Wednesday, August 31, 2011

i surrender irene

i find it kind of funny that my last post
was about surrendering
to the summer heat'
when this past weekend
i learned the full meaning of surrendering;
from natural disasters, traveling SNAFUs
{basically being stuck in ny 3 extra days}
and lots of other ridiculousness beyond my control
HA! that's pretty much everyday life-right?
but more on that later
until then
i leave you with a song
by the late and talented
Gil Scott Heron
the title seems appropre
:-)
New York Is Killing Me
XO-AV

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

i surrender

for real yall'
i'm waving a white flag to surrender the summer
i can't take the heat anymore
i need fall and winter to come quick

i'm ready for stacks of cardigans and sweaters

for snuggly blankets
and lots of cuddling
for campfires and smores
and for long hair(grow faster dang it)
and blazers, jackets and scarfs!
it's an official summer surrender
is anyone else as done as i am?
stay cool lovelies!
xo-av

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

wedding time

taylor and i are attending a wedding this weekend
in cooperstown, new york
we are so excited for the ceremony
which will be held at the
otesaga resort

on the southern shore of lake otsego
oh so fancy-right?!

for the ceremony, the guests are encouraged
to wear seersucker& outlandish hats?!
HA!
so fun
this is my dream dress
(i'm actually wearing something i already have)
and i LOVE the hat she's sporting
i guess that would be as outlandish as i get
besides the fabulous wedding
the weekends' festivities also include
a tour of ommegang brewery-taylor is sooo excited!
volleyball tournament at the lake
a ride in a pontoon boat on otsego lake
the welcome bbq dinner the night before the wedding
and get this......
after the wedding/reception there will be a quote
'karaoke showdown'
at the otesaga's hawkeye bar
now thats' my kind of PAR-TAY!

can't wait- i will for sure take lots of pictures
to share with you all
have a great day!
xo-av


Monday, August 22, 2011

dear coffee,

dear coffee,
I LOVE YOU!
our relationship started about a year ago
i would entertain the thought of you
in the mornings
here and there
but we became truly involved;
HAD THE OFFICIAL DTR
when my favorite barista
aka husband
began making you every morning for me
then i became hooked

recently though...it has come to my attention
that i may need to cut back
{gasp}
i know the horror!
life is also too short to live without
YOU
there is no way i could turn you down
when you are chemix made
BUT
i am just cutting back
we aren't taking a break per se
just maybe taking some time apart
but please don't be sad
for you will always be dear to my heart!

yours truly,
av

Thursday, August 18, 2011

confession friday!

confession friday
i'm a type a, super planner,
and somewhat of a control freak
my husband gave me the nickname
'super schedule programmer'
like i'm a base camp or something,
aligning our future with the touch of a button
so into sci-fi that guy

i'll admit it though
despite my careful planning of each day
i lay awake at night worrying about the unknown
stuff that i really need to just let go of- and let god!

last week when i was enjoying vacation beachside....
i was able to let go,
{thank god!}
relax and become more of the laid back person i strive to be daily

i realized that there is so much joy
that can be found in the unknown,
in the unplanned moments.
truth be told-those are the most beautiful moments,
full of bliss and awe.
during my time off, i felt free from my demons.
the fact that we didn't have an official bedtime, an alarm clock,
a work schedule, pdfs to send, deadlines to make,
meetings to attend...that helped too of course.
the day to day grind was absent from our lives and we were grateful.
being a non-partisipant in the everyday stuff
made me feel quite enlightened.
but don't get me wrong- i'm not saying to quit your day job and live on a beach.
but if that is an actual job-where can i sign up?
r i g h t !

a little time away stirred some new found inspiration and creativity in me
this weekend we are having a little painting project at our house.
the 30x30 canvases have been bought
and i can't wait to fill them.

i'm a graphic designer by day
for me the devil is in the details
i align type,
make things point 125 of an inch smaller or larger,
lead and kern
jpeg, pdf, high res, mpeg
i could bore you for days...
but my point is-i'm letting my inner perfectionist take a break
i'm ready to embrace my inner messiness.
this little art project
is inspired by living life in color
outside of the lines
with no plans
no order
all chaos
carefree
even if it is messy
and i couldn't be more excited!

just a bit of my inspiration
to get things started


i can't wait to share the finished piece with you!
until then- have a fabulous weekend
filled with lots of joy
and maybe some unplanned blissful moments too!
xo-av

oh happy day

if you dislike romance...
hit esc now :-)
OR
you can join me in celebrating 4 years of marriage
happy 4 year anniversary taylor!

