John 14:27 Be at Peace

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

A beautiful blogger friend shared this with me a few nights back.  I wrote it in the front page on my planner and I have been thinking about it a lot.  

If you have not yet met Heather, you should [and not just because she is as obsessed with HIMYM as me!].  She is a beautiful soul and has been an amazing friend to me over the past week.  That's why I love the blog world, the support system is unlike any other!  I don't mean to just single out Heather, because so many of you have made a difference in my life, and I thank you all for that.  

Spending so much time with Mike, his mom, and his family over the last week has been so nice, except for the circumstances, of course. His family is absolutely amazing and supportive.  I feel so lucky to have them as my family.

Speaking of beauty, these wonderful flowers are just one of the little things Mike's parents have always done for him and his sister on their birthdays.  They always give the church money to buy flowers for their services in their honor.  His pastor brought these to his mom after services on Sunday, and since she has so many beautiful flowers right now, she gave them to us to pretty-up our dining room :) 

Look at what we woke up to yesterday morning.  The weathermen predicted 2-4 but we got 10 inches! It was peaceful and beautiful, covering up all of the gross, brown snow from last month.  However, it did put off golf season for another couple weeks.  And bonus, Mike's little BMW couldn't even make it out of the driveway because our road wasn't plowed at 9:30 am Friday, so we got to spend the whole day together, visiting both our offices and his mom, and ending the night at my office's golf simulator with Papa John's [so I guess I lied about golf season being postponed]. 

Lastly, I am loving this song right now.  I saw this adaptation on VH1 this week and fell in love.  I already love Maroon 5, but this just makes their song "Daylight" even more beautiful.  

Hometown Hop: The Ocean

"We are tied to the ocean. When we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or watch - we are going back from whence we came." - John F. Kennedy

Simple photos of the ocean.  That's what I will be sharing this month for the "HomeTown Hop."  I am from the Ocean State after all.  I had originally planned a post on the food particular to my town, but today, the tranquility and beauty of the ocean are what I'm craving.  

For those of you who do not know, I grew up in a small oceanside town in Rhode Island.  It was a wonderful town to spend 18 years, but as I went to college and found a job after college, there was nowhere I could follow my passion in this remote place.    Now, I live a couple of hours away, and unfortunately, I cannot have the same relationship with my family and friends in RI.  

That's why my second family, Mike's family, has been so important to me over the last couple of years.  Please keep them in your prayers, especially his mother who is the strongest, most positive, and kindest person I have ever met.  I have been spending a lot of time with them recently, so please excuse my absence.   

Now for some pure beauty:

 I love Rhode Island sunsets

And a few photos from past beach days:

Mike and I when we first started dating, 3 years ago

Me and two of my college roommates on a summer trip - the one in the middle is actually Mike's sister [Have I ever mentioned that?]

Sandcastles [or turtles] with my best friend growing up

Three pieces of "housekeeping:"

1. If you haven't yet, you should link up this month with HomeTown Hop.  Heather is a great blogger friend, and I look forwarding to following Ashley, too!

2. I'm so excited that I just received my #CaraBox matches for this month.  The theme this month is the first letter of your name, and Kaitlyn matched us all by name.  I will be sending to Mallory and receiving from Megalin "M" boxes.  The encouragement part is what I am most excited about this month, and these ladies seem fantastic!

3. And of course, because it's Wednesday, linking up for Wednesday Walkabout!  I'm sponsoring Jane this month, so definitely make sure you stop by and say hi :) And surprise, my Cara Box partner Mallory is mystery hosting today!!

I hope to be back to blogging more regularly soon, and I hope you all have a nice week!

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Today, March 3rd, is my amazing boyfriend's 27th birthday! Mike is everything you could want in a significant other: we share interests, make each other laugh, value the same things, and simply enjoy each other's company.

So, Happy Birthday, bear! I can't wait to spend the second half of it with you when I get home this afternoon.

Mike does read my blog, so please feel free to leave him some love here or if you're feeling especially nice, he LOVES Twitter :) @TaylorM5 ! Oh, if you don't know mine, it's @megd_11