"Do you fall in love often?" "Yes often."

xo-

To My Beautiful Mother:

[Me & My Mom circa 1991.]

Happy Mother's Day to My Wonderful Mom.

Everyday I thank God for giving me such a loving mom. You have been such a gentle, patient, giving mother and there aren't enough thank yous in the world to truly get across how thankful I am for having you as my mom.  

Thank you for letting me march to the beat of my own drum.

Thank you for supporting me and my dreams.

Thank you for always loving me, even when I went through the really awkward teen years and acted like a brat.  

Thank you for always loving me, even though my room is always a mess.

Thank you for letting me move back home to be your roommates. 

Thank you for everything you have done for the world.

Thank you for making me feel like one of the most blessed daughters in the world.

Love,  

your favorite child, 

Anna.

"with grace in your heart & flowers in your hair."

 {via: tumblr.}

every time i hear that someone is going through a breakup i want to give them a huge hug like the one above. strangers, classmates, that crazy man on the bus, celebrities, best friends. all of them. 

i want to give them a big hug & tell them it will be okay, that their hearts will smile again. 

but i know how hard it is to believe that. i know what it is like to feel absolutely left out in the cold.  i know that you have to take it one day at a time & i know that sometimes you just have to cry. 

but i also know that the sun does come back. that you will get butterflies over new boys. that you will be giddy about a new first date. (& that on that date, you will not think of your ex. not one bit.)  that one morning you will wake up genuinely happy about what's ahead. that you will find love.  that your heart does heal- that your wings just get stronger.  that you come out on the other side a smarter, happier girl.  that you will find yourself not wanting to change any of it for the world- because it helped you get to the you you are today. 

that even when you think you have a better idea about what you want in life, you don't.  that there are extraordinary things waiting for you.  that you have no clue what God has in store for you & that things must fall apart, twist & turn to lead you to the exact place you are meant to be. with the exact person you are meant to be with.

i promise.

xoxoxoxo.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

-mumford & sons.

Noted Blog of Love: Little Things.

 

[all graphics via: just-littlethings.tumblr.com.]

The tumblr Little Things is one of my new favorite blogs.  The posts are simple, yet remind me of so many little things in life that make me happy. Things i take for granted. Things i owe much more credit to. The blog Little Things reminds us that every single day we can find at least one thing to smile about.

 xo-

& so it begins: fall 2010 finals countdown...day one.

in traditional finals week fashion, i give you...

Go get 'em tiger!

finals week likes to dig deep into your soul & try & convince you otherwise.  but don't let it get to you. because:

{via: tumblr}

we can & we will.

& just so you all know, I love ya. a lot. 

so if your feeling stressed, or down in the dumps, or just disgruntled with the world, (it totally happens, & it is normal) don't let it keep you bogged down to long.

dance around your room with a hairbrush, sing super loud in the shower, or make an acceptance speech in your mirror. (awards i've imaginatively accepted? well, just last week i sent my overachieving older siblings an email with the subject line of "& i would like to thank the pulitzer prize board..." i'm a total dork.)

but if those hijinks don't seem to boost your spirits, 

check out this awesome site: 

"Daily pep talk from a best friend"  

it will so make you smile. ; )

my favorite post as of late?

this brilliance. cause it's totally true.

xo-

p.s. this edition of finals countdown is going to be full of stories, laughter, tears & straight from the heart moments. it's going to be rocking. ; )

fridays were made for adventures.

happy weekend!
xo-

list of little things: {when i grow up}...

{via: style.com.}

Laura has a great series called: list of little things. 
today she did {dream jobs}.(by the way, i love that she put 'anything for oprah.' haha! oh, oprah.)

here are a few of 

my dream jobs:

1.  writer for television comedies.

2.  Real Simple writer/ More magazine writer/ Anna magazine (yeah! it's totally fate.) writer.

3.  creator of crayola crayon names.

4.  a regular on the girls with glasses show.

5.  work for kate spade.

6.  tina fey's best friend.

7.  kindergarten teacher in Germany.

8.  professional blogger.

9. work for twitter, google or etsy.

