Mar 2, 2018 | Everyday Life
Happy Friday, my friends! Today I’m sharing a quick recap about some awesome things that have been going on lately. I always have photos and stories that I want to share, but that don’t make sense to write a whole post about. Here are five of my favorite things from the last couple weeks:
I passed my Real Estate license test (as part of a professional growth goal I set in 2017), which is part of the reason I haven’t been around as much recently. This has been in the works for 6 months (I started last September!) and I’m so happy that the big test is over. Kevin surprised me by having this sign, balloons and sushi ready when I got home! I’m a pretty lucky gal.
I think it’s fair to say that the weather so far this year hasn’t been anything to write home about. Chloe and I have been keeping an eye out through the window – I’m daydreaming about better weather and Chloe’s been on the hunt for Squirrels getting ready for spring.
Kevin has been traveling a little bit for work and the pictures he’s been sending are making me a little jealous.
My team at work moved to a new spot and unlike my last desk, this one has a window! I brought in some plants and spent some time tidying up and clearing out my space. It’s crazy how much a little change of scenery lends itself to a new sense of productivity.
In my last Friday Five post I mentioned that my best friend, Brittany had gotten engaged. Not long after, I found a sweet little package of goodies in my mailbox asking me to be her Matron of Honor. I can’t wait to stand by her side when they say “I Do”!
Feb 2, 2018 | Everyday Life
Half of my camera roll is filled up with beautiful sunrises and sunsets from January. It must have something to do with looking for the positives in dreary grey days we’ve been experiencing. These moments have brought me to a fervent worship I haven’t experienced in a long time.
I’m such a routine person and that’s what I tried to capture for Project Life this month. One fun thing about living in an old house is that our bathroom doesn’t have an outlet, so I every day I blow dry my hair in front of a mirror that I lean against my bookshelf. Most of the time, Chloe joins me on the bed. I love capturing things that are boring and “every day” now because I know they won’t always be this way.
My best friend is getting married! When the middle picture popped up on my phone, I screamed. Really loud. I’m so looking forward to September.
Board games are my favorite when we have friends over! This month we played Bananagrams, Jackbox, What Do You Meme?, Utter Nonsense, Code Names and Forbidden Island.
A sweet face waiting in the window. Chloe watches me leave and is almost always waiting for me as I pull up to the house after work. Such happy parts of my day.
Jan 22, 2018 | Everyday Life
Even though we’ve been in the new year for a while now, it’s always a good feeling to look back through the previous year to be able to count up the many blessings and opportunities for gratitude. Last year was tough – I experienced a lot of changes, a spiritually dry season, and I spent a lot of time uncomfortable due to food sensitivity issues I was experiencing. That being said, I look back at my blog posts, photos, and met goals and feel overwhelmingly positive about the year as a whole. Here are some of the highlights:
January
- I kicked off the year with Thrive and my goals to focus on self care, work toward financial freedom, create boundaries for phone time, grow my faith and community, and focus on mental and physical health in 2017.
- We celebrated Chloe’s 3rd birthday by giving her a huge treat with “Happy Birthday” written in icing.
- Dad and I made STL Kolache “a thing” when I was in St. Louis after his knee surgery.
- We played lots of games – some of the favorites were Joking Hazard, Pandemic, and QuipLash.
- Kevin and I started watching This is Us and The Young Pope.
- Brittany, Taylor and I had a girl’s weekend in Columbia – I’m so glad we are making this a yearly thing.
- Books Read: The Magnolia Story, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us, That Hideous Strength, You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity
February
- I learned all about the surprise lilies that were growing in my backyard – they come up in February and then again later in the season.
- I started my second journaling bible for journaling through the Psalms, even though I only made it through the first couple weeks.
- I did my first ever no spend month – and loved it!
- Books Read: The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life, Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love, and Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of CS Lewis
March
- Denise and Scott got married and they asked me to photograph their wedding
- Kevin and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary at (what we found out was) the worst restaurant in town but I wrote a post about 50 reasons I’m thankful for him.
- I went social media free for lent and it led to a lot of changes in the way I interact online.
