Tuesday, December 18, 2012

so today [er, yesterday] i was at a birth...

monday, december 17 2012

my sister's a doula, and i sometimes get picked for birth photography by lucky people who want such a wonderful thing at their blessed event of a new bebe.

see? sweet bebe. :)

and bebe feet. :)
that's all you get because i can't give you any more for public viewing.

and i had two full cups of douwe egberts coffee at the hospital with cream and sugar to get through it. also...maybe 2 chocolate puddings in the fridge there. ahem. sustenance was needed! ;)

...our before and after faces. lol. at 8:30ish with caramel and butterscotch americanos in hand, and afterwards with memories and hours under our belt.
we were at the hospital from 8:30am-4pm.
then, on the way home, we found the greatest coffee shop ever....and it's only been open since june.....and i didn't take my camera out of the car and into this place with me because i had no idea what awaited us besides much-needed coffee and carbs.......and it's in a town 20 minutes from us that we hardly ever get over to, unless its little theater has a movie we want to see -- then we go there, because it's only $6 freaking dollars a ticket.

anyways.
it's 11:23pm right now, and i'm crashing, and i knew i shouldn't have put that teabag named "sleepytime" in my cup if i wanted to stay up easily till justin gets home from work so we can skype a little bit. hopefully.
skype is great. especially when you miss seeing the favoritest faces in the world.
mhmmm...

so around 1:30pm, our lady in labor at the hospital got an epidural...and anna and i went out in the hall to wait for the sterile procedure to be done. tubes stuck into spines isn't exactly what i wanted to see anyways.
so anna texted.
and i did lunges in my yoga pants and cozy flat winter boots [they look russian and they're black; they're not uggs, just an fyi to certain people, lol!] and stretches and pushups with a twist against the hand rails in the labor & delivery room hallway. haha.
it was grand. and those lunges? gosh they feel good. just don't let your knee go over your toe. you know what they say about that....lol.

tuesday, december 18
today's snow. can you see it?
oh yeah. that's the lightbulbs. sorry. lol.
it flurried....then kinda went away. :P i hope it's a white christmas. :)
the end.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

life update, anyone?


this was the sunset today, the end of my 10-5 day at my favorite rustic furniture shop... ;)

this was one of mom's inspirational finds at b&n the other night.
[engagement pictures that my awesome sister, rach, took of us 11/24 on the most freezing day ever, after thanksgiving was warm and in the mid-50's...we took pictures on a day that ended up being around 30.
and add windchill. and some pictures taken at sunset by a lake. hah!! torture. lol.]
lately i've been figuring out venue choices and pros and cons with mum and a couple other valuable perspectives who are of great help. :)

almost time to unveil a date. almost. ;)

suspense is awesome, right?
it's grand tension.
a very grand sort indeed....
after i worked 10-5 at the store, i closed up and went straight to babysitting a sweet little one, K, and her two older siblings...5:30-9.
i got home at 9:30 and it's the strangest thing to look at the clock and see "10:35pm"...
when i normally get home around 5:30.
oddest feeling ever.
but gotta love having work.
and saving money.
and buying christmas gifts.
and splurging on oneself.
heh. :)

Sunday, December 2, 2012

checking in. :P


this is me during a spare moment or two at work. [i've been working a lot lately. though no wifi. or i might, by chance, post some rambles. oh well.]
me and my webcam.
i have to admit, we had fun.
a little bit each day. lol.
a lot on my mind today.
that's when i get a cup of water and sit down to pin things only relevant to tmi for future stuff.
helps take the brain off things.
that's why all the house and birth pins. apologies. i find that stuff interesting. i knew i was weird before; you don't have to tell me through your computer screen. i heard you. ;)

anyways. just wanted to say hi. :)
and....i want to try all of the pioneer woman's recipes and not get fat at all from the experience. lol.

