magical days

There are weeks that fly away without anything significant to mark them.  They still have their special beauty -- their worth-living-ness.

Then there are weeks that will stay with you forever.  They are the days where you have laughed so loudly, cried so purely, lived so epically.

Those are the days of magic that make you oh-so-thankful to be alive.

This last week was just that.

From April 20th-28th I was bombarded with a parent-turned-best-friend's love while my mom was visiting.  She is an adventurer and had my at-constant-risk-of-becoming-a-couch-potato self going and doing so many wild and beautiful things!

She is one of the few people I can simply *be* with.  And being with her was like a soothing balm to an aching heart.

 

We spent my birthday (hello, 22!) at the sand dunes and reservoir near my house.  We soaked in sun, wind, and water with breeze-blown hair and (unintentionally, we're that awesome) matching outfits!

One morning before Andrew had to go to work (his shift is weird... don't get me started!), we explored the mountains!

We were told that there was a Sequoia tree somewhere in the area and we found it!!!  

Mom gave it a hug, of course.

I did need to do a bit of sitting while Andrew and mom explored, but was *mostly* able to keep up with them.  ;-)

One of my mom's birthday presents to me was purchasing the supplies so we could create a miniature fairy garden!  I've been wanting to make one of these forever and it was SO much fun!

 

It is now the centerpiece of my coffee table.  <3

Anyone else want to sip some coffee here???

Mom took these pictures one morning after it had snowed on the mountains (we were still enjoying temperatures in the 70-80's).  I love the view from my porch!

 HAVE to include a bump update!  These were taken at 21 weeks (and I'll be 22 weeks tomorrow).

As of yesterday I am REALLY able to feel Rennie (our nickname has really begun to stick) moving!  She has kicked my hand several times now and today I saw my belly move slightly when she walloped me.  :-D  I continue to be in awe of my little Serenity Faye and fall in love with her more each day (even when she kicks my bladder)!

Last Saturday was beautifully stormy, so we had to change our plans slightly.  We still ended up being able to show my mom more beautiful places in our area!

Yes, mom and I sang "The Misty Mountains" several times.  :-)

Mom and Andrew did a little extra hiking and she got these beautiful shots looking down!

We also took her to one of the places Andrew does a bit of fishing.  

Failed and successful selfies!  The first one something funny had just happened and we could not stop laughing... we tried so hard but ended having to wait a few minutes before we could get a "normal" picture.  

Our truck (lovingly named Vera) after our adventures!

Sunday evening Andrew's parents visited and the five of us enjoyed SUCH a fun night together.  Lots of laughter (best kind of visit)!

After some shopping on Monday, mom and I had one last project we wanted to do together.  We saw a canvas at a store with this picture on it... but it cost like a million dollars, so we decided to make our own!  I did the background texture, then mom was in charge of outlining the moon and painting the letters (definitely the hardest part with no stencil of any kind!), then I finished off by painting the moon and touching up.

My mom has said this to me since I was tiny, so having this quote hanging on my wall is so special!!

Before and after:  Isn't this painting SO much prettier than a breaker box???  (Thank you, Andrew, for attaching the ribbon and hanging it!!!)

Our last morning, the three of us all went out for coffee (well, Andrew got an Italian soda since he hates coffee, poor man).

We hung out at a nearby park, then mom and I explored a local antique store after Andrew went to work.  We found this beauty and mom couldn't resist playing in it!!!

Goodbyes are hard.  There's no way around it.  That's love and I'm so-very thankful for how much of it I share with this lady!  She is so much more than a mom.  She is my dearest girlfriend; one who is part of my tiny "inner circle" of people with whom I can be truly "Rachel".  She makes me so excited to become a mother to my little girl.  *tearing up... so much mother-daughter love*

I adore you, Mom.  To the moon and back, to infinity and beyond.  I love laughing with you and crying with you when needed.  I love that we can delve into deep theology and also gush about how beautiful "Cinderella" is.  I love how you challenge me to live bravely, fully.

You are my biggest fan.  ;-)

Cannot wait for our adventures to continue in June (I'll do the flying this time).

Hope you have a beautiful, fully-alive remainder of your week, my dear readers!

<3