Throwback Thursday: Growing Family

I am so thrilled to announce Dan and I's careful decision to adopt... a Betta Fish! We are happy to welcome a new family member into the home and especially to provide my mom with her first shot at being a grandmother.

World, meet Tiger "Master" Betta:

Dan and I have been visiting Woodstock's Animal Crossing almost every other day to see if they had any new Betta fish come in that we'd be able to adopt. (shop local!) Although we've seen a few over the weeks, none of them caught our eye like this handsome little man. Dan and I were both immediately drawn to his beautiful face that only a mother could love and gorgeous color. It didn't hurt that his color also matches our living / dining room as well as being one of Dan's favorite colors: Sunday Red.

We may not have done all of our research before adopting Tiger, but we are studying Betta blogs diligently to understand the best type of environment, food, water temperature and threadcount preference cleaning schedule to provide him with a long and happy life as our adopted son. We will never allow him to grow up and enter into Betta Fight Club - he's got too bright of a future for that.

Our family had quite the full house of non-humans when I was growing up - my brother(I kid!), Blazer girl, Miss Piggy, Mr. Pig or Lily (guinea pigs), Bugs Bunny, Sahara (hamster), Simba, Nala, Griffey, Griffey II, Simba II, Nala II (Goldfish I can remember) and I'm sure a few more goldfish that my parents cleverly flushed and replaced before I had the chance to realize they'd gone belly up in their tank or were caught in the filter.

Today's Throwback Thursday is brought to you by the four legged and finned family members that depend on us to keep their lives full of attention, nourishment and well being.

<3 JE

Happy Anniversary

Today's post is dedicated to two kids who hit it off immediately, fell in love, began a family and have only grown closer together in their love over the past 29 years of marriage.

My mom and dad are celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary today and they continue to be the benchmark for what a relationship should look and feel like.  They successfully owned and operated their own business for 20+ years, they raised two career-driven children with nourishing childhoods and even brighter futures and they continue to raise a "child" even though their human children have flown from the nest. I admire that they have accomplished so much together and that they relentlessly continue to work hard to spread love, build their future and enjoy their precious time together. I've never seen two people more in love.

Never have I seen them stop caring for each other, make decisions that didn't benefit them as a couple or miss a step in their walk together in this crazy life. How cute are these two?

Hopefully I don't get in trouble for sharing some of the photos I found over the holiday break. These kids are off enjoying an extended weekend in beautiful weather at the coast where they are making memories and preparing the home for many years to come.

<3 JE