Monday, November 26, 2012

dreads? ow?

so....it's 7:12 pm and rachel is dreading my hair.
one dread, she says.
it's okay, you can take it out later, she says.
ohmygosh, it looks so awesome, she says.
i feel it with my fingers. it feels weird. it's sticking out away from my head, peoples.
it feels like it looks weird, i say.
noooooo, it looks pretty good, she says!
take it out right now, i say.
no...you actually have to take it out right before you take a shower because you'll need to rub conditioner in it to get it out, she says.
so i sigh.
it's kind of bringing on a slight headache on the left side of my head where she's working.
she's done a couple dreads on herself; her long hair....
it's fun and interesting doing dreads on someone else, she says.
well, that's nice. :D
ow.
 obviously, i don't --and won't-- look like this. ahem.
i like the look of dreads on some people.
i'm eccentric like that.
but on my? with my hair this short, and dreads making it even shorter?
spare me.
sigh again.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

it's a pie kind of night.

i made apple pie tonight.
it's justin's favorite....and i'm just glad i'm testing out my skills making it, because i've only made it a few times so far in my life......probably once a year, each fall with all the apples we get from one of the local orchards.

and let me just say.....
it's really one of the best things to ask how the pie is and hear things like
i think there's just enough sugar in it.
i think there's just enough salt in it.
there could be a little more butter in it. [says the person who loves butter a little more than the normal butter-loving people out there. ;) ]
i've developed a solid taste for softer, acoustic-style music, but today it's been three days grace as i peeled apples with caleb....red as i sliced the apples. rise against as i mixed up a lazy crumble topping for the pies instead of rolling out crust. i haven't bridged into underoath yet tonight....just going back in the archives of rise against.....but it may come yet. lol.

i ran a little over a mile with my awesome, younger siblings, caleb and rach.
ran...then walked a bit....then ran more. i got a side stitch, or else i would've ran the whole time, obviously. :P
i'd have to say my favorite part was the yoga-related stretching before and after the running/walking....
the lightly-chocolate protein shake that caleb made for him, rach and i was not to my liking but i drank it down anyways because they said i'd be more sore if i didn't partake. oy.

next up in my night: making a minestrone soup for tomorrow lunch so i don't have to do anything but warm it up when we get home from church. :)
and.....clean this kitchen.

i have a feeling i may be sleeping really good tonight.......

but first, let's burn the butter that's heating up, waiting for onions and soup fixings first.
this is a great start to the rest of the evening.

sigh.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

right. yeah. a different path.

i wish i could give everyone a good old random blog post, or something of interest to discuss or give an opinion on like the good old days of blogging regularly....
but i realized i'm still walking a certain path that's leading uphill right now. and has been for quite a few months.
it's a good road, but heck if it isn't showing me things about myself and changing me slowly...
God knows it's time i take time and realize what i'm learning and exactly the ways i still need to grow up and bloom in.

so....i'm not going to promise any blog posts anytime soon.
because i can't, obviously.
and i don't want to.
all i can muster these days is some pictures and a summarization and a stupid promise, anyways.
Add caption

i'm hitting pause here, but still reading blogs and commenting.
i need to make it through this certain path of uphill journey.
growing into myself.

[btw, i recommend reading this post of honesty and adventure by kelsey. it's inspiring to me.]
photo by pj :)
We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.
[Eleanor Roosevelt]

Thursday, October 11, 2012

5 things about today.


1. ohmyword! the smell of coffee grounds is absolutely amazing.
tomorrow would be one week since i've brewed it at home.
i  fell sick with a funky cold last friday....had a cup at church on sunday; had an americano at caribou coffee after wedding dress shopping monday night; and had a cup of coffee at church again wednesday night.
but there's truly nothing like brewing your own.
my word.

