that moment when...

...we're sitting on my bed as the sun is going down, making fun of the way bruno gets right before he has to yawn, talking about music/friends/inside jokes/family/old teachers, telling jokes in horrible accents followed by fake russian laughter, wrestling (& begging adam to go easy on me...), playing with each other's hair, telling secrets, noticing you're suddenly 6 inches away from each other whispering and not knowing when that began...

moments like these are heaven.

right in front of you

visit the website of one of my favorite people to digitally sketch away!

i've spent a while doodling so far...
it's tricky to do it on my macbook!

it was such a nice, refreshing thing to do while in front of the computer.

now, GO!

sale!

enter code CYBERMONDAY

tomorrow in the shop

for 30% off your total!

starts at 12:00 am MST tonight & ends 11:59 pm MST tomorrow! 

jump on it!

{be on the lookout for another giveaway in the next few days, too!}

twelve dates of christmas

it's my favorite time of year!
i absolutely love the pretty lights,
pretty wrapped boxes,
and everything peppermint!

the biggest reason to love the holiday,
obviously,
is because the world centers around family, generosity, cozy warm love
and {some of us} 
celebrate the birth of Christ.

this season,
adam & i are going to plan twelve little dates
that will enrich our relationship
and bring us closer to the Savior.

{together! yay!}


big, small, simple, complex...
we will do it.


i cannot wait to document these dates here!

take this as an invitation to do the same!

you know i would absolutely love to hear about it.  

not another teen crisis

on thanksgiving,

i surprisingly had a grand meltdown. 

of all the days, right?

i was so very stressed for many reasons:

-since dyeing my hair blonde, it's so damaged that i can rarely wear it down.

-i have hardly been eating at all and gained about 7 lbs in the last 2 months

-my ipod fell and shattered 

-my car is still not working and i heard it could be super pricey to fix

-i'm living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to pay my bills {while living at home!}

-my third new phone in a month is not working

-bruno is going through a rebellious-teen puppy phase and chewing eeeeverything

-for some reason, i can NEVER{!} seem to remember to take redbox movies back

-i've been having heavy, pounding headaches daily

-adam started another job and i barely see the guy anymore

-my skin is starting to go all "before-picture" on me again

to top it off,

i seem to get sick all the time + my body is so sensitive to temps, foods, germs, etc. 

the list goes on,

and it's oh-so overwhelming sometimes. 

i can honestly say that, on paper, my life is in one of the lowest dips it's ever been.

adam came over for t-day 

and i completely acted out on him. 

so unfair!

i was crying and throwing myself onto my bed,

and possibly a pillow or two was thrown across my room {shh!},

but adam remained entirely calm. 

under some sort of odd love spell, he walked over to me, swept my messy hair out of my face,

and said,

"you're not a psycho.

well,

you're partially-psycho for thinking poorly of yourself right now.

but you're a cute partially-psycho chick.

all of this is temporary."

he then proceeds to provide remedies to all my problems

and says that i'm lucky to have a body that is so sensitive and in-tune with the world. 

i just need to stay more protected.

gee,

i never thought of it that way. 

he left me alone to lay in my cocoon of blankets

so i could emerge a grateful butterfly

like i should have been at the start.

so my self-centered meltdown on the day of thanks

ended up being capsized 

and i learned me sum perspective.

i just needed a soft and patient yet large and nerdy black individual to calm my crisis.

plus,

he smelled good

and that's like sweet lovin' for my senses. 

i quite like this adam fella. 

i'm thinking of asking him to go steady with me. 

good idea, no?

come on down!

fellow utahns...

today's the day!

bijou market SLC is here!

it's in a very pretty building

that will be filled with awesome vendors!

come admire pretty handmade and vintage pieces

& buy one-of-a-kind gifts for the holidays

{if you're in to that kind of thing ;)}

i've honestly never left a bijou market empty handed. 

so blessed to be participating this year!

if you've got an empty slot in your schedule,

be sure to come and check out all the hard work and lovely treasures that will surely be there!

visit here for more details.

see you there, kiddos!

saturday!

bijou market!

