Mystery Box.

Yesterday, H. and I received a mysterious package from the front office. It was mysterious for all of two seconds, since H. read the list of what was inside it before we were back at the apartment. The package was from my grandparents who couldn't make it to the wedding, and I was beyond excited thinking about what was inside the box (I kept saying, "Don't tell me what's in it!").  H. can vouch for my childlike exuberance when it came to opening that box. Here's a look at what was inside.

An incredible carved plaque and two beautiful afghans.  

My grandfather is a carpenter, and a master at that. Oma said he's taken
over the garage and turned it into a workshop. That makes me smile.

I love that it's three dimensional, and that he put so much
detail into his work. I can't get enough of the smell of it.
It reminds me of sitting in his workshop when I was younger.

On the back of the wooden plaque it reads: Any beauty that our eye or our senses may delight in is only a reflection of Our Creator, of whom we recognize to be the origin of all love and beauty. He grants us the gift of freedom to decide whether we want to serve Him (love of neighbour), or choose selfishness (ourselves). The outcome of this, our decision, will determine our place in the life to come. 

Gorgeous afghan that my grandmother made. It looks so warm and cozy!
This is definitely what I'm wrapping myself up in for a cup of chai tea. 

I can't get over all of the time and effort that
went into making these. I told H. that we're
never eating stuff around them ever, ever, ever.

It's difficult to show the absolutely vibrant colors of thread in these blankets. And they're super soft. I am going to be super duper excited about these for a long time to come, most definitely. Today I scouted out some nice stationary, and tomorrow I intend to write a long thank you letter with lots of details of our new life. 

David's Bridal gave me an offer for a free Shutterfly photo book. It took me a while to get the photos and pages the way that I wanted, but I finally sent off that book to Oma and Opa. It should be arriving at the end of this week / early next week, and I can't wait to send this letter along behind it. They really do warm my heart.

Well, H. says that we're getting up nice and early tomorrow morning, so I better wind this down. I'll leave you all with this thought.

All the wealth in the world cannot be compared with the happiness of living together happily united. -- Blessed Margaret d'Youville