- Books Read: The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful, The Silkworm, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Career of Evil
April
- We met Tricia and Kyle at Les Bourgeois and then hiked around town – I loved catching up with them.
- Kevin and I paid off one of my student loans, as well as my credit card for bad credit and I did a happy dance.
- Sarah and I planted our first garden in their backyard. I started a gardening journal to commemorate the whole experience.
- The first rose bloom opened at the #highridgeranch.
- Book Read: Under our Skin: Getting Real about Race – And Getting Free from the Fears and Frustrations That Divide Us
May
- I got a new camera – the Pentax KP!
- After a lot of debate, I tried (and loved) essential oils for the first time.
- The fam took a road trip to Omaha for some quality time and it was a blast.
- Books Read: All the Words are Yours: Haiku on Love, Make it Happen: Surrender Your Fear. Take the Leap. Live on Purpose.
June
- We celebrated the wedding of Adam and Kaylin’s in Southeast Missouri
- After a couple months of feeling terrible, I visited a doctor and started using the Low FODMAP diet which significantly improved how I was feeling.
- Books Read: Love Lives Here: Finding What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
July
- I went to my first Royals game and had absolutely zero blue things to wear.
- Kevin and I did some damage on an IKEA shopping trip and we ended up with a new desk for Kevin’s office, a new rug and an end table. Good thing we only go once a year.
- I started watching the first season of The Great British Bakeoff.
- Book Read: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
August
- I TURNED 26 YEARS OLD!
- Now that we each have a camera, Kevin and I went on one of my favorite dates ever – a photowalk
- I finally finished the garden journal I had been working on all summer.
- Danielle and I formed a Bible Study that focused on digging into the book of Matthew.
- Book Read: The Artist’s Way
September
- I took photographs at our annual family golf tournament during Labor Day Weekend.
- We went to lots and lots of Mizzou football games
- Kevin and I celebrated eight years together.
- We joined a couples small group at church and we made lots of newly married friends.
- Books Read: Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World, How to Win Friends and Influence People
October
- Mom and I surprised my Grandma and our family by hopping on a plane to visit them in California.
- Kevin and I dressed up as Peanut Butter and Jelly for Halloween and it was my favorite costume to date.
- Books Read: Scarlett, The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well
November
- I made a long, yet non-comprehensive list of some things I’m thankful for.
- We celebrated Thanksgiving in Columbia for the first time – our friend Claire made these beautiful pies
- Our Black Friday traditions of shopping late into the night on Thursday was upheld, even if I did have to work the next day.
December
- I documented the entire month by completing a December Daily album.
- Kevin got a promotion at work and we celebrated the best way we know how – yummy food!
- My family spent Christmas Eve shredding at the outdoor ice skating rink.
- I started watching Friends for the first time – don’t judge me!
- Books Read: Present over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
And there you have it! A full year wrapped up into 12 photos and a couple words. It’s hard to believe we’re already well into another year, but I’m full of anticipation for what is to come in 2018.
Dec 20, 2017 | Everyday Life
It’s been over three months since I’ve shared anything in this space, which is probably one of the longest hiatuses I’ve taken since starting my blog in 2010. I spent a lot of 2017 focusing on (read: overthinking) my purpose and my why for everything I do. That being said, I know I want to continue writing and sharing my life in this little corner of the internet but I know I want it to feel different. I’m still trying to figure out what it’s going look like, but right now there’s no pressure. So instead of trying to backfill posts (like I’m tempted to do) I’m just going to dump lots of photos here and let you see what I’ve been up to recently.
I went to California in October and I snagged this shot out of my car window before heading to St. Louis to catch my flight. Chloe looks out the window at me every time I leave the house, and I loved having Kevin in this photo too.
My trip to California was a surprise that only my mom and I were in on, so it was fun to show up and catch everyone off guard. I love a good secret and it was so fun to be there for my cousin’s birthday. We got to do a lot of normal stuff – soccer games, bake cakes, and sit on the patio in the nice weather.
Kevin and I aren’t huge fans of costumes, so we normally put off deciding on one until the last minute. This year we went for something super easy that we could wear over our normal clothes. Best. Decision. Ever.
