lovely&lively: THRIFTING.

i love thrift stores.

when i walk through those dirty rickety doors, the air blows back my hair and i am filled with a sense of all the possibilities that lie before me. who knows what treasures i may find?! i take a purse full of patience, grab my buggy, and 45 minutes later i've got an entire cart full, then i head to the dressing room and sort through everything. i end up with just a few finds. i only keep the things i LOVEEEE. [it took me a few years to get to this point, i used to keep every random thing, and then it ended up back at the thrift store before too long..]

{i had to cut my face off because i was looking a little perturbed, oops!}

so this shirt was found at a thrift store in vegas [salvation army?] in my high school days. i bought it so ashley&i could match. i love it, i wear it all the time, with my most casual jeans to my fanciest skirt or dress.

the skirt, found at the "LARGEST THRIFT STORE" in bessemer, alabama [seriously our favorite], compliments of my sweet parents who let me go on a little shopping spree. i don't love the angle in this picture, but it will do. it certainly is a pencil skirt, &it is sooo tight on my waist! i have to suck in literally every moment it's on my body [but i actually do that all the time anyways, shh.. don't tell].

the sassy gold belt, DI in rexburg, idaho. [i MISS that store!] it came with a silver version with a heart clasp, which is my all time favorite.

the shoes my mom bought me for my graduation from nursing school, GUESS by marciano on sale. they hurt, but i love them.

good example of an almost 100% thrifted outfit!

treasures.

here is a good picture of the infamous gun. double action revolver. we went out &shot it on saturday, it was pretty great. dan was shooting with one gun in each hand, cowboy style. &i hit the can from 30 yards away on my FIRST shot, must be a natural accidently!

i went to a yard sale on saturday morning& found this pretty peice of art work, made by andrew knight. i love how bright it is, our apartment could always use some more color/intrigue.

&here are some pretty photos they gave me:]. i'm not quite sure what i'm doing to do with them yet...

work work work.

[how cute is she?]

work

is

crazy.

[&funny]

i went in early last week and worked for 7-11 doing LPN work (giving medications), then took my normal team as an RN from 11-7. so it was a 12 hour shift, which i have done before... but my oh my. i litERALLY did not stop for 12 1/2 hours. i ate a bag of M&M's around 9 &some hot fries somewhere else in there. i had never worked as an LPN yet, so it was interesting to try to organize myself &figure it out.

one of my patients friends... "so 'rachelle' if i had something wrong with me could you come over here and check me out?' "

i just smiled awkwardly and walked out...

ten minutes later...

another patient's family member puts his arm through mine as i was walking down the hall...

"so... do you have a man?"

"yes, i'm married actually...."

"oh.. come on, i was really trying here.."

20 minutes later...

"hey pretty..."

i turned around...

"you responded, you are really pretty you know.."

i think my face was bright red that whole night, maybe that's another good thing about night shift... less visitors!

there are some shared rooms and one of my patients was a 46 year old black female with a blood clot, the other lady an 86 year old white female with a broken femur [ouch!] and they were the best of friends. it was so cute. i would be outside their room&i could just hear them chatting away, best of friends, sharing each other's pain.

the older lady was scheduled for surgery the next day so she wasn't able to eat or drink anything, and i go in there &ask if she needs anything, she says "well i'm hungry. i need something to eat. my neighbor already let me borrow her water..."

caught in the act! i love that she was sneaking her water.

i love the sweet/funny/crazy people i get to meet!

being a nurse in alabama is so entertaining.

all he wanted...

he wanted one thing for his birthday.
ONE thing.

&my insurmountable desire to make him happy, could not resist.

PLEASE, watch the video.

that is one happy husband right there.

we're going to miss that boy!

the man behind the camera:].

he didn't believe it was real at first...

happy birthday husband!

he has taken "perfect man" &showed him up, hardcore.

he kisses my forehead, nose, &cheeks.

he is smart, like organic chemistry smart.

he picks me up &lets me try to pick him up.

he lets me hit him.

he cleans, impecably.

he is marvelous&gifted at everything he tries.

he plays multiple instruments beautifully.

he is strong&athletic.

he loves my cooking.

he has an anatomically perfect body.

he tells me i'm beautiful when i've just woken up.

he plays with me.

he has an unbelievably diligent attention span.

he works hard for us.

he is perfectly faithful.

he speaks spanish.

he teaches me.

he has a beautiful smile.

&hazel eyes.

he has a sweetness that even strangers are drawn to.

he kills cockroaches& other threatening creatures.

he adventures with me.

he is oh so very photogenic.

he can spot any creature from miles away.

he was the stake choir director at 18.

he does laundry.

he has a black mac.

he puts the Lord first.

he is a surfer.

he has built in flipper feet.

he always catches the most fish.

he used to shoot iguanas with a sling shot &eat them for dinner.

he surprises me with his fun creativity.

he says sorry& forgives fast.

he had a motorcycle when he was 16.

he has big dreams for us.

