Lauren and Nick

Really just shamelessly bragging about how cute my friends are that are planning on getting married in January! My favorite of their engagement pictures that Ryan took a few months ago... I can't wait for the big day... so lovely. amb

creature comforts...

New favorite blog! Lately I've become addicted to creature comforts, I love that this blog fufills my every girlish whim giving me inspiration in fashion, gifting, crafting and cuteness. I especially love the free sections that is devoted entirely to giveaways and best of all little printable patterns, gift tags, cards and more. Seriously, go here now, you'll thank me!

A few photos that i love... inspired by love... from leloveimage...

Nativity

beautiful picture of the nativity story... I love the lyrics from this andrew peterson song that say "the baby in her womb, he was the maker of the moon, he was the author of the faith that can make the mountain move..." Sweet picture of the 1st christmas. merry christmas to all of you, you are loved and I pray that you find quiet moments to spend with loved ones and that your hearts find hope throughout the year. much love, ab

let's kazoo it

P.S. Two days ago at the hospital, there was a troop... yes a troop... of old people in their power scooters, scootering around the floors playing christmas carols for our patients... on kazoos! It was the most hilarious and heartwarming thing that I"ve seen in a long time. I seriously bet they spent months working up their lung capacities to play those crazy things! but they were having a blast, which made me smile and long to join their troop and spend the day kazooing songs for sick kids to make them laugh. Yea for old people with spunk and a sense of humor!

finally finished...

I've been so busy lately, that I've been a terrible blogger. I've finally finished my masters degree this week and look forward to graduation on Sunday and finally starting a "real" job for the first time in my adult life. Ryan asked me yesterday if it felt good to be finished and I don't think that its really sunk in yet. I totally anticipate waking up on Monday morning and not knowing what to do with myself. I'm thankful for time to relax and take a break, but worry that I will lose all of the momentum I have gained from working over the last 6 months. I still have days when I really don't want to work at all. I think that I would be content to wake up, drink coffee, walk olive, and sew or knit or read or play until ryan is done with work. But there is this other nagging side of me that really enjoys the thinking and challenge of working with kids. I love that its hard and that it makes my brain hurt and keeps me on my toes. I love that I feel like it matters. But I am so tired at the end of the day, and often sad that life is not fair, and that some tiny babies don't even get one day of normal or easy. So what to do? For now I'll wait and try to be patient. I'll try to convince myself that its good for me to apply for jobs and interview even though I have such a hard time getting started with something new. I'll wait to see what comes next... be back soon, love amb

paper, printing and such...

i have the day off today and i'm printing invivations to the bridal shower of one of my very favorite people. its cold outside and there is christmas music on the radio... life is good.

winter rain and vampire movies...

its been sooo long since I've posted. A month flies by now that I've been actually working everyday. as much as i'm ready to be finished with school (and working for free) I've actually become pretty accustomed to the 6 o'clock hour wake up, morning coffee, off to work routine... I didn't know if that day would ever come. And I still have days of wishing that I wouldn't need to get used to it, but for now... its good.

its raining outside the window and we just got home from seeing "Twilight" at the angelika... there are few things that I can think of that are more entertaining than a fairly well done vampire romance. seriously, I liked the movie! it was fun and compelling in that " i want to kiss you, or maybe suck your blood" kind of way. A good date movie seeing as its has both kissing and killing. anyways, it was a nice interlude on a wednesday night in humid houston as we wait for winter to arrive.

hope you guys are doing great, i'm counting down the days until christmas and in the meantime i will be doing the following: talking ryan into spending extra to get a noble fir christmas tree for the apartment ( i love these), driving around looking at the fancy houses with pretty while lights that are (sadly) professionally hung, lusting after wrapping paper, drinking peppermint mocha coffeemate, and watching all the cheesy christmas movies i can get my hands on starting with 1. family stone 2. love actually 3. elf 4. home alone... be back soon! amb

i guess today will go down in history...

today either our first black president or first female vice president will be elected... I feel that this is monumental. And I'm glad that our country is motivated to produce some sort of change, hopefully it will be for the better so that we can regain hope in our leaders, in our nations. i went to vote today and it was fairly uneventful and I was slightly disappointed. I think that I was expecting the buzz that surrounded the primaries this year. But still, I felt good for fulfilling my civic duty. I think that I'll try to track down one of those U.S. coloring sheets tonight and sit in front of the tv, coloring in the states red and blue as the votes are counted, just like I did when I was ten... the excitement is building.

words for my soul...

