House DIY

Weird, haven't done THIS in a while. You know, POST ON MY BLOG. I have a couple of fun things planned. First, my House DIY post. I used to do a feature about my apartment DIY dreams. Now I have a house and a almost-husband to help me complete the tasks I so dream about. Which means now they can come to life! Here is what I have been pinning lately. Most of them pertain to our wedding (which cannot get here fast enough) and some of them pertain to our home.

All links can be found at: Pinterest To-Do List

Also.....

We got engaged, yesterday!!! And we are the happiest. <3<3

Mission Trip Update, Photos, and Thanks!

Hello, friends!

I gave myself a small break to mull over the amazingness that I was just a huge part of this past week, but now I am super ready to tell all of you about what I got to participate in. I thank you all, again, for being a very important contributor to my getting there and doing God’s work for so many children, staff, and caregivers that needed the encouragement and inspiration that our group and so many others brought to Monterrey, Mexico, this week. I thought that since you all thought this was important enough to sacrifice some of your hard earned money and thoughts or prayers, you’d like to hear about what happened in this seven-day life changer. If you are not a reader, and prefer to hear my story through photos, please click this link to view the pictures many others and I took while on the trip.

The theme for the week in Monterrey was the bible verse Jeremiah 42:6. In The Message, this verse says “Whether we like it or not, we’ll do it. We’ll obey whatever our God tells us. Yes, count on us. We’ll do it.” The idea behind our theme for the week is that no matter what, we will do what God puts in our hearts to do. Even and especially if it is something so far our of our comfort zone that we can’t imagine doing it. Even if we hate it. Even if it is hard, gross, or awkward. We’ll do it.

During the week we stayed at Back2Back’s campus in Monterrey. A 12-foot wall surrounds the campus with a gate at each entrance and cameras all over the place. It has several rooms that are used as classrooms during the school year, and dorm rooms in the summer when there are groups visiting. There are two swimming pools, mostly to entertain the kids who visit the campus from the Casas Hogar. There is a giant cafeteria and two shelters, or palapas, in Español. There are also several buildings that house permanent staff and summer interns, and 6 Hope Program homes. The Hope Program is the program run by the ministry that takes 50 students at a time and educates them through high school and college. Since in Mexico, education only goes through 9^th grade, which usually means kids become independent at age 15, Back2Back began the Hope Program. In each Hope House, there are up to 8 students and 2 house parents.

Each day was basically the same skeleton. Wake up at 7:45, breakfast until 8:30, quiet time and bible study from 9 to 10. At 10, we boarded the bus each day to one of three different Casas Hogar (children’s homes, in Español). Each Casa Hogar was about an hour from the Back2Back campus, and when we got there we would spend about 5 hours doing various things with the kids or with the community, and most times there was construction to be done. Around 6 or 6:30, we’d return to the Back2Back campus, have dinner and at 7:15 we would gather in our groups for de-briefing. This was a chance for us to come together and discuss the things we experienced and to tell about our “pictures of the day” or the most impactful thing we experienced that day. Finally, at 8, we would gather in the Big Palapa for worship. Some nights there was a small sermon, but most nights it was an hour of just singing together.

The first Casa Hogar that we visited went by ERJ. Not entirely sure what this stands for, but this is the first place I got to start impacting some of the nicest, most loving children I have ever met. The second was a community about an hour from the Back2Back campus called “Cadareyta,” Finally, we spent two days with the children and caregivers at Casa Hogar Imperio de Amor.

We spent the days playing Spanish bingo, making felt and foam necklaces, friendship bracelets, playing Uno and soccer (I played soccer! In front of other people! And even got a “Muy bien!” from some of the very experiences soccer players on my team).  I got to teach the kids how to play Ochos Locos, or Crazy Eights, and Pesca, or Go Fish. They loved it! I got to re-learn everything I was taught in the four years of Spanish class in high school at Mercy. It’s amazing how much you remember over 6-10 years.

