Currently

 

Enjoying: Our little Alaskan cabin. It's so cozy! I love waking up to high ceilings, huge windows and an endless view of mountains and green trees. Beautiful Alaska. Since it's a loft style and no closed door rooms we can hear Mason giggling and talking while in his crib and it makes my heart sing!

Anticipating: Luke's big grad party this coming Saturday! I've been assisting Julie with the party preparations and it is going to be the best night celebrating Luke. Can't wait.

Eating: Cantaloupe. Lately the 'loupes I've been getting seriously taste like they've been injected with sugar- they are so sweet! ah, love them. My new daily snack.

Thinking: about how wonderful our move to Arizona will be. I'm so looking forward to this next chapter in our lives and all the exciting things the Lord has for us.

Loving: my Maxi dress! (pictured above) I never thought I could pull of a maxi and was certain Kevin wouldn't like it but I put both those negatives to rest when I purchased my colorful striped Maxi from Target.. now I'm slightly obsessed and on a mission to find one in every suitable color. Cute, comfy and versatile- yes please!

Wishing: all of you sweet mama's the most wonderful Mother's Day! You each mean the world to me and I love you all dearly. I'll be enjoying brunch and fellowship with the ladies and then an afternoon with my guys. Have the best of days!

xo, Laura

Quick Hello.

 

We're out of our house and all settled in to our new digs for the month. Our beautiful Alaskan cabin.  The garage sale was a huge success and the transition with the new owners into the house was even more so.  Now we spend our days whittling down the remaining boxes we have- we aren't bringing a uhaul.. what fits in the car- goes. and that's about it. It's sad to admit but I can now fit my entire wardrobe into one suitcase. SIGH. 

 

Mason is still being the cutest, most adorable little man ever. Grandma bought him a backpack and he loves it! He wears it all around the house- anytime of the day, to church and down the street on walks.. he has even been found sitting quietly reading a book.. with backpack on...

How darling is that? 

P.S. If you are on instagram- follow me: igobylaura

the Calm before the Storm?

If you're wondering where I've been... look no further:

That's a very small snap shot of my entire house contents with tiny little stickers labeled $3, $10, $2 and so on... hello garage sale. We signed the final papers on our house today. I haven't had a chance to tell you about how anointed the entire experience has been but everything with the sell of our house has been exactly perfect. no hiccups, no delays. just perfect.A total answer to our ever prayer. God is so good.  Come Sunday the Hilton clan will be living in an adorable Alaskan cabin for the month of May- a perfect ending to our time here.

 

So now, here it is Thursday night and our mother of all garage sales starts tomorrow at 8am. I advertised in the paper, on craigslist and on 3 different local face book groups. People are going nuts for this thing. Texting, e-mailing, chatting.. I posted pictures and they are in a craze over my items. I guess I feel flattered that people even want my stuff.. but mostly I think I'm just on the brink of becoming a frantic woman running around. Lucky for me, I've got loads of help this weekend. And I've had ice cream every single night this week which makes life much more happy.. at least I think so. It can be so daunting eating healthy. Sometimes crap food is just what a person needs. Right?

 

Anyways, Mason is sound asleep, Kevin is snoozing and my mom is in her room, packing I imagine.. the house is empty and still. Calm. I can't be fooled though, tomorrow.. starting well before 8 am life around this little old house will become the central hub for buying, selling, moving and grooving. Guess I'll need to buy more ice cream.

 

Happy Garage Sale'n.

An April Walk.

Sunday afternoon looked like this-

A brisk family walk. The snow is finally melting off the roads and puddles of water stare Mason in the face and, like any boy, he can't help but run through them. Kevin does it too. A boy thing. 

