captivating

my parent's and sister came for a visit on labor day weekend. it was such a fun and relaxing weekend full of the beach, a fever for my Pop's, a birthday celebration, a lot of coffee, laughter and delicious food.

We found this beach where the otters were literally nearly swimming to the shore. They came so close to people (get out of the water, crazies!!) There were also pod of dolphins. So incredible.

this boy loves the ocean. once his body adjusts to the constant roar of the waves he settles in like a boy with his noise maker (he's slept with a noise maker since he was born.) and he just revels in the freedom to think and run and be on the sand. and he always finds a stick or seaweed or something.

Here is my dad who later that day would have a 101 fever (thanks to a little saliva gland infection) but he was a great sport and tried to make some memories despite his pain.

And dear sister Maggie who also got some time to reflect and be. 

see that little dot on the front right??? thats the otters! little family of them. 

a few weeks later we went back to a different beach and it was the first time i experienced what people describe as a spiritual experience and the ocean. i never quite believed them, but the beach was mostly empty and it was early enough to feel that cool breeze. the waves were strong and high and constant. john has taken the kids for a walk on the beach and i just sat and stared at the water. the waves never stopped raging with all their power and might. knowing that the water goes for miles and the kind of life that lives within those waters is something i can't comprehend. how can life be living in those waters and God still knows the depths of it? i found myself captivated by it's beauty and vastness and in awe of a God who can have that sort of control over the unpredictable and temperamental waves and yet He knows me and can love me with all my temperamental moods and emotions. I can't fathom that kind of love, I'm not capable of that kind of love. Directing the ocean and all it's beauty and still loving a quirky aging mama. Incredible.

This guy, who loves the ocean more than any one I've ever met, is well aware of the mystery and power of those waves. He has a healthy respect for it and won't go too near it but could stare at it for hours. 

the end of the season

This spring has brought with it the end to many seasons. One being the season of living in our beautiful mountain town as well as the end to some of my most-loved tv shows. We've watched the last episodes, ever, of Parenthood, Parks and Recreation, most recently Hart of Dixie (ok, I watched that one on my own) and soon to be Mad Men. We also may have binge watched How I Met Your Mother and had to see that series end too. It was a sad day for me, in all honesty. John sort of chuckles at me when I finish a show because I mean, it's sad.

I bond with a good TV series like dear friends. and after laughing with them (perhaps sometimes crying with them) once a week….or maybe sometimes once a day (depending on how many series are on netflix) it's like saying goodbye to old friends. Not just a see ya later, but forever. This may be weird, this may just be me, but my hubby knows to give me about 2 weeks to say goodbye and then I'll return, but for the mean time, I have to say goodbye…again and again.

And of course, they all connect to real life in different ways. I started watching Hart of Dixie those last couple of months I was pregnant with Zoey and through the first couple years of her life (the lead character is named Zoe, by the way.) and we live in a town not so different than Bluebell. It just seems timely to say goodbye to Bluebell the same time we say goodbye to our little town.


And the finale of Parenthood? PHEW! my favorite part? forever young. the montage. my GOODNESS. and a little friday night lights bonus in there. i love a good character developed show.


loved this scene in Parks and Rec too.


and while we're here:


one of my all time favorite scenes of mad men, the season 6 finale. don draper has come so far!


and I don't want to give away the ending of how i met your mother, but i will say that john suggested the ending a week before the finale and was like, "wouldn't it be cool if THAT happened??" and i assured him, "babe. there is NO way it could happen. No WAY!"


and it did.

so there's my tribute to some old friends and some wonderful memories shared with my love as we chart out upcoming episodes together or continue to freak out about series finales while we're getting ready for bed, or making the theme song a ring tone (oh, maybe just i do that) but also a fun way to escape for 22 minutes after a long hard day and after the kids are in bed. it's been fun. not real, but definitely fun.

oh, and i can't forget these two honorable (but past) mentions:

lost. michael giacchino. you guys blew us all away. and i couldn't have been happier with that ending. see what i mean? old friends reuniting?? so many characters. so much STORY. so great. i watched this when jack was just a little babe. i had just finished nursing and john had taken over walking him down to sleep (those early months were blurry and so tiring and trying) and i watched this and it was like all my postpartum feelings surfaced and it. was. ugly. haha…. and yes, jack shephard may or may not have inspired us to name our first born son Jack. Lost was, after all, what John and I connected on when we first met. Even in season 2 we wondered, what was the island a symbol of? was it all real?


and, friday night lights.
we watched this the summer after i had Zoey. again, postpartum Mel! you choose great series! We binge watched these 5 seasons all summer long and into the fall. i learned what a QB is, i suddenly wanted to watch football that fall and cheer on a team with my dad. it was sentimental and there just aint nobody like coach taylor.



and yes, there were montage scenes like this EVERY. EPISODE. i mean. clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose! thank you, jason katims.