joy in simple things

Lately I've been so tired of hearing the word "busy". 

Most of the time this word is escaping my own lips, and not on a positive reflection, but often as an excuse.

This past week or so, I have tried to be intentional about celebrating joy through simple things in life.

Life may be busy, but when living life from behind unclouded eyes, there is always a reason to stop and choose joy.

Here are a few of mine:

1) Completing a budget meeting with a thankful heart for our God who is Faithful and Provisional.

2) Finishing a loooong, but rewarding, day snuggled up to my adoring husband by the fire.

3) Grateful students who give awesome Christmas presents. 

The hubs and I sure enjoyed our milkshakes!

4) First of all, friends. Great friends. 

5) A night out with these people we're blessed to do life with.

6) A Saturday morning at home WITH my Love. A time to sleep, create, and eat. 

No matter how busy your week may get, don't neglect to stop and find joy.

Even in the simple things.

party like it's 1999

Oh, yes. We did. 

We had a joint birthday party. 

At the skating rink.

I gotta say, y'all... My hubs has some moves on the rink!

We were so thankful for our friends that came out to celebrate with us. 

It felt like school skate night... only way better.

Our friend, Tanielle as we affectionately call her, baked us a DELISH strawberry birthday cake.

Really, it was soooo good.

Thanks for the laughs, guys. We hope you weren't too sore the next morning. :)

happy birthday, to my love.

I am a bit...quite a bit...late on this post. However, I still feel this is important to write.

Earlier this month, my Love celebrated his twenty-eighth birthday.

Twenty-eight? I still remember crushing on this baby face when he was a mere fifteen years old!

We celebrated, just the two of us, by a late-night dinner date for Jon's favorite delicacy- shrimp. 

The food was delicious, the atmosphere pleasant, but I couldn't stop staring at the handsome man sitting across the dimly lit booth at me. How did I get so blessed to call this man my husband? It was all I could do to sit and watch him, sipping in the evening just moments at a time.

Jonathan, 

I consider it pure joy to be your wife. I am so proud of your hard working hands. I admire your dedication to me and our future family. I am amazed by the way you love the so-far-from-perfect me. I adore your love and devotion to Christ. I am thankful for your leadership in our home. And I am swept away with your heart. Happy Birthday, my Love. I adore you.

Your Baby,

Me

Happy One Year Anniversary

After we celebrated Christmas with our families in The Sunshine State, we headed back North, only, the party wasn't over yet! We drove to Columbus, Georgia to spend the night with my awesome cousin, Katie, and her wonderful hubs, Brett.

(Shameless plug: Katie is truly an AMAZING photographer. Really. She's the best! If you live in the Columbus, GA area (or Nashville, TN area), you must check out her site. I'm talking ridiculously good family photos, y'all. View her work here.)

We met this fun couple for dinner and headed back to their house for cookies and laughs. I guess we were just enjoying being together so much that I forgot to snap a photo! 

Brett and Katie, we love you both so much. It has been so sweet to watch God move in and through your marriage. We can't wait to see what's next!

The next day was December 31st...our one-year anniversary!!! 

Before leaving Columbus, Jon and I stopped by a local cafe for some good ol' southern breakfast: Cinnamon Toast Crunch french toast (J) and biscuits with sausage gravy (M). YUM! (For the record, this small town was not as fond of our biracial relationship. It was interesting to watch their reactions) ...but the food was great!

Next stop: Atlanta.

Jon and I both love Atlanta. My family lived there when I was three or four years old, so I don't remember much. However, it has always been one of my favorite cities. I think one day we might call this place "home" again ... hmmm...

We had  a BLAST! We spent the day shopping in Atlantic Station. After all, we both had Christmas and birthday money to spend! There were soooo many people and it was frigid outside, but we had a great time. 

We ate tapas at a fun restaurant called The Yard.

 I'm talking delish appetizers, you guys.

We checked into our hotel. Thanks to Priceline, we got a great deal on a hotel room at The Westin by the Atlanta airport. We checked in, showered, and put on our "street"clothes for The Peach Drop.

(Thanks Mom and Dad for our fun new clothes you gave us for Christmas!)

Can I just say, "Wow." How am I so blessed to be married to this handsome man???

My urban look.

