dear september

Dear September,

You are always such a welcome visitor.  You know how to make the most of your stay... always bearing gifts of cooler weather and football season... how can anyone not enjoy your company?

You were a month full of... front porch weather... lots of tomatoes... scarves & cardigans... hot tea mornings... pumpkin candles... saturday shopping trips... photography classes... polka-dot pants... delivery day photo shoots... broadway shows... date nights... cheesecake... never-ending checklists... and fingerprinting... Never a dull moment, I tell ya.

If only you could stay longer... with your perfect temperatures.  Please tell October to be good to us and not get too cold, too early...  Thanks.  I appreciate it.

Goodbye September... Hello October...

Love,

Julia

PS... Happy birthday to the best little sister in the whole wide world!!  I love you Jenna!!  Hope you have a great day!!!

adoption update :: simple answers for complex questions

As Lance and I have posted updates regarding our adoption process, several questions have popped up... and I realized that besides this post, we really haven't said much about the adoption process at all.

So... I thought a little Q&A might be nice.  Each and every one of these questions could be a post on their own... and probably should... but for now, I'm just going to simply answer your questions.  Simple answers for complex questions...  I promise to elaborate on all of these questions at some point or another.

{Question 1}

What agency are you guys using?

     European Adoption Consultants (EAC).

{Question 2}

Are you doing domestic or international adoption?

     International.

{Question 3}

What country are you adopting from?

     Haiti.

{Question 4}

What is the timeline?

     About a year.

{Question 5}

You guys must be getting close, right?

     Nope.  We still have mountains of paperwork.

{Question 6}

Are you guys still trying to get pregnant?

     We're not preventing.

{Question 7}

What will you do if you get pregnant in the process?

     We will still adopt... and will then come home with 3 kids.

{Question 8}

Wait, what?  How many kids are you adopting?

     We are pursuing adopting 2 children.

{Question 9}

Are you adopting siblings?

     Maybe.  But not necessarily.

{Question 10}

Are you excited?

     Heck, yeah we are!!

So there you have it... simple answers to complex questions.  I promise to elaborate on these questions as we continue our journey!  In the meantime, your prayers are greatly appreciated as we move forward into unchartered territory.

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below...}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Progress.  Some of you may have already seen on Instagram or Facebook, but yesterday Lance and I went to get fingerprinted for our adoption paperwork.  This is necessary for the FBI background check they do on any parents seeking adoption... you know, to make sure we're not psychos or anything.  We still have a ridiculous amount of paperwork to complete, but getting this small task done before I leave for Atlanta made me feel so much better.  It's progress, people.

2) Hot showers.  I spend a lot of time being thankful for the unexpected, or seemingly "special," things in life... but rarely do I pause and give thanks for the everyday blessings that I so quickly take for granted.  Hot showers being one of those blessings.  It's amazing how much better I can feel after a hot shower, and I am truly grateful for the privilege to live in a house with not only a shower, but hot water too.

3) Wicked.  And the fact that I am going to see it TONIGHT!!!  I am beyond excited.  I love musicals... like dorkishly love them.  I haven't seen Wicked yet and it's been on my to-do list for quite some time... so to say I am giddy would be a major understatement.  I'm sure Lance is just as excited as I am... right, Lance?? ;)

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

Also linking up with:

Kate Says Stuff

The Fontenot Four

First Day of My Life

A Punk, a Pumpkin & a Peanut

he & she {fall edition}

he is taking his last few seminary classes.

she is taking a 5 week photography class.

they have put an offer on a house in Louisville.

he is preparing to renovate the above mentioned house.

she is preparing to decorate the above mentioned house.

they are sifting through massive amounts of adoption paperwork.

he is welcoming the football season.

she is welcoming the cooler weather.

they are welcoming change... any and all kinds.

top 10 :: fall fashion

Here are some of my favorite Fall looks this season...

{1} brown & black.

