she will be loved.

This post is written for this beaming sixteen-year-old pictured below.

then.

You've guessed it, that's bright-eyed me at sixteen. And this one goes out to her...

I've been really tired these past few days and with all we have going on, being extra exhausted kinda comes with the territory. But while driving home from work, listening to music on the radio, singing to Marabelle like I usually do, I was silently processing my day, thinking of what I had done and all I still wanted to do. In the middle of itemizing the imaginary to-do-list floating in my head, a song came on the radio and I was quickly shoved in a time machine and transported all the way back to the land of sweet sixteen. I have a love/hate relationship with these abrupt time machine transports that happen unexpectedly while hearing certain song lyrics, it's the same type of memory possession that happens when you pass by old stamping grounds, smell scents from the past, or look at pictures of days gone by...all of which, without your permission, take you back.

Sixth period, dance team, is where this time machine dropped me off. It was an off-day for us, meaning we weren't working on a particular routine, we were just having a little fun. One of the girl's on my team decided to play Maroon 5's, "She will be loved," and everyone in the room got off our bums, and we sang the words as we danced to the beat. And with the excitement oozing from a new-hit song, combined with a room full of overflowing teenage hearts, our singing performance tightly bordered what some would obnoxiously label as 'yelling.' But we each felt the music, we each believed the words, we each wanted to own them, we each wanted to embody them, we each wanted to experience them, and we each never wanted to let them go.

Sixteen-year-old me believed in love, wholeheartedly. She longed to feel beautiful to that one special guy. She wanted prince charming's attention and she hoped his love would always last.

If someone had told me then, that I wouldn't end up marrying my high school sweetheart, time would make me stronger, true friends would stay by my side, if my pants felt too tight, they probably were, and that God's plan for me was far greater than one I could have single-handedly designed, I don't know if I would have believed all of their insightful predictions. Because sometimes it's hard for us to see past the street where we are currently standing.

As I revisited that wooden dance floor and stared into the reflection of my dance team's version of the Maroon 5 hit, I wanted to run up to sixteen-year-old me, tuck back her blonde-highlighted hair, and whisper these words in her ear...

"The woman you hope to some day be, is proud of you, despite any mistakes you've made or have yet to make. Don't spend time sweating the small stuff, you won't even remember the worries that threaten to keep you up all night. You are beautiful, you always have been and you always will be, and don't let any guy make you believe otherwise. You will surprise yourself more often than not. Your words will remain your passion. You'll break hearts and feel heart ache. You'll learn how fragile the heart is, but your hope of forever love is fulfilled by the God who created your heart, trust in Him, always. For His wisdom exceeds any logic your pretty mind attempts to reason with. The world won't always revolve around you and that's the beauty of it all. You'll be a wife to an amazing man and the type of mama you never thought you could be. You'll learn that the best gift you receive, is the one you first give. And on the hardest days, please let love cast out your fears. For when you choose faith, when you choose hope, and when you choose love, you will meet the woman who's whisper this is. So fear not, for the true love you've always believed in, exists, and the woman you dream about becoming, I think you should know, she will be loved."

now.

With a heart full of love,
                     ♡ you, from a few streets down
::

pretty couch.

dear {pretty couch},

You had me at hello. Your mid-century modern, antique lines were quite captivating. I could hardly wait to make you mine. Since we met, I know it may seem like you've been the only one sacrificing, trading a spacious room of your own for a crowded storage space shared by many. But as I promised you then, your living arrangement downgrade, made for my sake, would only be temporary.

So, for Christmas I thought I would gift you early, share our news, and let you know that your days roughing it in those crammed, untidy living quarters are numbered. We now have a new home waiting for you to grace it with your pretty presence. No longer will you have to fight the boxes of pots and pans for room to breathe. You can kiss those crowded living days goodbye, for as soon as we spruce up your new room, a.k.a. our living room, you will be able to stretch out those wooden legs once more. And we'd really like to thank you for taking one for the team, so how do a few new accent pillows sound? I know how much you appreciate accessories. I'll make sure we find a suitable pair for your lovely self.

Merry Christmas, pretty couch. You will soon have that promised room of yours, thanks to the Mr. who bought us a home for Christmas. And I promise, our living room will be much nicer than the room you had when we met you, for ours comes with a sweet baby girl who will lovingly crawl all over you.

With "can't wait to decorate" excitement,

♡ Victoria

_________________________________________________________

And our Kelly Hardee Photography giveaway winner is announced! Click here to see if you've won.
::

swing into the Season.

 

There are certain things that help each of us find the Christmas spirit. For me, some of these jolly things have been around for as long as I can remember the colors red and green existing as one. But other spirit welcoming things are newer members of the, 'put me in the Christmas spirit' gang, as their initiation was sometime in the last few years. Well, this year, a few things that have helped me swing into the Season include:  

♥ my chocolate Advent calendar, ♥ reading Christmas books with baby girl, {I am and have always been passionately in love with Christmas books}  ♥ hot chocolate nights, ♥ stocking decorating,  ♥ watching Christmas movie favorites, ♥ Christmas light admiring, and ♥ wreath making with Christmas tree scraps.