I loved loved loved reading this post from purlbee that talks about the domestic lives of women past and present... take a read...

"Although visually stunning and inspiring to read, the pictures and stories in The Gentle Art of Domesticity are not what drew me in the most. In the introduction, Jane calls attention to something that I and I'd guess lot of women of my generation think seriously about every day--the choice many of us have between staying at home with family or going out into the workforce, or even doing both. She remembers that in the seventies (when I was born), feminism was mainstream again and young girls were being raised to have a greater sense of independence through career. To the feminist thinkers of the time, the domestic arts were a throwback to the days when women's lives were relegated to the home, and soon enough they became devalued as quaint and irrelevant. Having become a woman with both a professional and a domestic life, Jane reports that she sometimes felt embarrassed by her love of knitting, sewing, and baking and hid her creations, thinking she was alone in valuing these skills. Well, it's certainly clear by the publication of this book, the popularity of yarnstorm and other blogs like it, and the resurgence of craft circles and retailers that she isn't alone. I know that I enjoy spending much of my spare time in the kitchen, or with a pile of wool in my lap, or at the sewing machine, and that I feel great satisfaction in both the process and the product of these pursuits. And most of all, I'm glad that I was given a choice. Thank you Jane!"

I too feel that some of my favorite times are sitting quietly on the floor with my knitting in my lap, trying a new recipe, wrapping a gift, or sewing at my machine. I want to be less embarrased of this side of my heart, I want to share these things with other women in my life. I want to fully enjoy the wonders of being a girl...

kids are funny...

so today, we went in to evaluate a little boy with a leukemia, four years old, who had a bone marrow transplant yesterday. I walk into the room expecting to find a weak, quiet still little guy laying in bed, lethargic and shy. Um yeah... instead, I found a little bald boy, with huge brown eyes standing beside his bed showing me his yoga poses... no kidding, his yoga poses... and not the easy ones, the really hard ones where you have to balance on one foot. He then proceded to ask me "can you bring me a little running machine, because I'm really good at running, but I need a little running machine, because I am little..." All this was done as he stood his tiny self up by the bed in only a monster t-shirt and a diaper, connected by at least 10 wires to his IV pole... Kids are funny, and completely amazing.

home again...

my sweet husband is home... sleeping safely in our bed... what more could a girl ask for? sweet dreams-amb

when ryan is gone...

when ryan is gone, i am typically a sad, melodramatic, ball of emotions. i don't like being left behind... this is a theme that has been consistent in my life since i was a little girl. My mom used to tell me these hilarious stories of how I would pretty much go to the ends of the earth to prevent being left out of a family activity. I'm a "clan" person as ryan calls it, I do best when I have one or a few people around me that I am completely safe with, that I know won't let me down and that i can just stand by if things get scary or unpredictable. What can I say? I'm a shy girl at heart.

Anyways, this week since ryan has been in Uganda, I've been trying another path, the one that is less afraid to hang out with my neighbors instead of hiding away alone in my apartment, the one that makes plans and has fun on my own. I want so much to be a wife that is interesting and independent in that mysterious kind of way, but usually this really just isn't me. I'd rather snuggle with ryan on the couch and let him be the interesting one... I'm okay with that, I fit there. But when he goes on trips, I'm forced to unearth the more brave me and do things on my own, and I'm really thankful for these times. I'm thankful that when he gets home from world traveling that I have a few of my own stories to share. That as he's telling me stories of Africa, I can tell him stories of our neighborhood, the kids at work, and time with friends. So I'm trying to keep being brave, and marveling at how my friend Robin went without her husband for months when he was in the army, without any family near by (you amazing me robs!)

So its been a good week, so far at least. I'm so thankful for busy days at the hospital with kids that make me laugh so hard! I'm thankful for the fact that cell phones work in Uganda, and I'm thankful for a God that I know is with me all the time, not just when ryan is gone (even though I'm especially thankful for this!) but all the time... in every way, and that He cares about the little parts of me that still get lonely, shy and afraid. love love, amb

first day...

