so grateful

I snapped this image this morning on my way to return the lovely tilt-shift lens that I rented for the weekend's wedding. The heat broke today, and the trees are all in bloom, and it's quite lovely around these parts (especially if you love overcast days like I do).But I'm not going to spend much time talking about the weather today. Today I'm going to talk about how blown away I have been in the past few weeks by the generosity of the people around me.I haven't mentioned this on the blog before because, well, I like to keep things upbeat and happy in this corner of the internet. And it's tough to know how much personal information to share out there on the world wide web. But last month, our household was a bit shaken up as my husband's company did a small reorganization and his position was eliminated. In a normal time, this would add stress to our lives, for sure. But in a year where I will be unable to work during my most profitable months due to the kiddo on the way (not to mention the costs of the aforementioned kiddo), this has been particularly stressful.Not only are we rethinking all of our plans because of this human being we'll be responsible for in a few months, but now we're also trying to do that while factoring in the many "what-ifs" that greet you with unemployment. And, if you know much about me at all, you know that I am pretty Type A and like to have a Plan in life, and having this many things up in the air has been... worrisome, to say the least. However! Before I get much further, let me assure you that the ensuing job hunt appears to be going well and we are hopeful and optimistic that things will end up in a fabulous place (hopefully sooner rather than later).But you guys. Oh, you guys. Instead of drowning in worries these past few weeks as expected, I have instead been overwhelmed and at a loss of words for the amount of help that our friends and family have thrown our way. From fifty seven gazillion adorable baby outfits that have been gifted/donated to our cause to the boxes and boxes and boxes of maternity clothes that both friends and clients have gifted me with (seriously, there is nothing I want to spend money on less right now than clothes that intentionally make me look like a whale), to massages and rocking chairs and diapers and blankets and college funds and a baby crib and strollers and high chairs and the list just goes on and on and on and on. And that's not even counting the career leads and introductions that have helped with the job hunt.I was thinking about everyone's generosity this afternoon, and I was just moved to tears. And yes. I know my hormones are nuts right now, but seriously! I knew I had an amazing support network, but this has just blown me away. And it is an amazing relief considering how costly all this kid crap is! And the best part is that my friends have THE MOST amazing taste and this stuff is all gorgeous! It also has reiterated to me that while my biological family is back in Kansas, I have a pretty strong "family" here in Minnesota as well.Anyway, I'm working on individual thank you notes, but I just needed to publicly say thank you to everyone who has thrown us some help in the last month. And to those of you who are going through tough times, hang in there and ask for what you need. The generosity of your loved ones will blow your mind. I promise.Deep breaths.Ok, so now back to normal, fun-filled programming. You love Mad Men, right? How about this look behind the scenes at the show's sets! So fabulous!