butterfly kisses

I can't remember how old I was the first time we sang it.

All I remember was that we would sing it every Father's Day, my dad and I.
Butterfly Kisses.

I also remember thinking it was our song. I remember people at church always asking when we would sing it again, and telling me how beautifully I sang. I remember loving every moment of being on stage with my dad, because he and my mom were the best singers I knew.
Dad has always been a passionate, animated, and loving man. His presence on stage and as a speaker have always blown me away.
And he definitely spoiled me.
He used to tell me that my shoulder blades were the stubs left behind from my angel wings.
I believed him.

That songs still gives me goosebumps, and brings tears to my eyes. I can hear my dad singing it, and I would give anything to have a recording of that first time, when I was so little.

I remember the way our church smelled, and the way it felt to be in there before everyone else, practicing together. I remember the bliss of being young, living only in happiness and play.
When the bridge of the song would come up, right before the beginning of the verse "Sweet 16 today", there was a little section that echoed "spread your wings and fly."
When I was young, I would flap my little arms and go down the steps to sit in the front row, and dad would finish the song alone. Since the next part was about being 16 and then getting married, it didn't really apply to me.

But I remember that first time I was able to stay for the whole song. Boy oh boy, it was a big step.
I felt really grown up, and I also felt a little scared and sad. I think dad did too, because it was making us both cry.

When Dusty and I got engaged in the Powerscourt gardens in Enniskerry, Ireland, my family was waiting inside, safe from the wind and rain.
They were watching through the windows.

Powerscourt Estate Gardens

The proposal begins...

Coming in from the wind and rain and with the elation of the moment, I came into a warm embrace from dad.

He leaned down and whispered, "There are two things I know for sure. You were sent here from heaven, and you'll always be daddy's little girl."

Crying as I write this, it was one of the most special moments of my life. Years and years of memories and happy father-daughter dates and sweet moments were wrapped up in that moment.

One year and two days later, Dusty and I got married.

My dad spoke beautiful words in the ceremony and at the reception, loving on us and blessing us.

He walked me down the aisle...in the same church he married my mother, in the same church we had sang Butterfly Kisses so many times before.

"Walk me down the aisle daddy, it's just about time!"

Such a beautiful moment, one which I could not contain my tears from.
As soon as those big doors opened, I was lost. Dad had to keep pulling my arm back, trying to have me slow down and enjoy the moment. My face was distorted in tears, and all I could keep thinking was, "I have to hurry or I won't get through this!"

At the reception, we walked out to the dance floor to dance to our lifelong theme song.
"Butterfly Kisses" played, and we cried, and he was sweet and wonderful. I love my daddy.
I'm so glad we danced to this song, because I never would have made through singing it.

I love my family.

I am so thankful for a mom and dad that have raised me in the ways of the Lord, to love and to laugh and to experience and learn all that I can.

I'm so thankful for my humor and silliness that I have inherited from parents who love to laugh.

Singing at Johnny Fox's pub in Ireland.

Dad's 60th birthday party!

I am thankful for the many, many memories of travel and adventure and story-telling and laughter and family and friends and so much more.

While I don't have current access to our many childhood pictures or photos of dad and I when I was a little girl, I have all of those memories locked up tight in my reservoir.

When Dusty and I started dating, I would save his texts and notes, and mom would always call that my love bank.
I think the development of words of affirmation as my love language began from my parents constant output of positive encouragement and edification to who I was.
I have all of those tucked away in a special place inside of me.
When I was in High School, my dad would tuck little sticky notes inside of my lunch box. "You rock!" and "You're beautiful" and "Have a groovy day" and so many more little nuggets of love.
I owe so much to my loving family. The more and more days that go by, the more I realize that I have been raised by two wonderful people, by God's design.

Thank you, to both of you.
And thanks to you dad, as today we celebrate you as a father. Thanks for raising a beautiful family with our beautiful mother, and for continuing to love us and pray for us together.
We are so lucky.

In love,
Cait

easter baskets

Growing up, Easter was always something I looked forward to.
I could count on having a pretty new Easter dress for the very special church services, as well as a basket full of goodies at the foot of my bed.
I still have some of my favorite little stuffed animals and other treats that my parents got for me for Easter morning. I specifically remember a giant cream-colored stuffed bunny that my parents got me from Disneyland, and gave to me on an Easter morning when they couldn't be there with us and we were staying at my grandma's house for the Easter weekend. I loved that soft rabbit to pieces.
Another year, my dad got my little brother and I life-sized stuffed rabbit people. And not life-sized as in child-sized; life-sized as in DAD-sized. They were huge! Mine was a girl, in a lovely floral dress. It took up my entire bed, and I loved it.
Another traditional Easter basket finding was mini perfume. My mom almost always made sure to tuck in a collection of mini perfume bottles for Easter or Valentine's Day.

This is not my actual collection, although it could be! I have a lot of the same :)

The funny thing is, I don't think I ever actually used them. I just loved the way they looked and smelled, and I would tuck them safely onto a special shelf to look at, and feel fancy (my desire to be fancy started early in life).

All that being said, this year was our first Easter spent away from our families. It was a little harder than I was expecting it to be. While we were married last year as well, we were able to drive home from school and spend Easter with both of our families.
The weeks leading up to Easter, I consistently referenced the fact that I absolutely had to wake up to an Easter basket on my bed. Dusty would just roll his eyes. I knew the seed had most likely been planted around the 40th time I mentioned it.