I got to be in a room (or several rooms shall we say) with 100 of the ittyest bittyest babies in the world yesterday...

i love texas children's

more to come...amb

the official no fun blog

my blog has become so "no fun" lately. We just got our internet back today and i'm excited to post some pictures soon!! I've been posting from the iphone lately, which is admittedly a nice luxury, but I can't figure out how to post pictures from it, so the blog has been so sad and boring lately, just lines and lines of words with no fun extras. But alas! Life is returning to normal and I promise to post some pics of the hurricane damage and other random goodness soon. Love to all! AMB

P.S. Tomorrow I move to Texas Children's Hospital to begin my last three months as an OT student and spend some quality time with the little tikes!! I can't wait to tell you all about it!

let there be light!!

the booths are happily home, watching a movie with lights (and more importantly a/c ) ON!! I guess we have officially survived Ike as long as we can keep from running out of gas. We love you guys. Amb

power at brians

Brian has power so for now we'll be camping out there.

after ike...

first of all, we are safe. We still have no power and our phones are only working about 25% of the time. Ike was really bad and until this morning, we were blocked in my parents house by about 12 pine trees that were knocked down as if they were twigs. Ryan and I are headed down into town to check out the status of our apartment, we've heard that there is debris everywhere down by us... We'll see. Currently we see sitting through a gross traffic jam on I-45 (boo)... We took a bunch of pictures of the aftermath so I'll try to upload them as soon as we have power again. Until then, we'll be eating everything out of the fridge and thanking god for our safety. Love you guys...amb

hurricane IKE huh?...

this should be interesting... I'll keep you updated

P.S. No work tomorrow!!!... Amazing

survival...

This post is primarily for mel, who requested more internship stories...So, after 10 weeks of working at a long term acute care hospital (for no pay mind you) here are some of my thoughts on life.

First of all, this is not where I want to be working, it is hard and sad and even though I feel like I usually have a pretty good head on my shoulders as far as balancing work/home... this has been especially hard for me. A lot of days, I come home feeling like a weight is hanging off of my shoulders. Not only because there are days when I feel like nothing I do matters to my patient's, but also because some days I end up feeling like life is unfair and ultimately miserable for most people. What do you do with that? Thankfully, I have a beautiful husband to come home to who cheers me up (and takes me to happy hour if needs be) and who reminds me that I am loved regardless of what job I have, or how my day goes. But still, I feel this weight pressing down on me. Everyday when I get to work, there is a chart that tells us who has been discharged/admitted/fallen and then expired... I don't like this part of my job. Its not that I don't like thinking about the fact that people die, because I know that its part of life. But its the fact that this has become so unsurprising to me. I don't like feeling apathetic about death, like is doesn't matter, its just one person to cross off of the daily list. But how do you work in this environment, where people frequently die, and not end up feeling this way? If you don't, then you wouldn't be able to get anything done, you'd be so heartbroken and discouraged that you'd never be able to contribute anything good. But I've struggled these last few months with finding a balance. Feeling compassion, but also being able to let go. I keep wondering why God has me here, what lesson am I supposed to be learning? I'm still really unsure, but I do feel stretched and most of the time in my spiritual life, this is a very good thing. I don't like it, or enjoy it, but its good, and I do believe that truth comes from struggling...

The second thing I've learned is that most people do not age gracefully. Especially people who are older and sick tend to be unpleasant and cold. They don't know how to find hope anymore and don't know how to see past their own circumstances. Then there are the rare few, like the 97 year old gentleman (because that is what he is) that I'm treating now, that have this unbelievable grace. I believe that these few are chosen specifically by God because being 97 and outliving not only your friends and spouse, but also your children is not something I would wish on anyone, yet these sweet few choose not to be bitter or hateful, but still kind and loving. I'm so thankful for these people who have lifted my spirits after a hard day or week of feeling useless and like I'm not making any difference at all. I pray and God would give me the strength to have a heart like this, so filled with His love that it overflows onto others even when I'm tired, even when I'm hurting, even if everyone I love has gone.

Anyways... just a few thoughts, sorry mel, these weren't exactly funny stories. I actually have a few really great ones right now, but they aren't exactly internet appropriate (too many bodily functions involved). I am looking forward to transitioning to Texas Children's Hospital in the next few weeks. In my mind, my days will be filled with smiles and hugs... but I know that sick kids have struggles too and I'm going to need more patience and grace than i can imagine. We'll see how it goes. I'll try to keep you guys updated. Thanks for listening... love love amb

New Blog and Life...