9 am to 5 pm!
see you there!

apathy & how i learned to breathe again

this week has completely changed my entire life 

forever. 

it's a story to be shared.

here we go.

this?
this picture was taken on saturday.
this is a picture of the kindest stranger i have ever met.
a man who made a simple choice
and caused the complete conversion into the person i am right now.

on friday,
i mentioned to my sisters
that the week had changed my life,
but not for the better.

this week brought a lot of sadness, anguish, heartache.
this week brought me a lot of trials.

in this world,
you will encounter lots of flakiness, lots of broken promises, lots of laziness and sarcasm.
you will encounter people who insist that they are just "blunt" and "speak their mind"
which is said to disguise their bad manners.
in this world,
we will all encounter people who refuse to put down their cell phones or the tv remote,
who would much rather attend a movie than attend a charity event,
who will choose to lose patience with a waiter or server,
who won't hesitate to type coarse comments on the internet,
who will slowly lose themselves to apathy.

apathy.
that is what it comes down to.

apathy causes us to refuse to listen, to refuse to get up and move, to refuse action.
apathy caused all of those people to pass that jewish man laying on the side of the road.

apathy has destroyed relationships, friendships, jobs, health, families.

apathy is a dangerous infection that seeps in one inaction at a time and weighs you down, eventually pulling you down into the couch, pulling you into yourself, into your own world.

of all of the signs of the second coming,
of the apocalypse,
what have you...

apathy will be the demise of humankind.

i was ready to quit my job,
start looking for other places to live,
to pick up and drift from place to place.

saturday morning,
i woke up like every other...
went to go and teach dance,
get ready for a party that evening,
all the while feeling a little less whole.

the disappointment of how others' apathy had affected me so heavily that i, myself, had started to succumb.

i was really looking forward to a party that we had been planning for weeks,
and that was getting me through.

i had prepared some killer cookies,
made some lovely decorations,
hand-knit a scarf to give,
planned my outfit.
the whole shebang.

all day long, my phone had not been working.
if it had,
i would have got the memo that it had been cancelled.
if my phone had been working,
i wouldn't have been in the car halfway to farmington when i found this out.

if i hadn't been driving up to farmington,
my car wouldn't have run out of gas on the highway.

there i was,
driving to toward this light at the end of the tunnel,
when my car slowed to a stop.

i made a few calls, just trying to get someone to come up and help me out.

i waited
with no response.

after a few minutes
a white car pulled up in front of me.

i thought,
"oh, no.
i'm going to get a ticket from this undercover police officer.
great."

out steps a completely ordinary man.
he walks over to me and says,
"is everything okay?"

i explain the situation and mention that i had made a few calls and was just waiting to hear back.
his name is rick.
he asks if i have a gas can.
i don't.

he says,
"what can i do for you?"

i insist that everything is okay and that i'm sure someone will call back.

he says,
"do you need a ride somewhere? i've got my wife and daughter in the car. if you're not comfortable with that, i can go find some help for you."

at this point, i don't know what to say.
he promptly says, "i will ride up to the next gas station and see what we can do."
we exchange phone numbers,
and he was off.

about five minutes later,
rick calls me.

he says,
"they have a gas can here. let me get some gas for you and we will head back."
i say i don't have cash.
he says,
"don't worry about it. hang in there, we will be right there."

next thing i know, he's pulling up behind me and quietly and humbly emptying his new gas can into my car.
he wants to make sure i'm okay,
so he follows me to the gas station.

at this moment,
i'm in awe.

i give rick a call and tell him how utterly grateful i am, how i will remember this for the rest of my life.
at this moment,
i am in tears.
i cannot control it.

he says,
"thank you for the kind words, but it really was nothing. i hope your trip gets better.
something just told me to stop for you.
God bless."

i hang up
and take a moment to just release all of my emotions.

there i was,
sitting on the side of the road in need.
car after car passes me by.
one beautiful soul, my good samaritan, stops to help,
to pick me up and get me back in motion,
asking nothing in return.

i begin driving,
plugging in my ipod to listen to some music.

like something out of a fairytale,
this hymn comes on.

if ever there was a sign as clear as a summer's day,
this is it.

ani said it best,
God's work isn't done by God, it's done by people.

at this moment,
i realized who i need to be.

