Thankful

{olive + birch}

We are hosting a little Thanksgiving get-together today at our house (on our new china!! yay!) so here's to hoping we don't burn the bird. Enjoy your family time, y'all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Showering This Weekend!

{tag team tompkins}

Five wonderful women (and subsquently their husbands or soon-to-bes) are hosting us a green themed stock-the-bar shower complete with alcoholic cupcakes and BBQ. I am so excited!! Let's hope things don't get too crazy.

Cleaning

{two twenty one}

This weekend is all about getting our house under control! This is our last off weekend until the wedding so I fully intend on using every bit of time I have to making the best of it (which includes cleaning out the kitchen cabinets and organizing all of our cleaning supplies). Have a good one!!

I love us, too

{sugar coated sentiment}

Huynh and I have a running list of all that has to be done in the month of August - I've become excellent at doing the "buy this" and "buy that" to-dos but the actual execution? Not so much. This weekend, however, that will change, so, here's to doing! Enjoy your weekend.

Bachelorette Party!

{suzanna anna}

Wedding festivities officially kick off this Saturday with my bachelorette party! I am so excited to hang out with my favorite girls, drink some champagne, and toast to singledom (only 71 more days!). Enjoy!

Friday, I Think

{charlene precious}

Where in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks did this week go? With Huynh gone to a bachelor party this weekend - for his best man nonetheless - I will be home with an epic to do list and a slew of chick flicks to watch. I mean, An Affair to Remember isn't going to watch itself! Have a good one.

Disney World // Keepsakes

{edu barba}

My favorite movie growing up was Mary Poppins. It's no secret that I love musicals; one of the very first CDs I owned was the Aladdin soundtrack. But oh Mary Poppins. You had my heart at a spoonful of sugar! Practically perfect in every way.

We've grabbed a couple of mementos of our trip while we've been here - in part to escape to A/C, in part to add to our growing travel magnet collection. I also grabbed us a Christmas ornament (obviously) though I am sure that I will get this one too from Hallmark - too precious!

We will be back Monday with pictures! Have a good weekend!

Favorite

{makenzi & madilyn sew}

We are working today in preparation of not being at the office for the majority of next week. I actually love being at the office when no one else is here. I get so much more done! We are buckling down this weekend and giving our house an overhaul cleaning (it needs it) and I'm also hoping to hammer out our Vietnamese invitations - we need to print and assemble! I love when wedding planning doesn't feel like work.

NASA

{nick villalva}

We are NASA bound this morning to go on a tour of the facilities, climb in the mock ups, and see two of my favorite people that work there! Pam and Jason are taking us (and my sister, brother-in-law, and the kids) around the campus down there to hopefully inspire future engineers in our family.

I have the coolest friends.

Have a good weekend! Happy June!

Some like it hot

{handz}

Wedding planning is coming along rather well! We finally decided upon and ordered our Save the Dates - I brought my beast computer into the floor of the living room and refused to leave it until I pushed "Complete Order", I got my wedding dress hanger and return address embosser, and I managed to order so many other little things online that I have to keep a list of packages we have yet to receive on my phone (updated daily; currently there are eleven). Huynh asked the other day what I was up to and my response was "spending your money". HA! He appreciated it. People weren't kidding when they said it was always something - in the best of ways.

On top of it all, I have decided that we need to eat more homemade foods in an effort to be healthier. I bought this book, pinned this recipe, and plan on tackling our pantry this weekend - among other things that desperately need to be done to the casa. We are going to the Astros tonight and tomorrow is a birthday celebration for Meagan and her sister Amanda! I am excited. Happy Friday!

Happy Mother's Day!

{rock the custard}

Gatsby and I are packing up and heading home to Wichita Falls to celebrate my favorite Mom. Have a good weekend!

Simply not

{anek}

Snatched from their site "ANEK is all about the simple pleasure of food and cooking & beauty and joy of everyday moments." and I have to agree. The prints are just so beautifully simple... which is so unlike my weekend. I am hoping to reorganize our bathroom which will be a task in and of itself (before and after pictures to come!). Have a good one.

