Busy hands are happy hands

I have never been a fan of the wedding pictures where it's just a close-up of the rings, no bride or groom (or even their hands) in sight.  What's the point of that?  Weren't the rings just put into place minutes ago as a symbol of permanent love?  Needless to say, we didn't have any of those pictures taken at our wedding.  I'm pretty big into the symbolism of wedding bands.  In the midst of my busy days, I look down and see Justin's love sparkling in my diamond, and feel his caring in my wedding band.  And my honeymoon fascination with seeing Justin's ring (pictured below on the steering wheel of our red rental Mustang in Arizona) hasn't exactly worn off yet.  It makes me happy to know he always has that reminder of my love.

With all of that said, it probably comes as a surprise that this was my favorite image of the week:

That's Justin's wedding band and my engagement ring in the little porcelain box I was given at my wedding shower. It has a beautiful wedding blessing on the lid.  It's a safe keeping spot for our rings, which we're in the habit of removing when we're going to be doing renovations that involve dirt, paint, or heavy objects.  I'm scared of knocking my diamond loose or getting paint in the setting (I did get wood stain in there once before), and although I leave my wedding band on, Justin's more comfortable working without his.

Home renovations are the only time either of us remove our rings, so it's a whole new level of symbolism, seeing them in the ring box together.  Beyond just a promise and a ring, it's the tangible sign of us building a life together.  I am perhaps at my happiest when we're working side by side.

Well, you're wondering, why did the rings spend so much time in the box this week?  Here's a sneak peak

You may remember in my last post about the patio that we wanted to build a grape arbor.  It's HERE!  I'll write more details about how we built it once we've added a few finishing touches.

Another project that is well underway at this point is the overhaul of the front porch.  It was in dire need of some help, as you can see here (only the gray blob over the house number was added electronically; those hideous green blocks actually exist(ed)).

And although it doesn't look like much here, our vegetable garden is growing up a storm!

Today I spent the first Saturday SINCE BEFORE EASTER in Ithaca.  I have enjoyed our travels very much, but it was wonderful to be home today!  I got to work on several projects (front porch & front door related), as well as go on quite the shopping spree for some long-awaited home decor items.  Stay tuned!

P.S. With all this talk of wedding rings, I'd be remiss not to wish a very happy 28th wedding anniversary to my parents!  I have never seen a stronger marriage, and I was incredibly blessed to grow up with the example of true partnership and selfless love.  Love you, Mom & Dad!

Photo credit: the incredibly talented Elizabeth Ryan Photography