forever goodbye to apathy.
forever goodbye to disregard, to inaction.

i'm now enlisted in the army of alms.

this moment 

was a call to action. 

now,
more than ever,
it's so important to be a force for good,

to combat listlessness and unconcern,
to fight the good fight against all things harsh and discourteous,
to vow to never pass up a needy soul again.

now,
in this world,
generosity and goodness are more influential
and actions under these virtues are louder than ever.

if you see a beggar
and have nothing to give,
spare a few kind words to lift their spirits.

if you see a car pulled over,
and have nowhere to be,
stop and simply ask if they need assistance.

slow your sarcasm.
watch your words,
that they may uplift all around you when you speak.

serve,
and ask for nothing in return.

contribute to the beauty of the world,
do not detract from it.

be gracious.
accept compliments,
express gratitude,
be humbled by those around you,
no matter what their contribution.

be a wonderful, unparalleled version
of yourself.
be a force for good.
use your words, your actions, your minutes/hours/days/nights
to do something to spread your love,
the Savior's love,
to all of the corner's of the earth.

be inspired to be a soldier in this apathetic world.

submit yourself to this just cause

and, like rick,

 you just might inspire another soul to enlist as well. 

63 reasons why bradley cooper isn't the sexiest man alive

here.
funny.

that moment when...

...love seems to leap out of a photograph to get cozy with your soul.

go back and study number three.
just...
wow.

the loving gazes of this sweet man for his girls are so wonderful.
a piece of heaven, really.

{via amelia lyon}

war is over

here's a little story for the evening.

my grandmother, susanna brown,
was a little girl in grantsville, ut when the war ended.
when it was broadcast for all the nation,
people were running into the streets, celebrating, shouting.
the excitement was everywhere.

above the jovialities,
the loud, familiar sound of the school bell caught her ear.
how perfect to ring that beautiful bell to rejoice!
the memory of this lovely sound would stay with her for years.

across town,
a young boy named charlie johnson saw the happy hysteria abounding in grantsville,
and wanted to do something wonderful to join in.

he ran to the first place he could think of,
the schoolhouse.
running up the stairs with excitement,
he finally made it to the top to ring the bell with all his might.
it just felt like the right thing to do.

charles johnson is,
you guessed it,
my grandfather.

these two would meet ten years later,
only to be wed,
have six children,
and 25+ grandchildren.
married for over 50 years!

my grandmother has no idea why that bell ringing was so memorable.
my grandfather doesn't know why it just felt right to ring that bell,
but one day as an old married couple they would recall that day and discover that their ears, their hearts, their souls were on the same wavelength in that instant.

i simply love this little moment,
that two people who were destined to be together
would be connected for that little moment in their childhood.

some things are just meant to be remembered.

nyc in the 1940s

the photo league, of the late 1930s and 1940s,
was a group of young photographers set on capturing the ordinary individual in new york city,
the gritty realities of urban life.

the photo league, of the late 1930s and 1940s,
gave us some pretty photos that bring the streets of new york city in the 1940s back to life.
you can almost smell the cigar smoke and hear swing music.

the empire state building was newly finished.
world war 2 was in full force.
only about half of all homes had indoor plumbing.
average salary was $1,299.
average life expectancy was 64.
casablanca was a new release.
rita hayworth, humphrey bogart, and clark gable... all at the height of their careers.

these photos can be found in a new photography exhibit as part of the jewish museum in manhattan.
oh, to live in the city...

see the rest of the released photos here.

to my future daughter,

in light of this wonderful article,
please
don't let anyone gaslight you.
don't fall for it. ever.

if you don't want to read the article,
or if you don't know what gaslighting is in general,
it's essentially invalidating a reaction by deeming it unreasonable.

i hope at this point i have raised you to know that your feelings are real
i hope you are strong and know what reactions and feelings are proper in each circumstance.
i hope you know that your feelings are valid,
and that the boys that surround you can be just as "dramatic" as you can.
i can tell you stories and stories attesting to that.

i can also tell you stories of women who took this to their advantage
and cried "sexism" whenever they could.
i hope by now you have realized how silly this is.


please take responsibility for those moments when you are mean, hurtful, irrational, and rude.
there will be moments when someone takes the time to shed light on this and correct you.
it will not always be sexist.
learn to know the difference.


