With a little help from my friends

So may I just share a really happy story?

So three years ago one of my "kids" got this vest for school and I was totally in love. It's from gap kids and since I oddly can fit into gap kids xxl (haha) I went to get one. Sadly they were sold out and never restocked. Everytime Emmie would wear it to school I would say how much I loved it and I wished it fit be because I would steal it.

So Emmie's mom asked me to stop by after work the other night because the kids got their new photos done and she had my yearly set:)

I did, and the photos came out great. Ps not to brag but I got a bigger size than wallets which I think makes me special. haha.

Then Annie (mom) told me Em to bring in my gift.

Gift? I was so confused.

Then Annie explained this was supposed to be for my 21st birthday which was almost two years ago, but it took forever to find.

When I pulled back the tissue paper I just cried and was literally speechless.

I kept saying "are you serious?" and "how did you even remember?"

She said she looked on Ebay everyday for over a year and finally one still with the tags came up and she snatched right up.

She kept apologizing it was two years late and I just kept hugging her.

It was probably one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me.

I was overwhelmed by such sweetness and the realization that people really care.

People care. Even if you don't see them everyday. Even if they never call. Even if you only spend small amounts of time together. Even if all you did was teach their kids preschool.

They care. You leave imprints on hearts even when you are unaware.

Love has no boundaries and knows no time frames.

"Love is real, it is not just in poetry and stories, it is truth and it will follow you everywhere you go from now on."

xoxo j

I would have stayed with you.

Oh a lovely weekend indeed!

This weekend was boyfriends birthday and because he is far from home we wanted to be sure it was a good one:)

We are pretty tight knit with the family I nanny for. We go over there at least once a month for family dinner, and always love it. We just really love those kids and their parents are amazing. We gain just good life things from them.

Anyway, on Friday it was Derek's birthday (dad), and the family invited us out to eat so we could celebrate both birthdays together.

Of course we would never pass it up, we had a really lovely time. And all my kids hand made Greg birthday cards. It was so cute!

I snuck out Saturday morning to have some Bethany Joy time. She made me a super yummy breakfast and showed me her SUPER cute new apartment. I was pretty jealous;)

Here's one of her adorable decorating ideas from the living room,

SO inspiring.

Also saturday we Greg and I had a super simple "us" day. We had a bunch of random errands to run. My boy HATES to shop, especially for clothes. But, with winter coming and his only two pairs of pants both filled with holes, I decided to make him.

That night we had birthday dinner with Greg's meal of choice. We just hung out with the family, opened gifts, and both sketched in our notebooks. (did I mention I got a new craft journal!?) We watched movies and and had cupcakes. It was very cozy.

On sunday, we got invited to Greg's ceramic professors house to help press cider. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! The house itself was definetly Greg's dream house. Log Cabin style. The inside was to die for. And being a ceramics genius he had made everything. All the dishes, all the tiling on the floor and countertop, and even the bathroom sink.

I could barely take it all in.

The whole afternoon was filled with veggie chili, apple crisp, wonderful conversation, kids, the outdoors, and the most amazing freshly pressed cider, ever.

I wish I could spend more of my days there. It was definitely rest for the soul.

I hope you all had a peaceful weekend as well.

I have things stirring in my head and will hopefully share some of these things soon.

xoxo jbird