Okay, so to answer patty's comment, I haven't yet decided if I'm really going to switch over to the wordpress blog. First of all, I can't really figure out how to make it look like this blog which I've gotten used to. The new one is just plain weirding me out. I'm assured that the wordpress system is far better and yadayadayada, but I just can't commit yet. So I'll let you guys know if I decide to make the final switch. Until then, here is home...

Secondly, a friends of the Larsen's, Life's parents (see below) have written them a song about Life that is available for downloading... the wrote the song with the intentions of raising some money to help out with their medical bills. My nephew was born 7 weeks early this year, so we know how expensive stays in the NICU are. I know that Matt and Lauren would appreciate any help people are willing to give... and its a really sweet little song. Anyways, i wanted to pass along the link...

love you guys, ab

oliver + S

P.S. Oliver + S just released their new children's patterns for fall.... adorable

this weekend the whole family headed to austin to help john and susie pack up their cute apartment and head off to san francisco! I'm excited for them as they begin this chapter of their life together and I'm jealous of the cool weather and adventures that are in their future. Ryan and I have actually considered moving to SF after graduation in December, but I guess we'll just have to wait to see what happens.

These are the things that I think that John and Susie should do first....
1. Eat enough "unfortunate" fortune cookies in China town that they get sick to their stomachs and have to lie down on the sidewalk
2. Visit the mechanical toy museum and take a photo strip in the vintage photo booth (this photo booth has the best exposure of any I've ever been in...)
3. Teach tippy (the pup) how to poop on the concrete sidewalk... this should be interesting

That's all I can think of for now seeing as I've only spent 36 hours in the city so far. But I know they are going to have a great time. I can't wait to visit.

blog switch up....

so darling readers, following the advice of my super-computer genius little brother and husband, I'm working on transitioning both of my blogs (this one and purlgurl.blogspot.com) to wordpress sites. They are currently under construction and will have the same titles just insert wordpress instead of blogspot in the URL. For instance www.tripholdingyourhand.blogspot.com will become www.tripholdingyourhand.wordpress.com etc... I think that the layout and flexibility will be better on the wordpress sites and it allows you to upload larger pictures and blog from the iphone interface. Anyways... to much info, but I just wanted to give you guys the heads up!

P.S. We've been participating in the world's busiest weekend of all time, but we are having a great time... granddaddy chuck's 82nd b-day party in waco- check... Robin's graduation party in college station- check... ryan's family dinner in the woodlands-check... john and susie's going away to san fran party on the schedule for this afternoon! Pictures to come... love love amb

pray for life

please pray for little life larsen


Http://www.aroyalallegiance.blogspot.com

the new iphone

Ryan is the best husband ever and stood in line again to get my new iPhone this morning... So now I'm posting my first entry from it...yea!

The next step will be learning to post pictures from it!

this made me laugh...

Who thinks that we should dress Olive up like this for Halloween this year? This picture completely made me laugh, I don't know if they are supposed to be circus monkeys or the scary flying monkeys from the wizard of oz, but either way, i love them!

Lauren and Nick.... yea!

ENGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGED!!!!!!!

Congratulations to my two sweet friends... here's to waking up with the one you love...

In the Soil...

Please come see Ryan's Photography on display at Xnihilo Gallery at Ecclesia. Opening Friday, July 25, 2008.

Happy Birthday LEK...

one day late posting, but i love you nontheless!

olive's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weekend!

So... since i posted yesterday about olive, her weekend has taken a turn for the worst. Last night, she somehow managed to stab her left eye with the plastic end of a balloon that I was (whoops) letting her play with. After letting out a very sad yelp, her eye immediately started swelling up! For a dog who already has bug eyes, this is a very very sad sight. So, being the caring, yet financially impaired dog owners that we are, we tried to apply an ice pack to her eye (not very successful) and gave olive several cloves of fresh garlic, which I have heard from many sources can work as a natural antibiotic (for people and animals apparently). So we ended up with a much subdued and quite smelly dog with one giant eyeball.

