jared, the uncle

we spent the weekend with husby's brother & his family,

one of whom happens to be jared's kindred spirit...

at the ripe old age of one.

our nieces & nephews are the sweetest of kiddos,

& with two little girls ten minutes down the road & the other three a short drive away,

I can usually keep the baby fever at bay.

but man oh man.

seeing jared with this little boy...

well, it makes a girl reconsider what she thinks she knows about baby time.

alas.

I'll be sticking to pictures of puppies, kittens & the occasional baby on pinterest.

& maybe pick up knitting so I can start making baby blankets/caps/booties on the weekend?

unhhhh, I wish I had more to say.

but the migraine is still hanging out over here,

which is a little bit like an annoying neighbor walking into your apartment without knocking,

& then POKING you in the right temple for 24 hours straight.

& you opening the door & saying things like, "GEE, I REALLY NEED TO...

washmyhair/callmygrandparents/pluckmyleghairs/dustthehousewithonefingertip..."

& the neighbor saying, oh! I'll join you!

ayiiiii.

at least my nephew is stinkin' cute.

xo, kelsey

walkin' my babies home

yesterday's date came in the form of taking my parents' dogs

(who are also our adopted puppies for the time being)

for a long & chilly walk in the fresh air around their neighborhood.

they are sweet little furry ladies.

it's nothing short of a miracle that I'm even writing a blog post right now.

I have had the meanest couple of days of headaches & pains,

& can think of nothing better to be doing at 10:30 p.m. than closing the old macbook up

& gently placing my still-very-achey head on the nest of pillows that husby has made for me.

although, if upstairs neighbor doesn't stop the stomping,

he may come face to face with the migraine, & I can't control what the migraine might do.

heeeey, there pillow... how YOU doin'?

xo, kelsey + migraine

10 things - winter blues edition

so, let's talk resolutions.

do you make them? by definition, resolutions are commitments. 

I kinda love/hate them, but usually embrace the idea of a fresh start every january. 

I generally make pretty loose resolutions - case in point? 

2011 resolution #6: resist every temptation to dye your hair brown this year.

apparently 88% of all people who set resolutions fail. 

just reading that statistic makes the olympic champion of competition inside of me 

want to rip my shirt, flex my bulging muscles & roar while beating my chest. 

fail? huh uh. not for me.

one of my resolutions this year was to keep my chin up this winter. 

winter gets to me every. year. 

even last year, in my state of newlywed bliss, the winter months really got into my head 

& I became the same old superwithdrawn, depressed, apathetic kelsey 

that returns every january through march. 

so far? january has been awesome. 

I'm a little sad to report that I think the 50-60 degree weather may have something to do with it, 

as much as I sing songs about snow all day, every day. 

but as of right now, I feel like I'm kicking winter's butt. 

none of the following items are new or fresh. 

they've all been done, written about & pinned. 

but my hope would be that hearing it from ME might help put it into perspective for YOU, 

because if I can do it... YOU can do it. 

plus, I kinda want you to add to the list. 

10 things to help stay chipper this winter:

1. sundates 

one of our "resolutions" was to take turns planning weekly dates. we picked sunday because it's usually the one day that we both have off + an open schedule... but it was an even more providential decision as I also get the "sunday blues" when I realize that MONDAY is the next day. we've had three thus far, the first being a couponed dinner & a gift certificate movie, the second being um, oh that's right, grocery shopping, & our third involved a fort & breakfast-for-dinner. casual, creative & affordable. it's fun to have something to look forward to, & it's a bonus to take turns surprising each other with what the date will be. we are forcing ourselves to commit weekly, even if it has to be a completely practical date like grocery shopping ;)

2. STAY ACTIVE 

my success rate is about 67% so far with this one. there are some nights where it's pretty freaking freezing outside, & staying on the couch to flip through a magazine or watch a Chopped marathon sounds muuuuch more appealing than going to the gym. but when I do actually make it to the gym or I force myself to pull up pilates on netflix... I feel on top of the world.

3. deliberately eat healthy meals

I work in events. there were many a day this past summer that I drank not one but TWO red bulls, or gave in when a client offered me food from their event. so. not. healthy. but! at least it's summer when I'm active at events/swimming/running/taking evening walks with the huzb. not so much in the winter, & contrary to popular belief, we do not actually need to store excess blubber to keep us warm. we've got down comforters & ifnothingelse FIRE for that, people. stop telling yourself that the weight you gain over the winter will be worked off in the summer. eat healthy NOW. for me, this starts with something as simple as eating breakfast. 

