Nailed it!

A healthy mind is equally as important as a healthy body, so when my friend Christine shared this story and it made me smile, I wanted to pass it along to you. I hope it provides you with a happy boost!

Christine has been preparing diligently for months for her upcoming wedding this May. She is super excited and has a Pinterest board filled with her fav wedding things. One of the items is a box made of wood for display at a wedding where people can insert their money cards. Christine is very crafty and wanted to make the box instead of buying one. She went to her parent’s home one weekend and teamed up with her dad who does a lot of woodworking. Together, they built the cardholder out of scrap wood. He used nails he had in a jar and revealed to Christine that the nails were from her grandparent’s home in Northern Pennsylvania. After both her grandparents passed away, her dad was at the house prepping it for sale and doing some minor upgrade work when he took the nails out of wood paneling from 1971 and placed them in a jar. He thought the card box for Christine’s wedding was a perfect project to reuse the nails.

It sounds simplistic, but there is a lot of cool symbolism to this humble story. A nail is defined as a small metal spike driven into wood to join things together. That in itself is cool if you think of marriage and how it’s a union. An additional fun symbolic element is that the nails are now uniquely linking a part of her family’s past with the future. A great example of how something small in life can have significant meaning.

Wishing Christine and Tyler all the best on their upcoming nuptials!

NOTE: Photos by Christine’s mom.

DC Whirlwind

My aunt Linda and cousin Alicia came down to visit me from up north for a few days. Here’s an accelerated version of our activities … lunch at Noodles & Co. — driving tour of Northern Va. — leisurely walk around Mosaic District — dinner at Matchbox — mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception — tour of the Basilica — Union Market — dinner at Coastal Flats — breakfast crepes at Clifton Cafe — tour of historic Clifton — tour of the National Museum of Natural History — tour of the National Museum of American History — tour of the National Portrait Gallery — dinner and drinks at Russia House — rooftop fun at night on Mass. Ave. — lunch at Good Stuff Eatery — visit to Old Post Office and clock tower — dinner at Bella Vita — Depeche Mode. Nonstop fun!

Divine Surprise

Uncle Nun

My cousin threw a retirement party for my wise and nurturing aunt who worked tirelessly as an elementary school teacher for years. She’s a rare kind of teacher you are lucky to come across even once in your entire educational career. (Shout-out to my inspirational teacher Eileen Maloney.) Hailing from a large Italian family, my aunt’s siblings enthusiastically showed up in support. My aunt is of deep faith and grew up with nuns as teachers. My Uncle Paul arrived from out of town to surprise her. Dressed as a nun, he showed up early to the party with his back to the entrance. When my aunt arrived another one of my uncles brought her over to the “nun” who he introduced as Sister Lucy. When my Uncle Paul in full nun gear turned around, my aunt was blown away — she started laughing and gave him a big hug. It was super fun coming together to honor her. Enjoy your next phase of life Aunt Linda!