Home is wherever I'm with you

Sunday we decorated for Christmas. We have lived in four different places in the past 5 years (wow...I never thought about that until now!) so each apartment had a specific place where all the Christmas stuff went. In our first apartment in grad school, our 800~ square foot apartment meant our tiny tree seemed enormous and Christmas exploded onto every ledge and shelf we had available. Our cute little yellow house in Middletown was built in the 1830's - so we had a beautiful old fireplace and a cozy nook for our tree to go in (the first and only year we've had a REAL tree!). The open, airy place we had in Hartford had 15 windows throughout the apartment - so we put a candle in each (and had to go to 3 different Targets to find the $1 battery operated candlesticks because BOY is that an investment otherwise!). And now our cozy cape in Racine...with the green walls that give it an instant Christmas vibe and the window box in the front that Stella likes to climb up on and play with said candles in the window (also our first Christmas with a 1.5 year old...oy). But as I was determining the best place for our 'heirloom' Christmas tomte collection to go (up high on the fireplace...see note about the 1.5 year old) - had a thought. From the northside of Chicago to the rolling hills of Connecticut, to the lakeshore in Racine - as long as Andrew is here...I'm home.

Alicia-and-andrew-sturdy-christmas-best-friend-hats-target

Within my new brand, is a phrase 'Hither & Hold'. The word 'hither' means 'to or towards this place'. The minute I read it, I knew it was meant to be mine.

Because even though #tbt comes and goes every week (and may seem like a weird internet fad)...we look back to hold those moments a little closer. We look back on those photographs to remember that time, that moment, that place. To feel that spark once again. The spark that makes our souls long for that connection once more.

So where do you hither? What do you want to hold? Let's start a Hither & Hold movement. Deeper than Thursday...deeper than where we've been before. Today, my place I want to #hitherandhold is this photo. To us two, on a cold December day. In that season of life that holds so much sweetness in our marriage. That is where I want to hither, and what I want to hold.