After a few days of rest, relaxation, and exploration in Nantucket, we are officially well rested and ready to kick our busy season into high gear! Before doing so, we had to share a few photos from our Nantucket Adventure!

We can officially cross off “Go Sailing” from our summer bucket list! :)

A trip to New England would not be complete without a Lobster Roll!

Ryan decided to go fly a kite! :)

HUGE thanks and so much love to these AMAZING friends that we adventured along with to celebrate Mary’s birthday celebration!! We ate so many incredibly delicious meals, we drank some of the tastiest drinks ever, we laughed, cried, and everything in between! It was such a great getaway and we could not be more grateful for these friends! HAPPY 1-day after your birthday Mary! Can’t wait to see what this “why not” year has in store for you!

Have an AMAZING (extra long) weekend everyone! ;)

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We sat around the table last night at dinner with some close friends.  The lights were dim and the environment was perfect: warn brick walls, bench sitting, the flicker of candle lights, and plenty of good food and conversation.  The conversation eventually came to the point of how we’ve (the entire group respectively) have gotten to the current places in our lives that we are today.  I thought about it for a moment, and realized that although we try to plan for the future, we are the type of people that create 1, 2, 5 and 10 year goals for our lives and try to check off the boxes in half that time. It has often been when “we let go and let God” that we have found ourselves the most fulfilled, the most happy, in the best places, and the most successful in life.

The conversation from dinner spilled out the doors and down the street. As we slowly pushed our way through the thick Nantucket fog, I reflected further upon how we have gotten to this moment in life.  It is crazy to think sometimes how many single decisions could have been made that would have changed our lives entirely.  What would we be doing if I had actually accepted the first job offer I had to work at GE in Erie, PA?  Where would we be if I had decided to go attend Purdue (my second choice college) over Bucknell?  What would I be doing if I never picked up a camera and continued pursuing a career as an electrical engineer? Where would we be if Liz and I never started dating in high school? These are just a few of the decisions that immediately come to mind.  In all of these moments, we didn’t analyze all the possible outcomes of life, or where we would be 10 years into our future.  Instead, we gave ourselves permission to let go, follow our hearts, and let God do the rest.

If you are struggling to find purpose today, take a moment to think about where you currently are in your life, business, relationships, and then give yourself permission to let go.  The freeing power this gives you will give you a new clarity in life to see what’s next, and somehow, although you may not be sure in this moment, you will find a way if you “let go and let God”

Think about where you are currently in life, is it where you thought you would be 5 or 10 years ago? Is it where you want to be? Have you given yourself permission to let go?

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So far this year, it seems like we have been away more than we have actually been home. In fact, we’ve been away so much we’ve even joked of renting out our house while we are away. Not kidding… airbnb.com might be in our future!

Being adventurous together has helped strengthen our relationship. Each time we set out on a new trip, we are making experiences together and memories that will last a lifetime. As the summer approaches, we encourage everyone to take adventures together. Whether it is going for a bike ride on a new trail, traveling to a far off country, white water rafting, taking a class at a local college, or just being adventurous in the kitchen with a new tasty meal, try something new together.

For us, no matter where we are or what we are doing, we are always together. And that is what makes this life amazing.

Looking to plan an adventure with your kids? Check out the adventure guides over at the happy family movement store. 

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Yesterday, I was adding something super duper fun to our schedule, but it required a lot of time and commitment, and I was nervous with every single date I added. I mentioned it to Ryan and he reminded me that this “thing” is FUN for us! It is not technically work… it is all about learning something new. If I go into it thinking it is work, it is going to be work. If I think of it as an opportunity that will be fun and be a creative outlet for us, then it will be exactly that! It is AMAZING what a little attitude check can do for me! ;)

This “thing” that we have signed ourselves up for is the Stillmotion Take Action Challenge. We could not be more excited to have the opportunity to learn from some of the most talented filmmakers in the world! We know we are about to embark on a crazy challenging adventure, but we have no doubt it is going to be a FUN one! ;) We can’t wait!

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Today, no matter what it is you are doing, no matter what deadline you are trying to meet, no matter what flight you are trying to catch, and no matter how many other things are on your to do list, be sure to take at least 15 minutes to have fun today. Have an AMAZING Wednesday!!!

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We watched movies, golf, and everything in between. We laughed while Ben and Ryan picked on each other like they did in our high school days. There were many moments yesterday that I had to remind myself we were in Michigan and we weren’t actually in our childhood home in PA. I had a sense of comfort and relaxation that I haven’t really felt in a long time!

As Ryan squeezed me tight so that we could fit onto the chair together, we laughed and we goofed around like we were “kids” again. I did everything I could to soak in the moment and remember what it feels like to have that carefree comfort and be surrounded by the ones we love!

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We are so incredibly excited to FINALLY be making a trip out to see my brother in Michigan. It has been way too long! We don’t have much planned, but have thrown around the ideas of exploring Detroit (for 5 minutes! ;) ), strolling around Ann Arbor, hanging out in Lansing (where Ben lives), watching Ben coach a HS Baseball game, and maybe even checking out the Holland Tulips! Who knows where the journey will take us, but we are just excited to visit! (Except when Ben told us yesterday it was going to be 40 degrees!!! WHAT!?!?! lol.)

