renovate.

in lieu of a tunes tuesday post this week i have decided to share with you some of the big changes that have been going on with us lately.

first of all, in case i haven't officially discussed it here i will just say that David and i recently bought a house. since almost everything in the house was original the kitchen and bathroom needed a big update. it was also necessary that the exterior be re-stuccoed and the back yard be given some major tlc. since purchasing our home we decided to get the interior all taken care of before moving in. i mean, live-in renovations are insane. i should know since i've lived through one, which is why we decided to get in done in one go. i'm happy to report that it's almost finished and we will begin the moving process within the next couple of weeks. we still need to finish the exterior, but that can be taken care of while we're living there. 

as for the interior- we had both the kitchen and bathroom completely gutted and started from scratch. since i knew exactly what i wanted to do with those spaces, it wasn't too difficult to witness various stages of the process, including completely gutted out spaces. i knew that what i envisioned would be so much better than how it was before, so it has been a pretty exciting process, even though i haven't always been the most patient (i can't help it! i have exciting plans).

at this point we are pretty much in the home stretch (no pun intended). all that is left to do are the touch ups and appliance installations. i'm excited to share with all of you this process and the evolution of these rooms from start to finish, as well as my inspirations. i recently wrote for Moorea Seal on her blog about this process, which was very exciting. i'm so happy i was able to share on Moorea's blog first. and i'm just so thankful that we are even able to do this and that we will be able to move into our new home just the way we hoped and envisioned it would be. we are definitely blessed.

here are some of my most influential inspirations, taken from my obsession with Pinterest:

this is where we began:

and this is where we are now:

i am very much looking forward to doing some sort of series in the near future devoted to each room in our new home and the inspirations behind the renovations and decor. i hope you tune in!

thanks for letting me share.

xo,

a

tunes tuesday.

amsterdam // imagine dragons
california sunrise // dirty gold
london (live acoustic) // vanessa carlton
the stranger // lord huron
lemonworld // the national
everybody but me // lykke li
earth // imogen heap
keep it for your own // pop etc

listen | 8tracks
photo | original

guthrie.

last weekend David and i did the unthinkable. we adopted a pup!

after church last sunday we went to the pet expo with our friends Jon and Ellie (who are also huge animal lovers) with no plans whatsoever of bringing a new family member home. we really just wanted to gush over all kinds of cute animals, figure out what kind of breed would best suit our personalities and lifestyle (with the help of Jon who happens to be an expert on dog breeds), and just have a fun sunday afternoon with friends. we certainly didn't plan on falling in love with a two-year-old border collie/mcnab rescue puppers, but we did.

our only problem was that since our house is still being renovated (two more weeks, two more weeks, two more weeks!), we had no where to keep our new family member. so we kind of begged David's mom, dad, and brother to keep him while we await our move. it really didn't take too much begging at all, they were all for it and we are so thankful. we have been spending hours and hours over there and when we leave we can't wait to see him again.

since our pup is two and has been passed around a bit from home to shelter to shelter he has had a few names, but we weren't really happy with them. after much deliberation (and trying desperately to find a Game of Thrones name that would suit him best) we ended up going with Guthrie, after the great folk singer Woody Guthrie. the name totally fits.

being that Guthrie is a rescue dog who was given up by his previous owner to a very high kill shelter, he unfortunately has some separation anxiety issues that we are trying to break him of, and he is generally afraid of males. the wonderful people we got him from actually rescued him the day before he was scheduled to be killed and there is some evidence of abuse in the form of scars and what looks to be a burn above his nose. i honestly don't know how or why anyone could abuse animals at all or for any reason whatsoever, but especially a pup that is so kind and loving and sweet. he is extremely smart, obedient, and well-mannered. he can "sit" and "shake" on command and he is quickly learning how to "stay" and "get down" from the couch. and we are in the process of teaching him not to beg for food... and not follow my every move (even though i secretly love it, it's not good for him). thankfully he seems to be learning very quickly. 

i really don't think we could have asked for a better dog. from the moment i saw him i had an instant connection. and from the first walk i took him on before deciding to adopt i boldly declared, "this is my dog. i just know it. he is my pup!"

if we weren't already itching to get moved into our new home, we definitely are now. our move in date can't come soon enough. i can't wait to have him under our roof.

let's just hope Guthrie and Bogart can get along...

 this was the day we brought him home!

tunes tuesday.

wide eyes // local natives
your bones // of monsters and men
virginia // the deep dark woods
lost in my mind // the head and the heart
when will i see you again // lord huron
solid gold // wesley jensen
josefin // first aid kit
enemy // bear driver
aliens // andy dunlop
flapper girl // the lumineers

listen | 8tracks
photo | original

tunes tuesday.

pull my heart away // jack peñate
phenomenons // twin sister
run // daughter
lonesome dreams // lord huron
everything and nothing // the boom circuits
dazed and confused // iko
keep you safe // latifah phillips & a boy and his kite
brother sparrow // agnes obel
i found a way // first aid kit
a sail // lisa hannifan
it's racing // a boy and his kite
low rising // the swell season
beach baby // bon iver
circles and graves // you me & apollo

photo | original
listen | 8tracks

exciting news.

we are so excited to share with everyone (finally!) that we are pregnant!
in november we will welcome little mini davey or mini annie. i never thought i'd be this excited to be with child!

APRIL FOOL'S.
joke's on you. BWAAAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!

see the previous post for the REAL exciting news.

here's the real news...

my alma mater (VUSC) produces a playwriting showcase every spring in which students and alumni can submit their short plays to be selected for a staged reading. with the encouragement of Sir Doody* i decided to submit my play into the showcase and was thrilled to find out recently that my play is among the seven plays chosen to be produced at the showcase!

*last fall i had the priveledge of participating in a creative writing class taught by my former scriptwriting professor, Sir Doody (his real name is Warren, not Sir. it's an inside joke, i won't even try to explain it, haha). in this class we were assigned to write two short stories, two ten-minute plays, and a handful of poems. i learned so much in this class and i'm so thankful that i've been able to keep in touch and stay friends with my former professors so that i can have the opportunity to continue to learn from them.

Ten: Vanguard University's Playwriting Showcase was actually the brainchild of Sir Doody and one of my good friends, Donna Johnson. Donna approached Sir Doody with the idea five years ago and since it's first production has continued every spring. i am so thrilled and crazy excited to be a part of it this year. this is seriously the highlight of 2013 so far.

if you're interested in coming to see my first produced play, the showcase will be on Tuesday, April 16th at 7:00pm on the Vanguard University campus in Costa Mesa. admission is totally FREE and open to all. 

i press on.

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