the midnight sun

some news!!!

2012-02-11T15:18:00.001-06:00

So I just didn't really get around to Thursday(ING) this week. Blarbit. Sometimes I feel obligated to blog. And Thursday I wanted to rebel and just not do it. Because I could. But today I looked at some photos from last weekend and decided I wanted to share them.

Also, I've got some news!

Not pregnant. Nope!

I opened a Society6 shop! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? It means I have some photos available for purchase!!!! How neat is that? I'm still making my way through ALL of my pictures and will continue to post more so keep checking back for new prints. :) If you've got friends looking for some inexpensive wall art....please, send them a link. Thank you very much!

When I'm at home....

2012-02-05T23:39:00.002-06:00

And when I say home...I mean my childhood home. Which is where I happen to be. That's kind of redundant. BUT maybe that's what I'm like when I'm home??? Question mark. I don't know.

What I do know is this...

The Giants won the Super Bowl. Yippie. Though, it should always be the Packers that win any bowls of every kind. Yep yep!

My mother and I ditched the Super Bowl early to watch Downton Abbey. Season numero dos is crazy good. Anybody else watching?

I kind of liked Madonna's performance. This thought alone, continues to weird me out. Because I am just not the kind of girl who enjoys Madonna. Ever. And I'm not really sure what kind of a girl that makes me. But apparently it is THAT ONE.

It snowed a lot around these parts yesterday. And it was too foggy to drive home this evening so we are still here.

Whilst using my mother's computer I came upon some wedding photos that I hadn't seen in a long time. I also realized that I don't think I ever posted wedding photos on the ol' blog. So here are a few favorites of mine. Three and a half years sure doesn't seem that long ago when I look at these!

Thursday(ING)

2012-02-02T18:24:00.002-06:00

Hoping I am able to make it back home for a baby shower this weekend. After three or four days with temperatures above or around 60 degrees, I was unsure as to whether or not we still lived in Florida. But alas, in true Nebraska fashion, a snowstorm is hurdling toward us, bringing the winter we've been so blessed to have missed out on until now.

Drinking coffee, eating cookies, and talking this morning with some new friends. Just what I needed.

Wearing gloves while typing this because my hands are always cold. I know we, as females, are usually cold most all the time. But seriously. It just gets annoying. Each night when I crawl into bed I cannot fall asleep if my toes are cold. This requires me to get out of bed, stumble over to the dresser, find socks, and put them on my feet. I fall asleep and wake up at 2 am in a sweat. What gives?

ALSO, putting up with an eye twitch that WILL NOT GO AWAY. Two weeks now, people. TWO! I get plenty of sleep. I am not stressed out. What the heck, body?

Wishing my dear father-in-law a happy birthday!

Also, wishing Tristan a happy birthday! Tristan and I share a very strong, passionate love for Friends. I posted this video on her Facebook wall and decided it needed to be posted here. One of my most very favorite moments from the show.

but honestly, won't someone stop this train?

2012-01-29T18:59:00.002-06:00

I do not have any childrens, yet. And having been married for 3.5 years I get THE QUESTION a lot. It's important that it's in all caps because it *hopefully* paints you a little picture as to how my face looks when I actually say the words THE QUESTION. Or even think about being asked THE QUESTION.

For those of you who have a hard time imagining...here are some (extremely flattering) examples.

And if you're still clueless as to what THE QUESTION is? It has to do with my uterus and when one might inhabit it.

Now I should clarify a few things...

I am in no way of the feminist mindset that is immediately offended when asked THE QUESTION because one thinks that all I'm supposed to do with my life is make babies and food.
I have a strong desire to be a mother. One day. Just not any time soon. That is unless God has other plans.

But you see, I have this problem. It's called BABIES EVERYWHERE. I've hit that stage of my life where friends are finishing up getting married and quickly moving on to the "baby in baby carriage" part. And that's fine. Because that means plenty of cute kids I get to play with, spoil and not be woken up by in the middle of the night. I like that part of the deal.

But as I continue to inch towards that time in my life when I'm (hopefully) blessed with the ability to experience the joy that is motherhood, I can't help but get a little bit sad. Yes. I said sad.

It means I've actually grown up. Or that I've actually got to grow up.

And if I'm being completely honest, I really don't want to. I want life to freeze right now. Parents in all of their infinite wisdom and awesomeness just stay the same. Nieces in all of their young, adorable, naivety and innocence stay the same. Everything just stays the same because moving forward is actually quite terrifying. I've never been scared by birthdays until this year. There was something about turning 24 and getting closer to 25 that just sent my mind into nostalgia overdrive. I suddenly missed everything about my childhood and wanted nothing more than to lock myself in a room and cry.

My elementary school teachers. The smell of their classrooms. Playing with my dolls. Playing with my cousins and neighbors. Talking to my mom. Basically every interaction ever with my Mom. And my dad. Oh my gosh, how much I longed to just curl up into a ball of little girl and sit on my dad's lap.

And I think I've almost got myself convinced that if I just prolong the non-existence of my own children that I can break the cycle. That we will all just be fine until the good Lord decides to take us.

Does the idea of growing up mess anybody else up, too? I hope I'm not the only one. I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs of all time. Mr. Mayer captures every emotion I feel in his lyrics. What a freakin' genius.

Thursday(ING)

2012-01-26T13:10:00.004-06:00

Sitting down to blog and realized that it was Thursday. Welp. Here we are!

Organizing our file cabinet. Too often I go to file things and am just completely overwhelmed with how out of order that dern cabinet is. So yesterday I adopted my mother's filing system and tore that thing apart. The afternoon grew long and wearisome. But I persevered. In an attempt to boost my spirits my ridiculously awesome husband created the best Beyonce playlist and proceeded to listen/sing/bustamove with me for at least a solid two hours. That GUY! I should also mention that he survived an entire day stuck in the same room as me. A feat in and of itself.

Growing strawberries and forget-me-nots that I picked up in the dollar aisle at Target. I'm pretty sure they'll never produce anything, but I just like the way they look on my little window seal in the kitchen. Also, I just can't wait for spring.

Baby Crawford part deux

2012-01-24T00:02:00.000-06:00

Some more photos of this sweet little one. Enjoy!

Baby Crawford

2012-01-21T00:15:00.004-06:00

This week has just been oddly hectic. I've been editing this guy's photos when I get the time and I basically just end up drooling over him. Somehow I've managed to avoid having baby fever for a couple of years but this little dude might push me over the edge.

Thursday(ING)

2012-01-19T16:34:00.002-06:00

Being very thankful for my family. Extended and all. I forget just how blessed I am to know the love of Jesus by the love these people give not just to me, but to each other. And others! Also, they are funnier than all get out.

Painting the living room this weekend. My mother-in-law, who I know does not enjoy painting, is coming to help me paint. She is just the best, huh? I love her very much.

Editing some photos of wee little Crawford. The newest addition to the family I nanny for. Hope to have a sneak peek up here tomorrow!

Listening to a bunch of music that I hadn't been listening to but should have been listening to. All thanks to Spotify. For the last two years I was in this rut of going back to music that was familiar because I felt so overwhelmed by all the stuff people kept telling me to listen to. There was so much. Wye Oak, St. Vincent's latest, and The Goat Rodeo Sessions are my favorites right now. Definitely worth checking out for yourself.

Watching Felicity on Netflix. Nostalgia took over on that decision. But it was a good decision. JJ Abrams is a freaking genius.

SOME PHONTOS!

Paul Miller's A Praying Life

Accelerando Coffee House! If you live in Omaha, check them out.

Follow me on Instagram...I'm @beebert!

The State of the Living Room

2012-01-16T14:21:00.003-06:00

So for the last three?? four?? weekends we have been gone. We've been anywhere BUT home and we were doing EVERYTHING instead of nothing. We changed that this weekend. And it has been so very glorious.

Saturday marked one year of owning our house. And as my thoughts drifted back to last year at this time, (the boxes! the backaches! THE MESS!) I am so happy that it is over and that we don't have to do anything like that again. Well, at least for a little while. If there is one thing that owning a house has taught me, it is patience. The idea that within a few short weeks I'd have this place just the way I wanted it, with all the stuff I wanted is so absurd now, when I think about it. It's been a year and we just bought a couch for our upstairs living room. It's been good for me because I usually like to rush into things when it comes to painting and decorating. This has made me step back, examine and find what I truly like (not just what's trendy right now) and then make decisions. Basically, it's prevented me from painting almost every room in this place a really bold color and buying crap just because it has chevron stripes on it. Jeesh!

So I've decided to blog through the putting together of the formal living room. Over the next month or so I'm hoping to get it painted, find a few more furniture pieces, and decorate! Come along for the ride??

Here's what we're working with....(excuse the poorly lit iPhone photos)

It's a pretty small space. This summer we are hoping to take out that little bit of wall with the book shelf on it and widen the doorway. A lot. It drives me nuts how it's so closed off. I know it will technically make the room even smaller, but I think with the right furniture layout the space will feel larger. Things that are hopefully going?? The bookshelf and Allen's drum rug. The walls will be white with a dark blue/charcoal accent wall (similar to the one below). At least, that's what I'm thinking right now.

Here are a few photos I'm using as inspiration.

(via)

The Grandest Lake You Ever Did See

2012-01-12T00:54:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking all day about how a week ago we were in beautiful Northern Colorado with some really wonderful friends. I want to go back because it was just the best time.

The backdrop was stunning. Grand Lake is nestled right next to Rocky Mountain National Park and the Never Summer mountains. On Friday morning we went for a hike. It was cold. And your lungs hurt, but in the best way. For a long time, I've been trying to decide if I'm an ocean person or a mountain person. And I think I realized that I'm a mountain person on this trip. Those Never Summer mountains done pushed me over the edge.