please know that the women in movies are hardly realistic.
think of teachers you admire, neighbors, your aunts sadie & hannah, your grandmother, my mother.
strong women who have risen above being "the ditsy one", "the emotional one", "the i-love-my-career-more-than-family one".
please don't let anyone else define you.

don't ever, ever let anyone tell you to
"stop being such a girl".
what does that even mean?
stop being "such" a girl?
don't reduce yourself to being a "silly girl".
i'm sitting here right now being completely female.
i don't know how i would stop that...
if you're feeling something powerful,
please do not be guilty of writing it off to "girl stuff".
sentences like that degrade womanhood.
it takes away the power of what it means to be female.

womanhood is so powerful.
please, please
do not use your femininity in ways other than what God has intended.
stay beautiful and intelligent and pure.
do not reduce the gifts you have been given to simple worldly demands.
i beg of you.
please do not do this.

i want you to know that it is so easy to be blinded in this world.
you have the power to see what you want to see.
remember this. choose wisely.

you can be sweet and pretty, full of sugar and spice,
and you can also be tough and rugged and dirty.
you can love dresses or hate them.

you can be just about anything you want,
just don't be limited.

i love you so much already.

ghost

ohhh how it is good to listen to something new from this girl!

i may have stayed up and waited for the u.s. release of her new single...
her voice is heaven.

i spent the last little while listening to the song previews on itunes.
{my favorite is always you. her voice just sounds so incredible there. what's yours??}

her concert moved me in so many ways.
watching her perform "sort of" was heart-wrenchingly beautiful.
it's burned in my brain.
plus, i much prefer the minimalism of her + piano.
jules was there. standing on my right. watching her with the same awe i had.
twas awesome.

can't wait for her album.
january cannot come soon enough.

holstee manifesto: life is short!

have you seen this??
i'm in love.

i started writing this sentence today:

"i can't believe i'm alive!"

only to crumple up the little doodle of words on the piece of paper {accidentally... kind of}.

it's a silly sentence. 

but, 

wow. 

this beautiful world!!!!!

this life, this wondrous life! 

hindsight is so clear. 

i have so many coulda/woulda/shoulda moments i can look back on

and correct, saying,

"why didn't you do this, ayley? why didn't you live the length&width of that experience?". 

now here we are. 

in our lives. 

our LIVES!

our living, moving, breathing, seeing, exploring, happy lives!

and we get the chance to use every day, every moment, every breath of air we are blessed to inhale

to do something. 

anything. 

ANYTHING!

anything in this playground of a world. 

look at all the people around you who have LIVES! 

you're living right now!

you are alive.
your body is warm and moving. your soul is hungry. your eyes are wide and your heart is open.

please,

take a moment to just feel every sign 

that you are living.

we have the opportunity to use our whole life with the thought that, at the end of it, we will be asked and ask ourselves,

"what did you do?"

what did you do with your perfect arms and legs?

with your full heart and open mind?

where did you put all of your love?

who did you find along your way?

what did you create? destroy?

what caused you to laugh?

what beautiful movements did you make? 

who did you touch?

we know this.

we know this will happen.

we will die. 

we will leave this amazing world and move on to other things. 

we WILL be asked,

"what did you do?" "who were you?"

we can keep this in mind and use each beat of our heart, each tick of the clock, each step

to do something wonderful. 

to change lives!

to live!
live while we still can!

i love what was said about this video:

"The Holstee Manifesto is a call to action to live a life full of intention, creativity, passion, and community"

a life full of intention!


please, please...
just watch this video.
then get the hellokitty off the computer and go and LIVE!


and in case anyone who loves me is reading this...
i want this for my wall.

celebrating the birth of my love

since adam's birthday fell on a sunday,
i made a weekend out of spoiling the guy.

his birthday also marked the

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

of his BAPTISM!

so... it was an extra special reason to celebrate!

twenty five is kind of a big year,
so i wanted to go all out!

in DC there are about twelve of these stores around where we both used to live.
they were everywhere.

