30 Days of Thankful

Another November has come and gone and the we listed out things we're thankful for. I really love this little tradition we started back in 2011. Its so sweet to make time to speak out the ways we've been blessed and notice all the good that surrounds us. Hearing things from Zachari and Jonathan's perspectives is really special too and often humbles me to remember to be grateful for all of the little things I so easily take for granted. Without further ado, our 2016 list (in no specific order):

Zachari
Jonathan 
pool
school
lunch
Liz, Annalise & Kathleen (Bonar)
Jonathan
Mama
fall
cats
Papa
anteaters
music
rocks
Jonah
ImmyLou
Ms. D.
food
hikes
church
love
friends
home
car
God
dogs
the sun
food (again!)
pork chops with bacon
gas for cars
Play-doh
Blinntoberfest
gnocci
and then this...

That's right! It says dirt, poop, water & pee...with diagrams.

Jonathan
Nathan (Cates)
superheroes
my tiny pumpkin (that he chose from his preschool field trip in October)
music
Heather, Josie & Paxy (Mohrman)
Papa
Zachari
Jonah
Zachari (again!)
fire
tortillas
strawberries
cucumbers
chicken
water
Mama

Matt
parents
Zachari
Jonathan
Wife
fall weather
pot roast!
Watershed
feeling healthy
playing games with Zachari
beer
hikes
a good job
woodworking 
stories
friends 
art 
music
bike rides

Kelli
twinkle lights
nights by the fire pit
hooded sweatshirts
warm slippers
Apple Music
Spotify
lunch dates with Matty
Fox in the Snow coffee
Hounddogs Pizza
fresh fruits and veggies
Aunt Flow
101 S. Westmoor Avenue
Raymond Matthew Blinn
creativity
wine!
Mrs. Distefano
Ms. Khristina
our car & ZB's repairs
the Obamas
my phone
the iPad
Bethel Music
Patty Griffin
wine (again!)
coffee
ProDoula
Columbus Birth & Parenting
Bekah
Matt's job
Reid family
Cates family
Bekah's natural cancer treatments... and success!
Westgate and our neighbors
all of the amazing food/drink options in Columbus
79˚ days in November!
Zachari Jane
Jonathan Francis
Hilltop YMCA
Advent dinners with Bekah
Zachari's love for J. She's caring, helpful, patient, encouraging and a great friend.
warm, cozy blankets
Andrew Hendrixson
Peter Stevens
the Psalms
God's grace, love, forgiveness and peace
Myca
Jan
Sara
Brooke
water with lemon

On turning 33

Another year older. Another year wiser. 

Isn't that what they say? Whoever the proverbial they is anyway. Hmph.


When I turned 30 it wasn't a big deal to me like it has been for some of my friends. I wasn't sad to say goodbye to my 20s, I wasn't depressed to be entering my 30s, it was just another day, really. I was thankful for a new decade and as I've continued to settle into this new age, I like it more and more. I like who I am better now than when I was in my 20s, I like who I think I am gonna become. 

But this year, August 12th came with some melancholy attached. I realized that by turning 33 I was older than my own mother when she gave birth to me. I was two years older than Palmer when he died and a whopping eight years older than Jenn at the time of her death. I realized that it was at the age of 33 (or so we think) that Jesus Christ have His life for mine. I'm not this much closer to my mid-30s. It all just felt heavy to me and so I started the day in a very pensive, quiet mood. 

It was a good day though, for sure. Matty was off (all week, actually!) and together as a family we enjoyed a lovely summer day. Kim babysat for us so we could have an afternoon date, something The Boy had planned. We tried Basil, a super-delicious restaurant in Short North that I fell in love with. The decor/architecture was as wonderful as the cuisine and the company wasn't too shabby either!

The weather was perfect and so we enjoyed walking around to shops before and after lunch for a bit. We stumbled upon this fabulousness outside of a salon and spa, randomly. Being part of Hannah Estabrook's Self Esteem Summer Camp the last several weeks, this sign felt especially poignant to me... and on my birthday no less!