I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.

A little out of focus. I blame it on the fact that I set the timer and then had to skate all the way out to where they were in less than 10 seconds.

The Rold Family

2012-01-09T22:26:00.002-06:00

After a few days away enjoying the beauty of Colorado, I'm back with a few photos of two adorable, little girls. They are friends with the little ones I nanny for and were such a delight to photograph!

I'll be back tomorrow with some photos from our trip!

A New Year

2012-01-02T17:27:00.001-06:00

Well hello there, TWO THOUSAND AND TWELVE! I hear you're bringing wonderful things like....

1. a new season of Mad Men!!!
2. a new season of Downton Abbey!!!!!!!
3. THE SUMMER OLYMPICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

to name a few.

I'm that person who really enjoys the finality of ending a year. Starting fresh. Anew!

Point is, I LOVE me some New Years resolutions! And one of my resolutions is writing on this blog often this year. I hope you'll bear with my poor grammar and punctuation. I think it will be a fun and definitely stretching experience for me.

Surprising Allen!

2011-12-27T18:43:00.002-06:00

I can't not share this. Here's the video of Allen's surprise a few weeks ago!

December 25

2011-12-25T18:58:00.002-06:00

Wrapping up DPP with this picture of Allen and I. Taken with his mother's lens (again!) before we opened the rest of our presents this afternoon. This Christmas has been so simple and I've found that I've come to really love simple.

I am so thankful for all that God has blessed me with this past year. I am overwhelmed when I see how He has provided for me, my family, and my friends. I'll be back after the first of the year. And we'll pick Thursday(ING) back up! Woooooo.

I hope your Christmas has been (and continues to be) filled with all sorts of wonderful things.

December 24

2011-12-24T23:09:00.000-06:00

This is my beautiful mother-in-law. We each opened one present tonight and her's was a fancy new lens. Which I promptly put on my camera and played with. :)

Merry Christmas Eve!

December 23

2011-12-23T21:56:00.002-06:00

After celebrating Christmas with my dad's side of the family, we came home to prepare for my family's Christmas tomorrow morning. Basically, we watched these three guys try to set up the doll house for Harper and Rowan. Hilarious.

December 22

2011-12-22T21:38:00.001-06:00

Today is Rowan's FIRST birthday. She is just the most adorable thing I've ever seen (along with her sister). Tonight Allen suggested we start calling her Lil' Raptor. Mostly because that is the best name for a rapper who is small (if she desires to pursue a career in rap music), and because of her shrill, and at times screechy, babbling. She's one of the most joyful babies I have ever encountered. She is happy all. the. time.

Good grief...I love you, Rowan Kate!

December 21

2011-12-21T22:04:00.002-06:00

Allen and I hung out at Delice for a couple of hours today. He worked and I read. It was one of those mundane experiences that I dreamed of having with my husband back when I was single. And it was every bit as good as I hoped it would be.

December 20

2011-12-20T20:38:00.001-06:00

I gave the sweet boys I nanny for their Christmas presents today. I tried to go for the less annoying, noise-making toys and gave them some stamp sets instead. Something to keep them busy this winter when their Mama is taking care of their new baby brother or sister. Poor guys have been sick this week, too! Here's hoping they are back to feeling like normal come Christmas day.

December 19

2011-12-19T21:21:00.002-06:00

I am just so anxious to be home for Christmas....I can't think about much else. Sorry for the semi-boring photo. These are my snowflakes I made way back in November. I kind of really love them.

December 18

2011-12-18T18:37:00.001-06:00

This is what Allen looks like right after I say the most hilarious thing.

Today was just too beautiful to not get outside for a little bit. So we wandered down the block and Allen impressed me with his fantastic male modeling skillz. Or lack there of? I know his birthday was over a week ago, but I felt like I didn't get a sufficient amount of bragging about this dude in. So here it is...

This guy. THIS GUY! He is so kind and compassionate. He is deep and thoughtful and his insights bring new life to the way I often see things. He encourages me to think and live creatively. He shows me how much he loves me by loving his Savior first. He is patient. And you need LOTS of patience living with me. He is one of the funniest people I have ever met. And in the weirdest way. :)

I thank Jesus every single day for Allen.

December 17

2011-12-17T21:47:00.001-06:00

For the second time this week I have written out clear and cohesive thoughts while not 100% conscious. Or something like that. I have very little recollection of writing the post from yesterday. And yet, it makes perfect sense. I was so darn tired last night that I'm really not sure how I managed to edit a picture and post it. And write words.

I carried on a text message conversation last Saturday morning for at least a half hour while basically asleep. I picked up my phone later that day to text that person back and saw an entire conversation that I did NOT remember having. And then I looked at the date. And then the time. And then I vaguely remembered hearing my phone go off that morning and answering at least one text...but the rest of the conversation? How in the heck did it get there? And why does it make sense?

Maybe it's my superpower?

December 16

2011-12-17T02:27:00.001-06:00

If I'm being honest, this photo was taken on December 17 around 1:30am. I still consider it the same day if I haven't gone to sleep. Does that count?

I forgot to take my camera while I watched the boys today. I then forgot to take it with me to the christmas party at Aromas where we heard fantastic music from Skypiper and so many others.

It was a good evening. Except for the part where I tried to trim my bangs and did almost the exact opposite of that. But not really?

You guys, I've been up for almost 24 hours. I am going to sleep. right. meow.

December 15

2011-12-15T22:55:00.002-06:00

The sun was a welcomed sight today.

December 14

2011-12-14T23:27:00.003-06:00

This is the older brother to this guy. And wouldn't you know? He posed himself this exact way and said, "Here I am! Take my picture!"

He's real cute like that.

December 13

2011-12-13T20:48:00.001-06:00

I've been trying to photograph these things forever. What do you even call them? Sticks? Sticks with spheres on them? I don't know. But I do know that I have loved them ever since I first laid eyes on them in Target about a year ago. I bought them and thought to myself....

"SELF! These would be delightful to photograph for the December Photo Project!!!! Target really is a magical place."

Only last year I didn't really photograph them the way I wanted to. They had more of a bokeh-esque role in only one photo. This one. Lame...right?

So this year when I was getting out all of the decorations and I stumbled upon those lovely sticks with spheres (can you tell I'm making a concerted effort to not use the other word?....ahem.) I vowed to myself that I would include a picture of them in my DPP album. And it just so happens that, because of where they sit, a lovely shadow is almost always cast on the wall right behind them. And I love it.

December 12

2011-12-12T20:42:00.002-06:00

"He's staring into my soul."

Today we decided to show Zach the Henry Doorly Zoo. Did you know that the best time to visit the zoo is right now? I think we saw maybe 15 other people there who were not zoo employees.

December 11

2011-12-11T22:23:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is going to the Doane Christmas Festival. Yesterday was the five year anniversary of the day Allen and I first spoke to each other. And it was while we were waiting to warm up our vocal chords for the Christmas Festival. And I was so smitten that I didn't even wish him a happy birthday! I really don't keep track of that kind of stuff, but it's so easy to when it happens to also be Allen's birthday. Fond memories and beautiful music. Those are two wonderful things.

The photo above is of my father-in-law. He's the director of bands and chair of the music department at Doane. His bands sounded fantastic and to see him conduct the finale, the Hallelujah chorus, was really neat. Let's keep in mind that at one time I had to conduct the Hallelujah chorus in front of him. For a class. Of which he was the professor. During my freshman year of college. When Allen and I had been dating for all of 4 months. YEP! That happened.

ANYWAYS....

I can't wait to someday bring our kids to see their Grandpa conduct beautiful music. It's one thing I very much look forward to.

December 10

2011-12-11T00:38:00.001-06:00

Today was my husband's birthday. His 27th to be exact. He spent the last two days out in California for work and when he came home this evening I surprised him. Our good friend (and Allen's former roommate), Zach, flew in a few hours before him to celebrate his birthday and spend a few days in the Good Life. We made a scavenger hunt that led Allen to believe I got a puppy while he was gone. According to him, he was kind of scared that I had actually done this. We filmed it and will hopefully have it up sometime soon!

For now, I'm just happy that we actually succeeded with surprising him and that I can watch these guys have fun just like they used to. Though, it's still not the same without Scott and Alyson. :)

Happy Birthday, dear husband-o-mine! I love you so.

December 9

2011-12-09T22:12:00.001-06:00

Welp. Today was my first day of DPP where I completely forgot to take a picture all day. So I got home and took this.

I think I like it????

December 8

2011-12-08T17:02:00.001-06:00

I know what you're thinking....

"BETHANY! Unless you possess some magical power, there is no way you could have taken this by yourself! Unless you had a remote...and even then....."

You are right. I did not take this picture. Allen took it for me. We were getting ready to head out the door and I noticed just how pretty it was outside. With all that falling snow. And I said to myself...

"Self, you are never in any pictures. You are going to make Allen take a picture of you in this beautiful snow."

So that's just what I did. And to my surprise, Allen got some great shots. So I'm counting this as my one self-portrait that I usually try to throw into the DPP mix.

Thanks for bearing with my rule breaking. :)

December 7

2011-12-07T23:12:00.001-06:00

Today was a weird day. I had plenty of stuff to do. But I didn't do it until this evening. And then I decided that I was going to bake cinnamon rolls. And still do all of that other stuff. It kind of worked? The cinnamon rolls turned out okay. My mother is the queen of cinnamon rolls.

No, seriously.

You say that your mother's cinnamon rolls are superb? They don't even begin to rival my mother's. I know...I've tasted them. All of them.

That puts a lot of pressure on my rolls. And while I've had what I would say were more successful batches, these aren't terrible. But they ain't K-Train's. That's for darn sure.

