practice here

i knew that i needed to photograph something. i just couldn't figure out what the something was. sometimes (ok, a lot) i struggle with the subject matter here in starkville. i want something new, to my eyes at least. matt once asked me if i could photograph any place in the world, where would i. africa and new york. that is where i want to photograph. cool, he said. practice here so you can take photos there. 

and matt, thanks for driving around with me.

if i was perfectly put together....

this is what i would look like.

you see, i am a fan of the idea of fashion; especially the fashion that looks effortlessly thrown together. however, when you look at my daily attire, i think "my look" is qualified as laziness/boring....jeans and t-shirt or nike shorts and a t-shirt....my reasoning is that between the heat, running errands, working out, spilling things (there are days i swear i need a sippy cup and bib) and really not caring that much (or at least not enough to change!) it's just not worth the time, effort, and money to look perfectly put together. it's weird though, both of my sisters seem so well put together all the time; jewerly, make-up, hair, shoes, the whole shebang.... how did i miss out on the gene? 

p.s. polyvore is a pretty fun website. it's basically online shopping at it's finest....yeah, it's dangerous.  

p.p.s. matt, thanks for loving me anyway. you're the best :) 

monday funnies :: just get me more coffee

i was feeling a little groggy this morning, and by a little i mean i asked matt how he slept last night....no less than three times.....in a time span of about 20 minutes.... the sad part is, i only remember asking him once. clearly, it's gonna to be a day of drinking....coffee that is.

there are some philosophies that are better said than acted out...

 

and yes, art is important

i don't know this makes me laugh so much, it just does

 

and this how sleeping (and dreaming) should be.
 

happy monday, friends!

the unexpected headline

there are some posts that are just hard to write, for me at least. i don't know how to approach the subject gracefully, how to say what i feel or think of it. so i've decided to just go ahead and put it out there. i think when most people went to bed last night, the expected to read headlines in the morning about how the dark knight rises brought in x amount of money and it is going to be one of the biggest of movies of the year. facebook status and tweets were going to be something along the lines of "the dark knight rises is awesome!!" and "loved the dark knight rises!"  i don't think anyone imagined they would see "Batman Shooting, 12 people killed...." i've read a number of articles about it and one that really stood out was about the husband who grabbed his wife's hand while they ran for their lives and how he wouldn't let go of her for anything, or the one about the college grad who died and it seems so unfair because of her passion to live and a exciting career in front of her. and what about the three month old that was shot? and finally there is the one about the gun man's mom who said she was concerned that her son was involved, that she needed to call the police.

there are so many questions. how did the gun man get that messed up? why did he choose that town, that movie theater? where is God in this, how can a good God let this happen? of all my questions, the only one i can answer with certainty is that God will receive His glory in this. i don't know how, but i do know that He uses crisis such as this to bring people to Himself. as awful as this situation is, it beautiful to see the nation come together in this time, to see that even though we are fifty states, we are one nation, under God. and, despite the fact that many people don't believe in God or don't believe they need God, they all call on God when something like this happens. this shooting could have happened in starkville where i live or in jackson where my family lives. it could have happened in washington state where my relatives live or in washington dc where friends live. so, i guess all i can say is thank you Lord for keeping my loved ones safe. and Lord, please comfort the broken, show your greatness, and receive Your Glory.

image from google

every blessing you pour out Lord, i'll turn back in praise.
when the darkness closes in Lord, still i will say,
blessed be your name.

saturday mornings are

that day.

this day is that day. the day where i am frustrated with stupid, insignificant things that matter next to nothing in the grand scheme of things. this day is that day. that day where i want the throw my hands up in frustration rather than worship. this day is that day where i want to be done learning lessons and just know it already. this day is that day where i want to be successful rather than wondering if i'll be. this day is that day, the day where giving thanks in all things matters most.

competition photos

hey y'all!
hope you're monday is off to a great start! i'm thinking about submitting some photos to a competition but i wasn't sure which one(s) to (or, if i should at all). the thing is that the deadline is tonight.... soooooo, if you wouldn't mind telling me one you like best, i'd greatly appreciate!
thanks!!

