post no. 398 -- life & lately

just to prove we're still alive out here on this little rock of ours, here's a picture of us at the pro bowl block party from this weekend in waikiki. 

buzz and i have been on a workout craze lately, sweating it up, eating slightly less candy, and not cutting back at all on pop tart treats. well at least me. today is our break day seeing as last night we both got zero sleep. 

a pizza is currently baking in the oven, we're over here being total loafs, as well as planning our next step in a possible move situation involving our apartment building, landlord, and some very uncomfortable circumstances thanks to some serious negligence on his part. 

the drama for yo baby mama never ceases to amaze me on this island.

on the + side, le put (my vespa) is getting taken into the shop this weekend to finally get fixed.

woo hoo!

post no. 397 -- sometimes you just need reminding

source

i've been avoiding you guys for awhile now i'll admit it. things have been going topsy turvy at the apartment lately and the uncertainty of it all has got both buzz and i awake at night, groggy in the morning, and sluggishly pushing through our days.

this morning at 3am i was wide awake. awake enough to want to sleep but not tired enough to actually get there. i felt uncertain, not just about our apartment situation, but about buzz's impending deployment, the changes we will face this year, and how prepared i really am to handle more time alone. i started doubting myself, my choices, my path. is what i want really what we need? i layed there scrolling through my bible trying to find a verse that would just smack me in the face. an aha verse, to solve all my problems. well as much as i'd like to say i got ashley 1:31, hey kid, do this, this, and this, and your days will forever be sparkly and filled with rainbow unicorns; but i didn't/ instead i got psalms 9:10.

Those who know your name 

will trust in You, 

for you, LORD, 

have never forsaken those 

who seek you.

sometimes i just need some reminding. 

post no. 396 -- natutical-ness

i love that before i started dating, and eventually married, buzz i had absolutely no desires to get a tattoo. i was content in my little sushi free sheltered life, eating my turkey sandwiches, and never letting anything spicy touch my innocent little tongue.

and now look at me. i have more tattoo ideas in this little head of mine than i really know what to do with.

i've been branching out lately with the notion of starting a forearm sleeve on my right arm. i've been loving the idea of a sailor/nautical section of my arm seeing as for the past and next several years, the navy and the sea will be a huge part of our lives.



these tattoos have been inspiring me as i try to arrange 10 lbs. of flash on my scrawny little limbs. i'm not sure i'll be able to fit it all in there, but i love the compass pointing home, as well as a lighthouse and an old school mermaid. i'm still thinking of some verbiage to throw in the mix, but for now first things first. saving up for it. 

do you guys have any tattoos planned for 2012? 

post no. 395 -- all i need to know

yesterday was rough. we're talking put your sunglasses on while you're walking home in cloudy storm weather because you don't want people to see you bawling your eyes out, rough. to not hash up too much, it just feels like our little family has been put through the ringer since august. between car problems, and lost keys, and missed buses, and a whirl wind of other blunders, some days just seem to reeeeaaaaalllly take it out of you. {did you catch my emphasis on really?} yesterday was one of those days. but then buzz, being the total nerd he is quoted batman. the hour is always darkest before the dawn. because there is always hope, in every circumstance.

my mom used to tell us that when god puts something on your plate, he does it to show you what you're capable of. because at our core, we're all doubting thomas'. it's hard to have faith and trust that if we just ask him to, he'll handle it. we're so short sighted, i'm so short sighted sometimes thinking things are just too much. when in reality this is just a pebble on my path. all i have to do is ask for a hand, he's already there arms open.

it took getting angry, and upset, and crying the whole way home feeling bad for myself {i should of had some balloons for the pity party} to realize it'll be ok. he'll make it ok. and that's all i need to know.    

post no. 394 -- blooms

lately i've been dying for some fresh cut stems to sprinkle throughout our apartment. while we were away i even had as crazy a notion as to bring in real life plants to our apartment. but seeing jack's record with all things living, i doubt that will be happening anytime soon. 

