marvelous!

good read : a million miles in a thousand years | donald miller

2010-07-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

i just finished "a million miles in a thousand years" by donald miller and wanted to share a few excerpts to encourage you to create a story out of your life that's worth reading. i came home from the library the other day with an armful of books that inspire happiness and i am so glad i chose this as my first out of the stack. a nice kick start to finding a purpose and living a life like the one ™ and i promised each other - full of adventure.

ps. i'm baaaaaaaack!

"... God is saying, write a good story, take somebody with you, and let me help."

"nobody gets to watch the parade."

"a good movie has memorable scenes, and so does a good life."

"you paddle until you no longer believe you can go any farther. and then suddenly, well after you thought it would happen, the other shore starts to grow, and it grows fast. the trees get taller and you can make out the crags in the cliffs, and then the shore reaches out to you, you welcome you home, almost pulling your boat onto the sand."

"i was a tree in a story about a forest, and that it was arrogant of me to believe any differently. and he told me the story of the forest is better than the story of the tree."

i realize these excerpts may be confusing out of context, but all the more reason for you to read it for yourself. enjoy!

sorry.

2010-07-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

i love when even sad things are pretty. print by gingiber

sorry for the lack of posts lately. as much as i love my new city and adventure with ™ and rosa, i'm a little down about missing loved ones and just lacking in general inspiration. after a vacay that i thought would bring me a pick me up, i'm missing them all even more. i'm working on getting my head straight and will hopefully see you soon.

dream big | three days until nola

2010-06-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

capow found by christin

three more days in kansas city. the past few weeks have been jam packed with lunches, dinners and parties with friends with the last one this evening. then its two days of packing, packing packing. our apartment looks like a tornado full of boxes and junk had a great time in our apartment.

when you have awkward emotions, a big move becomes a little complicated. i have gotten a chance to say goodbye to many close, close friends without tears. but today when the lady in our building i like to refer to as "the cat lady" was wishing me well i got choked up and had to make a quick exit. i apologize in advance for whomever has to deal with the volcanic eruption of emotion that is sure to come soon. let's hope its in the privacy of the moving truck where i'll be squished in with my ™, rosa the dog and gallardo the turtle and not the target checkout lady.

the great new orleans house hunt

2010-05-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

on monday i headed down to new orleans to find a place for us to live! we had considered waiting until we got down there and staying somewhere temporary while we looked for something but that posed a lot of other problems - what furniture will we need? washer/dryer? no forwarding address? what if nothing come up right away? stress. stress. stress. So we decided I would go down there for a few days and with some help from tracey, the real estate agent we met while visiting a few weeks ago, I would find us a home!

what we were looking for :
needs :
safe, number 1 priority
uptown location
accepts adorable siberian huskies
1 bedroom + space for office setup
appliances
central heat/air
lots and lots of light :)
close to public transportation (we're a one car family :))
character
washer/dryer hookups (preferably washer/dryer in unit)

wants :
yard or some type of fenced outdoor space
porch
hardwood floors
close to park that allows dogs
close to coffeeshop

oh, and as far as rent. we'll call the top of our price range par, in celebration of my little brother going to state golf the day i headed down there :)

on monday, i arrived at tracey's office and they had two properties to see :

house number one :

very cute half double shotgun (um, google it) ;), the inside had beautiful wood floors and ceiling that matched the door, loved the porch swing, other side neighbor was an emt. shared fenced backyard. also, 75 below par!
on the other hand, the girls living there wouldn't be out until ™'s first day of work, moving in without him no bueno. also, not super excited about the neighborhood.

house number two :

LOVED this house. another half double shotgun although a larger and with a separate fenced backyard. was currently being renovated. right on the street car line we were hoping ™ could take to work. problem was it was 100 over par. remember par was the top of our price range. we could have made it happen, but the added stress just didn't seem worth it.

at this point we had a conundrum. two choices, neither of which we were excited about. we decided to cross central air off our list in order to open up more choices. we would still have window units and it would probably be uncomfortable but we just needed to see more. tracey gave me another list to drive by in the morning to narrow it down for her to make appointments.

round two :

house number three :

six plex, i couldn't figure out where our door would be. not the cutest house in the world, no outdoor space, small, but the neighborhood was amazing. huge beautiful homes with gorgeous lawns. i couldn't wait to walk rosa around ;) i also met a really sweet girl that lived next door with a cute dog. sold and added to the list to see. :)

house number four :

in love. had photos online so ™ and i saw it before we even drove by. he gave me the go ahead to sign a lease on the spot. just a block off magazine (a street with amazing shopping and lots of cuteness) added to the list.

house number five :

um, do you see the falling down house next to it? that was common around the house. along with an abundance of drug dealer vehicles. no thank you.