TGIF

{sprinkled joy}

We are getting our engagement pictures taken this weekend which I am so excited about! We also have a wedding, a nine year-old's birthday party, and perhaps a meal or two thrown in the mix. It's gonna be rockin'.

P.S. Happy 21st Birthday, Le! Don't do anything we wouldn't do.

Running

{yellow heart art}

We are exercising more and more lately. It's been a rather refreshing change of pace (no pun intended) that I hope keeps up with us. Part driven by the wedding, part driven by just trying to get healthier, we are slowly fulfilling our New Year's resolutions (and it does count for training for the half marathon!).

You would run too if this was your view. It's all the motivation I need. Have a good weekend.

Nothing

{diesel + juice}

Zilch. Zero. Nada. We don't have anything this weekend and I could not be more excited. We've been two weekends away from cuddling our puppy - who begs exactly like that - so I look forward to nuzzling him and relishing in his stinky dog breath. I am, however, on a mission to get the master bedroom back under control which includes touch up paint and unpacking our bags from Easter weekend but even then, relaxation is the name of the game. Enjoy.

Happy Easter!

{ferntree studio}

We on on the road to Ft. Worth to celebrate Huynh's dad's and sister's birthdays - crawfish cook-off tonight; family fellowship the rest of the time.

We hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend! He is Risen indeed.

2012

{linea carta}

It's Friday. I was home sick all day which is fine - you know, other than the sick part - but really, it was the combo-headache, allergies, and food truck french fries that did me in.

Bleck.

2012 is going to be a good year! Huynh's cousin (and best man) just popped the question to his girlfriend last weekend with plans to get married Thanksgiving! I am so excited for the two of them. So many things good things are happening that I can't help but be excited. Happy weekend.

Luck of the Irish

{lisa barbero}

Last night we watched Hugo* and Like Crazy which got me to thinking... I have seven movies being released in March alone that I want to see: Detachment, Casa de mi Padre, Jeff, Who Lives at Home, Delicacy, The Kid with a Bike, Mirror Mirror, and, of course, The Hunger Games. Seven. I will basically be living at the theater. Since we have cancelled cable, we have also been watching more and more movies on Netflix. Have you seen Life in a Day? It's an intriguing documentary comprised of selected videos clips from over 80,000 submitted to YouTube all documenting life in 190 countries on one day; July 24, 2010. It's a rather fascinating glimpse at life; how we can be so predictable but yet so unpredictable at the same time. I ended the movie deciding that we were quirky, eclectic, but overall, likable and relatable. For the little over hour and a half, I was immersed in the strangers' lives slowly realizing that for everything that divides us, there are just as many things that unite. 

On that particular Saturday, I was in Amarillo cuddling my nieces so I know I was having a good day :).

Yesterday, we also decided officially on Ireland for our honeymoon! It was really a toss up between it and Switzerland but what it came down to was timing - Switzerland starts really closing down starting in October which would obviously be when we would be there. Sooo, done! Ireland, it is. I even went and bought Frommer's yesterday during lunch because I was so excited. We are leaning towards ten days there so let the planning begin. We head to Wichita Falls tonight to meet Lexie and play with the other kiddos - all six of 'em. It'll be a full house at Mimi and Pop's! Have a good one.

*Watching Hugo counts towards 1 of the 100 movies promised before I turn thirty (no. 12). Yay!

30 before 30

{john derian}

{john derian}

I couldn't decide between the two plates; frankly, I love them both... so you get both. I had to close the site the other day because I realized that I was just wasting time looking through all of the gorgeous plates they have to offer. Seriously, love.

I turn thirty in 709 days. Thirty, y'all, thirty. I guess I shouldn't feel too stressed about it. In fact, Huynh is already there and he's doing just fine. Turning 28 felt pretty anti-climatic but with all that we have going on during this 28th year of my birth, I can imagine that 29 will be here before I know it then it's all downhill from there!

