Weekly Pin Love: Fall Wreaths

I am dying to make a wreath for the fall. Here are some favorites I've seen on pinterest:

1

I love the textures and simplicity of this one. 

2

This seems easy to make and looks so elegant and pretty!

3

What is more fall than this?

4

Simple, clean, and lovely.

5

I think this one is so original, and I love pumpkins! 

6

Leaves are my favorite part of the season, so of course, I love this one. 

I am definitely inspired to get to the craft store and start making a wreath for my front door. Maybe my fall wreath will inspire the weather to actually start feeling like fall!

P.S. Can you believe this is the last day of September? Tomorrow is the start of my favorite month!

Five Good Things: 9/25, 9/26, 9/27, 9/28

A picture from Oklahoma, this weekend

Tuesday, September 25th

- posts on facebook from my wonderful best friend

- getting to spend an evening at home

- shopping between shifts

-lunch with Branden

-helping kids with homework

Wednesday, September 26th

- a morning off

- creating melted crayon art

- weird dreams that make no sense

- talking to an old friend

- chocolate banana milkshakes

Thursday, September 27th

- opening with my favorite manger

- computer lab day for PACE

- pancakes and bacon for dinner

- Bug and her crazy, hyper self

- sleeping in my own bed

Friday, September 28th

- reading a book I wish I could live in 

- long car rides with Branden

- reading books to Branden

- rainy, cloudy days

- talks about the future

HOLGA

Is it too early to tell Branden what I want for Christmas? I don't think so! I think of it like I am doing him a favor. Instead of him searching for and wondering what the perfect gift would be, I can just easily point him in the right direction.

To be fair, Branden always does a wonderful job with the gifts he gives me on holidays, birthdays, or random days. I've never not loved a gift he's surprised me with.

For Christmas and birthdays, I try to give him an idea of what I want, but more often than not, I honestly have no idea what I want. I always end up asking for something I need. Not this time!

I am falling in love with photography. It is complicated, precise, and a little overwhelming. For a while now I've had my eye on this:

A HOLGA camera. It is like instagram, but real, and way less predictable. I think the photos that people end up with are so dreamy, and due to the film, you don't always know exactly what you are going to get.

All of the elements of photography and getting that perfect shot is so much fun to learn and figure out. But I think there is something very freeing about not being able to know what your picture looks like instantly. Taking this on our trips, or out on the weekends, then having to wait to see what in the world I captured on film...sounds fun to me! 

Here are some photos taken with various HOLGA models:

1

2

3

4

5

Now we'll see if I can actually hold out until Christmas without buying this for myself!

One Thing.

Five Good Things 9/22, 9/23, 9/24

Another Italy favorite. Me looking over Lake Garda.

Saturday, September 22nd

-lazy mornings

-haircuts

-trips to target

-getting together with people you haven't seen in ten years

-mom's best friend

Sunday, September 23rd

-taking pictures in Downtown Dallas in the early morning

-Starbucks 

-a whole afternoon/evening with my boyfriend

-naps

-Harry Potter

Monday, September 24th

-favorite sweaters

-new dishes from target

-dinner with the second family

-goodnight phone calls

-three dogs to play with

Weekly Pin Love

Here are a few of my favorite pins from the last week:

1

Perfect for fall, I am loving this color and the polka dots.

2

I am LOVING navy right now. I want it everywhere in our apartment.

3

I have seen this several times, and I am thinking it is time to give it a try. The colors on this one are gorgeous.

4

So simple and pretty.

5

I really regret not buying a globe like this the last time I saw one. It would be perfect in the corner of a living room or office. Next time I see one, I'm bringing it home.

6

Simple and sweet words to remember. 

Happy Pinning!

First Day of Fall

1

Fall is by far my very favorite season. There is something about the cool weather and change in colors that just makes my heart feel full. I think it is the most romantic season of the year.

Here are some of my favorite fall things:

wearing boots. the leaves changing colors. crisp weather. long sleeved sweaters. fireplaces. visiting pumpkin patches. fall decorations in stores. apple cider. high school football games. new seasons of tv shows. Halloween costumes. caramel apple suckers. festivals. soup for dinner. scarves. thanksgiving. pumpkins. hot chocolate. jeans. falling leaves. 

