Little Treasures

I am on a little bit of a cleaning spree today. My room isn't used very often, so it becomes kind of a dropping place for all of my stuff.

I was looking under the bed to see if there was anything I could get rid of and came across a few picture albums I hadn't looked at in years. Pictures of me in high school with friends I've lost touch with, pictures of three of my favorite years when I was on drill team, and pictures of my family.

I came across this one and couldn't help but smile.

Two people in this picture aren't here anymore, and another is in the hospital trying to get healthy again. I remember this trip to Lamesa with my mom and an old friend, Jenna. It was only 7 or 8 years ago, but it feels like another life time. While moving forward is all I can do, I can't help but wish I could visit these old pictures and see these smiles again.

It is going to take me even longer to get my room cleaned up if I keep coming across treasures like this.

Thankfulness

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Happy Thanksgiving!

It is our first real holiday without Mom. Thanksgiving was never a very big deal in our house. One year, in a effort to avoid all of the cooking and clean up, we had lasagna...that we made the night before. Even though this holiday isn't my favorite, and it honestly isn't very meaningful to me, it will still be so hard to sit at a table and know that for my family, someone is missing. 

I am glad that we will be spending the day with Branden's family and that they invited not just me, but my Dad and brother as well. While it won't be the easiest day for us, I know it will be filled with good food, laughter, and plenty to be thankful for.

Speaking of thankfulness, I didn't fully participate in the "30 Days of Thankfulness" trend on Facebook, so I decided to list some things I am thankful for, here on the blog.

I am thankful for...

1. My wonderful boyfriend, Branden. He has been so good to me for the past five years, and even more so in the last several months. Our relationship has never been through so much, and every day I am thankful for how patient, understanding, and supportive he is. 

2. My Dad. Through everything, he is always there to make me laugh and ask how my day was. I have spent more time with him in the last months, than I've been able to in a very long time, and every time we get to hang out we are always laughing. I am so grateful to have him.

3. My best friend, Erika. You can go back here and read about why I love this girl so much, and why I am so thankful for her. She is one of the best people I know, and I am so glad that I have her in my life. I honestly feel like I would be very lost, and a lot less happy, if she wasn't around.

4. My family and Branden's family. I am so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful people in my life.

6. Our oldest dog, Sadie. She helped my Mom through a very difficult time in her life, and for that I will always love her in a special way.

7. Our little pup, Jack. He always knows when I need to see his cute face way too close to mine.

8. Our crazy dog, Lady Bug. She has brought so much joy to our family. If nothing else makes me laugh or smile all day, I know she will. 

9. My degree and certification. I have wonderful parents who saved and put me through college, and while I don't have the job I worked so hard for quite yet, I know I will one of these days and I am grateful I have the education that will land me that job.

10. All of the blogs I read. It seems like a silly thing to be so thankful for, but I love keeping up with my favorite blogs and getting inspired by them. Blog reading is one of my favorite things to do in my spare time. 

11. The fact that the jobs I have right now allow me to see Branden a little more during the day when we get lunch together. 

12. Books, books, books. I am reading something about 90% of the day, whether is is blogs, books, stories online, etc. I am in love with reading, and so thankful that I am fortunate enough to know how. My heart hurts for people who cannot read, and do not get to enjoy the magic of written words (cheesy much?). 

13. My camera. I have a new love for photography and learning about my camera. I don't get to use it as much as I want, but when I do, boy, am I happy.

14. My house. Most days I am ready to move out and have my own place, but this will always be home. I have never lived anywhere else, I've never even switched bedrooms. Being home, surrounded by memories of mom and all of the joy we have here is irreplaceable.

15. The fact that I don't have to work weekends. Working weekends all of last year definitely made it hard to have time with my family and Branden. I am so glad that I get to spend my weekends at home now!

16. My brother, Clay. I am proud of him for putting in the effort to make changes in his life to get where he needs to be. 