Yesterday we had the incredible honor to guest post on The Happy Family Movement blog! Definitely go check out their site… there is definitely something for everyone! But if you have kids, it is like an extra special gold mine and you probably don’t want to go another second without visiting! ;) Sign up for their Summer Bucket List Challenge and write down those things that you always say you want to do! Honestly, just writing them down makes it more real. It is now a responsibility! ;)

On that note… we heard this quote the other day and can’t remember at all where it was from… but it went something like this: “It is the adult’s responsibility to have fun so that kids want to grow up.” SO true, right!? Now, go have fun!

Let us know what is on your bucket list! And if you see anything fun on ours that you would like to complete along with us… let us know! We would LOVE to have you join us for the fun! ;)

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That battle looks so different for every single person on every single day. Life has this way of throwing you curve balls when you least expect them. (Or is it that we just never want to expect them?) Over the past few days, Ryan’s family definitely received a curve ball and we made a trip home to PA to be with our family. Ryan’s dad had some complications from back surgery and was in the ICU for a few days. (Thank God, he is doing much better now and is resting in the comfort of home.) As we hung out with him in the hospital for a few days, we were reminded of how precious this life is. The hospital was full of people who had a story and was certainly fighting a hard battle.

It is during those hard battles that the simplest kind gestures can do so much. Those kind gestures look so different for every single person on every single day. Before we even left Baltimore, we were driving down the street. The car was quiet while our brains went a mile a minute, but neither of us had any idea what to say. We were in the middle of running errands before heading out. As we drove down the street, from a distance I saw this young man walking in our direction. Before I could even see his face, he had a certain something about him that just stood out to me. As he got closer, all we could see was his HUGE smile. He was walking by himself, no phone in hand, and with no one to talk to. Yet, for what seemed like no reason at all, he had the biggest smile on his face! That smile could not have been missed by anyone… and I think that is every reason he was wearing that BIG smile. It certainly was a smile that Ryan and I definitely needed that day.

Be kind… a smile can be everything that someone needs to help them through their hard battle.

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From the AMAZING Life Together Ebook By Liz and Ryan

1. HAVE A COUCH SLEEPOVER

We started dating in high school. It was the fall of my senior year and football was in full swing. We “dated” over the summer and Liz finally said yes to being my girlfriend just after school had started. In the early stages of our relationship, one of our favorite things to do was to fall asleep together on Liz’s couch after a Friday night football game. Because we were still in high school, I was never allowed to spend the entire night, so around 1 or 2 am I would head home.

In those moments, snuggled tight on the couch, nothing else in the world mattered besides each other. I held Liz tight and as night grew quieter. She breathed gently and fell asleep against my chest. Those moments were so perfect and so innocent.

Earlier this year, we were trying to decide what to do for a Date Night. Winter was holding onto the last few days of the season and venturing outside did not sound like the most fun. I believe it was Liz who said “Let’s have a couch sleepover.” It was the perfect idea for a romantic evening. We cuddled close on the couch with just a candle flickering in the middle of the room. We stayed up late and watched old Saturday Night Live skits on Netflix. Liz pulled the blanket tightly and we let the still of the night surround us. I watched Liz gently fall asleep, and again in that moment, nothing else mattered.

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Since we have been going going going and have not had any moment in 2013 really to be home and be still, we are finding it almost difficult to do just that! However, we know that is exactly what we need in our lives right now! We honestly are choosing to be super intentional about making time to just be. Our To Do list is now full of a mix of work and fun. In the past, I always thought we needed to get all of our work done before we could go play. Even if we had a project due in 2 weeks, I would have to have it done today before I could relax. It has only taken me 4+ years as a small business owner to realize that there will always be something else to do! Lol! When you love what you do, the thin line between work and fun gets even thinner.

Anyway… this past week we have been doing everything we can to train our minds to be still. Who knew that would be so hard! ;) We have been giving ourselves realistic deadlines and working working working to get the work crossed off our list so that we can do the fun… and then giving ourselves grace when there actually are still work things on the list! We have blocked off time on our calendar to take a few days off in May! WAHOOO! This weekend might be the first weekend in a SUPER long time that we are actually going to take two days to rest and just do the fun! ;)

It is my goal over the next few days/weeks to actually focus on what brings us happiness! DIYing, grilling out, hanging out with friends, visiting my brother, exploring new coffee shops, watching the clouds roll by, reading, etc… these are all on our new To Do list! Yesterday we started this new challenge off by making a few DIY Pallet Projects out of the old pallets we gathered a few months ago! It has been on our mind to make a sign for our guest bedroom and hang up those cozy robes we purchased months ago! After a morning of cranking out the work, we spent a few hours in the afternoon playing with some pallets and paint! ;) It took me awhile to just relax and have fun, but when I did… it felt pretty AMAZING! ;)

We hope you will join us this weekend and take some time to be still. Take some time for yourself and celebrate this AMAZING life!

And because life is happier with bright yellow flowers :)

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