either way i love the look of these fresh blooms {and sketched} in these spaces. 

post no. 393 -- what a week, in review

well it's monday, and for most it's far from the end of the week. but still, i figured i'd share a glimpse into our world lately.

we got back from california late wednesday evening, and sure thing thursday i was back up at the crack of dawn, ready for work. jack had been spending her little stay-cation at her puppy hotel. that was hard. i've never been apart from the cuddle monster more than a night prior to this trip, so 18 days was kinda huge. but she made it. about 5 lbs. thinner from all the romping and stomping, but i'm sure she'll be gaining it all back this week from the lazy days we've been having. for the most part we've been laying low, working a lot, and enjoying our own space again.

speaking of own space... a loft makeover is in the mix. so are a big list of clean&organized resolutions. 2012 gang, let's do this! 

post no. 392 -- it's the little things v. 9

this week we got back from our vacation in california, and while it was great to be back home with our friends and family {some that we haven't seen in over three years}, there was so much here that i had no idea how much i really missed until we touched down on the tar mat.


jack
how i missed this little thing.
her wrinkles.
the way she makes any space her space.
how when no amount of midol is relieving cramps, her head on my belly cures all.


this city
even though it's small compared to most.
the stillness, yet life you feel right as the sun starts to rise.
the sirens. the police. the chaos.


palm trees & pineapples
and how it's eighty degrees in the winter.
that we can have beach days all year.
and that warm sun on your face melts away any worry.


& that i can share it all with him
til death do us part.

post no. 391 -- little lovings

{ tea parties }

{ mint dresses }


{ white spaces }

{ and well, of course... sequins }

post no. 390 -- a road trip, or two

buzz and i are sprawled out in bed, fire blazing, tuned into suckerpunch. we got back from a weekend in vegas earlier today and exhaustion is the only word that comes to mind.

i take that back. 21 is another word, or at least number, that comes to mind. four months exactly and i'll be able to participate in the activities of the weekend. 

we stayed in the charlemagne suite on, get this, the 29th floor of the paris hotel in las vegas. the views of the strip at night were spectacular. so were the memories. i can't wait to experience the city at it's full potential.

some photos are from an earlier trip to san diego this week. but if one road trip was good, number two was amazing. 

post no. 389 -- what a hamburger is all about

remember when i wished this girl named "lola" a happy birthday? well this is marthy cakes aka martha aka my best friend. she sometimes stalks around here leaving comments under her alias.

california is currently experiencing some highs for winter weather, so this might just have been the last day i am able to wear my beanie, scarf, and a barrage of sweaters all in one outfit. but i think i can deal. 40-something degree nights aren't really my thing.

i wouldn't mind an in-n-out in hawaii though. #2, no onions, no tomatoes. i'm drooling just thinking about it. fun fact: i survived many a late night architectural history class off these babies. freshman 15 like you wouldn't believe. 

post no. 388 -- breakfast in bed

can sometimes be rather embarrassing when captured mid nibble. 

it can also be rather delicious when prepared by your master chef of a husband. 

not that i'm bragging or anything, but this boy and his breakfasts make waking up worth it. and for those of you who have witnessed what an undertaking getting me awake is, you know it's big. 

post no. 387 -- merry christmas.. err new years?

this year {or last .. } we decided to skip christmas kinda. we were leaving a few days after, so we thought it easier to not mess with the fuss of taking down decorations and throwing out a tree. we had arranged with our family to have christmas on new year's eve instead. so after many hours of picking out just the right gifts, rearranging them in our luggage to fit, and then re-rearranging them to avoid $200 baggage fees, we made it home for the celebration. and celebrate we did. 

i didn't get as many pictures as i'd have liked, but i guess that's the trade off when you're around the people you love. 

after a year and a half of not seeing our family and friends, it was a little bit of mixed emotions, but in a good way. you know, happy tears and all that jazz. the sort of stuff that makes you not want to leave.