let it grow. let it grow. let it grow!

today, ryan and i framed out our first attempt at a raised flower bed. nothing fancy. and nothing pretty, either. but within those four walls lies a lot of hope for what might grow in our very own backyard.

last year, we had a very modest garden that provided some tomatoes and peppers (and that was with a good bit of help from one of ryan's attendings who provided us with seedlings we almost couldn't mess up). this year, we decided to up the ante and go bigger.

i think that i possess many traits and qualities from my mom, but her green thumb is not one of them. i have been known to let plants expire that were labeled "hearty," but we are going to give this a shot.

lily is thrilled with the idea and she loves going into the backyard to "check" on things with ryan. she is so excited about everything we have "planted." so far, that is a lot of compost, manure and topsoil. but, she couldn't be happier with our pile of dirt.

some of my earliest and most vivid memories with my mom are working in our beds and poking tiny holes for seeds and patting the dirt down. i can picture the exact starfish necklace my mom wore and the way her slender hands worked quickly in the dirt. and i LOVED it. i have no idea if anything ever bloomed or grew, but those memories are so precious to me.

so, if nothing sprouts out of our dirt, but ryan and lily and finn and i get to work out in our yard together, i will be so happy that even if we don't grow any food, we will be growing beautiful memories.

stay tuned for our garden adventures...