birthday weekend! 28 goals before 29

i'm so happy it's friday!

this sunday marks my 28th birthday and i'm feeling great about growing older.

i feel like i'm in a really good place right now with my goals, my health, my relationships, and my career.

i'm embracing my grey hair and quiet evenings in with my boys, but i still love to dance and go on as many adventures as possible!

over a year ago, i started to make a "26 before 27" list, but fell a little short. so here's my new list of 28 things i'd like to do before i'm 29:
1. more date nights with my j (weekly would be ideal)
2. build 2 raised garden boxes in our yard
3. get certified to teach zumba
4. go kayaking with my best friends
5. spend more weekends in the hammock with a good book
6. girls weekend with my lovely ladies
7. lose 15 pounds
8. run a 5K
9. finish our backyard landscaping - more flowers!
10. make blurb books for each year that j + i have been together (aka organize our photos)
11. take a yoga class
12. travel to europe
13. cut bangs
14. build a pergola onto our deck
15. go to more shows (music + art)
16. buy some quality classic jeans that fit well and don't stretch out
17. cabin weekend in north georgia
18. pick back up the ukelele and learn at least 2 new songs
19. spend more weekends with my nieces - they are growing up so fast
20. research more about adoption processes
21. scan in all my parents' pictures and help them organize them all
22. have a set zumba class at a fitness center/ gym
23. more thrift store trips
24. more dates with my mom and mother-in-law (same for my sister and sister-in-law)
25. make more healthy meals at home (get out of my comfort zone with meals)
26. start a strength training regimen
27. hang up photos to make a photo wall
28. smile more and do as much as i can to help make others smile (volunteer)

this should make for an interesting year and hopefully by my 29th birthday, i will have completed all of these goals + wishes!
xo

[card via etsy]

girl talk

a few weeks ago i had to fly to LA for work to attend the E3 gaming conference. 

my coworker/ friend was able to get a few of us on the list to see girl talk perform at the GREE party.

it was by far the best party of the week - filled with tons of confetti, toilet paper, and dancing!

if you've never listened to girl talk, make sure to listen to the "feed the animals" album. be warned, you'll want to have an impromptu dance party immediately. thankfully for us, we have some dance machines as our closest friends!

p.s. good luck to my dear friends, chanel and jan, who are hopefully welcoming baby henry into the world today with a speedy and healthy delivery! xo

"let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair..."

we've been working a lot this summer on improving our yard. truth be told, j's been working hard.

we had some weed trees cut down and some stumps ground up so we could have a blank slate. 

we've also recently had the house caulked and painted so everything looks very fresh!

with planning the garden, i really want to have a bunch of flowers. i would love to have flowers (and the shed) pictured above! my mom recently planted some wild flowers in her yard and we're planning on doing the same. i found these wildflower kits from american meadows; i love their site because they have wildflower mixes by region so you know you're getting the best assortment for your climate and area.

i'll make sure to share our garden progress photos with you. it's amazing how far we've already come!
next steps: building on a pergola for the deck and building some raised garden beds.

we'll get to our dream backyard eventually...slowly but surely!
xo

[quote via susan polis shutz]

bob the bear

how amazing is this fake taxidermy bear head?

i'm not sure how many rooms could pull off this look, but i'm into it.

despite the plaster material, the eyes and the fur appear so lifelike!

would you put this up in your home? what color would you want?

so fun!

via etsy

great magazine deal!

i got this deal emailed to me last week and figured i'd share the love! 

being vegetarian and a huge dwell fan, this is a great deal for both magazines.

if you're interested, go here to subscribe. 

you're welcome!

♥

smooth seas

happy monday y'all!
this was such a great weekend that it's hard to be back to the grind (especially because i have to travel to boston for a few days this week). at least next weekend is my birthday weekend!

i got to have an early saturday morning date with my best friend in the world. we walked to get coffee and thankfully managed to avoid getting run over (barely). it's so nice to have someone in your life that enjoys the same things you do. we just walked and talked for almost 2 hours and i always feel so restored afterwards.

j + i had our first sailing lesson on saturday. it was amazing! i feel like we learned a good bit and i can't wait to keep on learning. the only downside to learning to sail in georgia is that lake lanier is really the only local place to learn and it is so crowded with speed boats. the drivers of these power boats come so close to you and one can only assume alcohol is involved. no bueno. we came home, washed j's car (long overdue), went to the dog park, and then picked up some yummy quinoa burgers from farmburger. we ended the night watching "wanderlust" which was cute.

despite the peaceful and productive weekend, our weekend ended on a scary note because we noticed our sweet hound was licked his paws a lot and then we saw that his carpal pads (the pad between the paws and elbow) were ripped open on both front legs! poor little guy. thankfully we're taking him to the vet today and hopefully he won't need surgery. bless his little heart.

hope you had a fun filled weekend!
xo

sail away

happy friday!

i'm feeling so great because i just had a personal fitness assessment at our company's new gym 

and i was in the top "excellent" range on all of the tests (and this was even after 20 minutes on the elliptical)!

j + i are going sailing tomorrow and i know it will be the beginning of something beautiful. it's his first lesson and i was granted the free jump seat by the captain (he said he'd let me learn a bit in the cockpit too)!

this is the first step to accomplishing our dream of sailing.

hope you have a wonderful weekend and stay cool during this heat wave!

xo

picture

powerful

buzzfeed posted the 40 most powerful photos ever taken. i really enjoyed scrolling through all of the photos (although i was in tears by the end). it's such a great reminder of our world's history and the triumphs and struggles. these pictures make me wonder how our world would thrive without war, violence, or prejudice. outside of natural disasters, most of the photos revolve around violence and the pain it leaves behind.

"peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding" - ralph waldo emerson

promises to always dance with you in the kitchen

isn't this tote the cutest?

i love it so much because it reminds me of saturdays. my favorite day of all.

j + i cook breakfast together every saturday and we dance in the kitchen while we cook. it is such a tradition that it was even included in my wedding vows. 

♥

notonthehighstreet.com has a bunch of other cute tote bags too!

which is your favorite?

rain does not last for ever

in honor of father's day this past sunday, i wanted to post this beautiful letter from a soldier to his little girl while fighting in japan during WWII.

i will warn you that you may want tissues close by!

Wednesday

Oct 21, 1942

My Dear Little Girl,

Last night was a beautiful moonlit night. Every star that studded the sky was sparkling like a jewel. The air was crisp, but faintly perfumed, with all the fragrances only a lovely spring night can devise. Today it is raining hard, the wind is fierce and cold. Yes! It is miserable, something you want to pass by quickly, so that the night will again be beautiful.

Life too, Anne, is like the weather. Some days are so lovely, the happenings of those days so enchanting, you never can forget them. Some are so unhappy, you wish they never happened but, alas, they must for your life, your Mother’s, mine, everyone’s is so mixed up with joy and sadness that you never have one or the other for long. One replaces the other with a speed that is amazing.

Thus it happened just two years ago. Your Mother knew and I knew that you were going to be born. Those days were anxious ones, Anne. As the days went by your Mother used to smile at me with those lovely brown eyes. Eyes that shone with courage and resolve. If she had anxiety in her mind she never showed it but it must have been there. In my heart and mind torments raged that no one will ever know. But through all the doubts all the worries and all the long, anxious hours an end came, bringing with it, you.

From that hour, it was early in the morning, the lives of two people were filled with inexplicable happiness. When I called to see your Mother that day I shall never forget the beauty, the happiness that shone up at me from her precious little face. Neither will I forget the pride and the joy that surged right through me when the nurse brought you along and I held you in my arms.

Soon we took you home. The months sped by, and you gradually took a hold in our hearts. You laughed so much at such silly things we did to claim your attention. We showed you off to so many people. Your eyes, so big and questioning never failed to win admiration. Your curly hair was indeed a special joy.

And as each month sped by you grew. First you sat up, then stood up, then crawled, then walked. As each stage passed funny little incidents occurred. Perhaps no one ever noticed them or remembered them. But your Mother and I did. Every night, when I came home from work, there were stories of your conduct through the day to be told. Some days you were good and others you were naughty. Like, for instance, the day when a little mischievous spirit seized onto you and strips of wall paper came from the wall, Other thoughts came crowding into my mind, memories of days gone by when we laughed at you, scolded you, and, some serious times when we worried over you.

The first year of your life passed away, quickly perhaps, but you grew so quickly every day was an adventure not only for yourself but for us. You had a party for your first birthday, and although you sat up like Jacky you probably will never remember it. But that day you got “Goog’ga” for a present. Poor “Goog-ga”. As each week passed he got dirtier and more worn. And the dirtier he got the more you loved him. Then at Xmas,”Teddy” came along. Dear old Teddy. So plump and with such a frizzy coat. In a few months he was still plump but his hair was not so frizzy. Then, you’d never go to sleep unless Teddy and “Goog-ga” were tucked in with you. You’ll never know how angelic, how like a cherub you looked, when after your bath you were popped into bed with your little playmates. Indeed God is good. How many times have your Mother and I crept in to see you sleeping. And how many times have I wiped away tears, gentle little tears of happiness from her eyes when we came out.

All those days were so beautiful, like the night I sat and watched yesterday evening. But soon came the rain. Your lovely country, so free and so proud, was fighting for its life. Those indeed were dark days. I had to leave Mother and you and become a soldier. Thousands of other Daddies went too, because we had to fight so that all the Mothers and little boys and girls could live happily. That was many months ago. I do not know how long it will be before we will be home again together. But rain my little darling does not last for ever.
Through the blackest clouds a little piece of blue appears. The wind blows, and soon the clouds go. So too will peace come and then we can be all happy again.

Because I’m a soldier now Anne I cannot attend your birthday this year. You are going to have a party and I wont be there. But while that party is on I’ll be thinking of you and your Mother. Thinking of the day you came along, and of the days that have gone by since. You are lovely now, like your Mother. Some day, when you grow up, some man is going to be lost in your loveliness, like I was when I fell in love with your Mother. But no matter. We cannot have you forever. While we do we’ll teach you all the lovely things of life, and there are so many beautiful things in life. There are, too, bad things and, these also we will tell you about so that you’ll know how to pass them by. 

Maybe it will be years before you will be able to read this letter but when you can you’ll know at least how much we love you and how much you mean to us.

I am looking forward to seeing you soon and to seeing those big brown eyes of yours laugh back at me. Until then my little girl.

Goodbye and God bless you on your birthday. 

From your adoring

“Dad-da”

[image via here]

summer solstice

happy first official day of summer!

 i've been missing this space like crazy during the last few whirlwind months. i figured today (the longest day of the year) was as good as any to start sharing my dreams and experiences again.

in the past few months, we went on a family vacation to the beach, i visited one of my dearest friends in california, went to E3 (the largest gaming convention in the world) for work, and lost 15 more pounds (which makes 35 pounds lost since january)!

j and i have so many exciting things coming up this summer too. sailing, dancing, and a trip to germany!  i'll be turning 28 soon and i think this next year will bring so many joys and adventures. 

it's good to be back. 

♥