The Boy had quite the surprise up his sleeve for me... A helicopter ride! And what might've been the bigger surprise, is though I am so afraid of heights and never really had a desire to go up in a helicopter and the freaking floor was glass and I could see straight down all the hundreds of miles, I did really well up there! I sat in the front next to the pilot and took in the lovely sights of Fairfield County. I mean, the day couldn't have been more picture perfect for such an excursion. Thank you, Lord!

I think we look pretty cute as "co-pilots"!

Back at home that night, the fam made me a tasty, summertime meal of barbecue ribs and roasted potatoes, onions and mushrooms all made on the grill. The beautiful salad came from our yard with some store bought extras and it was all so deliciously satisfying!

The day ended at the Upper Arlington Graeter's where everyone had a sweet treat but me. I didn't really care for one, but thought it would be fun to go there anyway! I love my sweet lil fam and I love that I am now 33. Here's to a new year!

Celebrating with the girls

Two nights ago I got to celebrate my birthday with some the most beautiful ladies in my life. I think I say this to pople a lot and I probably blog about it quite often too, but man, I am richly, richly blessed in the friends department. Most of these ladies have been with me for more than fifteen years and their value in my life only increases. 

We went to Basil because I loved it so much on my actual birthday and I sure did order the exact same stuff for my dinner! It was a small group of just seven of us (and baby PJ) for the meal, but afterwards we headed to Mandy's for snacks and drinks and our numbers increased by two. I laughed so much and so hard there my face was hurting, my eyes burned from all the tears and my heart felt so full from gratitude and joy I thought I might burst from any one of my many seams. 

These girls make turning older so worth it and they remind me about the precious things in life that really matter. Thanks, friends. You sure know how to make a girl feel loved. 

Heather, Lindsay, Bekah and Kristina aren't pictured, but with the exception of Linds who was sick, all of those girls did hang out with me that night and it made for a glorious night to remember!

The last day of school

Today marked the first last day of school that Zachari Jane will ever have. I can hardly believe it. One, because I swear it was just early September and she was starting preschool. And two, because its frickin May 14th and the year is already over? I am not happy about the length of the school year or all the snow days we had (and don't get reimbursed for or at the very least - get more days tacked onto the end of the year), but that's about all I have to complain about concerning our experience with Overbrook Preschool. 

The place is wonderful. 

We gave Mrs. Napoli and Mrs. Kurth some beautiful calla lilies as thank you gifts today and in their cards I wrote about how much Zachari's changed and how thankful I am that God placed her in their particular class. I couldn't have asked for more loving, patient, kind teachers to introduce Zachari to the classroom and school-like structure. She has flourished under their care and encouragement and they're going to make it really hard for any teachers next year to fill their shoes. 

I've been working on a 2014 Summer To Do List and since Z's officially on her summer vacation, I suppose its time to start checking things off! First up: Worthington's Touch-a-Truck on Friday morning. Both Zachari and Jonathan will have a blast!

And now to end this post, pictures... of course!

WHO is this girl? She looks so grown up!

They have my heart.

J and I arrived at school a little early so I could snap some pics of the daily routine like storytime. 

Left - Mrs. Tiffany Napoli, Right - Mrs. Katie Kurth. Such wonderful women!

To celebrate the momentous occasion we finally visited Sassafras Bakery in Worthington, a place Z and I tried to go to nearly a year ago! Even though there were so many months of anticipation, the bakery did not disappoint! The kiddos and I shared a snickerdoodle and an iced sugar cookie and because it was "happy hour", I got a free cuppa Brioso coffee to go. It was all fantastic. We were the only ones in the place, though the amount of cookie crumbs we left behind might've made you think otherwise. 

Walking back to the car I found a colorful bench on a brick wall which I thought would make a lovely backdrop for (another) photo session. These two hams didn't quite cheese for the Nikon like I would've liked, but the moments are fun to remember like this anyway!

Anniversary weekend

Over the weekend The Boy and I got to celebrate our 7th anniversary with time away from our kiddos and galavanting around downtown Columbus. It. Was. Excellent. 

We dropped the kids off at Kim and Carla's at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and for the next 27 hours we enjoyed a completely kid-free weekend together! I had been craving some one-on-one time with my husband and was SO looking forward to the weekend. I was trying hard not to have expectations that were too lofty and that would easily disappoint, but the weekend met my expectations and then some. I'm so thankful for our time together!