my beloved is mine and i am his
song of solomon 2:16
august 18, 2007
oh happy day
1 year
glen rose, rough creek lodge
2 years-maui
look-we're maui-ed
sorry i couldn't resist
3 years - santa fe, la posada
one of the 2 locations we plan to split our retirement
you know- no big deal- winter in marfa, summer in santa fe
we will hang will our old hipster friends in marfa
where v gallery I will be
sorry- i think i'm dreaming out loud
and come to sante fe for the summer
obviously to run v gallery II

4 years baby!!! st.croix tide pools
the steamy hike was worth it for this view and THIS kiss

happy anniversary to my husband and partner in crime
honestly if we spent it celebrating in a card board box
YOU would make it special
you would build a fort out of the boxes and sing to me
and we would laugh till we peed our pants
ok maybe only i would pee my pants
i digress...

every moment with you is special
i could go on and on but i'll save the really romantic stuff for later
;-)

Saturday, August 6, 2011

i'm off!

hello lovely readers!
i'm so excited to be leaving tomorrow for
a week of vacation

i'll be doing some beach time
some outdoor adventures
some exploring....
and a whole lot of this.....
ahh.....
haven't even departed yet but
i feel more relaxed already
can't wait to share some pics with you when i get back
:-)
xo-av

Thursday, August 4, 2011

bittersweet



last night i finally finished
the last few chapters' i was saving to savor every delicious word of
do you ever get so sad when a book ends
but then so exited to page back through it
and read all the amazing bits over and over?

bittersweet was that kind of book for me

i was telling rachel at book club
in fact we practically said it in unison
that in every chapter at least one paragraph(and then some)
struck a cord with me
the martha stewart (perfectionist/control freak) in me
doesn't allow for turning down pages
but with bittersweet i caved
there are too many passages i wanted to re-read and remember
i'll admit it, i dog eared the heck out of this book

after reading this book i want to grab coffee with shauna
{no big deal- we are so friends ;-) }
what i respect most about her is her honesty
the way she candidly speaks about her hardships, struggles,
faith and everyday life

i hope the following passage touches you as much as it did me
and if not then go buy the book today and see for yourself!
there are so many juicy nuggets of wisdom,
humor and reflection that i know
every woman can identify with

from the last chapter in bittersweet

your story must be told
the big story really is actually being told
through little stories,
and by sharing our lives,
not just sermons,
we're telling god's story in as reverent and divine ways
as it has ever been told.
god's story was told in hebrew and greek,
and i believe that it's also being told
in whispers and paintings and blogs
and around dinner tables all over the world.

***

there's nothing small or inconsequential about our stories.
there is, in fact, nothing bigger.
and when we tell the truth about our lives---
the broken parts, the secret parts, the beautiful parts---
then the gospel comes to life,
an actual story about redemption,
instead of abstraction and theory
and things you learn in sunday school.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

major girl crush


let me introduce you to my current girl crush
the singer-songwriter
yes she is modelesque(a word i just made up) pretty and danish
but talk about personal STYLE and THAT VOICE
this tiny dancer can sing!


her injury in her former creative life as a dancer
led her to singing
i love how when one door clothes, another one opens
especially in creative avenues


beautiful fleet floxes cover
of white winter hymnal


love this live version
and the balloons?
genius!


it's obvious
that i'm girl crushing in the usa!
but technically it's a european girl crush
since she is from denmark
when i googled her for like the 100th time
{not in a creeper way or anything}
i learned she currently resides in brooklyn
another reason this chic/gifted artist is so cool

any new tuesday tunes you are crushing on?

Monday, August 1, 2011

around the house

happy monday
after being gone the majority of last week
for my girlfriend erins' beautiful wedding in breckenridge
{pics coming soon}
i have a major nesting bug
although my trip was wonderful
i always appreciate my home and comfy bed
so much more after being away

i took some shots around the house
of the little things that nourish me when i am home

i love the quote on the oak cliff coffee roasters' beans
'coffee is not simply about what you consume, but what you create'

waking up with this stinker
never gets old
and yes that is our messy garage:)
i mean come on- what a cute rugrat!
i love the amazing smell of mint at our dining room table
and even more so when it's picked fresh from my herb garden
i'm such a proud mama that i've been able to keep my green herbs alive
in this crazy triple digit heat
texas summers are such scorchers!
my take on a green thumb
new succulent planter on our back porch
i never get bored of pics around the house
i love seeing peoples' home environments and surroundings
one of my favorite sites
never ceases to inspire me
with the amazing photographs of peoples' places and spaces

i could spend hours looking at
such great design and amazing rooms!

enjoy!