lately

we've officially cracked into the fall semester and after having a short break after finishing my summer class, i feel ready to get back into the swing of things. even though it was a quick break, it was filled with a fun movie night with our nephew, a weekend back home to celebrate my mom's and brother's birthdays, catching up on some good reading/research for work, and celebrating a friend's baby on the way. and, of course, you already know what's coming...the photo journal!

[love that family of mine]

[custom cocktails]

[lunch at my favorite hometown spot]

[colorful peppers]

[pizza time!]

[movie night feature: black panther]

[backyard lounging]

[first time cracking into my mortar and pestle]

[research for work]

[celebrating baby ketter]

[congrats kathy!]

[this made me giggle]

[cast-iron cooking]

happy

earlier this week, while waiting at the doctor's office, i had a chance encounter with another person waiting to be seen. i don't normally talk to people in the waiting room, but the person was being seen at my doctor's office for the first time and was a little nervous. this led us to stumbling onto the subject of finding your passion in life. the woman i was talking to referenced someone close to them having a life-threatening illness which led them to change their life's direction. i've always found it interesting what people decide to do when faced with such a difficult instance. the woman pointed out how she found it most interesting how people don't do what they truly want with their life until faced with such circumstances. this includes working at jobs you hate, being with or surrounding yourself with people you do not care for, etc. 

she then went on to tell me about how she was the manager of her department at a job that was okay but left her feeling unfulfilled. she often had to do tasks she didn't agree with and made her feel internally conflicted. she finally quit her successful job to find a job that has given her a sense of satisfaction and completion. she stated it was worth leaving because she was doing work that meant something to her. she didn't want to live her life working towards a future all the while making herself unhappy. life-threatening illness shouldn't be the impetus to live a happier life or at least a life that you actually choose. 

what she said really resonated with me. i have worked at several jobs that i could not stand to go to everyday i was there...and the weirdest part is that i was surrounded by people who hated it just as much as i did. but they had no interest in leaving or finding anything that could make them happy. each move i made was to help get me closer to finding something that would make me happy or, at the very least, satisfied. i even think the same about my relationships. ex-boyfriends and dates that flopped, blew up, or fizzled. it was hard making each change and move, but all for the best to making myself a happier me. we should keep pushing forward and keep choosing things and people that fill ourselves and lives with what makes us truly happy. because, let's face it, the future isn't promised either, so why not be happier now? why wait for a difficult reminder to signal us to choose happiness? just a thought and a kind reminder from a waiting room stranger :)

awesome & awkward

[this photo makes me really happy]

awesome:

• not too long ago, T joined me on the grad school train! i'm so, so proud of and excited for him. while we may be in differing programs, i have to say, i've got the cutest study buddy around :)
• if you haven't listened to jonathan van ness' getting curious podcast, please do yourself a favor and add it to your list. for those who don't know, each week, jvn will find an expert on a topic he is genuinely curious to know more about. he then spends that show asking any and all questions related to the topic to learn as much as he can. i feel like i walk away so much more knowledgeable on subjects i previously had little to no information on. i adore anything jvn does but i really love that he uses his platform to inform himself and others. 
• last weekend, i had the best blackberries i have ever had. i know that doesn't sound like much but, when you get your berries from the grocery store, you forget how delicious they originally are. note to self, when and where you can, always get a batch of berries from a local orchard. 

awkward:

• last friday, T and i had our nephew over to watch movies and we were having such a blast with him. at the end of the night, when we walked with him to the car, he suddenly turned to me and said, "why don't you have a baby in your belly?" ummm! i told him i didn't have one now but in the future that could happen. then, T chimed in to say we didn't have a baby yet and we were enjoying just focusing on him. T then said, "don't you like not having to share our attention with a baby?" our nephew quickly responded with, "no!" ...oh geez. 

[movie night with our nephew]

[my study buddy]

[celebrating the wins]

lake weekend

a couple of weekends ago, T and i ventured up to grand lake to spend the weekend with our tulsa friend gang for what i like to call "the real world: grand lake...14 friends living in one house together. let's see what shenanigans they'll get into!" honestly, short of us having the normal drama that occurs in the real world shows, i think the hi-jinxes we get into would be pretty funny to watch. 

side note: in most situations, i have my phone handy to snap photos here and there (as you all know). but then, the mood will strike where i will inadvertently leave my phone behind and just soak up everything happening in the moment. this weekend happened to be one of those times. so, oddly enough, i personally only took a couple of photos and the others within this post are from friends. as much as i love taking photos of life as it's happening, it can be equally nice to take a break. 

