if only i had the luxury of space

oh, and money. did i mention that? because that's what it would take for that many pairs of fabulous brown shoes. it would be nice.

but what kind of character building would a good closet make? this is what i tell myself, anyway.

brought to you via apartment therapy

a real LOL

LOL is overrated. i mean, really--how many times do you really laugh out loud every time you use LOL??

well this one was a real LOL.

my fiance makes this face all the time and i say to him "i can't wait until we have a child who makes this face and then i can say 'you are your father's child.' "

so, via email (since he couldn't give me the face in real life) he sent me this picture. with those big ol brown eyes, light hair, and big bottom lip, i don't doubt one of our kids really will look like this. and i can't wait :)

once i was an artist

you might guess that my creative juices have come to a slight trickle, but really i've just been directing them elsewhere lately.

i've decided to embark on a new journey in life. before i have material to show you all i will say for now is it involves a sharpie pen, 4x6 cardstock, and the recipient of my mind's eye these past few weeks.

i think the first 5 years out of college must be the most important in life. its where i've learned the most about me, the most about God, and the most about life. i've learned that life isn't a balancing act. just because you escape a bad situation doesn't mean the next one will be rainbows and unicorns. sometimes you just have to make the best of your situation. and sometimes you have to take everything out of the equation except for yourself and God in order to make something work.

i've also learned that it is important to have at least one hour per day devoted to yourself. may sound selfish, but how many of you do that? wouldn't it be easier if between getting ready in the morning and going to work, or between leaving work and coming home you had an hour just to yourself? i think my whole day would be more productive. because then my whole day wouldn't be a constant struggle between doing my duties and taking care of me.

so that's what this new journey is about. getting back in touch with my "me." it's funny how for so long you define yourself as something only to end up years down the road and realizing you have hardly done any of those activities that once defined you. for me that's drawing, painting, anything visually creative. once i was an artist--i'd like to get to know that side of me again.

for now it will only be a side project. profit will not be a goal. but maybe several years down the road (if i should be so lucky to have my own plans align with God's plans for me) i can make it a full-time kind of thing. i can only hope.

right now i'm just excited!

delicious

i work in the tile business. and i'll admit, people generally want the same thing, and they always want it 3 seasons behind it's popularity in the design world.

so naturally, 1x1 glass mosaics are huge right now in my neck of the woods. i'm a little over it, especially when combined with travertine--oh, what a novel idea! not.

but not this puppy.

love it. it looks so essspensive!

i could find plenty of things to do with that.

unreal

all of my childhood i dealt with tornados. spring was always turbulent--nights in the bathtub, sirens going off all night. but eventually, even with the fear that those sirens arouse, you become a little numb to it. of all the warnings i've been through, only one was remotely close to my home. NEVER did i think a storm could do this. not in anything i could imagine. my sweet, sweet state, destroyed.

the scenes across the south remind me of a movie. it's unbelievable. but with the death tolls rising it makes it all the more real. with family and friends scattered all over the south, i am so fortunate not to have anyone that was injured.

i think in situations like this, especially for those affected, it is so important to remember who our God is. He is good and wise and SO loving beyond measure. because of Jesus, and because he took on the weight of our sin, we are no longer punishable for sin and therefore God does not punish, nor does he bring disaster upon his children. there is good in this world and there is evil. God is good. always and only.

please say a prayer for the people affected by this horrible storm. for those who lost their lives, their families, those displaced from their homes, and those still searching for loved ones. because of God there is always hope in tragedy and light in the darkness.

i am not prepared for this

{get ready, because this will probably be cheesy}

"the office" has been more than a tv show to me. first it was just an on-going source of some good laughs. i mean, let's get real here: tv producers have gotten dangerously creative these days. every show is a cliff hanger, to the point where even low-income families think they "need" a dvr. it's crazy. but the office is different--there are a few episodes that make you curious to see the next (like jim and pam's romance, or michael sealing the deal with holly), but in general, every episode is a new situation. just like the old days of "i love lucy"--when tv shows were entertainment, not addictions.

then, when i had an awful job for 2 1/2 miserable years, the office was my escape. it was my alter-reality. when you can envision your environment like a sitcom, it makes things a lot more bearable. not only that, but when other people in my office started getting into "the office" then we had great things to talk about. some light-hearted humor after lunch, hanging around someone's cubicle while you avoided going back to your own desk.

bottom line: humor makes every difficult situation just a little bit better. and who was better at that than steve carell as michael--the naive, inappropriate, distracting boss with a loveable heart. the cast talks like the show will still go on, but who knows what will happen. how does a show thrive without it's main character?

it will be a sad day. i haven't fully prepared myself for this. at least there are always re-runs, which is great about "the office"! you can watch any show and not have to run the whole "last time on the office..." bit. i'm just hoping they still continue pranks on dwight. next to michael's crazy anecdotes, those are my favorite.

the show must go on!

i mostly love this house

which is odd, because it's not exactly my style, but it fits the house. and the cabinets are ikea! can you believe it? check out the full article here. and here's a few snapshots just to spark your curiosity.

this is what made me switch my paint scheme from white walls to cream in the family room of the house i WILL eventually have.

i also LOVE the honeycomb upholstery on the wing back chairs. delicious.