While about half of us played with the kids for most of the day, the rest of our group that went from The Vineyard and Hope Church helped build new bathrooms in the dorms of the children who lived here. They were finally going from communal showers and stall-less toilets to showers with doors and toilets in stalls with beautiful tiles and pretty substantial water pressure. No doubt that this was an incredible blessing for them. We helped to finish building the second floors of the church in Cadareyta, and serving the children and community dinner in the worship area of the church.

While staying on the Back2Back campus, and throughout the days working at the Casas Hogar, one of the Hope students, Roberto, and I became pretty close friends. He helped me learn a lot more Spanish, and I helped him learn a few new English words. At the beginning of the week, he was a shy 15-year-old who seemed to lack confidence and didn’t have a huge amount of trust in people. It seemed to me that he came from a pretty hard background. Somehow, on Tuesday, I learned that the following day, tres de Julio, was his birthday. He was going to be 16 and was incredibly resistant to any type of celebration. He was also very adamant to not be in any of the hundreds of pictures that were taken by our group over the week. A few of us got together and decided that we’d like to make him a card and get him an ice cream and a Coke for his birthday. He seemed to be surprised and pretty happy about it, but didn’t really express that to any of us. He kept it to himself and went about his business. Finally, on the last day for us in Monterrey, he approached me and asked if he could take a picture with me, and presented me with a letter he had written for me and a coin that he described as “very important and special, and just for me.” I was floored! This came after I decided to be his third sponsor from home to help pay for his room and board, food, and tuition to finish high school and college. It was the high light of my trip – finally getting to make a connection with this kid who seemed so kind and giving, but lacking so much confidence! I was able to show him that I believe in him and will support him in his success in the future – what a gift!

That’s it – that is my story! It was an amazing, eye-opening, life-changing experience and has influenced me to do so much more in my life. I can’t wait to go back next summer, and look forward to continue going each summer for as long as possible. Thank you all again for being such a huge part of this for me, and helping me to be God’s hands and feet for the last seven days. Don’t forget to check out the pictures from the trip at this link to my Picasa web album!

Love,

Stephanie

Currently.

Thankful For: The incredible amount of support I have been receiving for my mission trip to Monterrey. I have been getting donations from people left and right and have completely raised the money I need....!!! I am waiting for all of it to come in so that I can pay for my plane ticket and accommodations, but I am really excited to experience this trip and SO THANKFUL to those who have believed in it and helped me get there!! Now, I just have to wait until June so that I can go....!!!

Looking Forward To: Seeing Chevelle at Bogarts with Bret this Monday night, flying to Buffalo to see my New York lovers (Nicole, C, Isa, Mack, and Russ), seeing The Postal Service in Columbus in June... talk about a dream come true!! And Disney World with my family this summer (finally). I can't wait for this summer break. It's going to be absolutely amazing. But with the year I am having at school, I can absolutely be patient. I am really falling into my position as a teacher at Mt. Healthy and I am loving it. It is incredible what one year of experience and an amazing team of people around you can do for morale!! Also looking forward to teaching a (amateur) yoga club after school in the spring!

Lusting After: This Longchamp bag at Nordstrom. I might have to go get it today because it's on sale and..... omg need.

Watching: Still Downton Abbey and Rehab Addict. I love that show.

Thinking About: This exhibit that my dad and I saw at MoMa in NYC a few years ago that has suddenly gone viral. I wasn't there for the reunion that everyone has been talking about, but I remember standing around for about 20 minutes watching this woman and marveling at how content she was just sitting here with strangers. I wish I had gotten to see the meeting between her and Ulay!

Working On: Staying dedicated to fitness. I am really struggling with this. Especially because since Christmas break, I have been unbelievably exhausted almost all of the time. And I have been retaining water/gaining a little bit of weight and I am not sure why this is happening. I am hoping it is a deficiency and that my doctor will have a solution for me. Going on Tuesday to find something out!! I am also working on continuing to stay focused on school work. The course I am taking right now is a lot more challenging than the first two and it has been a struggle to keep up my momentum and meet my own incredibly high standards. TRYING!