Go ahead... mix them together... it's okay.

{2} full prepster.  

Love this classic look... button-down under a cable knit.

{3} loafer love.

Loafers and leopard print!?!  Yes, please.

{4} neutral.

Loving how the subtle colors let the texture take the spotlight.

{5} sexy sweaters.

Who says a baggy sweater can't be sexy??  Loving this off-the-shoulder look.

{6} all girl.

Love the dark tights with the fun mustard skirt... and the scarf under the collar?? Love!

{7} bright & cheery.

Who says fall only includes browns and creams??  A little color can brighten up the gloomiest fall day.

{8} all buttoned up.

Blazers aren't just for business interviews anymore.

{9} bling, bling.

A little sparkle goes a long way... add some glitz to your neutral outfit for an entirely different look.

 {10} bad to the bone.

A leather biker jacket can toughen up even the prettiest dress.

What about you?  Any Fall looks that you're just dying to try this year?

Linking up with Angie at Many Little Blessings...
and Lena at Mom 2 Memphis & Ruby...

weekend festivities...

This "low-key" weekend didn't stay low-key for long.  I spent Friday night hanging out with friends while Lance drove to Georgia for the weekend.  Then my weekend got turned upside down when I received a phone call Saturday morning from this awesome couple saying they were heading to the hospital!!  It was delivery day for sweet Eliana!!

Jenny and Isaac checked into the hospital around 11:00am... I arrived at 12:00pm... and sweet little Eliana arrived at 12:37pm!!!  Yes. Thirty-seven minutes after I walked in the door!

It was an amazing day and I feel incredibly privileged to be a part of it.  More on the delivery day later... promise!

Because Eliana's delivery was so quick I had time to relax for a few minutes on the front porch.  Nothing says Saturday like caramel frapachinos and polka-dot pants!

I finished my frapachino just in time for the girls to start arriving! Love me a good girls' night... with lots of secrets, laughter, and nail polish:)

Love these girls!!!

Yesterday was Baptism Sunday at our church and Morgan, one of the girls from our Community Group, was getting baptized!!  She's the one on the far right.

It was so awesome to hear her testimony and watch her be baptized.  I will never tire of watching someone get baptized... so powerful.

Then my weekend came to a close with a sweet photo session of this little guy. This was actually photo session attempt #2... apparently Elan does not like to sleep for the camera... doesn't want to miss his close-up;)

All in all, a spectacular weekend.  Full of babies, baptisms and girls nights... oh, and polka-dot pants.  What about you?  How was your weekend?

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below...}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Family.  Last week my Aunt and Uncle were in town visiting for their anniversary... and Lance and I were lucky enough to meet up with them for dinner.  I am really close to my family and it's always a treat to get to spend time with them... especially since everyone is out-of-state and I normally only get to see them on holidays or special occasions.

2) Community Group.  I know I've talked about my community group on this blog before... but it bears mentioning again.  I.love.my.community.group.  Because Lance and I don't have any family that lives here in Louisville, our community group is very much our home-away-from-home here.  Our group recently multiplied because of our size, and this past week was our first week as our new group... and we were still 23 members strong... looks like we'll be multiplying again soon:)  We had a lot of new people this past week, and one thing that always warms my heart is when I see new people experience a true sense of family in community... some for the very first time.  It never gets old.

3) Dinner dates.  One of my very dear friends/co-workers is in Louisville this week traveling for work, and I LOVE that I am getting to hang out with her while she is in town.  We were able to meet up for a late dinner last night and will get to hang out again tonight... can't beat it.  Love this girl.

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

Also linking up with:

Kate Says Stuff

The Fontenot Four

First Day of My Life

A Punk, a Pumpkin & a Peanut

fall swap goodness

A few weeks ago some of my blogging friends decided to host a fun Fall Swap!  What??  Exchanging fall goodies via snail mail??  Count.me.in.  Anytime I can get something in the mail other than bills and credit card applications, I am all over it.

