gratuitous puppy pictures

When my brother's friend brought his beagle puppy over last week, I couldn't help but harass them with my camera.  What I wish I would've captured was this little guy running around the house with our 15-year-old bichon- it was too funny!

the things I'll miss

It feels a little bittersweet to be going back to Lexington after being home for almost four months.  While I'm excited to be back in our own apartment, there are a few things that I'm going to miss.

• Working from home with mom and/or dad on a regular basis.
• Trips to the gym or out to lunch with my mom
• Daily happy hour at 5
• Being in walking distance of my friends
• Eating on the deck
• Family dinners
• Checking in on the yard and watering the plants
• Walking/ running around the block that I grew up on
• Random brother sightings throughout the day
• Snuggling to Planet Earth in my bro's room
• Hanging out in my parents' room right before bed

This post is making me a little sad, but I just need to remember all the good things that I'm looking forward to (like going on walks and cooking dinner in our own kitchen!)  I'm not looking forward to unpacking so much.

What's your favorite thing about being home?

P.S. I borrowed baby bro's lens to take this and several other photos for my mom's Facebook page. I've recently appointed myself as her social media director, and I'm kind of obsessed. If you're in the Northern Virginia area, or just like looking at pretty houses, like her page!

1 Year

One year ago today we were getting ready to make this thing official.  Leading up to the day of (we had a long engagement and I'd had over two years to anticipate it) I thought that people saying their wedding day was the best day of their life was a total cliche.  Well, I've gotta say that it's definitely up there.  There's just something about having all those really important people there to watch you take that big step together as a couple.  It's hard to beat.

Brian, being married to you is everything I'd hoped it would be and more.  I can't to see what life brings us in the years ahead.

So I guess we're not newlyweds anymore, right?  Today is probably going to be pretty low-key- we're going out to dinner and we'll have a wedding cupcake, of course!  But we're gearing up for our trip to NYC next week!  How was your weekend, friends?

{Want to see more of our wedding?}

Friday Links

The week back after vacation is always rough, right? (i.e. it's not just me?)  I've been excited about work (although a little overwhelmed with my own design stuff) but I've been having trouble getting out of bed this week.  Which is funny, because I actually got up earlier on vacation.  What a weirdo.

What are your plans this weekend?  I just realized that this is our last weekend here before we head back to our school apartment next week.  I'm excited to be back, but it's weird to think about after living here for over 3 months.  I'm gonna to miss everybody!

 

This synchronized swimming board is just too much.  Cuteness, that is.

This announcement put a big smile on my face.

A great post on what it means to bring meaning to your wedding.

I'll definitely be putting together one of these boards this weekend!

Could this wedding be any more charming?

Fried chicken and biscuits? Yes please!

These butterfly illustrations are just too beautiful.

 

Please, please, please take my survey!

I recapped our vacation. Here's part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Did you notice that I changed the name of my Facebook page this week? This is happening, people!

Let's Go to the Beach: Part 3

This year we divided up the cooking a little bit.  My brother and his girlfriend cooked one night, and Brian and I cooked another night.  The food was great all week.  On our night we cooked bratwursts and mac and cheese.  We also had crabs one night, which was pretty fun.  Of course, we helped here and there as well, and my brother is always assisting with the grilling like in the picture above.

Our vacation ended on a good note.  On the last night we put in The Little Mermaid.  My four-year-old cousin was GLUED.  The whole family wound up watching and singing along to all of the songs, which always makes my little heart happy.

Thanks for following along with my beach recaps!

Let's Go to the Beach: Part 2

The neighborhood that we stay in feels kind of unreal.  Once you go through the gate you feel like you're in a little dream world.  And the house has a golf cart- so I took these neighborhood shots from the back seat.  It's really handy to call one of the boys to come get you when you're too tired to carry your chair back from the beach!

The whole family didn't make it to the beach for a photoshoot, but the four of us decided to persevere without them.  After tomorrow I'll be done with beach pictures, I promise!  Here is the first beach post.

Let's Go to the Beach: Part 1

I'm back!  Thanks again to my guest bloggers last week- I had such a great time while I was away, and it was great to know that my blog was in good hands while I was unplugged!  As I was going through my pictures, I decided that there were too many to keep to a single post, so you guys are going to get a few installments of my beach pics.  I hope you'll bear with me!

