domesticity and other foreign things

I'm on a quest to become more "domestic" and Pinterest is to blame. Pinterest. Is. Entirely. To. Blame. Because one day I will need to know how to make those cute little baby moccasins and princess skirts. So when registering for classes this last semester, I decided it'd probably be a good idea to take a sewing class for one of my electives... Clothing Construction I.  And with that, I was certainly well on my way to becoming "crafty."

This class is full of girls who I'm pretty sure can sew in their sleep. I'm almost positive they learned how to thread a Singer before they developed most other fine motor skills. And there is nothing wrong with that. I commend you, girl whose homemade pajama pants look straight out of L.L. Bean. I envy your skills. Because then then there's me... The one who had to fight back the laughs when my professor taught us about "crotch depth." I looked around the room, wide-eyed and eyebrows raised, as if to say "Did you guys hear that? She just said crotch depth! Haha crotch depth!!" As it turns out, crotch depth is a very important measurement to be taken when making pants and should be taken very seriously.

Our first project was a pillow case. Yeah I know, not a clothing item. I was confused too. But yeah, a pillowcase... sounds easy enough, right? I mean it's a RECTANGLE.

I sewed it shut.
Don't ask me how it happened because I couldn't tell you. I guess maybe I lost count of how many sides I was supposed to stitch (a whopping total of three) and just kept on going around the entire thing. Must've really been in the zone or something.

So I threw it in the trash and walked away.

Just kidding, but that's what I wanted to do. Really I grabbed my seam ripper and discretely unstitched the opening and fixed it all up, trying not to let anyone see the total amateur move I'd just made. Here's the final product, standing out like a sore thumb against my all-white bedding, but a beacon of hope for my future crafting endeavors, nonetheless.

one year older

Here's the birthday boy himself sporting his brand new sunglasses. Is he cute or what?

Happy birthday, love! 26 looks so good on you. Love you now, love you forever!

goals

This whole blogging-once-a-week thing has become a habit. One I hope to break here shortly. But holy cow it just seems like once a week (usually on late Saturday or Sunday) is all I really have to sit down and post something. Can this semester be over already please? Please?! Also, I sometimes feel like I should only post when I do something really cool or interesting, but let's face it...if I did that, this blog would be doomed. So I'm trying to move passed that mentality.

Life can get so busy sometimes. School, work, and homework seems to be what consumes mine and Andy's lives lately and it's such a bummer because as I've mentioned before, Idaho summers are seriously the best and all we want to do is go outside and play. But nooo...because there's this thing called a "diploma" and in order to receive it you have to "pass your classes." So. Homework it is. But lately I haven't been feeling my best. Physically, mentally, emotionally, I've been in a bit of a slump. Yesterday it all came to a head when Andy picked me up from work and I immediately broke into tears as soon as I got in the car. Honestly, it was out of nowhere. Work was good...my day was just fine...but the tears just kept on coming. Poor Andy. Bless him for being so nice to me in strange, eyebrow-raising moments like this one. Together we concluded that we had gotten so dang busy with life that we'd forgotten about the things that matter most. The things we need to be putting first in our lives had kind of been pushed to the back burner. Our goal has always been to center our lives and our relationship around Christ and around the gospel, but lately we'd been letting all these other less-important things take priority. To be honest, we both were already aware that we were slacking a bit in some areas of our lives. Every now and then one of us would pipe up and say "You know, we really need to be better about reading our scriptures." or "Let's really try to go to the temple this week." But then it was left at that and life would once again do what it does best and distract us away from that mindset. Balance is so hard to find sometimes, but we decided that it was time to stop talking about what we should be doing and start actually doing it. Tonight, we sat down and wrote out a list of our spiritual and physical goals for this week and a drew up a chart to keep track of our individual progress. Some of the goals were things that we already do, but maybe not as consistently as we'd like to. Others were things that we wanted to start doing in order to form better habits.
Some of these goals included:
-nightly prayer together
-individual daily morning prayer
-daily scripture study together (even if it's just for a few minutes!)
-eat out only once a week
-get all homework done by 11 and be in bed by 12 (clearly this one will need some work because it's currently 12:30...We'll get there.)

We set some exercise and financial goals as well. I like writing out lists for these kinds of things because I can be a teeny tiny bit forgetful at times. And I put that list right up on our fridge so it'll stare us square in the face every single morning. Even if I want to forget that I'm not supposed to have another Dr. Pepper that week, I won't be able to! With small changes here and there, I really think I'll be feeling like myself again in no time. (cue "Eye of the Tiger" intro) We are determined! We are looking forward with positive attitudes! But right now we are both just really, really tired!

Jumping in head first tomorrow. Goodnight!

happy father's day, dad!

I love this picture of my dad. No one was able to make me cry more on my wedding day than he was. We'd look at each other and boom...instant waterworks. What the heck! I think he cried just as many tears as I did. ;) I think it's because we both knew that our relationship was changing. In a great--but still bittersweet--way. I'll always need my dad! Even if it's not always for all of the same reasons I did before. As I've grown up some and matured a little (or a lot), my dad has become one of my best friends, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. I love Father's Day and seeing everyone give their dads the appreciation they deserve. Dads are great. They do all the gross things that no one else really wants to, like cleaning the gutters and pulling teeth. So here's to them! I thought I'd throw in a few words about my own, because he deserves some recognition too.

My dad doesn't give himself nearly enough credit, but he's the greatest. He's the hardest-working, most giving and selfless man I know. And the best joke-teller, too. Seriously, he can make anyone laugh. He's taught me to give my all in all that I do, because if you want something, you have to work for it. He taught me to never, ever give up on my goals or let go of my dreams. He's shown me the meaning of the word "loyalty" in its truest form through his unshaken dedication to the Georgia Bulldogs. He's always set the ultimate example of sacrifice and unconditional fatherly love. He's taught me that the world doesn't and shouldn't revolve around me and that "Where in the rule book is it written that life is always fair?"

Really he's what any good dad should be. He's there, always. Through every sporting event and science fair project. Every driving lesson and graduation. Through the highest of highs and lowest of lows. And at the end of every day, whether it was good or bad, he never once failed to let me know how much he loves me. No matter what. And I love him for that, so much. Happy Father's Day to the coolest dad around! You rock.

friday night farmer's market

I have a new love and appreciation for the farmer's market. I'd always heard of their wonder and glory but never really experienced it myself until fairly recently. We're not really sure why. But now I have and there's no turning back. It's a magical world full of fresh produce stands, homemade odds and ends, and Nacho Libre-style crazy corn. It. Is. Wonderful.
The Rexburg farmer's market has one particular tent where you will find the BEST brick-oven pizza. It's the real deal and if you haven't had one yet, you need to. Run, do not walk. And buy a San Pellegrino to go with. So, SO good.

Also, I stocked up on some of my favorite hair-ties. Could I have probably made them myself? Sure. But they were there... And I was there... And who am I to challenge destiny?

Happy weekend, everyone!

one year

Yesterday we celebrated our one year anniversary. One whole year!

Photos by Kimbry Studios

   Andy, 

Thank you for teaching me to not take myself so seriously. Thank you for supporting and encouraging me always. Thank you for teaching me the value of good music and Greek food. Thank you for loving me no matter what. It was a year full of laughs and lessons learned. Bring on year number two! Life with you is so good. 

-Han