friends, it has been far too long! almost a month has passed & i haven’t had a spare minute to write here. we’ve been fully living, but it feels so good to be back in this space sharing my life with all of you. we (finally!) moved into our cozy home with the best window light a girl with a camera could ask for. we scrubbed the walls, painted every little corner & well, we’re very happy with the results.
for the last few years, i have naturally gravitated toward neutral tones of grays, creams, whites & tans. when we first saw this house, though, i couldn’t help but bring back it’s 1960s roots. so with a few strokes of the paint brush, this minty-with-a-hint-of-sea-foam-green color was born. it makes me happy.
the rest of our home celebrates the natural & earthy tones that i love so much. we are without central AC in this house, which calls for fans here & there to fight the southern humidity. more home photos to come, i promise.
this month, we also celebrated luke’s birthday! we & his family crowded around the dinner table for a delicious mexican meal & later savored nutella brownies with a scoop of ice cream on top. i adore him more & more as we grow up together.
i brought out those watercolors again to make a cute little tag for his gift, a pale ale home brew kit. he loved it!
the month of august has also inspired me to pick up my film camera a little more regularly. it has been incredibly easy to use my iphone to capture little moments throughout the day (like the moment above right before developing a roll of experimental expired film), but i have also fought the internal struggle as a amateur photographer that my iphone has made it a little too easy. the balance of technology & the creative life is/always will be a struggle.
on days when i’m working in the garden, it is nice to have my iphone nearby to catch the bright beauty of the summer season, though. yes, it’s a balance.
i am celebrating each of these busy days in all of their fullness & beauty & ease as we adjust to this vibrant community & slowly form friendships with some pretty incredible people. my heart is full!
love,
natalie
yesterday we celebrated three years of marriage. we really can’t believe we have shared three cities, moved four times & grown together through it all. we share the same passions, appreciate one another & respect the other for his & her strengths. it’s quite beautiful this relationship we’ve made & continue to work on.
of course, it isn’t always easy. we argue, we grow annoyed & sometimes we just need to slam a door to prove a point (that’s only me, really. ahem). marrying at 19 & 20 has brought along tons of challenges & honestly, i think we just got lucky. in celebration of three years, we want to share with you our list of a handful of things we’ve learned/are continuing to learn along the way:
natalie::
+ being married to luke means we will often be late & there’s nothing more i dislike than being late. i am slowly learning (baby steps!) to wait patiently & quietly like a real adult instead of reminding him every minute that we’re late.
+ it’s important to sit down & enjoy a meal. i often skip meals or eat an unhealthy snack while on the go, but luke has shown me that is more enjoyable & much healthier to sit down, relax & eat if only for a few brief moments.
+ we were made for the dance floor. my man knows how to get down & boogy until late into the night. i love that about him.
luke::
+ gifts can be an important way to communicate love to Natalie and to other special ones in my life. I have never been a good gift-giver, but I’m learning the art of gift-giving from Natalie–slowly but surely.
+ relationships need spontaneity, which is not something I’m very comfortable with. I like to know what’s going the happen and stick with the plan, but I’m leaning to break from plans every now and then to add a little spice to our relationship.
+ Natalie is not my everything. I often expect her to be my wife, lover, and best friend who likes to do everything that I like. I’m learning that it’s okay if Natalie isn’t into everything that I’m into–that’s what friends are for.
——
just a few instagram moments from the evening & a little peak at a couple of gifts i made for luke.
i happily brought out my crayola watercolors & pen to make this funny little card for luke. we were ferment for each other. it’s true! i think we’re framing this one!
& this mug. i used the baking method. more details {here}!
cheers to many more years of loving, learning & creating!
love,
natalie
good morning & happy monday to you! i had a lovely weekend visiting our incredible american art museum, eating sweet & savory crepes, chatting with good friends simply traveling through, napping with my favorite, reading this (love!) & enjoying sunday meals with family. our weekends have been packed with so much goodness: familiar & dear faces, interesting places, delicious food & good conversation. our hearts are full.
we have been traveling, too. last week, i spent the good part of my days in training surrounded by the beautiful colorado mountains & the delightful flavor of denver. i snuck away for a bit to see my dear friend, kelsey & admire the city.
kelsey knows me so well. she treated me to a delicious dinner at a favorite vegetarian restaurant & i thanked her with a scoop of vegan ice cream just up the block. we spent the evening in her apartment sharing a bottle of wine & catching up.
i also managed to slip away one evening with a couple of friends to admire the beautiful buildings & enjoy a sampler platter of denver’s finest brew at the denver brewing company. the tart apricot ale was my absolute favorite.
i love the quirky vibes of this city & the bits of old & new mixed perfectly.
i often enjoy trips when they’re unplanned & allow for a lot of time to simply walk around & stop wherever might look interesting. are you going on a trip this summer? during my denver trip, i packed light bringing only my salt water sandals, a book, some odds & ends, a cardigan, my favorite canvas bag & my film camera. i brought home two vintage mugs, a brew co. glass & a handful of postcards.
ahh. i love a good trip. just thinking about it makes me crave another.
love,
natalie