December 6

2011-12-06T21:41:00.001-06:00

Last year for Christmas my mother-in-law gave me this beautiful, Scandinavian nativity. I was ecstatic. I had been looking for the perfect nativity ever since Allen and I got married. I didn't want some Hallmark looking set, nor did I want the nativity that looks like it was stolen right from your church. You know, something like this?

I think she did a pretty good job picking this one out...don't you? And, I'm pretty sure I didn't really even let on to her that I wanted one.

My love for nativities goes back to my childhood when we would decorate for Christmas. My dad and mom made our nativity and it was always a treat for us to set it up. Even more so after my dad passed away. Also, it was and still is such a great reminder as to what Christmas is truly about. You are putting together a replica of an event that actually took place (okay, minus the three wisemen for a couple of years, at least). And that event was the coming of our Savior. That's really cool and really special to me.

So yes, I really love the nativity.

December 5

2011-12-05T19:56:00.001-06:00

My favorite boots. Duct tape and all.

December 4

2011-12-04T22:52:00.001-06:00

Well, I had the darnedest time picking a photo for today. But, I think I shall go with the one above and give you some others to look at as well! Both of my nieces have birthdays this month. And instead of two separate birthday parties, my sis was smart and had one for the both of them this evening. Allen and I spent the weekend hanging out with those gals and WHOA! it was so fun.

In fact, sporadically throughout the drive home we'd exclaim to each other just how freakin' adorable Harper and Rowan are. Ugghhhhhh, my heart. It can't stand the adorableness.

December 3

2011-12-03T21:21:00.001-06:00

Coffee and donuts on a dreary, snowy Saturday morning. Is there anything better?

Nope.

Nope, there is not.

December 2

2011-12-02T21:47:00.001-06:00

My niece, Harper, seems to understand that staring at a Christmas tree is just one of the best things you can do. I remember when I was young, my sister and I had on VHS a short Babysitters Club Christmas movie. In it, Stacey babysits one of her favorite clients, Charlotte, and they lay underneath a Christmas tree and look at the lights. For some reason, I thought this was the coolest thing you could ever do. Seriously. And I did it. And it didn't feel that cool...but still, I enjoyed it.

I'm not sure what it is about having a tree (real or fake), with lights on it, sitting in your living room, but it just makes me happy and nostalgic. And looking at the picture above reminds me of being young and totally in love with Christmas time.

Insert contented sigh here....

December 1

2011-12-01T20:37:00.001-06:00

YOU GUYS! Today begins The December Photo Project 2011 and I am so darn excited!! I'll try to keep my exclamation point usage to a minimum. But it will be awfully hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EEEEEEKK!!!!!! Okay.

I'm done.

This is my third year participating and my love for it has grown exponentially. I really enjoy being able to go back and look through photos of my favorite time of year. If you have a camera of any kind and a blog, flickr or facebook....JOIN IN!

This year in addition to taking a photo each day, I'm going to try and take some video throughout the day and then compile it into a lovely little montage at the end of the month. Who doesn't love a good montage?

The little guy up above is Dawson. I watch both he and his older brother a few days each week. This morning while big brother was at pre-school Dawson brought almost every single one of his favorite toys to me and insisted that I take his picture with them. This was my favorite.

the most wonderful time of the year/ever.

2011-11-27T16:23:00.001-06:00

I think my sister might be on to something by saying that Thanksgiving is the best holiday. Her reasons are twofold:

1. The food is better at Thanksgiving. Think about it...other than the Christmas sweets (which you're about to throw up come Christmas Day) what do you usually eat? Ham? Pizza? KFC? I may or may not have eaten all of those for some kind of Christmas feast at some point in time. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving? Turkey, stuffing, MASHED POTATOES, onions au gratin, PIE, green bean casserole, rolls, etc. Thanksgiving wins. Hands down.

2. After Thanksgiving comes the glorious, magical time that is Christmas time. The excitement and anticipation builds. Whereas, after Christmas, we have to take down all of our pretty Christmas things, pack them up in boxes (let's face it...that's a lot of work), and then sit through three more months of freezing cold temperatures and snow. Bummer.

Yep. I think I'm going to agree with her.

YOU GUYS, this is my favorite time of year. For realz. I know for a fact that I annoy the poop out of people who hate Christmas. But I will never apologize for it. NEVER. I grew up in a house that always had the tree up before Thanksgiving. I love and listen to Christmas music all year round. And I do more baking in the month of December than all other months combined. That *might* be an exaggeration. Or the truth. :)

For the first time ever I took part in Black Friday shenanigans. It was exhilarating. I think I'll do it again next year. But I'll probably just stick to Target at midnight. Why? Because it took 45 minutes to get in and get out. And it was clean. And so easy to find everything. AND they didn't put up with any crap like people cutting line. Target is seriously my happy place.

What was your Thanksgiving like? Did you Black Friday it up? Does Black Friday deserved to be capitalized? Hmmmmm....

I'll be back on Thursday with my first photo for The December Photo Project! Sign up if you haven't already!

the beautiful family i work for - part dos!

2011-11-19T21:58:00.001-06:00

TWO POSTS! In one night. I am on some kind of roll.

Because I like to show these people off...here are some more photos we snapped a couple of weeks ago. :)

Saturday(ING)???ish?

2011-11-19T20:35:00.001-06:00

Sipping some delicious hot chocolate that my dear husband whipped up per my request. I've pretty much outgrown my love of the drink. Spiced tea and coffee taking its place. But I was craving it on this blustery evening and boy, did it satisfy.

Changing the blog. As you can see. I'm just one of *those* people that likes change.

Getting really, really, REALLY excited for The December Photo Project to begin. Do you have a camera and blog. Or maybe a Flickr? Or this other site, I doubt you've heard of, Facebook? GREAT! Click on the link above (or below) and sign yourself up. Do it. DO IT, NOW!

I hope your Thanksgiving is one of absolute thankfulness. Enjoy your time with family, friends, and (most importantly) food, all the while giving praise and glory to the One who has blessed your life with such wonderful things. I know it's really cliche to say this, but Thanksgiving isn't the only time of the year to reflect and be thankful. You get to wake up each day, take a deep breath in, eat breakfast, shower (with clean, hot water!), and go to sleep each night with a roof over your head. We are so richly blessed and yet we (especially ME) always seem to struggle to be content. So there, that is my deep Thanksgiving thought.

Enjoy the photos of Jacob (my brother-in-law's little brother). When I first met him, he was up to my shoulders. Now look!

Thursday(ING)

2011-11-10T14:02:00.005-06:00

Keeping it brief, people! Been busy like a bee.

Posting a sneak peek of the family that I nanny for! We braved the wind and cold for this fun little shoot. Enjoy! :)

sunday evenings

2011-11-06T21:12:00.001-06:00

I like me a good Sunday night. Especially if it consists of comfy pants, listening to some Josh Ritter and Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me with Allen, and cereal (preferably Honey-Ohs!). Doesn't that all just sound so nice? 'Twas our evening. And they usually aren't so ideal. But, if I'm to be completely honest, Allen ditched me about a half hour ago to play Star Craft 2 with my brother-in-law.

You know, LEST you think that our life is fairytale in which everything is PERFECT.

But all of that did happen at one point during this eve.

This past weekend was delightful. I had three shoots, which kept me busy. Plus, we squeezed in a visit to sweet baby Porter. PLUS some car shopping. PLUS some niece seeing. PLUS some family time. It was good. And I am thankful.

Here's some phontos that I haven't gotten around to putting up. Enjoy!

halloween + nieces

2011-11-01T21:27:00.003-05:00

After a spontaneous trip back home this weekend to hang out with my family, I came back to Omaha only to have my intestines ravaged by the evil stomach flu. So Halloween was less than stellar for me. I was quarantined in the basement while my husband handed out treats to the neighborhood kids. This upset me because it was going to be our first year in a real house, with ACTUAL cute little kids, dressed up, coming to our door. Major bummers. I did, however, manage to sleep 14! hours last night and wake up feeling a little achey but MUCH better. I cannot say the same for Allen. Though he did only manage to throw up 2 times, as compared to my 6. TMI? I'm sorry.

These pictures did cheer me up quite a bit. How could you feel awful when you've got such cute nieces dressed up as Olivia and a duck?

Check out more photos by clicking HERE!

Also, I just learned that my dear sister-cousin had a beautiful baby boy this evening! Welcome to the world, Porter James!

Thursday(ING)

2011-10-27T14:01:00.000-05:00

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ON A THURSDAY?! I can't.

Staring at a spider which has decided to make its home on my lamp shade next to my computer. He's not too big. He actually kind of looks sick. Why yes, yes I am skilled at knowing when spiders look sick AND their gender (do they even have a gender?). It's my secret talent that will one day end up saving my life. I'm sure of it.

Listening to She & Him's christmas tunes. Absolutely delightful. Also listening to new Coldplay and Feist. Lots of good music has hit the shelves these last couple of weeks. I've got a list I'm working my way through. I'm always taking suggestions, as well!

Shopping for a new car. Well, a used car. But basically new to us. It's not as fun when you're an adult and you weren't exactly planning on having to buy a car. You have to worry about things like financing, interest, and "what our budget looks like." Oy.

Reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller. I recently felt convicted that I don't spend enough time in conversation with my Savior. It's a great read for those who feel the same or are maybe intimidated/want to understand more about the idea of "praying without ceasing." I highly recommend it.

