this is hallowe'en

For the first time since we've been together, Kristofor and I carved pumpkins for Halloween. I never knew how much easier those pumpkin carving kits make things!

Can you guess who did which one? Haha.

 I'm trying to copy the face he always makes in his pictures.. looking away with a blank expression.

On Halloween night we went to my in-laws. Every year Kristofor's dad makes really yummy chili and the grand-kids come show their costumes off and trick or treat around the neighborhood. 

This is as close to a costume as we get with Kelso.

 I wore my candy corn colored clothes..

 And Kristofor wore his "nerd" clothes. This is the outfit he wore when he made a movie with his brothers..

Notice his Goosebumps hat - he used to be a member of the Goosebump's #1 fan club, and they mailed this to him in a coffin shaped box.. He's pretty proud of it, really. 

  

 Here they are all together - the three nerds. 

All together, it was a great Halloween - I ate all the candy I could and vowed the next day to start eating healthier.. But I have some Oh Henry's that are calling my name. 

here she goes again..

There will always be a place in my heart that belongs to this little mongrel. 

                      

I've never regretting getting a dog.

Not once.

Guess we're stuck with each other. 

smaller than a dime

Kristofor got me this necklace for our anniversary.. isn't it the sweetest? I had seen it on the internet a few weeks earlier and showed him, but didn't want to spend the money on it. 

 I didn't even think he would get it for me. I'm so glad he did - I just love it.

the coolest dog in town

round here

This is what our nights look like:

-I'm doing embroidery (or at least attempting to)..

-30 Rock is playing on Netflix.. I mostly just listen.

-Note the empty, mangled juice bottle on the ground - this is one of Kelso's favorite toys

-So much beige going on here! One day I'll live in a colorful house.

5 years, holy crab!

Yesterday Kristofor and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. I'm sure everyone says this, but has it really been that long? It's hard to believe! 

We went out to eat at Kobe, an awesome Japanese restaurant near where we live. I had a perma-smile the whole time, the food was so delicious. 

This lucky cat thing greeted us at the door... but we couldn't figure out what that other little critter was??

This morning we were getting ready for the day together and I mentioned how hard it's been for me lately to motivate myself. I don't get it - the weather is lovely, I'm not overwhelmed by work or school, but for some reason I struggle every day to get things done.

I expected him to say something like "Yeah, that sucks. It's hard sometimes. You'll be fine." But instead we had a long conversation about things we have to look forward to this year and next. He reminded me that we've been in this "going to school" stage of our lives for a really long time, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. (We'll both hopefully graduate with our Bachelor's this December) He listened to me vent, gave me helpful suggestions for how I can push through how I'm feeling, and even told me how he motivates himself.

It was nothing big, just a nice reminder of how good he is for me. It felt good to have his encouragement and support.

I'm so blessed to have him. I'm so excited to see where our life takes us.

1 year

Today, Kelso turns 1 year old! I made him 'dog ice cream' and a birthday hat for his special day. He loved the ice cream, but the hat? Well, he put up with it for a few minutes, at least. 

I love this little stinker. So. Much. 

I love that he thinks anyone who comes over is here just to play fetch with him.

I love that he cuddles with me at night - I was especially grateful for it when Kristofor worked nights and I had to fall asleep by myself. 

I love that every time we give him an ice cube, he runs circles around the kitchen table with it, begging us to chase him.

I love that he'll fall asleep in our arms, belly up. He snores, too. It's pretty cute.

I'm so happy God gave us dogs. I'm serious, people. I know it's cheesy, but that's okay because I'm a cheesy person! =)

kelso, before and after

Before his walk: Notice how he's staring off into the distance - super distracted and obviously not interested in getting his picture taken.

After his walk: He lets me take as many pictures of him as I want.

zee artiste

I had a "date" with my sister Madi last week. We went and saw The Artist, then grabbed a bite to eat, and - of course - sat and talked for hours. 

Right after I took this picture, an employee came out and said "Are you ladies going to see a movie, or are you just here to take pictures?" 

Which made me wonder.. how often do people go there just to take pictures?

Anyway, we had the theater to ourselves which was good because anyone who knows us, knows that we talk during the. entire. show.

I didn't love this movie as fast as I though I would. Something about the lack of talking bugged me (ha!). The more I think about it though, the more I love it and want to see it again. It was lovely.

And can I just say: I don't know of any other actors that seem more likeable than these two! The whole time, I kept thinking to myself "He's so charming. She's so charming." They're just so darn cute together!

I love date nights.

wanderings

Tonight I was in a mood. And I didn't know how to get out of it. On a whim I decided to get out my water colors and decided to create something. Anything.

Usually when I paint, or do any sort of craft or project, I'm creating something for someone else or something I want to put up in my home. Any project I undertake is full of pressure from that rarely-seen perfectionist in me to get things right the first time. I have these thoughts that if what I make isn't 'good enough' to display in the house, it has no value. Which is silly.

This (bad) attitude keeps me from wanting to use my watercolors.. I don't consider myself good at it - but I enjoy the process, mixing the colors, and it's easy to clean up. 

So tonight I told myself: Paint just to paint. Experiment. You aren't trying to make this look good for anyone - just have fun.

And I did. 

These paintings were pretty aimless. All I had in mind was that I wanted to use floral-y colors and designs.

The colors I used made me happy. And I even used the wrong colors in the wrong places.

By the time I was finished, I remembered how much I enjoy making something from nothing -

- even if it's not something that will ever be seen or appreciated by anyone but myself. I need to remind myself that I don't need praise in order to feel good about what I do. 

And sometimes I need to wander. Enjoy my journey. See what I can do without worrying so much about the end result. 

opinions?

I've had the urge to paint our front door lately. The dark maroon isn't doing it for me.. and frankly, neither are the forest green shutters. I'm a bit too big of a wimp to try to climb a ladder up to those shutters though, so we'll probably just leave them as they are. 

Here's where I need your guys' opinions: what color could I paint the door that would cheer things up a bit, but not clash with the shutters? 

Any thoughts?

the day after

 The day after my birthday, Kristofor and I went out. We went to Famous Dave's for lunch (may I recommend their spicy mac n cheese - it's sooo good!), and then went shopping.

 

We picked up some Blizzards for DQ - even though we were stuffed from our big lunch. Who can say no to ice cream? It was a good day. I ended up spending most of my birthday money at Target - love that store.

Here's the trunk of our car, where my treasure hunt ended. When I opened it the streamers blew right in my face and I *might* have screamed. Just a little. 

 The camera was sitting there in the middle of all the gold coins.. I also got some awesome pirate tattoos and candy along the way. 

And what's a post without a picture of our naughty little puppy?