2. the reese boy. anna usually nannies this boy, but she's gone on a roadtrip to minnesota with two of the other siblings --my favorites: the hilarious ones, caleb and rach, until next wednesday.
this boy is playing with duplos. it's quiet time. he's 3. twenty minutes till he goes home with his daddy. we just got home from a 40 minute outing at the park. fresh air, warmer than our past week has been even though it's windy. [i'm putting up my hopes for an indian summer...]
he has shown me today exactly how hilarious and cute boys can be...you know, instead of just dangerous and quirky as i'd viewed them before. heck, i look forward to maybe having a boy or two.....maybe. especially if they're as cute as my love. ;) the world is so huge and detailed and simple to them all at once. i never knew a balloon could be explained like that before this morning.
...but when it comes to bathroom matters [like this one time today, for instance!], that's where it'll truly get fun. i have a feeling that might be one of my least favorite things about having kids...........
Source: tumblr.com via Alba on Pinterest
3. i'm going swing dancing tonight, with ben and martha. [since anna's gone. gone. gone.]
we're gonna have fun without her. she'll be swing dancing at her own friends-of-friends swing dancing hall tonight or tomorrow with a whole new crowd. heh.

4. chicken curry for dinner? sounds fantastic. over quick brown rice. mhmmm.
5. mum and i have been discussing and looking at tutorials for birdcage veils. i like the idea of one based on a headband. not a clip with a flower, or bobby pins...obviously i'm not having an elaborate updo; my hair won't be that long by then. lol. and not too much poufing. and not too much flowery embellishment. heh. i can't wait to make one! it's amazing the cost difference between $100-$200, or diy with things you can get from joann's or michael's for a total of under $30. heck. yeah.
[btw, did i mention that i found a dress monday night? yes. yes. yes. i like it a lot, and am so happy with my choice.]

p.s. coffee is good. and it's great to be able to taste it again. mmmm.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

weddings and crap like that.



last night i had a weird dream.
part of it, i believe, was inspired by martha's detailed description of her date with ben out at this runway style show thing the other night.
my dream?
it included her picking out some horrendous rusty aubergine and gag-me shade of forest green dresses that cost somewhere between $200-$300 for us bridesmaids to buy and wear at their wedding.
thankfully....it's illogical and weird, considering she's trying her hardest to find a decent-priced, maybe swing-dancy, hopefully blue [maybe not] dress for us all to wear. lol.

it's fun.
weddings are fun.
just the teensiest bit of sarcasm in that. everyone who's been in or starred in or done a lot of background stuff in at least 1 or 2 weddings knows what i'm talking about, right? lol...

speaking of which....something exciting is happening tomorrow, and i can't post pictures. :P the ladies in my family, a few friends who are bridesmaids, and a super close family friend who is so adopted in [sarah;]...we are going dress shopping for me. [at david's bridal.]
yes.
dress.
shopping.
......super mucho fun. :)
i know quite a few women who went only with their mom or maybe one friend to dress shop, but with a few of our close friends [jen, heather, pj] it was the bride-friend and 2-7 girlfriends who were going to be in the wedding. all sitting outside of the dressing room....
so with that in mind, it seemed great in the past with those other many-persons-attending experiences......just hoping [last minute] that it'll be fine and cool and wonderful tomorrow night......
all i know is i need a lot of tea and rest today, and bring plenty of lozenges and wear something cute and comfy tomorrow. lol.