Waiting for my dear sister-cousin to have that baby boy! She's almost TWO weeks overdue. Pray that he comes safe and sound...but also, SOON!

utah trip

2011-10-24T00:20:00.003-05:00

As promised, here are some photos from our recent trip to Utah. Most of these pictures don't even begin to do it justice. It was so carn sarn beautiful.And even though we aren't Mormon, we enjoyed the beautiful buildings/architecture around Temple Square. And we ate lots of delicious food. Lots. If you are ever presented with the opportunity to visit...YOU MUST!

there and back again

2011-10-18T17:50:00.002-05:00

This last week I traveled with my husband and his mother to Salt Lake City, UT. Allen's best friend, Jordan, married his beautiful girl, Laura. It was such a fun weekend with breath-taking sights and beautiful weather. I had never been to Utah before but I'm sure that I want to go back after this visit. All the beautiful foliage had just turned marvelous shades of red, yellow, and orange. They painted the mountains and provided a wonderful backdrop for the wedding ceremony which was nestled right in Mill Creek Canyon. Gorgeous isn't even the right word to describe it.

We ate lots of delicious things, visited Temple Square, went on a hike, shopped in Park City, hit up Ikea, even had time for Allen to get a haircut and shave from a fantastic barber shop.

Here are some photos from my phone. I'll try to have the ones from my camera up soon!

Thursday(ING) on a Sunday? Better late than never.

2011-10-09T19:54:00.000-05:00

WELL. My apologies. I missed two Thursday(ING)s in a row. I felt awful, too. Believe you me. I blame it on the combination of working, giving our upstairs (soon-to-be) bedroom a facelift, and my birthday. It all just made for a rather worn out Bethany by the end of the week. Oy. But here is my belated post...

Celebrating my 24th birthday. It was actually yesterday, and we had a wonderful day. My family came from Columbus and Crete to help get our lawn all spiffed up. My mom did all my laundry. Nieces stopped by and were their usual adorable selves. Even my dog came to visit. OH! And much cake was consumed. It was perfection.

Mourning the loss of a one Mr. Steve Jobs. I think I was more upset by the fact that I know Allen really wanted to see him speak at WWDC and now he won't. But what an impact this guy made on society. I'm thankful to God for giving him the talent and creativity.

Awaiting the news of the arrival of my nephew-who-is-actually-my-2nd-cousin-but-really-like-my-nephew. My dear sister-cousin, Maggie, is due any day now. Though she did miss the opportunity to have that boy on the coolest day of the year. MY BIRTHDAY. As long as he gets here healthy and safe, my feelings really aren't that hurt. :)

Enjoying October. This month and December are my absolute favorite. And though I feel really weird about complaining that it's been almost TOO warm for October, it reminds me of Florida and I like that.

Ruminating over the sermon we heard this morning and last week. Click here for a link to the podcasts. Sometimes, I wonder if God brought us back to Omaha because He knew we needed the teaching we are getting now. That sounds kind of strange when I say it out loud, but I'm so thankful.

Reeling from that Husker game last night. Holy moly! Intense much?

PHOTOS! in a long line.

Hello there, Fall.

2011-09-27T19:23:00.002-05:00

Well, as per usual, here's my post wherein I tell you all how much I love Fall. I do one of these for every season. BECAUSE I LOVE THEM ALL. EQUALLY. But that was a lie. Because Fall. Oh FALL!

It is my favorite. Favorite season of all. (See what I did there?)

My list of things that make me love Fall are exactly like the ones of all THOSE people on Facebook. You know, the ones who list every single thing they love about Fall and separate each thing with a period. I refuse to be one of those people but will provide you with a vague comparison list.

Like soooooo....

Color. A smell. An item of clothing. A flavored hot beverage. Another item of clothing. Footwear.

Like I said, I will not be one of those people. Instead I will tell you about the things I do not like about Fall. WHICH IS NOTHING. Geez. Trick question if I ever saw one. But it wasn't really a question. And it wasn't really a trick question because today I hath discovered there are TWO things that I do not enjoy about Fall. And here they are...

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES
Especially if they come from a one Mr. Starbucks. I realize that this is the aforementioned "vague" hot beverage. But I am sticking to my guns. They are really bad bad BAD. I had to sit there and think about it while I was sipping it. And I thought to myself, "Self, does this really taste like pumpkin? Are you sure? Have you ever had one of these and really liked it? Come on, self!" So there, I won't be having another one of those from Mr. Sbux. I think I'll try a local coffee shops version instead to see if that will change my mind. But for now, I'll stick with the Caramel Apple Spice. An old favorite.

SHOPPING IN A MALL
Really, this is just something that I hate in general. But I did it today. And it was Fall. Soooooo? Anyway, malls are dumb.

So there you go. The two things I really don't like about Fall. Here are some pictures of things I do like.

In lieu of Thursday(ING)

2011-09-25T16:37:00.000-05:00

So we've been back in Nebraska for TWO whole years. But it feels much longer. Almost like we never even left. I can only assume that it feels like that because our time in Florida was fairly brief by today's standards. A year and a half (for me, two and a half for Allen) isn't a whole lot of time. But when I think back to that time, it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. And for the first year of our marriage, it was EXACTLY where God wanted us. How else was I to experience the whole "leaving and cleaving" thing?

Things That I Miss About Florida(in no particular order)

Disney. Allen and I often find ourselves saying to one another, "You know? Tonight would be a good Disney night." I feel for those of you who have had to experience it in full on vacation mode. Where you are racing around to see EVERYTHING. And you have like 20 crying kids with you. That is not how you do Disney. The Orlando (and surrounding) residents really have it awesome.
Lazy Moon pizza. The other night I had a dream in which I ate an entire pizza from Lazy Moon. That is physically impossible. For me, at least.
Jeremiah's Italian Ice. Only the best gelati I have ever tasted. A big hit for our visitors who came throughout the year.
Thai House. The reason I will eat Thai food for the rest of my life. Another favorite of our visitors.
Lollicup. The watermelon fruit slush is something every watermelon enthusiast MUST try in their lifetime.
Chick-Fil-A. Where else am I supposed to get a delicious spicy chicken sandwich and peach shake?
The weather from February through April. It is to die for.
The beach. We took it for granted how close we lived to the beach. If I had it my way, we would have been there EVERY weekend.
Our friends. Out of all these things, I miss our friends the most. The friendships I made down there were different than most. Because I had no family nearby for the first time in my entire life, I latched on to my friendships. And they became my family. Some of the most wonderful people I've ever met live in Florida and I'm sure we'll be back often to visit.

I'm not going to apologize for the fact that a majority of my list is comprised of restaurants. Nope. I love food entirely too much to do that. I would also like to point out that whilst making this list and providing the links for a few of these places, I discovered there are FOUR!!!! Lollicup locations in Colorado. AND ONE! in Columbia, Missouri. So, who will be making the trek with me??

In parting, I am truly thankful for the time we were able to spend down south. God did a great work in and through me during that time. Even though it was, at times, seemingly unbearable. He provided for mine and Allen's needs. Emotionally and physically. He was sovereign. And I am still seeing His fruitful work now, TWO YEARS LATER. That's cool. Way cool, if you ask me.

Some random photos from our time there.

Thursday(ING)

2011-09-15T15:51:00.005-05:00

Enjoying the Fall temperatures. They sure are welcome, but boy, I am not ready for the cold of winter. I'm talking those -22 degree days. Those can stay the heck away.

Thinking of devoting more time to writing. Not necessarily songwriting or poetry. Just writing. Free writing. I'll be the first to say that I have never thought highly of my writing. But just recently I discovered how much I enjoy sitting down and writing whatever I am thinking about.

Anticipating the season premieres of my favorite tv shows. Parks and Rec, 30 Rock, and Grey's. I caught the New Girl premiere last night via the interwebs. It was the usual awkward pilot episode that every show has. Where you basically feel like you have seen the entire thing because they put all the funny stuff in the trailer. Zooey carried the episode. Of course. But if there is one thing I have learned, it is to NEVER judge a show by its first season. Parks and Rec taught me that lesson. What shows are you looking forward to?

Attempting to be a good wife and cook my husband some dinner this week. I feel only a little bit of shame in admitting that I do not enjoy cooking. I have not the patience to spend an hour chopping, dicing, steaming, whatever the heck you do when you cook. I like baking. Because you can prepare it in about 15 minutes, then shove it in the oven and pull it out 45 minutes later and it tastes delicious. And usually, baking means it's some kind of dessert. But cooking....OY VEY. Props to you ladies who whip out a meal every night. Maybe this will change when we have kids. Maybe.

Weekly phone photo dump!

Brad & Kayla

2011-09-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

Hello, world! Meet Brad and Kayla. I know Brad because he just so happens to be my brother-in-law's little brother. These two are getting hitched in a little over two months! We spent an evening at Pioneers Park taking some photos and you'll have to believe me when I say it was pretty darn hard trying to decide which photos stay and which go! Here are some of my favorites from our shoot!

Congratulations, you guys!

Thursday(ING)

2011-09-08T22:32:00.000-05:00

Anticipating the release of Skypiper's newest album. If you're in the Omaha area tomorrow evening, you should definitely make an effort to come to their cd release. It's going to be a serious good time. And if you can't make it I'll be sure to get a link up to their store so you can get the album...one way or another.

Realizing that we've officially been back in Nebraska for two whole years. I sure do miss our friends back in Florida, but man, moving back was such a good decision. I feel a reflective post coming soon and very soon.

Watching so much Mad Men. I don't think I've ever watched a television drama that has been so good. The writing is unbelievable. And every part is so well acted. And let's face it, I love everything about the early 1960s style and decor. Again, this might be a whole other blog post in and of itself.

Trying to set some goals for myself. I'm not really a goal oriented person. But lately I just feel so disheveled in my day to day life and I can't help but wonder if creating some simple goals will help things feel a bit more scheduled and less all over the place.