[and i'm married to him!]

happy birthday danny!

clearance&cankers.

i was feeling excited about the endless opportunities for the next few hours of my day until i &picked my up my husband from school. i was filing blank ideas around in my head when suddenly realized my to do list was full of one to do:

sleeep.

i forgot i was taking an extra shift tonight. i took a two hour nap yesterday, a 20 minute nap yesterday evening, and slept 7 hours last night. i am now must sleep for the next four. i'm a sleeper.

this morning i made a [birthday] card for my husband, etc, etc [that means the rest is a secret or i would tell you]. i let myself become inspired by talented, crafty blogging people, i like doing that. and i listened to fancy music that makes me happy. i went to target at 0800 &i had so much fun. i love target. i only wish i could buy all my groceries from target. market pantry brand is so much more aesthetic than great value [yuck]. yet my cupboards are full with great value. i guess they really are a great value.

i have a canker sore and it's agonizing. yesterday i took 2 puffs of my PREVENTATIVE inhaler [should not make me a crazy shaker] and then put toothpaste [the kind with baking soda] on my canker and i was in such distress. it was not right. the inhaler just heightened all my senses so the toothpaste hurt even more.

sometimes i just want to go get in the hospital bed and tell them i have a canker that really hurts and to bring me a popsicle. why can't i?

oh well, good night:].

lovely&lively: FINDING YOURSELF.

i have always had this desire to be different. i have always liked being the first person to wear something, or to wear a usual piece in an unusual way. if it starts to get popular and misused, i loose my taste for it. & i'll be the first to say this has not always been a good thing! i haven't always known how to channel it, i used to just wear, as my mom would say, "interesting" outfits, just for the sake of being "interesting."

i feel that i have found my niche, and i know it is constantly changing as i mature and grow and my roles in life change, but i am excited for every stage and every change. i think about the kinds of outfits i will wear when i am pregnant. i have images in my head of the style i will have as a mother of growing children. and the thought of having grey hair and endless stories in my eyes is so appealing to me.

through all of that, it is important to me that i will always have my own style. i find fulfillment and satisfaction in having my own style that i am happy with and proud of. i want to always feel good about myself and the way i look. i am trying now to develop habits that will allow to be this way. everything for healthy eating to being active to caring about my hygiene and my appearance to never letting go of my love for fashion.

something to think about i guess. how has your style evolved into who are you today? are you feeding it with water&sunshine or stifling it with grey walls& sweatpants?

the sartorialist

cup of jo

greedy girl

[a couple of {fashion} blogs i like]

happenings.

life is lovely.

we are happy.

[i wish you could tell i'm wearing suspenders].

dan is taking his first semester of organic chemistry over the month of june. 2 hours of class every morning, 5-8 hours of study thereafter. lot's time he's at school for that long, so he's making cute alabama friends. he taught the gospel to his study buddy for 2 hours today. so, he's a busy bee. at least i can sleep longer &not miss anything. &we love our breaks to the pool:].

i bought a pass to the rec at UA. i can go to the gym, which is a really nice facility. i feel like a UA sorority girl when i go. i also have access to the pool! we get to be kids, playing pool basketball [winner gets a sundae] &floating/racing around the lazy river and sliding down the slide time&time again. we love love love the pool. i hurt my foot in december and it still hurts. i ran at the gym a couple times and it really hurt my foot [yes, that was the first time i had ran since december]. i'm still limping and ibuprofening and foot massage receiving from my bf.

i have been cooking&baking like a good little wife! i like to cook much more when we actually have food and i don't have to invent peculiar concoctions. i am happy cook when i have lots of vegetables and clean, ready to be cooked meat, [&a clean kitchen of course]. someday when we have a little more monetary funding we will eat only whole wheat organic pasta, fresh vegetable&herbs, a whole variety of delicious fruit. ehhh! we did get a sam's club membership, which makes grocery shopping a whole new wonderful world.

[recent dishes: grilled balsamic red wine chicken (dan's creation), organic whole wheat pasta with vegetable puree, chicken wrapped bacon &rice (dan's request), &on the menu: tortilla soup, shepard's pie, spaghetti with garlic, zucchini&tomato, red chile chicken w/rice &beans.. yum! many of the recipes i got from mrs. harding and nie nie.]

and look at that sign! a farmer's marker! i am utterly thrilled. this kind of thing is a BIG deal here in bama land. not fried. not wal-mart. not shipped from california. not vending machine... homegrown!

[i must be doing something right because the fancy brownies i made for memorial day was the only dessert without leftovers!]

2 more nights of work and i'm off.

working an extra shift friday night.

dan's birthday is june 19th.

jared's wedding is august 14th.

just checked &i have christmas off:]... lucky!

life is good!

stylish strollin.

i've sustained an injury to my outer ankle; it hurts. i limp. the more i walk on it, the more it hurts. so working as a busy nurse running up &down the halls for 8 hours isn't the most enjoyable thing. dan & i went to sam's club &walmart tonight and my foot was really hurting. i decided i should save up my endurance for work, so i hopped in the cart &dan pushed me along with the groceries. it was great.

then at walmart i sat in the kiddy carts. i felt like i was on the front edge of the boat and i was moving so fast and didn't even have to do any work for it. dan was being very chivalrous &kind to his bossy wife. he would hardly let me life a FINGER! it was a little much after a while.

the people here are shameless and love to stare and chat about the spectacle that we are. i don't even get why. old men liked to comment about how i've got my man on a string &how i'm goin for a ride. it was funny.

probably one of our most entertaining grocery trips. we got lots of fun treats too. &ate some delicious samples:].