sister's birthday festivities.

 

 

Hello, friends! My sister's birthday was last Monday, but my parents came up the weekend before, so we did a bit of celebrating while they were here. We had such a lovely evening, complete with homemade pizza, outside eating, a peanut butter + chocolate cake, and presents. It is such a joy to celebrate a person you love with the people you love. xo, R.

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{1} Little outdoor dining area; {2 // 3 // 4} Pizza prep (basil + green peppers, caramelized onions, cheese); {5} The spread (butternut squash pizza with fried sage leaves); {6} More Josh Stover Ceramics; {7} The aftermath

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birthday festivities.

It's hard to believe that my birthday was already over a month ago. It seems like fall always goes by really quickly. The combination of anticipation for the holiday season and the rush of a new school year seems to make the autumn months really rush by. Since October is my favorite month, this realization always make me feel a bit sad, which is why I have no problem reliving this year's birthday celebration.

I went home for the weekend and it was just the four of us as a family. That almost never happens. It was so special for it to be just us. Jeffrey happened to be out of town and Mark was attending a conference, so they couldn't make it. They were certainly missed, but the four of us had a lovely time. We went to the Saturday morning farmers' market (which was boiling hot), the scrapbook store, one of my favorite lunch spots, Anthropologie, and out to a restaurant with the very best Vegetable Pad Thai I've ever tasted. Thinking of it makes me want a big plate full with a big, big glass of Thai iced tea to go with it! xo, R.

happy birthday, sister.

Today is my beloved sister's birthday, which means that it's also a day for me to celebrate. On this day, my best friend, kindred spirit, confidant, partner in crime, and unofficial life counselor was born. 

I love my sister with my whole heart and I feel truly blessed that we're tied together by heart strings. On this day, the world was blessed with a genuine, one-of-a-kind gift. I love you, Evie. xo, R.

P.S. I have decided to blog every week day for one month, starting today. Hooray! 

list thirty: what i know at 23.

Always give others the benefit of the doubt, even if some people believe that makes you a pushover.

Hug more.

Buy yourself a present now and then.

Food is always best enjoyed with company or while watching a movie alone.

Believe in something wholeheartedly, or not at all.

Tell people just how important they are to you. Often.

Be mindful of others.

Shop alone or with family. 

The truth is always the better option.

Don't let others' judgments control who or how you are (unless those judgments are valid).

Be a good friend.

Don't allow yourself to feel less beautiful based on your outward appearance. 

A bad day can almost always be cured by patting a dog on the head. This is a fact.

Treat yourself in the way that you would treat the most important person in the world.

A mistake is just that, a mistake. It is not the end of the world.

If nothing else, radiate love. Always. 

Find the good in every situation and focus on that.

Be happy with your life, or change it. 

--

inspired by meg. 

list twenty-eight: birthday wishlist

Some realistic & some unrealistic gift ideas for my upcoming birthday. :)

1. Boots.
2. Blouse.
3. J & R letters.
4. The new Avett Brothers CD, The Carpenter.
5. Necklace.
6. GorillaPod.
7. Burt's Bees face mask.
8. And one more blouse.

happy birthday.

Five years ago, Jeffrey invited me to his birthday party at Olive Garden. We had been school friends since the fifth grade, but this was the first time he had ever asked me to anything outside of school. The afternoon of his birthday party I went to the mall with a friend and picked out a new shirt.

I was nervous and giddy and anxious and excited. I found a black tank top that I layered under a green cardigan with dark wash jeans. I wore my hair down and straight and put on a necklace I had worn to homecoming the year before. I chose everything I wore so meticulously, wanting to look effortless, but painstakingly paying attention to every detail.

That's what I'll call the beginning of it all. I think we both knew in those moments that we were very much into each other, but it would take us another month to make it official. And here we are five years later, preparing for marriage, starting our lives together, and loving every minute of it.

Happy Birthday, Jeffrey. I love you.

satchel's (or the best pizza on earth).

I have a confession to make: My family, we're pizza connoisseurs. As in, we've made it our mission to find the best pizza. And we think we're pretty good at it. You can search high and low for the most perfect slice, but you will continue to search until you eat at Satchel's. You'll realize that your quest is over and you'll be simultaneously happy and sad. Happy because you're eating the best pizza ever and sad because your quest is over, which means that you don't have an excuse to eat pizza whenever you want it. But do you really need an excuse? (The answer is no, you don't.)

a little town + a little birthday.

I like birthdays. Is it okay to say I really like birthdays that aren't my own? Because I do. I do so much. My dad's birthday was on Saturday. My parents came to town so our family could do something fun and celebrate a person who means a lot to all of us. We went to a nearby town to a couple antique shops and rummaged through pieces of the past. My sister found a stack of old photographs to take home with her and we stopped at Starbucks to get some warmth.

It was a lovely day dedicated to a lovely person. A person who passed his undying concern for others down to me, his sense of humor, his appreciation for a perfect song, and his brown eyes (perhaps my favorite feature about myself). He also made a really smart decision when he married my mother. For these reasons, and so many more, he is very worth celebrating.

happy birthday.

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. Let me refer you to multiple posts where I talk about how much I love her.

{1} {2} {3} {4} {5}

Thanks for letting me talk about my mom all the time. She's a muse of mine. lovelovelove, R.

a very happy birthday.

About ten years ago, a really cute boy walked through the doors of the youth group I attended. I was smitten.

About 4 years ago, that really cute boy made it official and we started dating.

About 6 months ago, that really cute boy made it really official when he slipped a gorgeous antique ring on my finger.