Reading: I read Gone Girl over Christmas break and was completely obsessed with it. One of those books that I couldn't stop thinking about for a few days after I read it, and even had to take a break from reading because I just felt like anything else would have been disappointing right up against that. So I did some research to find some books similar to it, and just finished reading What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman. I will say that I have read another book by her in the past based on a recommendation I read on a blog and was completely disappointed by it. This book was much better, although it was nothing compared to Gone Girl. I just started, however, a book called Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson. It is the same type of story, with twists and turns and some unreliable characters and a lot of leaving the reader in the dark. Addictive!! I am such a horrible book worm.

Sad About: Google Reader going away, being screwed over with my Lumineers ticket, and not being able to eat chocolate for every meal, vanilla coke + rum and the after effects of 5+ of them...

Loving: Date nights with Bret, cuddles with the cutest babies around (puppy babies), having fun with my students, yoga making me feel stretched out and proud of my body, vanilla coke + rum (haha), redesigning the bedroom (new curtains in place of closet doors, chevron patters on the wall, and artwork to hang up).

Happy weekend!!

xo S

Currently....

It has been a million years since I last wrote a post. Not much has changed!! I have been sticking pretty close to my new years goals and thinking forward to the summer. Getting super excited about what's to come!!

Loving: The new iMac Bret & I got. I mean, I think that there is basically no reason for me to ever step foot into the Apple store again. This is actually getting kind of out of hand. Let's be honest. And its name is "The Burrow" for those of you who are wondering. Also loving that I have a 2 hour delay tomorrow which means lots of reading in the morning and sleeping in :) Loving those amazing new shoes in the picture above (from the Gap outlet, $17!)

Looking Forward To: Going to Buffalo to see my amazing friend Nicole and her babies... especially the new one! She is two weeks old today, and her name is Isadora Mae. CUTEST NAME EVER? The Chevelle show that I got tickets to as a surprise for Bret, The Lumineers show (sold out and I am going alone. Sad face) SUMMER BREAK (!!!), a trip to Disney with my family and my trip to Monterrey, Mexico! This is the mission trip I posted about a while back... it was going to be in Ireland, but due to some scheduling difficulties with the church abroad, it was postponed and I have decided to take the opportunity to go on another trip with the same church to Monterrey, Mexico where I will be working with children at an orphanage who come from disadvantaged homes.... they have suffered abuse, neglect, or their parents were unable to take care of them.

p.s. I have raised almost $300 and have 34 days left to get to my goal of $2,500! Any help is much appreciated, and if you can just send your positive thoughts and prayers, that is great, too!! <3 If you would like to contribute financially, please click this link.

Reading: I just recently finished Mission Flats by William Landay. It was a mystery/suspense about a cop who moves back to his hometown when his mother commits suicide. He leads the investigation on the DA who visited their small town. I would say that it was really hard to get through (it took me almost 3 weeks to finish.... not like me at all....) and really only got "un-put-down-able" when I got about 300 pages in. At that point I really couldn't see myself stopping considering the time investment and the fact that it was $12.... unless you like slow moving books, I would skip this one over.

Eating: Smoked gouda and Stacey's simply naked pita chips. YUM.

Goals: I have kinda kept up on my New Year's goals. I have been exercising more regularly (I bought a treadmill with my tax refund) and have been doing yoga fairly consistently which actually does more for my mental health than anything else. I haven't lost or gained any weight, but I am not complaining, I am happy!! :)

Happy almost Friday! 

Currently.

UGH. I just got all hyped up to write a "currently" post and Darcy got out of her collar while being brought inside. She went running down the street and it's a really good thing she stayed out of it, because it would have been a close call. Now I am too wound up to think about blogging! 

Hope you all have a great Tuesday; I'll try again tomorrow :) 

Steph

I need to go to Ireland.

Last night, I spent a good couple of hours putting together both a Facebook page and an Indiegogo page to help raise money to send myself on a missions trip to Dungannon, Ireland with Vineyard Church Cincinnati.

I am hoping to get the word out about my goal and am counting on help from friends, family, and strangers (and maybe a miracle) to raise the $2,500 it will cost to go. Please click and share the link below! Love you all!!

