Moments to walk in

So I'm really really tempted to begin this post with some serious self-deprication.

You know... the way I pretty much begin every post these days.

But then I thought that might get a little old. 

I mean really... I shouldn't waste my words writing apologies for why I haven't been writing. 

I should just WRITE. Right?

Haha... that's kind of a tongue-twister.

Aaaammmmm.... Yeah. 

So what should I write about? The words don't always come so easily.
It's not for a lack of them. On the contrary, I find I have too many. Shocking, I know... 

Sometimes I think that's the hardest part. Life happens so quickly. I feel like the older I get the faster it goes by. So many moments I'd love to just freeze, even if for a minute or two. To pause everything and walk around in a snapshot. Dig my heels in and soak it up. But like water they just slip through my fingers. 

Have you ever had moments like these? Times that you knew were extraordinary? A day that you knew was a total gift? A weekend, afternoon or evening; a coffee date; a conversation that you knew would be pivotal. Life-changing. A touchstone. A pebble to collect in your life's satchel. Or maybe it was just something beautifully simple and ordinary. The smooth caress of air on your hand as you drive along a twisty mountain road. Snow falling in Manhattan. Salt-laden sea breezes and hot sun rays on an Oregon beach in February. Seeing a smile in someone's eyes. Crawling in to bed long after "bedtime" and having your loved one unconsciously grab you close, as if to say I missed you. A blazing sunset.

These are just a hand-full of moments that I wish I could walk around in. There are volumes upon volumes of memories I'll cherish forever. I somehow want to acknowledge them all. To write them down or speak them aloud. To take a mental snapshot. Because if I don't perhaps I'll lose them forever.

I'm not really sure where I'm going with all of this or how this became the topic of my blogpost. I think maybe because this past weekend was another weekend I wished would never end. It was the fulfillment of my Christmas gift to Ryan - he asked for "waves" and so I took him for a long weekend to the ocean. The best I could do. GOD provided the waves. But it also, coincidentally, was the six month anniversary of the day our lives were joined together forever. Yep. Another day I'd love to relive over and over again.

Nostalgia. It's a powerful thing. I guess my point in writing this is to encourage any one out there who's reading this to take those snapshots- real or metaphorical. Don't let those moments pass you by. Rather, let them soak into your soul like lovely rays of sunshine. And thank God for each and every one. Remember them with fondness and thanksgiving. And keep looking forward with eyes open, searching for the next one. And don't forget to write it down so you can walk in the moment whenever you like.