So, in the spirit of Christmas, we have a giveaway planned for all of you this Friday! One of our lovely sponsors, Kelly Hardee Photography, is helping us swing into the Season with a sweet giveaway - a free 8x10 of one of her beautiful scenic shots! We'll have a few pics for the winner to choose from and with Christmas quickly approaching, this could be a great gift for someone you love or for that sturdy wall of yours obnoxiously screaming, "throw me a new picture, please, please, please!" Either way, meet us back here Friday for this awesome giveaway...and if you're not already a member of our Tea Room, be sure to join so you can enter the giveaway!

P.S. Mr. Bucket Swing, I am incredibly glad I gave you a chance...I mean, you may very well be baby girl's favorite pastime, or at the very least, you come in close second to making a mess of Grandma & Grandpa's living room floor. Regardless, you're up there - and just so you know, you are the newest addition to all things that help me swing into the Season, for you lighting up that smile of hers, sparks Christmas joy deep in my heart. As always, ♡ Victoria.
::

baby bucket swing.

dear {playground baby bucket swing},

When it comes to first impressions, yours was hmm...well, not the best. Forgive me for my honesty, but at first glance, you left very little to be desired. Although, some of that may be,
in part, due to your not so "easy on the eyes" status. But I politely ask you, for only a brief second, to look at this from my maternal gaze - metal chain links suspend you from thick pipeline bars...not to mention, your dark, firm, cold, gray exterior was all a bit shady. These abrasive distinctions equate with the reality that you are not exactly inviting. In addition, your fashion is industrial and doesn't plausibly scream "trust me, babies love me." But, I know now that I was wrong.

Time and time again, I am humbly reminded how I mustn't judge a book by it's cover - even when it's so easy to look at a less-appealing cover, turn around, and walk away. But for baby girl's sake, I am very grateful I trusted my past experience with playground swings of your kind and let her swing in your care. If it weren't for you, her first baby bucket swing experience would have not been the glittering memory it will forever be. Your carefree heart made her smile from ear to ear, your elevated esteem let her take in all her pretty surroundings, and your uplifting spirit taught her the true worth of being surrounded by those who adoringly build her up. She may not fully understand the depth of your last lesson at the whopping age of 7 months...but she surely will one day.

I hope we are able to find some of your distant cousins when we embark on our mini-road trip, later this evening. It would be so wonderful for the Mr. to see his daughter's sweet swinging smile. If you could make some calls, put a good word in, and encourage your out of town family and friends to be available for baby girl, at some point this weekend, I would greatly appreciate it.

So, once again, I'd just like to apologize for judging your rugged appearance. If I hadn't given you a chance, not only would baby girl have missed out on her first-ever baby bucket swing ride, but her observing mama would have surely missed a precious show.

With an apologetic heart,

♡ Victoria

::

anthropologie pants.

dear {my favorite pair of anthro pants},

It saddens me to write to you this way, but you have disappointed me so. I'm sure it must have seemed as if I abandoned you for quite some time, but I thought it better to temporarily keep my distance, as the load I carried for nine months was much too large to impose on your fine and delicate threads. The gravity of my 'with child' situation left me no choice but to leave you unbothered till I was able to return to my skinny self. The last thing I wanted was my heavy baby bearings to threaten your durability and honestly, I thought you would understand. However, I now realize how wrong I was. 

As I wrote yesterday about favorites, I think now is an appropriate time to let you know how sad you've made me; especially when compared to all the rest, you were the one pair of pants I always turned to. You were my comfort when I wore a simple tee, you were my vintage with a glamorous top, and you were my go-to classic when I wanted to feel special. It seems like there has been a great misunderstanding about the nature of our relationship, regarding our faithfulness to each other. I thought I had put you first, putting your needs before my own, when I decided to keep to myself for those nine months. I thought my guarded character was proof of my respect and admiration for your detailed design. I thought by not letting my larger-than-life self hurt you, I'd only continue to preserve your innocent fashion. Sadly, it appears I was misunderstood.

Little did I know, you had taken our brief separation personally and had no plans to rekindle the love we once had. Apparently, you respected the nine months I needed for myself, but you felt threatened once he became involved.  Rather than letting me down gently and explaining how you felt, you decided to abruptly reject me and accuse him of being the one to blame, making me definitively choose: you or him.

Well, I never thought I'd see this day or that either one of us would let it come this far, but what's done is done and there's no use dwelling on the past. I think you should know, his sweetness is oftentimes irresistible and as much as I wish things to be different, his allure is most charming. All I want is for you to be a little more considerate of my feelings before you painfully deny me. All I long for is to be welcomed by you and know I fit in your life once more. I mean, can a girl not have her chocolate and fit in her favorite pants, too?

Most sincerely,

♡ Victoria

P.S. Thanks for letting me use you in my lettered debut. Me love you.  

::

'lettered' intro.

So, I decided to add a new group of posts to this little blog of mine and I'm calling them lettered. Hope you enjoy lettered {life letters} as much as baby love {tidbits of life with a baby}, tea {my musings}, and unwavering {pieces of love's legacy}. Stay tuned for the lettered debut, coming soon to a blog post near you.

::