Spring is in the Air and Love is… in the Ground

So, I've been overwhelmed by crazy dance studio tasks lately: shows, competitions, costumes, rehearsals, choreography, performance events, cleaning out the space, policy updates... all the things. It's never a surprise for me to feel super disconnected and disassociated during this time of year when I'm trying to tame the whirlwind inside my head. But the loneliness of these situations is still very heavy. So I write.

I did want to take a few moments to share some love with you guys. If you remember, back in November, we celebrated my husband's and my union with a quaint party. It was a dream come true, made with all my vintage, book, and coffee-loving magic moments. The next day, we had a tiny intimate ceremony. At typical wedding ceremonies, you see various symbolic acts between the couple solidifying their marriage, like combining sand, lighting a candle, draping ropes over their hands, etc. We liked the idea and wanted a representation of our marriage, but nothing settled in our spirit of what would be true to "us."

Until we had this idea...

At the ceremony, we asked our family members to write their prayers, blessings and wishes for us on paper and slip them all into a manila envelope. We also wrote letters to our children on this special day. Creating a family rooted in Christ and knowing we support each person in the family is very important to us, so our symbolic act was to plant trees and place the (biodegradable) paper with the words of our family into the dug holes. Now that we had the idea, we had to decide what kind of tree to plant. If you know me, this decision was one I mulled over for a while. Initially, I wanted a magnolia tree; is there any other more "southern" tree than a magnolia? It represented everything we wanted at first. It would grow strong and tall with deep roots in our backyard and a bit of timelessness. It would perfume the air with a powerful classic fragrance. Our kids would always know they had a Southern upbringing seeing that tree reach up to the heavens. Then I wavered towards the dogwood. Again, another great southern contender. Have you heard the saying that there is a cross in every dogwood bloom? I remember climbing to the tips of our dogwoods at home, my backpack slung over my shoulders, so when I got to the top of the world, I'd take out my snacks and books I toted up there and watch the day pass away. But the Lord kept talking to me about fruit. Wanting to keep it true to our southern roots, we finally settled on apple trees. My grandpa planted apple, pear, and peach trees around his property, which later became my childhood home. It was a welcomed delight for him to snap one off the branch, take out his pocket knife, watch him peel it carefully between his knobby fingers, and offer it to me with refreshing sweetness. 

Chris dug our holes, placed our blessings into the dirt, and planted our apple trees. I bought them at Walmart and am curious if they will succeed. Haha. I hope I didn't put them in the ground too early and that the surprise cold weather didn't hurt them at the beginning of this Spring. I've never actually tried my luck with an actual fruit/vegetable-producing plant outside. 

One of the happiest images, was looking out our window and seeing the trees bud with the prettiest tiny flowers. I’m hoping that’s a good sign. Now, they are all a flutter with leaves.

I'm trying to force Spring to be one of my favorite seasons. Haha. It's not. One, bugs. I'm not a fan. Two, allergies. I never had an issue with them growing up, but adulthood seems like the perfect time for new-fangled ailments to show up. Three, it's heating up. While I enjoy the sunshine, sweater weather will forever be my cozy, happy season.

Nevertheless, here I am, out here, hauling my new hose across the yard for my apple trees to drink from. I even went to plant flowers in my planters right under our windows. My grandmother is the flower queen, not me! I'm struggling to keep these scabiosas alive, but my dahlias are starting to sprout, so that's good news. 

Here are some other ways I like to usher in new seasons, especially Spring. I adorned our bedroom dresser with a new lemongrass candle that smells like a spa (TjMax find). And one of my absolute favorite things is to change the bed linens. Nothing feels like peace and welcomes change like new pillowcases, sheets, and a beautiful striped bedspread that reminds me of seersucker fabric. (A clearance Target special!) I'm still cooking (when I have the time) through my Magnolia Cookbook; if y'all didn't catch it, Joanna liked my Instagram story that included pictures of Beer Bread loaves. Haha. 

We're quickly approaching Summer, and I hope you've got some exciting vacations planned, road trips mapped out, and memories to make. Let me know of your favorite way to kick off Summer. 

K Bye

Megan 

Doing life... the best I know how...