Little did he know, I had started collecting Easter basket goodies about two weeks before Easter.
One thing that's very important to realize in this deception is that Dusty checks the status of our money quite often; he pays the bills, he manages the accounts, etc. etc. We have a joint checking account, and he has the credit card, so for me to be able to purchase something without him noticing is absolutely impossible.

The first thing I bought was at the farmer's market. My friend Allison graciously lent me the $5 in cash to pay for it, so there would be no paper trail ;)
It was a giant homemade white chocolate Oreo bar, in the shape of an ornate Easter egg. Yum!

Then, I asked Dusty if I could buy something for him for his birthday online. I spent about $30 to get him a few movies; one of which was The Muppets, (super cute, if you haven't seen it, you should!) which was going in the basket. I also got him some other movies to give him on his actual birthday, to throw him off guard!

I also went to JoAnn's, to get some fabric that I needed for some custom Etsy orders. While I was there, I picked up some Easter eggs and candy.
The last thing I did was go to the grocery store. This is where it got tricky! We had a gift card with about $20 left on it. I did our regular grocery shopping, and also got him a bunch of candy, including Cadbury eggs which he'd never had before!! I also got him a $5 movie there, so he would think the movies I gave him would  add up to the $30 I had spent on amazon. (Dragonheart, which he'd never seen (!!!! click on the link to listen to the theme song, and cry at your desk) and all 3 Underworld movies).

{This is totally off topic, but I had a dream the other night that I was flying, over a beautiful landscape, while the Dragonheart theme song played. It was very moving.}

I also grabbed some strawberry milk and Little Debbie's Oatmeal Creme Pies, to aid in my deception.
I used the gift card, so the total leftover amount on our card would equal a regular grocery amount.
Sigh.

So then, when I got home, I peeped in the door and told Dusty to close his eyes. I ran upstairs to "put my JoAnn's stuff in the craft room" (and shove the Easter stuff under the bed), and told him I had a surprise for him. That's when I whipped out the strawberry milk and Oatmeal Creme Pies, to totally wipe any suspicion from his brain.
I put the Easter basket together while he was at school late one night, and had it all ready to go, in a crevice between our suitcases under the bed.

The funny thing about all of this, is we both already knew we were going to "surprise" each other with Easter baskets. I mean, really.

Easter Morning

I set my alarm for really early, to set Dusty's Easter basket at the foot of his bed.
Once that was accomplished, I crawled back into bed and went back to sleep.

I awoke about an hour later, and Dusty was gone, and his basket remained, untouched. I tried to listen to see if he was downstairs somewhere, but I didn't know where he was. I thought maybe he really hadn't gotten me an Easter basket, and was making me coffee or something to make up for it.
He finally came back up, and I sat up and wished him a happy Easter. He plopped down on the bed, smiling at his basket. He said, "Sorry, I had to go the bathroom." He then bent down by his side of the bed, and said, "OR, I was getting YOUR Easter basket!". He pulled my basket onto the bed, and it was fantastic. Cotton candy, WAR HEADS! Yes, sir. But the best part were MINI Cadbury eggs. Oh my goodness. How many times have I stated that I love myself a good Cadbury egg on Eater, but one is more than enough; they're SO sweet and gooey, that it's almost too much. How perfect are the minis! One little bite, and it's all the Cadbury I need. (I can't really explain why I ate like 6 that morning).

Dusty was still bursting with hardly contained glee, so he finally said, "Now, now, now, look out the window! I'm pretty sure the Easter bunny came by here..."

I was really confused. Santa came by, but the Easter bunny...I wasn't really sure he existed.

Dusty, I mean the Easter bunny, had littered the ENTIRE front grass with Easter eggs.

Some were even hidden in the bushes!

I had a basket full :)

It was so fun, and SO silly. It just kind of reiterated the fact that we're both really weird, and that we both really enjoy that about ourselves.

Speaking of weird, bear with me as I share some kitten-related pictures.

Alright. Moving on.

We then got ready for church, and were very lovely in our pastels :)

We decided we wanted to try out our own funky little Easter tradition, so we went out to all-you-can-eat Sushi after church. :)
It was a fun, spur-of-the-moment decision.

While I wouldn't call this the best sushi on the East Coast, I'm not sure there is a "best" on the East Coast, of anything sushi related.
But we had a really good time :) I look forward to many more sushi-filled Easters in the future!

My dress is from our J. Crew Outlet,
and the sunglasses are Ruche!

Our house was warm and candy-filled, and still is...candy-filled, that is. It's been a chocolatey week, that's for sure! I've also been taking a lot of naps. Sugar comas?

We're loving our new chair in the living room, and so is Luna. :)
More cat pictures to come...but only because she just happened to be in the shot :)

Our happy living room! :)
I also used the leftover Easter basket stuffing to put inside the bases of some of my vases.
I actually really like the way it looks :) very Spring-y and fun!

We spend way more time in our living room now. There's something cozy and home-y, feeling like the room is finally complete.
Well...almost. I've gotta figure out a slip-cover concept for this new chair of ours....

Anywho! Happy Easter, and happy Spring to you all.
Until next time :)

In love,
Cait