praying puppy.

have you seen this adorable video of a dog who says grace before meals? landon just showed it to me. i think it's the hardest i've laughed all week.
makes me miss zeb.

i wish i knew how to make...

pretty things like these.

wedding inspiration: the dress

i thought i'd share where i found inspiration for my wedding dress. i scoured photos online for months, tried on a few dresses, and then my mom and i came up with a design, and she made the dress! first up, dress inspiration:

[some of you readers may recognize the third photo...it's olivia of for me! she was sweet enough to let me try on her dress while we were gathering ideas!]

 sources:

carter + cook event co.

ben blood photography

olivia of for me

and here's mine:

i based my veil and fabric flower off of this picture, and mine is below:

source:

once wed

our photos: 

yasmin khajavi

xoxo.

i adore: sperry topsiders

can't get enough of sperry. huge thanks to my friend renee, who convinced me to get a pair in may. they're my favorite.

want to see more?

photo love.

i'm swooning over this photo by joseph o. holmes.

available on 20x200.

new look.

i started making updates to my blog design, and i'm loving it! i like learning new tips and tricks for blogger. if you have any ideas or suggestions for me, let me know! 

xoxo.

talk to me. [the story of a girl who fatefully fell in love with talk radio]

[maryn and i, in the days of hating npr]

it started in elementary school. i spent weekends at my dear friend maryn's house at least 35 percent of the time, and i remember our sunday morning rides to church quite clearly. maryn and i would sit in the back of the car together, and i would almost be put back to sleep by the ramblings of some guy on the radio. her dad listened religiously, or so it seemed.  i couldn't understand how anyone could find this guy who went on and on about lake whatchamacallit and having to walk uphill to and from school remotely interesting, especially when perfectly good shaggy and o-town songs were playing on the other stations. 

that guy was garrison keillor. 

i hated him. or at least his show. i swore i would never, ever, ever listen to this radio station when i was older.

whoops.

fast forward to my junior year of college. i slowly let npr seep back into my life, considering myself a good journalism major by doing so. and i did it strictly to catch up on the news. i didn't like it, i couldn't let myself like it after the well-intentioned promise i had made to myself.

or did i like it?

yes, i loved it. and i caved.

and, as i type, i'm listening to the world and learning about why western afghanis should engage peacefully with the taliban.

oh, but my real indulgence is these guys...

[carl kasell and peter sagal, of wait wait...don't tell me! fame]

and this genius. love her.

[fresh air's terry gross]

oh, and one last little confession about my npr allegiance.

about two weeks after we moved to lebanon, i accidentally drove TWO AND A HALF MILES past our apartment building because i was so caught up in listening to the story of a pakistani opera singer. no exaggerations here, i clocked my miles as i drove sheepishly back home.

so, it's safe to say that i've gone back on my childhood promise. and i'd like to think i'm smarter for it.

xoxo.

pasta jars.

i found a use for the mason jars from saturday's antiquing!

i'm trying to find new ways to display foods in our kitchen since our cupboard space is so limited. i think pasta is so pretty and the perfect fall-ish color.

the bright life [official music video]

so, landon and i have some pretty cool friends and family. they wrote a song about us and sang it at a family barbeque the day before our wedding. i wasn't there to see it, but i may have teared up the first time i watched it. the song was just something they did for fun, but it captures our story and how fun our friends and cousins are. i love it.

[the lyrics]

no sales tax

all laid back

two hearts from the land of the trees

i went down south to where the water is warmer

holding each other until the summer

it's gonna be a bright life tonight

went back up in mid december

gonna tell her folks that i

am gonna take your daughter's hand 'til the end of time

all i wanna do is chat with you

holding you, my jewel

it's gonna be a bright life tonight

my name is mr. bright

i really like to fight

i'll kick you in the night

if you touch my wife

my wife's name is katie

she is quite the lady

when she talks to me

she has sensitivity

today we're getting married

in the middle of the prairie

underneath the tree

where my dad waits for me

i put it on her finger

she don't even linger

when she looks at me

i kiss her with glee

thanks, guys. xoxo.

sidenote: i already had the name "bright life" for my blog before they wrote the song, but it further affirmed my choice. :)

i adore: j.crew [who doesn't?]

pouring over the pretty things at j.crew's final sale. these are my favorites.