My fall to do list:

-visit the fall setup at the Dallas Arboretum

-go to a pumpkin patch

-carve a pumpkin

-spend a morning taking pictures 

-spend an afternoon reading at the park

-make soup for dinner

-make a fall wreathe for the door

Happy First Day of Fall! 

2

Five Good Things: 9/18, 9/19, 9/20, 9/21

A favorite from our three days on Lake Garda, Italy.

Tuesday, September 18th

-having time for lunch with Branden
-naps in the car
-beautiful weather
-dinner with dad
-a glass of wine before bed

Wednesday, September 19th

-not wearing another polo to work
-antique shopping between shifts
-finding a beautiful antique chair for the living room for a great deal
-walking outside
-soup for dinner

Thursday, September 20th

-chick-fil-a for breakfast
-favorite songs on the drive home
-finishing a job application
-writing a post for the blog
-talking to my best friend while she's in Columbia

Friday, September 21st

-a great day at my after school job
-buying things for the apartment
-new shirts
-falling asleep to favorite movies
-our favorite restaurant for dinner

Honesty.

Adjust. This is something I don't do very well. In a classroom? Sure! I embrace change and having to adjust...that is what teaching is all about! My personal life? Life in general? I struggle.

I am a planner. Sometimes I pretend that I am the "go with the flow" girl. I'm not.

After lunch, I want to know what we are doing for dinner. By Wednesday, I am making plans for the weekend. On Monday I am planning which nights I will be home and what I am going to do on those nights.

I plan.

I schedule.

I like to know what is going to happen.

That isn't life, is it?

I am struggling to adjust to my new reality. A life without my mother, one of my very best friends. A life with jobs I didn't think I would have. A life where I don't know if I will be living where I want to be living in a few months. It is hard. Very hard. Plans I thought I would have 4 months from now, a year from now, two years from now, they aren't my reality anymore.

Everyday is difficult. I know there are good things about each day, but I forget to look for them all the time. I was reminded somewhat indirectly tonight that my happiness starts with me. Not with my boyfriend, my best friend, my job, or my favorite pair of shoes (although these make me so very happy). ME.

It is a scary thing to accept. (I struggle with acceptance, if you couldn't tell) Do I think my life could be happier with my mom here with me? No doubt. Could I be a happier if I had that teaching job I am hoping for? Sure. Would I be happier if our plans for moving out and getting an apartment were going more smoothly? Definitely. However, those are things I can't change right now...some, not at all. Even if I had those things, days would still be hard. Life would still be hard.

Life is hard.

My happiness starts me with me. It is my responsibility to find those good things. To do things that make me happy. To look past the things I can't change, and find the good in them where I can.

I can't promise I will be able to do this every day. I can try, though.

My life is about adjusting. It is about new plans. A new reality. Acceptance.

I think I am started to realize acceptance is how my happiness can start. It's all on me.

joy

Photography Class Recap: Week 1

When my parents told me I could pick out my graduation gift last year, I knew exactly what I wanted. I spent months researching and looking for the best deal on a SLR camera. With an upcoming trip to Italy and a love for photography, a camera was the only thing I wanted.

It arrived in February (3 months before graduation, but I needed practice time with it since we were leaving for Italy 2 days after graduation). Of course, the day before it arrived, I was diagnosed with pink eye. Regardless, I spent hours playing with the camera and figuring out how it worked...while keeping it far away from my eye and sanitizing my hands every three seconds.

The camera (otherwise known as Carl) was the best thing we could have ever brought on our trip. I think our photos turned out great! I'll be sharing them soon!

Summer was busy and I barely had time for photography, so I finally crossed something off my list and signed up for a photography class in September! We are on our third week, and I am really enjoying it!

Here is a little recap and some photos from week 1.

Our first week was all about getting to know the camera and few basics such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. I am still getting the hang of all of those elements together, but it is getting easier. The more pictures I take, the more I understand. Obviously, this is the point of the class!