[tofu scramble with sauteed spinach, vegan cheese sauce, tomatoes, and fried potatoes]

[boyfriends]

[our traditional group photo]

while this may not be the most fun photo journal i've ever made, i can tell you it was filled with amazing food, fun cocktails, loads of catching up and dance parties, and too many belly laughs to count. i surely do love this goofy, fun-loving friend gang of ours.  

life, according to my iphone

[campus murals; spicy cocktail tasting]

in some ways, it feels like this summer has just crept along and in other ways it feels like it has flown by so fast! i'm in the thick of final projects for my summer session and it feels like it wasn't long ago that i just started this class and was daydreaming of our few summer plans in between all the studying. even though this summer hasn't been filled with my normal plans of poolside hanging, happy hours, and nighttime bike escapades, i feel like i've perfected the longer study break to squeeze in those small moments with loved ones. and while it's not nearly as fun as the spontaneous meet ups i used to get to do, i treasure them just the same. 

happy hump day!

[food from movies; r+r with my gal pal]

[birthday fiesta for my unicorn mermaid!]

[happy hour; the sweetest movie]

[loving this mural; tasty homemade takeout]

[coffee breaks]

[pup-filled distractions]

[half and half pizza; diy decision making]

[new to us bar lounging]

[pancake day; lunch date w/T]

[pho ever lunch date; backyard views]

[impromptu family dinner]

[a new favorite pizza combo; nat'l ice cream day]

[goodbye coworker, hello friend!; mural touring]

light canopy

a couple of weekends back, T and i finally tackled a long-awaited to-do (even longer than our pipe shelving diy) - the light canopy for our back patio! we made one in our first place together but it broke after several months. the squirrels at our old place chewed through the wiring and the winds snapped the wooden poles. we learned a lot of lessons with our first canopy and couldn't wait to have a re-do with this project a second time around. 

[first lesson to use: thicker wooden beams and instead of concrete poured into the ground, it is poured into buckets that can be moved or thrown out]

[our favorite mosquito deterrent and all natural, aka the true mvp of this project]

once the concrete was poured, beams set and leveled, T drilled holes into the sides of buckets to help with drainage. then, we added small pebbles to cover the concrete and provide extra drainage for future planting. 

[T hanging our lights]

[second lesson to use: solar lights instead of plug-in, and fingers crossed squirrels don't attack these wires]

once the planters had settled, we added in soil, compost, and healthy citronella plants. i am all for greener solutions to keeping those pesky mosquitoes at bay. plus, as they grow, they'll fill in the rest of the buckets. win-win! 

[enjoying the fruits of our labor]

90th birthday weekend

last weekend, T's family gathered together to celebrate his granddad's 90th birthday. it was a big one to celebrate and the fact that it brought so many of us together made it even more special. now, when you think of someone turning 90, many would imagine someone less able-bodied and somewhat functioning mentally. but, T's granddad kills it as he is still making wise-cracks about his age and taking care of himself (driving too). he is #oldergoals in the best way. 

the actual party took place saturday, however, some family members came in town friday. so, T and i hosted a little cocktail hour to welcome everyone and catch-up. all the little cousins had a blast playing together while the adults got to visit and swap stories. 

[fresh lemonade, sangria, and mint water]

[mid-storytelling]

then, saturday came and it was time to celebrate the birthday boy! 

[brothers catching up]

[all the kiddos]

[viewing old photos of granddad]

[cheese!]

[coconut cream pie and white cake with vanilla buttercream and pineapple preserve filling]

[the webb men]

the party was a complete success and filled with so much love, great food (a huge thanks to sergios for all of their help), laughter, coconut cream pie (the birthday boy's favorite), and quality time celebrating our favorite family member. it was beautiful. 

[spiced pork rinds]

that night, T and i got together with some of our family from out of town for cocktails and dinner. 

[artwork courtesy of my 9 year old cousin alex]

after dinner, we showed everyone the views of campus at night and then went to have rolled ice cream (so good). 

[coffee + kit kat]