<3 Stephanie

Shoe Review: TOMS Desert Wedge

I bought these shoes for myself on a whim between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I never buy fancy stuff and I RARELY dress up past a scarf and a long necklace with my TOMS or boots. So I thought these were a happy medium that would fill a "dressiness" void in my life while also not veering far from my comfort zone and personality.

First of all, I get a million compliments a day on these shoes when I wear them. At work, grocery shopping, at family get togethers, out to dinner.... AND they feel like sneakers. They are SO incredibly comfortable. The color is gorgeous and goes with everything, and you can really wear them with any outfit.... I wore them to the ballet with black skinny pants and a frilly scarf, and I wear them with jeans on a regular basis to dress up a scarf and tee-shirt outfit.

Bret thinks I'm a hipster because I have such a dedication to TOMS. Well, for serious. I got these awesomely fashion forward shoes, comfort, AND I helped a child in need. How much better does it get? They were a little steep at $80 (for a whim purchase) but worth every penny (on my credit card, who are we kidding). I wear the crap out of these things and even inspired another teacher at work to track down her own brown pair. WIN!

Happy Sunday!

xo Stephanie

Presentz.

Let me tell you something I love. Presents. I love presented because I LOVE picking out something for another person that I am SO excited about, I can't stand the thought of waiting to give it to them. And I really love seeing what people pick out for me.... especially when there is thought behind it. So I have a couple of gift stories from the holidays to share.

For our anniversary, Bret and I decided on giving each other one big thing each. Originally, we were not going to get each other anything at all, but then he came up with a REALLY good idea and then I came up with a really good idea. Here's what they were:

He got me this:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know, right? I was ecstatic. Like, jumping up and down and squealing, unreasonably excited. Right away, I bought this Incipio Feather Ultra Thin Snap-On Case for it:

And then reused my Vera Bradley Kindle 2 case (which fits PERFECTLY in Mocha Rouge.)

For his present, we got tattooed together. I got my sleeve fixed and finished as you saw earlier. And Bret got a piece of his fixed and two added on. A special part of each of our pieces were....

Left: Bret Right: Me

Our first ever tattoos together. Of course, that only sparked a Christmas tattoo with my brother... something we have been talking about for ages. You all remember how he broke his leg in July? Pretty severely. As a joke between us and also as a nod towards the fact that we are both incredibly awesome.... we got this: 

Sorry for the blurriness.... iPhone pictures! For the record, the bar is in his left leg.... ;)

I think my new favorite thing to give as a gift is definitely tattoos.... I am sure my parents are thrilled.

To top it all off, Bret got me the most amazing Christmas present, ever. If you look closely, you'll notice that it matches the top of they key he got for my lock... awwwww. 

Obviously he DEFINITELY won Christmas.

Happy Sunday.... Back to school tomorrow for us! It's been a long and relaxing break and now it's time for the long stretch between Christmas and spring break. Thankfully we have exams next week which will break up the time nicely. 

So far I am doing pretty well at keeping up with blog posts.... fingers crossed... 

xo

One Year. (or How I met Bret Bohannon)

It has already been one whole year. Today marks the day that I met Bret a whole [quick, amazing, eye opening, happy] year ago. Our relationship happened fast. If someone had told me then that I would be living with and planning much bigger things with someone right now, I would, without a doubt, tell them they were wrong.

I'm not positive that I fully explained our story here before, so here it is.

This time last year, I was looking for someone to fill up empty space in my life. I have always been a relationship person but never a "going out" person. Even in college, I didn't hang out in bars or go to parties very often. I prefer being at home or in small coffee shops surrounded by people I already know and am comfortable with. But there was still something missing.

I know a lot of people who tried online dating and found it successful, and after a few nudges from some close friends, I decided to try it. I settled on eHarmony and it just so happened that the weekend I decided to try was free.... which if you know anything about online dating - it can get expensive. The thing about the free weekend? You are matched with people.... and you can see their profiles.... but you can't see their pictures. They can see yours, though, if they are a paying member. Bret still thinks it's weird that I went along with this with no pictures.

