erica danielle

 Year 16! What a dream of a 24 hour getaway. We 🤍 the North Loop. We ate the yummiest food, drank the tastiest wine, walked almost 20,000 steps and sat in the rooftop hot tub/ sauna for hours. It was seriously the best and now it’s over and I’m sad 😭. But I’ll be re-living these memories for a super long time.  xo. edc.  These photos needed to be in color. 😍

 Mon-Fri felt like a longgggg week! I came home last night and the kids were playing with friends from the neighborhood and sten and I had the BEST happy hour chats while heating up leftovers and it was exactly what I wanted my Friday night to look like. It was restorative, fun, and the bright spot in my week. Thankful for Sten. Who makes the most ordinary things feel special.  xo.edc. 

Over the weekend our speaker talked about finding ways to be thankful for the hard things of your day. For instance. Think about the worst part of the last 12-24 hours and then search for the nugget of gratitude within that moment. I’ve been trying it and it is not as easy as saying: I’m thankful for Sten. But I do think something happens when you find gratitude in the yuck, in the messy. It re-writes the story in a way that’s helpful for me.  My humanity coming into play in relationships: thankful that my heart cares so much and that God created me this way My class being rowdy and hearing my name 3,000x a day: I have little people that look up to me and think I’m the best.  Not waking up for my run like I planned: I gave my body a break and have the coziest bed with fresh sheets to sleep in.  What a mind shift it is. Try it!  Today is Thursday and after work I am going to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with my mom, sister and kids. I can’t wait.  xo.edc....

  Even tho it was such a short trip, this has been the highlight of November so far. Chicago. Dancing with Sten. Being with friends I miss.  Thankful for this memory. xo.edc. 

 Grateful for a weekend full of connection, sauna time, Gods creation, my family, our church, and a reminder to front row living.  xo. edc

 It’s Friday. I missed multiple days of my month of thankfulness. On Wednesday I went for a short run. You can’t see it so well in the picture, but there are rays coming out of that one sunny line in the sky. Those always make me feel like that’s Gods goodness and glory being proclaimed in the morning. And I needed it. I needed the reset and the reminder that God is good and he is for me.  I went into Wednesday with a shifted perspective and I am finishing out the week strong. After work today I’m driving up to the women’s retreat with 2 friends and I am excited to see how God moves in the lives of the women of our church. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of it all.  November is 1/2 way through! Wish I could slow time.  xo.edc. 

Working brings on a whole new appreciation for the weekend. Saturdays in particular, as Sunday is a busy day in our home still :)  Last night Sten took the boys to the cabin for a little getaway and I was prepared for reading, game playing and pasta night with Lucy. She ended up sleeping over at her friends house last minute and I found myself alone in my home. It was weird. I actually don't know if I have ever slept alone in our house... I didn't know what to do with my free time. I ended up cleaning the bathroom. WHAT?!  This morning I slept in until 6:15! then went to Willow for a run WITHOUT wearing a headlamp with Haley. I came home and made protein pancakes for myself and it's actually just lovely. An unexpected 15 hours to myself. I like the slow nature of home. I like my house and my kitchen and my bed. I am thankful that home is a place I want to be. A place of safety and comfort when the world feels swirly. I have a lot coming up. The women's retreat. a thanks...

I missed my thankful day yesterday! On Wednesday while cooking dinner the boys were playing football and practicing flag pull drills in the backyard. I looked out my window and spotted a handshake being made. At the end, Olle taught Sigge how to “answer the phone” and do a little end zone shuffle. It was my highlight of the day. So cute and big bro-ish.  I’m grateful they have each other. They are wildly different, but each seem to celebrate at times what the other excels at and join in on the others choice.  Haley made these granola bars and they are the AMAZING! Is there anything better than a surprise left on your front door?????? Thankful for friends who drop off treats and make days infinitely brighter ❤️ xo. edc.   

 Thankful today for reminders on my phone: Lucy loves me. (I didn’t even know this was in my pictures! What a sneaky little girl!) And 1 of my November goals is to drink water before coffee… and so far I’m crushing it. :) xo. edc. 

 Yesterday I got home from school and I went to work roasting things. Neighborhood friend Gabe was over and the boys were playing football outside. Lucy was playing at her friend’s house too. So I cut and chopped and drizzled with oil and made: Buttercup squash (new to me! Thanks Haley for sharing your bounty!) Acorn squash  Baby potatoes  Sweet potatoes  Broccoli  I love roasted vegetables. I found myself thinking: I’m thankful for neighborhood friends. Because time in the kitchen feels so good and simple.  xo. edc. 

Sometimes we get dressed up and go downtown to a new restaurant (in matching beige) and eat pasta.  Happy birthday to Jenny. So glad you were born!  Thankful for friends who are always up for an adventure and who make life meaningful and fun. Grateful for the opportunity to celebrate life’s highs and lows with these ladies.  xo. edc.

 It was so fun to get dressed up and celebrate Andrew and Kara on their special day!  Feeling thankful today for my favorite person by my side all weekend. I loved reminiscing, laughing, dancing and being with sten all weekend. These are the kinds of weekends that make Monday even harder!  xo. edc. 

 The air was crisp yesterday and the sky was blue. I love those kinds of days. I’m trying to spend at least an hour and half outside no matter the weather this month and yesterday was easy.  There’s a contact through Bethel who owns an old school tractor and offered to take our kids on tractor rides through the back woods of school. It was  such a thrill. A tiny piece of whimsy on a day I needed it. My 4 yr olds were the best about it: “this is beautiful, this is so awesome, we’re in the forest!” — all things I heard from the back as we bounced along. Then we played on the frost covered playground zooming down the slides and running on slippery wood chips.  Thankful for the outdoors and for seeing the world through a child’s eye 🧡 xo. edc  

 For the first time since moving to Hudson we switched things up and went trick or treating in St. Paul. Perhaps less full size candy bars were given out, but we made up for it by seeing new sights and had fun strolling the neighborhoods around Lake Phalen ❤️🎃 Thankful for people to celebrate Halloween with. In the words of Lucy last night: “it’s always sad when something you’ve been excited for is over.”  Happy November. xo. edc This year we had: a pirate, a ninja turtle, a ginormous shark and Wednesday.  I was wearing snow pants. 🥶