Photos from last week when my family came up to visit me and take me out for my birthday! Dinner time is always so much more entertaining when my nieces are there. We went to this local, newly opened restaurant in town that has a wine cellar. It was just nice to spend time with everyone!

My two sisters and my two nieces!

Read More

Cardigan  - BDG via UO, scarf - gift, top and shorts (old) - American Eagle, tights and flats - local

*(merry christmas! in german)

After an early start and a busy day, I’m finally relaxing with my family and on the couch cuddled up next to Chris and the pups. I’m now dressed in Rudolph pajamas (that’s right, matching top and bottoms gifted from my momma), eating sugar cookies and flipping channels between the Thunder basketball game and the Packers football game.

I couldn’t be happier!

Hope you are enjoying your holidays and the time with your families! :)

Thanksgiving morning Chris and I were scurrying around the house. Trying to get all three dogs clean (muddy paws and noses from playing outside) and settled, finishing the remaining laundry, packing up the car and getting ready.

I’ve been trying to time a good day for Chris and I to take our holiday/Christmas card photo for the past two weeks. But it wasn’t happening—if it wasn’t the weather, mostly dreary and rainy outside, its been impossible trying to match up our schedules. But thankfully, Thanksgiving morning before we left we were able to make a quick stop, set up the tripod and get a good one!

Now an unmarried couple sending out a holiday card may be lame, but least we haven’t slummed to posing with ours dogs and sending those out. We’re doing that next year. Haha, kidding. Maybe. Besides…they’re cute to put on the fridge. Lemme alone!

Traditionally, I always spend Thanksgiving with my parents but this year they are visiting with one of my sisters in Germany. So my other sister took reins of Thanksgiving with preparing and cooking the dinner and desserts. We even brought a plus one this year. Chris’ friend/musician sensation Casey Smalley joined us.

I failed and only took a few photos from our Thanksgiving…

Casey’s footwear. I hate that I forgot to get a photo of him and Chris together.

I woke up yesterday morning to overcast skies and chilly weather and a long day of studying ahead of me. A surprise lunch after classes with my parents and Chris was the perfect quick escape. And it was the perfect lunch!

My lunch = soup with cuts of potato simmered with seasonings and smoked bacon in a rich cream sauce flavored with onion and snipped chives all in a bread bowl + hot chocolate topped with whipped cream & a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

Yum, yum!

Photo: Berlin Wall, Germany 1984
Camera c/o my dad: Nikon D3100

I’ve unintentionally started a camera collection. Over the years I’ve gotten two old polaroid cameras given to me as gifts and now my dad has handed down me his old Canon.

He got the camera back when he was a lieutenant fighter pilot in 1983. Its witnessed the birth and growth of both my sisters. It captured many airplanes and been taken from the country to country.

This camera took that last photo (above) of my dad with another pilot, being hoisted over the west side of the Berlin Wall, Germany in 1984. He has this photo sitting in his office and when I asked him about it he said, “I remember thinking that was the only place I thought graffiti was appropriate.” He then told me that the east of the wall no one was allowed to get close to it, so it was completely clean.

(On a lighter note, the camera also survived an 1988 Oktoberfest in Germany too!)

Sweater - Gordman’s, corset top and shorts - Forever 21, flats - Gap, lipstick - Rimmel London’s 024 & 180
Camera c/o my dad: Nikon D3100

It’s the weekend. It’s a time I can finally catch up on assigned reading and start two different manuscripts. It’s a time for overpiled laundry and dishes.

It’s also my dad’s birthday. Since I can’t spend it with him, I really wanted to do something special. We’ve been talking about how much we love stop motion videos, like this one, and so I attempted to create a small (and embarrassingly amateur) one for him!

Happy 51st birthday dad! Ily. See the video here.

Saturday afternoon & night away at a Oktoberfest festival with Chris and my parents.