17. Movies. If anyone knows me, they know I love the movies. On Mondays at work, people ask me what movies I saw over the weekend. Movies are almost as good as books.

18. My friends. I don't have a ton of them, but the ones I have, I love so much. I am thankful to a have a few close friends, ones that I enjoy talking to and being around, rather than a ton of friends I don't know very well. 

19. The small things. I've learned that I need the small things to keep me going. Things like my favorite leopard print flats, my one friend blanket, reruns of my favorite shows, etc. 

20. I am SO thankful for the amazing people that donated to our team for Light the Night. We raised over $3,000 dollars! I went in thinking that $1,000 was a huge goal, and we tripled it. I am so thankful for those who walked, got people to donate, and those who donated to us. I am still amazed by the generosity of people.

21. Most of all, I am thankful for the mother that I had. I miss her more than I can explain to anyone, and every day there is something I want to tell her. She taught me to be thankful, and showed me the importance of taking time to appreciate what I have, even the small things. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Break Time

While I am on break this week, and
laying on my couch, I will be pretending I am this girl.

It is Thanksgiving week! I have never been so thankful for a school break. Today was a short week for me, only two days! I am lucky enough that I don't go back to work until Monday. Three whole days off sounds like heaven.

I am tired. Juggling three jobs during the week means a lot of scheduling, phone calls, and planning. On top of work, looking for a teaching job, trying to figure out the when and where of moving out, and a long commute, Branden and I are dealing with a lot of family stuff right now.

Putting it simply, this year has been hard. Most days are a struggle for one reason or another, most of which I can't even explain to myself. Unfortunately, my grandma, and both of Branden's grandpas are not doing well either. We are gone every other weekend making trips to Lamesa and Oklahoma, and Branden plans on spending a lot of time in East Texas this week before we both go out there next weekend.

Physically and emotionally, it is all very draining. I have become so close to my grandma over the last couple years, and seeing her health deteriorate is very hard. Seeing Branden's grandpas not doing well is hard as well. Leaving late on Friday nights to spend the weekend with our family is so worth it, but it is exhausting.

This week I think I've experienced a little bit of how Branden must feel 90% of the time in our relationship, at least since April. Seeing him hurting and worrying over his family is worse than me feeling the way I do most days. This makes me love Branden even more, knowing a little bit of how he feels when he sees me hurting.

Things are not easy. I never thought I would have to work so hard to be happy. But I want to be happy, and knowing it isn't easy makes those moments of pure happiness even more meaningful.

I am so thankful we have a break this week. I am looking forward to spending some time by myself, some time with Branden, his family, and my family, and some time simply resting. I believe I will return to work refreshed and ready for a few more weeks until the next break. It doesn't hurt that by the time I go back to work, it will officially be Christmas season!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Quilts

My new obsession? Quilts.

Even though I have only made one quilt before, and it has been years since then, I am dying to make one.

My Dad's mother, my Mimi, taught me to sew. I own her sewing machine now. It is old and yellowing, but it works better than my mom's younger machine. I love knowing that when I sew, I am using the same machine that she sewed on for as long as I can remember. The same machine she taught me how to sew on.

Sewing is one of my favorite things to do, although I don't get to very often. I can't design clothes, and I need a relatively simple pattern, but I enjoy it regardless.

Here are some quilts I found on Pinterest that are seriously inspiring me to get out my machine and get started.

zig-zag

diamond

arrow

I would love to pick a pattern and beautiful fabric and make a quilt for my and Branden's future apartment. I think it would make a lovely symbol of our first home together, and something we could always treasure. 

Have you ever sewn a quilt before? 

Fresh

Branden surprised me with tickets to ICE this weekend! I have never been so cold! 

I can't wait to share the pictures.

I've gotten a little behind on my blogging, obviously. I don't have much time during the week as I seemed to have a few weeks ago. I'm not home until 7, and lately I've only had enough energy to make dinner and sit on the couch before heading to bed.

