birthday cake.

 i attempted to bake a cake using tin cans.

they turned out crooked.

(maybe for a dr. suess themed party it would be cute...)

oh well...still tasted delicious.

we had a yummy pasta dinner with shrimp.

opened gifts.

played a balloon game that i invented 30 minutes before everyone came.

& ate wayyyy too many sweets.

happy birthday natty pup!

here's to many many more!

color your world.

KC MO.

Zona Rosa.

perfect weather to enjoy all of the shops.

yogurtini.

red velvet + cake batter + dulce de leche  + brownie bites + coconut + granola = yum.

i love me some self serve fro-yo.

color your world sign found at the limited.

lots of laughter.

quote of the day:

"let's go eat at a sports bra!"

yes, bra.

not bar.

surprise partaay.

Miss Natalie's birthday was celebrated all weekend long.

And the party continues today because it is her actual birthday.

Her wonderful boyfriend, Dave, decided to throw her a surprise birthday party.

After many lies, I finally convinced her that we were having dinner at Dave's.

Running twenty minutes late, Natalie opened up the door to find her friends hiding in the dark with party hats on.

Surprise! ...

I decided to add a little bit of spice to the party with a photo booth.

Used an old empty frame we had in the house.

Printed out some mustaches and lips.

Attached them to pencils.

I think the idea is adorable. Definitely more in the future to come.

(with more props of course...!)

It kept us entertained.

 

 

 After a few drinks and cupcakes we headed to Molly's to dance the night away.

Molly's even gave a shout out to the birthday girl.

a wise friend once gave me a sticky note that said...

...and i also put a note next to it saying "enjoy the ordinary moments"

little beauty.

just some photos from California last summer.

i miss my old camera.

it took lovely photos.

Texas Roadhouse Birthday Style

the cinnamon honey butter got the best of us.

56 dinner rolls later ...

our stomachs were full.

we couldn't eat our actual meals.

take home boxes all around.

happy 22nd brady.

#YOLO

iowa city weekend.

 

 iowa city with the fam bam for the weekend.

body pump with teresa early saturday morning.

shopping. shopping. shopping.

i cut six inches off my hair.

dinner at the vine.

met jessica's boyfriend. (keeper)

church in the am.

blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

love is driving 4.5 hours by yourself to see your family.

it was most definitely worth the trek.

xoxo.

at the beginning of the semester i made friends with an older woman at my pilates class.

i recognized her from church, so i struck up a conversation.

she is adorable. 81 years old. and can plank as long as i can in pilates.

i sat with her and husband at church on sunday.

they held hands the whole time. 

he can't kneel, so she doesn't even puller the kneeler out.

she kneels on the ground.

he can't hear, so they sit in the first pew.

he can't drive, so she picks him up after pilates and takes him to his physical therapy at the community center.

their love is beautiful.

i hope i have a love similiar to theirs someday.

she gave me a container full of valentine goodies after church.

it melted my heart.

happy valentines day to all - it's not about just being in love, it is also about showing love.

i hope you have friends as rockin' as mine.

...because they make life a whole lot easier.

a whole lot sweeter.

and a whole lot more fun.

triple A reunion in zona rosa.

ashley. angela. ashley.

valentine dinner

on friday night a male christian group on campus hosted a valentines dinner for women.

salad, pasta, and ice cream.

skits, singing, and fellowship.

imagine a 160 women being waited on by 20 males...

good times.

today, i'm one of 'those' girls...

you know...

the ones who take photos of themselves in the mirror.

i just really felt the need to share a photo of my yellowish gloves (they also have a bow...!) with my pinkish/maroonish pea coat.

yup, i went there.

please don't stop following my blog because i did this.

graduation, here i come!

I am officially cleared for graduation in April.

Really excited.

Ready for a new chapter in life.

Excited for the new faces and places.

I'm also in need of a job.

(Favorably in Washington, DC)

Holla at me if you know of anything.

Or pass my resume along.

Or send them to my LinkedIn.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

An almost official college graduate

frosted over

It looked like this yesterday.

It was actually quite lovely.

Most of the snow has melted away now.

A few patches left here and there.

I am sick.

Boo.

I had flu like symptoms yesterday.

Today my ears are full and my throat is getting bigger as I type this.

I'm just hanging out in bed.

There is beauty in not doing anything...

and then there is also a boring element to it.

Happy Tuesday.

Super Bowl Sunday!

 Instead of watching the Super Bowl in the stadium this year, I watched it side by side with some of my closest friends. Last year, when I worked at the Super Bowl, all employees received a name badge with a photo ID and job title. I dusted off my official NFL name badge from last year and wore it to the party.

I thought it would be fun to have a little craft time before the big game began...!

So, I made everyone at the party also make a name badge for themselves.

(The boys were so thrilled with me ... :)

We had some clever job descriptions ranging from peanut server to drinker of beer.

We had way too much food.
How many crock-pots can you find in the photo above?

First person to guess correctly receives an official name badge made by yours truly :)

lazy.

Lazy Saturday night.

Movies, Chinese delivery, and nail painting with Nat, Melanie, and Rach.

friday night.

 Friday night with my friends.

Breakfast for dinner before going to Molly's.

Enjoyed a drink or two.

Danced.

Party continued at our house after.

Popcorn and leftovers all around.

Best Pizza Award: Pagliais

Best place to grab a pizza: Pagliais

Their all-you-can-eat buffet was enjoyed (too much) by myself and Danielle this afternoon.

Homemade pizza, pasta, and yummy warm chocolate goodness. (I don't know what else to call it.)

I seriously love my friend Danielle.

She hates drama and leaves it out of her life.

Never has a problem.

Always listens to my own problems.

She is the world's pickiest eater, but I have introduced her taste buds to a few new options...