i remember one evening,
we decided we were going to head out to chinatown & e street to see a movie, have some amazing dinner, and go to my favorite gelato place in the whole world. {that just made me miss DC soooo much!}


we both felt like we had nothing to wear,
so we stopped at h&m to check it out.
we picked up a pair of red pants {which are now his favorite},
and a black&white polka dot dress {which is now my favorite}.
we ended up getting rained on and having to find shelter in various little shops along the road.
it was quite the lovely day.

since the utah store opened up so close to his birthday,
i decided to take him there for a mini shopping spree so we could get him some bangin' clothes for saturday night.

the line was super long,
and i do not do well with crowds.
but we did spot miss katrina there with her little hazel,
which prompted us to dreamily gaze at all the baby clothes upstairs {okay, mostly me. but he was picking stuff out too!}...
and he did end up getting awesome clothes,
including a cardigan that may have given me butterflies when he tried it on.

it was sorta hard to get adam to focus on boy's clothes.
he kept pushing me over and saying "okay, now let's get something for you."; "look that dress would look so great on you, try it on."; "let's go to the girl clothes now."
funny guy.

one of our first talking points when i was first getting to know adam,
for some reason,
was sweeney todd.

i was really into musicals at that point,
and i must have mentioned that i was watching it when he texted me one night
because the next day i received a text from him
with my name inserted into song lyrics from the play.

i thought it was so cheesy and funny.
it's a sweet song 'n all... but whaaa?
i barely knew this clown and i had no idea if he was serious or not.
{to this day, i don't know. i should ask him about that.}
my sister and i had a good laugh about it,
and soon hannah became "hanthony" in my phone, and i was "joayley" in hers.

i really got lucky with timing for adam's birthday,
because midvale theatre had a production of sweeney todd running
and we attended closing night.
naturally, since she was in on the joke,
hannah came, too.

it was deeeeefffinitely local theater ;)

when we got home, the three of us watched crazystupidlove {and cried}.
i had to take him home early {which was 2 am for us} so he could be well rested for his birthday.
i hated having to drive him home!
i wanted to fall asleep while we laid on the floor in my basement just talking & joking,
but the next day was a big one.
sometimes we make sacrifices...

the big day!

{fyi, as soon as my brain switched into talk-about-adam's-actual-birthday mode, i suddenly wanted to type out the beginning to bad romance... the rah-rah-ah-ah-ah part. no idea why. there's nothing about a bad romance here. maybe it was the "ooh lala" part. so weird.}


i picked adam up
and the blindfold went on...

i took him to a little place we had all to ourselves,
where a little billie holiday was playing
and a homemade, candlelit dinner was waiting for us!

he was so surprised!

and, of course, we had to have lemon meringue pie,
which adam said he would eat for breakfast the next day.

we went home to more cake, online music hunting/discovering, the office, {rewinding this clip several times... so funny}, and a birthday massage.

i love this guy.
i tried opening my mouth several times during that dinner to tell him what i was thinking at that moment,
but words wouldn't come out.
ugh.

here goes. in written form.

adam....

i love you so much!
you make me so happy.
you inspire me every day to be a better person.
you are the kindest, sweetest, most generous person i've ever met.
cliche ahead...
you light up my life.

i'm so glad that i got to spend your birthday with you.
i'm so glad that i get to see you {almost} every day.
i'm so lucky that you will never complain about when i'm gross or i don't shave my legs.
i know that reading that you wish i wouldn't have said the word gross in reference to me.
sorry.
i love how kind you are to my family, even when they're not-so-nice to you.
i admire the way that you can walk up to anyone and strike up a conversation.
you never fail to amaze me with your kindness and love.
i love how embarrassed you got when you accidentally touched my sister's butt. it was funny.
i love your little giggle when we're watching youtube videos.
i loooove when you pick me up.
i love you even when i'm mad at you.
i just love you!

i really hope your birthday was awesome,
because i kinda think you are.

it's sunday!

happy birthday to my love!!!
he's twenty five years old!

we're celebratin' 'round these parts.
we have had a lovely day so far,
and i have some pictures of the little surprise i planned for my best friend.

in the mean time...

we are in love with this video.
the world is a playground...
a beautiful, beautiful playground
keep your dreams alive.
keep your heart open.
keep your eyes full of wonder.

on service...

