The Most Beautiful Dress

May I tell you something? 

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I think that this is the most beautiful wedding dress ever. (minus the butterfly).

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P.S. I like blogging. Maybe I should do that more.

One Day a Long Time Ago I Did Something New

One day, many months ago, while strolling aimlessly around Target, I found something. Doesn't everyone. And isn't it always at Target. I'm pretty sure it was one of those weekends Nathan was out of town and I was left to my own devices. I also think it might have been one of the first weekends after I found out I was pregnant. Thus Target Therapy.

Anyway, I was eyeing all of those "clearance" ends as I passed by and a throw pillow caught my eye. Yes, a throw pillow. How simple! How quaint!

Now's the part where I confess that I am an interior designer and up until that point I owned no accent pillows. None. Confession over.

So I put that $5 baby in the buggie and continued to stockpile other unneeded items. i.e.: trail mix and only the nail polish that had a delightful red clearance sticker. 

When I unloaded the pillow I realized I was even dressed the same as my pillow, wearing these jeans and a dark gray sweatshirt. It must have been destiny. So I threw the pillow on the bed just to see if it worked. I think it does, mostly. I always envisioned a giant bright graphic printed pillow for the neutral stripey bed, something similar to this, but alas, I'll have to wait. 

So without further ado, here it is. That infamous glorious throw pillow. 

Try not to be overwhelmed. i did my best to reenact the whole experience for you by squeezing my swelling tummy in these pants. You're welcome blog world.

I'm currently working on figuring out a new rug situation. I'll try not to wait three months after I've in fact figured it out before sharing.

A day to myself

This weekend, Nathan is out of town for a show tonight in Johnson City. 

(Shameless Husband Plug) Hey - if you're in those parts go check them out at Capone's.

Anyway, it's 10:00 am and I've had one of those fruit smoothies with oats and spinach and all those things that are probably super nutritious for the little guy. Then I followed it up with a big mug full of decaf and a chocolate covered strawberry and two episodes of gossip girl - I can't help myself.

For the rest of the day I have the following on my agenda:
  - baby registry at babies r us, because I can
  - go to world market, because I can
  - drink more decaf, because I can
  - tj maxx in search of an awesome deal on a food processor (maybe) and other awesome deals in general, because I can
  - beasts of the southern wild, because the universe worked out to give me a netflix movie the day that I knew I'd be staying in for the evening hopefully eating a giant burrito! 

Husband, I miss you like crazy when you're away, but I do love using all the pillows in the bed.

And because I know he misses me and the puppy too...

A Photo A Day

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Tonight, as we were driving home, I said to Nathan, 'i really don't have any idea how to use my camera."  To which he replied, "then do something about it."  To which I got unreasonably offended, hello hormones, but the truth is, he's right. 

So my answer to this, is to get out ye ole DSLR and take one photo every day.

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My hope is that this helps me become a better photographer and a better blogger. I'm always admiring others photos, when there's really no reason that mine can't be just as good. 

So I have a challenge. I have a goal. And I plan to stay accountable here. Expect a weekly update of 7 pictures. The first of which are bound to be terrible.  

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I've thought about challenging myself to truly take only the photo, and not use any touch-up software at all. But that would kind of defeat the purpose. I mean a digital camera is meant to be used with digital software, right?  Right!

Hooray for a goal!

The Grilled Cheeserie

One of the great things about Nashville is it's food. There's no denying that I've had the best tortilla soup of my life here (I'm talkin' to you Mas Tacos) and I'm always open to trying something new.

Nashville has definitely caught onto the food truck trend with there being somewhere close to 40 food trucks in the metro area. That being said, there's been one in particular that I've always wanted to try.

Yes, you read that right.  The Grilled Cheeserie. Serving up delicious freshly fried grilled cheese sandwiches including a daily special grill (I've heard there's one with figs, yum!). 

So when I found out that they would be stationed at the Farmer's Market this past Saturday, Nathan and I headed down to try it out. 

It was a tough decision, multiple cheeses, multiple breads, and multiple add ons. I decided to go with a classic cheddar cheese on multi-grain with an add of bacon.  Nathan and I split a tomato soup, which was perfect on this dreary Saturday.

Ahem... perfection...

Ain't I Lucky

Caught these two sleeping soundly on the couch one evening. Aren't I a lucky gal?

Summer Reading because Winter is Coming

This summer, I had very high hopes. I didn't have a big test to study for, I didn't have any plans except that I was going to read, every weekend.  This was evident in my highly ambitious summer reading pin board.

And I did, on Saturdays I pulled out a few old beach towels and set up in the backyard to get some tan and do some reading. 

Yet, somehow, I just finished. I just finished reading about 5500 pages of tiny print, and it only took 6 months. 

The "game of thrones" series, more accurately know as "A song of Ice and Fire" is every fantasy book lover's dream come true. If you're like me, you were pretty bummed when the HP and LOTR books and then movies ended. Where am I supposed to get my fantasy fix? Well this is it. This series gives you wizardry, dragons, epic battles, truly abominable characters that far outnumber the noble ones, and ice zombies, to name a few. The only issue, is that it actually takes forever to read them.

Granted, as fall fell and winter came (a sort of GoT reference), I became more distracted by new series on Netflix, and it really cut into my reading time. But I felt very determined to finish by Christmas, and by golly I almost made it.

Now I'm in search for the next thing on my reading list. Any suggestions?

I choose Joy

Around the blog world, and the whole world, there's been a lot of resolve today. A day where we dream up the biggest and brightest ideas for how to change this year or how to improve this year. 

Friends, I need change, and I need improvement.

I spent my NYE in a dump, and most of this day in a dump. Our move to Nashville was, without a doubt, the best move for us, but it was a special night like this to make me miss everything I had in our old town. Namely, A group of friends who I knew were having a great time together, and I was here, with no one but a husband and a dog. 

Wait a second...

I am here with an amazing husband who loves me more everyday, reminds me that I am beautiful while my body is spiraling out of control, and constantly points me back to Christ.  I am here with a dog who has the best puppy eyes, loves to cuddle, and is a gal's best friend.

So why the heck am I down?

The answer is simple.  I am lonely. Despite meeting friends at work and church i haven't quite made it in there. Haven't quite connected yet.

The answer is easy.  I am scared. In 6 months (exactly) I will be a mom. I'll be a mom with debt. I'll be a mom with a small apartment. I'll be a mom who's never been a mom before. 

I'll be a mom with a husband to raise a child by her side. I'll be a mom with a roof over my head, air conditioning to keep the baby cool or warm, running water to keep baby clean.  I'll be a mom.

So this year, I choose to have Joy.

I choose to turn back to my blessings, to remind myself of all that I have when I deserve none of it. I choose to be thankful. 

I'm going to fail. I'm going to get low. I'm going to have days when all I want to do is think on everything I can't have. And I'm going to cry. But this year, I want to choose, in these moments, to be joyful for what I have.