We were gifted a DNA test for Chloe and it turns out that all of her recent ancestors are labrador retrievers. Not sure where she got her height, weight and personality from, but we love joking about her being a purebred.
The California fam was in town the weekend before Thanksgiving, so we opted not to head home again for Thanksgiving day. I worked both Wednesday and Friday so it made sense not to drive to St. Louis for less than 24 hours. It was the first Thanksgiving that we didn’t spend with family, but we were lucky enough to be invited to Thanksgiving with our sweet friends. These pies? All handmade by Claire.
The following weekend, Taylor and I spent the weekend in Wisconsin for Brittany’s birthday. We had a blast meeting Evan, shopping, eating and breaking out of escape rooms. I knew I had found a new favorite city when I found my way into a bookstore that had a collectors edition of Gone with the Wind and a complete copy of the Chronicles of Narnia before we even left the airport.
To celebrate Kevin’s birthday and some job changes, we ate dinner at our favorite steak house. This place is right around the corner from us, and gosh darn it, we can smell it every. single. night. We love a good meal and this is the best place on the planet, especially when it’s all decorated for Christmas.
This photo was from our small group Christmas party. We joined the small group and met all these lovely folks (pictured below) in September and became fast friends. I can’t get over how thankful I am for this group.
Kevin finally let me put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving (for the record, he was the one who put the outside Christmas lights up on November 21st last year (Instagram Evidence) . I purchased this tree for $6 three years ago when I was working at Walgreens. Since we moved into our house, I’ve been looking for a taller replacement but haven’t found anything that fits the space. This was the first year I included the Hallmark ornaments my parents have bought for me over the last 26 years as well as Kevin’s childhood ornaments. I have to admit, the sweet memories made me like the tree a little bit more.
Sep 9, 2017 | Everyday Life
photo by Sarah
A beautiful morning that felt like an escape from the real world. These moments are my favorite.
Aug 20, 2017 | Everyday Life
I found this fun little quiz that a couple
blog friends have shared and I thought it would be the perfect thing to do on my birthday. This originally stemmed from Vogue’s 73 questions game that they were doing with
celebrities.
- What are you most excited about these days? Weekends, sunshiny mornings, and getting out my DSLR.
- Favorite holiday? Christmas without a doubt!
- Favorite season? Fall. Wearing layers and cheering on my tigers makes for the best time of the year.
- Recent hobby? Reading, bible journaling, a workout schedule and the blog are all keeping me busy these days.
- If you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be? Chloe, my dog. Napping all day and then having your head scratched literally sounds like the dream.
- If you could have coffee with someone from the past, who would it be? C.S Lewis.
- What’s the best thing that happened this year? I particularly LOVE having all of my family together, so I’d say that but I also love hosting people in our home.
- What’s the best way to decompress? Going for a walk with Chloe or taking a nap on the couch with the sun shining in the front windows.
- What’s the weirdest word in the English language? Perfect…as in to make something better. WHY IS THIS SPELLED THE SAME AS PERFECT. Or am I wrong? I can’t even explain it to the internet so that’s how you know you’re losing.
- If you had one superpower, what would it be? Teleporting – so I could travel around the world anytime I want or just get to the back door faster when Chloe wants to be let outside.
- Who do you miss most? My family in St. Louis.
- Who was the last person to text you? Kevin
- Who are three people, alive or dead, that you would have dinner with? Haha, my group would be so random: Wayne Gretzky, Miranda Lambert and Ann Voskamp…wouldn’t you like to be a fly on the wall for that one?!
- Last book you read? I’m currently reading Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley, it’s a sequel to Gone with the Wind and I’m enjoying it so far.
- Book you plan on reading? Everything by Elisabeth Elliot
- Book you read because everyone else in the world was reading it? The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines
- A book from your childhood that positively shaped you? The Harry Potter series
- Favorite tv show that’s currently on tv? I’m currently watching the Great British Bake Off and (slowly) Jane the Virgin
- Favorite ice cream? Plain vanilla
- What makes you smile the most? Serving my friends, plants, photography.
- First pet? Brownie the teddy bear hamster.
- Worst subject in school? English, I always got the worst grades in that class. Is it ironic that I have a blog and love reading?