This is when the story goes even further south. Ryan works on Sun mornings, so Olive and I got up and took a walk to starbucks before we had to get ready for church. I thought this would be a nice treat because I was still feeling bad about the balloon incident. Little did I know that a beastly little white dog would attack olive on the starbucks porch and put two puncture wounds in her little face... on the SAME SIDE as her already swollen and pitiful eye!!! This stupid little crazy dog actually dragged olive about a foot by her lip! Poor dogger... anyways, i now feel like the absolute worst pet owner of all time! I'm trying to spoil her today by allowing her to sleep in her favorite spot between the big pillows on our bed. She's snuggled up next to me on the couch as I type, so I think that she's going to be alright and has forgiven me for not protecting her against crazed dogs and poking balloom stems.

How do people have children?? ... Seriously....

olive + johnny jump up

this is what happens when my brother and I have too much time on our hands and my baby nephew just got a new johnny jump up seat...

Egg Press...

Just wanted to share a super cool website of a company that does letter pressed invitations, birth announcements and prints... you know me, loving all things that have to do with really awesome paper good, this was right up my ally. Check it out here. I'm not sure when I would ever need or be able to afford something printed by them, but it sure is fun to browse. Maybe one day when I open my knitting/paper/coffee shop, I'll get them to do my business cards... until then! amb

old people...

i truly do love old people... old people sounds like a negative phrase, but I don't mean it that way at all, these are amazing, entertaining and awesome people. In the past few days I've been called darling, sweetheart, beautiful, and honey and have been patted on the hand numerous times.... what could make you feel any better than that?? So even though this internship was an unexpected last minute situation, I'm so thankful today to be working with these people... they make me smile... and laugh, especially when they tell nurses that they are going to smack them. hehehe....

off to work...

beginning my life as a working adult... and actually working 7:30 to 5... doesn't seem fair somehow...

wish me luck tomorrow!

love, amb

a few thoughts...

there are some really cool things about living in a big city... even if that big city happens to be Houston. there is no avoiding the fact that houston is one of the hottest, sweatiest placed on the earth, but still it has its charms. in the past two years, R and I have discovered that we can walk to the grocery store, multiple coffee shops, three amazing cafes, the library, a huge city park, and three impressive museums (MoMa, Natural Science, MFA) all within ten minutes (seriously... just strolling). I've loved getting to the point where I actually feel like I know my neighborhood personally, and that it knows me somehow...

I have all of these little strange things I love to do around here, one of my favorites is driving down west gray and spotting ballerinas. this may sound strange, but the houston ballet central studio is on this street and whenever i am in the area, i love to look up and down the sidewalks for male and female ballerinas who prance down the street go to and from rehearsal. Even though the are dressed in street clothes, there is always something distinctly dancer-ish about them. (i love this because i have always secretly wished that I had these dancer-ish qualities). I have always loved ballerinas and everything ballet, i only had about a 3 month dancing career at age 4, but i have always dreamed of what it would have been like to be a true dancer... looking so slender and graceful in tights and a leotard, and leaping, spinning and well basically floating around a stage. My favorite book growing up was called "dance tanya dance" and some part of my still feels like this little 3 year old girl watching through the window as her older sister practices ballet... hoping that she'll get her chance one day... i truly love being a girl sometimes... we are allowed to be dorky and wistful at the same time.

anywhoo...silly random thoughts, hope you guys are having a great day... I'm off to prepare for my first day of work on Mon!
much love, amb

snocones part II

so if you've been reading, you know about my intense confusion and anger about the snocone (or lack thereof) situation in Houston... I have actually been hardcore online researching possible locations and so far have subjected ryan and my parents to three (yes three) completely failed searches for these delicious summer treats... The most recent trip yesterday began with me sitting upstairs googling every version on snocone + houston, tx (ex: snocone, shaved ice, hawaiian ice, snowcone, etc) Excitedly, I found a place that I've never seen listed before... here is was "hawaiian splash" and only 1.5 miles from the house. So, RB and i set out on an afternoon bike adventure... needless to say we were foiled once again, there was no hawaiian splash, in fact there was really nothing at all at the address listed. Never believe the internet, apparently it lies! So we are still here, still hot and even closer now to quitting our jobs and starting a snocone chain. The search continues...




this is how olive and I feel about this situation...

home again.

