cat's outta the bag

David, Guthrie, and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting our first little one in January 2015! And I promise that this is no April Fool's joke (remember this post)? This is the real deal.

It's been difficult keeping this exciting news a secret, which is why I've been so absent as of late. I've been in hiding! I was so nervous that I would accidentally spill the beans.

I'm about 13 weeks along and nearly into my second trimester. I definitely had a very difficult first trimester with around the clock nausea and fatigue. Growing tiny humans is not a piece of cake. Thankfully I've started to feel a little bit more like myself. The nausea has lessened and my energy has increased and as a result I am welcoming a regular exercise routine back into my life.

I ended up quitting my new job at BHLDN because I couldn't handle the commute (3-4 hours per day) and the constant one-on-one with customers while feeling more sick and tired than I ever have in my life. I'm bummed that I had to leave so soon, but it was the right choice for me.

Most importantly, though, we are pretty over the moon. Today we got to hear the heartbeat and that was a sound unlike any other. It's been quite the adventure so far and I can imagine it'll only get better. 

mini tour

we've been living in this house for almost a year now. we still have unopened boxes in the garage, a few new furniture pieces to acquire for the bedroom and office, and some major landscaping will be starting soon. they say there is always something that needs to be done around the house, and we're finding that phrase to ring very true for us. and that's totally okay. the two rooms that feel the most complete are the kitchen and the living room. it's where we spend most of our time in the house. i knew from the day we moved in that my first move-in priority was getting the living room set up. though it's been a mostly settled room since our first few weeks, things have shifted a bit here and there and evolved. this is kind of just where it's at right now with our record collection, some of my favorite books and plays, and a little taste of our photo booth shots over the years.

and of course i couldn't resist posting a dining room table shot with one of my favorite flowers (ranunculus and irish bells) and some shots of my beloved animals.

mornings

must always begin with coffee, quiet time, and these two knuckleheads. i could really get used to these three day weekends, although i know i shouldn't count on them. as soon as business picks up at work i'll have to say goodbye to sleeping in a little on fridays. but in the meantime i'm going to enjoy every minute. today i have plans to check some errands and to-do's off of my list, finish my current read, and maybe even start on an art project i've been bouncing around in my head.

rainy day

on rainy days like this all i want to do is put on my 7 dollar men's sweats, drink homemade chai tea lattes, read a killer book (currently Eleanor & Park), and get smothered with Guthrie kisses. this guy makes me stupidly happy.

hi there.

it's been a while.

for the last few weeks i have thought about what i could say to explain it, but there's nothing better than the truth.

some months back i started to become pretty disappointed and disillusioned by the whole blogging thing. i was finding myself being caught up in this weird subculture without even trying to. i didn't like a lot of what i witnessed and i didn't want to become something or someone i am not. so i subconsciously backed off from publishing anything even though i did have a lot on my mind and a lot going on in my life.

it pretty much just boils down to the fact that my stomach would turn thinking about the crazy things some bloggers do to become famous and it kind of made me sad, and even a little bit angry. i didn't want to feel like i had to compete in this strange world of bloggers or try to come up with some kind of schtick to become "blog famous" - all of which i did not want. when i started my blog, that was never the goal. it's still not the goal. of course it would be nice to have more followers, but it's not the end all-be all.

i will admit that with putting myself and my life out there and getting positive response from others, "likes" on my instagram photos, and getting more followers can give one a sense of validation and boost one's self-esteem... but my value does not come from what the outside world thinks of me and i don't ever want it to. don't get me wrong, i love that i have met some really great people through blogging and i've made awesome connections. i value anyone who reads and follows my blog and any other social media i am connected to. and it's funny because i really don't know why there are even a few people out there interested in my boring, but happy little life, but i appreciate anyone who is (with good intentions).

even so i was still totally put off by a lot of things i was noticing and i think that i just didn't want to be a part of it. i kept telling myself that i was too busy to blog, which is partly true. i'm working a lot more now than i was the last time i was here, and our home renovations really did take up a lot of time and energy (more on that later, hopefully). when i get home from work all i want to do is sit on the couch and watch Chopped or Project Runway or read a book.

but in the past few weeks i started to go back to my favorite blogs and i noticed that some of them were blogging again, or continuing to, and i asked myself why they were my favorites. what is it about these particular blogs that inspire me and give me hope for this blog world?

here's what i came up with: they are all genuine and authentic people who don't try to hide behind an image or push their dogma or get on their soapbox. they just exist, document the good and the bad and are honest about it all without making a big fuss over it. there is a simplicity to their blogs that is very appealing and elegant and truthful.

i love those blogs because they are beautiful. and inspiring. and encouraging.

i just want to be my most authentic self. that doesn't mean i have to spill my guts and air my dirty laundry out for you all, but it also doesn't mean that i need to try to fabricate and project a false image of myself. one that always has it all perfectly put together. there's nothing more transparent, to me, than someone who pretends that their life is perfect. i just don't want to become like that. and i want my blog to be a small part of who i am, not all of who i am. my self-worth isn't measured in comments and "likes" and page views.

so, having said all of that, i am going to let myself continue to be inspired by my favorite blogs and try to keep mine simple and truthful. and i'm going to try to blog more often, i really am. but if i don't it probably means that i'm just living my life and enjoying it. i just hope that i can find the time to share it with you. thanks for sticking with me.

xoxo,
andrea


my favorite blogs // katie's pencil box | mooreaseal | flowerchild dwelling | eat sleep cuddle | wild haven knits

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!