Dough and Date Night {31 Days}

I sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and watch it begin to bubble.

I wait.

Then, I add in the flour, a bit of honey, and a dash of Italian herbs. Fingers in the bowl, I knead. I love the feeling of the warm dough against my hands; it feels like I'm connecting to thousands of woman before me as I do this simple task.

Once soft and in a squishy oval, it rises for a bit. Then, once risen, I divide it and put each piece into the freezer.

On Friday mornings, I pull out the dough, and it waits. Later, I roll it out, slather it with sauce and toppings, and place it in the hot oven.

It comes out--warm, bubbly, and fresh. Paper plates come out, sangria bottles are opened, and we settle on the couch with our treat.

This tradition, pizza/date night, has been a part of our lives for years. Most of the time, I make homemade pizza, but other weeks we pick up a pizza or buy one in the freezer section. Sometimes we drink water, other times, a glass of wine or non-alcholic sangria.

Since Luke was born, we've had to let go of some our little routines--like having a baby-free morning of coffee in bed together. At the same time, we've protected others like pizza night--even though it looks a little different because we wait until 7/7:30 when the baby is sleeping.

Any new transition carries change; some of it is lovely and other parts of it are challenging.

My encouragement to you is to survey all the new and hold onto the traditions that you want to carry with you and let go of the traditions that are laborious to carry.

The beautiful things is that often transitions grow new traditions that are just as sweet as the ones you left behind.

Have you had to let go of any traditions after a big change? Did you create any new ones?

{see all the posts from 31 Days of Letting Go and Holding On}