New Year's Eve was quite an adventure.

We took the hotel shuttle to the ATL airport, where we boarded the Marta. Now, there were some interesting folk riding this public transportation system. I clung to Jon's arm the entire time.

Once we arrived in downtown ATL, the streets started crowded swarming with people. There were probably 10,000 people in this spot preparing for The Peach Drop. We got there around 10:00 so we could find a decent place to stand. Trying to ignore all the police men walking around in their bullet-proof vests (yeah, THAT was comforting), we laughed at the band impersonating The Beatles... and the family standing next to us that knew every. single. word. to. every. single. song. We also tried to dance and sing along to keep from freezing to death.

I will say, Atlanta puts on a beautiful fireworks show to welcome the New Year. 

It was exciting, and surreal, to hold each other through the countdown. 

A New Year of dreams, goals, blessings, and surprises.

 

 We sept in the next morning before taking advantage of the free breakfast vouchers we received from the concierge for our anniversary present.

Next stop: Ikea.

It was Jon's first time at an Ikea, and I remembered how overwhelming it was my first time. So... we walked through fairly quickly, and I didn't even beg to shop in the Marketplace at the end. 

(Although we did purchase a beautiful canvas painting to hang above our fireplace. 

Happy Anniversary to us!)

Our friend and former Atlanta-native, Jamie, recommended a place for lunch. We read the reviews online, wiped the drool from our mouths, and headed straight to Gladys Knight's Chicken & Waffles. Ohhhhh, y'all. It was UH-MAZING. The restaurant is a classy spot, adorned with pictures of Gladys Knight and Ron Winans. The menu is labeled with titles such as "Grammy Nominees" and Background Singers. And we ate like kings. Check it out:

Southern style fried chicken, the most delicious macaroni-and-cheese I've ever had, collard greens, fried corn with jalapeños, corn bread, and a waffle on the side. 

Talk about a food coma!!!

It will be an Atlanta tradition for us from now on!

Fighting our food comas (and the freezing rail that was falling), we headed back to Nashville.

The past two weeks were full of amazing food, unforgettable times with family and friends, and memory-making experiences between the two of us. It is rare that we splurge; we definitely live within our means. So it was fun to celebrate for a time.

We were full in every way.

Full of food.

Full of fun.

Full of laughs.

Suitcases full of gifts.

Full of life.

Full of thanksgiving.

We certainly were a blessed couple celebrating their first anniversary... beyond blessed.

sweetest birthday.

Guys, I am now 26 years old. 

26.

Considering I have lost track of my age, and for a year have been telling people I am 23 years old, this recent birthday smacked me right in the face.

26.

A mere four years from 30.

Whoa.

Okay, so I'm being a little dramatic.

The truth is, life is so full of God's blessings that I can't complain about anything- including the fact that I'm almost 30 years old.

My birthday was just a couple weeks ago, and it was one of the sweetest birthdays yet.

The day started with a visit from our family's dear friends, the Underwoods. They have been best friends of ours since I was four years old, and they just happened to be traveling through Bradenton on my birthday. 

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast on the beach.

This is Nicole- my BFF since I was four and she was five. She was the Maid of Honor in my wedding, and it meant so much to have her visit on my birthday...again. :)

These attractive ladies are my mom (Melissa) and Nicole's mom (Donna). 

They have been gal pals for a looooong time. I could tell they needed this time together.

What can I say?

"She get it from her mama..."  :)

I spent the afternoon doing one of the things I love the most- shopping with my mom. We love to just run around town together, hunting for a great deal. This escapade left me with a new orange cardigan, a fun blue and white dress, gold glittery flats, a new oversized purse, and a lot of laughs.

(Thanks, Mom!!)

My family met for dinner at a hidden local treasure- Star Fish Co. This seafood market, which has been featured on Food Network, is located on a pier and is nothing fancy by any means- you dine at picnic tables and eat out of cardboard boxes. But the fish is sooo stinkin' fresh and the casual atmosphere couldn't be better. 

Blackened grouper, that's all I'm saying.

These studs are my not-so-little-anymore bros- Parker and Jordan.

Gahlee, I love them.

And this handsome man is the love of my life.

Life is so sweet because of him.

This was the scenery as we finished our meal.

Could it get any better than this?

