halloween weekend

wow, these past couple of weeks have flown by quicker than usual! between work keeping us both busier than ever, and our weekends locked in with plans, there's been no time to blog. and, believe me, i've been missing it something fierce. 

to kick things back off on the right foot, i thought a festive recap from the holiday weekend was due. enjoy, and happy halloween!

friday night, T and i rode our bikes to check out the fall festival on main street. i just love seeing all the adorable costumes and festive flair. i'm a complete sucker for original costume ideas. my favorite pics this year were baby dracula sitting in his stroller decorated as a casket, and toddler rey from star wars. 

[taco break]

then, we ventured out to a local wine bar with friends to enjoy the fall-like night. it was perfect.

[such a great night]

the next day, we took a road trip with m+j out to reding farms to see if we could best their corn maze. we'd heard they came up with a special design for their 50th anniversary, and were all too curious to take a peek. 

[the wings]

[a-maize-ing]

[let's check it out!]

of course T and michael tried to run ahead so they could sneak up and scare jana and i. but, they only managed to successfully sneak up on each other (see above). thank goodness i've gotten good at spotting T quickly!

after conquering the maze, we took a hayride through the fields, snacked on some delicious bbq sandwiches, and headed back home. 

[cider...yum]

[bugs bunny, and elmer fudd]

later that night, we sipped on some of my spiked apple cider (delicious, if i don't say so myself), got into our costumes, and headed out for a little halloween fun. it was such a blast, and i couldn't have been happier with the company. 

record wall

two home projects in one month? that's right! this one took awhile to complete, but not for cost or time. i'd been trying to find the right idea for this wall since we'd moved in, but came up short time and time again (see the below two photos). nothing quite felt right, if that makes any kind of sense. but, i knew in time, i'd think of the right set up for this spot. 

what first led to the change was T and i setting up our record player and speakers in the living room. it simply had the best acoustics in the house, and only made sense for it to go there seeing as our bar was in the same room. with our ever growing music collection, i had to sort out a way to display them where they wouldn't get damaged, could stay organized, and provide ready access for our enjoyment. 

countless pinterest searches and instagram hashtags made for several months before i found the source of my inspiration (sadly, now lost). isn't that funny how ideas work? you can see so many no ideas before you need to see just one that is a yes idea.

[boba supervising my record sorting]

[clean floating shelves, ready for records]

T and i absolutely love how it came out, and just like goldilocks, it fits just right. we'll eventually refinish the wooden stereo cabinet, but for now, we are going to enjoy the fruits of our labor with (you guessed it) a few records and a cocktail. 

cositas

[felicidades to the most beautiful bride]

this past weekend, T and i took a road trip out to the ouachita national forest with m+j to rest and recharge. it was the perfect time away, start to finish, and i couldn't have been happier with the company. i don't know when it became so, but for some time now, i feel the greatest sense of calm when we camp. we can disconnect with technology/the world, and reengage with the world outside of us. my mind can tune out the excess noise of everyday life, and just be. it may not make sense to others, but i do miss it when i have long stretches without it. 

hoping you all have a great start to the week!

[trying out a local favorite]

[my furry yoga buddy]

[nighttime bike rides for beers and ciders]

[pre (above) and post (below) ikea photos]

[hometown favorite for dinner]

home improvement

it's been well over a year since our last home improvement diy, and i have to say, it feels good to work on home to-do's again. after finishing our den floor last summer, we were a little burned out on home projects. so, we put our plans on hold, and simply enjoyed our home how it was. 

then, after some time had passed, we were ready to get back into working on our home. for our first project, we tackled a living art wall. 

feeling inspired by oh joy's post, we started looking at the best room for this project to go in. i wanted the piece to be low maintenance, so the bathroom seemed to be the best fit. since air plants only need the occasional mist of water, the bathroom was just what the doctor ordered. 

[supplies]

[air plants from mexico courtesy of my grandparents]

[securing the yarn]

[first color, done]

i decided to use charcoal (to tie into the gray in our towels), and purple (as a pop of color) for my yarn colors, and i have to say, i love how it turned out! put against the blue-grey hue of the air plants, our living art wall has now become my favorite part of our bathroom. 

[hey there succulents!]

wheeler ferris wheel

to celebrate our second wedding anniversary, T and i thought we'd stray a bit off the beaten path in terms of how to celebrate. we both love having a dynamite dinner and drinks as much as the next couple, but this year we wanted something new. so, we set out for a sunset ferris wheel ride out at wheeler district in okc. 

what used to be the infamous santa monica pier ferris wheel was purchased by an okie-based buyer several years back. the wheel was then refurbished and brought to its new home in okc. 

the weather forecast predicted an evening storm around sunset, so we were prepared for our plans to fall through. but, thankfully, we got there at just the right moment to watch the sun come down on an open sky. plus, thanks to the weather forecast (and it being a weekday), we had the entire ferris wheel to ourselves. 

[hello gorgeous]

[two happy little love doves]

once we left, coincidentally, the sky changed as the storm clouds rolled in and the sun was all but gone. a very happy accident the storm held off just long enough for us to have such a beautiful moment celebrating year two. 

we then drove back home to have an indoor picnic with sushi and a great bottle of wine. another enchanting anniversary in the books, and such a great way to start off into our next year together. 

awesome & awkward

[salad break]

awesome:

• T and i have recently gotten into writing letters and snail mail. a dear friend of T and i's is living overseas, and the best way to communicate with him is, oddly enough, snail mail! well, technically social media is still an option, but it feels so much more personal to catch up this way. plus, i actually love seeing what we all decide to write about. 
• getting cool points for T's birthday gift - i even got confirmation from one of his bffs that it was the ultimate sci-fi geek experience. finding this out may have led to a happy dance on my part ;)
• while on a quick trip to dallas a couple of weeks ago, T and i stopped by ikea. we were in and out (including checkout) in twenty minutes...you heard it right, twenty minutes. we celebrated with an impromptu wine tasting. now, if that isn't winning at adulting, i don't know what is.  

awkward (read: more worrysome):

• not too long ago, our sweet solo had a seizure. it was really scary for all of us since he doesn't have a history of epilepsy. but, after having a near-positive idea as to what caused it, he is back to his goofy self and completely healed. thank goodness to our actual vet for all of her guidance, and our emergency vet who was so kind and helpful. our little family sure is glad our white wolf is okay!

[extra snuggles with this one]

[delicious dinner to come]

[birds eye view]

year two

this past tuesday, T and i celebrated our second year of marriage. seeing how much we've grown in our marriage and lives together this past year has been pretty amazing. when i asked T what he felt when he looked back on our second year, he had the following to say...this year felt like we really grew in our marriage. last year, we were still in the buzz of the first year together, and had recently become homeowners. so, we didn't get to really focus on us, and this year, it felt like we did. 

i just love that, don't you? T summed it up perfectly, and, i have to say, i wholeheartedly agree. 

happy anniversary my love, and here's to many more.