None of that would have been possible if that really cute boy hadn't been born 21 years ago today.

Now I can hug that really cute boy whenever I want.

I love you, Jeffrey. Happy Birthday. I couldn't be happier to celebrate such a special day with you.

birthday breakdown.

Well, I had a beautiful birthday. I'm not surprised though. I was surrounded by my favorite people and the best food ever, so there you have it. My birthday started at midnight when my roommates came out with noisemakers and huge bags fulls of gifts. I'm a lucky gal. My parents drove up for lunch and we ate at Boca Fiesta. Don't let that margarita fool you, it was awful. I recommend the food, but not the alcohol. PS. That's where those awesome chips & salsa came from. I know you were wondering. After the disappointing margarita fiasco, we went to this sweet little park on campus and had birthday cake. My mom made Posie Gets Cozy's go-to birthday cake, and now I totally understand why it's her go-to birthday cake. All I'm going to say about that is if you like cake, make this one. You won't be sorry. And, of course, it was covered in sprinkles because no cake is complete without them. That's how I feel about it, anyway.

After that, my mom and I split a Mike's Lemonade because it was my 21st birthday after all, the margarita at Boca Fiesta was awful, and I really wanted to have my first drink with my mom. You understand. My parents left (and I didn't cry this time!) and Jeffrey and I got ready to go to Satchel's (the most divine pizza place in our little college town). We picked up two of our best friends, Sara and Khoi, and went on our merry way. I got a Coke with dinner because there's nothing like Coke and pizza. I know that's not really 21st-Birthday-ish of me, but it was my special day. I make the rules. Sara and I bought each other plastic dogs because we were (and obviously still are) in love with little plastic animals as children, and these were only 50 cents. An obvious must-have. Khoi (Sara's boyfriend, by the way. We also went through all of elementary school together.) drank about 8 glasses of Sweet Tea, and I'm not kidding. Everything was awesome. Just when I was pretty sure that things couldn't get any better, they did. I think it's pretty clear by now that I am hopelessly in love with Audrey Hepburn. My roommates surprised me with a movie night (where the main feature was Breakfast At Tiffany's, my favorite movie of all time. Please go watch it now if you haven't ever seen it.) complete with a heap of blankets, pillows, movie snacks, and donuts. The donuts were a necessity since Audrey Hepburn eats one at the beginning of the movie. I promise this would make more sense if you just watched it.

My friends, family, and Jeffrey are perfectly perfect. I could not have asked for a more wonderful 21st birthday. My parents spoiled me with two adorable skirts, some new shoes, and a bunch of other really sweet and awesome things. My roommates each gave me really sweet, sentimental gifts that made me want to cry happy tears, my sister and her fiance (what?!) gave me a pair of tights and a REALLY cute scarf (that my sister knit!) that I haven't been able to wear yet because of silly 80 degree weather, and Jeffrey surprised me with a brand new Brooks leather saddle for my bike. That's like, the Bentley of bike seats, y'all, AND I HAVE ONE! I'll take a picture sometime soon. Promise!

And, as promised, a picture of Jeffrey's short hair. This was taken on my birthday! I'm getting really great at self-timer, don't ya think?! Woosh! That was a crazy long post. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Now I'm tired. :)

xo, R.

list eight: birthday wish list.

Did you know that I'm turning 21 on October 8th? So weird.
It should be mentioned that I already picked a sweater and 2 skirts from Anthropologie for my birthday. Did anyone else know that they have incredible sales? You probably did.
Anyway. I love making lists even though my parents don't really need them for any special occasion since they know me spot on and buy me things that I didn't even know I wanted until they're given to me. And then I couldn't imagine getting anything else. Anyway.

Realistic:

1. Size 7

2. Jonsi, Go

3. Beyond adorable tights.

4. This cozy little hat.

5. These cute shorts.

6. I love to spin my salads.

7. Bubble Up, please.

8. This sweet little bow to wear in my hair when I'm feeling sassy (which is often).


Unrealistic:

1. Camera.

2. Can totally see myself wearing this when I'm a teacher.

3. A trip to Wisconsin to see the Best People Ever.

xo, R.

bowling, pizza, & a birthday.

Jeffrey's birthday was really fun. I missed all my friends from up here, and it was lovely to see all of them. We went to our favorite local pizza joint and then went bowling. My first game was awful. I am a terrible, terrible bowler, but I'm blaming my failure on the wonky lane we had. The second game we played was much better. We ended up switching lanes, which didn't solve my poor bowling skills entirely, but it helped. I ended with a score of 88, and did not use the bumpers that I have been known to use in the past, so I was proud of myself. Jeffrey is a much better bowler than I am. Most people are.

Sidenote: Something exciting that I don't think I've ever mentioned here is this: On our last trip to the Junk Lady, Jeffrey and I found a bowling ball that fit him perfectly, WITH HIS INITIALS ON IT. Get. Out. Of. Town. How's that for awesome? I'm banking on the fact that there's magic in that bowling ball, which helps him with his success.

Anyway, we had a blast-y blast. I think Jeffrey had a lot of fun, which is all that really matters. And the jukebox at the bowling alley kept playing really awesome songs. Awesome songs at the bowling alley! Can you believe that?! They must have known it was Jeffrey's birthday!

Fierce.

These were taken after about half the group had left. Clearly I need to work on taking pictures more frequently. Oh well. And Jeffrey loved his gift, but I'll save that for another post. Have a lovely weekend! xo, R.

happy birthday.

my blog celebrated its 1st birthday yesterday.
so happy birthday, little blog. i love you.

xo, R.

*image via flickr.