but now, for your amusement and contemplation and thought/input pleasure, here you go...
my status/question:
...what r.e.a.l.l.y. matters in the planning of a wedding?
        KB: Being authentic.....
        AL: Not to drive yourself crazy with it, because when the day comes, yes it will be great....but all you will really want is to get it done and be a Mrs. It's sounds harsh, and no, I ...See More
        ER: Saying how your heart feels thru your vows, and being yourself! After helping plan 2 weddings and working on another one, I've come to realize simplicity is the best. Don't run yourself ragged stressing about details!
        SE: you, justin, a preacher, a witness, and a marriage license.
        RLG: keeping your priorities straight. it helps if you divide everything into three catergories:
        1. bare bones can't live without
        2. nice to have but not necessary to life
        3. things that'd be nice to have but if you don't they won't be missed
        for me, photography is definitely in the bare bones can't live without category. favors for every table however, are not. it helps a lot with budgeting and saves you so many headaches you get from dealing with things that don't even matter anyway. i learned so much from planning a wedding the first time that i swear i'm going to have the simplest wedding ever... but i know it will be the most important things that me and my fiance will want. and it'll be much more stress free that way. just focus on what's important to you and your man and what really matters. not just that day, but what will you remember 10, 20, 50 years from that day? focus on those things and it'll truly be a celebration with moments that will last you a life time, instead of just an event you've worked on for months and is over in a few hours.
        ER: Honestly, think about how many weddings you've been to and remember every single last detail. not very many! Just let it be beautiful and fall together :-)
        CM: not flowers, dear. not flowers. they don't last. (but ♥ does!)
        SM: what YOU and JUSTIN want and think matters...
        SE: we got our marriage license the morning we got married (it's not allowed in illinois but it is in hawaii). we got married on the beach - the location was amazing, but it was where j was stationed. he wore clothes he already had - a white button down with sleeves rolled, and khaki shorts. i wore a little white beach dress that i got for $30 online. his friend is a good photographer so i handed him my camera. that's all we did for our actual wedding. i'd never have it any other way.
        Me: SE, all i can say is a whole-hearted agreeing "mhmmmmm". :)
        PT: What do you think r.e.a.l.l.y matters?
        Me: to put it vaguely.......i guess you might all heart/see what i think really matters someday. ;)
        PT: Once you find THE dress all that other stuff mostly falls in place. It's the years after that you should really be preparing for and not sure you can do that... :-)
        JS You two, the people you care about, and whatever you feel makes the day feel special. :)
        JS: food and you guys but most of all what you two want for your wedding and not everybody around you :)
        GZM: This might sound crazy, but, letting other people have what they want is really one of the best ideas. You get your fiancé, you get the photos in the end, but if your dad loves lemon cake, for example, order the lemon cake as a gift to him, and you'll both have sweet memories; he'll have contributed and will be proud, and truly, it's only one piece of cake. You can order raspberry cheese cake on your honeymoon. Same goes for flowers, colors, dresses, shoes, seating, food, etc.

Friday, October 5, 2012

blue.

so, this one time i bought a button down.
from maurice's.
it felt amazing, was a different style that i normally delve into, and it was in my favorite color.
so of course i bought it. lol.



after maurice's, i walked to panera and sat down with a chai tea latte and an orange scone. mmmmm. then i drove mum home from our lovely run of errands, and here i am.

my throat feels funny. i need some tea. and a nap. :P

Monday, October 1, 2012

some good things.


this chocolate.
a gift from my love.

this coffee, freshly brewed just for this moment on this drowsy, quiet, overcast, fall afternoon.
the ring i bought for justin, about to head off to cali for an exchange. different size needed. it's an awesome ring. i can't wait for him to see it someday.
me, the other night --friday early a.m., 
photographing a birth my sister was the doula at :)
my hair is growing out! just a few more months and trims away from an even bob. :)
Source: whoorl.com via Beka on Pinterest
i like the idea of this 'do.
the length, the layers, the...haha...the wave.

letters.
in the special book of borrow-back-and-forth-between-visits to each other.
random kitchen time and conversations and teasing.
long walks wearing hoodies and holding hands.
talking, talking, more talking and laughing.
on a sidenote: long hugs, too.
Source: modcloth.com via Beka on Pinterest
these. cuteness.
considering how much i like the movie of captain america, one of our boys someday should get this. hahaha.
hmmm...love the ruffle. yes. yes.
love the style of this.

thus ends this post of grand things......isn't this almost like old times blogging? ;)

holy crap, it's autumn. :P


this morning.
i didn't have coffee, but i had him.
he left at a little before 9. here's a paragraph from around 11am.

