October 30, 2014

Gramps playing tug of war with Yasser...

...I'm actually not even sure who's winning.

October 29, 2014

New favorite snacks:

Not going to lie, a little proud of myself for starting to work out again and making an effort to eat better.  More than anything, for being healthier. 

...but hopefully, it'll pay off in other ways, too!

October 28, 2014

Sorry, not sorry.  

Watching my favorite show on a rainy Tuesday evening in... it just doesn't get much better than that.  Oh, Mr. Cumberbatch... you get me every time.

October 27, 2014

I need a good vacation. 
 

I would adore New York right now.  Need to cross it off the list. 

Next Autumn... I'm holding on to next autumn!

October 26, 2014

As fall is obviously my favorite time of the year, I naturally had an abundance of date ideas on this season's to-do list.  Despite this long list, audit season and early nightfalls prevented us from being able to cross off most of my seasonal activities.

Luckily, we salvaged one:

A late Sunday evening filled with pumpkin guts, a perfectionist with a carving knife, baked seeds, and Walking Dead (since I can't do any horror movies, this was the best I could do).

Ahhhhh, autumnal bliss.

October 25, 2014

(What I assume would be) Number three on 'the most cliche halloween costumes' list:  school girl and... is sexy geek a thing?  People just couldn't resist snapping those suspenders.  Myself included.

I have come to the conclusion that it would just be best to have a photographer at my disposal at all times.  That way, I wouldn't have to resort to taking bathroom selfies just to get a semi-full length photo with my beau, with messy towels as my backdrop.  However, I do love this photo.  Heh.

First world problems.

October 24, 2014

Morning walks; not too shabby.

October 23, 2014

After a whole day of rain, it turned out to be very autumnal this evening.

I can't say I can complain about either weather.

October 22, 2014

Wednesday evening, sans cooking...

I could get used to this.

October 21, 2014

Our Yasi is famous!

October 20, 2014

Sleeping in my old room...

I don't even find it a little strange that I had a peaceful, no-waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night sleep.  You can always go home again...

October 19, 2014

My perfect Sunday night: 

October 18, 2014

Saturday night with a new crowd: Nick's entire family (give or take).

I was extremely nervous to say the least, but I quickly realized how happily I could spend every Saturday amongst these lovely people.  And while that may be true, if that were the case... I really need to learn to speak Croatian better. 

One day...

October 17, 2014

She's just so studious:

October 16, 2014

All you need is...

Song of the day: Autumn Tree - Milo Greene

October 15, 2014

A girl can admire pretty things...

October 14, 2014

List of things I did today:

Eat.
Sleep.
Blow my nose.
Watch Gossip Girl.

Well I feel completely useless. And also a little bit bored!

October 13, 2014

Thanksgiving - Part Two!

I try my very hardest to not touch my phone when I'm with a group of people at a gathering.  There's that whole thing about actually enjoying the real live people you are spending time with instead of ignoring them to scroll down social media feeds to gawk at what people you don't even like are doing... but I digress.  My point is that because I try to leave my phone alone at dinners like this, I forget to take photos.  And today, I am completely kicking myself for that because my mother did an amazing job at setting up the entire living and dining room to make it appear as though autumn threw up all over it.  It was beautiful.

I apparently caught my second cold of the year though, and it rapidly progressed from a mild irritation to a full blown runny nose/sore throat cold within a few hours.  Luckily, it didn't actually hit me until lunch was over and I was at home where it was pouring rain outside, and I was able to spend the rest of the evening cuddled up with blankets and a movie, and a handsome guy to take care of me.

Thankful for: my amazing family, autumn evenings, getting to celebrate my favorite holiday twice, and even more delicious food (all of which my gifted chef of a mother has already taught me how to make).

October 12, 2014

Thanksgiving - Part One!

 

 

Thankful for: my wonderful boyfriend, his wonderful welcoming family, and his mother's delicious cooking (along with the fact that she's happy to pass on her culinary expertise).

Oh, and also immensely thankful for: getting to watch my boyfriend dance to Lion King's "Circle of Life" as a four year old.  Childhood videos are the best.

October 11, 2014

We are definitely not the main focus in this photo. 

People wear outrageously stupid outfits to these concerts: fur boots, crop tops, spandex shorts underwear - and while this chick was probably the worst one we saw, it was not the only one.  It provided a really hysterical laugh from all of us normal folk, but there's just something not right about 14 and 15 year old girls wearing no more than panties and fur boots...

Okay, my old mother rant is over.

The show itself was such a crazy experience to be a part of.  I haven't been to any kind of atmosphere like this since Stereosonic in 2010, but it was good to be back.  It's ridiculously fun to dance like crazy - knowing that you don't look half as weird as the people dancing on drugs, it's awesome to attend a good show with good music with good people, but more than anything, it just completely reminded me of how young and alive we really are. 

October 10, 2014

He was mocking me about... something.  I can't remember what it was now, but he ended up on the floor somehow.

October 9, 2014

An evening chatting with mama:

She was super mad I took this photo (this was her "you had better not put this up on your blog" face... sorry!) but she wouldn't take a normal one, so I had to.  I don't think she should worry too much though; this blog is wildly unpopular. 

If I'm talking about things I'm grateful for - the theme of this blog, and even more so the theme of this upcoming thanksgiving weekend - she is very high up there on that list.  As children, and teenagers especially, we often discredit the things our parents say and do for us, and we often fight with them about any & everything.  It's not until we grow up that we realize they are truly amazing people, are wise beyond their years, and have done absolutely everything for us our whole lives.  All I can say is that it's nice to have finally grown up to see that.

 

October 8, 2014

Such a busy, exhausting day...but this was my view.

October 7, 2014

Although this wasn't my dad, I got a really good chuckle out of this ol' screenshot.  I am a huge fan of funny texting compilations.

And now I really want some lightly fried fish fillets.

October 6, 2014

Catching up with a coworker on mat leave, her wonderfully wicked newborn son, and her sharp-toothed puppy on a Monday afternoon.

With a newborn baby and a young puppy, one would think that would be a very crazy, very hectic, very high-strung stressful environment... I was very happy to see that it absolutely wasn't and that it's possible to maintain a calm and level head, and to actually truly be content despite all the craziness that is having an infant (and a new pup!).  

In other words, it was very admirable.

...and it didn't help my baby fever.  Sorry, not sorry.

October 5, 2014

Perfect start to a lazy Sunday.

October 4, 2014

A change of color to match the change of season.

But mostly, because I was bored of brown.

October 3, 2014

I slept in this morning, took my time getting ready, and walked outside to my car and was greeted by the most beautiful crisp, sunny Friday.  It was one of the best ways to start a day I could think of.

And in no relation whatsoever to that thought, here is a tribute to one of the greatest movies of all time:

October 2, 2014

I was looking for a new wallpaper for my phone, and I accidentally took a screenshot of my photos page, then I got an idea.  So this was created. 

Pretty much of all my favorite photos & everyone I'm most grateful for... all in one photo.

October 1, 2014

September 30, 2014

I'm the kind of person that when I'm having a bad day (or week...), it's very difficult for me not to explode on any and everyone around me... just cause.  I'm a bitch that way.  It's nothing personal, I'm just super irritable.

It's definitely a flaw.
 

 

But the nice thing about the capacity of human growth, is that it's endless if you yourself want to grow.  I'm not a changed woman or anything, but as these months have gone by, I've found it much easier to - at least attempt to - focus on what makes me happy, and leave my problems and annoyances (sometimes accompanied by a good vent session) where they belong.

Behind me.