thankful

I am so thankful for all the blessings I have in my life. It hasn't always been an easy ride to get to where I am now, but I must say I have been blessed with all my family and friends surrounding me throughout my life. So thank you to all of you who have made an impact on me somehow :)

I was especially thankful last week to have my mom and grandma come in town to stay with us for Thanksgiving. We weren't planning on doing anything (aside from cooking dinner for ourselves) since we both had work/school on Wednesday preceding Thanksgiving and we were not up for joining the thousands beyond thousands of cars taking a little stroll on I-85 through Atlanta the night before Thanksgiving. When I found a cheap flight for my mom and grandma to come visit, I was thrilled. I hadn't spent Thanksgiving with them in about 4 years so this was a treat for all of us :) And my brother joined as well!

When we have much to be thankful for, it's easy to forget those who don't have as many blessings in their life. So Thanksgiving morning, J and I decided to volunteer at the Thanksgiving event for seniors in need that I helped coordinate at work. It was nice to see how happy they were :)



Around noon, we came home to spend the rest of the day with family. We all helped out somehow in the kitchen, and J cooked his first turkey. Go J..haha :) Thanks to Mom, Grandma, and Bill for helping to make this Thanksgiving a great one for us.



The table was set...


Grandma even gave me the classic Thanksgiving salt and pepper shakers!

There were delicious drinks, lots of food, and good times all around.



Dinner time came and everything was tastyyy... (every Thanksgiving, I look at my full plate thinking, "I don't want this to end!"...it's as though I don't even want to get started because I know I want it to last a longgg time..is that just me?!)

my favorite..sweets and apples!

His first turkey was a success...


Shortly after turkey comas set in, we got back up to indulge in pies, ice cream, and even a little birthday celebration for my love :)


And after a nice, relaxing, calm, delicious food-filled holiday, we spent the night with friends in the garage - playing darts, what else?!


Not to mention, we had a tired pup from all that turkey.

Thanksgiving 2011 was wonderful and it was nice to just spend time with each other, our family, friends, and pup...we have much to be thankful for!

Happy 25th Birthday to my husband!

It's crazy to think you were only 15 years old when you became my boyfriend, and now here you are, turning 25! I'm so proud of the man you've become and I'm even more proud to call you my husband. I've absolutely loved growing up together..beside you..and I'm so happy to continue growing up beside you. You continue to amaze me each and every day.

While looking at cards for you, I was so excited to look in the 'husband' section..there's a first for everything, right?! :)

For my husband, my partner, my friend.

Love is creating a dream meant for two..
Love is believing that dream will come true.


From the very beginning, we've believed in each other.
We've wanted the same things and been willing to work for them.
We've loved and laughed and learned to compromise.
We've taken whatever life's given us and turned it into something good.
I can't imagine a better husband, partner, or friend..than YOU!

This is just a note to say thank you for being my husband...
for being my partner,
my lover, my friend...
my yes when everything else is no...
my calm when everything else is crazy.

This is just a note to say thank you
for being who you are...
for being the kind of guy
who can laugh at himself...
a guy who works hard...
who still finds time for the people in his life.

This is just a note to say Happy Birthday
and I love you...
today...
tomorrow...
forever.

Happy 25th birthday, my love!
I'm blessed to have you in my life, I'm blessed for the man you've become, I'm blessed for our family, and I'm blessed for the friends we are about to celebrate with.

And just like I ended every card in high school..I feel like I can't stop now...

2.14.02 baby!! <3

DIY Fringe Scarf Tutorial

The weather outside is frightful...but the fire is so delightful!
No, I'm kidding, it's not really frightful. But, we did have a fire last night and it was delightful! We ordered a pizza, rented a movie, and had a night in with the fireplace going. So relaxing :)

The weather may not be quite frightful - yet - but it sure is getting cold out there..and I'm into scarves. Any time I'm at the store, I'm drawn to the scarf section. I have no idea why, but I am. So after seeing a scarf like this on Pinterest, I searched my drawers for a shirt that I could turn into a scarf. I chose this mustard-colored tank top. $3.50 at Forever 21, so even if I messed up, it wouldn't be too big of a loss. I do wish I had opted for a shirt that didn't have ridges going down it because I believe it would give the scarf a cleaner look, but I'll keep that in mind for next time.

The best part of all - no sewing involved :)



1. Pick a shirt. Any shirt! Cut it below the sleeves. You can make the bottom part however wide you'd like. (After I made the cut, I stretched out the material since this tank was a bit on the smaller side)
2. Make slits up the shirt using scissors. (You can go as far up or down as you'd like - this will just change the look of the pieces hanging)
3. Pull slit pieces down hard to stretch.

Voila!

hello photography!

The art of photography has always intrigued me. I just couldn't ever picture myself actually getting the camera I'd really want, nor could I picture myself actually knowing what to do with it. I can't say I'm a professional by ANY means, and I will be the first to admit I don't know much at all about the terminology...so don't ask me questions about the aperture, ISO, etc. - YET! I'd love to one day know it all, but for now I am just enjoying snapping away, making corny 'say cheese!' comments (even though I like candids better), and getting to know more about the art of photography. So far, me loves it.

And the people close to me have reaped the benefits - because I love taking pictures of their children! Aren't they the best subjects?

Now is probably the time to thank you all for having such beautiful children!
Beautiful children = beautiful pictures :)

And here is the sneak peak of our 'fall photo shoot' we did for our Christmas cards...

Happy, Happy weekend!