I am hoping that I can get back into the swing of things this week. I have been thinking a lot about so many different things in my life. My favorite blogs are ones that are personal, where I feel like I get to see beyond projects, fashion, cooking, etc and into their lives.

I'd like my blog to be like that. I am drafting some new posts, looking through Pinterest, editing pictures, and really trying to make time for things I love to do.

Here is to a fresh week. I hope it's a good one.

Five Good Things: 10/30, 10/31, 11/01, 11/02

Taken at the Light the Night walk in Dallas on Sunday

Tuesday, October 30th

-staying in bed until the very last minute

-5 dollar movies

-hearing the wind chime we were given in honor of mom

-golden sky on the way home

-time with Dad and Branden 

Wednesday, October 31st

-new books in the mail

-dogs in costumes

-handing out candy with Dad

-cooking dinner

-cute trick or treaters

Thursday, November 1st

-having lunch with Branden

-buying Christmas stuff

-making Christmas sweaters with Erika

-talking in weird accents

-new episodes of favorite tv shows

Friday, November 2nd

-spending the morning with dad

-picking up my new glasses

-substituting

-dinner with Branden's family

-sleeping on the couch with Bug

Always Remember

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I need to remember this every day. 

Venice Favorites Part 2

Here are more of my favorite pictures from Venice! 

This is one of my favorite pictures of me and Branden. This was in Saint Mark's square the day after it had rained. We spent the morning walking through the Basilica di San Marco. The church was absolutely incredible. My favorite part was going to the top of the church and overlooking the square. 

 

This is the view from the top of the square.

We walked across the Rialto Bridge at least once a day on our walks through the city. The view was beautiful. I loved walking across it in the morning before it was crowded with tourists. 

On Saturday we took a boat to the islands of Murano and Burano. We left quite early in the morning and got to see the water in such beautiful light. Taking a crowded and long boat ride is so worth it when this is the view. 

I fell in love with Burano. It was so bright and colorful. I loved that every single building was a bright color, from orange to neon green. It was a quiet Saturday morning, and while it was full of tourists, it was a nice change of pace from how crowded Venice was throughout the day. 

This is just one of many pictures of house fronts I took while we were in Burano. This was is one of my favorites. I think coming home to to such a cheery home, in such a beautiful city, would make me happy every single day. 

One morning we decided to be a little brave and go to the top of the St Mark's Campanile, a clock tower that is 323 feet tall. I am afraid of heights, so this was a big step for me. Fortunately, we rode an elevator to the top (although, going up 300 feet into the air in an old elevator crowded with people isn't exactly my idea of a good time). The view was incredible! We got a 360 degree view of the city. My favorite part of the whole experience was when the bells started ringing. It was amazing to be standing right under a huge bell that was so old and hear it ring for the city. 

There is always something gorgeous to look at in Venice. Everything is so detailed and beautiful. 

This was taken when we ventured to the other side of the city on our last full day. I found it odd, and beautiful, that this old statue was hidden in all this greenery, and all we could see was his back. I wonder what it looked like 100 years ago. 

I took this while waiting to go to the top of the Campanile. Looking back at pictures from all of the cities from our trip, I am still amazed at how detailed everything is. I wish we had more intricate and beautiful things like this surrounding us each day.

This was our last picture of us together in Venice on our terrace of the apartment. It was cold and rainy and we were about to drag three suitcases to the nearest vaporetto station. We were sad to leave Venice, but so excited to get on to the next stop of our trip. I loved traveling with this man.

Next up, favorites from Lake Garda!

Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween!!

This is one of my favorite holidays. I cannot wait to have an apartment next year and decorate! I already have so many ideas stocked up.

We've already thrown our annual Halloween party, so tonight we will be turning our costumes into zombie ones and have some fun handing out candy! 

What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

Have a good one! 

Weekly Pin Love

I am a little behind on blogging, and on my Pinterest posts! Here are some of my favorite from the last couple weeks.

1

I love bowls. I am always looking for small, detailed bowls to place around the house. This would be perfect for holding keys and other pocket items from your jacket when you walk in the door.