house number six :

okay, so this photo looks kind of cute. but it was a six plex and the back looked like a million houses pieced together. ewww.

house number seven :

this one was cute, it was split up and we weren't sure which part of it was available. i was getting desperate so it got added to the list to see.

now, i needed a place to of course make lists. what else? i realized i was close to a coffeeshop ™ and i had visited while there a few weeks ago. little did i know my sweet husband planned it that way when he made the order for the tour o' houses. whataguy.

i emailed tracey the three i wanted to see and was arranging furniture in my head for house number four. i told ™ i already lived there and the other two were just for good measure.

tracey emails back house number four has been rented. ugh. house number three would not accept rosa. house number seven was a basement apartment with two windows and floods. no thank you. after a little freak out ™ and i decide it would be a stretch financially, but if we could get house number two to go down a little we could make it work. we call. she's decided to do a million more upgrades and if anyone else asks rent is even more. ugh.

then tracey had an idea. her mom was in a less than idea situation with her property. her tenant was a late paying,check bouncing liar. ™ and i are not those things. tracey calls her mom and the tenant is possibly wanting out of her lease anyway. we run over real quick before i have to get on the plane and take a quick look. LOVE!

house number eight :

*sorry for the tree hidden picture but other better ones show our address and that's a little creepy :)

a four plex but the lower entrance with the cute porch is ours. :) lots of new orleans character but with two private bedrooms, a large living/dining area and a large kitchen. it also has central air, close to public transportation, washer/dryer hookups, allows rosa, but no fenced in yard just an open parking area. also, it was 150 below par so ™ was sold. we applied four house and while ™ and i were enjoying gelato in the city market yesterday afternoon, we were approved. as of june 15 this will be our new home!

we'd like to make an annoucement...

2010-05-20T05:41:00.000-07:00

we have big news to share! we threw around a few ideas on how to share it with everyone and then decided it was probably the most fun to tell you all the way ™told me. (please excuse the annoyingly excited me) ;)

we'd like to make an announcement... from ashley marsh on Vimeo.

we have a secret and its so good to hear it.

2010-05-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

want to know what it shwas? ™ and i have a secret. a secret not many know. one that has your mind racing all the time, takes lots of preparation and list making. oh, i have lots to blog about. but every. single. post. has to do with our big secret! hopefully in a few days it will be public knowledge. until then!

some of you may notice the references to a certain youtube sensation. our secret is a little more exciting than being able to count to shififty-five. ;)

on the road again | kc to pensacola

2010-04-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

Nothing makes me happier than road trips. TM and I are making the trip from Kansas City to Pensacola for his graduation. We are only a few hours in and we've already broken in to two different types of trail mix. The jungle mix from habashi house now has a special place in my heart :)

Highlight : making TM listen to the entire "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. Don't hate - if you would have seen my adorable niece sing the entire thing under the bandshell at our rehearsal kareoke party, you'd love it too :)

So, a dance party is under way, I better go participate!

here's mine, how about yours?

2010-04-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

as a getbackintotheswingofthingsandreintroducemyself here's a few q+a's via smile and wave. enjoy and i'd love it if you answered them as well :)

1. When do you feel happiest?
anytime i stop and realize how many things i have in my life that i am truly thankful for.

2. How do you take care of yourself?
bubble baths - my favorite!

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated?
i'll have to think on that one but my first instinct says internally

4. What do you do for fun?
this will sound horrible, but i looooooooove watching ™ squirm. i like playing jokes on him, putting him in situations he's not comfortable in and sometimes just dancing crazy and watching his reaction.

5. What intimidates you?
cool people. the unknown. having no control over the unknown.

6. What is something you're proud of?
the people i have chosen to surround myself with. i must be a really good judge of character because i am constantly impressed by the people in my life. old and new, they are all amazing.

7. Finish this sentence. I never _____________ go a day without missing my family. three hours isn't far but its far enough to miss out on soccer games, golf tournaments and of course el pueblito.

8. Favorite vacation spot.
hopetown, bahamas. san franciscio, ca. new orleans, la.

9. Today is a (rate from 1 - 10).
eight. but when ™gets home it will be a 10.

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know _____________ i have a tendency to get very obsessed with something then lose interest five minutes later. i have trouble making decisions, especially when food is involved. oh, and i treat my dog like my child. what? she is!

love, ashley

i'm back!