out of coffee.
soon to be remedied.
i need it. bad. this morning needs it. bad.
my love left this morning with his little sister jacklyn.
without coffee to give even some slight sort of comfort, you can imagine how the morning's been.................

thankfully, within 20 minutes of that, we had coffee back in the house, and it lent a tad bit of sanity and coping to the morning.

how are all the trees suddenly mostly orange?!
time has... truly.... flown. holy freakin' crap.

any commentary on this? it's from my brain.:

struggle and challenge and less-than-ideal times/moments/circumstances 
are not meant to be [and cannot be] avoided.

it's all found in how we handle those times;
they are how we have become who we are.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

poblano peppers.

i just tried take a nap; for 40 minutes; unsuccessfully. what with a decently late night last night, and swing dancing tonight along with getting home at nearly 1am . . . i kind of wanted to take part of the luxury.
anyhow. that didn't work.
maybe i got enough sleep last night or something.
and maybe i'm excited; tomorrow, justin's coming up for the weekend. :)
could be both. lol.
today we went to the farmer's market.
i got 5 poblano peppers, 2 eggplants, and two huge bunches of kale all for the grand total of $7.
heck. yeah.
and the lady who sold it all to us told us how she likes to prepare these wonderful, mild-to-medium heat peppers, which in the first place  i'd never heard of before. 
[i don't remember how much the chunk of gouda was, though....]
stuffed poblano peppers....i'm looking forward to making them.
when i do, shall post a picture and let you all know how it turned out.
i have plans for some yummy soups in this next week. ones i've never made before myself.
i can't wait. it's totally soup weather again. :)

do you like soup? what's your favorite??

Friday, September 21, 2012

a particular process of tiredness for a certain person.

friday, september 21, 2012
10:30pm

the tired phases of beka marie:

1. someone asks me how i am, and i tell them in weird metaphors.
take, for instance, this texted conversation of mine with justin:

him: how are you, my love?
me: i....i feel exhaustified. like a jellyfish in a pot of hot water after being a beluga whale swimming around the ocean all day.
weird metaphors are a DEFINITE sign of my tiredness. i'm not quite coherent.
but hey, i didn't have any typos. i'm not quite that tired yet i guess. :P
...ahem...this is what you get to look forward to living with. lol.
his reply was sweet, nonetheless. undeniably so. 
undeservedly so. ♥

2. laziness.
then i gather my energies from stray corners of my mind [yes, it is square...er, something like that. of course.]
and something amazing happens.
:)

3. frustration. edging towards choice words.
i was boxing this bugger lovely canvas up, and because it's been a while since i've sold a larger canvas like this, i had forgotten exactly how easily frustrating it can be to make a custom box for it.
because there are no boxes in the size and shape of exactly what i need....i have to cut down huge boxes and tape it around the canvas and its bubble wrap, etcetera.
well.....tonight, it was uber frustrating.
i have decided --in the heat of the moment, of course; because that is the best time to make decisions that effect other people, hahaha!-- that i am going to hike the price for my remaining large canvases because they cause me so much stress and it takes so bloody long [more than half hour] to wrestle the box into the exact freaking shape and size i need it, not to mention taping it all securely and it ending up slightly decently attractive too. :P that last part doesn't happen. i just make sure the canvas will get there safely.
i was about to pull my hair out when the one side of the box came untaped for the 2nd or 3rd time of my trying so hard to get it to cooperate. [i love painting. any size canvas. but shipping it? and prepping it for that? oh my word. no.]
mom just looked over at me from her sewing machine and smiled sympathetically. "just do it one thing at a time."
"i am doing it one side at a time!" gritted teeth. "but it's not working." urgh.
yes. frustration. my companion of the night.
i am so done with these huge canvases. i mean, it's not even that big!! but i am definitely charging more for any big ones like this.
[mom looked over and laughed when she heard my fingers clicking away quite fiercely on the keyboard, typing this post. and i nearly let that "post" be spelled "poast". i have reached the final stage.]