4. rearrange the furniture

I'm gonna say it again. re. arrange. the furniture. growing up with my mother (who can't leave a lamp next to the same picture frame for more than three days), furniture rearranging was part of our weekly activities, & is now a part of my own home-making experience. we rearranged for the christmas tree (jared is a staunch tree-in-front-of-the-window believer) & then shook the whole room up when the tree came down at the beginning of the month. it is sooo refreshing to look at something different when I walk into my apartment every day. I know that not everyone grew up with ever-orbiting furniture, so consider this my challenge to you.

5. the obvious p-word... projects

you know what I found when we rearranged the family room? a now empty wall that needs art! & pictures! & a shelf! so we've been thrifting on the weekends & slowly, but wall decor collection is building up. & when that's done? I totally need to refinish the top of our coffee table. & when that's done? I'm going to seriously reorganize our important, big-kid files. & when that's done? I have about 3,457 pins filed under "CRAFTS!" that I can actually do. keeping myself busy is KEY, even if it means that my project for tomorrow night is cleaning the shower caddy of its rust & soap residue. I'm not even kidding. that is written in my planner. I can show you.

6. reintroduce myself to my crockpot

I love a good warm somethin'-somethin'. like, I constantly find myself awaiting rainy days in the summer so I can justify eating soup. jared & I have seriously rebudgeted this year, & in anticipation of our upcoming class with mr. ramsey telling us to eat out NEVER, we're cutting back on eating out unless a coupon or gift card is involved. what does this mean? cooking more, while still working full-time. what does THAT mean? my crockpot almost assuredly being given a name since we'll be BFFs & I'll be carving our names into a heart on a tree in no time.

7. keeping up with ME

I am committing to spending a little extra time on me, to remind myself that I am a TEN. this could mean anything from waking up 15 minutes earlier & dedicating the extra time to a new hairstyle to actually tweezing between threading appointments. I'm talking full on moisturizing my way through the winter weather & shaving even though it's pants-every-day-kinda-weather. paint those nails! exfoliate that face! mend those shirts! switch out that purse!

8. sunshine!

as I type, it's currently misty & grey & going on day 2 of no sun. (I sorta love this weather.) but on days that there is some glorious sun shining down, I'm going to try to get in on that action for at least 15 minutes, every day. it's good for my skin, my lungs & my outlook. I'll try not to burst into "I Have Confidence" every time the sun showers its rays on my face, but I can make no promises. in fact, I break out into that song every time jared asks me to hold his guitar case. sooo.

9. plan something 

I'm lucky because jared's birthday is at the beginning of march, so I have a party to plan every year. this year is an especially good one as he graduates in may, which we will celebrate for days & days & days. there will be wine, fattened calves, glitter everywhere... & of course, since friends are also good for making spirits bright, a pinterest party or two may also be in the works. we're currently visiting jared's brother & his family, & next weekend we're making another quick trip for a friend's birthday. totally things to look forward to!

10. & lastly, but not leastly, daily Bible + prayer

 in the hubbub, this is so easy to push aside. so. so. easy. but there are few things as uplifting &/or convicting in my life. every emotion & thought that could be flying through my mind can be spoken to by his Word, & not one moment of despair, anxiety or frustration whispered in a prayer can surprise him. he purposefully gave us bleak winter months, & it is my ordained privelege to use them, & use them well. & he's gonna work in that. read: isaiah 40:27-31

alright! longest 10 things EVER.

of course, as I'm copying all these things down from my notebook,

I'm thinking of hundreds of other things, like buying a couple new plants 

or inventing a new cocktail & naming it after my beta fish from freshman year of college. 

if you have any tips for spreading cheer throughout the winter, get me in on that action!

xo, kelsey

good genes

another gem from my sister's camera.

loooove that "just married!" sign... where was that at our wedding?

& my grandma's beautiful lace dress,

with that perfect pearl choker...

& don't even get jared started on my grandpa's hair.

the perfect swoosh.

what can I say?

I've got good genes.

xo, kelsey

just like grandmother

remember back when I told you that my parents & younger sisters were visiting my grandparents

& taking pictures of their absolutely incredible 1950-60's furniture?

well, I finally got the pictures from my sister.

& you know, it's all actually even better than I remember.

I mean, does my grandma have great taste or WHAT?

dying. I am dyyyyying to have these chairs in my house.

not pictured is a formica kitchen table, more kitchen chairs & who even knows what else.

every time I fall more & more in love with the oven,

my grandma issues warnings about it...

but I can't remember what they are,

which means I'm just seeing it with rose colored glasses.

