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.

a friday manifesto

life? it's not a competition. 

there isn't one correct timeline. there isn't one right path. 

 be encouraged. we all have something to offer. 

so create, serve, write, speak, raise children, do whatever it is you were made to do. the world needs you. 

and most importantly, love. love others and love yourself. 

we're all just hoping our lives mean something. let’s live in a way that says we think each one does.

linking up with casey and jeannett

wash, rinse, dry. repeat!

there's something about washing dishes that i find so satisfying. (i understand if that makes me crazy.) but as i stood over our sink last night, washing and scrubbing and rinsing, i thought about why i found so much meaning in this chore.

a sink full of dishes often means community--a weekend spent with family or a morning cooking brunch with friends. it represents time spent preparing food, hands used making and eating, the nourishment of bodies and spirits.

washing dishes provides an opportunity for centering--focused time spent unplugged, away from the constant calling of facebook, instagram, twitter, email, blogs (yikes, that's a long list). when i'm cleaning dishes i have to be present in order for it to get done. it's nothing but me, warm water, and the dishes. it seems silly but there aren't many moments in the day where i'm not trying to get a few things done at the same time, or where my attention is (poorly) directed in a few places. over the years, i've noticed how much harder it's become for me to do one thing for an extended period of time. for example, i can't read more than a few pages of a book without reaching for my ipod to check some social media account. doing this chore reminds me the importance of focusing on the present moment.

cleaning the dishes is a daily act. each evening (ok, most evenings) i take things that are dirty, messy, used, and scrub them back to their original state. how true is that of us each and every day? sometimes i feel like i just go through the day acquiring a mess - a poor attitude here, a word spoken too quickly there, a moment spent relying too much on emotion. and yet, He offers me the opportunity each and every day to be made like new. how necessary and good it is to go to the Father and let Him pour His forgiveness and mercy over me. washing dishes reminds me of His grace, no matter how messy i may be.

100 layer cake + our wedding!!

a few months ago, our wedding photographer surprised us with the news that our wedding pictures had been accepted by 100 layer cake. shortly after i received an email from them asking some questions about our planning and our day. it honestly felt so surreal. justin's work is always phenomenal, but i don't feel pretty enough or crafty enough or cool enough for such an amazing site!

however yesterday we were fortunate enough to be featured on a website that was a huge source of inspiration to me as i was planning. you can check out the blog post here.

and a big thank you to justin for making our wedding day look magical!

why saturday mornings?

i was talking on the phone with a friend last saturday morning. it was around 9 am and she mentioned that she wasn't sure if she'd called too early. i laughed, confessing we had still been in bed, but it was ok (especially because her reason for calling was to tell me she was having twins!). i then said that john and i have talked about how we want to enjoy our saturday mornings, just the two of us, before we have kids. and for us, that means sleeping in!

i thought a little more about this after we got off the phone. this really is a special time in our lives. once we start growing our family, things will be very different. and while we are excited for that time to come, we also realize and value the importance of living in the present. and that was when i knew saturday mornings was the perfect name for this blog.

saturday mornings are...

sleeping in...

having sleepovers on our couch...

making delicious breakfasts and taking the time to savor them...

exploring where we live.

saturday mornings are for living life slowly, intentionally, soaking in moments, enjoying each other, and being thankful for each one we're given.

a fresh start

well, hi there! starting a new blog is always a little awkward, right? there's no history; a rhythm of writing and interacting hasn't been established yet. just you and me. the only way to do it is to just go for it, i suppose.

welcome to everyone visiting from my old blog. and welcome to everyone new, too!

life for me looks pretty different since i stepped away from blogging last year. on august 11 i gave up being a champ(ignon) to become a beckler - one of the best decisions of my life. john and i have been married a little over 7 months, yet it does feel like we've been husband and wife forever. (in a good way!)

i've been feeling the urge to start writing again, and i hope to use this blog as a place to keep memories of our first years of marriage, as well as share what's on my heart. there will probably be random posts of nonsensical silliness from time to time. after all, laughter is the best medicine.

in that spirit, i can't think of a better way to end this first post than to give you a little taste of what married life is like around here. here's a recent facebook post from john:

so sarah wakes me up this morning at 6am to help her turn off her alarm cuz both her hands were asleep. she looked like a dazed t-rex. just flailing and shouting "i cant feel my hands, I CANT FEEL MY HANDS!"