perfectly royal

She was perfect. The 4 a.m. wake up call was worth it. Watching what will be an enormously historical event is just so exciting...especially if it's a wedding!

She was timeless. Much like one of our favorite princesses:

I am completely cracked out on all things royalty and wedding. Come on August 6th!

"Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be..." -The Bishop of London

wedding wednesday: fit for a queen

Number one reason I wish I was Kate Middleton: having an excuse to wear fabulous hats any time that I want.

I'm sure she has many more admirable qualities, but, let's be honest, the girl knows how to wear something on that pretty head of hers. Not to be superficial or anything.

With this being Royal Wedding Week [ohmygoshIcan'twait] and because bridal hair accessories have become quite the trend over the last couple years, I gathered a few of my current favorites.

[Taken from Tessa Kim, Twigs & Honey, BHLDN, and Etsy]

This little item is one of the many that are on the "still to be decided and purchased list." Don't worry, I don't have a tangible list with that title. Just mental. That's more sane, right? Hope so. I have noticed that these trendy pieces can be somewhat pricey. I'd encourage a little crafting bravery, which I may be tackling post-graduation [7 more days of class!!!] for a few brides-to-be. More of those projects to come!

But for the rest of this week, I'll be soaking up as much study break time with D, working on a final paper, celebrating the last Spring Banquet at the BCM, and gluing myself to the TV for the entirety of Friday morning.

spring break day

Everyone on LSU's campus is looking nice and sun kissed after Spring Break while I'm feeling nice and pasty. That's because our break consisted of what you could call a little real world conditioning.

I really am good with it. Really. Because real world time also means be-married-to-Dustin time. Which will be awesome.

We were both work-free on Thursday so we headed, for the day, to Baton Rouge's much cooler big sister: New Orleans. 

We spent most of the day outside soaking up as much sunshine and fresh air as humanly possible. A great change from lots-o-florescents. We did our best to blend in with the locals [except for those few hours while I walked around the zoo with a big ol' camera hung around my neck]. Attempted to fool people, really. Because compared to those Nola folks, my cool factor is lacking.

The day was packed with doing animal voice-overs at nearly every zoo exhibit, meeting the infamous Simon Hardeveld and gawking over absolutely the most perfect antique shop, my first Potsalot purchase, laying in the shade of Audubon Park's magnificent oaks, poboys at Joey K's, the greatest ice cream ever created, and a whole lot of strolling in between. We realized, with our busy lives, we almost forgot how to stroll. This day we regained the ability.

Some of the best parts were the moments where we interacted with the wonderful people of New Orleans. And their big ol' hearts. It may have been a mere 24 hours, but I am grateful for our Spring Break Day.

Check out that monkey butt. Just couldn't help myself!

 Yes, he's that good lookin' in real life too.

Pretending to be a fashion blogger. Key word: pretending. Maybe one day, huh? The blog idea wheels are turning!

Everyday should end with Creole Creamery. Though, if that happened, I may lose that boy's attention forever. Can't say I blame him!

spring?

So, this week, I was wandering through Hobby Lobby [standard], looking for some possible Spring finds. Thought I might make a quick wreath [also standard]. Aaand I realized that Spring was over - at least according Hob Lob. All I could find was a whole lot of bright summer supplies. And then I was a little bit bummed. So in effort to hold on to a little bit Spring 2011, I wanted to share some inspiration from my favorite site to see during this season - robin's eggs!

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Most of these little guys are probably hatched and have already fled the nest, and it seems that I'm a little late, buuuut Happy Spring!

a good friday it was

1 Peter 1:17-19

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

[Thankful for a rescue from futile way. Thankful for Christ's silence during his trial. Thinking on my responsibility in this incredible, undeserved relationship.]

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
And make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory 

Behold the man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished 

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

 

wedding wednesday: initial appearances

All day my mind rushes with lists I need to make and ideas that I'd like to see to completion. One [of the millions] is how to incorporate monograms into the wedding, without the over-kill. Using your new initials is a popular trend, but it can easily be overdone. That's why I put together some chic and [sometimes] subtle ideas for using monograms on the big day.

[pillows, straw, seal, luminaries, door hangers, stamps, cufflinks, napkin rings]

Our main monogram project is half way done thanks to my awesome parents and my dad's access to ginormous printers.

Planning on prettying these up with a little fabric, lace and fresh flowers. They'll make their debut on August 6th!

Which just so happens to be 107 days, 2 hours, 56 minutes and 14...13...12...11 seconds away. Fly seconds fly!

weekend freedom

It's been a while since there was a weekend that was totally free. And it'll probably be a while until there is another one. I really am thankful for a busy schedule because it is filled with wedding planning, a God-given job, school [yesss...I'm thankful for school] and being with people I love.

But the freedom...it was nice. Here's what I did with those empty calendar days:

Had our last girls Bible study of the year. I really didn't want to see that end. We had a great time together while eating some girl talk food that I made. After that, we went to our very last TNT at the BCM. Can't believe it's been four years. It was incredibly bittersweet. I don't do endings. 

Cooked dinner [with no recipes] with this cutie.

Finally braved this movie. 

I was honestly afraid to watch it because I'm a total softy when it comes to dogs. The movie was great great great. Have I ever cried that hard? Absolutely not. 

Went to brunch with the girls. It was fabulous, needless to say.

Hunted for some spring shoes. Thank you Payless! I couldn't believe it. 

Spent Sunday morning with our wonderful church family studying Joshua and the trial of Christ. 

Went to the Flea Market of Louisiana. Major disappointment. It was real janky. Except for this pretty that I found. Talked her down and paid less than half of the original price [thanks, Mom, for the skills].