Feeling super nostalgic. I've had a strange yearning to be back in elementary school for the last couple of weeks. To be parented by my parents. And the worst thing in the world is having to stay after school for FIVE whole minutes because you talked back to your teacher. Growing up has just felt like the worst thing ever. Weird.

Wishing my dear JTT a happy 30th birthday. Whoa jeeze. Dude is old.

I'm writing this from Allen's laptop and the only pictures he has are these....

sister & her mister & kidsters

2011-09-06T19:36:00.000-05:00

I took some legit family photos for my sister a few weeks back. And I say legit because I am always taking pictures of her beautiful children and posting them here. But these are legit because they are all, in true Rebecca fashion, wearing adorable, coordinated outfits. You know, christmas card material. Legit.

ANYWHO...

I wanted to get all those X-Files photos out of the way before I began to edit their's. And finally, almost three weeks later, I am done. Here are a few to feast your eyes on!

Hello there, September.

2011-09-01T15:11:00.002-05:00

Oh, friends. Thank you for bearing with me and my barely there blog posts these last couple of weeks.

The good news is that September is here. Thus, ending the long and crazy month of August. Also, Fall is on the way. Can I hear an AMEN?

The bad news is that this is not a Thursday(ING) post. I know you are all dying a little bit inside right now and I'm sorry. But I'm in the midst of a two day photo editing spree and I've got to keep going!

So I leave you with two things...

1. The promise to write much more in the coming weeks, months, etc.
AND
2. Photos from the magical, manical X-Files the Musical! There are so many more photos on my Flickr...so scootch right on over there whydontcha?

Thursday(ING)

2011-08-25T19:49:00.000-05:00

Oh dear blog! I promise I have not abandoned you. I've just been trying to catch my breath for the last week or so. I'm also making my way through a butt ton of pictures. That means lots of pictures. LOTS.
So here is what we've been up to the last two weeks...

Sporting a new do. I've got legit bangs for the first time since I was a kid.

Staying in Crete/Lincoln all of last week so Allen could make it to nightly rehearsals for X-Files the Musical. I was kept pretty busy by taking pictures of all of the happenings. I'm hoping to have those posted soon and VERY soon.

Feeling a post X-Files hangover. I'm so sad that it's over because the fun we had last week was so wonderful and refreshing. Seeing people come together and use their creativity for something so hilarious definitely made me want to move to Lincoln and also challenge myself to be more creative. The Colonel Mustard is responsible for all the fun. You can check them out by clicking HERE!

Picking up quite a few shoots. Which makes me feel like I spend way too much time editing. I'm so incredibly thankful, though!

Watching way too much Mad Men. Someone should have warned me. It makes me very happy that there are actually still good tv shows out there. And not just Glee.

That's all my brain can spit out right now. Here is a ridiculous phone photo dump of the last two weeks. :)

Thursday(ING)

2011-08-11T19:11:00.000-05:00

Hmmmmm..it would seem that all the blogging I do anymore is on Thursday. I promise you this is not the new normal. This is just how crazy busy this month is for us. Please forgive me! And once this next week is over I'll hopefully be having some more posts for you/unveiling a project I've been working on...kind of!
:) Let's get down to business...

Spending the last two weekends in Columbus. I feel like I could write a book about the all awesome stuff there is to do in this town. And by book I mean one sentence. There is nothing. Which really makes me wonder how I managed to not drink in high school.

Watching the boys for the last two days. We spent most of our days outside because the weather was just so gorgeous. I seriously feel sorry for those of you stuck inside. Sometimes I think being outside just makes you feel better. We had fun.

Missing college. I always do this time of year. I feel the need to roam the school supply and dorm room aisles of Target. I want to pack up all my clothes and unpack them in a new (albeit extremely small) closest and climb into the top bunk bed. I miss being a student way too much. For those of you that still are...ENJOY IT.

I'm typing this from my brother's laptop. And I feel weird ending this post without a photo...so let's see what we can dig up on here!

This was taken about 4 years ago about a month before Allen proposed. :)

Thursday(ING)

2011-08-04T22:45:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I hope this week finds you abundantly well. Sorry things have been quiet on the blogging front. Lots of life has been lived in the last few weeks and I'm afraid I am just now catching up.

Here we go...

Beginning the crazy month that is AUGUST. How is it August already? The Gooby and I have something going on EVERY single weekend this month. Plus lots of extra projects outside of our already day jobs. Insane.

Getting pretty excited for multiple reasons : 1. My dearest cousin who is practically my brother and his wife are expecting. And I can finally tell people. AND 2. X-Files the Musical is two weeks away. SO pumped.

Finishing painting our basement bathroom. Not without spilling primer all over the floor, first. I think I am actually beginning to hate painting. And I've realized that it's hated me this entire time. Case in point: I can never avoid being COVERED in paint when I am done with even the smallest of tasks.

Mulling over the idea of Allen and I hitting the road for a few months next summer. Since his job allows him to work from anywhere we've been entertaining ideas of where "anywhere" might be. So far we've got Portland, Breckenridge, or maybe even London. London has my vote but it's obviously the most expensive and will be even more expensive as the Olympics will be there. Though I don't think we'd actually stay for them. Even though that would be UHHHH-MAZING!!!! We do find it awesome that we can have better seats in our very living room. What are you suggestions?

Enjoying the day with my sister and nieces at the Lincoln Zoo. It is the perfect zoo for little ones and we had such a great time.

Here's my phone dump of pictures from the last couple of weeks! Have a fantastic weekend!

Breckenridge: Round 3 & Thursday(ING)

2011-07-28T23:30:00.000-05:00

So I decided to combine my final Breckenridge post with my usual Thursday(ING) post. This last batch of photos have a lot more people in them. So maybe they're not as boring as the last set? :)

Finishing up all these vacation photos and thinking about a video. Who knows? I'm not holding myself to anything though!

Swimming for the first time in MONTHS! I remember the summer days in which 3 or 4 hours of my day were spent at the pool. And now I'm lucky if I get to swim at least once PER summer. Pretty not awesome if you ask me.

Enjoying the company of my brother-in-law this week. Allen's brother, Phil, is staying with us while his parents are on vacation. He's such a joy to be around and things will be much less interesting when he leaves.

My brother got this shot! I love it.

Reading to the nieces.

Mordor?

Date with Gooby at My Thai. A place we frequented while on our honeymoon in Breck.

Our view while eating ice cream.

Only a real man can wear a baby.

Riding on the gondola.

Game faces?

Looking down Main Street.

Our coffee haunt.

The beginning of our 4 hour hike. Holy moly.

Finally made it to the top. Only to get caught in a sudden downpour.

Legs feeling like jello.

We done did it.

Many more photos can be found HERE!

Breckenridge: Round 2

2011-07-27T11:37:00.000-05:00

On our third day in CO we traveled to Fairplay to visit their ghost town museum. If we were to spend a lot of time looking we could probably dig up the old home videos of the first (and last) time we visited Fairplay. Waaaay back in 1994. I remember being completely enthralled by everything. Especially because I had a deep love for all things pioneer and "olden days".

This time around I tried to photograph it. It was so beautiful and such a fun day with family. Harper LOVED it.

Don't mind the artwork! :)

This picture makes me laugh. So hard.

Something just doesn't quite fit in.

So many mirrors = SO many mirror pictures

There are PLENTY more pictures that I left out! Check them out HERE!

Breckenridge: Round 1

2011-07-25T15:59:00.000-05:00

I'm slowly working my way through vacation pictures now that I've finally been able to get them off the camera and onto a computer.

There. Are. So. Many. Pictures.

So I think I'm going to split the edited ones up into a few different posts. We had such a lovely time. And as you'll be able to see, while Omahot was well....hot, we were sometimes required to wear long sleeves! It was glorious. If you're ever in Colorado...you MUST visit.

Being classy. Eating our lunch in front of a Motel 6.

The beautiful view from our back porch.

Hey look! Goobs!

My sister's beautiful family.

One part of our gang. Minus Grandma.

The other part....my family.

They became buds on this hike.

Yours truly. Enjoying ZERO humidity which allowed for the straight hair.

Might be one of my favorite shots.

Thursday(ING)

2011-07-21T10:54:00.000-05:00

Wishing it were a week ago from today. My lungs filled with the beautiful, crisp Colorado air. Walking down to Main Street to get some Clint's coffee. Actually having to wear my fleece because it was chilly. Instead of this 100+ heat.

Trying to get everything on this computer cleaned up so we can sell it and get a different one. I've run out of space for all of my photos. So I hope to have the vacation pictures up sooner than later. But don't hold your breath.

Seeing lots of movies this week. The Goob and I came home from vacay and promptly saw Harry Potter and Tree of Life. Both were fascinating for completely different reasons. But do yourself a favor and see both of them.

Finishing The Hunger Games books. I tried to make the final book last as long as I could. So as to savor every minute of it. But yesterday, with well over half the book left, I finished it because it is SOOOO GOOD. If these movies are even remotely like the Twilight movies I will be FURIOUS.

Here's a few phone pictures from our trip.

a few things

2011-07-11T13:13:00.001-05:00

Yesterday afternoon the husband and I were stuck in traffic on I-80 for two hours. Without properly working AC. For those of you that don't live around these parts the heat index yesterday was 108 degrees. I think it was God's way of preparing us for vacation this week. We've got a house-sitter coming so we can trade in those temps for the 60 degree, dry climate of Colorado. It will be glorious. I am sure of it. All that to say that I'll be signing off for a week or so.

I've got a project I'm working on and hope to have it up and rolling in the coming weeks. I'm pretty giddy about it. Hopefully you'll stick around to see what it is! :) And no, it's not a baby. Sorry.

