the handwritten word

first off, thanks for all the kind words and encouragement. i feel much better. monday morning was rough. but the rest of the day, including my self-imposed pouting session, was actually pretty relaxing. no pressure, no expectations and just a day to feel 'bleh' and get some of the sadness out. if anyone's wondering. leah and i are, once again, friends. she's currently standing right next to me snapping my arms in her tiny little fingers, wearing a pink, puffy fairy princess dress. we're listening to my mix on iTunes titled, "dance party with leah."

we're wrapping up a busy week and three-day weekend, including a visit from ryan's parents, by taking all of our christmas decorations back to storage and cleaning up a few other odds and ends. we "took down" christmas a few days after the big event. in my family christmas comes down before the birthdays start. and the birthdays start on december 30th. but this year, i held onto the cards. there's not much more i love about the holidays than an overflowing mailbox, filled with warm wishes, updates and darling photos from family and friends old and new. 

i love it. 

i've always loved the hand-written word. i carry a notebook with me to jot ideas down. you will always find at least a few lists hanging around my house. and i love writing thank you notes. with a pen. on paper. i love addressing the envelope and sticking the stamp in the corner. and i love sending those handwritten words off to be delivered by an actual human being. i imagine the look on someone's face when they shuffle through their bills and junk and ads only to find something personally addressed to them. in ink. the thought that someone took time just for them. i imagine they feel the same way i do each time i open my own mailbox to such a surprise. 

this year we were more than blessed with holiday wishes from friends near and far, old and new. friends we haven't seen in years. friends we saw yesterday. friends whose families have grown exponentially. friends who, this year, might be missing one or two. i love the crisp, clean layouts and the creative year-in-review summaries. and i love displaying them in my home. 

this year i grossly under-ordered our own cards and figured that meant what goes around comes around. i was pleasantly surprised. i ran out of mini clothespins for my homemade card hanger. and then i ran out of space. i had to tape cards to the wall to fill two more columns of cards. seventy six in total. seventy six friends and family members thinking of the laytons. seventy six envelopes spilling out of our mailbox. seventy six family photos and well-wishes. seventy six smiles, thinking about you.

so thank you, seventy six times over.