2

I love stripes, and I love sweaters. This sweater combines them perfectly for fall. 

 

3

This sweet little print of an elephant would be perfect in a nursery, a kids room, or even just on a wall with other prints. I adore it. 

4

Perfect tiny detail. I want this. 

5

Adorable. I want to put this in a guest bathroom. 

Follow me on Pinterest here!

Five Good Things: 10/27, 10/28, 10/29

A fun picture of me and Erika from our Halloween party 

Saturday, October 27th

-the lines for voting being short and sweet

-wearing a tutu

-Halloween decorations

-being silly and lots of laughing

-frito chilli pie

Sunday, October 28th

-spending the day with Branden

-beautiful movies that make me cry

-new shirts

-walking in Light the Night with family and friends for mom

-remembering 

Monday, October 29th

-new cds
-lunch with Branden
-watching kids get excited about something
-time at home by myself
-warm blankets

Five Good Things: 10/23, 10/24, 10/25, 10/26

Taken at the Guadalupe River on 

our One Friend camping trip in August

Tuesday, October 23rd

-making dinner for dad and Branden

-dancing in the kitchen

-long hugs

-getting problems solved

-favorite shoes

Wednesday, October 24th

-finding things my kids at school actually like doing

-sitting in the sun

-evenings at home

-Halloween cookies

-being warm in bed

Thursday, October 25th

-picking out new glasses

-having time to do nothing

-weird movies

-new friends

-good books

Friday, October 26th

-hugs from toddlers

-peppermint hot chocolate

-spending an hour in a book store

-dinner with my one friend

-laughing like I haven't in a long time

Five Good Things: 10/20, 10/21, 10/22

Taken at the Zoo last April

Saturday, October 20th

-not having to get up right after the alarm goes off

-real naps

-finishing a good book

-taco night

-time spent with family

Sunday, October 21st

- trips to target

-being home after a weekend away

-buying dog costumes

-catching up on missed tv shows

-starting a new book

Monday, October 22nd

-lucky charms for breakfast
-date night
-british accents
-getting into bed after a hard day
-favorite songs

La La La La

Something bright and cheery to start off your Monday.

What are your plans for the week?

Have a good one!

Five Good Things: 10/16, 10/17, 10/18, 10/19

A favorite from a night photography class I took in the Spring

Tuesday, October 16th

-a day off

-good movies

-a whole day with my one friend

-decorating for Halloween

-good talks at lunch

Wednesday, October 17th

-first day subbing

-teaching in a classroom

-feeling satisfied after a hard day of work

-Branden making dinner

-suspenseful books

Thursday, October 18th

-working with my favorite manager

-green tea 

-clear skies

-dinners with dad

-Project Runway Finales

Friday, October 19th

-subbing in Kindergarten
-memorizing songs
-funny kids
-playgrounds
-long car rides

Venice Favorites Part 1

If I could share all of our photos from our trip, I would. However, I don't think anyone wants to see thousands (yes, thousands) of pictures of a trip they didn't go on. So I've narrowed it down to 20 from each city. That is still quite a bit, but I tried to make it smaller, and doing so just leaves out so much.

Venice was the first stop during our three weeks in Italy. It was exciting, and a little terrifying, to get off a plane and find our way to a city not even connected to the country.

Venice isn't huge. You can't see the whole city in a day, but you can walk to the other side of it if you wanted to. It is crowded with Italians and tourists, restaurants, shops, museums, and churches. My very favorite part about this city was that every where we walked, we found something new we hadn't seen before, even if we took the same route as we had another day. There are so many little secrets in Venice.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:

This was taken on our 10 hour flight to Germany. For months I had been counting down the days until the trip, it didn't feel real until we got on the plane and there was no turning back.

This was taken at Doge's Palace before the tour Branden booked for us. I stood in the courtyard of this palace thinking of how many people had stood where I was standing so long ago, and how much history I was surrounded by. It was a gorgeous day, our first full day in Italy, and I couldn't believe I was really there. 