Lastly, a video from Ben Folds the other night. He's so talented, hilarious, and entertaining. I am so glad we were able to go!

Have a wonderful week!

Thursday(ING)

2011-07-07T19:48:00.000-05:00

Dying of excitement over the fact that I get to see Ben Folds tomorrow evening. Ben Folds. BEN FOLDS. You guys, he's the last musician on my list of musicians I MUST SEE before I die. So I need to come up with a new list. Or die?

Finishing up the Hunger Games series. Really hope those movies don't disappoint.

Painting some faux brick in our upstairs room. We hope to eventually move up there, if we can find a bed frame and/or queen box spring set that is able to fit up our stairs. I think it's going to look pretty sweet when all is said and done. I'm really glad I didn't rush and try to decorate our house immediately after we moved in. It has allowed me time to really think about what I want for each room so I'm not filled with regret two weeks later. This has been hard as I'm a pretty impulsive buyer/person.

Feeling the beginnings of a stuffy nose. I really hope I'm not getting sick. But if I am, better it be now then next week when we leave for vacation. Blarghhhh....

Missing a lot of friends lately. Florida peeps and all of our friends who done left us for other states that are far away. Stupid. Come back soon!

Reeling from the verdict of the Casey Anthony case. Having lived less than 2 miles away from where ALL of this went down we heard about it on the news EVERY single night. And I have no doubt in my mind that Casey killed her daughter. Absolutely insane.

And you, what have you been doing? Thursday(ING) is something I made up in an attempt to get my friends to blog more. Comment and let me know if you're doing it, too!

the fourth

2011-07-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

Everything that summer is to anybody culminates on the 4th of July. Seriously.

Burgers.
Hot dogs.
Steak.
Watermelon.
HOMEMADE ICE CREAM.
Baked beans.
etcetera Etcetera ETCETERA!

Here is how our weekend went down. Saturday Allen worked while I helped my dear, sweet, talented cousins out with a wedding shoot here in Omaha. So much fun. I may put a few pictures up here in the coming days. Who knows. I left early so Allen and I could head out to Crete to celebrate Allen's best friend Jordan's engagement. We ate food and talked. A lot. Stayed the night in Crete and went to church there the next morning. After lunch we hung around for a bit and then headed to Seward to my aunt and uncle's farm for the Wolfe family extravaganza. I cannot remember doing anything other than this for the Wolfe 4th of July. It's one of my favorite traditions. There we chased around babies and ate more delicious food and watched a lot of stuff blow up. After that we left for Columbus. Hung out with Kyle and Jerica late that night and then went bed around 2. Up around 7 to help my sister wrangle her babes since her husband was out of town and my mom only has one good foot. We got the house ready for company and people began showing up around 3 or 4. There was much swimming (by the wee ones), food, laughter, ladder ball, basketball, fireworking, and HOMEMADE ICE CREAM. So good, indeed.

How was your weekend. I love seeing everybody's pictures on their blogs and Facebook.

This girl took almost every one of the pictures above. She asked if she could borrow my phone and take pictures. I was pleasantly surprised with the ones she snapped. Think she's got an eye.

Thursday(ING)

2011-06-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

Reading through the Hunger Games series. Poop in a bucket! These books are addicting!! I tore through the first book in about a day and a half. I then announced to Allen that he was going to read them, too. And we were going to buy the rest of the series. They came in the mail today. See you next week.

Sweating gallons and gallons. It's so dern hot. If only the boys' kiddie pool was big enough for all three of us. Alas...

Reminiscing back to high school as my 5 year reunion approaches. I have absolutely no intention of going because I can count on one hand the people I'd like to see. And one of them is my cousin who I see weekly. So yeah.

Looking forward to this weekend. It's packed full for us Gilberts. Lots of people seeing. Picture taking. Eating. And fireworking happening for us. I'm so pumped.

Letting the humidity do its job on my hair. The curls are out of control.

Wondering if it's insane that I try to clean my house at least once every week? And that's me trying to cut back. I thought that dusting every 3 days might be a bit much. I am a freak. I know. But my house is clean.

pitchers

2011-06-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

Photography. If you would have told me five years ago that I'd love taking pictures as much as I do now I would have laughed. Because I had so many ideas of other ways to creatively express myself that I wanted to better and learn more about. And because I had a little po-dunk kodak point and shoot.

Allen and I bought our first DSLR because I had always said that I wanted a nice camera around when we had kids. Growing up my family didn't have home videos. We had pictures. My dad bought himself a nice camera and became quite skilled and took pictures of everything. Seriously. So many pictures. And that's what I want for my kids.

It hadn't even crossed my mind to take pictures for a living. I just simply wanted to learn as much as I could about cameras and how to take best photos I could with what I have. Since the prospect of children is still a wee bit of a ways off, I've decided that it might be in my best interest to take on some sessions of my own. I am so hesitant to call myself a professional because I've had no formal training and I am constantly learning new things but I also know that I learn best by doing. And while my nieces are quite adorable and quite fun to photograph, I'd love to take pictures of you, the few who read this here blog, my friends and family.

So get at me!

bethanyagilbert {at} gmail {dot} com is where you can reach me if you don't have my phone number.

And in the mean time if you've got a wedding coming up and want some absolutely BEAUTIFUL pictures taken by some wonderful people I will send you HERE! My cousin Matt and his wife Abbie are so extremely talented and I am fortunate enough to be tagging along on some shoots this summer with them, learning as much as I can. : )

AND if you're looking for any inspiration (as I always seem to be) I'd encourage you to check out THIS. I've been thinking about spending some time shooting black and white. What say you?

nothing but cute babies to see here...

2011-06-25T16:53:00.000-05:00

Thursday(ING)

2011-06-23T12:43:00.001-05:00

Driving six hours to Sidney, NE this last weekend for my dear friend's wedding.

Reconnecting with my dear friends from college at said wedding. It was so perfect. I miss them all so much.

Hanging out with my brother in the evenings. He's in Omaha this week for a conference thingy. It's been nice to have him around.

Praying for contentment. I struggle so much with being discontent. This really is a whole other post, though.

Three Years

2011-06-22T00:42:00.001-05:00

The husband and I celebrated three years of marriage on Monday! Time seriously flies.

During the last year we....(in no particular order)

Bought a house! Holy moly.
Became an aunt and uncle. AGAIN!
Traveled to Wisconsin with Allen's family.
Said goodbye to the ol' Dodge Neon and hello to life with one car.
Journeyed back to the land of humidity and hurricanes (FL) to and hang out with our dear friends.
Began regularly attending a church here in Omaha. Coram Deo has been a HUGE answer to prayer.
Joined a small group at said church and became instantly aware that this is where God wants us.
Enjoyed many a weekend leading worship back home at my church in Columbus when needed.
Adjusted to a new job for Allen which allows him to work from home. Whoa.
Did NOT get a dog. I hope to have the exact opposite news next year.
Were witness to Dr. Quinn the Musical as put on by our friends in a backyard. XFiles the Musical is next!

It could be that it's getting late and I am barely able to function past midnight, but I can't think of anything else that was really BIG. As I say to almost anyone who asks, "what's new?" ...we don't have a kid or a dog. So nothing is new.

I am thankful to God every single day for Allen. The longer we are together the more I see how much I needed him in my life. You know, to help tame the crazy. :)

So here's my little slideshow. Just some photos & video of the last year thrown together (rather quickly, I might add). Enjoy.

Thursday(ING)

2011-06-16T23:36:00.002-05:00

Getting pumped for my Maggie friend. She gets married on Saturday. HUZZAH!

Trying to finish up a slideshow for the husband and mine's anniversary! For some dumb reason I made up my mind to make one every year. That was stupid. I really wish I hadn't done it.

Longing for a puppy dog to love. What kind of dog should the Gilberts own? According to Allen: Dogs we will NEVER own: Jersey. She's a weird looking yet cute lhasa opso to me but to Allen she's just ugly and dumb.

Laughing at my husband and our impromptu whistling lesson last night before bed. Which was basically us laughing and blowing air into each other's faces until we fell asleep. Yup. We are that weird.

Anticipating the 4th of July. It's just my favorite holiday ever.

And now, some random photos from Photo Booth that I just found on my 'mputer.

She did my hair.

our weekend (part deux)

2011-06-13T19:11:00.001-05:00

And the other half of our weekend went along perfectly well with the first. Church and then home, only to have my sister's lovely family join us for the afternoon. My sister and her husband make beautiful babies. It's really hard not to post millions of pictures of them. :)

our weekend (so far)

2011-06-12T00:07:00.000-05:00

Usually our weekends consist of us going home to be with family or just doing odd jobs around the house. But this weekend we've devoted to completely doing whatever it is we feel like doing. And maybe that's having sushi THREE days in a row. Maybe not? Either way, I've just enjoyed being with my husband. That's all there is to it.

We've lived here for almost two years and it was our first time going out to the pedestrian bridge. Thought we'd venture out to see the swollen Missouri.

Santa Lucia Festival = Lots of delicious carnival food & Italian food. Unfortunately we brought NO cash.

Excuse our sunburned faces. :)

Thursday(ING)

2011-06-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

Okay! Here we go...

Realizing that I've entered that time in my life where everyone around me is getting married or having a baby. I am already married and not quite ready to take on the adventure of raising a kid so I'll spoil everybody else's kiddos and send 'em back to Ma and Pa when the day is done. :) It's actually a pretty great gig.

Appreciating my husband and all the hard work he does. He sure is swell.

Sweating buckets on those supremely warm days this past week. Remember when you were a kid and you just did NOT care about sweat? AT ALL??