Family, food, the ocean...

That night we were soooo full. In every way.

Full of life. Full of sea food. Full of love for our family. Full of thankfulness.

But never to full for birthday cake and homemade cookies....:)

And a screening of one of my favorites, "Cinderella Man".

The most wonderful time of the year.

Jon and I are still living in awe of our trip home for Christmas. We had SUCH a great trip, and we consider ourselves to be extremely blessed. 

I mean, both our jobs allotted for two weeks vacation for the holidays. (How many marriages get that blessing?!) 

We were able to spend ample time with BOTH sides of the family, including my grandparents. 

We ate delicious Southern cooking (steaks and potatoes) at my parents' house and amazing Panamanian food (hojaldes) at my "in-love's" house. 

We were able to give and receive extremely thoughtful gifts. 

We spent time relaxing, watching movies, playing games, eating, walking the beach, eating, and enjoying our families. 

What more could we have asked for?

Here are some photos to highlight the trip:

We attended Christmas Eve service at my family's church (the same church where Jon and I married). Christmas Eve candlelight service is one of my favorite traditions. Worship was lead by my talented dad and brothers...they even let me sing on one song. :)

One of the Guthrie Christmas traditions is to open one gift only on Christmas Eve, and we always know what that one gift will be... pajamas! Well, this year, Mom got a little creative. She bought Jon and my brothers matching pjs...and if you can tell by this huge grin... they were pretty, um, scandalous?

It was so fun to pick out a Christmas present for Jon's niece, Andreana. I found a "look alike" doll that really does look just like her! She was thrilled when she opened her on Christmas Eve. I love the magic of Christmas!

For the fellas, much of our stay was spent competing in X-box tournaments. 

This pic pretty much says it all.

One of my favorite times to visit the beach is at night. Late on Christmas Day, Jon and I snuck out to the island to enjoy the salty air.

Do you like Frosty the Sandman?

We got to the beach just as the last bits of sun were sinking past the horizon. 

Ahhh... I can feel the salty breeze even now.

This is just one of the trees at my parents' house. (Hey, I said Christmas decor is a huge Guthrie tradition.) My parents' wrapping talents never cease to amaze me!

One morning, Parker and Jordan were too tired to wake up, so Jon and I enjoyed a morning date together. We went to a Bradenton treasure, Gulf Drive Cafe, and ate some of the best breakfast I've ever had! The food was delish, the experience couldn't be better (right on the beach), and with this handsome man sitting across the table from me, life couldn't have been sweeter.

Just after we left town, my dad had back surgery. For his "Last Supper" before the weeks of rehab ahead, we went to Bonefish. Can I just say that we are a family of foodies...we love to eat. And some of our best times are spend around the dinner table.

Mom, Dad, Jon and I double-dated one night. Although out movie choice was less than enjoyable ("Django"), we had a great time being together, followed by a Catch Phrase competition!

Uh, Mom and Dad? Who won again? Oh, that's right... Team Darcy! :)

There's no time like time spent with family.

More to come!

fort myers fam

After graduating from college, Jon moved to Fort Myers, Florida to begin his career. While living there he experienced and learned from a lot of life, made some amazing friends, joined an incredible church, and built relationships to last a lifetime. Once we were engaged and made the decision to move Jon here to Nashville, I realized what a sacrifice it would be on his part- to leave these friends that had become more like family. I knew we would do whatever we could to stay in touch with these wonderful people. 

Last Christmas, we celebrated with them at a Christmas party and danced the night away. 
Many of these people even attended our wedding. 

Their words of love and encouragement mean the world, and their prayers over our new marriage are invaluable.

Our first stop in "The Sunshine State" was to Fort Myers to see this extended family. What a blessing it was- for both Jon and myself- to be with them!

After an incredible worship service at Life Church, as went to lunch with dear friends, including Jason and Bethany.

I adore Florida's outdoor outlet malls. Palm trees make me happy. :)

Thanks Jason and Bethany for hosting game night so we could hang out with everybody! 

 They may be good at posing, but their game was hurting. The girls creamed the guys!

The night wouldn't be complete without being serenaded by Jason, Brother, and Matt.

To our Fort Myers family, we love each one of you. We miss you. And we can't wait until next time!

Come see us! We have a guest room! :)