2010-04-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

my niece, kaylea mae and i hurrying back to the car after her little photoshoot

so, its been awhile, but i've decided its time to get back into paying a little attention to marvelous! why the hiatus? i've been busy loving on my new husband, new dog and starting to shoot for kelley photo. check back often - there's a lot to look forward to. that new dog? also a photographer ;)

love,
ashley

how to make use of leftover wedding supplies

2009-10-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

hello! i'm a slacker, but i'm back! before we get to all the wedding business, enjoy my latest project and be glad you aren't my husband! i've decided to give you all a glimpse in to how wonderful ™ and how funny i am ;) enjoy and stay tuned as this is the first of many tonyhatesashleys :)

tonyhatesashley1 from ashley marsh on Vimeo.

a non-cook cookbook

2009-07-30T05:15:00.000-07:00

i'm pretty sure i need this. my energy level has been crazy low lately and i am going to say its because ™ and i haven't been eating guac nightly like we had been previously so i am not getting enough protein. it may be crazy logic but with access to fresh produce every day and this book, i could probably conquer the world.

will i get bad wedding day karma if i say this is funny? :)

2009-07-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

they have to laugh about this now, but how awful would this be!? funny... but awful!

Independence, KS - Best Tennis Town - Nominate it. Prove it. Win it.

2009-07-16T16:35:00.001-07:00

USTA - Best Tennis Town - Nominate it. Prove it. Win it.

Click the link above to view a video and vote for my hometown, Independence, KS, to win! We are soooo small compared to the other competitors so we really need your help! :) Please vote!

view from the top

2009-07-07T05:25:00.001-07:00

sooo excited about how perfect our viewing spot was for the fireworks this year! we headed up to the roof of our building with some friends, wine & desserts and enjoyed several cities shows. i know where i'll be next year! :)

small town vendors

2009-07-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

the amazing ladies that are doing our cake set up shop here

after spending a weekend wedding planning in my hometown i can't get over how glad i am that ™ and i chose to get married there. (actually the story goes more like when we started getting serious i let him know that i would be getting married in my hometown and he was free to join me if he'd like :)

we are using a good friend of the family for the florist, the same bakery that did my brother's wedding along with countless birthday cakes for our family, saw many familiar faces while registering at a hometown store and we get to enjoy a venue that has great history and an amazing lady that said we can play the music as long as we'd like because she can't wait to see everyone dance on the prairie. the day is getting close and i am getting more excited every day! we just won't talk about the run to dq and mcdonalds ™ and i did last night... oops!

flip!

2009-06-30T05:19:00.001-07:00

i know, i come out of my blogging hiatus to talk about a video camera? i've become quite obsessed actually. my gadget obsession has taken over! with so many important events coming up i not only want 345,789 photos of everything but now i think i need the memories all in video format as well. this little guy would be perfect! time for a registry update! :)

honeymoon booked!

2009-06-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

™ and i finally decided on our honeymoon destination! we just booked our trip to the crane hotel at crane beach in barbados! it was a looooong process as neither of us are too great at decision making, but with the big day getting closer and an excellent deal we finally committed. one step closer to september 12th and a larger commitment :)

we need your help!

2009-05-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

™ + i want to get our honeymoon booked this week. we were sooo close last night but i chickened out when i realized we hadn't researched enough ;) soooo...

we need your help! suggest a destination and if we choose your suggestion! i'm not quite sure what the prize will be but i do know it will be amazing! just leave it in the comment section below and hopefully by the time we leave town friday (for oregon, yay!) we will have chosen a destination! :)

we're thinking...
. somewhere where we can wear swimsuits a majority of the time!
. not somewhere overly commercial with the brand stamped all over the place
. somewhere semi inexpensive
. somewhere uber romantic! ;)

meet me in st. louie!

2009-05-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

photo from jaimie's senior photos i did in the fall

™, my mom and i are headed to st. louis to watch this lady graduate. seems crazy that she'll be a college girl in the fall! can't wait to see what she decides to pursue and the amazing things she accomplishes. the men at her school don't even know what their in for ;)

congrats jaimie! i am soooo proud of you!

sometimes he makes me laugh until i cry

2009-05-19T04:45:00.000-07:00

photo via flickr

during a random shopping trip to craft stores this weekend in search of anemones for wedding projects with two of my favorites christin & ™, ™ decided to bless us with his wonderful cluelessness. (yes that's a word) while standing in a flower aisle with a few other flower searching customer's, ™, frustrated with walking up and down every flower aisle finally asked me...

"why don't you just ask a worker if they have any areolas?"

when christin and i couldn't speak because we were laughing so hard he didn't even understand why. poor, sweet, clueless ™...

on to change the world

2009-05-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

past roomie and moh christin graduates from washburn university today to head to social work masters land so that she can change the world one person at a time! she will be the most amazing social worker and i can't wait to see the difference she makes! lets hope she still has time to entertain us here.

matt's a big kid!