Listened to Dustin and other CP-ers with pretty voices practice for the Good Friday service. Notice that I just listened.

Saw The Conspirator with D. Really enjoyed it and even understood a lot of the fancy law terminology thanks to my Criminal Justice class. It was extra cool because I had seen Robert Redford, who was the director, beginning to film it when I was visiting Abs in Savannah last October. 

It was a full weekend! But free. And all around fab-u-lous.

On the agenda for tomorrow? Working 8:30-5. What? During spring break?

I'm thankful for my job. I'm thankful for my job. I'm thankful....

have you heard?

Pinterest might just be my favorite website of all time. It's like Twitter. Except instead of tweets, you post pictures onto a categorized inspiration board. That's right...an inspiration board. Which turns the website into a whole bunch of boards on steroids. It's. Awesome. But maybe not so awesome for my GPA.

Whenever I discovered this a couple months ago, I had to sign up to be on a waiting list. I'm not sure if you still have to do this, but, let's be honest, I felt really stinkin' cool when they emailed me to tell me I was in. It's like a sorority for lovers-of-inspiration. Ok not really. Exciting, none the less. 

So check it out. Follow me. And I want to follow you, because I'm sure you've got some bright ideas!

wedding wednesday: cake decisions

So, I'm slightly detailed oriented. That's why I'm almost overly enjoying this whole wedding planning process. All those check boxes in my wedding planner don't stress me out, thankfully. I think they are aaaawesome.

I've realized that one thing I haven't even thought about is the cake.

And I'm a little embarrassed. What if Franck found out?!

You see, one of my all-time-favorite movies is Father of the Bride. And Franck, their famed wedding planner, clearly teaches all of us future-wedding-lovers that "the cake more often determines what kind of wedding that you end up having. So let's just choose a cake, okay?"

If you don't know what I'm talking about, [you are a sinner] and you can see it here:

Anyway, I simply have no idea what I want. I know I'd like for it to go with the overall look. A little vintage flare would be nice. And I've collected a couple of family heirlooms for some topper options [which I'm way excited about]. Other than that...no idea. These are my favorite pictures I've collected. Aaand I'm open to suggestions. Actually, I need suggestions.

Or maybe I should just go with the wedding cake made completely of cheese: 

Yes? No? As delicious as that looks, I don't think I can pass up the classic flour and sugar combo. Just got to figure out how to make it pretty.

you've got [vintage] mail

Meet my grandparents. 

Yes, they are the cutest couple you've ever seen.

Sam Morgan met Loyce Fallin at 4-H camp not too long before he enlisted in the Marines. And by "not too long," I mean two weeks. Papaw spent the next four years overseas. Once the war was over and he was back home, he popped the question after borrowing some money from his buddy for a ring. They spent four [long] years getting to know one another through countless letters signed "all my love." So, here's a relationship built on communication through letters followed by a marriage that has shown itself strong for over 60 years [and counting!]. Not too sure how to explain my love for them. They are simply my favorite people. 

A long time ago, I was snooping around their house and found a box filled with these letters. The edges were worn and paper discolored with time. Shabby letters? Yes please! My favorite part [besides the sweet and lovely writing] were the envelopes that they were tucked away in. There started my love for all things airmail.

[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]

Totally charming, don't you think? I don't know if I'll be violating some type of U.S. Mail rule, but I just may never by a plain white envelope again. 

Speaking of hand-written letters, have we all seen this beauty?

This is Love Letters bedding from Anthro. It's definitely a contender for our bedroom. It is way too much fun thinking about decorating our first home. More about that to come soon!

P.S. Go write a letter.

wedding wednesday: moodboards

We all know how gaga I am over the wedding dream-world that BHLDN has created since it's appearance on Valentine's Day. Why was I so tired on February 15th? Because I stayed up as late as humanly possible to see if the website had launched. Worth. It.

Besides being a fabulous online store for all things wedding, they've just added a feature that allows you to create moodboards from their product photos, [awesome] shots from photo shoots, other inspirational photos, and any of your own that you'd like to upload. You also get to see boards that other wedding-lovers had made and some of BHLDN's own.

Here's mine. Named it Vintage Glam. Shocker. After August 6, I really do plan to talk about things that are something other than dusty pink or grey or ivory. Or covered in lace. Or ruffly. Or vintage. I meeean, don't get me wrong. I love love LOVE that palette. Obvs...I'm using it for the wedding. And it's definitely true-to-style. It'll just be fun to think outside my muted, vintage box. But right now, with all these fabulous ideas flying around the blog-o-sphere, I've gotta stay focused. 

Speaking of weddings............MY BEST FRIEND IS ENGAGED! It still makes me want to burst into joy-filled tears all over again just thinking about hearing her tell us the big news last night. It was our best four-way phone call yet. And such an exciting surprise!! I made quite the scene outside of Middleton Library.

Aren't they a beautiful couple???

I might be in Baton Rouge, but a part of heart and mind is currently in Savannah with this new bride-to-be! What a privilege it is to have walked closely through life together from junior high through engagements. And there is so much more to come! I am BLESSED with incredible relationships, I tell you. Fiance, family, friends - I don't deserve them. But I'm so glad I got 'em!

Praising the Lord for relationships today!

d-now weekend 2011

This weekend was D-Now at our church. Meaning...I got to spend the weekend with all of these incredible people:

If you can't tell, we talked about why Christianity is the only answer - in the spiritual, mental and practical realms. 

And when we talked about how to live our Christianity practically, we used my very favorite Bible verse. Is it OK to have a favorite?

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Romans 12:9-13