November 30, 2011

happy 24th!

today is my sister's 24th birthday. 
Makes me feel kinda old. 


June 1996

Hard to believe this wasn't that long ago...I was the flower girl who was too scared to walk down the aisle. So MaryAnna became the impromptu flower-girl escort. Totally saved the day :)


September 2009


MaryAnna is an amazing sister and wonderful friend. We've shared so many memories through the years and I can always count on her...she's an amazing cook, a talented seamstress, and she's also just really gorgeous.
I'm lucky to be her sister. 



April 2009


February 2010


I just know any day now some lucky guy is gonna steal her away from us. And I'm going to have to figure out how to boil water...let's just say when I cook there's no need to worry about gaining weight :)



August 2010


Oh the stories I could tell you about MaryAnna! It seems like anything she touches turns out amazing. Whether it's quilts, sourdough bread, or historical novels she writes herself...she's pretty inspiring.

Happy Birthday MaryAnna! Love you!

for a few more pictures, you can see last year's birthday post here

November 27, 2011

4:34 p.m.



"Live for the moments you can't put into words"

November 18, 2011

josh & julie


for those of you who don't know...let me introduce you to the hot Asian from my last post :)

Julie and Josh are the most adorable couple. Ever. And rather than bore you with my theses on how sweet and amazing and perfect they are for each other, I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves. But take my word for it...their relationship is like something from a movie. 

















November 14, 2011

bits of happy

just a few shots from our everydays...little bits that make me happy




inspiring words




delicious leftovers
(from someone special)




a favorite earring, lost, and found again




watching Megamind on a rainy day
(with hot cocoa)



letters and a new song




the start of basketball season




breakfast for lunch





my favorite shoes




my VERY own room...for the first time 




vanilla sponge cake




a pink corner on my desk




dressing up just 'cause I was bored





giving 
(Operation Christmas Child)




clean laundry




dinner with the cutest couple EVER




a sugar rush




chocolate for fundraising
(and more sugar rushes)




a self-portrait buddy




new tank top




last but not least...getting a turn on the computer in between the 40 other people waiting to use it.

Hope you find happy bits throughout your day!


(note: if you're wondering who the hot Asian in the fifteenth picture is...explanation will come. hahaha)

November 12, 2011

12:51 p.m.




"In the coldest flint there is undiscovered fire."

November 3, 2011

indiana: part 4

the final indiana installment. Sorry if you're going crazy with my obsession with niece-shots and boring tourist views. I promise this is the last of it. For a long time at least =)

Warning: there is an excessive amount of words along with these pictures. It seems I either write nothing, or a whole magazine article. For your own sanity, feel free to skip the words altogether =)


On my last day we had to get up with the sun. Technically, before the sun. And who doesn't like doing that???

(for the record, if any of you happen to be alien-like and do like to get up early, it's cool. But I don't.)


I didn't get any shots of the beautiful indiana countryside. But I should've...






























When we finally made it, we quickly found a parking spot in the madness of downtown Chicago and began walking the streets in search of adventure. 










And then...we went to the Hancock Observatory. I liked this ^ sign.




Kiss the sky? Don't mind if I do...







The view from the top was AMAZING. Really. I know they always say this, but the pictures only give you a small idea of how cool it was. 


it was spectacular.
\




These bottles of juice were being passed out on the street below! The croissant, not so much =)




The city looked soo impressive from that height. And i thought it looked impressive from down below...






Then we walked around for a bit more to work up our appetites =)



She liked to hold my hand while we walked. :Sniff: it's been too long...



reminded me of the vine-covered house in the Madeline books. Loved those when i was little...



My first time to Chipotle! Sarah told me how good it was. And told me how good it was. And...you get the picture. But she was completely right. SO good.  



Then, you guessed it, we walked some more. And Eleonora napped. That girl can sleep through anything. 





this made me laugh. 



As you've seen, it was an absolutely gorgeous day. So lucky...



We stopped at Trader Joe's and ate this goodness as we drove to the airport. A last treat to end the vacation. It was so good, but a pint of ice-cream on top of an already full tummy, combined with pre-flight jitters...not the best idea. But we made it through somehow. 

Goodbyes...I hate them. So I'm going to skip over that part of the day...
But the rest of it was a blast. Sarah and I had so much fun walking our little fannies off...eating more food then was good for us; window shopping downtown, and taking turns fainting at the monstrous prices of everything. Eleonora was a trooper. (but I think I could be a trooper too, if I had someone to pack me on their back.)

Aaanyways...all that to say, it was a wonderful two weeks, and a wonderful way to end it.