The beach house itself is one of my favorite things about our vacation.  I think we first came to this house in 2007, and we've been back most of the years since then.  Brian and I didn't go last year (we were on our honeymoon!) so it felt like it had been forever.  The house has a "sleeping porch," which is one of my favorite places to read (next to the beach, of course!)

What have you been up to the past week?  Got any updates?  Fill me in, I've missed you guys!

{after combing the blog archives, I found this post from the last time we were in the Outer Banks}

Guess what?!

{photo taken by me on this trip, which was one of my first blog posts!}

Eek!  We're going to NYC towards the end of August, and I couldn't be more excited!  Our first anniversary is on August 13th, and Brian sweetly suggested that we go to New York.  He's never been, and I've always wanted to go just the two of us.  Well, literally a couple of days after that, Alt NYC was announced.  I didn't know what to do.  It was so close to being convenient, just 10 days separated our trip.  When Brian got home we quickly talked it over and realized that I should snatch up a ticket, and if we decided that it wasn't right, I could always sell it later.

Well, it was a good thing I got that ticket, because they sold out in something like 4 hours.  We debated and thought about it for a long time, but in the end we decided to move our trip so that I could go to Alt.

But here's the thing: we're not extending our trip.  We're staying for two nights, which means that the one full day that we'll be in New York, I'll be at Alt.  And Brian will be on his own.  In New York.  On his first trip there EVER.

Brian has been a total trooper about the whole thing, ultimately giving up time for us to hang out together for me to go to Alt, which has been a goal of mine.  But because he's never been and he's being so accommodating about me turning this trip into a blogger thing, I feel like I need to plan at least a few fun things for him to do by himself on that day that I'm gone.

That's where you guys come in.  Do you have any ideas?  Any fun things that a guy who is interested in movies and comic books can do by himself in NYC, on the cheap?  I'd also love any other general NYC tips or place that you think we MUST go while we're there!  You guys are all so awesome- I know you'll have some cool things to share!

PS. This post about doing things separately on vacation was published around the time we were deciding, which I thought was so funny!  Have you ever done that?  I think it sounds fun!

gone early

Friends, with any luck this time next week I will be laying on the beach.  Frankly, my brain is beyond ready to be there already.  Like, yesterday.  Since I've been chugging away at design stuff all morning, I decided it was okay if I threw some random thoughts at you today.

• My sketchbook has been totally neglected this summer.  Well, probably even before that.  Maybe we'll get reacquainted at the beach (but don't hold me to that.)
• Leftover salad for lunch is not a good idea.  Slimy spinach is gross.
• I spent most of the day yesterday being cranky for no reason.  I liked the rainy weather for one day, but two days of no sun puts me in a bad mood.  This is day three.
• I've been in a strange showering rhythm (TMI?) which stems from feeling like I should work out but not really wanting to, and therefore, not working out.  Ugh.
• I feel like I've been holding back on here in anticipation of the relaunch, even though I've told myself not to.  I'm tired of it.  I'm ready for it to just be here already.
• The number one thing that lingers on my to-do list?  Writing thank you notes.  I know that once I do it, it will take 5 minutes.  Why don't I just do it?
• I updated my Facebook page again partly due to the lack of sunshine.  Have you liked my page yet?  I'm in kind of a groove over there, you should go check it out.

Do you have anything you'd like to share today? I'd love to hear it.

Friday Links

Another week come and gone, amigos.  I can't believe how fast this summer is flying by.  Only one more week until we go on vacation!  I have some exciting things coming up for you guys next week (and the week after) and I can't wait to share them with you!  I have a feeling that I'll be working over the weekend to get it all done, but it will be worth it for that week of unplugging!  What are you up to this weekend, friends?

I need to remember these tips when we move back to our little apartment in August! 

An honest post about reaching 1000 followers.

Princess Bride inspired shoot- I love Becka's blog, and I'm a sucker for all wedding shoots based on movies.

I loved this My Splendid Summer series!

It's so fun looking at these business cards!

A little weekend recap.

Visiting the treeline behind the house where I grew up.

I participated in a vlog link-up!

I shared my business cards, inspired by a class with Alt Summit.

A round-up of Twitter clients and tools!

My latest blog design!

in this place: the enchanted forest

I'm pretty sure my mom came up with this name for the treeline behind our house growing up, but it stuck.  And it still feels a little enchanted.