2009-05-15T04:53:00.000-07:00

photo from just another family thanksgiving

off to see cousin matt graduate for wichita state then its on the university of kansas law! i am so excited to have family closer and look forward to trips to the casino. :) congrats matt!

kaylea . four years

2009-05-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

the same day i got to shoot ryan + elizabeth i got to chase their daughter and the cutest niece ever around the park and try to get some photos to remember how freakin cute she was at four years old. enjoy :)

living with tm número uno

2009-05-13T17:12:00.001-07:00

the statue of liberty hat was not enough he had to add the crab hat. as you can see when ™ unpacks not much gets done except laughing. its going to be a fun rest of my life :)

elizabeth + ryan . engaged!

2009-05-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

back in march i got the pleasure of taking my brother and future sisters' engagement photos. although elizabeth has seemed like family for many years (they've been dating for over 8 years!) i'm looking forward to making it official! they are a perfect pair and balance each other well and it was nice to get to spend an afternoon at the park with them being all lovey :) on to my top five!

www.ashleyandtony.net

2009-05-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

photo thanks to boss lady

wedding webpage up! check it out here. the day is quickly approaching! :)

been insanely busy making our little loft a home. will have lots of living with ™ stories in the future :)

things that remind me of ™ #001

2009-05-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

if you've never seen ™ dance, watch this but picture him and there you have it! i do think i will have him watch this for the belly move. i've never seen ™ do that one!

ps if i turned up murdered it may because of the ™ references in this post! ;)

emmy's birthday!

2009-05-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

emily celebrating the 2008 ku national championship!

roommate emmy joins us old folks and turns two dozen years old today! i am thankful because there were cupcakes in our kitchen this morning. (i may or may not have had one for breakfast) all kidding aside, i am excited to celebrate emmy's day of birth and enjoy our last week as roommates! i am so proud of the big girl jump she's making by heading to tulsa to continue the job search! i am sure she will be very happy there but she will be missed!

how will we celebrate tonight? by watching our monday night tv line up of course! duh! :)

there has already been dancing

2009-04-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

another peak at the new home. took this while visiting the roof one night while ™ and i were visiting the new place and dancing on the roof top deck. it feels nice to have finally found our place in the city. can't wait to have visitors! moving day is approaching! want to help ;)

hello lover . cake style

2009-04-26T06:43:00.001-07:00

finally found a cake that i love. i will probably change quite a bit, but for the most part, its the look i am going for. the silhouette and the flower i hope to use throughout the wedding. perfect. i do believe i don't want one tiered cake, but the tiers separated on their own cake stands at different levels on the table so this would have to be modified a bit. i guess its time to schedule a meeting with the cake lady. ;)

live what you love

2009-04-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

beautiful print by hijirik
found via afearsomethingtobehold

its been a beautiful day. started out at ™ and i's new loft. it was a beautiful morning walking barefoot on the wood floors as i got ready to the rain on the roof. beautiful. i drove the few blocks to work because of the rain, stopping at the neighborhood coffeeshop. sweet conversation with the sweet barista. i think we will be friends. dropped my coffee and as it bounced from my window to my body to the door to the ground only a few sprays of an amazing soy latte were lost. productive day at a job i am so blessed to have. i look forward to days at work. how many people do you know can say that? booked little house on the prairie to dance the night away the night i marry my ™. drove home with the sunroof down and music playing. now its packing time to move into my new place to start the life i dreamed of with the man i dreamed of. life doesn't get much better than this spring day. hope it was as beautiful for you.

only to be with you

2009-04-13T05:43:00.001-07:00

i am totally, completely in love with this song. i am not a huge fan of sara bareilles and definitely not a fan of u2, but apparently when you combine them, magic happens! thanks to josiah for the heads up on this amazing song!

in other news, big weekend behind me, big week ahead. more on that in the future. :)

the new pad . previous owner style

2009-04-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

check out ™ + I's new place. we already have keys and will hopefully start moving stuff in monday including my bargain gray(!) sectional. we have a lot of projects planned to make it our own and can't wait to experience the rivermarket life. see that stage? that's where the bed goes! :)

kaylea is four

2009-04-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

my niece kaylea turned four this year on valentine's day. i shot some picture so in the future when she is a bratty teenager i can remember how stinkin adorable she was at this age. if you don't think she is the cutest four year old you have ever seen then you are just stupid. ;) oh and don't worry, more to come!

she said yes!

2009-04-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

aubree, one of my way hot maids of honor is freshly engaged. here's a picture i snapped while cole asked aubree to spend the rest of her life with him. looking that good in a tux, how could she say no?

mmmmm....

2009-04-01T05:06:00.000-07:00

i am getting so excited for new initials. i found this gorgeous necklace with my new last initial by molly of mollystuff on etsy! i can't wait to stamp my new initials on everything!

