iphone photodump + lucky

This week I have woken up every morning at 4:30 on the dot. Thanks a lot, daylight savings. It's not the easy going wake up that you might picture for a person who wakes up early each morning. I don't glance at the clock and smile, yawn, stretch for a solid thirty seconds and then roll out of bed ready to start the day. No sir. I look at the clock and I groan. With sleepy eyes I unlock my phone and open my instagram, letting my eyes slowly adjust to the light and delaying the inevitable. Then I check my facebook. Then I check my pinterest. Sometimes I even check my email, if I'm realllyyy stalling. I talk myself out of going back to sleep for a good five minutes before I can force my legs to move us out of bed, where I end up stepping onto the cold tile floor of my bathroom and after emptying my extremely full bladder, I splash some cold water on my face. It never does the trick, but I try anyway. I mechanically put on my gym clothes, sometimes I quickly shave my pits because being a woman is the worst. I check the camera one more time to watch my babe sleeping soundly. I whisper to Rockie "stay!" as she jumps out of her doggie bed sleepily and shakes off excitedly, always assuming that she's going with me on whatever adventure I'm going on at that godforsaken hour while the world is still pitch dark.

4:30 in the morning is the worst.

BUT. (you knew there would be a but, didn't you?!)

But all of that being said. The misery of the early mornings and all, I do love my mornings. Don't try telling me that while I'm getting out of bed! But once it's noon I can declare my love with conviction and truth. I love my mornings! I love getting to the gym and seeing familiar friendly faces. I love working hard and feeling strong. I love driving home while the sun is barely beginning to peak over the mountain top, while the air is crisp and the ground is dewy. While the world is quiet. I love being greeted by an over anxious puppy each time I return home, and then tip toeing into Beck's room where he is wide eyed and smiling and ready to take on the day. For a beautiful twenty minutes or so it's just Beck and I. He giggles (he's ridiculously happy in the mornings!) and we cuddle and I darn near kiss his soft baby cheeks right off. Then he gulps his milk while I watch the headlining stories on Good Morning America. It's a whole different world, this space in time before the chaos and the busy and the bright light of the day.

But I still hate Daylight savings time. Just so we are clear.

Halloween has come and passed, and now we are well on our way to the real holidays. Dan and I are going to have THREE Thanksgiving dinners this month, can you believe that luck? We have our first of three this weekend for my side of the family and their annual thanksgiving getaway over the mountains. It's an insanely genius idea my lovely mother came up with years back. Have Thanksgiving, but not on Thanksgiving, to ensure that everyone can be there! Make a weekend out of it! Put us all together with brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins and grandkids and A POOL! It has worked like a charm. Our second feast will be our "friends-giving" in a couple of weeks. And then of course, Thanksgiving day that we spend with the hubs side of the family for dinner and my Dad's family for dessert. That's a lot of crazy and a lot of turkey my friends.

Speaking of luck, I am so looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow morning Dan and I are hitting the road for an outdoor expo down south. I won tickets to said expo, did I tell you that? I never win anything so this was all VERY lucky. After spending the entire day and night at the expo, analyzing kayaks that we'd like to buy and climbing rock walls and ogling over mountain bikes and watching outdoor films, we will turn around and head north where we should arrive at our next destination at approximately one o'clock in the morning. Pull out the party hats, we are teenagers again! (just kidding, pull out the COFFEE and bless that we make it out alive!) Then we will spend the rest of the weekend at a vacation condo filled with all of my family, lots of good food and sweatpants, 90's movies on repeat, twelve decks of cards and a pool!

It's the weekend life for me!

I'll update you on the trip with lots of pictures soon, you know. Until then here is a little photodump from the past week! My handsome boys are always keeping me on my toes and my life is simply grand. It's stupid how lucky I am.

TGIF (tomorrow!) xoxo