We're still ironing out all the exacts with moving to AZ but things are moving right along with the sell of our house. The appraisal is tomorrow and we're prepping to be moved out by May 1st, although we won't actually head to AZ until the end of May or into June.  There's no doubt I'm excited to be moving down to Arizona again but a lot of times I feel a tremendous amount of heart ache knowing how much I'll miss the friends and family I love so dearly up here. The Lord really hasn't let me get overly excited thinking of our new life in AZ or let me cry too hard over leaving our life here though- He keeps me somewhere in the middle. Focusing on the task the Lord gives me each day, each hour, each minute. It's easier to do what the Lord sets in front of you at one given time than try and figure out the future. For me, it's been prepping to move out of the house and find a replacement for my position at work. Both are falling into line nicely- only by the Lords anointing.  As he continues to guide us and me, I can only imagine in the weeks to come I'll start making plane reservations, updating mailing addresses, and the emotions will start to pour out. 

This really wasn't meant to sound down. I'm quite joyful! Feeling an incredible amount of happiness, peace and true joy but the realities of moving are at the fore front of my mind ... and with any big change a lot of waiting on the Lord, quiet time and Faith are required. 

On an entirely different note- have any of you tried or regularly eat jicama? I have this super fab recipe to share with you.. coming soon.

Have a great Monday!

 

Easter 2013

What a wonderful Easter Day we had here in Alaska!  Mason opened his Easter basket bright and early and of course, was beyond thrilled with the ball like plastic eggs...

then he realized Annie's bunny crackers are way better than plastic eggs and starting taking matters into his own hands...

 

We headed out for Church and brunch to follow. No surprise, both were incredible.  The remainder of our afternoon was filled with more fellowship, a bit of cleaning, lots of family laughter and of course, Mason ended the night in style-

 Hope you all had a wonderful day too!

Today.

This is what it looks like to be at home. I know I talked about part time work a lot, but it's been a huge, very welcomed changed as of late, so as I sit at home and eat lunch with Mason, take him to tot time, swimming at the pool, or turn a quick grocery run into a toy buying event, I can't help but relish in these times. Relish in these moments I get with my little boy. Right now, the sun is shining bright, my sweet boy is napping, the house is quiet and I can't help but thank the Lord for the tremendous amount of peace I have. With our move rapidly approaching and so many unknowns ahead I can so honestly say, I've never been more at peace. How incredible to know the Lord is in control and He is orchestrating our lives. Our house is in contract, did I mention that? A full price offer- exactly how we have been praying. Talk about comfort and confirmation from God.  Thank you Lord for this day, these moments and your continual guidance. Bless God.

St. Patties Day

Happy St. Patties Day! Mason treated us to a little sleep in this morning so we started our day off well rested and ready to spend our day together. First up was brunch. Talk about french toast, bacon, OJ & egg's benedict. Delicious. Since, it was such a beautiful day we decided to burn some gas and take a drive, destination-nowhere.  We ended our day with an afternoon walk, playtime, pizza and now a movie. Perfection. Hoping you all had a wonderful day.

 

 

 

A few things I'm loving.

 

 

The beautiful Spring like weather we've been having. The sun is shining, we are hitting 30-40 degrees, snow is melting.. it's the scent of Spring up here and I'm loving it.

 

House showings! We've had several calls on the house the past week and a new showing tomorrow. We know the Lord will bring a buyer or the perfect renter and in the mean time, our house is staying neat and tidy. bonus.

 

CrossFit.  Besides high school sports, I've never felt the way I do after completing a CrossFIt work-out. I feel accomplished, determined, invigorated, strong, out right amazing. I wake up ready to hit the gym at night, leave feeling incredible and always, always, excited to see what the next day will bring.

 

Part Time work. It is everything I hoped it would be and so much more. My days off have consisted of a little house-work, a fun activity with Mason, cooking, reading and playing with my little man, afternoon naps and the occasional chai tea. This week I might even go tanning. And, on the flip side, when I'm work I'm busier and focused on go go go so my work days go by crazy fast. Part time work is so up my alley.

 

Duck Dynasty. I'm sorry but this show is hilarious! so funny.

