inspi(red)

this is a picture i took on a road trip that my sister and dad and i took a little over a year ago. i have a whole series of run down barn pictures that for some reason i really enjoy. it intrigues me to think who built this, bought this, and left this and it's a little sad but yet with a puffy blue sky up above it, it still seems beautiful, and peaceful. i am putting some wedding planning aside (we don't have too much to do at the moment anyways) and trying to dive back into art. writing, drawing, and organizing my photos. i look forward to it, and this is a good reminder for me to go mess with some of it right now. thanks.

balentime's day

that reminds me of a previous student i had in one of the classes i assisted, everything he said just sounded cuter. happy valentine's as they say. as cliche as it sounds i don't really care about valentine's day. truthfully if i find myself in the grocery store the day of and see a group full of middle aged men with a panicked look on their face, roses and fake chocolate in their hands... it makes me feel annoyed. why do you have to spend money on a particular day to show your partner you love them, secondly if you love them why are you frantically searching for the closest, reddest thing you can find as if it would perfectly describe your feelings? weird. i enjoy the simple, sweet things (any day) but even on valentine's day. this picture was from about three years ago, matthew and i made shrimp rolls from scratch (UNbelievably tasty) and he knows i love bamboo so he got me the heart shaped kind. now that's cute. we might be spending this holiday with a great group of friends, the game nighters with another fun filled evening of hilariousness. to you and yours, whatever you decide to do or not do, i wish you a good weekend.

october 17th, ya'll

yep, we picked the date and couldn't be more excited!  we have our venue... which chose to have the ceremony and reception at the same location. it is rustic, sharp, unique and fun.  now on to catering and picking a photographer... i know it's just one day and i know it will be here before we know it... but the thought of having all our favorite people in one place is just overwhelming awesome, oh yea we started looking at honeymoon places too so if you've got a suggestion send it our way.

we had a nice weekend, nothing was planned, at all.  i really love those saturdays you sleep in (at least till 8:30 until the dogs start moving around) and you have nothing that you "need" to do. a few errands here and there, maybe out to lunch, house chores, and then from the afternoon on you can do whatever you feel like it. the simple things, i guess. 

my sister came over for  the bachelor night on monday night, yes we watch it and yes it's mostly ridiculous.  but i don't think we have ever had a night where just my sister comes over to our house, eats dinner, and enjoys some quality catching up time.  it makes me really appreciate the time we do get to spend together whether it's alone or with every member of our family. 

now i sit here with the kiddos watching them play... take toys from one another, checking out every inch of the room, and occasionally stopping to rest a head on each other's backs....  all their exploring really wears them out.

lastly, we started listening to a new artist, at least new to us. her name is kate nash. i think she is british, all i know is her voice and lyrics are funky.  you got to listen to them at a higher level to truly enjoy the funk, you can't resist dancing to it either.

looking forward to 60 degree weather tomorrow and playing at the park.  peace.

great chili recipe

yo. matt and i enjoy making tacos, all sorts of tacos. we have recently made some new types of chili as well. our last bowl of chili we made was the best, ever. i took a picture and it just never looks as good as it tastes.... so here are the words instead. we cooked some cage free no hormones added deliciously fresh chicken, than we added in a big pot pinto beans, small tomoatoes (1 can), sliced bella mushrooms, cilantro, splash of fresh lime, half of a red bell pepper and green pepper, then stir in the cooked chicken and let it simmer for ten-ish minutes. for real, delicious.

monthly game night

last night we went to our friends dj and lori's house for our continued game nights... everyone taking a chance to host, new food and different games. such a fun easy concept. it was really nice getting together with a good group of friends, catching up, getting a little competitive, and lots of laughing of course. we've had a lazy sunday and it has been wonderful. we are about to go celebrate my nephew's very first birthday. i can not believe it has been one year that he has been with us! he is so entertaining and it is amazing watching him develop into the cutest, sweetest little boy. matt and i are ready to make our decision on our venue and date... so exciting! i bought my dress yesterday, i love it. and i love that i don't have to worry about getting it, or the shoes, got those too. peace out.

Happy Inauguration Day!

It's a good day people, whether you voted for him or not I think we need to look around and realize that it is time for a change. A positive, hopeful change. Just watching all the festivities at the Lincoln Memorial and Washington monument have been an amazing insight into most Americans coming together for the same reason. Having the chance to celebrate their uniqueness, and diversity... individuals standing side by side for the greater good of our nation. I think it's important to not be naive about the challenges left at the White House door step, but it just makes sense to me to believe that things are going to get better. To believe that we have much more in common than the things that separate us. To engage in non-judgmental and peaceful actions. Even during the cheesy "we are the world" recreation of all the singers and famous people on the Lincoln Memorial stage, I couldn't help but be relieved, and will continue to overuse the word hopeful because I think it's a good thing to be. To have such a leader to look up to for so many people, I think it's great. The big Inauguration is playing of course all day long starting with what the Obama's had for breakfast (overkill?) so I decided to turn the station this morning only to have Matt walk in the living room and catch me not watching the news and Inauguration coverage but watching Cool Runnings the 1993 classic John Candy flick, (and really I could quote it for days).. feel the rythme, feel the rhyme, get on up, it's bobsled time! Happy Day!

wedding stuff

Alright, so we have begun searching for our favorite venue to host our wedding. We are scheduled to visit seven more places tomorrow, I know it may seem crazy, but I would rather see as many as we possibly can now... and then be comfortable picking our place soon. Places are already filling up! It's nice because Matt and I have very similar tastes on what we are looking for and what is not a necessity at all. It is such an involved process choosing a menu, flowers, linens (things I would never normally care about) now take some real consideration but it really is and will continue to be a fun journey. However, these dreams about the wedding are already starting... I don't know if I can take another 8 or 9 months of this. I was rocking my nephew to sleep earlier today and all I could think about was seeing all our loved ones gathered at the same place, and walking down the isle with my dad... seeing Matt's reaction to how hot I look :) But really, it makes me smile so wide every time I think about it. Tomorrow night we are having Matt's nephew, soon to be mine too over for dinner, out for some games, and a sleep over. We are trying this new thing of having one of the boys over for their own special night on their own. So far so good. Hope everyone has a good weekend, stay warm!