4. typos. they finally happen. sentences start to get flipped around. words get letters added to them like they mean something else. or absolutely nothing at all.
dear God, i need sleep.


sigh.
i have forgotten how therapeutic blogging is.

ciao.

this: my wednesday.

this was my friday.
and a favorite song.
8:30am skype date.
my skype date is super freaking amazing and talented. ohboy. you can't even imagine. :)
then, because i had cute socks on [thanks, love;)] . . . and because a brother was nearby, i took a few pictures before we headed out to visit grandpa in the hospital before he had surgery.
does ben look like a creeper? maybe he didn't get enough sleep. lol
me and the brother.
fall is starting to be really noticeable all of a sudden.
sigh. pretty orange leaves. my my.
:)
because my skills were requested for birth photography of a lady anna is a doula for anytime soon . . .
this picture ^^ makes me laugh. of course, i'm not the one pregnant and impatient and growing a little human and so ready to be done and see the precious sweetie. heh.
speaking of patience...and hippie-ness....hahaha. here. the due date debacle. i figure it's best to prepare one's mindset even before babies are seriously on the horizon. [laughing]
interesting, no?

anyhow! it's too late for any of you who liked my c.s. lewis painting...it sold the other night. :) :) :)
i'll make another sometime. don't worry.
it'll be grand.
i plan on doing some j.r.r. tolkien quotes very soon so that excited people can buy some awesome art inspired by the hobbit coming out in december. :)

Thursday, September 20, 2012

i have hacked the system. i am back.

i finally figured out how to keep my email open in one tab, and blogger account open in another.
or maybe google just loosened its power grip on stupid quirks that annoy the freaking heck out of sweet, down to earth people like me. ;)

i love the icarus account.
i first heard "favorite girl" at a wedding a couple months ago, and swing danced to it with caleb.
let me tell you, that song was dang fun to dance to.

sigh.
anna made these today: a basic recipe of betty crocker's toffee bars.
with pecans chopped on top....then, she made salted caramel to drizzle over top.
sigh again.
those things were illegal.
er, let me paint a picture for you....

anna: beka, did you see the heaven-for-your-mouth that i made?
me: ummmm...no?
anna: they're salted caramel chocolate toffee bars.
.... i guess that says it all. heh. :)

hope you all have a great thursday night.
i'm off to dinner with some friends and one of my uncles who lives in the area...and swing dancing! and a late night! ow...really really really looking forward to that coffee in the morning. :P ;)

life & people: thoughts in my head.

Mixed-Media: You Are Living Your Story



i adore this piece of art by lauren at ladaisi blog.
the quote speaks to me more and deeper and clearer as time goes on.

...i've forgotten how to blog.
all i know now is quick updates once a month or less; a few sentences on what's happening lately for the sake of documenting a tiny, tiny bit of my life once in a blue moon.

i'm obsessed with this song.
it brings such peace to my heart every time i listen to it.
the truth is, it's on repeat. all the time. i need the reminder so much.
He never fails me.