Aperture

ISO 

Shutter Speed

These are my favorite!

We also had to do a "Day in the Life" series. I don't have kids, the dogs don't do much, and I work all day. What do I have with me all day? My feet. So five photos of my feet and their "life." It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but I like what I came up with!

Looking for breakfast. Break at work in the car. Waking Jack. Watering grass. Relaxing outside.

I have to admit that these aren't much like my typical day, and they aren't taken all on the same day. A busy life makes it complicated! 

That's all for week 1. Week 2 was a little more in depth, and this week I have to use an actual person for my pictures! I am enjoying the class and I am really beginning to understand more about my camera. I am becoming passionate about making my camera a bigger part of my every day life. 

Week 2 recap next week! 

Five Good Things: 9/14, 9/15, and 9/16

Lady (otherwise known as Bug or Monster)

Saturday, September 15th:

- the Dallas Flea Market

- finding things for our future home

- lazy afternoons

- Grapefest

- spending time with just Branden

Sunday, September 16th:

-sleeping in 

- good hugs (Branden gives the very very best hugs)

- taco night!

- home magazines (tearing out pages and organizing them by room inspiration)

- sleeping in my bed

Monday, September 17th:

- nerdy t-shirts Branden buys me

- lunch by myself

- dinner and dessert with friends

- a glass of wine at the end of the day

- crazy dogs greeting me at the door

Wanderlust

I've been looking through our Italy books and browsing travel Pinterest boards lately. I have even looked up plane tickets and prices. I believe it is safe to say that I am ready to travel again! 

Maybe to Santorini, Greece?

Or Paris, France.

I could see us spending a week in Budapest, Hungary.

 Or even Edinburgh, Scotland.

Traveling is something I have always wanted to do. Spending three weeks traveling in Italy easily convinced me that I need to see the world. Traveling is so refreshing, exciting, and overwhelming. I cannot wait for our next trip. Even though it might be a year or more away, I am itching to start planning. 

New Zealand is the front runner for my and Branden's next adventure.

Weekly Pin Love

Here are some of my favorite pins from the last week. Now that I downloaded the Pinterest app on my (and by "my", I mean Branden's) kindle, I cannot stop pinning! 

1

I am loving this color palette, especially for a bathroom or kitchen.

2

I am so disappointed that I didn't find this before the end of summer! I really did NOT eat enough watermelon this summer. Next watermelon season, this will DEFINITELY be on my table. 

3

I think this would make the sweetest addition to a baby gift for a boy or girl. Elephants are so sweet. My mom would have absolutely loved these.



4
This color inspires me to break my life long habit of biting my nails.



5
Navy, coral, and grey? Yes, please! This is a front runner in room inspiration for our future bedroom.



6
I just love these! They would make perfect little accessories on a coffee table, or paper weights for a desk.



7

I adore this necklace. I think I need more statement necklaces in my life! 

Follow me on Pinterest here: Happy Pinning!

Five Good Things- 9/14/12

One of my favorite photos from our weekend in Oklahoma.

      I am so glad it is Friday! This weekend Branden and I are going to the Dallas Flea. We saw an ad in a magazine in July, and I have been itching to go ever since! We'll be looking for any fun finds for our future apartment. I'm hoping to find some vintage knick knacks and if I'm lucky, some good furniture we can make over sometime soon! 

A stack of magazines just waiting for me to open them up. 

Jack's little puppy paws. I can never resist these. 

Over 1,000 pictures from Italy in three books. I cannot stop looking through these. 

     Branden and I are also going to Grapefest in Grapevine this Saturday night. I have been looking forward to this since last year when we went with friends. I can't wait for good food, art vendors, and visiting my favorite holiday shop. A fun night with my boy and possibly some carnival rides sounds like a great Saturday to me! 

One of my favorite parts of going to Oklahoma is seeing the deer in the middle of town. I just love this picture. Who can't love a baby deer? 

    Next week I'll have pictures from Grapefest and the flea market. Have a great weekend!