man has made me laugh so hard i cried.

you just never know what you're going to get with that guy!

2014

january 1. a  new year. a clean slate.

i find the older i get the less i really care about new year's eve and the more i look forward to new year's day. there's something about the turning of the page that is refreshing, motivating, and grace-filled. true, december 31 is a day to look back on the last 365 with gratitude, hopefully feeling we've learned something in that year. but january 1 means 365 days to carry those lessons and gratitude into new adventures, new dreams, new hope.

there's something in me that longs to be made new. there's something in me that resonates with the opportunity to have a clean slate and start again anew. the beginning of a new year brings an opportunity to do just that. and this year is poised to be full of new things, God willing.

john and i will both be celebrating big birthdays (i.e., ones that end in -0!). i will be in 3 weddings, 2 of which john will also be in. on top of that, john will graduate from college in may after almost 10 years of pursuing his dream to become a teacher. then begins the search for a teaching job. this alone stands to bring big change for us. the entire time we've been together life for him has been both school and work. i'm excited for him to get the opportunity to just work, especially in a career that he's already so passionate about. and these are just the things we know about!

so basically, 2014 stands to be a year of celebrating for us. bring. it. on.

i didn't make resolutions this year, but i did read this quote today and thought it fitting for my hope for this new year:

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something. So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make new mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever."
-Neil Gaiman

may 2014 be a year of not being afraid to make mistakes.