I told myself (and still claim to this day) that this was a test for myself. I wanted to talk to a couple of people and see who I found interesting without knowing what they looked like. Right away I was matched with about 10 people. I did the obligatory question answering and multiple choice selecting and the first person to contact me was Bret. This began on a Thursday or Friday morning and throughout the day, I got a few other emails from matches. Honestly, I kept saying to myself "I wish that one guy would just email me back already...."

There was a lot of patience on my part, and over the next two days, Bret and I were exchanging emails and then texting each other non stop. Eventually I asked him to send me a picture of himself and that only sealed the deal. Right away I thought to myself: "Not my usual type of guy, BUT TALK ABOUT GORGEOUS." We decided to meet for lunch that Monday after talking for only three days.

Of course, I made sure that a bunch of different people knew where I was going, what time I would be there, and what I was wearing in case this guy turned into a major creep. ;)

Obviously he didn't. And we spent a good three hours sitting and talking and laughing and eating at a table in a [hipster-y] cafe in Northside. I was smitten basically right away. I was excited when he sent me a text message right after we left telling me how excited he was that we clicked right away. We made plans to see each other that Friday night and ended up spending most of the weekend together.

Now, a year later, we are here in our very own house with a puppy daughter of our own [and the 3 OG pups]. Working on getting ourselves together so we can make this place perfect for us and so that we can start having an awesome life together as soon as possible......

I met my one and only online. What creeps. :)

<3 <3 <3

2013

I am going to let the "30 Reasons to be Thankful" posts serve as my "Why 2012 Was Awesome" posts. Because you don't need to read it twice.... and I don't want to type it twice.

Today is New Year's Eve. Woo! We have no plans. We will most likely stay home and fall asleep around 9 or 10 and do nothing exciting (except read, play some video games, watch some Dexter...).

But here are our goals for 2013.... I generally hate making New Year's resolutions since I fully believe in working on things and bettering myself at anytime of the year, but here we are anyways. Bret and I made a pact for a couple of them.

Bret:

1. Re-dedicate to fitness and health.
2. Pay down debt.
3. Stick to weekly budget.

Stephanie:

1. Continue to read more books. This obviously hasn't been an issue since I got the iPad mini, but since school and work are both starting back up, and I'll be working part-time again at PetsMart, I am going to have to really work to make sure I make time to read. For the record, I recommend Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Still Missing by Chevy Stevens, The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky, to name a few.

2. Work on having a positive outlook on all things. Admittedly, I have to try pretty hard to not assume negatively about most things. Obviously, this affects a lot of the relationships and important things in my life. I want to work on my default though process to be positive and to generally give people and things the benefit of the doubt.

3. Lose weight. (current weight 130. goal weight 125). I'll be straight with you. I have gotten lazy. I basically eat whatever I want and I haven't run consistently in about 6 months. This is a problem. Because I have gained 5 pounds of that weight I have worked all year to lose and I don't want to see these numbers anymore! My goal is to lose this little bit of weight again and to work on strengthening my body at my own pace. Living with two very fitness and health motivated people can be a little stressful especially when it's hard to make fitness a priority with all of the things listed in goal one. I hope to make this a priority that is manageable for me and my schedule.

4. Stay dedicated to training Darcy. She is doing great. She has learned so many things and by working with her on obedience, her potty training has soared and so has her cuddliness with me. I have a tendency to be a part of the pack instead of one of the leaders of the pack. I have noticed a huge behavior difference with Darcy since we started. She already knows go to bed, sit, down, wait, take it, speak, leave it, and we are working in paw. So proud of her!

Bret + Stephanie:

1. Don't eat out! We want to save money for goal two, and for goal three, we really want to focus on eating at home and being healthier in our meals. Since I am vegetarian (almost 5 years going strong!) and Bret isn't, we make most of our meals separately, which means we have to be diligent about groceries an actually making food instead of relying on going out.

