405 photography

...that there was no traffic on the way to the kings game monday night.  otherwise, i wouldn't have been able to take this ridiculous passenger self portrait.  also thankful that the fiance was the only one there to laugh at me, although i can't account for the opinions of other drivers.

a mail of a tale

...for addressed wedding invitations ready to mail out to family and friends.  and, you know, president and mrs. obama, governor and mrs. brown, and mickey and minnie mouse.  we're keeping our invite list small and intimate.

big shoes

...that i can hang my oversized stocking by the chimney front door with care, with hopes that st. nicholas soon will be here.  and cross my fingers that i'm on the nice list this year.  santa could easily get a puppy in there, right?

because it's rude to save seats

...for crossing off a wedding diy project.  table numbers may not be the most glamourous of matrimonial elements, but i was really happy with how these turned out.  bonus points to me for using extra wedding invites for this task.  darn you, vistaprint, for your 100 postcard minimum order.  good thing you make up for it with awesome sales.

giving santa a run for his money

                                                                                                                                                                             

...for stylish reindeer.  well played, rudolph.  show those other eight how it's done.

secret santas

...that i could help pack some holiday gift baskets and make some (completely random) donations of my own yesterday.  nerd alert, but baby wipes really are an all purpose tool. 

licking the cardboard

...for dessert themed birthday cards.  giant cupcakes may not be conducive to a fitted wedding dress, but a girl can dream. 

pretty in pink

...for my students who showed me some birthday love today.  clearly, an important lesson i have taught them this year is my love of pink.  i told them that other great gifts would be good listening and everyone doing their homework.  maybe for xmas :). 

toning without weights

...for instructional youtube videos.  while watching kandee johnson's diy wedding makeup tutorials (at home or pro?  to smoky eye or not to smoky eye?  decisions, decisions) the other day, she reminded me that i've had this impulse buy bottle of tonor in the back of my makeup cabinet for awhile now.  thanks to kandee, i know now that tonor goes on at night after you've washed your face in order to catch any makeup that didn't come off the first time around.  and surprisingly, there's a lot. 

coupon love

...for holiday coupons of all kinds and amounts.  40% off the craft item of my choice?  25% off a cute but overpriced coach handbag?  free underwear at victoria's secret?  yes, please.  now if wedding vendors would just hop on board this discount love train, i'd be an even happier girl. 

thanks and giving

...for two thanksgivings this year.  even though none of my immediate family came to tday #1, i'm thankful for aunts, uncles, cousins and wine.  and tday #2 was full of new family, wedding talk, more eating, and old photos full of fun hair and outfits.  the day after thanksgiving, i'm thankful for yoga, pjs, charlie brown holiday specials, and turkey leftovers.  i'm a lucky girl, indeed.     

passport to love

...for wedding related errands, especially those which bring me closer to the honeymoon and using my new soon to be last name.

a previous mugshot passport photo.  excited to travel, clearly.

wedding loveliness

...for my first wedding diy.  this relatively painless to-do makes me feel more optimistic about everything else in my wedding craftiness folder.  maybe i won't have to export those other projects to mom, after all. 

and jelly

yummy almonds + food processor = goodness

 

...to feed my innapropriate almond butter obsession by making my own.  homemade beats store bought any day, and homemade in my pajamas is the icing on the cake.  

it's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring

...for feeling so cozy inside on a cold, rainy day outside.  soft sweaters, steaming mugs of tea, and snuggly fiances make me a happy girl.

good morning, 7am

...that daylight savings time started this week.  the sun peeks out a little earlier, and i don't have to drive to work in the dark anymore.  i may feel like getting ready for bed at 5:30pm now, but that's another issue.

steal the bacon

...for multitaskers in the classroom.  innocent looking whiteboard eraser by morning, intense bacon to be stolen by rowdy middle schoolers after lunch.  also thankful for any silly p.e. game which encourages the use of a whistle.   

my superhero alter ego

...for friends who get it.

all the leaves are brown, and the sky is blue

...for a happy windsday.  i don't know if santa ana's were really what pooh and piglet were so worked up about, but i'll take my blustery day with a side of extra lipbalm.  

i want candy

...that i made my fiance hide all of our halloween candy in the garage until this afternoon.

if i had a nickel for every time i've overswept



...for the last few days of halloween decorations.  i've never lived in an area so full of holiday lovers.  look out, santa.  the pumpkins are giving you a run for your money.   

arrrrrrr!

...for the S.S. Ahoy Matey that lives a few streets over.  i sleep better at night, knowing he's there shooting cannons across the street at whatever dragon lives inside the castle.  because rogue dragons just won't do at all on the mean streets of OC.      

see you next fall

...for such a beautiful day in the (work) neighborhood.

drive by snapping

...that our neighbors take halloween so seriously, and that i find myself stalking other streets on friday nights.

afternoons

...for reminders that once i'm home, nothing that seemed upsetting four hours ago really deserves any more of my time.  i can choose to waste energy worrying.  or, i can take a nap, read a magazine, and get over it.  

wagon full of gnomes

...for the garden store.  while the boy carefully chooses plants and deliberates over fertilizers, i find joy in seasonal displays and wicker patio furniture.  reminds me of watching david the gnome on nickelodeon as a kid.  go, swift, go!

body talk

...for the posters in the nurse's office.  you learn something new everyday.

mmm...brain pudding.

an eggy, meaty, cheesy, beany mash-up that will give me big guns?  yes, please.

first impressions

...that when i am having a meltdown moment at work, i can look at the art wall so zen in blue.  i guess i'm really thankful to august renoir, for painting amazing pictures that inspire school children everywhere.

maria and snake

...for the newest additions to our family.  we may not be ready for kids yet, but we're ready for indoor plants.  mostly.  maybe i'll let the boy be in charge of these.

blame it on the rain

...for cozy scarves and cold medicine.  because the only thing worse than rainy day schedule at school is the accompanying rainy day pounding in my sinuses. 

it looked like spilt milk

...because even though i'm turning 30 this year, i am still amused at clouds that double as monsters with party hats. 

i say tomato

...for starting dinner last night with tomatoes from the garden.  even if the "garden" is a plastic tub in our driveway.  small spaces are the new chic. 

the day after thursday

...for friday.  rebecca black had it right.  awkward and annoying, but right.  oo-ooh-ooh, hoo yeah, yeahyeah.

paparazzi

...that even on a cloudy day like today, i can still enjoy big sunglasses.  and thanks to corey hart, i can wear them at night, too.