Mr. & Mrs. Hutchinson!

This weekend was such an exciting one for us and our friends!  Few things in life bring me as much joy as celebrating with our friends and family.  Whether its graduations, housewarmings, weddings, or births it is an amazing experience to witness the people you love take these exciting steps!  I have a special affinity for weddings because it can be so difficult to find the right person and to be the right person but once you have that perfect fit and timing it changes your life.  The first time I met Kim was at our wedding reception and I liked her right off the bat.  For any of you who knew Austin in college that was not generally my reaction to the girls he dated.  From the first time I met her I knew she was special and I started to see a transformation in Austin.  The perfect partner knows the right balance between loving you as you are and challenging you to become the best version of yourself and these two have that.  Their engagement was literally straight out of a fairy tale, he has always been her prince and she has been his princess so it was only fitting that he proposed to her as Belle from Beauty in the Beast. 

Their wedding was held at a beautiful country club and they got married outside by a lake and a willow tree.  My favorite parts of the ceremony were their vows, the wine box ceremony, and a reading about hands as a gift of marriage.  I shed a few tears, laughed more than once thanks to Austin, and you could see the joy in the faces of everyone there.  The reception was so personal and fun.  The groom’s cake was swapped for taco bell and the couple entered to Michael Jackson.  We all had a blast and danced the night away!  Kyle gave a toast that was heartfelt and emotional and then Alex came in afterwards and made everyone laugh, you can really tell those three are best friends because they are the perfect balance.  I think the thing I enjoyed the most is that despite all of the decorations and planning I always felt like the marriage itself was the thing they cared the most about.  Every girl wants a princess perfect wedding day but these two understood that even if plans went awry that the greatest gift they got out of the day was being joined together forever in marriage.  It’s the way Kyle and I felt on our big day and it’s the way I hope every couple feels because a wedding is one day but a marriage is every day after.   Congratulations you two, the best is yet to come!

Something Old, Something New

Since dropping cable we have significantly decreased our TV intake.  However, thanks to our growing obsession with Netflix and Hulu+ we have been unable to eliminate it entirely.  I have uncovered two new obsessions, this is probably no surprise to anyone but they both involve dance. 

The first is a new show which is in its first season called SMASH!  It is a delightful mix of singing, dance, and LOTS of drama.  This show is mental junk food and I look forward to my fix each week once the new episode is posted to Hulu+.

The second is an Australian dance TV show called Dance Academy.  I think it was on the air in 2010.  It reminds me of the young adult dance novels I read growing up and it is filled with dance and teenage drama.  It has served as a nice escape after a hard day at work.

Bathroom Redesign

I am so excited to finally be able to write this post because it means that after several months of planning we finally finished our bathroom redesign.  I love interior decorating and think that the right combination of color and décor can transform a space from something functional to something remarkable.  This love of design often conflicts with my frugal minded self but so far I have managed to minimize expenses when updating part of our house.  

Meet our boring guest bathroom – white walls, white sink, white toilet, childlike IKEA mirror, and DIY art from Sips and Strokes.  Maybe I’m being a little hard on our old space but it was pretty boring to say the least!

The materials: Total Redesign Cost - $110.48

·       -   Updated Mirror - $19 (clearance from a furniture store closing near our house)

·         - New Hardware for Mirror (gorilla hangers from Lowe’s) - $4

·         - Paint – leftover from the accent wall in our bedroom - $0 (originally ~ $20)

·         - Paint Supplies – new brushes, new roller, and drop cloth - $20

·         - Photography Print by R. Lowell (local Maui artist) - $25

·         - Photo Enlargements from Maui Photos - $4.23 (2 – 8 x 10 prints with a coupon)

·         - Frames (1- 16 x 20, 2 – 8 x 10) - $8.99 + $5.99 + $4.99 = $19.97 * 1.07 tax = $21. 38
     (from Michael’s with sale prices and extra 20% off coupon)

·         - Towels (1 bath towel, 2 hand towels)  - $16.87 (clearance section at Ross)

Meet our warm and inviting new guest bathroom:

The color is a relaxing shade of grey with hints of blue and purple in the undertones.  The new mirror adds some texture and dimension and ties together the white picture frames and wood door frames.  The towels are a bit whimsical and add in a pop of yellow for an accent color.  The print of the bird of paradise flower makes my heart smile.  The other two photographs were taken by Kyle and I at the top of Haleakala.  One is during the sunrise which was perhaps the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.  The other is of a silversword plant which only grows at the top of this mountain in Maui. 

Going Wild!

I found that turning 27 was easier than 26 which was a pleasant surprise.  I had some seriously melodramatic moments around my 26^th birthday.  In contrast my birthday this year approached peacefully.  First my wonderful husband continued in the 7 day celebration tradition which always makes me feel incredibly special.  It really is the little things that stand out the most.  Then the weekend before my birthday I planned a full out kid style birthday.  Some of you may know this but I absolutely love giraffes.  They are my spirit animal, a balanced mix of awkward and elegant.  Recently Zoo Atlanta just opened a new wildlife encounter where you can feed the giraffes.  As soon as Kyle mentioned it I knew that I would exploit my birthday as the chance to drag some of my other twenty something friends with me to the zoo for the day! 

I hadn’t been to the Atlanta Zoo since a middle school field trip and I was pleasantly surprised by how well maintained it was.  It was fun to look at all the animals and take goofy pictures and just enjoy the day.  I was elated as we approached the terrace for the giraffe feeding.  It was the closest I have ever been to giraffes.  They are such amazing animals.  Unfortunately they were not digging the lettuce and per the zoo employee they were being snotty that day.  At first I was disappointed but I still greatly enjoyed being only a few feet away from them and within the next few months we’ll go back and try again with the feeding.  I think I would be a little uncomfortable too if I was a wild animal and suddenly people were allowed to get so close to me.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day:

Secrets of Adulthood

Earlier in my book a week challenge I read the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  As part of her yearlong happiness project she created a list of Secrets to Adulthood.  Here is my list which combines my favorites from her list as well as several of my own:

·         The days are long but the years are short

·         What is fun for others may not be fun for you and vice versa

·         We all become our own doppelgangers (a version of our self that looks the same but has completely different behavior)

·         Sometimes it feels great to be super cheesy and cliché

·         Disney is just as much fun for adults (if not more fun)

·         Anticipating Fun/Happiness often exceeds the actual fun experienced during an event

·         Trying New Things Keeps Us from Getting Stuck in a Rut

·         Over Processing/ Over Thinking Things is a gift and a curse

·         Most people prefer thoughtful gifts to expensive ones

·         A hand written note will always feel more significant than a text/ email/ Facebook message

·         If you post something on the internet you forfeit your right to privacy for that information

·         Time spent doing something you love almost never feels like work

·         Finding yourself is both the easiest and most difficult adventure you will ever embark on