Shouldn't have

*Image via J.Crew

I've been trying to avoid this purchase for the entire week. I finally caved and bought myself a new pair of brown shoes for spring/summer. I really shouldn't have, but my other favorite pair is showing wear. Plus, I couldn't resist the discount. Hopefully these shoes are awesome. I do have to get rid of an old pair now, trying to maintain a balance. It just may have to be that cute pair of Kate Spade heels I thought I would wear to my wedding.

Wiggle

It is the best feeling in the world to come home to such an enthusiastic audience. Odin has a tiny stubby tail that doesn't wag, so he compensates by wiggling his entire body. That, and the snorts of affection make my day. I couldn't be happier to be home with my snorty, wiggly bulldog.

Dishes

*Image via sfgirlbybay

I have to wash a sink full of dishes.  I am not excited about that.  When I finish my chores, I get to spend a crafty evening at home.  This is what I am looking forward to today.

Radio

*Image via kexp

Before I moved to Seattle, I always surfed local radio stations listening for something good, something that wasn't a commercial. Now, I am a lucky regular listener of my local nonprofit station kexp. For those of you out there across the world, you can stream live or listen to recorded performances or download podcasts. For those of you in Seattle, turn the dial to 90.3 and enjoy. They are currently in the middle of one of three yearly pledge drives, and my Catholic guilt is urging me to sign up. Take a few minutes and listen, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Head gear

*Images via ban.do

I am not brave enough to wear a giant flower on my head. I would love to be this brave, but I'm not a fashion risk-taker. I am however going to attempt something more simple. I am all about small and simple. As luck would have it Michael's currently has all of their silk flowers reduced by 50%. I purchased a few stems and the total came out to less than $7. Now, I aim to take these flowers apart and augment my first attempt at hair flowers. I'll blog the process and will post the results. I'm nervously excited and I can't wait to get home to start crafting. This part of wedding planning I like (and looking at shoes online).

Family

When we first started our required marriage prep our counselor asked us a simple, yet poignant question: why do you want to get married? Having to put my thoughts and feelings into words wasn't too easy. So many things seem obvious but can be taken for granted. I want to be acknowledged and I want to truly be part of Trevor's family. I want him to be part of my family. Together we want to become a family unit. This is an early morning snapshot of the beginnings of my family. Something simple.

Cotton

*Images via J.Crew

Being a girl who is all about natural fibers, cotton is my thing. I really love the variety of lightweight cotton shirts, skirts, and now dresses there are to choose from. I especially adore the small details that designers are adding to their cotton garments to dress them up and make them more than just that plain, white, t-shirt. This dress has my hopes up. I know I will need to try it on to avoid the plague of the pear-shape. I just love the idea of gliding in the door at a function comfortably and stylishly wearing a lovely cotton dress. If I really had it my way, I might just go with the awesome C&C California tunic I found on super sale for $21. Mine is a lovely shade of red and was perfect for a warm Arizona evening. I can't wait to wear it in Seattle.

Custom

*Image by Agreyline Photography via Snippet and Ink

I love reading blog posts that showcase how ladies have customized their attire, especially shoes. (This shoe fetish is a new thing for me) I can't seem to find what I'm looking for and all of the arrows seem to point me in the direction of customizing what I have so it becomes more like what I want. I think that I can come up with a creative and inexpensive way to jazz up some shoes. This bride used vintage ribbon to add a fanciful detail to her toes. Any more ideas?

Dating

*Image by Sarah Turner via Rock 'n Roll Bride

Yesterday I celebrated my last ever dating anniversary. It was pretty exciting and slightly momentous event, even though it was like any other day. The idea that instead of dating anniversaries we'll be celebrating our marriage is a pretty cool transition. We celebrated our first meeting two years ago with some Thai food and our first swing dance lesson. When we began dating I was slightly embarrassed that we met online. Now, I tell the story proudly because I could never have imagined the results. Not to mention the fact that I want other people to know that you're not abnormal or have something wrong with you if you date on the internet. (I felt pretty self-conscious about candidly telling people that I was on match.com) Now, I have people telling me that I should be in one of those commercials. Plus, we're using the passage from Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning from T's profile in our wedding ceremony.

Fragrance

*Image via Snelvis on Flickr

Arizona orange trees are ripe and blooming.  I have been to Tempe only once, and didn't ever smell the fragrance that is currently in the air.  Orange blossoms are perfuming the town and the scent can be almost overpowering.  At first I thought I was catching residual wafts of ladies' perfume but now, I am pleased to know the true culprit.  Looks like I'm also getting some vitamin C aromatherapy here too.  I am only too happy to be able to lie poolside and read at 10 o'clock in the morning.  Seattle rarely reaches temperatures like these, and never in March.

We're heading to the Dessert Botanical Garden this morning while it's still bearable.  I'll post some cactus snapshots later.  I love the pink in my cheeks (tan, not burn).