peonies

so always and always my favorite flowers have been star gazer lilies and calla lilies {i carried them in my wedding and had them around the church too}, really any lily. my sweet husband in our years of knowing each other has always spoiled me with them. i love the way they smell and look. recently however peonies have been coming up on my radar....and are quickly climbing up there. here is why....

really cool table and chairs btw.....

in our future house i may have some of these

these are such pretty little blossoms...many of the ones i have here are pink, which are great, but i love the white ones too

like these beauties....how great would these be around the house, next to a window? on your desk?

this table setting....p-e-r-f-e-c-t!!!!

williams family reunions

{that's me there on the end, with a boy, mark harrison in my lap, i'm the one not smiling}

there are only a few things that my family did traditionally...spend summers in puerto rico and go for a couple of weeks to a family reunion in the chicago area. after 15 years its hard for a summer to go by and not reflect on those trips.

My dad's side of the family began all of this in order to celebrate my grandfather's birthday. his 7 children would come to celebrate in the home that they grew up in during the summers in chicago. much loved 601 carpenter ave in oak park, was were it all first began.....course i'm sure it started way before i was born but this is my memory so we will start there. after a couple of years of kids sleeping on the screened porch, it was decided the Williams' Gang needed a bigger place to gather

golf and music....were the only priorities of this family....really my grandfather. did i mention that we have a family band? oh its just as amazing as it sounds. grandpa at the piano, and all of his kids playing various instruments. their specialty, dixieland music. anyway, that's when we started to go to Wisconsin.

our first place was lake delevan, wi, the reader house....there is nothing like a basement full of 15 cots for all the grand kids....the ones who weren't babies. we made up dance moves, laughed about farts {excuse my lack of tact, we were ages 6-12, it was funny} tried to learn all the lyrics to songs, talk about our favorite kinds of dogs, and look through each others yearbooks. great fun! {there we all are, in the picture above, the ones that were around then}

however we soon out grew that one as well. with at least 20something first cousins, aunts and uncles, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins coming to these things it was easily 100 people or so there. so that is what brings me to this picture. now we were all fairly modest families, so getting to stay in what we all called a mansion, was unbelievably exciting.

a wing for all the kids?? yes please! we loved it! looking at this picture brings back so many memories we shared with fire works, fishing, Starbucks, walking, horseback riding, lightening bugs, family pictures {ugh if only i could get my hands on one of those...priceless} riding the boat, tubing, swimming, senior pictures, reuniting, and sharing our lives.

this, {for whatever reason i can't get a bigger picture! :(} is the man for all the reunions. he is a talented and graceful man whom we all love and adore. here he is practicing for the music for later that night.

and 5 out of the 7 brothers and sisters all in action. the williams band in all their splendor. take it all it for a moment....nothing beats a childhood full of musicians, esp when you are not one.

these are the nights that i know will stay forever on our minds and hearts. we all live very different lives all over the country, and even the world. we don't get to see each other every summer. we don't have yearbooks {well some} to share and show each other. only the thing is when you share so much of your childhood {or all of it} you don't have to. everyone misses everyone, but we all pick up right where we left off....we are williams' its just how we do.

july 26

here was our destination....we both have been in granbury many a times...but this time is was less about work, family, what have you and about celebrating a year of marriage. this little slice of heaven was perfect for us and our one night stay. the service was amazing and the place had a great view of lake granbury.

with our anniversary and my birthday two weeks apart, clay spoiled me with getting me a camera. he is discreet and patient unlike his other half and totally surprised me with it. so after a year of marriage i am able to have some pictures of us :)

getting to get away from the everyday was just the perfect plan. it was nice going to a familiar place with no expectations. i love when clay and i get to share time like this, its so easy to go through life together, but i find when we spend a little more time we fall in love more...sorry a bit cheesy, but true.

he brought me here for dinner. just about the neatest place. it used to be an art gallery and now its small town meets modern. food was great, and we were hungry.

hummus, chicken enchiladas, shrimp and lobster later makes for a very full and satisfied pair.

breakfast was incredible! we even got the opportunity to speak with some really neat people. for sure on the younger end of the spectrum, but i love getting wisdom from others about marriage and life...our tendency is to hide from speaking with people we don't know {esp over a meal} but every time we do we are so thankful that we did. hopefully we will learn...

my favorite little place in granbury. its just off the square and has some of the best antiques...was gonna walk right off with those chairs when clay so gently reminded me that in our one bedroom apt we have no place for them.... darling though aren't they? this place is full of little treasures...

like this shelf, yes they are children's books, and no not planning a nursery....but my excuse is that i work with kids and charming children's' things always warms my heart.

we later drove to glen rose. home of nothing much except for my dad's old stomping grounds of the txu plant. and this little beer garden place. not sure if you can see all the great lawn and patio furniture out there but is wonderful. it wasn't really opened. i wanted to pick it up and move it to fort worth were it can be appreciated at all times of the day

then our last stop was here....it is the craziest in the middle of no where, {tolar to be exact, where you ask is that....good question i say....i didn't drive you'll have to ask clay} but it was so worth the frustrating drive to find it. oh man may have been the best cheese burger i have ever had. I'm not a crazy burger fan, but there i had to be. it melted in my mouth, as well as some of the greatest rolls ever...

granbury, thank you for winning my heart over again.

i can not believe it. it really has flown by. this time next week i will be here

clay planned the whole thing. i am so excited about it. we will get to go out on the lake, play, hang out, do some antiquing (total trooper) and hopefully have a nice meal, but really we will get to relax with each other...and there is nothing i want more =)

curious

i just finished reading this book. it is written from the perspective a boy who has autism. the author did a fascinating job in giving insight to this boy's life. i do realize i work with kiddos like this daily nonetheless i would recommend it

contentment

clay and i are quickly approaching our year anniversary. this year has been a sweet and blessed year. but it has also been one full of twists and turns that i wouldn't couldn't have predicted. sitting here now typing and reflecting on these things i wouldn't change a moment of it.

i have to confess that i wish i could say i spent this last year thanking Him for such an amazing husband, for all the blessings that we have been given through Him, family, church, friendship, our dog. {which if you spend anytime with us you will hear of how much we love her} but i didn't. i. was. wanting. more.

wanting of the things of the future, the things we could do when we were out of debt, more dogs, a new place to live, new furniture, THE job, no job, a new church, you name it.

all that the Lord has given us i have spent no time seeing it.

tonight i have had a revelation.....

contentment

i hope and pray to share more of it.