something i've been thinking about lately is . . . no matter if we have a harder time of it in certain areas of our life compared to others, or have it [seemingly] easier, the fact is that it's our story. our life. and it may be different. or maybe we don't agree with something or think our way was better or they should've or could've done it our way or a better way... but they chose that path. and there are things to learn in the pain and challenge and beauty of our current [unique] paths that we won't learn any other way.
i can get stuck on thinking of ways i'd do something differently from someone else in my future, or thinking how my life is definitely going to be much different in certain ways and how some people may look down on something i do or how i do it, but eventually i realize that none of us are supposed to measure ourselves and our lives up to anyone else's, or their ideas and ideals.
that's not the point of life. it's not the point at all.
and when i remember that, and how we shouldn't be fixed on the pros and cons of people [or us] doing things right or wrong ways . . .
but rather letting it go with a we are all different, making different choices, not right or wrong mentality . . .
then i can finally know joy in my circumstances.
because they may be different, or in fact wrong or weird or out of line to someone else with a completely different life story and starkly contrasted life stand point, my life is what it is, and i'm learning and am being given things to realize and enjoy and struggle through . . . right here and now, there is something important going on.
there is a bigger picture outside of conversations in myself or with others figuring out the knots and twists of decisions we could all make in the future or have made in the past.
there is a bigger picture outside of the thing we're currently worrying about.
what is the good in front of us?
our circumstances will change; things do not stay the same.
so, what can we see, what can we find that will make this time more valuable instead of wishing it away or only feeling the challengingness of it?

what is the good in front of us? . . .

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

random catch-up for people who actually read and are interested in my life....heh. heh.

hi. :)
again.
crazy, huh? two freaking days in a row, beka? blogging?
who knew it could happen again.....wow. :P

well....here's some news.
march was the last time i had a 'real' haircut.

i can tuck it behind my ears mostly now!!
so exciting. :)
i'm growing it out. 
to about this length.
[this was taken in 2010]

we still swing dance.
this was on the way there last week.

a few weeks ago, my brother proposed to martha. they're getting married in march.
me and my sisters are all in the wedding, as well as several of martha's friends. :)
it's going to be epic. especially once we can all decide on a great bridesmaid's dress for us all to wear. blue. one style. hmmmmmm...... :)
as for justin and i, we haven't set a date yet.
but we're close.
closer than ever before.
plus, we've been getting to walk through and learn so much together right now, that we wouldn't have if we'd been planning/bringing about a wedding during this time. so thankful for how our story is unfolding.
:) but yeah.....we're throwing ideas around for a wonderful, down-to-earth, on-the-casual-side celebration including quite a few family and friends. :) it's going to be pretty sweet.

sunday night, i did henna for sarah, anna's sweet and awesome friend, and her two girls....and then sarah's boyfriend, kelly [a legit tattoo artist, haha], did henna for me.
they're all pretty cool, down-to-earth people. :) that was a really fun night, let me tell you. :)

a henna tattoo i did for sarah on her palm: ^
the other part of the henna project i did for sarah. :)
strangely enough, in the few years it's been since we discovered the awesomeness of henna tattoos, and the times i've done it for girlfriends when we get together, i've never done the palm, or the collar bone area.
so that was a first for me; having so much space to work with, challenging, but so much fun. and she loved it. so that's even more awesome. :)
i did anna's palm when we got home. :)
i also did my two younger sisters monday night....i'll have to post those pictures when i can. :)

also, in other life news, the 6th-10th of september, i got to go visit justin and his family. :)

we did awesome things like have chicken tacos with freshly made tortillas by my sweet future mother-in-law. :) :)


we went to an outdoor movie showing by a friend of theirs and freeze my butt off --but that was so much fun. ;) also, i got to see pj --my best friend, who is now --as of march-- an old married woman and soon to be a cute new mommy too. :)
...justin took this one:)
cate, jen & craig's cute little girly has [relatively;] warmed up to me these past few visits i've gotten to spend with them all. :) cutest niece [to-be] ever. :)
....and.....us. :)
she loves her uncle justin/bubby. it was hard to keep her in my arms when he was around. ;)
[read between the lines: he's super awesome.]

aaaaaand now google account is being stupid again.
saying i ran out of space for uploading pictures.
heh.
wonderful.
that's all for now, then!
see you around. :)
tonight: a sleepover with heath and steph and anna. [derek, heath's husband, is off on a business trip thing]
carrot cake [heather], cinnamon chip scones [me], a movie [steph], and girl time, here we come.... :) :)
yay!

what's new with you?
are you enjoying fall, now that it's basically here now to stay? :)