Because I don't want to forget what almost felt like a second mini-honeymoon, here's a rundown of our day and a half as just Kelli and Matt.  

Saturday:

• Our first stop was for lunch at Cafe Brioso. For literally six months I've been wanting to sit there outside at a table with Matt and sip on coffee whilst watching the busy city buzz past us. I had this romantic idea of doing that in October as the fall chill was settling in, but that never happened. Enjoying a warm, sunny afternoon in the spring was just as good. We hadn't eaten there in forever and that veggie sandwich was just as delectable as I remember. My cuppa joe was perfection and the time to sit and eat a leisurely meal with my boyfriend without having to cut up food or hear whining or fasten J into a highchair was nice. 
• Next, Matty wanted to visit The Vault and the alley where we hung out right after the ceremony (where we snapped the above picture).  We walked around downtown for a bit and marveled at the cool city we are fortunate to live in and we reminisced about our wedding day and how little we knew about life then. 
• Next, Matt took me to this super cool warehouse for about an hour dreaming and scheming and tossing around home decor ideas. I love his creative mind and the chance to be creative with him. One of these days we'll own another house and together we will decorate it just-so. Excited.
• In the late afternoon we checked into the hotel, The Hilton Columbus Downtown (at least I think that's the official name) and it is beautiful! And yes, I took photos of the whole room, but for now, I'll just post these first few that we snapped together.

Our room window looked out to the lobby/restaurant area, this was our view.

• Soon after getting settled into our (very) temporary new digs we um... christened the bedroom and my - it was excellent! There's something so freeing and different and passionate about being able to connect like that with absolutely no chance of a child interrupting things. Love it!
• We were giddy over the beautiful, large shower in the room and we explored it...together to be followed by lounging around in cozy white bath robes provided by the hotel.

• Next was time in the hot tub for me and a few laps in the pool for Matt. Nothing exciting to report about that, except maybe that we had the whole place to ourselves which was kind of great! 
• One of my favorite parts of the weekend was the chance to get ready for our date in a leisurely, stress-free way. I showered after the hot tub, walked around in my robe and then later in just my undies and I just took my time getting ready. I did my hair, got dressed, accessorized and took my time doing it, good tunes were playing from the I-dock and it was lovely. Because we were in a suite we had one and half bathrooms. Ridic, I know. More bathrooms than where I live for real, but whatev! Matty took one part of the suite and I took another and we got ready separately so as to (sort of) have that wow factor with each other when we were all dolled up and ready for the night on the town. It was fun. Its the little things, really!
• We met in hotel bar around 6:45 p.m. and myyyyy goodness! There was SUCH a handsome gentleman waiting for me at the bar, sipping on his classy whiskey with the sun hitting him just so. Seriously. He looked amazing and I was so happy we got ready separately so we could have that silly lil moment.

• After hanging in the bar for a bit, we took the COTA bus to Rigsby's Kitchen for an 8:00 reservation. Matt got an IPA and we shared the Grilled Mozzarella Brochette appetizer which was mighty tasty. Nothing I'd ever dream up on my own to make and not really something I'd be naturally led to on the menu, but our persuasive waitress talked us into it. We weren't disappointed. For dinner Matt ordered the House Made Sausage Pizza while I enjoyed the Sea Scallops (with fingerling potatoes and bacon-wrapped green beans). The presentation of everything was beautifully elegant and everything was yummy. Definitely one of those places that's known for ambiance and presentation with price tags to match so probably not a repeat restaurant for us, but a good choice for the occasion, for sure.
• The weather was so spring-lovely so we took advantage of it and walked back down High St. to the Hiltom for dessert at the hotel restaurant. We were the only peeps in the place which alway seems sort of weird and the apple pie thingy Matt ordered was wildly disappointing and crazily overpriced. Oh well. Ya live and and learn.

