finding the one...

I am on a mission. A mission to find the perfect perfume. You know, a signature fragrance... the one. I should have put this on my 30 by 30 list. It is much more difficult than I expected. When it comes to fragrances, I'd say I'm pretty sensitive. Therefore, I'm looking for something very light and floral. Maybe even something a little fruity? For the majority of my life, I have been a "spritz" girl. I'm a huge fan of Bath & Body Works sprays. They're light and unobtrusive. But I've decided that a grown woman should have a signature scent... and it should come in the form of a glass bottle (not a plastic one).

However, purchasing a signature perfume is a major committment. Seriously. You go in those perfume stores, try like 20 different scents, smelling coffee beans in between, give yourself a migrain, take a dozen of those little perfume-sprayed cards home with you, realize everything smells the same now that you're home, not to mention that you've absolutely ruined your sense of smell (and the purse that you put all the perfumed cards in). Then, you run the risk of actually spending $60 on a bottle of perfume, only to realize that once you start wearing it, you hate it. See what I mean? Total committment.

But today, dear friends, I think I have come up with two potential contestants for my signature scent...

1) Burberry Summer. It is light, somewhat floral, and not overbearing. Added bonus- pretty bottle.






2) Gucci Envy Me. It is light and sweet smelling. A fun flirty scent.

Any other recomendations out there? I've had a couple of girlfriends recommend D&G's Light Blue and am thinking about adding it to my list. But until I decide to take the plunge and commit, I will stick with my go-to scent... Warm Vanilla Sugar. Can't go wrong there.

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Ahi Tuna. And not just any ahi tuna... specifically the ahi tuna Lance and I ate this weekend at Felix's in Mobile, AL. AMAZING. We ordered it as our appetizer and then realized we should have ordered it as our main meal... and dessert. Yes, it was that good. They had this special horseradish sauce drizzled over the top, that Lance and I proceeded to finish with our table's saltine crackers. We weren't about to let any of this stuff go to waste. We're classy, I know.

2) This blog. Elise Blaha's blog is really the first blog I started obsessively reading. I'm not really sure how I stumbled upon her site, because I have absolutely no relationship with this girl, and don't know her from one end or the other, but I'm pretty sure we're kindred spirits. Super cute.

3) Capri pants. I guess really I am thankful for the warm weather that has allowed me to pull my capri's out of spring clothes storage. But I do adore capri's. I'm really hoping this fashion trend sticks around for a while. You have to understand, see I'm pretty tall, and I'm 90% legs, so finding a good pair of long pants is practically impossible sometimes. But lucky for me, capri's are supposed to be short. Brilliant.

story of the beard...

So, as some of you may have read last Thursday, my husband was recently growing a small forest on the bottom half of his face. I'm not exactly sure what sparked this sudden passion for the mountain man look, or when his bearded-mission began. I think it was sometime in fall when Lance announced he was swearing off shaving. I tried my best to put on my best smile and sound supportive. See, the thing is... I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about a full-blown beard. As the holidays started approaching, we had several people ask if Lance was playing Jesus this year in our church's Christmas production. We even had someone suggest that he dye his beard white and play Santa. You have to have a pretty awesome beard to get offers like that.

Well, I'm not sure what changed the mountain man's mind... but last Wednesday night, Lance all of a sudden got out the trusty Wahl clippers and started shaving away. It was funny to hear the different remarks after he shaved (especially from his students). Some were really disappointed to see it go (mostly guys) and some expressed their enthusiasim with, "you finally shaved!" (mostly girls).

And while I wasn't terribly sad to see the beard go, I do have to admit, it was starting to grow on me (not literally growing on me). I could tell Lance was having mixed emotions about parting with his beard, so I thought this might help...

And I do. I love him with or without beard.

jenn & ty got hitched...

... and we couldn't be more thrilled! More pictures coming soon!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Jordan!

hello fairhope, alabama...

So, Lance and I are on our way to beautiful Fairhope, AL to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of this lovely couple...

Jennifer and Ty will say "I do" tomorrow and I get be the official photographer for their wedding! I am beyond excited. I mean, seriously, look at my photo subjects... they will make my job pretty dang easy. After this weekend, I will be able to scratch off number 9 (photograph my first wedding) on my 30 by 30 list. I will share a sneak peak of the lovebirds ASAP.

