Carving Our Initials

One of those moments, George

My all-time favorite movie is Father of the Bride (and Part II).

I love everything about it. The aesthetic, the story, the way the characters love each other, and the way they live their lives. It feels beautifully simple and full all at once. It reminds me of my own family growing up, and now it’s the kind of life I strive to create for my husband and children.

There’s a part where George Banks explains why he loves his home, and one of the reasons he gives is, “I love that we carved our initials in the tree out front.”

That line has always stayed with me, and I’ve wanted to do the same thing ever since.

When we built our house, I quietly hoped it would look a little like the Father of the Bride house, and also become a home where we could build a life that carried the same comforting feeling I loved in the movie. A place where my children feel loved, where friends and family gather, where life unfolds and memories are built to last a lifetime.

Now if I could just get that Aston Martin, then we’d really be set. A girl can dream, ha!

We’ve been here almost three years now, and the other weekend my husband and I were outside planting three trees we had been given at the farmer’s market.

As we walked around the yard deciding where they should go, I noticed something on one of the trees. A piece of bark had pulled back just enough to reveal a heart shape underneath.

The biggest smile came over me because I knew immediately what we were going to do with that tree.

This was the tree where we would carve our initials.

It made me think, “This is one of those moments, George.” A moment that will now become part of our family’s story. One we will think back on and remember, just like so many other moments along the way that slowly shape the story of our home.

It’s a story I pray every night will be one my family looks back on with the fondest memories.

And of course, it’s made up of more than just the big moments.

It’s also the everyday life that fills the space in between.

Dinners made in the kitchen.
Homework at the round table in the nook.
Movie nights under blankets.
Walks down the road.
The chores we do together to keep the house running smoothly.
Playing basketball in the driveway.
Swinging in the tree swing out front.
Sitting in the sun reading.
The big and small conversations as we figure life out.
Praying together before bed each night.

All the ordinary moments that add up over the years.

And now, carved into the heart of that tree, our initials will forever mark that this home is part of our story.

And hopefully the beginning of many more moments to come.

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Do it well,

Alyson