 

De-cluttering! How good does it feel to clean out closets, totes, storage areas? Ah mazing! We're on the home stretch before we make our exit from Alaska so we've been making a gigantic garage sale pile and I've been selling random items on craigslist. Our 'moving fund' is growing, my house is clearing out.. and it makes life seem a bit less stressful. I'm loving it.

 

Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream. holy amazingness. 

 

What about you? What are a few things you are loving right now?

Currently- Mason Edition

Eating: Fruit & Cheese. My once, lover of all foods, little boy is now partial to cheese, fruit, avocado and crackers.  He'll eat meats and veggies on occasion but like two or three bits then he's done with them. It's clear he's not on a growth spurt and more interested in eating 1/3 of what is on his plate and then his mind is on to play time, speaking of..

Playing with: Balls! Tennis balls, volleyball, soccer ball, anything that remotely looks like a ball (think: whole apple) and he just gets giddy with happiness. My mom walked thru the toy section with him at Wal Mart last week and he didn't even flinch at the toys until he saw a bucket full of balls and screeched with excitement.  Our little sports guy.

Watching: Harry the Bunny. This has been one of Mason's favorites from the beginning and every single time Harry the Bunny comes on his face lights up like a light bulb. Often times he runs to the TV, stares at it and laughs hysterically when Harry the Bunny does something. My heart might just melt a little.

Listening To: Sunday School Sing-Along. The minute Mason hears the music he starts laughing and dancing.. he knows what the love of the Lord feels like! This gem of a cd has all the classics like Deep and Wide, Down in my Heart, Arky, Akry, the B I B L E, Father Abraham.. to name a few.

Working on: Using his spoon & fork! He is doing so good with both! It's so fun to watch him start mastering the art of picking up pieces of food with either his spoon or fork and then into his mouth they go!

Mommy's Favorite:
Currently Mason is: Giving hugs! Holy cuteness. We ask him to give a hug and he buries his little head on your shoulders and wraps his arms around you. Can you say, sweet!

I'd love to hear what your kiddos are currently loving, doing, enjoying, working on. etc!

Have a nice Tuesday!

Welcome March.

February, June and September. My three favorite Alaskan months. March? one of my most favorites every where else. March is the first small hello to Spring, the start of fresh looks, green grass and the taste of Summer on the horizon. In Alaska, March is still considered Winter- it typically snows a lot, there is no sign of sun dresses and sandals and when the rest of the world is enjoying the sound of Spring is in the air, we are still putting on our winter parkas. Since this may be our last March in Alaska, I really made a case to Kevin to head to Anchorage for the start of the Iditarod! Did you know it starts today? It does, and I knew it would be loads of fun. After talking it over, reality set in that we had a house appointment with a realtor, needed to save our cash and we just got back from a trip.. so staying around town was the better option. Turns out, it was a good choice as I left work yesterday with a stomach bug that left me feeling less than desirable. Ah well. Here's a snazzy little shot of the iditarod to still get excited over:

 

Source

 

Did you notice how I casually mentioned this may be our last March in Alaska and how we had an appointment with a realtor today? You may have already heard or perhaps you have put two an two together, but nothing is official until it hits the ol' blog, right?  So here it is, The Hilton clan will be Arizona bound come June 1st. That's right! We are moving back. 

 

God is good. His timing is good. The peace you have knowing he is in control is even better. To move back to Arizona is bitter sweet- to say the least. Some days more bitter than sweet, others nothing but sweet. It's exciting to be where the Lord wants you, in the place that he has set before you. There's no doubt, our move here was needed and now, he has something else for us. (It has been incredible the way the Lord has brought this about and if you are interested in hearing more, feel free to e-mail me)

 

So, knowing that this could possibly be the last time I am in Alaska during the month of March makes it that much more enjoyable. I'm taking in every inch foot of snow falling to the ground, the way it builds up like a wall after being plowed,  taking an extra minute to appreciate the beautiful mountains and, when the sun pokes its head out, I smile a little bit brighter. Welcome, March.

 

Happy Friday!

Have the best of weekends!