{ 1: bridesmaid, 2: chess players, 3: coke, 4: cows, 5: camera man }

midnight rolls

hey matt,

remember that time we baked cinnamon rolls at midnight and watched white collar? we both had to be at work at 8 am but it was worth it.

love you.

what the reality is

the bottom line was, i wanted to be super{wo}man. i wanted to be a healthy homemadefromscratch meals, a clean house, thriving business, time with family, keep in touch with friends, involved in church, in good shape, perfectly put together kind of woman.


but the reality is:
i still think of myself as a teenage girl
even though i can legally drink
our apartment is kinda messy
i love store bought spaghetti sauce
and frozen pizza
i'm thrilled when all the laundry is finally put away
i talk to my mom about every ten days
and depending on your outlook that's a good or bad things
starting a business is utterly exhausting
when i plan to work out and i go work out are different
my makeup routine is the definition of bare minimum
i absolutely love tee shirts and jeans
with my hair in a pony tail
and comfy flip flops

thankfully, my hubby's ok, even happy, with it like that

randomness.

today i am tired. i wanted to wake up at noon and stumble outside onto the beach. but rather, i woke up at seven and stumbled into work. i did do some surfing however, and found these. and i hope it makes you smile.

someday, i am totally gonna be that mom. 

and if i ever catch my daughter praying for a pet unicorn, she's getting one that is pink and sparkly. and stuffed.

happy tueday, friends! :)

independence day

25

dear matt,

honestly, i don't know how to write this post. no matter how i try, i can't figure out how to say what i want to say. i don't know how to accurately describe how much i love you, how blessed i feel because of you, how much i adore and respect you. i know you like lists, so babe here is a list, just for you. i'm sorry they aren't in a particular order, i'm just not that organzied yet :)

01. your smile(s). you give me a cheesy one when i am starting to get annoyed with you, a forced one (that eventually turns into a real one) when you are frustrated with me and i'm trying to make you unfrustrated and then finally my favorite; the one that is introduced by a laugh.

02. your sense of humor. granted, sometimes it drives me nuts because of similar it is to my dad. but mostly, you keep me laughing.

03. your hugs. when your arms engulf me, tension escapes me.

04. your sense of adventure.

05. the way i can dream with you.

06. that maybe some day, i'll get to be your children's mama.

07. your practical outlook on life.

08. your masculinity. it challenges and frees me to be feminine all at the same time.

90. how hard you work. not many guys stay after the boss has left.

10. that when we are driving somewhere, you hold my hand. i love holding hands.

11. that you asked for my number straight up.

12. you have fabulous taste in jewelry. i've been wearing my engagement ring for over a year and i still stare at it - daily.

13. you don't settle. you know what you want, and you work for it.

14. the way you love people. people and relationships are what matter in life, and you invest in them.

15. you keep you're cool, even when i blow a fuse, or try to pick a fight with you.

16.  that you take up two thirds of the bed. it was such an adjustment sleeping in a bed with someone. now, i don't really sleep without you.

17. my morning text messages from you. i look for it every morning, ever since that first text.

18. that your organized and i'm chaos. as annoying as it is for you at times i so appreciate your patience with me. and, i'm working on it. i promise.

19. you pray for me and over me. i'll never forget the night i completely lost it, totally overwhelmed by stress and exhaustion. while i cried you held me hard and prayed for me.

20. you let me turn the kitchen table into an art table.

21. you watch reruns with me, even though you don't really like too.

22. even when it takes me a while to get ready for a date, you always say the results are worth the wait.

23. you play the guitar.

24. you designed you own hat.

25. you're lamb like and lionhearted.

these are just some of the reasons. i could pretty easily list another two hundred and fifty. i love you, babe.
happy birthday.

tuesday funnies

last night i was having a minor crisis because i thought that i'd lost all ability to cook due to eating too much DiGiorno. after thinking about it for a while, i realized that part of my problem was that i try to do seven things at one time, and that i was missing a few steps (or speeding up a few steps) when it comes to recipes. my solution is to only do two or three things at a time. so to practice simplifying, i only did one other thing while watching tv - i found some funnies :)

 i guess i should admit that i stole this from my dad's fb page

 and, let's face it, sometimes you should give up!

 and this is my favorite.

enjoy y'all! happy tuesday :)

why i love this week

01. it's my hubby's birthday week.
01. we have wednessday off. this mean today at 5 pm, i'm halfway to a one day break. on thursday, i'm halfway to a two day break.
02. it's my hubby's birthday week.

and yes, i know how to count.