.vacation {day 4}.

.vacation {day 4}.  On Sunday, we went to the Long Beach Antique Flee Market which has over 800 dealers and is set up on 20 acres of property.  I was in awe of all sorts of amazing things and probably could have stayed there all day.  I also would probably have bought more if I didn't have to travel on a plane and carry it with me (like the table and chair set pictured above, it would fit perfectly on our patio). 

After the flee market we found ourselves eating lunch in downtown Long Beach at Rock Bottom Brewery.  It seems that Rock Bottom is our restaurant of choice while on vacation and we have now eaten there in four different states.  We then drove along the coast, got a shake at Ruby's diner, and ended the day in Laguna Beach for the sunset.  Our vacation was great and we would love to go back to California anytime. 

Monday we woke up early and traveled all day... we were excited to get back to the adorable little one (pictured below).  Although we were only gone 5 days I missed her tons! .vacation {day 4}.

.vacation {day 3, part 2}.

.vacation {day 3, part 2}.  My vacation posts will continue with the reason we went to Southern California - Brian and Amanda's Wedding!  Saturday afternoon Brian and Amanda got married in Orange, CA.  The wedding was beautiful and everyone was in awe of how many flowers they had at the church, reception, and in the bouquets.  Amanda had so many roses in her bouquet it was beautiful!  I didn't get too many pictures of the ceremony (or after for that matter) for a couple reasons.  One, I kinda feel weird taking pictures during ceremonies because the service is intended to honor the Lord.  And two, I always want to enjoy myself at weddings in the company of great friends. 

After the service, Aaron and I played around at the park in the church school yard and then headed to the reception site.  It was fun to see all the guys back together again (we missed you Quinn) since we are now spread across the country. We all had a lot of fun and dinner was phenomenal.  Congratulations again Brian and Amanda, May God bless your marriage always!  .vacation {day 3, part 2}.

.tagged.

.tagged.  Today I am putting the vacation posts on hold to answer some fun questions.  Silver Strands tagged me and although I do not EVER forward those annoying emails and hardly ever participate in those mail games I thought this would be fun.  So here are my answers.... .tagged.

1. Whats for dinner tonight?
  I have no idea.  When Lydia wakes up from her morning nap we have to go to the store and figure that one out.  Aaron has Frisbee tonight so it needs to be fast and easy to clean up.  I will take suggestions.   Problem solved: we are having sandwhiches. :)

2. What movie star would you choose to play you in a film of your life?
  I would choose Julia Stiles because I fell in love with her acting in high school and she is adorable.

Or Zooey Deschanel just because she is so darn cute.

3. What is your biggest fashion faux pas?

  I am not very fashionable and don't take big risks when it comes to clothing myself, shocker I know.  When I buy clothing it is almost always from Gap (because I worked there for 2.5 years) and American Eagle (because their clothes are simple and cute).  However, my closet is made up mostly of whatever my sisters no longer want.  My biggest faux pas (which I had to look up by the way) is probably the fact that I don't wear make up and NEVER wear heels... and I could live in my pajamas if the world thought that was ok.  I am still not sure that these count... forgive me.

4. What song always puts you in a happy mood?
  Jump Around... seriously how can you not get up and dance to this.

... seems like blogger and youtube are in a fight... video can be seen here: Jump Around Badger Style or here: Music Video

5. How crafty are you and what has been your best project?

  I am very crafty... lately I have been working on these cute cabochon rings (which are in the shop).  I  love my duffel bag, and new dress.  But I think the best project was when I made my friend Kim's wedding flowers.  It was five years ago (FIVE!, holy cow) and I wish I had a picture.  They were so much fun to make and turned out great!

Oh... and I am suppose to pass this but honestly I don't forward things... so if you want to answer let me know and I will put a link below!

.vacation {day 3, part1}.

.vacation {day 3, part1}.  On Saturday we went to Laguna Beach in the morning.  We started out at Heisler Park and walked south along the path.  Let me just say that it is beyond gorgeous there and these pictures don't serve the place any sort of justice.  We had fun climbing on the rocks, finding crabs & watching them race, and enjoying our view.  We also went out to eat at this fabulous restaurant right on the beach, The Greeters Corner.  It was the perfect morning with friends and I would love to go back just to have the exact same experience.  .vacation {day 3, part 1}.