I kid.

Regardless, I'm participating in 30 before 30!

1. Get married.
2. Travel to Seattle.
3. Travel to Hawaii.
4. Buy a 50mm lens.
5. Begin the house search.
6. Learn Vietnamese.
7. Wake up earlier.
8. Photograph and print all three corks.
9. Lose 20 lbs.
10. Run a half marathon.
11. Buy a fantastic new purse.
12. Watch 100 classic movies. Hugo, The Descendants, My Week With Marilyn, Labyrinth, The Iron Lady, The Philadelphia Story, Pride and Prejudice, Annie, Revenge of the Nerds, Heartburn...
13. Go to an overpriced concert of someone that I probably would have never attended otherwise.
14. Wear lipstick and rock it.
15. Perfect a signature dish that I will be comfortable making for any house guest.
16. Open the discussion about starting a family.
17. See the King Tut exhibit. a
18. Try surfing.
19. Learn how to use the manual settings on my camera.
20. Pay off Texas Exes.
21. Go hang gliding.
22. Attend yoga classes.
23. Go to a drive-in movie.
24. Double our savings... or triple, quadruple...
25. Buy a sewing machine and actually learn to use it.
26. Send birthday cards.
27. Ride a motorcycle.
28. Try snowboarding.
29. Reach 200 followers.
30. Party to celebrate dirty thirty!

So, some of them are a given. We are getting married (no. 1 - soon! 218 days); I cheated because we are already planning on going to Seattle (no. 2) Labor Day weekend for a family wedding. However, neither of us have been and both of us have always wanted to go. My sister is debating going to Hawaii (no. 3) for her 40th birthday and we are fully intending on tagging along and learning how to surf (no. 18). We have to learn how to wake up earlier (no. 7). Just the other day, Huynh set his alarm to go off at 5am, got up and headed to get ready. I laid really still hoping that he would forget that I existed only to have him come back to bed and snooze for 45 more minutes. We were really tired?

We have one out of the three corks (no. 8) that I would like to photograph; the other two are forthcoming. We have signed up for the Houston half marathon (no. 10 - next January!) and yes, I already bought my ticket to see Madonna (no.13). Very overpriced for the nose bleeds but it's MADONNA. Huynh already went hang gliding (no. 21) in Brazil which means that I have to try it in someplace just as fabulous. I also have to try snowboarding (no. 28) in exchange for Huynh trying to ski. We'll see how that goes.

Oh, and our definition of "classic" movies (no. 12) includes anything from Gone With the Wind to Ghostbusters. We like to define it loosely.

Not one to give up on any promises made, I figured that it was also about time we gave an update on our resolutions. We don't wake up at 5:30 - see above - it's more like 5:45 for Huynh, 6:20 for me. We aren't working out quite six days a week but it is definitely an improvement on last year. We have completely cut out drive-thru, including Sonic drinks, though! I have slightly started to learn Vietnamese; I've read 2 books. Huynh has indeed been talking to his family more and drinking less. We both have been cooking more and really enjoy our time together carpooling... sometimes. We are eerily quiet in the mornings.

Becky and Aaron are here tomorrow; Rodeo Sunday! I'm ready for quality friend time. Happy weekend.

225 days

{project type}



I don't think I will ever become addicted to Pinterest. Work blocks the site and since I spend 9 hours a day on the computer up here, the last thing I really want to do is get home and spend even more time staring at the screen. Work blocks "time wasters" so by good measure, Pinterest was blocked almost immediately and it's just not the same on the phone. However, what work hasn't blocked yet is etsy.

Oh lovely, time waster, black hole of creativity, etsy.

I find myself losing hours to etsy... and this print made me laugh out loud. I was actually perusing the store looking at this print because, you see, we need something here:

It's barren and empty and I figure it needs something simple, substantial, and neutral - as to not compete with the rug. The lovely, so comfy under the feet, rug.

Yup, still love it.

This weekend is more house work. 225 days until we become Mr. and Mrs. Yay :).