2009 in review.

2009 was certainly a wonderful year for us, perhaps our best yet.... so much happened. good and bad. but mostly, good.

here is a little recap of some of our favorite moments from 2009:

in the spring we still lived in nyc-- we rang in the new year with fireworks in pennsylvania with friends, saw devotchka perform at webster hall, ate lots of burgers and hot dogs, i started my love,taza shop on etsy , began freelancing and for exercise, we held dance parties in our kitchen. we went to a killer crush party, i pretended i was mary poppins on the brooklyn bridge, and we continued our search for the perfect burger together.

in march we got extremely lucky as josh was offered a fabulous new job in DC. we packed up our studio apartment in harlem and moved right as the cherry blossoms in DC came to life!

in april we bought a vw beetle and drove across the united states on a little road trip where we had the best fried chicken in memphis and best cupcakes in nashville. we spent a weekend in arizona seeing friends get married, got costco memberships (that was a happy day!) and began to explore our new city.

in may, i traveled to nyc a bit for work projects and while there saw the most magical thing in my life. i started publishing lots of happy lists on the blog which made my summer such a happy one.

in june we got our first flat tire (boo), redid our dc kitchen, josh surprised me with a trip to the dominican republic for my 23rd birthday and our two year wedding anniversary, friends from new york came to visit, and we painted our walls bright colors.

in july we saw the marine corp band perform, got to know eastern market better, celebrated the 4th of july here in dc, and had our own sparklers show in our back alley....

in august and september we went to the fair, ate summer dinners on the back porch, took a few trips to nyc, i worked on a dance film in brooklyn, went camping together in shenandoah, went to the us open in nyc, and discovered the waterfront here in DC...

in october we saw regina spektor in concert and got to interview her on the phone! we went to the pumpkin festival in germantown, went to florida and waterskied on lake george, almost won a cereal eating contest, had spooky dinners and carved pumpkins.

in november i attended the launch party for the anthropologist, we had a lovely thanksgiving here in dc with my twin sisters, i switched my etsy shop over to an offical url!, and watched the leaves turn beautiful colors on capitol hill.

in december, we got snowed in on capitol hill which almost crushed our beetle, built cozy fires in our living room, decorated a christmas tree and added a new addition to our family...kingsley.

while 2009 was such a beautiful and favorite year, it also came with a few unexpected hardships. but we have grown so close and learned so much experiencing them together. bad days, bad news, bad experiences have really made us appreciate the good days, good news and good experiences we have been blessed with. josh said to me the other day, "2010 is going to be our year!" and guess what? i believe him. hooray for 2010!

so long, 2009! thanks for being good to us, we loved you.

*years 2007 and 2008 in review here and here.

rockstar giveaway! (closed)

what better way to kick off the new year
than with a sassy new shabby apple dress?

how about the stunning bugle boy dress
i have been dying over the last few weeks?
(and absolutely perfect for spring!)

the bugle boy dress has "crisp white cotton blossoms
atop a bountiful, knee-length tweed skirt.
flirty puffy sleeves, hidden pockets, a back lace lining
and a black grosgrain waistband for added style and flair!"

go check out all the new dresses at shabby apple
and leave a comment below before monday, january 4th 2010!

good luck everyone!

peek a boo.

...at the grocery store.

first walk with the king.

...

christmas gift for husband.

since we got ourselves an english bulldog for christmas this year,
we decided to go easy on additional gifts and give each other just one gift each.
(in addition to stuffing stockings for one another, which just might be our favorite part of christmas morning)

despite the fact that i unfortunately did not inherit
my mothers phenomenal art skills,
i wrote and illustrated a children's book for josh,
based on him and his life adventures.

i think he liked it.
(even though he asked why there was a little pig on the last page---
it was supposed to be a bulldog puppy.)

meet kingsley.

first off, thanks to everyone for the comments and emails
with all your puppy and dog advice. we really appreciated you sharing
your knowledge and tips with us. thanks again!

secondly, let me more formally introduce you to our little king:

kingsley.
born october 31st 2009
(8 weeks old, now)
he's a miniature english bulldog.
his coat is white and red with little red freckles on his ears.
loves to sleep, snore, cuddle, hop like a bunny and play.
(sometimes) goes potty where he's supposed to.
always steps in his potty afterwards (we're working on it.)

we apologize in advance for all the puppy photos, videos and updates
that are about to grace this blog that shall surely drive you crazy.
but we can't help it. we are in love with our little king.

xo

buddies.

walking in on this scene in the living room yesterday
almost killed me with cuteness.

it's silly how much we already love our little king.

smittens.

i usually don't blog about things this kind of stuff
(sometimes i tweet this stuff)
but when someone emailed me early last week about these smittens,
i ordered a pair for josh's christmas stocking within the next 5 seconds.

genius idea.
and even though josh said we'll look like freaks sporting them,
i don't care. we'll be sporting them.

thanks for pointing them my way, holly!

christmas love.

how was your christmas?
hope it was merry and bright.

we enjoyed a nice quiet christmas here
on capitol hill with our new little kingsley.

right now, i'm listening to him quietly snore beside me as i type.
it's priceless. and we are in love with him.

more photos and updates to come tomorrow.
happy sunday!


*polaroid gifted to me from vanessa. whom i adore.

25 christmas challenges.


on december 1st, we got a small package in the mail from my mom.

she had compiled 25 of her favorite christmas stories and 25 christmas challenges into a small booklet and sent it to each of her children as an early gift. she asked that we read one christmas story each day, along with completing one christmas challenge each day up until christmas day.

i loved this whole concept. especially, her christmas challenges. alot of them are very simple things-- so it's very sad that i needed to see some of these challenges in print to actually focus and think of them.... i'm so guilty of being wrapped up in "me" right now. i admit i've only completed a few of these challenges so far, but i'm making a goal of carrying them into the new year-- and throughout the year.

incase you'd like to join in....

christmas challenges:

  • go out of your way-- befriend someone today that needs a friend and follow through to christmas
  • tell someone you love them
  • make a tree decoration that will remind you of Christ
  • in your prayers today, give thanks for every blessing without asking for anything
  • try to be as kind as possible to others today
  • try not to quarrel with family members today
  • do a good deed anonymously
  • make goals for yourself-- seal a copy in an envelope to be opened in a year
  • visit someone sick or lonely or sad
  • do volunteer work for some worthy cause
  • do something fun for a child or younger sibling
  • try to forgive someone who has wronged you, be reconciled
  • make a "give list" instead of a list of gifts you'd like
  • improve yourself in some way to please the Savior
  • quietly reflect and choose uplifting activities vs shopping
  • phone or send a card to an old friend or family member
  • listen to Handel's Messiah
  • make a christmas treat for someone else
  • be a calming influence today and control your temper
  • accept the gift of forgiveness-- pray for some weakness and ask for help in repenting of it
  • look at christmas lights... where does all light come from?
  • sing carols
  • do something nice for someone without their knowing it was you
  • be the first to say hello to people all day
  • ask someone to tell you about a past christmas

merry christmas!

merry christmas eve!




Followers

Total Pageviews