• Back in the room The Boy whipped out a big ol bottle of Asti Spumante that he'd smuggled in inside his bag. Sneaky! He wanted to make a toast to our future and reflect on our past together. Precious man. He ended by reading me his would-be vows from our wedding day that he had misplaced. The part that sticks out the most?  "Kelli Marie Shearron, You're my sunrise and sunset... through the trees." ;) We laughed at the cheesiness of it for a while!
• To end the glorious day together we christened the king sized bed once more and whew! It was even more excellent than earlier in the day! (Z and J, I realize that one day you'll probably be reading through this blog and things like what I just typed will make you blush or gag or worse. Get it over it, Babes. You'll be thankful that I remembered the moments like these one of these days and then you'll fall in love and you'll have moments like these with your special person too. So there!)

Sunday:

• We slept in! I think we woke up sometime in the 8 o'clock hour and its funny that at this stage of our lives that's sleeping in, but it was great! And then, to round out the weekend, one more romp in the sheets and good Lord! It was the best that its been in a long time!!!! (Okay, now I'm blushing!)
• We took our time easing into the day and checked out of the hotel around 10 a.m.
• We walked to Cup O Joe on the cap and enjoyed fantastical coffee as we walked into the Short North and explored Philco We had an incredible meal  and we will be going back there soon! I got the Fried Egg Tacos (with chorizo!) and Matty ordered The Traditional. We shared the savory Hushpuppies which were a flavor letdown in comparison to my meal. But no matter. It was a good experience all around.
• After brunch we window-shopped around the Short North for a while, eventually got the car out of the Hilton garage and then we wandered around Franklin Park Conservatory for an hour or more. Again, the weather was picture perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed the chance to get to spend so much time outdoors doing what we wanted to do - a lot of nothing much at all!

• For a late lunch we made it over to Katalina's, another place I've been wanting to try and it was another new restaurant success! I got the Pesto Avocado sandwich which was a light, fresh, felt-pretty-healthy choice,  Matt got the club sandwich. The Shagbark chips that come with the sandwiches are chip perfection!  
• It was a bittersweet to end our weekend together when we picked up the kids between 3:30 and 4 p.m., but all good things must come to an end, right? We're so thankful for the help of Carla, Kim and Maryke for watching the kiddos overnight and taking great care of them and we're so thankful that we got a chance to truly celebrate our marriage together. 2013 was rough for us and that's putting it nicely. Here we are in 2014 now though, a new year, another year of marriage that's beginning and it felt like we truly had joy over our anniversary. Praise God!

Three little letters

I did it. 
I passed all of the competencies necessary to become a Certified Lactation Counselor. 
Now I get to put three little letters after my name: CLC... I couldn't be more happy about it!

I expected to hear from the ALPP 6-8 weeks after my training was over. Its what they prepared us for, I chose to lean towards the latter part of that time frame so I wouldn't be obsessively checking the mailbox before then. And then, I just forgot. Sure, it was in the back of my mind that I hadn't found out yet, but I went on about life and didn't focus on the packet I hoped for in the mail. 

And then yesterday, at just the five week mark, the packet came and it contained the most wonderful-head-into-the-weekend-on-a-sunny-day kind of news! I'm still in a little disbelief, but more than anything, I am so so so so thankful. Thankful that the signs God was giving me as I made the decision to take the training were legit, not all in my head. Thankful for the incredible friends and sister-in-law that I have that helped fund the training. Thankful for the encouragement, prayers, words of affirmation and love that I received in the weeks leading up to and throughout that week of training. Thank. Full.

Now begins the somewhat dizzying process of trying to figure out just what I can do as a CLC and then gaining the necessary confidence to do it. I am up for the challenge, I know this is the route I'm supposed to be taking. I can confidently say that the prodding I've been receiving from God sits well with my soul and I'm sure that through Him, I will get to do great things. 

Ahhhh! I did it! I'm so happy!!!

The best of my day

The best of my day today was the half hour I got to spend with Zachari and her preschool class this morning. They were celebrating her birthday and it was so special not only to be there to celebrate with them, but to see her in her little world with her friends doing her daily preschool routine. All the kids were in line to wash their hands with Jonathan and I got to the classroom. One by one they were cleaned, found a seat at the miniature tables and had to wait patiently for everyone to be seated so they could all sing to ZJ. She took a seat at the head of a table, J and I at her side, and Mrs. Kurth lit the four candles on the fake cake that every child celebrates with and all together, everyone sang praises over my girl. She seemed a little shy, but sort of like she loved the attention too. Ha! After all, it was day three in a row of birthday festivities and at least that many times had she been sung to! She blew out the candles, a picture was taken (see below) and then they all said prayers of thanksgiving before eating their snacks. Grape juice and two "blonde" Oreos for each child. Freaking adorable. After snack time we moved over to the carpet for a story about bears (the theme for the day) and to my surprise, Z wanted J and I to stick around for it. More than happy to, Girlie! After storytime we packed up and headed home for the day. Such a fine way to spend half an hour of my morning. So thankful for the chance to be home during the day to experience the little moments like this.