One morning we got up early and went to the Rialto Market in the middle of the city.  We stood and watched them unload all of the food from boats and set up their booths. Then we bought fresh fruit and vegetables from the vendors, which was a little intimidating, but very fun. This is the view of the other side of the canal from the market.

We read that Saint Mark's Square was amazing at night, and it was true. It had rained most of the evening, and we were coming back from the opera. We had to pass through the square to get to our apartment and this is what we saw. The rain had cleared out what was usually a very crowded square, and made it glow. We stood in the middle of the square while an orchestra played "Hey Jude." I remember standing as close to Branden as I could, just soaking in the beauty and magic around me. This is my favorite memory from the entire trip.

Walking home from an opera in heels, with an umbrella, in the middle of rainy Venice will always be a favorite memory.

Seeing the sunset over Venice from our apartment was incredible. Our apartment was my favorite place we stayed while in Italy. We were so close to the square (you can see the apartment from the clock tower), but we were three stories up, and we could never hear the crowds and bustling of the city. We could, however, hear the orchestras playing from the square. If I could live there, I would.

Every where you turn in Venice, there is something beautiful to look at. 

This bookstore, Acqua Alta, was one that we planned on finding months before we even booked our apartment in Venice. Inside, books are stacked and piled on high shelves, boats, gondolas, tubs, etc. Every year the shop floods since, like most shops, it is right up against the canal. The owner keeps everything off the floor so that books aren't ruined. We spent a long time in this eclectic store just browsing. While we went into almost every bookstore we walked by in all three cities, this was one of our favorites.

This is the book store cat. I loved that he just hung out by the entrance and wandered through the store with the rest of the customers. Roaming cats were very common in Venice, they even roam in the hospitals.

This day was one of my favorites in Venice. It rained enough the night before and through out the day that the canals were starting to rise. We spent most of our morning lost, looking for a museum that ended up being closed. It was cold and rainy, and I couldn't stop shaking and sneezing, but it was still great. We wandered through small streets, went to lunch, then spent the rest of the day relaxing in the apartment while rain covered the city. This was a Monday, and it rained the rest of our stay. But Venice in the rain is still wonderful.

More memories and favorite pictures coming soon in Part 2! 

Five Good Things: 10/13, 10/14, 10/15

Taken last Spring

Saturday, October 13th

-lazy afternoons

-lunches with favorite people

-helping Sarah get ready for homecoming

-dinner with lots of friends

-silly toddlers

Sunday, October 14th

-clear skies

-being at home

-bird cages

-good pizza

-being in love

Monday, October 15th

-a comfy couch to read on

-not rushing to work

-talking to Branden on the way home from work

-lasagna made by my one friend

-date night

Let It Be

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"Let It Be" is one of my absolute favorite songs. My best friend made me a cd with nothing but different versions of this song. On a hard day, this is the first song I go to.

 It simply makes my heart feel better.

Weekly Pin Love

Here are some of my favorite pins from the last week:

1

I would trade in my purse for one of these striped backpacks. 

2

I have a soft spot for bookends. These are adorable. 

3

Perfect for displaying on open shelves in a kitchen or for little knick knacks around the house.

4

Branden would never go for this, but I love it. 

5

This reminds me of one of my favorite songs, "Sunday Best", by Augustana.

Follow me on Pinterest here!

Five Good Things: 10/9, 10/10, 10/11, 10/12

Taken in Downtown Dallas

Tuesday, October 9th

-having the day off from both jobs

-a quiet house

-spending the morning reading

-picking up my best friend from the airport

-goodnight phone calls

Wednesday, October 10th

-blueberry muffins

-helping solve little kid problems

-accidental naps

-falling asleep during a movie

-warm blankets

Thursday October 11th

-a few quiet hours before work

-new books

-gorgeous sunsets

-waffles

-hugs from Branden

Friday, October 12th

-red jeans

-getting mail

-high school football games

-late night movies with a friend

-photobooths