Delighting in a re-read of Anne of Green Gables. Haven't read this book through since I was 11 or 12. My mother informed me awhile back that my middle name has a great deal to do with Anne Shirley. Be still my beating heart... :)

Lamenting the fact that my "long" fingernails lasted no more than four weeks. Are fingernails made out of crack? Because I'm beginning to think I have a really big problem.

Listening to Oscar Peterson's Christmas cd. We're the Gilberts and we listen to Christmas music all throughout the year. Here, here!

Thought you would maybe also like to read some other Thursday(ING) friends-o-mine! BECKY and TRISTAN are doing a mighty fine job! Let me know if you're in on this thing as well! :)

summer is here!

2011-06-06T23:14:00.000-05:00

Oy vey! Those temperatures went from nice to sweltering in a matter of days. Jeesh!

Thanks for the prayers for mi madre. Her foot surgery went well and she is recovering! We headed home to keep her company and help with worship at my church in Columbus. Such a wonderful weekend, indeed!

she's my little bean

this just makes me laugh

it was about 85 degrees outside and the water was fuhhhreezzzzing. she wouldn't sit down and just shivered and smiled the whole time.

warming up

later, while playing near the pool, she decided to hop in. this time she actually swam!

my brother snuck off with my camera and shot this. i love it!

Thursday(ING)

2011-06-02T22:10:00.002-05:00

This week has been kind of insane. I think I've started three or four posts and have left them because there is ALWAYS something else that needs to be done. So here I am.

Sitting outside in the late/hot afternoon while two sweet little boys swim and splash me. It's pretty fun.

Laughing at Amy Poehler's commencement speech given to Harvard graduates. As if I really needed another reason to love her EVEN MORE.

Watching Masterpiece Theater's Downton Abbey before bed each night. Lovely end to each day.

Endorsing any kind of almond covered in what-have-you from Trader Joe's. Seriously.

Hoping the husband and I can figure out what the heck we're doing for a vacation this summer because I'd really enjoy one right about now. Which, by the way, did anybody else see the story about Yosemite on the Nightly News tonight? I want to go THERE!

Thanking the Lord that my mom's foot surgery went well. Continue to pray for her healing.

Missing dear friends in Florida. I just want to give them all hugs.

Asking God to give me a heart that desires Him instead of earthly crap. I can't put it any other way.

And you? What about YOU? What have you been doing?

Thursday(ING) on a Friday

2011-05-27T01:17:00.000-05:00

Laying in bed as I type this because today has been so insanely good and busy. AND GOOD again.

Growing my fingernails out. You guys, they have never been this long since I can remember. And it feels so weird. But the urge to bite them is diminishing. This is HUGE. I've been trying to kick this habit for the last 20 years.

Singing the songs from Wicked in my head. Saw it for the second time today with my lovely mother, sister and some friends! Yes, I do want to move to NYC to pursue my career in musical theater. Problem is...I cannot, for the life of me, act. So there goes that...

Laughing at my husband this evening. He got to let his inner nerd out for a video shoot with friends. I can't wait to show you guys.

Weeding my garden/yard. Who would have ever guessed I would care about weeding.

Thinking about what I would do if I lost everything in a tornado. My heart goes out to every single person affected by the tornadoes this past week. Especially after hearing a story of a young wife named Bethany, whose husband died saving her life. Praying for healing and for comfort. I cannot even begin to imagine.

Helping lots of friends move, lately. No worries, my guns keep getting bigger and bigger.

Thursday(ING)

2011-05-19T23:22:00.000-05:00

So I've invented something new. Well, not really. But it's new to me and maybe you!

It's called ThursdayING! And it's an exercise to get me writing more and maybe to wake you up from your blogging slump that you've lost yourself in. Because I really enjoy reading stuff from my friends. And you guys just don't write enough.

All it requires you to do is blog on Thursdays. Just blog a list of words that end in ING that give brief glimpses into your week.

Aaaalike so...

Pushing a double stoller with two toddlers in it up and down the Himalayas of West Omaha. I don't think my legs have quite forgiven me yet. Oye.

Reading Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper and it is convicting me to no end. I highly suggest it.

Laughing ridiculous amounts at Parks and Rec. Let's get real, folks. The Office hasn't been funny since season 4. You know it...you just don't want to really admit it. So I'm here to tell you that Parks and Rec can fill that Office void and then some. Seriously.

Enjoying this thunderstorm that is passing through.

You get the idea? It's simple. Let me know if you're down and we can begin ThursdayING together!

Everybody say WOOOOOO! :)

to the moon and back. and flowers.

2011-05-17T10:57:00.001-05:00

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! I've been getting my hands dirty and planting a few pots with some flowers. The one pictured below was a gift from my mother-in-law. It's surprising to me how much I love to get my hands dirty and garden. I'm still trying to figure out where a vegetable garden might thrive in our backyard. Who knows? That might have to wait until next year. :)

A few pots on our front porch with bright yellow Dahlias.

And has anybody just been in complete awe of the moon these last couple of nights. I know this doesn't really compare to the super moon a few months ago...but yeesh, that's spectacular!

on creativity

2011-05-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

Hadn't really planned on blogging this evening, but the absence of my husband and this thunderstorm that's providing a lovely soundtrack kind of put me in the mood to write. So here I sit.

Here's a quote that I saw today....

A simple prescription for creativity: don't try to do pictures for others to look at - just please yourself.
- Ralph Steiner

Wow. Well there you go.

And it's not just photography that he's talking about. Fill in the blank. But whatever it is...just please yourself. I'm going to be completely honest and say that about 60% of the time I am not creative solely for the purpose of pleasing myself. Why am I taking this picture? In hopes that someone will see it and compliment me? Or maybe ask me to take pictures of them?

And that's how we get lost and forget about why we do what we do when we're trying to be creative.

This quote inspired me even more when I put songwriting in it. I've dilly-dallied in it for awhile but have made up excuse after excuse as to why I haven't written anything for the last three years. The thought that kept going through my brain was...but what will she/he think if they were to hear this? I never wrote just for me. Always for someone else.

You can really see how I idolize people's approval. It's something I've struggled with for awhile and I hope to one day rid myself completely of.

And so this quote kind eased that burden. God knew I needed to hear it. :)

dia de madre

2011-05-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

So I know it's a day late, but I'm dedicating this to my mama, my sister, and my mother-in-law. Happy Mother's Day, ladies.

always learning

2011-05-03T18:57:00.000-05:00

I think it's safe to say that I have learned more about myself in the last three years than I have in my entire lifetime. This is largely due to the fact that I've been married for the last three years and it is a constant process of growth that isn't always kisses and sunshine. No way, Jose. But I should also mention that I am not so much of an introspective person so I wasn't ever really concerned with "figuring out who I was" in high school and college. I had a pretty good idea. And generally, I liked who I was and was pretty content.

That sounds so bizarre when I say it out loud to myself, now.

Because I had a lot of sin issues in my character that God was just waiting to dump on me whilst dating and marrying Allen. And...HEY OH, I'm STILL not done dealing with them. And YUP, you guessed it, I won't EVER be done dealing with them because that devil is so carn sarn sneaky.

I remembered reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas, in which, I was first introduced to the idea that getting married is like looking into a mirror and seeing just how selfish and sinful you really are. Because here is this person that you have been asked to share ALL of your life with. And what you do and how you act directly affects them whether you realize it or not. And that's not even throwing KIDS into the mix. Oye!

So, I really should not have been surprised when one of those sin issues reared it's ugly head last night and then again this morning. But I am so thankful for my husband and that God knew EXACTLY what I needed in a man. Because Allen IS introspective. AND he asks me A LOT of questions. AND I am FORCED to think about them and answer. Because he's my husband...and there's no escaping him. And he's patient. Because I like to take my time and first, wallow in self pity, then think about talking to him. :)

So there you have it. Bethany's marital advice. HA...if you can call it that. Maybe I'll print this out and give it to the THOUSANDS of friends I know that are getting married this summer. You know, slip it in a card and sign it...ARE YA SURE YOU WANT IN ON THIS?

Of course, I kid, because being married has also been one of the most amazing things that's ever happened to me. I consider it all...the good, the bad, and the ugly to actually be quite GOOD indeed.

And hey, we look happy...don't we?

The Civil Wars

2011-04-29T18:25:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention about a week ago that we went to the Civil Wars show here in Omaha and it was SUPERB! I kept telling people that it was kind of sickening how talented they were. I don't think I heard a single note that even sounded remotely sharp or flat. And some of you might ask, well why does that even matter? And to you I say that it matters because yes, while John Paul White played a guitar and played it well, their voices give so much life to every single song they sang. Little things, like how far away their lips were from the mic or how they would look at each other to communicate where the song was going added so much depth and soul. Man oh man. I wish everyone could have seen them. For now you'll have to settle for this video I shot from my phone.

I Want You Back (cover) - The Civil Wars from Bethany Gilbert on Vimeo.

Easter

2011-04-26T11:48:00.000-05:00

This weekend was absolutely wonderful. I'm so glad we celebrate Easter in the Spring. I'm even MORE glad that our Savior is risen. Because if not, this life would be absolutely meaningless.

2011-04-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

I'm going to apologize right now for how random this post will be. I'm taking antibiotics, pseudoephedrine, mucinex, AND I just had coffee. And drank said coffee in like two seconds. The doctor said not to take the pseudoephedrine before bed because it makes you "antsy." So that combined with the caffeine from the coffee is making it really hard for me to resist the urge to see if I can punch through the windows in our dining room. Whoa.

First up, Pinterest! I'm on it...ARE YOU? I've been waiting for something like this for awhile now! It's such a great idea. Let me know if you jump on board, too.

AND if you haven't donated to Skypiper yet, then you should really get on it! Every little bit helps!