Zachari has grown up so fast. She's come so far since September 9th when she started at Overbrook. I'm so proud of her and our brief time together this morning was another reminder of how amazing she is. I didn't know I could love a little lady so much. But I do... man oh man, I do!

The birthday girl

What a fun-filled, tiring, happy weekend we've had celebrating Zachari Jane. My girl is four years old today. I don't know how this is possible and yet I think I say something like this every year. The time goes by so quickly and in what most often feels like the blink of an eye, she's another year older... and so am I!

Yesterday we had Zachari's family party at Panera. We were probably the only people to host a four year old's birthday party such a restaurant, but I suggested it because I knew their community room was large enough (and free!) and girlfriend loved the idea! Here she is in the parking lot before we went inside with the bundle of balloons Papa picked up. I love the pop of color amidst the gray and rainy day.

We turned a lot of heads as we walked through the crowded restaurant with all those balloons, a bag of decorations, a baby boy in a stroller and a birthday cake!

Brother was amazed by all the balloons and for probably the first 20 minutes or so, he just sat in a daze, eating Cheerios and marveled at their beauty. He's been on antibiotics for a couple days now for an ear infection and respiratory gunk, poor guy. He was actually pretty clingy during the party and you could tell he just didn't feel well, but he was a trooper. He was happy to celebrate Sister and didn't make a fuss or whine about his own discomfort at all. 

 We all had a nice time together and as usual, Z was slightly spoiled with lots of gifts. Her favorite ones were a bathrobe, cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat. Matt and I were downstairs before she woke up this morning and we heard her two little feet come down from her ladder, then scurry off a bit before coming downstairs. She needed to get her birthday morning attire on, apparently because this is how she appeared!

In the middle of hte living room floor she saw this, her gifts from us (and the Bells). We got her the sled, two dresses from Old Navy and inside the biggest box she found more dress up stuff, pictured below. She cracks me up in that photo!

After service we made a last minute decision to go to Bob Evans, another one of Z's favorites (she's such an old soul as far as her restaurant preferences, eh?). Here I am with her as we waited for a table...

And here's how Brother spent most of the time there: Coat still on, propped up in the booth against's Matt's coat and the booster seat we thought he'd sit in. Precious boy...

I love the innocent, beautiful-girl, sweet expression on her face here. 

With a few minutes to spare, Brother woke up and was super excited to learn how to blow bubbles through straw. Happy birthday to you, Sister!

Its been a great weekend and tomorrow Z will get to celebrate with her preschool class. This little lady who loves fiercely and rocks our world all the time is who made me a mother. She is my favorite. I'm so happy that we get to celebrate another year of her gift of a life. 

More birthday celebrations

On the 18th I was fortunate enough to get to celebrate my birthday - again - with some very dear friends. In what's becoming a tradition, I feasted on the deliciousness at Haiku on their beautiful patio. 

This year after dinner the girls and I headed back home where my amaze-balls husband had created a dreamy scene for us. White lights hanging in the bushes and the trees, white tealights hanging in mason jars all around the yard, colorful handmade bunting, a beautifully set table complete with a cheesecake sampler (a secret fave of mine!), smoked gouda with crackers, Oreos (!), and kettle chips. All things I love, all things I don't allow myself to get very often, all things my husband chose and then displayed with such care. 

And as if that wasn't enough, last night was my 25th birthday date with Dad. Wha??? We sat on the Patio at Tucci's and I enjoyed a divine glass of riesling with my scallops, salad and sides. It was a touch muggy, but that's August for ya. It was a nice evening for sure.

I love birthdays and I especially love the chance to celebrate mine multiple times. I am one very blessed woman!