& it's just sitting there in my grandparents' basement.

 waiting for us.

OHHHHH, it's just so beautiful.

xo, kelsey

sundates

we decided at the beginning of the year to prioritize having a weekly date on sundays,

no matter how, um, casual? it may be.

we're taking turns planning, but this week was a joint effort, really.

he made the fort, I made breakfast for dinner,

& then we watched our only unseen wes anderson film.

it rained the entiiiire day, 

which made for the perfect movie + breakfast in bed atmosphere.

it's sorta a big conspiracy that the best rainy days only occur on days 

that we're both running in opposite directions to work or meetings or functions,

thank goodness for a gloomy, dreary, snuggly sunday.

it. was. perfect.

the egg concoction you're looking at?

we call 'em sloppy eggs.

it's like the omelette that didn't make the basketball team,

but then turned out to be reaaally good at fencing.

& you guys...

spend the extra $2 on your bacon selection.

we're learning that it's toooootally worth it.

(said the girl who ate a poached egg & two bites of bacon because her diet told her to.

notice there is only ONE plate of breakfast deliciousness.

wooooe is meeeee.)

but don't feel too bad for me.

today marks diet halfway point, & I feel awesome.

xo, kelsey

10 things - puppy edition

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

 8.

9.

 10.

why, you ask?

because I found myself searching "golden doodle puppy" on pinterest,

& was deeply disappointed in the selection.

then I remembered that I have probably over 200 photos of ellie on my computer.

so... my gift to you.

I'm a little bit obsessing over getting a pet right now,

& I'm relying on pinterest & google images to keep me from

getting the puppy that I don't have the time to love on,

or the kitten that may very well cause an untimely death by swollen throat/eyeballs/lungs.

*sigh*

someday pet, you will be well loved, well dressed & well trained.

& we will cuddle so. stinkin'. hard.

xo, kelsey

day in the life

yesterday, I put my camera in my purse & walked out the door for work.

so, if you've ever wondered what a day is like in
the life of an event planner during the off-season...

ponder. no. more.

I'm not sure I would ever even try to bring a camera to an event day,

as they are frequently mildly chaotic & sweaty-licious.

there isn't a whole ton of sweating or yelling during the off-season,

although it depends a little bit on the day.

without further ado! 

a peek into my workday:

7am - breakfast! every morning (on this diet), it's citrus for breakfast, & clementines sure are my favorite.

8am - rain on the drive in, & stop fretting - I was stopped at a red light.

8:30am - old pictures circa 2009 that super need to be updated! my family + puppies greet me everyday.

9am - emaaaails, first thing.

10am - fingers crossed every day for no voicemails... but it is booking season, afterall.

10:30am - coffee break. thank the lawd for keurig.

 11:45am - lunchtime, because I can never wait till noon. how do you people do it??

12:30pm - lunch meeting, with crayons & paper table covers to encourage creativity. aka middleschool level doodles.

1:30pm - back to the office, & this time, the decemberists are hangin' out with me.

2:00pm - MEETING + this week's favorite pen

3:00pm - file file file

4:00pm - this is about the time of day that I occupy "my" chair in my boss' office, & we catch up on the day.

she's actually a dear friend, & we'd knock out the wall between our offices if they'd let us.

except not, because even we are aware at how unproductive that would make us.

4:30pm - begin closing up shop, which usually involves staring at my jared-corner. & yes, my plant is dying.

4:55pm - my door, complete with remnants of my christmas door decor, ha.

5:06pm - greeted by a lovely sunset as I walk to my car this time of year.

5:45pm - it's not every night, because sometimes he closes ye ol' coffee shop,

but man oh man, does that make the nights I walk in to this cutie just that much more sunshiney.

 -      -      -      -      -

& that's the fairly vague story of my day.

invigorating, right?

;) 

xo, kelsey

a long, sick weekend

as demonstrated in the first picture, 

jared has spent most of the weekend sick on the couch.

it's been a lot of tea, a lot of tissues & a lot of Portlandia.

I've been cleaning, as scheduled, but it sure is hard to get things done with

a cuddly sicko all snuggled up in a nest on the couch.

for whatever reason, I haven't really, truly been sick since right before our wedding,

so I've been prancing my superhero immune system around, 

singing with birds on my shoulders while the squirrels mop the floor.

that's not true. I mostly beg him to cough in my face because I'd rather get sick now

than during the event season... but so far, the immune system is winning.

totally not complaining... but I'ma be mad if I'm sick in May.

stay healthy!

back to real life tomorrow after this long weekend.