here are a few videos and pictures from our little trip as promised... you can watch me swing from a giant tree, which was quite fun, but made me realize just how OLD I'm getting! I was seriously perched about 30 feet off of the ground debating whether or not I could make it up this stupid tree or whether i should just let go and fall to the ground, because at the time that actually sounded slightly less scary than standing on a rusty nail in bare feet while hoisting myself onto a skinny tree branch... i don't know what possessed me to ever go up there! Anyways... we had a really fun time and i just wanted to share these with you guys for fun. Hopefully I'll keep this blog more current now that rb and I finally have internet at our house (yea!) much love, amb






p.s. i didn't actually smash into the tree... although ryan is definitely laughing at my weeny girl yelp.
p.p.s also notice random highschool boy yelling "you're gay" at one of his friends at the end... gotta love 15 year old males...

mini vAcA...

rpb and I have spent the last few days on a mini vacation in the Texas hill country. Some friends were kind enough to let us use their amazing house on the blanco river while they have been out of town, so we have been hammock swinging, river floating, rope swinging and generally just lazing around. We have also discovered that wimberley, tx has possibly the BEST snow cone stand of all time. This guy even has organic juice snow cones, how cool is that?? We have become fast friends and have been stopping by daily to try new flavors. I have now decided that instead of finishing my no fun upcoming internships I will be opening a snow cone stand in Houston... the city that for some reason doesn't put two and two together and realize that the only way to survive a 100+ degree summer is by consuming 1000's and 1000's of snow cones.... anyways...(that was a bit of a rant...)



So... we have been having a grand time and will sadly return to real life tomorrow to pick up our pup from the grandparents' house and go home to prepare for my last week of summer. I miss you guys, especially you lek and mel (thanks for reading!) and I hope to see you soon. we took a few funny videos of ryan and i rope swinging and tree jumping... yes, tree jumping.. so I'll have to post those from home in the next few days!

video bananza...

adventures in babysitting...

spending the day hanging out with ryan, olive and baby D! Here are a few pictures from our many adventures today. 

Blogging from an iphone... Sooo dorky!

LEK

for lauren, my only "blog world" fan... love you. amb

finals are finished...

nuf said...

more blogging to come soon. 

amb

Etsy favs...

some of my most recent favorites from etsy.com... check them out for hours of entertainment and procrastination. Love, amb

caught up...

I've been so caught up in life lately, trying to finish school, my thesis, all of these loose ends that need to by tied. I'm longing for a week/month/year of quiet, still, knitting, sewing, creating on my own time without a schedule. Sometimes I wonder if I'm cut out to be an adult... I worked for four "full-time" days this week at M.D. Anderson and I was utterly exhausted. I wonder if I'll be able to have a real job after school and have anything left over to give to the people that I love...

I'm wanting the pace of things to slow slow slow down for a while...

So here's me...longing for the French countryside...

until later, amb

charlie...

I've been laughing about this for days now... please please please go to lauren's blog and watch this hilarious video. It will make your day.

Much love, amb

so funny...

So, how funny is that?? This is little-D getting his first bath at home and I think he was pretty stinking mad about it. But I love his expression...

Anyways, i've been slacking on my blogging lately, mostly because the whole family was flipped upside down with the baby coming early and the madness and business that followed. But life has been very sweet lately, welcoming a new tiny addition to the family and spending time trying to wrap my mind around what needs to be done during my last semester of grad school. 

It was interesting to be in the NICU with D this month and watch the nurses, OTs, doctors etc...immersed working in this world of little tiny people who need to be cared for. I've thought a lot about pursuing a job working in a NICU as an OT, but wonder if I'd be able to handle the sadness/stress/emotions that come with taking care of kids who sometimes enter the world with so many strikes against them.  Many times in the past, working with children who are sick or have a disability, I have felt angry... mad that God doesn't explain Himself a lot of the time. So many kids never have one easy day... a day to just be, without struggling. But then again, do any of us really have easy days, or do we just get so used to numbing out the hurt, the struggle. Maybe it would be healing somehow to embrace the hurt of others, to attempt in some way to be there to give support to families and babies when they need to be loved and listened to. I wonder if I'll be brave enough, smart enough, patient enough... I wonder where I'll land.

Tidbit for the day... new favorite blog the ripple effect (amazing and inspiring)

Back soon...AB

the new little fam...

dylan and mary...

for those of you following little dylan's progress here's a little update of the last few days...