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) These clippers. For those of you that have seen my husband the past 4 months, you know that he has been growing a small animal on his face. And while, I love him regardless of his mountain-man beard, I can't say I was incredibly sad to see it go. I told him I forgot what the bottom half of his face even looked like. This momentous occasion probably deserves a post all of it's own... more soon. Welcome back babe, good to see your face again.

2) Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies. Specifically chocolate chip. And preferably warm and gooey. They are soooo delicious. And lucky for me, there is a Burger King right down the street from my office that serves warm-melt-in-your-mouth-chocolate-chip-cookies. And also lucky for me, I just started a new gym membership.

3) Mani/Pedi day. This past weekend I went to my favorite nail salon with one of my favorite friends. It was so nice to enjoy a girl's day and a much needed manicure and pedicure. I mean, how can you pass up being pampered while catching up with good friends?? Thanks Elizabeth for a special Saturday.

happy st. patrick's day!

I did a little research this morning on Saint Patrick and the meaning of March 17th... It turns out St. Patrick's day is much more than a drunken celebration of green beer, parades, and shamrocks. According to my online research, Saint Patrick was actually born in Britain, but was kidnapped by the Irish when he was 16. He escaped captivity and fled back to Britain, however, later in life he felt called by God to retun to Ireland to save the Irish. By this time, Patick was a bishop... he was well-respected by the wealthy, while being a friend to the poor. He often used the ever-so-popular shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish. Saint Patrick spent nearly 30 years dedicating his life to sharing the love of Christ to the people of Ireland before he died on March 17, 461 AD.

Interesting how God plays such a crucial role in our traditons and celebrations. Yet, often times, we are completely unaware of His presence or choose to push Him aside all together.

"I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."

- John 5:24 NLT

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (in the truest form)

project organization :: craft closet

One of the items on my 30 by 30 list is "clean out the craft closet." Now, I realize to some of you, this may seem strange to have an entire space in your house dedicated to craft supplies and art projects... some of you may even be thinking, "what a valuable waste of space!" But oh contraire... it is quite the opposite. I must admit, for me, this amazingly huge walk-in closet is what sealed the deal when Lance and I were looking for a rental. When I stepped inside, it seemed to entice and whisper, "Just think how many supplies I can hold... the possibilities are endless." And it is so true. With it's floor to ceiling shelves, and perfect width (where my little desk just happens to fit precicely), this closet just begs to be used for a greater purpose.

When Lance and I moved in to this little house in August, my sister graciously took on the responsibility of unpacking the craft closet boxes. She did an amazing job. She did in 2 hours what would have taken me days. You see, I'm slightly OCD when it comes to stuff like this. I think and rethink where each item should go. "Should scrapbook paper go on the 3rd shelf or the 4th shelf?" "Should stamps be in the front of the closet or the back?" "Should wrapping paper be stored vertically or horizontally?" See what I mean? Sometimes I think I prefer organizing my supplies more than actually using them. So, when I say, "Clean out the craft closet," what I really mean is rearrange and sort according to my crafting needs. I am also hoping to purge A LOT. I want to put a lot of unused craft items in the massive yard sale I plan on having in a month or so (see footnote).

So, even though to the naked eye, the above picture looks like a pretty well organized craft closet... I have big plans for this bad boy. I started a little this past weekend and will update you on my progress soon. But I would love to hear any suggestions or ideas that you may use to organize your own home.

*footnote: MASSIVE YARD SALE COMING IN APRIL. If you live in the Habersham area, start getting excited.

spring forward sucks.

That's right, I said it. It totally sucks. I know that some of you will use the popular argument, "It stays light so much later now, I love it!" However, I've decided that the people that use this argument are either, a) college students about to go on spring break, or b) people that don't have to be at work until 10am.

What it means for the rest of us... is that when the clock says 5:30am, your body is feeling 4:30am, which is too dang early. It means your morning commute to work is done in the dark. It means you need an extra shot of caffine to stay awake during your commute. It means you will stay up later (because it is light longer) and 5:30am will come all too early again. It's a vicious cycle.

snip, snip

Yep, it was about that time... A sad day for these little guys... losing their manhood. I dropped them off bright and early at the vet today, and they were not excited. Not at all. Before I left, one of the little guys had already bit one of the vet assistants, and I could hear someone shout in the back room, "Tracey, get the cat gloves!"

Well, you wouldn't be very happy either, now would you?