When I started this blog, it was a writing exercise.
I wanted to write, but I never found the time.
The purpose of the blog was to make me write.
The advice is always to write about what you know.
Choosing the name was happenstance...yeah, sure that works...I can write about our life.
That is something I know about.
The Hubinator had a blog too.
About trees and plants and green living and ecology.
He was frustrated with himself that he never made time for it.
Calling this blog OUR life in words would allow him to contribute.
But he still hardly does and has come to the realization that it's not his thing.
So, it is really MY life in words.
Well, ok, not really.
I write about ALL of OUR lives,
but these are my thoughts and opinions.
So much has changed since I began this blog.
We are homeschooling.
We have grown as a family.
I have made friends that have encouraged me to live more authentically.
I like to post about that journey.
Although I am a complete amateur, I have been inspired to learn about photography from reading other blogs.
I love to include photos in my posts...
so it's not really Our Life in WORDS anymore...
it's Our Life in Words and Photos...
I am thinking that a name change is in order.
I am thinking something that summarizes everything about what I want this blog to be.
On our second date, Jason told me that when he sees strangers, he tries to imagine what their lives are like. When we are out and about, if we pass a house with lights on, he will often say to me,
"Tell me about the people who live there...is he a doctor? is she a stay at home mom? how many kids do they have? what do they do in their spare time?"
And we will make up a story about these strangers' lives.
Blogging is the view.
It's the glimpse into the life of someone you never would have met had you not happened across their blog.
I sometimes think we may know a bit more about someone
from their blog than we would in real life
only because on your blog you share pictures and your {uninterrupted} thoughts.
I seldom see a photo of my friends' meals or projects in progress or the inside of their closets before and after organization...reading blogs, however, gives me that glimpse.
{Into how we are all different and how we are all the same.}
I am thinking I want this blog to be a glimpse into our home,
our thoughts and our lives.
Thinking about those warm, cozy homes with the lights on in the window
and my husband asking me, "Tell me about the people who live there..."
I think of what all of those homes have in common...an address...
I am thinking that an address is perfect...
it's an invitation in...
to see what we are cooking,
what we are learning,
what we are thinking,
what we are doing,
what we are reading,
where we are going...
In 2001, we bought our second home.
An adorable Cape Cod style house.
The former owners had built the home sixty years earlier,
the woman had gone blind.
They had both loved gardening and plants.
When his wife went blind, her husband had planted trees and shrubs
that gave off an amazing fragrance, so that while she may not be able to see their beauty, she could still enjoy them.
One of the things he planted
One of the things he planted
was a
Sweet Bay Magnolia tree.
If you have never had the pleasure of smelling the fragrant blossoms on one of these trees in May or June, you have not lived.
It is the most amazing fragrance.
If they bottled it, I would wear it as perfume.
I was very sad when Jason was transferred with work in 2003 and we had to sell that house.
One of the things I would miss most was that Sweet Bay Magnolia,
so Jason planted one at this house the first chance he got!
My husband has dedicated his career to trees and plants,
and we both love the Sweet Bay Magnolia.
It is one thing that makes our house a home.
Welcome to Magnolia Lane.