2. Save, save, save to do things around our house that we really, really want/need: complete backyard fence, remodel kitchen, refinish living room floor.

3. Workout + Read. I have agreed to work out at least three hours a week. This includes: Insanity, running, or lifting in the garage. Bret has agreed to read at least 70 pages per week in any book of his choosing. We are gonna keep track of these things on the blog so you all can see, and to hold us accountable!

image

30 Reasons to be Thankful, v.4

So hopefully I can get this all into one post. But let's be honest, there are 17 things and that is a lot of things and I really don't want you to be bogged down with reading things that are boring. Mostly this will just be a list of things with small explanations because let's be honest again. Tomorrow is the last day of the month and obviously I will have to write my obligatory "2013 Goals" post. I'll make sure to limit my blog commitments on that list since I am so terrible at keeping them. My point is. I procrastinated and....... yeah.

14. The ability to go back to work at PetsMart, even if only for a few hours a week, to work for people I respect and genuinely want to do a good job for. I will be selling training classes and probably doing a bit of customer service as well. Bret and I were talking about how summertime will be and I definitely need something to focus my energy on. Remember the time I said there would be no explanations? I lied.

15. Puppy kisses and puppy growls and puppy snuggles.

16. All of my amazing Christmas presents. I will have to say that this has been, by far, the best Christmas ever. I have gotten so many amazing and thoughtful gifts.

17. MarioKart, Super Smash Brothers, and Tetris on Nintendo 64 with my BB.

18. Missing my students so much that I would forgo this last week of Winter Break to be back at work.

19. This nice, relaxing time off from graduate classes. They can be so stressful, no matter how reflective and growing they are to me. I love every minute of school, but relish the extra time I have to spend with my furry family.

20. My Mazda3. Because, duh.

21. Mellow Mushroom pizza.

22. Meeting Bret's sister for the first time and getting to hang out with her all week. She's awesome and I already can't wait until she comes back next year<3

23. Watching Harry Potter at a sleepover with my little sister and my littlest puppy.

24. A boyfriend that offers to sleep on the couch so that Cate and I can share the bed, sweeps the floor so I don't have to, and fixes the sink and dishwasher with me in mind. Love him <3

25. This fuzzy blanket from my parents for Christmas. I basically bring it everywhere in the house with me.

26. Mom

27. Dad

28. Silly text conversations with my brother about the conversation I had with my sister about how Tony is hairy enough to be a puppy.

29. A NEW DISHWASHER AND FAUCET. !!!

30. EOS lip balm. Anti-climactic, I know. But I literally have EVERY flavor. omg.


Happy end of December!!!


Stay tuned for posts about:
2013 goals
1 year anniversary with the boy (Wednesday!)
and a new "House DIY" feature. WOO!


xo Stephanie

I Can't Even. (or 30 Reasons to be Thankful, v.3)

I typed this. Then I read this. And it sounds like..... I haven't done any of it justice. But I gotta get it out of me. So, here you go, internet.

Today's agenda in Ms. Mazzella's room.

Obviously, I am a teacher. And obviously, I am more than a little sentimental. About most things. To be honest, I once got misty eyed over seeing how excited a cute little pup on our street was to be let into his home by his owner. These are the things.

Then, the Sandy Hook shooting happens, and it puts all of the things into perspective. I spent, literally, all weekend torturing myself (and Bret) by reading every possible article, watching every possible video clip, and imagining this horrible tragedy play out in my mind over and over. Then, I spent the rest of the weekend counting down the time until I could go back to school and love, love, love what I do and proverbially hug all of my students.

I have honestly been wishing (and probably subconsciously believing) that by taking all of these details about the shooting in, I could somehow take on some of the pain and grief that these families and this community must feel. It has taken me almost a full week to figure out how to say what I want to say.

Considering that these children were first graders and that my sister just turned 6 on Monday, my gut reaction was to make sure Cate knows how much I love her little cute face and her little smarty-pants self and how the families in Newtown can possibly manage to watch the world keep moving after they experienced such a loss.

Sorry for these jagged thoughts.