THE dress

2009-03-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

thanks christin for the lovely photo! :)

don't worry this isn't THE one. went shopping saturday, tried on six dresses bought one. i thought i would be a lot more high maintenance but when you know you know! my face in this picture is the face i was making at dress number four when i was starting to lose hope that i would find a dress that day. with the wedding less than six months away i was on a mission. then the consultant saved the day. dress number five was the one. number six was just for good measure. is there another occasion when you can wear a gorgeous white dress!?

hometown adventure

2009-03-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

tm and i are back in my hometown trying to make some wedding arrangements. this barn is on the property we will be having our reception (hopefully!), little house on the prairie. we are so excited about the outdoor location and can't wait to see what it looks like in september!

off to church and shooting my brother and future sister in laws' engagement photos and my niece's four year photos this afternoon.

bon weekend!

home sweet home

2009-03-19T05:12:00.000-07:00

google street view

tony and i hope to call this building home in the next few months. after a long, i mean short search (this was the first place we looked at) we've found it! we are taking applications for friends who love to help friends move :)

best wife ever.

2009-03-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

i hope to be half the wife jordan ferney of oh happy day! is. her husband is quitting his full time design job to persue painting full time and she bought a bear costume and hired a break dancer to celebrate. best wife ever.

engagement shoot!

2009-03-16T05:32:00.000-07:00

photo thanks to jeremy arnold

™ and i had engagement pictures taken saturday by 12 amazing photographers. we took part in kelley (my boss) and josh's second shoot day. a little odd getting all snuggly with my love in front of 12 people but it was a great experience to remind me what its like to be on the other side of the camera! we cannot express how thankful we are for this opportunity! will be adding a post later with links to all our photos. :)

going for it

2009-03-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

jessica gonacha via pecannoot

a nice little inspirational kick in the butt is just what i needed...

can you tell its us?

2009-03-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

i created this silhouette of tony & i to use on various wedding projects to help tie it all together. can you tell its us? :)

in search...

2009-02-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

in search of many more pieces like this. cassie started my collection of beautiful milk glass but the hunt is still on.

you're my inspiration...

2009-02-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

fellow barista and bride to be cassie and i have started giving each other wedding homework. with our weddings six days apart we decided we will inspire each other to get stuff done! finishing this inspiration board was part two of my homework for this week. one homemade project to go and i am ready for tuesday :)

™'s men

2009-02-25T05:06:00.001-08:00

most of them wouldn't agree to being groomsmen until we promised not to make them wear the tux they are pictured in :)

location, location, location

2009-02-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

the i dos will take place in my hometown at the church where my parents and grandparents also tied the knot.

apology

2009-02-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

i apologize in advance if this blog takes a turn down wedding road and that's not your cup of tea.

my maids!

2009-02-22T20:35:00.001-08:00

meet the ladies...
megan . bridesmaid
lauren . bridesmaid
christin . maid of honor
tony . groom
aubree . maid of honor
shannon . bridesmaid
kara . bridesmaid

incase you haven't heard..

2009-02-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

™ and I are getting married! he surprised me with a weekend getaway to san francisco where he proposed while taking a timed picture of the two of us at the golden gate bridge! looks like we will be adventuring together forever :)

you don't have to tell me

2009-02-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

i know i am a horrible blogger! ah! so many exciting things are happening and i would love to tell you all about them but i am off to spend the afternoon/evening with two of my favorite children. there will be plenty dancing to bluegrass, eating snacks, playing in tents and whatever else we can find to do! if you're nice i'll be back soon :)

wow.

2009-01-22T09:11:00.001-08:00

sadly, i wasn't there thanks for the photo

i believe we can bring this country around with his help. but even if we can't change things politically their love will set an example for us all.

what's your dream?

2009-01-19T10:47:00.001-08:00

and runnin runnin and runnin runnin...

2009-01-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

photo stolen from google images (i'm not going to be that creeper at the gym with a camera!)

oh the things that get done while ™ is away! this weekend i have ran a total of 8.85 miles! if you know me you have probably heard about the c25k podcasts i use to run to. i have even mentioned them on here. well i still think they are awesome but i've found something even better...

this lady has created a new podcast set with the same concept but music that fits my preferences a little more than the techno dance tunes. i've enjoyed week two's gangsta beats and can't wait to start week three on wednesday. ps. don't click on the link if you are at work. its not a nice name :)

pps. i am working on a playlist to start my own podcast so the music is even more tuned to my taste. i will be willing to share it with anyone and everyone. what can you do to help? suggest some tunes. i need the help!

today i found my heaven.

2009-01-15T15:50:00.001-08:00

today fellow barista, cassie and i traveled to blackwell's thrift in kc, mo. wow. if you need, well anything this is the place to go. it is well organized but not so much that it loses that thrift store charm. i could have easily spent a ton of money and items here are SO cheap. i did purchase some mirrors i will be revamping to match my decor. i also found a set of wine glasses with black stems that match my martini glasses exactly. holla!

five hundred miles

2009-01-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

i will ~~walk~~ run 500 miles in 2009. what will you do?

meet brooklyn...