so....
i did this little service project.
remember that?

i say little this time because it was small.
seven people showed up.
four of those were family members.

standing outside in the freezing cold,
for three hours,
i watched car after car pass by.
i watched people i know pass by.

i was so disappointed
to say the least!

i made over 100 flyers {that were placed on doors individually}, dozens of posters posted around the neighborhood, made gallons of hot cocoa, texted/facebooked everyone i know.

it was such a bummer.
i may have cried disappointment tears.

but...
here's what i learned.

 i will neverevereverever say no to helping people.

who cares how many people showed up?
who cares just how much food or clothing we collected?
who cares how many hours of mine seemingly went to waste?

not me.
it's not about me.
it was never about me.

because what little we did that day is going to make a huge difference to someone.
my efforts will not go to waste.
those three hours standing outside
to the point of painful finger freezing
are going to warm someone's heart.
the loving help from my family members,
the many hours i spent beforehand
will not go to waste.

the little food and single cardboard box full of clothes donated by the sweet people who came through are going to make a large difference for someone who really needs it.

never say no to service.
never pass up someone on the side of the road holding a service project.
never keep a spare dollar to yourself.
never hold the door open for only yourself.
never think "oh, somebody else will do it."
never. never. never.

i promise myself
from this day forward,
i will never pass up an opportunity to give.

someone out there has no idea just how much they are loved
by someone who doesn't even know them.

"my life is beyond your comprehension"

Hipster
	Someone who listens to bands you've never heard of, wears ironic tee-shirts, and believes they are better than you.

because everyone knows someone like this.

i was working on etsy today when i came across this little diddy,
and that's what brings us to now.

i don't know why,
but jokes about hipsters really make me laugh.
probably because

i do love music, vegetarian living, beanies, coffee houses, organic food, large frame glasses, ironic tshirts, shopping at urban outfitters...
but, to quote katrina,
"I like processed foods, Abercrombie sweats, wearing t shirts, Jeans and listening to Rhianna. Sue me."
and people really can get pretty silly about this stuff.

let's all sit back and enjoy some hipster jokes.


#hipsterproblems:
-ben gibbard and zooey broke up. i thought the world was supposed to end next year?
-i take more photographs of food than i do eat it.
-that awkward moment when you see the exact same outfit your young friend is wearing on an old lady.
-wait, so if you grow a beard all year long, are you supposed to shave for no shave november?
-hear song you like on the radio. erase from ipod.
-having to keep up with popular music, just so you can tell everyone how bad it is.
-just realized that the 99% is, by definition, mainstream. motivation to be filthy rich never stronger...

how did the hipster burn his mouth?
he ate his pizza before it was cool.
how many hipsters does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
pssh. they don't try to change things, man.
did you hear about the hipster who buried himself alive?
he wanted to be more underground.
if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, a hipster will probably buy the soundtrack.

this long video has a few funny bits in it.
"how does it feel to be disqualified so early on in the competition?" "i don't care."
the american apparel instant replay.
"empanadas are the new cupcakes."
"hobos are the new unicorns."
hipster olympics.
and it's so hard to be a hipster when everyone is try to push their beliefs on you.
"i don't have a name since i reject conventional social habits."
"those compost heaps people call outlet malls."
"equilateral's just not chaotic enough for my taste"
"i'm a purist when it comes to helvetica"
hipster confessions.


so ironic, it's not. so un-ironic, it is.
people. are. so. funny.

hennes & mauritz

this little store is opening
in a big way
friday!

i'm a little too excited.
{it may be the place where i got my favorite polka dotted dress, my favorite red skinnies, and my favorite white ruffled blouse.}



really, though...
people of utah will all be similarly dressed after this weekend,
it's that hawt.

in other news,

it's 

election day. 

head to the polls!

give the founding fathers a reason to be proud to look down at today's democracy.

they worked oh-so hard in establishing it!