Anyways, this situation has made me consider my job (and my little sister) in a whole new perspective over the last week.

13. Cate. (again (for different reasons this time)) Basically anyone that knows me knows that I plan on never having kids. And basically everyone who knows that has told me that it will be different  when it happens, even though I remind them over and over that it just won't. Thankfully, I have a little bitty sister to remind me to keep my crap together. She pushes me to be a role model, to be honest and to try my hardest and I could not, would not want to ever imagine living without her. I wish that I could share her with all the people who are hurting from this tragedy the most.

14. My career. (again (for different reasons, again)). I put my heart and soul into my job and this tragedy made me ask myself: "Could I or would I do what those amazing heroic teachers did for their students?" Without question, yes. Absolutely. Even for those kids who write mean nasty messages about me because I made them make up their late work. Even the kids who spit sunflower seeds on my classroom floor even though it is expressly forbidden.

I really, really love them.

And I really, really hope that this shaken community can find some type of solace in the holidays with their families and friends for support.

I still don't even feel like what I have said here covers how I feel. But this is what I could get out, so this is what you guys get. My heart is broken, broken, broken for the families of those precious children and all amazing adults who protected them.

Acme Tattoo + Body Art

I will continue posting things I am thankful for until I am finished. I meant to get them done by Thanksgiving, or by the 30th, but this break has been the busiest! Instead, I am going to share with you guys what I spent 7 hours doing yesterday. I sat in the chair for 4.5 hours and Bret was in for 1.5. The first picture is the before shot:

t

June 2012

Here's what the same tattoo(s) looked like after the touch-up, yesterday (just touch up on outline and black shading so far in this picture. No color, yet!):

November 2012 -Yes that is blood and yes it hurt. A lot.

The following pictures are after is is totally complete...... It. Took. A. Long. Time.

These were all taken last night at 11 pm. Sorry about the dishes.... I did them this morning ;)

I am in love with it. I will be back later today to show you Bret's updated work and new additions!

Also, here is Guillermo looking dapper.

Happy Sunday! 

30 Reasons to be Thankful, v.2

7. My job. I am so thankful to be able to do what I love each day. I know that I have a reputation, especially on this blog, and definitely in life, for wanting to hope from job to job as quickly as possible. This usually pertains to retail and part time jobs, but I am also sure that many of you remember a time when I considered abandoning my teaching profession for schooling to become a veterinary technician. Don't get me wrong, this is still one of my dreams and goal (for another day), but for now, I am so deliriously thankful that I am able to teach what I love, and to really connect with my students. I am SO thankful to be in an environment where I am comfortable, and where many people wouldn't be. Teaching in an inner city school is challenging to say the least, and there are really crappy days, but for the most part, I love love love love my job and my kids. Teaching is definitely my calling.

8. Books. This probably should say "an escape" because that is an accurate definition of what books and reading are for me. Reading isn't enjoyable for many people, for a lot of people it just seems like work. My boyfriend is one of those people. He has other escapes that he enjoys, but I am so thankful that I fell in love with books so many years ago. Sometimes, and I hate these times, I have to take a break from reading. But I never let it last long. When it's a focus in my life I feel happier and more thoughtful.

9. My baby sister. I probably have the most awesome 6 year old (almost) sister that ever existed. Whoever thought they would have a small person idolize them? It never crossed my mind. What a privilege to be her sister and her god mother. She is a constant reminder (sometimes we all need one) to  be the best that I can, the happiest, the most responsible and moral, and honest person that I can be. What a responsibility. I have to give her high standards to live up to, though. ;)

Photo by Brandon Frimming

10. My grandparents. I miss them so much. I have been thinking about them constantly lately. This season will be good for that for the rest of my life. They both taught me so much, and they were so.... them. It is hard for me to imagine living without them here with me for the rest of forever, but there are so many things I wouldn't have without them. For example, my love of animals? Totally my grandma. Harry Potter, matryoshka dolls, and A Christmas Story? ALL my grandpa. They were clever, smart, and loving people, and I will always cherish the time that I had with them, but might wish they were still here with me.