2009-01-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

photo brooklyn holding an old frame, look close and see my little brother when he was about her age! ps my shoes, not hers :)

every so often i get the pleasure of spending time with brooklyn and her adorable baby brother carson. brooklyn is the daughter of long time family friends. her aunt and i have been friends since we were born. (literally. we have those awkward prop two babies up next to each other pictures to prove it) spending time with brooklyn, who looks identical to her aunt at that age), is like a flash back in time. there is never a dull moment with brooklyn. sure, a lot of kids say really funny things but brooklyn is an entertainer and carson and i are the audience.

highlights of last night's "the brooklyn show":

sung while sitting on the toilet...
"i'm a big girl! i'm a tooting girl! i'm a pooping girl!" over and over and over...

me: hey brooklyn, lets walk like penquins!
after which brooklyn did a PERFECT impression of a penquin walk

after witnessing her amazing walking impressions i listed everyone i knew she knew. she walked the same for everyone except her dad she made huge steps and for aunt holly she spun around and danced as she walked.

after we sat down to rest after jumping and counting to twenty a few times she informed me it was time to do push-ups... she continued by herself. i assisted in counting.

can't wait to play again and see that cute blue-eyed boy smile :)

finally...

2009-01-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

something that inspired me enough to crawl out of my blogging slumber. during an evening hosted by this hostess with the mostest, i received these babies. i believe a friends episode was quoted as these were passed around to feel the inside... "seven! seven! seven!" although getting together with much missed sorority sisters is awesome these slippers were the first thing i showed ™. can't wait to try some amazing dessert recipes shared by aforementioned friends. that was the last of the holiday parties... its officially 2009!

mia

2008-12-20T08:41:00.001-08:00

sorry i have been mia. visited back home last weekend so i could...

meet this cute little boy...

see little brother's new car... (he's freshly sixteen... watch out!)

and watch my favorite little girl be the cutest, shyest horse in a christmas program ever.
off to enjoy a weekend with my mom, ™ and ™'s mom seeing all things christmas in kc!

ps i am the master of lazer tag... just call me morpheus.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2008-12-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

wow. ™ sent this to me this morning. not only do the words give me goosebumps but the artistry of the presentation is spectacular.

i make my own rules aka day 6, 7, 8 & 9 of christmas fun!

2008-12-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

okay, so none of these are really homemade but they are all things i think are cool. so i know this does not go alone with twenty-five days of home made christmas gifts, but its my blog and i make my own rules. if you know me at all, you know i change my mind a lot so its only fitting right? right. enjoy!

day six : photoshop shortcuts keyboard skini use a lot of shortcuts while using photoshop but it would be nice if i could memorize them all. perfect!

day seven: wall decal photo framesso with that whole changing my mind often thing... i am sure i am not the only one so i am sure these would come in handy for many! especially apartment dwellers or people who have dads that don't like nail holes all over the wall...

day eight : personalized photo book
who wouldn't want a personalized book with memories from a recent vacation? ™ and i put one of these together for his dad and norma and it should be arriving on their doorstep any day.

day nine : funky camera strapso a little random i know, but with so many people getting into photography i think these are perfect. i can think of several people i would love to buy these for! or check out this awesome tutorial on how to make your own... i am so on this! (and look something homemade! yay!) :)

one year ago today

2008-12-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

one year ago today ™ provided me with the most romantic evening of my life. here's to one year of i love yous and many more!

we are all thankful for alicia

2008-12-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

CASA UNLOCKED : a fashion show fundraiser for court appointed special advocates

2008-12-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

although there were beautiful models with killer clothes..
the star of the show was this girl..

and her killer eats!!

your favorite slacker will be back later today to play catch up with all things homemade.. christmas style!

day five : its not too late for christmas cards!

2008-12-04T18:46:00.001-08:00

its getting there, but its not too late to get your christmas cards in the mail! visit martha's site for lots of cute ideas such as this one.

dumbest movie ever.

2008-12-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

although there were quite a few funny parts...

Dale Doback: [after hearing Brennan sing] You have the voice of an angel. I mean, it's like Fergie meets Jesus.

Dale Doback: Can we turn our beds into bunkbeds?
Brennan Huff: It will give us so much extra space in our room to do activities!
Dr. Robert Doback: Your adults, you can do what you want.
Dale Doback: This is the funnest night ever!

Dale Doback: I manage a baseball team.
Nancy Huff: Oh, little league?
Dale Doback: Fantasy league.

it still ranks as probably the dumbest movie i have ever seen.

its begining to look a lot like christmas!

