Thanksgiving

From Thanksgiving 2011 when I was still new to the whole "photography" thing

My Grandpa Ray was one of my favourite people.

And he definitely still is!

He was an amazing cook, always trying something new.

He even indulged in all my little girl fantasies of being a famous TV Chef,

and let me put on cooking shows in the kitchen.

We watched the Food Network together for as long as I can remember.

When we moved back to the US, he put on a huge dinner in celebration,

and made everyone their own little game hens

(which made me so sad, but so happy at the same time)

He was also great at cuddling me when I was sad,

and singing little silly songs,

and being a really, really great person.

I never wrote about any of this one my last blog with Kirs,

but Thanksgiving 2011 was the last time I ever saw this wonderful man.

And it was one of the best Thanksgivings ever.

We didn't know that he was sick yet.

He made such an amazing meal that year,

with everyone so happy and together.

Then he passed away that March.

I was so worried about Thanksgiving this year.

Last year was the first year without him, and our family didn't get together.

Everyone else went to their in laws, and we just stuck together at home in WA.

But this year, I wanted to stay with Grandma.

So my family came here, and brought Kyle.

Then my local cousins came too.

The food was so good and we did puzzles and played games and ate pie, just like before.

It wasn't really like before, though.

I missed my Grandpa a whole lot.

But it was wonderful just the same.

And I'm thankful for that.

It's love...

I know I gush about them a lot recently, but I just can't help it!
My roommates are my favourite.
They are the cutest of the cute and I'd be so lost here without them
...Probably starving too, because they all cook for me.
I just thought I should probs introduce them if I'm always talking about them :)

Clockwise:
Abby is the sweetest. She rents puppies with me, tucks me in when I fall asleep on the couch, shares all her leftovers with me, and we laugh. A lot.
I have known Sarah since I was seven years old, and she is still one of my favourite people ever! Our friendship is awesome. We are so silly together and watch WAY too many TV shows.
Paige is my actual room roommate, and she is a saint. She puts up with my horrible mess, and never complains. She's also super hilarious and so fun, but she is getting married next month and we will miss her :(
Kim. Oh Kim. She and I are basically each other's "significant other." She is the best. And puts up with a lot of my crap. And is kind enough to try and wake me up in the morning for school. I just love that snugglebutt so much :)
And Jess! Jess has a wonderful taste in music. And stayed up till 1am with me my first night here to get to know me. She is so nice and considerate to everyone, and always says hello/goodbye, which makes me smile

So there you go! Apartment Number 2, and all my cuties in it :)

My man turned 27. TWENTY SEVEN! It feels like just yesterday I was (slightly) freaking out when he told me he was 25. He DOES NOT look that old. And it was his 26th birthday 3 weeks later, but he wasn't going to tell me that. Time flies when you're having fun?
Anyways, here are some facts about Mr. Kyle in honor of his birthday.

1. His favourite food is cereal
2. He was nicknamed "Chunkers" as a baby (he was kind of huge.)
3. He owns a MILLION t-shirts, no joke.
4. He told me for a whole year that is favourite colour is teal, until I actually showed him what colour teal is. His favourite colour is Azure.
5. He taught himself how to slackline
6. He used to be a firefighter
7. He doesn't like salad because he does't like dressing, but he also won't eat salad plain because "then it's just rabbit food!"
8. He sometimes sleeps till 1pm on his days off
9. He shot at his first wedding when he was 18 (same as me!)
10. His main form of communication is shrugging & "sure"
11. He's lived on the same street his whole life - he was actually born in a house across the road from where he lives now!
12. He loves baseball movies
13. He did the STP (Seattle to Portland bike ride (post to come)) for the first time this year
14. He turns into a little kid just at the MENTION of Disneyland
15. He is so kind, always offering to spot someone if they can't afford something or inviting people I didn't even think of to parties/adventures etc. He's good at making sure people feel included.
16. He loves games. Videogames, obscure boardgames, you name it.
17. He is one of the funniest people I know (though I tease him, because he can't help but laugh at his own jokes)
18. He's really talkative, but not many people see that side
19. He's a little bit in love with his car. It's a 1989 Chevy Nova that he bought for $500
20. He has 7 siblings (He is the second to last in the lineup)
21. He's one of the most ticklish people I know
22. He is super picky about condiments/sauces
23. His favourite TV show is Fraiser, though when we first met he told me it was The Daily Show
24. He wears flip flops 98% of the time
25. He gets super snuggly when he's tired
26. He always wants to live near water
27. He's pretty much the only person that can snap me out of a lumpy mood

Happy birthday to my bestest friend and all around favourite person :)

This Little Lady

My not-so-little sister graduated 8th grade yesterday.
My baby is growing up!
Isn't she a stunner though?
She will take EFY by storm this summer.
Then off to High School. Crazy stuff.

Also, this past weekend my older sister came home, my Mum graduated from college, and my Grammie from Australia surprised us all with a visit. 
So much to blog about!
...Or I could take a nap.

Yes, that's what I'll do.

What a cool guy.

Thanks for all the crazy, Daddio.

And willing to be my model when there is

"absolutely perfect light" outside.

And all those endless trips to the mall

when I was 14.

You're pretty okay I guess.

I'll keep you around.

Bestfriend

Kirs is my adventure buddy and
partner in crime for basically everything
And I love that we're two days apart.
My birthday is the 5th, her's is the 7th,
so we have a crazy two-person party on the 6th.
This year was the best yet (photos to come)

Happy Birthday Miss Kirsten.



See her mission blog here

and our (almost retired) bestfriend blog here 

Disclaimer:

I just want to warn everyone now that this blog will probably turn into a giant love letter to my man.
It's inevitable, because:

1. He's my favourite person in the whole entire world
2. He's basically the only person I hang out with, besides my bestfriend Kirsten (who is going on a mission for our church in three short weeks. Then he will be the only person I hang out with)
3. He's just so darn cute! I can't help it. I get twitterpated just thinking about him.

This is pretty ironic, actually, since I hate it when other people talk about their boyfriends on their blogs. Just like I hate when people announce their pregnancy BEFORE 13 WEEKS (I'm a big believer in that rule.) It makes me feel a little queasy, like  when you know who the bad guy is in a movie but the other characters don't, and you just feel so sick while they're being all "buddy ol' pal" before he stabs them with a kitchen knife. You know what I'm saying?

Anyways... Let's hope this little thing is the exception.
Now that this is out in the open... I'm just going to spam you with a bunch of Kyle Posts.

To reiterate why he will be the main topic on my blog, Exhibit A:

(I mean, can you really blame me?)

Yo.

“I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift.” - Shauna Niequist

I'm just going to leave this here as my "introduction"

Welcome to ze blog.