11.11.11

remember this?

here's my little contribution to the wishmaking this friday.

if you're in the area,

come say hello!

warning! by reading this, you might get jealous of my life

this is a week in the life of ayley yasuko and people she loves dearly






1. mama's birthday dinner at rawtopia.
{all food is served raw and nothing is cooked over 104 degrees to keep it alive. all food is vegan & water is served at room temperature.}

"burger"

coconut curry rice with a nut cracker

zucchini "pasta"

amaaazing mango smoothie

2. masquerade party in slc with transfusion hype.
i learned adam is an awkward dancer and it's hilarious.
despite the fact that i dance for a living every day, dancing socially in front of other people in that type of setting makes me cringe. i lamely spent most of the night in a chair. party pooper.

 annual johnson family halloween party.

puppy, hipster, mickey

every year, my grandfather prepares a "spook alley" in his basement. this was by far the most elaborate spook alley i ever did encounter. he had a script, loads of props, costumes, and nearly the whole family was involved.
 luckily my aunt got some pictures of the evening. i took some video, but it's completely dark and fuzzy. too bad. it was hilarious.

top left: some sort of cult madness in the backyard; top right: a completely brilliant bush costume that suddenly started running at me and grabbed me. it was quite frightening; bottom left: my cousin in a gorilla costume that terrorized us while we were locked in the garage; bottom right: some cousins in costume

my grandpa & uncle commenting on the gorilla picture on good old FB:

truer words...

halloween is also my mama's birthday!
double celebration full on. so intense.
{we're best friends if you know what i'm referring to}

carving pumpkins...

... and apples.

{ps my poor camera died halfway through the night and i cannot find my charger!

so sad.}

i wish i could have captured this:

my dad got a huge pumpkin spice torte for my mama. it's a birthday tradition to go outside and silly string the person to death. after we finished we came inside and the cake was gone... but there was a certain brown dog with whipped cream all over his nose....

1. completed & the pinterest challenge!

technically finished this on monday, but didn't clean up after myself until tues. and that's really when you're finished, no?

2. amy & zachary's wedding!

i've honestly never seen this girl look more beautiful in this lifetime.

weddings are right up there on my love list with family and dance. 

i would wedding crash for a living if i could. 

 we loved the simple details and the cozy little location.
it was so intimate and sweet.

aaaaand adam caught the garter.

we were sitting there just taking everything in and adam goes "woah, man". 

of course i say "what's wrong?"

he says, "i almost just started crying because i realized that my dad won't be there at my own wedding."

i started to try to comfort him {something i'm awful at}

when he said,

"i will just have my uncle give me away then."

and i couldn't stop laughing. 

he's such a dork. 

super long autumn walk!

adam met me up near my house when he had the day off
and we made a day out of taking a long autumn walk to his house,
where we made eggs and toast, watched scott pilgrim, and took a nap before i had to go to work.

it's days like these where you realize you're with someone cool,
when the sun seems brighter, the leaves seem crispier, and everything that comes out of his mouth is hilarious.
i'd take a long 7 mile walk every day, rain or shine, if it was with this kid.

adam kept saying i looked like the misfit girl in teen movies who goes against the crowd, writes for the school newspaper or has an after school radio show, and always shows up with some sarcastic remark on social constructs.

 i may have gotten a little too excited for this....

spent way too long in the seasonal section at every store i visited.

i realized i didn't even leave the fabric store with anything i went in there for because i got distracted by all the pretty garlands and smells of cinnamon.
{a few strangers may have subtly backed away when i accidentally let out a squeal at a pretty ornament...}

i went home and tried to get some work done for the bijou in a couple weeks,
but,
let's face it,
this is much more entertaining.

a pretty little photography exhibit at the hive
courtesy of mr. jake garn.

as if i need to give more examples of adam's funny ways,
i was trying to find mr. garn in the exhibit
with no luck.

adam picked up one of his business cards and asked
"do you think this number will go to a secretary or his cell phone?"
and proceeded to call him and wander around and look for the guy who answered the phone.
pretty clever, if you ask me.

adam and i fell in love with one of his prints,
but it was {get this} $250!

we loved it dearly.
we spent a good chunk of time telling the stories that the shot evoked and why it seemed so special to us.

we decided we would try to DIY,
but we kind of know that's impossible.
it was too lovely a shot.

we may have wandered in to pottery barn after this,
and may have admired all the cute little children's toys
and maybe we were the only grown-ups in that section.
what of it?

---

my life is kind of a fairytale.