... with bells on, right yaaaa'll?

xo, kelsey

some craftiness

my mom, in all of her craftiness, had used a thrift store frame to make a tray,

& had a pretty fantastically ugly floral painting left over.

inspired by elsie, I rescued the painting from its certain demise

& made this love message for an empty wall in our dining room.

the beatles' "till there was you" is what you could call "our song,"

& is quite near/dear to our hearts.

& now it's quite near/dear to our wall, too.

this was super easy, guys! pop over to elsie's blog for a more detailed how-to.

(hint: yes, use spray paint. but use like, 5 layers & LET IT DRY for a full 24 hours!)

xo, kelsey

so fresh so clean

meet my make-up free face!

face, internet... internet, face.

yes, I'm completely lucid,

although the faces I'm making may suggest otherwise.

I've had some pretty luh-haaame headaches this past week,

which have resulted in a "meh" approach to life in general,

& all around poo-mood.

these are celebratory yay!-no-headache-tonight! pictures.

last night's headache was the pits.

but then jared got home & asked me if I'd taken medicine,

(which I almost always have not taken because one of these days,

wallowing in self pity will someday actually have healing powers),

& then gave me meds + favorite juice.

& then got my favorite blanket.

& then tucked me into the couch.

& then turned on an episode of how I met your mother on netflix.

& then ate himself into a hummus-induced coma.

which made me laugh...

because I had no idea he was hoarding a 2 gallon vat of hummus in our fridge.

(I wasn't kidding about the costco addiction, people.)

& 3 episodes in, I started feeling a little better.

because he's the best at taking care of me.

myyyy herooo.

thanks for making me feel better, husb.

xo, kelsey

10 things about today

10 things about today:

1. I'm pretty sure the exact words that came out of my mouth last night were, 

"will you get up & eat breakfast with me no matter how sleepy & un-wakey-uppy you feel?"

to which he replied, "I would love to!"

but I was too sleepy this morning to even force him to get up.

 breakfast was eating grapes on the drive in to work.

2. & while we're talking about meals, I started my... diet? cleanse? today.

(same one that I did in october.) 28 days of fruits, veggies & proteins. 

helloooooo grilled chicken.

3. & while we're talking about food (we all like food, yeah?),

husband is 100% obsessed with costco. he asked me over the phone if I like tilapia,

without mentioning that there's like, 46 fillets in our refrigerator already after today's costco vacay.

4. the boss & I had a completely inspiring meeting 45 minutes before we left work today.

it reminded me that we're good at what we do, & we're even better when we do it together.

5. I'm pretty sure netflix was created for surviving january.

6. have you ever spent 10 minutes of a 15 minute drive

trying to perfect your tauntaun imitation with your husband? 

because I have.

(-o-) 

7. that's a tie fighter emoticon, ps.

8. it's been approximately 64 degrees in our end of the office all week.

about to buy a snuggie, youbetcha.

9. mama's been bringing us fresh, pretty, colorful eggs for a couple of months now.

they just somehow taste better than grocery store eggs.

what's that? I'm talking about food again?

mustbethediettalking.

10. After a busy couple of weeks, I finally got out the new camera again.

part of my christmas present was an adapter to use my dad's old minolta lenses

(circa. 1960-something) on our canon, & while difficult, super fantastic.

the photos above were taken with his 50mm. so that's fun!

I'm going to bed.

fingers crossed for breakfast with a hottie in the a.m. ;)

xo, kelsey

a farewell to 2011

it didn't feel right to let 2011 slip by without posting some highlights from our year...

there's A LOT of photos, so click below the mug to see them all!

hey there, 2012

some of our favorite people joined us for a small new year's soiree this weekend,

& oh, are we so happy they did.

the boys took over making the food,

which involved not one, not two but THREE bacon wrapped appetizers.

amelia & I threw together some um... very last minute decorations,

& a fauxtobooth to the truest sense of that very made-up word.

but we had the best of times.

ready for fauxtobooth overload?

in the creating of our very sparkly "2012,"

I made the horrible mistake of leaving the glitter on the back porch.

SO. when we all went out to the porch to watch fireworks at midnight,

someone found the glitter &...

well. let me just say that we're still finding glitter in places that glitter should never be found.

like, on our scalps, 3 days later. & the dishwasher. & my laptop.

it's like waking up in a ke$ha song, only every day.

good thing I looooove glitter.

I'm hoping to say a proper blog goodbye to 2011 tomorrow.

but for now...

2012 - nice to meetcha.

you've been all sorts of sparkly already.

xo, kelsey