tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post4375287174273678728..comments2012-01-05T09:56:48.066-08:00Kellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341972643290993879noreply@blogger.comBlogger308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-46633235437802886252012-01-05T09:56:48.066-08:002012-01-05T09:56:48.066-08:00&quot;I finally learned, after years of messing with my hair and attempting blonde that turned into gold/orange/butt-ugly-bronze, my mom was right. Pick a color and stay. It&#39;s been three years now, and I can say with certainty...Hi, I&#39;m a brunette. For good.&quot;<br /><br />-- Hi, I am a brunette as well! LOL! I love this because I definitely had that time period. And its, unfortunately for me, evidenced on my badge at work. One guy asked me once, are you sure thats you? I learned the hard way too and now I am embracing my dark brown hair and have also vowed not to change it again. (i hope not anyway! hehe) I know you are having a great time in Michigan with family. It is definitely the most important!Jessica Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10839804172901310351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-21028784575855848252012-01-04T07:42:54.994-08:002012-01-04T07:42:54.994-08:00Love this post! Just got a chance to read it - a busy New Year around here. I&#39;m in a similar place, as far as what you&#39;ve learned this year. And guess what! I&#39;m 33, too! It&#39;s gonna be a great year.Hillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12246105957139278110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-17504224796351083932012-01-03T12:48:23.614-08:002012-01-03T12:48:23.614-08:00Happy Bday Kelle!!! I&#39;m on the 28th and I couldn&#39;t agree more. So here&#39;s to US! ha. One year and one day off. Cheers and many blessings....melifaifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472835600976543766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-43825097806051872522012-01-03T10:10:06.112-08:002012-01-03T10:10:06.112-08:00Happy Belated Birthday!!Jeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14034154939064403547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-1148698631068710902012-01-03T07:56:48.412-08:002012-01-03T07:56:48.412-08:00So, so excited for you that you got to take your girls to MI. What a gift!Just Gloryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978272177393618481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-61088702061677900232012-01-02T19:31:01.795-08:002012-01-02T19:31:01.795-08:00Happy Birthday Kelle!<br />May the Lord bless your 2012 as the happiest year yet!kowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02663816665678011565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-92075167199821557422012-01-02T14:32:49.346-08:002012-01-02T14:32:49.346-08:00Give me a big, standing up, hands-waiving in the air AMEN to:<br /><br />-You can never say &quot;I love you&quot; enough.<br />-Family is everything. <br />-Find things that make you happy. Do them. <br />-Keep learning. Push yourself. Ask questions. Read books. Google topics. Try something new.<br /><br />Happy 33 Kelle. Here&#39;s wishing you a wonderful adventure in Michigan. What a spectacular gift of reflection. Thank you dear. <br /><br />-JenniferHappiness is...http://www.blogger.com/profile/01259545466842968611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-75816604472034217472012-01-02T12:18:22.311-08:002012-01-02T12:18:22.311-08:00i thoroughly enjoy reading every bit of your blog. you are very good at what you do and it is the reason i started up my own! my sister-in-law just got her 1st dslr camera and i got her the scott kelby books you recommended in your fyi section. when i get out of nursing school, i&#39;m going to get one too, but until then, i&#39;ll keep up with all of your beautiful pictures of your precious family :) happy 2012, hope yall are having fun in the snow - enjoy it while you can!misty vennehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12252480667870116472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-19376157308989702612012-01-02T08:38:11.735-08:002012-01-02T08:38:11.735-08:00When I first started reading your blog, I&#39;m pretty sure Lainey was wearing that green hat! <br />Happy Birthday Kelle!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026918060182327792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-22407893069754639062012-01-02T02:01:17.767-08:002012-01-02T02:01:17.767-08:00Kelle,<br />I have spent the last few days scolling through your incredible testament to the small things. I keep coming back after pottering around the kitchen &amp; the garden to view just a little bit more of you, your family and your passions. Thank you for inspiring me from afar.<br />Lisa xLxxxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17242138782457037937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-91219462862518153452012-01-01T16:58:43.354-08:002012-01-01T16:58:43.354-08:00I just remembered we have the same birthday! And our second children are girls and they have Down Syndrome. Wow! I hope you had a wonderful birthday. I am so thankful for you and your inspiring photograpy and words.tharwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10874690453766039836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-1455393296562691842012-01-01T16:28:19.434-08:002012-01-01T16:28:19.434-08:00A belated Happy Birthday to you, Kelle. Thirty three was one of my favourite years.Kyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13671939195525059704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-43117125943552566142012-01-01T16:08:45.307-08:002012-01-01T16:08:45.307-08:00I hope you had a wonderful birthday Kelle! Enjoy Michigan and the snow :) <br />ps. your brunette hair is to die for!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624580725726054582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-89712577869444228622012-01-01T13:41:25.392-08:002012-01-01T13:41:25.392-08:00Happy Birthday, Kelle! I turned 31 on the 30th, and my boys turned 4 and 2 today (New Years Day), so I can also appreciate the awesomeness of the end of year/beginning of year birthdays. I hope 2012 brings great things for your beautiful family. I know it will!Betsy Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634613224113653489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-7837916270935260382012-01-01T11:49:48.557-08:002012-01-01T11:49:48.557-08:00I love your year of truths. They&#39;re lovely and funny all wrapped into one! It&#39;s so exciting that you&#39;re in Michigan! I&#39;m just a reader and I know how freakin&#39; awesome that is for you!Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01203140986644020860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-34541720552114516052011-12-31T18:07:48.436-08:002011-12-31T18:07:48.436-08:00Love Lainey&#39;s Tom&#39;s!!!!!!!!!! Hope You have a great birthday!!!!!!!!!!!<br />&lt;3 your blog!