.shop update.

.shop update.  I have decided to add another collection to my shop.  The collection I have added is called Lydia's Treasures, named after my daughter who is as girly as they come.  The collection will eventually feature all kinds of jewelry and hair accessories.  Right now the collection holds a couple new rings, the french lace ring (rose flower) and the new garden ring (chrysanthemum flower).  I have become addicted to making jewelry with cabochon flowers because they are so dainty and elegant that they are hard not to adore.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, they are the perfect gift for a friend or yourself!  .shop update.

.vacation {day 2, post 2}.

.vacation {day 2, post 2}. Friday afternoon we headed over to Crystal Cove Beach to get some sun and reconnect with friends.  It was a blast just getting together with friends again, I felt like we hadn't seen each other in FOREVER (probably because it was close to that long).  The guys had fun talking and turning into lobsters in the water, while us girls just chilled on the beach. Fun times with fabulous people. .vacation {day 2, post 2}.

.vacation {day 2}.

.vacation {day 2, part 1}. On Friday we woke up really early due to the time change... so we went out for breakfast at a fantastic place in Huntington Beach, Sugar Shack Cafe.  It was great and we were both full when we left.  Then we walked down the pier and in some shops before leaving.  We also found the only Brewers item in all of Southern California and Aaron was stoked. 

For lunch we went to The Camp and had drinks at Milk & Honey, a very cute and extremely small coffee & tea place.  We had fun walking around and admiring the adorable quotes in the parking stalls.  Ours conveniently said, "wear clothing that fits" which is funny because I changed in the car before we noticed.  .vacation {day 2, part 1}.

.vacation {day 1}.

.vacation {day 1}.  We made it home safely from our awesome trip to California.  Neither Aaron or I have ever been there, so we had a blast exploring new places and seeing far away friends.  On day one we left super early to catch our flights, both were uneventful with the exception of us sitting directly by the propellers and not being able to hear each other the rest of the day.  When we arrived we met up with some friends and went to Balboa Island.  It was fun and my only regret is not getting more taffy. .vacation {day 1}.

pictures: Balboa beach from the pier, flying over Colorado, beautiful tree outside Paradise Perks, carousel, delightful taffy, soda-pop - the raspberry lemonade was AMAZINGLY refreshing, beautiful flowers.

.vacation.

.locks of love.

before

.locks of love.  I have wanted a hair cut for a few months now, but I also wanted my hair to be long enough to donate it to locks of love.  So I have waited, hoping that it would grow to be long enough.  I donated my hair once before, right after my wedding, and it was much longer.  So going into my hair appointment last night was a bit nerve racking and overwhelming. 

The past few weeks though, I have found a couple of blog posts that have really kept me thinking about what it is really for.  This little girl, Hope, donated her hair for a family friend Cooper who is only 4 years old and battling leukemia.  Her mother wrote about it on her blog as Something that Counts, I highly recommend you watch the video to see how incredibly long her hair was when she donated it. And while your there, read Sarah's story, it will change how you look at forgiveness forever. 

I have also been encouraged by Silver Strands.  She started her blog when her mother was diagnosed with cancer.  She also donated all of her silver strands so that her mom could have a wig and wear it until her own hair grows back.  Her video (on bottom of her blog) is really fun to watch, as I said before she donated ALL HER HAIR.  After looking at her blog, I no longer was terrified of being bald (or close to it) because she totally rocks her new look. 

With all that said, I was still calling myself a chicken as I sat in the chair and waited for my own hair to be chopped.  But, it is for a great cause and it is only hair - hair that will grow back.  So, without further ado, here is my new look.  It's the shortest I have ever had it cut.  And it will need to be styled every day because I woke up with a poof -ball atop my head this morning (seriously, that is no joke).  But, I do like it.  Have you ever donated your hair? .locks of love.

after

this one you can see the back