I made this in about 15 minutes the other day. I was totally sick of my necklaces always getting tangled together in the cheap plastic thing that I call a jewelry box. I remembered I had this frame and thought about how I could put it to use. This was the end product. :)

Per Allen's request I made some snickerdoodles yesterday. And I realized how much I love baking in general. But baking cookies I love EVEN more! I am my Mama's girl. If only I could find a way to bake cookies for a living.

Welp, I think that just about covers everything that is going through my brain. AT A MILLION MILES PER HOUR right now. Hope your week is going well!

under the weather

2011-04-17T16:23:00.001-05:00

I've been down and out for the last couple of days. Battling a cold and ear infection. Hope to have some more posts for you in a day or two as I am on the mend!

For now....here are some beautiful tulips and freesia that are sitting on my kitchen table! They smell divine.

Also, if anyone can tell me what kind of tree this is...I will bake you cookies.

Weekend + Style Question

2011-04-12T12:03:00.000-05:00

The daisies sitting on my kitchen table that I got from Trader Joe's almost two weeks ago are just now starting to wilt. But they still look cheerful. I think it's safe to say that after Meg Ryan's popular line in You've Got Mail, the entire female population fell in love with the daisy. Including me.

Our weekend had the potential to become quite chaotic and although it was packed full, the chaos stayed away and we enjoyed ourselves to the utmost.

The Kanesville Boys playing at 38th Street Coffee in Columbus.

Kyle and Jerica aka Jealous played a show Saturday evening. Allen played some drums for them.

Brother-in-law Dr. Phil takes a time out from Just Dance to pose for a picture.

And lastly, I have a style question. I've always liked graphic t-shirts but don't really know when they become tacky and not cute. So I see a shirt that I really like and then hesitate when thinking about purchasing it and usually end up not getting it and opt for the plain neutral tee that goes with a bunch of other stuff. So I guess I'm asking what's your philosophy on graphic t-shirts? What goes best with them?

HELP!

"Chillin' wit my boo."

husband-o-mine

2011-04-07T17:31:00.000-05:00

Having a husband is really neat. Having this guy as my husband is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I am so thankful for his love each and every single day. And hey, he lets me call him Gooby.

NATURE

2011-04-05T16:47:00.000-05:00

Every year.

EVERY STINKING YEAR.

I rave about how much I love Summer. And then the leaves change colors and scarves come out of closets and suddenly I remember how much I love Fall. And then it snows and I go on and on about how I love Winter. And then Spring happens. And my heart just gets so happy because really, what is better than 70 degree weather, sunshine, green things getting even greener, and birds chirping away?

Seriously, WHAT?

We spontaneously decided to go back to Columbus for the weekend. Spent most of the weekend outside. Here's the proof.

Lots-O-Links

2011-04-01T23:27:00.001-05:00

I love when I come across new blogs that inspire me to learn more about what it is that I love to do. This blogger/photographer is exactly the kind of blogger/photographer that I long to be like. Her work is not only inspiring, but absolutely stunning. You feel as though you are right there living life with these people in the pictures. They make you just....happy. My face literally started to hurt because I was just smiling so big while looking through her stuff. So yes, all of that and the fact that I absolutely love her philosophy. She's my new favorite.

Here's another link for you. My husband has been playing drums in Skypiper for the last year and a half and they are in the midst of recording their second album but need some help financially. This is a really neat idea and I think it'd be swell if you could check it out and maybe pledge a buck or two. If you'd like to listen to more of their music, click here.

That's all.

Weekend

2011-03-28T10:29:00.000-05:00

Weekends are so great when they consist of these things.

"Poop in a Bucket"

2011-03-24T23:31:00.001-05:00

I think everybody can be really weird. And those people who say "they just aren't" are totally, flat out lying. And they are weird because they lie about how weird they really, truly are.

As for me??? Well, allow me to get a little weird right now.

I do/think a number of really weird things over and over and I can't explain why I do/think these things. Take for instance, the title of this post. When I am feeling quite scatterbrained and a bit disheveled, I sing the words "Poop in a Bucket" to the tune of "I Have a Pickle"(yes, from Little Rascals) in my head. Over and over and over. I sometimes catch myself murmuring it under my breath at the grocery store and have to quickly look around and make sure nobody heard me.

Poop in a bucket
Poop in a bucket
Poop in a bucket
HEY HEY HEY HEY!

I told you I was weird. And why it's "poop in a bucket" is ABSOLUTELY beyond me. Maybe when I started doing this, I just thought..."Hmmmm, what's the stupidest thing I could sing that makes little to no sense and is mildly gross but still okay if my mom catches me singing it?" I've even tried to come up with some smart, witty justification that's all..."Blah blah blah I'm just worrying or thinking about too much stuff that doesn't matter. You know...stuff like poop in a bucket." When in all reality, if there was, in fact, poop in a bucket near me I WOULD be thinking about it. And wondering why I'm near it and who exactly put it there. Sick.

And folks, I'm only skimming the surface of my weird. Maybe I'll turn this into a weekly post. You know, something like "Your Weekly Weird with Bethany!"

Okay, I'm stopping before I post something more embarrassing.

Next week: My recurring thought of eating a bowl full of hair with milk....as if it were cereal.

Boys! Continued!

2011-03-22T12:55:00.001-05:00

These boys are just so fun and I enjoy sharing my days with them. There are PLENTY more pictures here.

Boys!

2011-03-19T16:49:00.000-05:00

I took some photos of the boys I nanny for on Thursday. It was so fun. We basically just carried on with our day like we usually do, only I had my camera with to catch every moment. There are PLENTY more to come...but I'll leave you with this for now!

To Read..

2011-03-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

So my good friend Becky wrote a really great blog. You can read it here. It pretty much sums up my frustrated feelings towards Facebook and social media in general. What a weird day we live in.

Phontos

2011-03-11T22:44:00.000-06:00

So one of my favorite games is to give people a caption and then have them create the photo. If that is a game...I don't care. I will always laugh. And tonight was one of the best photo nights. Plus, I needed a good excuse to check out Instagram's new tilt shift feature.

Here you go!

You are a misunderstood pizza artist.

It's your first time listening to Cher.

You just found out that your job is transferring you to Calgary, Alberta and you don't own a coat. Or a pair of pants.

You just walked into the wrong bathroom.

*my favorite* You were just informed that you will be carrying the Olympic torch, only to find out seconds later, they mistook you for your twin brother.

And then there's this one. I can't remember the caption...but I like it.

Have a grood weekend!

blogs make you feel like blargh

2011-03-05T20:15:00.001-06:00

In this last week I've read a lot of different articles about blogging. The most fascinating one was about the Mormon mommybloggers that I (along with many other women, as it would appear) happen to follow. And I came away with an overwhelming feeling of selfishness. Since my blog is not really a specific kind of blog (ie. mommyblog, photography blog, technology, celebrity gossip) I asked myself why I write and share the things I do with you...the few who read this. And if I were to answer this as honestly as possible it would be this: to make you think I've got my crap together and generally have a wonderful life.

Wow. I cringed as I typed that.

Because, let's be honest, that is the farthest thing from the truth. There are times when I feel as though I am blessed far beyond what I deserve and enjoy sharing that with others in hopes that it encourages them, but I sincerely hope it doesn't come off as "braggy" or "look at me! look at me!". There are also times where I am forced to learn things about myself through difficult situations. And I think that trying to paint those situations in a better/prettier light is being dishonest. The truth is, I struggle with lots of things and sometimes I can have an ugly heart. My hope is that I can share both the good and the bad with you. And we can enjoy the good and learn and grow from the the bad. :)

I enjoy taking pictures and documenting my life...though I find now that I'm rarely in any pictures. I also enjoy looking at other people's pictures and getting a glimpse into their life. Sometimes, I find that pictures speak more than I ever could. So I don't think I'll ever stop posting them. Sorry! :)

Uncle Allen giving Harper her first tennis lesson. What else are you supposed to do with a furniture-less room?

2011-03-02T22:24:00.001-06:00

all winter we got carried
oh way over on the rooftops
let's get married
all summer we just hurried
so come over
just be patient
and don't worry

Honesty

2011-02-24T22:18:00.000-06:00

Every once and awhile I'll write one of those self-revelation, introspective, personal posts. You know, the ones in which I have an "AhhhhHAA!" moment that, in turn, solves the feeling of woe or personal strife that I seem to be experiencing. Except for today. I have not yet reached that moment. And it's really making me feel lousy.

I think it's the fact that I don't generally like being in "moods" like this that makes it more difficult. I enjoy being happy. I enjoy being an optimist. I try to be cheerful because let's face it, nobody wants to hang around an Eeyore. Think about it. You've been in one of those situations. Where almost everybody is having a good, good time except for that one person. You know it and so does everybody else. And you just keep wondering why they have to be so down? And then you get all down. Yeah. So yes, since I don't like feeling like this I usually try to get myself out of the slump. And fast. Today I wrote down every thought that bothered me whenever it came up. Here are a few.

Why are some people so difficult to love?

Why does God allow us to feel the things we do when we do?

How come people are hurtful?

Why is Facebook a priority for me?

How come relationships/friendships become more difficult as time goes on?

Why must our parents get old?

Those are probably the only ones blog-worthy. And I guess I don't really know why I'm sharing all of this with you, because I don't want your answers to all of those questions. I suppose it's my way of asking for prayer without straight up asking for it. Which I just basically did.

The picture below is super emo and I don't care. at. all. I took this first semester of my freshman year of college in 2006. I was so sad that entire semester until December 10, when I first spoke to Allen. Anyways, it's a pretty accurate description of how I'm feeling today.

lovely things

2011-02-19T18:10:00.000-06:00

Sunshine, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, and daisies.