As a dog owner, here’s nothing that makes me feel worse than dropping Lily at the vet or kennel. She starts shaking once she figures out where we’re going, and when I finally hand the leash over to whoever will be taking her back, she gives me this pleading look, like “you’re leaving me here?? I thought you loved me!” Oy. I imagine this is just a taste of what it feels like to leave kids at daycare.

So! Let’s talk about the fact that Winter decided to descend upon us here in Virginia last week. One of my favorite scents in the world is the way my parents’ house smells when the heater comes on for the first time in the fall. It reminds me of Christmas, cozy socks, snow, hot chocolate, everything! But now that we’re in our new home and it’s heated with gas instead of electricity, no more first-heat-of-the-season smell. Maybe Yankee makes a candle in that particular aroma?

As always, lessons learned/events that transpired over the past week:

• Apparently, I got the lyrics wrong in Taylor Swift’s song “Blank Space.” I thought it was “…gotta love this Starbucks lover…” but in fact, the line is as such: “…gotta long list of ex-lovers…” Oops.
• YOU GUYSSSS! We finally have a return address stamp!! I’ve been wanting one since we got married almost four years ago, but because we were moving every year it never made sense to buy one. Now that we own a home, I ordered an address stamp from Paper-Source. Kind of makes me want to send out mail just for the sake of using it.
• If you’re looking for a new show on Netflix, check out The 100. It’s sort of like Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies.
• One of my all-time favorite bands, Anberlin, is on their last tour, and my brother Seth & I went to see them in Philly last week. It was AMAZING! And so dang depressing. But absolutely worth the six hours in the car!
• Woe betide the tour group that gets in my way whilst shooting bridal party portraits at the Lincoln Memorial. I have a permit for this very purpose and I am NOT afraid to wield it!
• If you need to laugh, just go watch this video. That should do the trick!

Lou & Yvonne’s DC wedding this past weekend was a stunner for SURE. Y’all are going to love this one!