Little D is still in the NICU, but able to come and visit mom in her room at least once per shift. this is an amazing answer to prayer since mary is still struggling with borderline blood pressure and isn't able to go to the NICU to visit him. Dylan is doing great, looking more and more beautiful everyday. He will probably be in the hospital for a little while until he gains some weight. Overall, we have been so thankful for God's grace in this whole process and would love continued prayers for mary's blood pressure to continue to fall and for mom and baby to be able to come home as soon as possible. We love all of you very much.

who we've been hanging out with lately...

the DAY has arrived!!

Dylan Anderson Yarbrough has arrived! A little earlier than scheduled, but he is completely awesome already! He's bitty bitty weighing in at 4 lbs 4 oz... 16 inches long with curly blonde hair just like his momma... pictures to come soon, but for now check www.ryanbooth.net/dylan

much love amb

robert ryan...

Have you heard about this guy?? I was browsing around on Etsy (this website is a time warp!) and i came across these amazing paper cutouts by robert ryan.

I honestly don't know how he does all of that intricate work?? I just thought that I would share something that made me smile today, in case you were in need of one. I love that people still make things that can be held. Even though I really enjoy blogging, my favorite things in life are things you can touch and hold... a real letter sent through the mail, soft fabric, and hand knit scarf, a black and white photo of my grandmother that sits on my counter.... i still like simplicity... Anyways, i loved the line from the last image, it makes me remember a story about ryan...

my last year in college, i was admiring ryan from afar. We were friends, but I was wishing he would notice me or ask me out... something. he was acting a lot that semester in plays and i would go with friends and watch from the audience and wish for him. what a dumb girlie thing to do! But alas, I am occasionally quite dumb and girlie... One of the plays he was in was called "you can't take it with you", a quirky play about a family and a young couple in love. Anyways, ryan's character proposed to a cute dark haired girl on stage and after she accepts he spouted my favorite line from the play "If you know of a good rooftop...I'd like to do some shouting..." So sweet....onto the story

after the play i waited to see him in the hall and after talking for a minute i turned to leave... and ever so subtly he winked at me! it was the smoothest, sweetest wink, just for me... and it was the first time that i thought he might actually think of me as special, and it made me smile... for days. So......i love this quote above that says

"i can't forget and I never will, you smiled at me and from nothing, something came"

almost three years...

tomorrow i will have been married for three years... this amazes me sometimes. I got married when i was 22 years old... 22, holy cow. i marvel that i could have made such a life altering decision when i was so young. I'm still feel so young most of the time, not really feeling like I know how to be an adult, to make adult decisions... like i don't really have it "together" but no one has noticed. But at 22 years old, i knew that marrying ryan would be the best decision i would ever make. He is my best friend and the best partner i could have imagined. My mom told me when we were dating that I would never be bored with ryan and she has been so right. He challenges me in ways that make me like myself more. He helps me to be adventurous and brave ... he makes me feel smart and beautiful.

Our story is a pretty sweet one... we actually met in junior high school. Shared friends, and teachers and secret letters in the summer time. I remember once in 7th grade writing my now married name on a napkin and wishing that one day i could marry this boy. Now after living with him for three years, i know that life isn't a fairytale, its beautiful and messy, hard at times and wonderfully easy at others. But I know for a fact that my life is better with this man in it. He puts up with my craziness, holds me when I'm scared, leaves me notes around the house, forgives readily, and loves wildly. And I couldn't ask for anything more. I'm so glad he's mine.

new years...

ry and I just returned from our "tour de texas" whirlwind of a new years holiday adventure... we managed to hit austin, dallas and a little town called Gun Barrel, TX (no... i'm not kidding). We had so much fun with the Suttons and I was reminded of how wonderful it is to be our age... we are young enough to still really play, but old enough to appreciate it... actually i hope i'm never too old to play and be silly and laugh at myself.

Sooo... now we are back home in our cozy, bitty apartment and life is slowing done for now. I'm looking forward to one more week of nothing before school starts again and I start worrying about all of the things that i feel like i need to do. i pray that this year God teaches me to rest more and more, to choose to trust His timing, his peace to be enough even when everything in our culture tries to convince us that we don't have enough. I'm so bad at comparing myself to my friends and even people that I don't even know. I start feeling like I'm behind schedule and that I'm never going to catch up.... i just want to be me even though i don't even really know what that means sometimes. I want to be ok and just be. why is that so hard most of the time? Anyways, in the meantime I'm going to knit, drink coffee, listen to the new Eisley and hang out with my cute husband and sweet puppy... sounds pretty good huh?