 It didn't take long before my goodie box arrived!!

Hanna from Adventures of a Florida Girl did not disappoint!  As soon as I opened the box, the smell of autumn filled my entire house!  Those spiced pumpkin candles... to die for!

 How cute is that little jeweled pumpkin!?!  And those cute little tin candles??  Amazing!

I loved her sweet note (and her handwriting!)... Hanna knows us all too well... fall definitely means football in our house, and I'll definitely be using all these goodies at our next game day gathering!  Cannot wait to try out that recipe!

I opened the windows in the home office... lit the pumpkin spice candle... and I swear, it was like fall straight slapped me in the face.  Hanna- thanks so much!!  I love my Fall Swap goodies!!

Here's what I sent over to my Fall Swap partner... Celia at High Heeled Life... but you can read more about that here:)

Thanks to Cami and Anna for hosting such a fun Fall Swap!!

top 10 :: "31 days" topic ideas

I've been thinking about doing something a little different on the blog for the month of October.  I've always loved reading The Nester's blog... and every year during the month of October she does a 31 days series... Not only challenging herself to blog about one specific topic for 31 days, but more than that, challenging herself to change & grow in one specific area for 31 days.  Last year she did a series on 31 Days of Lovely Limitations, and the year before that she did 31 Days to a Less Messy Nest... always inspiring.

I love the idea of joining in this year... blogging about my very own 31 days series... challenging myself to change & grow in a specific area... Here's the thing though... that means I have to blog thirty.one.days.in.a.row.  Yikes.  That's serious stuff people.  We're talking major commitment.

If I'm going to commit to blogging about something for 31 whole flippin' days... it's gotta be good.  That's where you come in.  I've thought of ten topics that I could blog about for the month of October... all of which will be super fun and super challenging.  Now I just need to pick one...

{1} 31 days of organization...

{2} 31 days of less...

{3} 31 days of restoration...

{4} 31 days of handmade...

{5} 31 days of documentation...

{6} 31 days of projects...

{7} 31 days of little things...

{8} 31 days of change...

{9} 31 days of creativity...

{10} 31 days of real clothes...

Which one would you want to read about for 31 days??

Linking up with Angie at Many Little Blessings 

a day in the life {little cat}

I've had some requests as to what Little Cat has been up to lately.  Ever since he was promoted in his line of work, he's been very busy.  It's a tough job maintaining both mine and his schedule... but he's a very diligent assistant... well, besides all the cat naps.  In order to give you a more accurate picture of what Little Cat's days look like, he asked if he could do "a day in the life" post... 

Sure thing LC... take it away... 

7:23am :: wake up

8:32am :: catch some morning cartoons

9:12am :: morning stretching and yoga

10:43am :: mid-morning cat nap

12:07pm :: lunch time... Panera, my treat...

12:58pm :: help with the dishes

1:34pm :: after-lunch cat nap 

3:14pm :: help with the laundry

3:42pm :: afternoon cat nap

5:03pm :: review the evening agenda

7:09pm :: game night... invite friends over for mexican train

10:34pm :: watch an episode of Gossip Girl

11:27pm :: nighttime reading

Little Cat keeps a pretty rigorous schedule... but that's the life of a working cat... it's hard work, I tell ya.

johnson family :: expecting!! {louisville maternity photographer}

Meet Isaac & Jenny.  

They are expecting their first baby any day now!  Jenny and Isaac have asked me to help document this special time in their lives... In March we got together to snap a few announcement photos... last month we did a full maternity session... and any day now we'll be documenting the big day!!  I always feel so privileged when a couple asks me to be a part of such special moments in their lives.  

As the delivery day quickly approaches, I wanted to post a few of my favorites so far...

{1}

{2}

{3}

{4}

{5}

{6}

{7}

{8}

Can't wait to meet sweet little Eliana!!  She'll be here before we know it!!  Which one is your favorite?