2008-12-04T06:57:00.000-08:00

while spending the day too scared to go out in the cold i accomplished some christmas decorating. there is only so much you can do in an apartment... we are the second floor :)

day four: holiday colors in the fireplace

2008-12-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

so this is a little different, but i think it would be fun to presoak logs to create beautiful holiday colors and gift away. it seems like a very unique way to go and something an entire family may be impressed with. find the recipe here.

day three : wooden gift tags

2008-12-03T06:28:00.000-08:00

photo via realsimple.com

okay, so it is not really a gift exactly, but i love original ways to tag gifts. i love this wooden tag idea! very cute!

a little elbow grease.. aka birthday lovely #3

2008-12-02T19:26:00.001-08:00

apparently, all it takes is a little elbow grease to get the birthday present of the year. using the supplies pictures above i transformed kaylea into a bat for halloween. to show her thanks she gave me this kaylea-made frame (with some help from her mom, "glue is hot!") for my birthday. cutest girl alive? i think so, but of course i may be a little bias.

day two : glitter hurricane lantern

2008-12-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

photo via martha

well, martha has done it again! how cute are these? and very easy to make!

day one of twenty-five days of homemade christmas gifts : no sew sachets

2008-12-01T10:00:00.001-08:00

photo via familyfun.com

found this adorable idea for no sew sachets! there aren't many women i know that wouldn't enjoy a one of a kind set of these easy to make gifts.

and so it begins... christmas!

2008-12-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

my christmas gift from kaylea mae last year

can you believe the christmas season is here already!? i am already enjoying christmas scented candles, christmas flavored teas and christmas carols!

check back all december long for a new homemade gift each day!

funny strangers

2008-11-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

so while brainstorming ideas for my brother and his fiance's save the dates, i stumbled upon this hilarious photo via flickr. whoever these people are, we should be bffs. very funny.

stay tuned in january for my silly idea :)

see you soon!

2008-11-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

i hope everyone travels safely this thanksgiving. i am on my way home to see this cute girl. can't wait to eat her mom's green bean casserole!

birthday lovely #2

2008-11-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

former roomie, christin, came to visit for my birthday and brought this little lovely. so sorry to tell you all that all 500 limited edition books have been sold and won't be parting with mine. it is full of lovely polas that make me smile. i hope to get my 5x5 print that came with the book matted and framed in the near future, its a photo of red shoe, how could i not?!

birthday lovely #1

2008-11-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

roomie emily gave me this sweet coatrack for my jewelry. i immediately took it to my bathroom and filled it with every piece of jewelry i could get on it. (that matched my bathroom color scheme of course!) thank you sweet emily, now we just need the life size one so i will quit throwing my coats all over the apartment :)

rachael + hernan ... part two

2008-11-24T20:12:00.001-08:00

i know i have said this before but my favorite part of weddings are the personal touches. i love when there are details at a wedding that make it stand out and not seem like another flash of the video montage from wedding crashers. my favorite touch at rachael & hernan's wedding was their cake topper. hernan's brother sam took pictures of each of them and constructed this cake topper in their likeness. adorable right? great job sam!

rachael + hernan

2008-11-24T06:03:00.000-08:00

hernan asked rachael. rachael said yes.

they both said i will.

tony gave a touching speech.

they both broke it down to can't touch this.

paige and i binged on the chocolate fountain.

please excuse the not so high quality photos. along with spilling wine on myself multiple times, i couldn't take a photo to save my life saturday night.

recovery time

2008-11-20T06:06:00.000-08:00

today i will be recovering from an amazing birthday with a full day of work and preparation for r&h's wedding!

celebrating 24 like it is 8

2008-11-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

tonight i will be joined by some of my closest gal pals to celebrate turning 24 like we are 8 again. there will be yummy food and girly fun! can't wait to see you girls tonight :)

a laser light show set to music by coldplay

2008-11-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

™ surprised me with tickets to coldplay for my birthday. the concert was amazing! they definitely have the performing art down. not only do they sound amazing but their lighting, etc is spectacular. i've uploaded a video for your enjoyment :)
thank you so much tony, boyfriend of the year 2006, 2007 and 2008.

closed for winter

2008-11-13T05:07:00.000-08:00

a phone conversation with kaylea mae:
me: are you going to come see me in kansas city this weekend?
kaylea mae: is the pool closed? (referring to the apartment pool we swam in last time)
me: yes, its too cold outside.
kaylea: no (and hands the phone to my mom)
awesome.

boss lady is funny

2008-11-12T18:58:00.001-08:00

check out boss lady's dino obsessed videos one and two. you won't be sad you did.

