testing, testing.

i sure had to have the sensor in my camera cleaned before moving off to europe. it just had to be done. i noticed for a while now my photos had spots on them and my sensor was loaded with sand...either Moab or Egypt did that. can't have those sand spots causing havoc on my europe photos.

THE kaitlin and joslin arrived into town for my wedding so they kindly obliged to be my spot tester after we picked up my camera from Camera Clinic....we are spotless. aren't those two cute?

that is my story.

the day after tomorrow

...i get to marry him.

you're comin' with me

packing day one.
i was very nervous for the start of packing, i was dreading it. i kept putting it off because i just didn't want to face not being able to bring all i want in switzerland and the deciding of what goes and what stays. when i lived in switzerland for 3 months a year ago, i had limited amount of clothes and my things with me. it is always hard living somewhere and not having all of yourself there. finally i got myself to start and it actually turned out pretty enjoyable, i came to the realization that i was going to be able to bring just about everything i would like there. so far i have one suitcase packed and the second almost finished and i have plans for the others. a while back i figured out it would be less expensive to pay for more luggage than to mail boxes. but oh how exciting it will be to have all that luggage on the train when we get into Zurich. of course i will leave a lot here and if things are wanted or needed my parents will mail them or i will pick things up when we come visit. it is such a crazy feeling to be packing for an actual move, yes, i packed for college but this is a very different feeling. i am packing my life here to start my new married life there. how does one pack for that? how does one pack to LIVE in europe?

i love me some fun socks. 

SO IN LOVE

i am in love, serious love, with each of these outfits and individual pieces from Gorman, first spotted here. the colors make me SWOON and i love the stripes, polkadots, textures and the way the outfits feel mismatched yet so cohesive. man alive!

any day now

he comes any day! and by any day i mean THIS monday evening....rather, late night. so i only have to wait five more days for this swiss boy. i haven't seen him since january 1st and it is ABOUT TIME. i am so so excited. i like him virtually, but i love him even more in real physical life.

this photo of him was the first photo i saw of him where i thought "oh he is really cute". he just returned from his mission when i met him so he only had this photo and one other on his facebook. it is kinda a funny angle of him, but this picture got me, got me thinking about him.

Aqualung

if you have yet to know of Aqualung, now is your chance. matthew hales is one of my favorite artists and HIS voice, oh his voice and those bone chilling melodies...not to mention the pianooo. he gets to ya. a few years ago, my cousin Meredith introduced me to him and recently she introduced his song Thin Air to me. what a lovely, lovely song.

sorry for the wonky video, just listen. it is so beautiful, you will fall in love.

another one of my new favorite Aqualung songs is actually this Brooke Fraser song he sings with her. what a surprise to buy her album and find mr hales himself on the album. grand.

my favorite Aqualung song, again wonky video.

Wohnzimmer

the other night, i got excited(again) for the furnishing of a home with jachen. whilst i was emailing him(back and forth while he was at work),  i decided to "plan" upcoming ikea purchases for our home. we have a house in switzerland and will need to make some furnishing changes and additions. ikea is really the only home furnishing store which will be practical in price....switzerland forgot to have targets, department stores, pottery barns, crate and barrels etc...but luckily i love ikea. i went on the suisse ikea website and found these great pieces.
lamps- in LOVE with both those lamps. the green table lamp, duh and the tall lamp shades texture is so great which you have to look closely to see in that picture. i am all about mismatching lamps.
rugs- which one? if both are there which should i chose?
sofa- in love with that grey sofa. its the perfect color and size. sure hope its in stock or i WILL wait. can't wait to throw some pillows on there.
armchairs- im not IN LOVE with these two, but for what the website shows are my options these are the best two. i like the second one better, but that green isnt quite right and that was the only color i liked for it. if the first green chair color came in the second chair shape, we would have a deal.
coffee table- i love the simple shape, color and the legs on it. i will check thrift stores there first to make sure i don't miss out on a cool coffee table

so far this is what i will hunt down at ikea when we go the weekend we get back after the wedding. plans could change and we might not like any of these pieces in person or we might like something else better that we find, but for now it is fun to start looking and thinking about it.

oh, and yes you can mix brown and black together...and grey.

xander

look at that baby! such a precious baby nephew i have. he was a month early when he was born and now, three months later he is sooo big. still miniature, but sure is growing. you can see more of him and his family over here at the Quigley blog.

i don't approve

i just don't understand this strapped wooden platform shoe style that is going on. not only are they high/arched but they are wooden...is that even enjoyable to walk in? i have never been a fan of wedged shoes so maybe i am bias. also, pretty much anything retro makes me want to vomit. i just don't see how these wedged, platform, wooden retro shoes are cute. anddd they cost a pretty penny. i don't approve, i don't understand...and you will never see me wearing them.

that is all.