11. Apple. This is probably the most light hearted part of this post. Bret bought me an iPad mini for our anniversary (not until January 2) and I am absolutely obsessed. I can officially say that I am an Applehead. All of my electronics are now Apple and I have to admit.... I am becoming kind of a snob about it. ;) Anyways, I am mostly thankful that I have a job that lets me afford this guilty pleasure of mine.

12. My friends. Kyle, Lauren, Christa, Nicole, Stephanie, Melanie, Kim, and everyone else. I love you all so much! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

30 Reasons to be Thankful

Since I have seen so many people posting their "30 days of Thanksgiving" posts on facebook, I decided that I am going to do the same thing here, but condense it down a bit. I am going to post about 30 things I am thankful for, 5 in each post. Spiratically, and hopefully I will finish by November 30.

1. A home that I love. I am incredibly thankful to have a home that I love with people (and puppies) that I love. Our house is the perfect size, and Bret and Kyle are perfectly happy with my display of design style basically however I choose. There's never a lonely or boring moment with four dogs, a boyfriend, and a roommate. I am always warm, am able to fill it with furtniture that I love, and basically have a 24/7 sleepover with my bff.

2. My parents. My parents are the best. They are supportive, helpful, and considerate. They think about me even when I might not have the time to show them that I am thinking of them. They are continuously going out of their way to help me and to make my life easier, and they are my go-tos for absolutely anything.

3. Grad School. Not everyone has the opportunity to go back to school while working full time. Not everyone has the ability to do this and to focus completely on it. I have been blessed with the time and resources to achieve my goals comfortably, and am surrounded by people who want nothing more than to see and help me succeed.

4. My boyfriend. While it has taken both of us some time to learn the way each other works, I can absolutely say that I have never been more connected to anyone, and have never felt such trust in another person before. Bret is truly my best friend, and I am so lucky to have him. He is the most considerate and helpful, caring and loving, honest and kind person I know.

5. Fur babies. All four of them. I am thankful that after living for two years with just each other, Ella and Guillermo have so successfully come into a house with two other dogs and get along so well. I am thankful that I can now claim the sweetest and most gentle boxer in the world as partly mine, and that we have the ability and resources to rescue a fourth fur baby, Darcy. And that we are able to give her a loving, caring, warm home with a pack to call her own.

6. My brother. After a childhood of not being the closest or nicest to each other, I can truthfully say that he is my best friend (along with all those others). I know I can count on him, and he cant count on me. It's the best thing in the world to have a sibling you can rely on.

<3

Darcy. As in, Mr. (Pants)

The newest member of our huge fur family: Darcy Pants. BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY. (If you don't catch the reference, we were going for Pride & Prejudice.) She is the cutest and the sweetest. We got her last Sunday from a rescue group that comes to PetsMart near us each weekend. She and her litter mates were taken from the pound on the kill list. Her mother, for some reason, was unable to nurse the puppies. When they were found, the pound deemed them "unsaveable" because they were so incredibly malnourished and planned to euthanize all five of them. Then comes in Dream House rescue. They took all 5 puppies.

Two of the litter did not make it, but the three that did were nursed back to health. That's when we come in. She is almost 16 pounds (2 heavier than when we got her a week ago.) and very happy and energetic. The spots you see in some of the pictures are alopecia and are a result of the malnourishment. Other than itching her a little bit, they don't seem to be uncomfortable to her. We are currently treating her with antibiotics and medicated shampoo to hopefully get rid of them as quickly as possible.

The other dogs have taken to her well. It took Guillermo a couple of days to let her into the pack, but a trip to PetsMart with just the two of them solved that problem. They have been playing and cuddling ever since. Even Ella, who is 5.5 pounds, loves to try and test Darcy. Granted, she gets scared and runs away, but they play nonetheless!

Of course, Mak is being an amazing big sister, showing Darcy the ropes and playing with her for hours and hours. She is very gentle with Darcy and loves to wrestle with her. Darcy mimics most of what Mak does and, obviously, that is adorable.