a bridal shower for staci.

My little sister & best friend Staci is getting married in a little over two weeks (!!!), and a couple of weekends ago I got to fly out to DC for her bridal shower! My mom and sisters and I scrambled around making last minute preparations the morning of the party, and while I learned very quickly that party planning is definitely not my calling in life (the pressure!?), I was glad I was there to help out and celebrate her upcoming wedding. :) Her actual wedding will be even more fun, I'm sure, and she will make such a beautiful bride. I cannot wait!

I even got to play "photographer" at the shower, after having to literally dust off my camera (it had been a while!), and just looking at these photos again is making me miss my sisters & family like crazy. Typical, I know, but they really are so great. Staci & Kraig make an adorable couple, and how lucky am I to have caught that last pic of them together on the settee?? (Photo was taken when Kraig crashed the party...after the party was over. Just love those two.)

Today also happens to be Staci's 25th birthday, and I'd most likely still be procrastinating editing these pics if it weren't. So...basically what I'm trying to say is.... 

Happy Birthday, Staci!!! I love you, cutes!

a february.

A few photos from our February.

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Fresh flowers & greenery around the apartment. 

Lunch at a new restaurant with my Valentine. 

And some good old-fashioned R&R.  

I thought it would be only fitting to round out our February with a few of the photos I've taken here & there this past month. Did February go by quick or what?! Actually, if you had asked me a couple weeks ago I would have said this month was seeming like a million billion centuries long, but here we are, 28 days later already! (Isn't that how it always goes?) Having 3 less days to work with is really throwing me for a loop, apparently. ;) Hope your February was everything you had hoped it would be.

that weekend in february when we opened all our windows, and left them open for days.

We opened all our windows last Friday afternoon to let in the fresh air, and kept them open all weekend long. We finally had to close them yesterday morning when the clouds showed up, but ohh was the weekend glorious! We took advantage of the beautiful weather while we had it with a little drive down to the beach to enjoy the sound & smell of the ocean for a little while. We chose the most perfect day, too, because somehow the weather at the beach was more perfect on the third day of February than it is in the middle of June?? (Go figure!)

This weekend there was also breakfast in bed (thanks, advent! ;), late night Netflix, apartment deep cleaning, and french toast for Sunday dinner. Not bad so far, February. Not bad at all.

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Aside from the little bouts of sicknesses we had around here, I really loved our January. Loved it so much, in fact, that I was actually a little sad to see it go last week! I loved it for the oranges, I loved it for the beautiful weather, I loved the tone that we set for our 2013, and for that "fresh start" feeling you always get that time of year. I am really really hoping things only go up from here. (Don't let me down, February, and I promise I'll love you forever.) 

valentine's day advent.

Aaron got home on Tuesday night from a work trip, and will be home for the next 2.5 weeks straight!! I am beside myself with excitement at the thought of having him home for that many consecutive weeks, and it's perfect timing for our Valentine's Day advent. (14 fun little things to do together to get us in the holiday spirit.) Last year was our first time doing this advent, and the memories are too good to not do again this year/every year from now on.

Some of my favorites from last year: writing poems to/about each other, slow dancing to a love song, making out for 5 minutes, cuddling whilst eating cupcakes on the beach, to name a few. This year I strung the little envelopes above our bed with mini clothespins, and having these to open first thing when we get up every morning will surely be some kind of dream. I am such a sucker for this sort of thing.

Let the advent begin!

spring is in the air.

I know for sure I am jumping the gun on this one, but I swear I can feel spring in the air. Never mind the weather, there is just something deep down in me that seems to be subconsciously shedding all the old "baggage"...fear and doubt that maybe I've been holding onto for far too long, making way for new patterns of thought, faith, and optimism. Aaron told me a month or two ago that I was seeming "older". It was a little random, but I was fascinated by the idea. Me? Growing up? I asked him, "What do you mean?!", and I don't think he had a very specific answer for me. But I've tricked him into telling me the same thing a few times since then, and every time I consider it the highest compliment one person could give to another, because honestly, isn't that all we want? To know that our experiences and struggles in life aren't just all for naught? That we come out on the other side having grown and progressed even a tiny, tiny bit? To think maybe I'm getting somewhere in this continuum called "life" is an encouraging thought.

It was a little rainy the end of last week, but today was more than beautiful. The gardeners were outside this morning pruning the branches of the huge tree that grows right outside our front door, and when I got home from work this afternoon I opened all the blinds to let in all the fresh new light. Light was streaming in like it had never streamed in before, it seemed. I could finally see parts of our living room I had forgotten even existed! Colors were more vibrant, and everything was more clear. (Yes, our apartment really IS that dim most of the year...that blasted tree!) I've had a few moments of clarity in my life that I will always remember, and every time seems to involve light. Today was one of those moments. I puttered around for a little while, straightening pillows, emptying the dishwasher, wiping the counters, and thinking to myself of a nonspecific time in the future when everything would all eventually fit together perfectly.

**To go with this post is a silly GIF (because all GIFs are silly) with some photos taken after church yesterday. Did I mention I chopped off about 6 inches of my hair the Thursday before last? It's taken me over a week to get used to the new length, and I would maybe regret cutting so much off, except that my hair is just one huge tangle when it gets too long. Ohh, the joys of having baby fine hair.