[clockwise from top left]: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

wrap it up: christmas edition [download]

Christmas Gift Tracker 2010

as promised, i've created a christmas edition of the "wrap it up" birthday calendar. in the months before christmas, i often get gift ideas but forget them by the time the holidays roll around. this way, i can keep track of gift ideas, then decide what the gift will be, and mark if it's been purchased, wrapped and given. feel free to download it for yourself if you'd like!
for more charts and downloads, click here.

sunday lovin: small town, oregon.

having now been a resident of linn county for seven whole weeks, i can admit that before the wedding and move, i sometimes dreaded the thought of living away from my beloved portland. the culture of portland is so very different from the rest of oregon, but i'm learning, slowly, that there's beauty in it all. we live in a small town. and it just so happens that this small town is more small town than most small towns. are you tracking with me? anyways, sometimes i think it will get old living down here, and in order to avoid that, i'm taking every opportunity that i can to explore the area.

first stop: aurora, ore.

my sweet mother-in-law deann invited me to explore this little town with her, which is known for its antique shops. it's also pretty historic, we found out, and 100 percent adorable.

most of the antique shops are in buildings or homes built in the mid- to late-1800s. 

i'm a sucker for cute churches.

and cute homes.

it was so much fun to explore and such a good lesson for me to start appreciating my surroundings wherever i am.

oh! and these were my antique finds...

i have a thing for mason jars.

perfect mason. to be honest, i've never met an imperfect one.

and to top it all off, deann greeted me with these beauties...

arranged in none other than a mason jar.

it was a good weekend.

xoxo.

i adore: chalkboards

how cute are these mini goals chalkboards by mary kate mcdevitt?

[they come with chalk and an eraser, too!]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

life lessons [from david bazan].

while i was getting ready for my interview this morning, i heard david bazan's "curse your branches" playing in the background.

i've heard the song plenty of times before, but i suddenly paid attention to the words bazan was singing.

you can listen here:

[the chorus]

all fallen leaves should curse their branches

for not letting them decide where they should fall

and not letting them refuse to fall at all

and i thought that's crazy. 

NO, fallen leaves should not curse their branches. because leaves are supposed to fall.

and then the metaphor connected. 

i am the leaf. and often, i try to decide where i should fall.

or i decide that i shouldn't fall at all, because my spot in the big tree, on this nice branch, with a great view is just too comfortable to change right now. i'll stay right where i am, thank you very much. 

but leaves have to fall. it's the only way for a tree to grow.

scientifically, there isn't enough light or water for a tree to make its own food in the winter, so the food-making capabilities of the leaves are no longer needed. leaves lose their chlorophyll, change colors and fall. 

and don't we all admire the colors of changing leaves in fall? we love that kind of change.

but what about change in us?

we are the leaves. and often, we don't get to decide where we fall.

or how we fall.

or if we fall.

sometimes, we consume ourselves with frustrations of why we fell here, we forget the beauty in change.

i think in the same way we enjoy the change of seasons, God enjoys the change in us. 

which is why He allows us to fall, and places us exactly where we need to be.

so rather than clinging tightly to the branch that feels comfortable, i'd like to enjoy the changing seasons of life, and be joyful, regardless of where i fall.

pretty things.

smooth glass teardrops in lemon chiffon

loving all these gems from my favorite little shop, noon designs in san diego. their earrings are so sweet and delicate and hang so beautifully.

hummingbird greeting cards

black eyed susan highball glasses

yellow flower burst greeting cards

oh my.

i'm in love with this photo, taken by my dear friend angie.

how very serene.

wedding inspiration [via 1992]

while looking through family photos this weekend, my sister came across a folder with photos of dresses my mom made in the early '90s. she had a business making wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, prom dresses, etc. i remember playing in the basement while brides would come for their fittings.

anyways, the photos are just too good to pass up.

enjoy.

check out this belted bridesmaid's suit

[i didn't even know 'bridesmaid's suits' existed, but i do love the sleeves]

check out those shoulders...

TRAIN...

my mom made this bride's dress and all those lovely baby pink bridesmaid's dresses...

she did great work then, but i think she did an especially good job on this one...

[mine. maybe i'm biased.]


xoxo.