(A completely unrelated picture of mexican hot chocolate, with cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne)

When Alan and I were on our honeymoon, we picked up a leather-bound journal with beautiful, marbled paper edges. We were inspired by the journaling that Davy and Sheldon VanAuken did together in A Severe Mercy (one of my most favorite books) to keep a record of their adventures together. We still have the journal - it's in a drawer in our office - but it probably has under a dozen entires in it. Why? I really, really admire avid, life-long journalers; they have a level of self-discipline which I suppose I just do not possess. This blog has become my replacement for that journal. By making it public, I feel a level of accountability that keeps me dedicated both to write, and to stay creative and productive so that I have things to share. As a result, I have a record of a large portion of our marriage together so far, which is so precious to me. Also, I'm an introvert who happens to love relationships and making connections, but I'm not very good at small talk; it takes a long time for me to finally connect with people, and therefore it isn't a super common occurrence, even though I crave it. I didn't initially view this space as a means to relationship, but it has surprised me in the community it has afforded me; it is a common occurrence for me to have a total stranger or long-lost acquaintance contact me to connect or ask questions because of the blog. What a blessing! Those are the things that keep me motivated to continue to share in this space. Thank you to everyone who continues to visit me here!

Other ways you can connect with me:

Follow me on instagram here (mostly cute pictures of my kids, so sorry!)

Like Tibault and Toad on Facebook to see new posts in your news feed, right here.

Follow me on Ravelry here.

Pinterest here. 

And you can always email me with any comments, questions, or just to say hello at noel@tibaultandtoad.com