<br />Victoria :DToriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476554400877508175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-76236748717781500052011-12-31T13:36:05.562-08:002011-12-31T13:36:05.562-08:00Happy Birthday:) Your blog is so inspirational and this specific post inspired me to write a few reflections of my own. <br /><br />http://patrickandsarahhancock.blogspot.com/2011/12/twenty-nine-reflections.html<br /><br />Thank you.The Hancock Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17180369404073934888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-47331821606487011222011-12-31T07:17:32.919-08:002011-12-31T07:17:32.919-08:00Hmmm... I will try not to make this a long comment, but wanted to say &quot;yes, and amen&quot; to this:<br />&quot;I miss some of the brokenness that existed in such a raw emotional state. Don&#39;t get me wrong, I&#39;m perfectly content not having some life-changing obstacle to face, thank you very much. But there is a part of me that recognizes the importance of being broken, of never knowing too much, of being so vulnerable that the possibility for transformation is breathtakingly real.&quot;<br /><br />And I wanted to share a little too. <br /><br />When I was 20 weeks pregnant this year I was told that it was likely our baby had DS. It was an incredible time for me as a mother, for my husband, and for so many others as we processed the possibilities. I had already been following your blog for over a year before that (my oldest son is Nella&#39;s age) and, thanks to you, had earnestly thought and prayed and considered the possibility of having a child with special needs. But then of course when you&#39;re faced with that reality you&#39;ve got to process on a whole new level! Wow, it was intense. But it was also beautiful. <br /><br />In that time I learned what I was made of - that my faith was more tangible than I thought, that I was braver, that I was stronger... but also more fragile. It was hard but good. So good.<br /><br />We had our son three months ago and he was born perfectly &quot;normal&quot;. I was relieved and glad and confused and a thousand other things all at once. (Mostly just thankful.) And although it was the outcome we had hoped and prayed for, there was a small part of me that mourned the loss of what might have been. The loss of a life that I had begun to picture in my mind. (Sounds crazy, I know.) <br /><br />I&#39;m still processing it all, but I think a big part of that was realizing that life as &quot;normal&quot; can be void of that urgent sense of vulnerability and preciousness and dang-we&#39;d-better-live-this-life-well attitude that comes with being dished out potentially life-altering news. And I don&#39;t want to lose that. I don&#39;t want to forget. I&#39;m not typically a fearful person, but the possibility of losing that makes me afraid. Every day it feels easier to forget.<br /><br />Like you, I&#39;m glad for life as it is now. I&#39;m glad to feel less broken. But I would never trade that period for anything, and I just don&#39;t want to forget. I want to stay perched on the edge of &quot;the possibility of transformation.&quot;<br /><br />Anyway Kelle, this has turned into a novel (I should have just found your email address!), but I just wanted to say thanks for writing. I&#39;m always grateful and always learning from you, as--no doubt--are many others.<br /><br />You&#39;re a gift.<br /><br />love AdrielAdriel (The Mommyhood Memos)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00128519182850037060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-87400835488490818332011-12-31T04:55:04.422-08:002011-12-31T04:55:04.422-08:00&quot;But there is a part of me that recognizes the importance of being broken, of never knowing too much, of being so vulnerable that the possibility for transformation is breathtakingly real.&quot; - Brilliant, beautiful, thanks for your inspiration, and happy birthday!!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07168478283214825428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-61772564759904771252011-12-31T02:40:03.922-08:002011-12-31T02:40:03.922-08:00Happy Birthday!!Tashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524104846250432136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-80078826928313102002011-12-30T22:14:39.562-08:002011-12-30T22:14:39.562-08:00Happy birthday (a day late) and thank you for all you give in your blog posts! I completely resonate with your comments about being broken, even missing it -- or at least missing the gifts that come with being in such a raw, vulnerable place. Not that we want to stay in those places forever, but there is something very blessed and sacred about those times. <br /><br />I went through a very deep depression during college, when I was losing my faith that had been the center of my upbringing (well, losing it as I had known it) and I was terrified and overwhelmed and had no idea who in the world I was. It was a devastating and humiliating and horribly confusing time. But that suffering grew me up, taught me, and transformed me into a strong and beautiful creature that I never could have otherwise even dreamed I could be. And just like you said...sometimes I do miss that wide open, brutally honest brokenness, as strange as that sounds. I guess I just pray with everything in me that I don&#39;t ever lose the lessons of it.Lisa Comohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11300548619150152451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-58297635194650923062011-12-30T19:25:21.110-08:002011-12-30T19:25:21.110-08:00The picture after #16 is a look my 4 y/o son, Owen makes all the time. I smiled to see it on another preschooler and ran upstairs to kiss him as he sleeps. Happy birthday and thank you for sharing your moments that remind me of old memories and have me concentrating on memorizing new ones with my three (Owen, 4; Caleb, 2; and Eliza 5 months).cdnkbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00142220461715197146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-18480243281224467212011-12-30T19:13:44.907-08:002011-12-30T19:13:44.907-08:00Happy late birthday! We share our anniversary with you! Oh my goodness, the pics of Nella in the hat makes her look so old and grown up! <br /><br />Enjoy your trip to Michigan!lovemy3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17434145151589494680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-91803182335708715552011-12-30T18:51:20.895-08:002011-12-30T18:51:20.895-08:00I needed to hear so many of these. Thank you!Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598168762352136855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246681883258645640.post-663498076751239552011-12-30T15:51:21.332-08:002011-12-30T15:51:21.332-08:00Couldn&#39;t agree with number 4 more :) Happy belated birthday!motherhoodandotheradventureshttp://motherhoodandotheradventures.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com