- Favorite game? Pandemic
- Coolest thing in the world? The ability to talk to and meet friends all over the world online.
- Cutest thing in the world? Puppies, especially mine.
- Favorite thing in the world? My camera or my new Mac *heart eyes*
- One talent you wish you had? Singing, i’m terrible.
- One thing you still have from your childhood? A wooden radio flyer wagon…and by have, I mean that it’s at my parent’s house.
- What’s your patronus? A lab puppy – loves people and is a complete busy body
- Last song you listened to on your phone? Redeeming Love by The Crossing Music
- Favorite song lyrics? I’m not really into music lyrics, so I’m going to say our first dance song, Everything by Michael Buble or Clean by Natalie Grant
- What song would you probably be caught dancing alone to? Kinks Shirt by Matt Nathanson
- If you could work the runway, what song would it be? I could never make this work, but probably something by Taylor Swift
- Best gift you’ve ever been given? There are a lot of things that rank high on the list starting with our wedding and anytime I’ve been given the gift of travel.
- Fashion icon? I literally know zero people who are famous for fashion…sooo…
- What did you wear to your prom? A white dress and apparently the tallest heels I could find.
- Who was your date to your prom? My hubby.
- Favorite movie of all time? Forrest Gump
- Favorite movie of the last five years? Inside Out
- Movie that made you cry? The only movie I’ve ever cried at was My Dog Skip (which I’m sure would be followed by A Dog’s Purpose, but I’m steering clear of that one).
- Movie that made you laugh the hardest? Caddyshack
- If you could make a documentary, what would it be about? Nature photography maybe?
- Favorite TV show? Quantum Leap is always a classic. Can’t think of any show I’ve watched more episodes of, that’s for sure.
- If you could make a cameo in any TV show what would it be? Fixer Upper
- Best plot twist of all time? I realized that this isn’t a plot, but Snape’s character in Harry Potter surprised me the most.
- Twitter or Instagram? INSTAGRAM. Hands down.
- Who should everyone be following right now? Ali Brown (@alibrownie) her journals are swoon-worthy and I’m always a fan of Elise Cripe(@elisejoy).
- Favorite food? Steak and potatoes.
- Favorite dessert? Cheesecake – of basically any variety.
- Favorite band? Bethel Music.
- Favorite solo artist? Taylor Swift and I don’t care what anyone has to say about it. Also Harry Styles new album has been at the top of my list lately.
- If you could sing a duet with anyone, who would it be? Tim McGraw
- What would be the title of your autobiography? Love Bailey Jean. Expect to see more of that around these parts soon!
- Favorite sound? the ocean
- Least favorite sound? chewing.
- Favorite animal? We’ve already established dogs being my favorite, but after that, cheetahs.
- First celebrity crush? Tom Welling because Smallville = love.
- Current celebrity crush? Meh. *shruggs*
- What is your kryptonite? Instagram.
- Guilty pleasure? Chickfila and libraries/bookstores.
- Most proud moment? Graduating from Mizzou and buying a home
- Biggest weakness?
- Skill still unmastered? Diffusing my hair…it never looks the same twice.
- What is the definition of misery? Not being able to sleep when you’re tired and camping, although I’ve never done it.
- Biggest learning experience? Seasons of waiting…they are hands down the most trying.
- What is your idea of a perfect date? Dinner at a location I don’t have to choose (ask Kevin, I’m indecisive as can be) and something creative like painting or pottery or a photo walk.
- An experience when you felt the most nervous? Anytime I have to be the center of attention. I was particularly nervous to walk down the aisle at our wedding because I knew everyone was going to be staring at me and I thought I kept picturing myself falling on my face. Thank God my Dad would have never let that happen.
- At what age were you the happiest? I’d say every year is full of ups and downs, but 25 was particularly awesome.
- What’s one vice you wish you could give up? naps. I’ll never give them up though.
- If you could teach a college course, what would it be called? iPhone Photography and selfies 101
- If you could star in any movie remake, what would it be? Harry Potter.
- If you were an Olympic athlete, what would your event be? Ice hockey, no question.
- If you could offer your 13-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be? Don’t take life so seriously. I’m still trying to teach myself this one.