10. mamma & wife. (ok, i totally know it's cheesy. but it's the truth.)

xo-




p.s. i definitely want to work somewhere where i can dress in amazingly happy outfits everyday. (also, see above photo.)

my new found Love.

I am in Love with this hat I just ordered from this sweet etsy shop.

I can hardly wait to wear it this winter-- though some says it is a bit much. 

but, as the beloved Shakespeare once said:   Boldness be my friend.

xo-

p.s. kate spade & shabby apple suggest bright pops of color are in this fall/winter, woohoo!

a dreamy song for your dreamy friday.

 mindy gledhill. anchor.

"There are those who think that I’m strange
They would box me up and tell me to change
But you hold me close and softly say
That you wouldn’t have me any other way"

happy friday, sweets!

xo-

p.s. your true love will never ask you to change. never ever.

a little reminder for Life.

“I believe in sleeping in. I believe in giving 100% when you only have 80. I believe in kisses on the forehead. I believe in long kisses, smiling till your cheeks hurt, and laughing until you have tears in your eyes. I believe in having someone tell you that you’re beautiful. I believe in having someone play with your hair. I believe in sitting on swings and running in the rain. I believe in miracles and random acts of kindness. I believe in saying hello to anyone and everyone. I believe in second chances.

And most of all, I believe in love.”

-via-

miracles of Love.

i just saw animals in the womb: dogs & cats, last sunday.  it simply blew my mind.  i found the images of the dolphin & elephant when reading more about the series on NationalGeographic.com.  Have you seen it?!  If not, it is definitely worth a rental.  

Life is pretty beautiful. 

xo-

grateful for You.

i am grateful for You. 
It's true!  there are so many things in my life to be grateful for.
i take so much for granted. i must change that about myself.
correction: i am going to change that about myself.  

 {inspiration from this print found here.}

because i am so blessed.  
blessed beyond belief. 

knowing the amount of Love in my life, makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

& always know, I Love You!

Happy Friday, Lovebugs.

I hope it is full of blessings.

xo-

a few natalie updates: here.
Keep Calm & Pray On.

beauty is a verb.

i am kind of sorta really in love with these sweet printables i happened upon.  you can download them & send them to a beautiful person in your life...yes, let's all do that! 

click to download:

:image one:

:image two:

xo-

p.s. YOU are beautiful.  tis true!

happy mother's day!

[my mama & me circa 1989.]

i love you so much mom!

this song will always remind me of you.

Taylor Swift - New Music - More Music Videos

happy mother's day
to all you wonderful mamas! : )

xo-

my kind of math.

i do not like math. not one bit.

silly, i know. seeing as how i come from a family of math & science whizzes.
...oh, not to mention the fact that the godfather of radars is my father! (haha)
but, this awesome blogger got me stoked for "new math": how cool?!

hilarious!
now that's the kind of math i get.
xo-

a little project.

here.
about.

xo-

steve the chicken.

A 5-year-old girl shields her face for a moment from a gust of wind with her favorite chicken, Steve, after running to catch him for 10 minutes on her father’s farm in Deary, Idaho.

“One time I squished a chicken so hard that an egg fell out,” she said.

photo credit: Kevin German.

& we'll collect the moments one by one.

potter's lake picnic.
april 3, 2010

Last weekend my cute boyfriend ross & i decided to go on a picnic. the weather in kansas was simply perfect & everything is beginning to bloom- i love the bright green grass & how soft it is!

it was such a great day. oh, & did i mention that he serenaded me on his guitar? swoooooon.

a list of reminders for our next picnic...

bubbles.
a kite.
a real life picnic basket(!)
sunscreen. (especially when the summer comes about.)

i am such a lucky girl.

xo-

words for thought on this beautiful spring day.

A note on life.

“If I had my life to live over, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time. I’d relax, I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I’m one of those people who lived sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.”

- Nadine Stair, 85 years old. via.

Happy Weekend, loves!
& a very happy Easter to all.

xo-

hooray for friday!

(& photo booths, too!)
happy weekend, sweet friends!!
i hope it is filled lots of giggles & hugs.
& perhaps maybe even some
photo-booths like the sweet one above!! : )

xo-