see you thursday

2008-11-11T04:56:00.000-08:00

picture via ashley @ coldplay concert sept 2005

™ surprised me with tickets to see my other boyfriend chris martin of coldplay for my birthday. i thought chris would propose three years ago when i saw him in kansas city. maybe this year! sorry gwyneth.

ingredient

2008-11-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

picture via ingredient website. some idiot forgot to put her memory card back in her camera

nothing like a dinner with an amazing friend at an amazing restaurant to start the week out right. if you live near lawrence, leawood or columbia you must check out ingredient. with a variety of wraps, salads and pizzas made with the ingredients you choose, you are sure to find something you will love. love. love.

mine? baby spinach and spring mix w/ avocado, sun-dried tomato, roasted red pepper, hearts of palm, goat cheese and cabarnet vinaigrette. tasty.

schwing!

2008-11-10T05:39:00.001-08:00

a little halloween action featuring wayne and garth. party time, excellent!

time flies!

2008-11-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

jaimie is the little sister i never had! somewhere between our matching sweatsuits and now she became quite a little hottie! in addition to being gorgeous jaimie has something not many senior high school girls have.. morals. i am so proud of the woman she has become and i can't wait to see the awesome things she accomplishes in the future. while we were both visiting our roots on shady lane i got the chance to run around and shoot jaimie senior picture style. check out jaimie, my queen neelah 2008 :)

happy halloween!

2008-10-31T08:43:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

at last...

2008-10-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

while spending a lovely day at the plaza art fair with christin, i stumbled upon this beauty... oh how i love it! designer fred tate has a unique style that everyone should check out. every piece is so beautiful and unlike anything i have seen before...

i know i know..

2008-10-16T06:23:00.001-07:00

i am a big slacker! with two jobs and a recent vacation i have been neglecting... promise to be better!

can't wait

2008-09-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

oh how i can't wait to tell you about all the fun i had this weekend. stay tuned!

reach out

2008-09-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

i had never read nie's blog before the horrible accident, but apparently many of the blogs i keep up with are dear friends. i am so impressed with the way so many strangers have banded together to support someone in need that most of them have never met. there is an overwhelming amount of auctions, donations, and love. while i am still living on limited funds i did all i could and thought about nie and her family during my run the other day and sent all the positive energy i could. i will continue to keep them in my thoughts and prayers and hope you all will do the same.

seeking photographer's assistant position

2008-08-27T11:53:00.001-07:00

photo via pets photoshoot for studio photography nov 08

yours truly is currently seeking employment with a talented photographer in the kc metro area! if you are an amazing photographer or know someone who is and might like the opportunity to have a fun, creative and responsible assistant please feel free to help us meet each other!

n&P got married: part three. the big day

2008-08-25T10:41:00.001-07:00

can you believe paige's mom made the dress? with a gorgeous girl like paige to work with, it wouldn't take much, but this dress made for the most beautiful bride! her mom hand did the beading on the bodice as well! personal touches are my favorite and this wedding was full of them!

n&P got married: part two. the rehearsal

2008-08-25T10:37:00.001-07:00

a wonderful mexican fiesta theme, complete with margaritas, guacamole and even a bottle of personalized hot sauce for guests to take home. loved the personalized touch! especially loved the laid back party that got everyone looking forward to the big event.

lovely surprise!

2008-08-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

after my morning run i headed to pick up a package i had received a note about yesterday. thinking it was some boring mail my mom was forwarding me, i wasn't too excited. but it was a package from my dearest former roommate! included was the september vogue, lovely breakfast bars and a jar of my favorite food, olives! oh dear christin, you know me too well! thank you and thank you!

ps. christin should clue you all in on her breakfast bar recipe. they are phenomenal!

n&p got married: part one

2008-08-14T11:46:00.001-07:00

my good friends n&p decided to tie the knot! as ™ and i's favorite royals watching friends we knew we wanted to get them something baseball inspired. while spending a summer evening at kauffman we walked around and took pictures of as many signs containing the letters for the new last name and created this for a lovely wedding gift. i love trying out something creative for people i know well enough to stray from the registry. best wishes n&p!

making me feet so happy!

2008-08-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

while on the family vacation we had to take a trip to bass pro shop to keep the dad happy. while wandering around i found these little jewels! i've already walked a 5k in them among other things and the feet loved them! feels like a tennis shoe but keeps the feet cool! will be perfect for the arizona/grand canyon adventure planned for october...

kansas summer sunsets

2008-08-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

photo via my trip to kc from small town sek

growing up i always dreamed of adventures that mostly included leaving kansas. nights like the one in this photo are what keep me here! i was thrilled to spend my 2.5 hour drive enjoying a beautiful kansas evening/sunset. i am usually not a fan of sunset photos because they typically seem a bit cliche but i do love a reminder of what a beautiful kansas night looks like.