white blank page

i knew i loved taylor swift. what a joyous thing her cover of Mumford & Sons, White Blank Page is. not only is Mumford & Sons one of my favorite bands, but this song is a favorite on the album. it is so beautiful. thank you, veronica, gypsies, tramps and thieves.

winner

i got myself a winner. really, truly. 20, 20 days until i marry this dreamboat of mine. 20 is such a small number i can't even believe it. a few days ago after my sister and i met with the lady who will be making my cakes, i related to natalie how i couldn't believe i was just in there meeting about the cakes for my very own wedding and how i was so soon to be married. i told her about how i woke up that morning and how the first thoughts in my head were "oh wow, i am getting married!". i asked natalie if it supposed to feel this unreal still. she informed me it would feel unreal until you're at home married and you can finally sink in what just happened. i have always felt really really blessed to have him and we have never had the chance of taking any of our relationship for granted because those times when we get to be together we feel truly blessed about it. its not everyday you get to fly over to europe(or in his case the usa) to be with your boyfriend/fiance. each of those times we got to be together we both felt so lucky and blessed that THIS was happening. being with him has always felt so "lucky", even though jachen doesn't believe in the word. it still feels so unreal to have someone this perfect for me. jachen told me once while following me around shopping, "i was trained my whole life for you", though at that moment he meant it as him being used to following his mom around shopping his whole life and that it's no problem for him to wander from shop to shop, that statement then became somewhat of a motto for us. it has always been evident for the both of us those little shoves in our lives that have directed us individually to be at this moment we belong to now, together. as the year has speed by, i anticipate the next 20 days to do so as well. 20!

jachen is asleep on his pillow in switzerland so he is not awake to protest these photos from being released to the public. that is what he gets for being asleep when i'm awake to blog. actually, to be honest he wont care because you can't embarrass this guy. he is too carefree(one thing i love about him). not that these photos of him are embarrassing. :) you gotta love old photos.

click on photos large for best results

who wears short shorts.

glad he retired this shirt.

stealthy. a pose you are likely to find him in.

those green eyes. they'll getcha. 

this softy is tough too. jachen served his mandatory time in the swiss army. 

all things lovely...

satchel

acorn necklace

coral ring

travel tote

lace up boots

beverly boots

jazz oxford

linen oxford

sandal

golden balloon necklace

Oh Land

great photo huh? Nanna from Oh Land has such great music. her voice is amazing and has such lively/fun/dynamic/interesting music. i just purchased her album that was just released in March and it is sooo sooo great. currently it is $7.99 on itunes and it includes five music videos which are so great as well. videos like the ones below which are my favorites. check out these videos/songs as well...HERE, HERE and HERE.

what do you think?

april fools

Liechtenstein above, Austria below

my man is too smart.
at the beginning of the week i had plans to pull an april fools joke/prank on jachen. last years was a success so i wanted to repeat the tradition. so i had the plan to tell him i lost my wedding ring(like he would even believe that, i keep HIGH tabs on this ring, but that is what i came up with) and my plan backfired...the next day jachen emailed me this...

Tomorrow I will not believe anything you say to me, whatever it may be cause I don’t want to be tricked again on a first of april, so if there is any emergency, tell me now or the day after tomorrow, ;)

it wouldn't have even mattered what i did or said(mostly i cant do a lot since he is in switzerland...unless i had planned a brilliant joke weeks ago) he would call the bluff. he is too good. he knows my trixie ways now. so tonight i decided, well i might as well try SOMETHING. jachen and i usually exchange emails back and forth my late nighttime his early morning at work. so a few hours ago i wrote to him saying i was too tired tonight and that i wanted to go to bed early tonight. i just received this email from him...

i just raced to work, hope you sleep well and remember for you its not aprils fools yet, love ya


what? really? he is calling my bluff?? covering his basis' so he can later say "see, you didn't fool me". first of all, it is his april fools already so it counts and in 25 minutes it is mine. so i will announce my "april fools!" then.  next year when we are together he will get what's coming to him.

last years april fools joke
last year on april fools, i was in switzerland and it was the day i was meeting up with my dad in Burgdorf to spend the weekend with him. i had the task of alerting my father of this boy jachen i was dating here/there in switzerland. i was also to ask my dad if it was okay for jachen to come with us on our day trip to Liechtenstein and Austria the following day. so jachen was aware i would be informing my dad of this swiss boyfriend i had. after awhile of being with my dad i texted jachen telling him that my dad was super mad about me having a swiss boyfriend and that he was not okay with him coming with us the next day. naturally, i left jachen with hours to worry about my dad not approving. and he did just that, worry or as he called it "letting him in despair". later that evening i called jachen and said my "april fools!" and he couldn't believe i tricked him. i relieved him with the news that my dad was thrilled and excited to meet him and when we would come pick him up the next morning. his first taste of my trixiness and apparently is ready for this years trick.

this just in...dont worry, he did fall for it. click images to see larger.

okay, a small little "prank" but i just love doing them.