5 Years

Today is our fifth anniversary.

To many people that might not sound that long, but I'm pretty proud of us.  Not many high school loves stay together these days and not only did we make it through high school, now we've made it through college too.

The photo above is one of the very first taken of us together.  We're at the Clinton Symphony Orchestra summer concert.  We are going to go to that same concert this year-it's right around the corner.  Back then, in 2008, I remember we were some of the youngest people at the concert.  We sat towards the back and all of the older orchestra patrons kept turning around and telling us how cute we were and how glad they were that we came.  I wore a green dress that Spenser loved.  I still have it.  Oh, and we had a picnic!  I made us fajita steak sandwiches and packed grapes to go with.  Spenser brought the prettiest colorful quilt to picnic on.

Among these scattered memories, this one will always stand out to me.  We had packed up our blanket, were walking out of the park and we passed by this very abstract sculpture, just a bunch of metal half circles interwoven.  (I know, that was a terrible way to describe a piece.  sorry!)  I asked Spenser what he thought it was; what it represented.  He replied, "Courage."  I have no idea if that is what the artist was going for and I probably will never know, but what I did know was that he was for keeps.  It really didn't matter what he said, it just mattered that he had an answer.  To me, it showed his creative side, the way he can think out of the box.

I've always believed that Spenser and I live our lives as artists.  Not just in the literal sense, even though he is a musician and I both appreciate and dabble in various arts.  Rather our life is our art; the way we live is our art.  And that day at the concert back when, I had my first sense of that in Spenser.

Spenser, happy 5 years.  I love you now and forever.

Can't wait to go to dinner tonight!

a crazy birthday and a little guy...

We celebrated Adele's 21st birthday on the 21st!  (Her real birthday is the 16th.)  Becca was nice enough to have all of us over to her porch.  Since Dan left for his internship there aren't any other guys home yet, so it was just the ladies.   We had dinner and then got together to visit at Becca's.  Not only was she nice enough to have us over, she made pretty hanging paper decorations.  You know, the ones you can always find on pinterest.  She always makes things look great, she's a pretty awesome hostess.  The night was a fun one, with Adele indulging in her 21st and enjoying every moment. That is, if you couldn't tell by the picture...  ;)

 

Yesterday, I babysat for a fairly new family of mine.  I've only babysat for them one other time, but I already really like the family.  I babysit for a group of grandkids when the family's adult children come home, so it's whole gang of kids, chaos, and outdoor sports.  The grandparents (the ones who actually hire me) have the most impressive collection of Leica cameras.  The grandmother had a strong interest in photography and still does, so those pictured^^ are not just collectibles, they were her cameras at one time before digital.  Her interest in photography, specifically lifestyle photography, is still very evident in their house.  She has a beautiful photo wall that has all sorts of film photos from when their children were young.  Their den is littered with albums and photo books of various years and events from birthdays to vacations, etc.  And lastly, photos are everywhere!  I mean it.  She even tapes them to kitchen cabinets.  It's kind of a funny thing because they have this nice house, with well-made furniture, fancy décor, everything in it's place and well taken care of, and then there are these little tacked up photos in random places.  I love it and to me, it is a testament to her strong sense of family in the way that she preserves and displays memories.

 

Also, how adorable is their youngest?? :)

True Things

This is the card I bought the other day while in Galena.  When I looked at it, it was instant love.  It's by Brian Andreas whose work I adore.  I thought, "I'd want to frame this and hang it up!"  Other times while out, I've seen prints by various artists that I have the same feelings about.  However, Spenser isn't always there with me with me when I see these things so I don't get his opinion.  (I will say though that we both generally like anything a little quirky or out of the ordinary.)  Anyway, when I see something that I like, I buy the card form or smallest print.  I have no idea how Spens and I will decorate in the future, but that way I'll have a sample and all the artist info if he should like it too.

 

I also love many of Brian Andreas' other works, so I urge you to check them out!

an evening walk

^^I wish I had some cool, inspirational quote to go with that picture, but I don't.  Haha. 

Last night, Spenser and I took some time just to walk up and down the riverfront.  We sat on the barrier walls and just laughed and talked about what we wanted to do this summer.  I love when we can dream and make fun plans together and tease.  I can't tell you how good that felt.  I don't even want to bring this up, but last summer I screwed up various aspects of my life up.  Big time.  And I feel like this summer is going to make up for lost time.  I am so happy to have Spenser by my side.  He has been there all along and has been the best.  I'm still anxious about finding a job and getting into grad school and all of that, but last night it didn't really matter. 

This is my summer.  This is our summer.  I just feel it.

Galena

My aunt Teresa is still here visiting from Florida.  She came for my graduation and is staying a little longer.  We thought it would be fun to take her to Galena while she was here, so on Friday, the two blondes and I took off for a little day trip.  Galena is filled with the cutest, small, locally-owned shops.  You won't find any major corporations there, which is so refreshing.  We spent the day weaving in and out of many of these shops. 

 

One of the first stops was the Great American Popcorn Company where I was more interested in their fun sodas rather than the popcorn.  I did have to go home with a few fun sodas. ;)  We browsed a lot of neat and unique home décor in numerous shops.  Teresa enjoyed the bead shop, of course, since she is a jewelry-maker.  One of my favorite shops, Poopsie's, is just filled with the best things.  There is no other description.  Vague, right?  Haha.  It is the store that had the mustache etched glass above^^.  Its a store of odds and ends, but beautiful odds and ends.  They had these pieces of art that had lyrics printed on the sides that I absolutely loved.  However, they were a bit pricey.  I also really appreciated the magnet that said, "I wish Morgan Freeman narrated my life."  Um, yes.  That is me.  What I did go home with, however, is a Brian Andreas card that is the perfect size for framing.  I'll have to share it on here sometime.   

 

We had lunch outside and it was so quiet and beautiful.  It was great just to take it in.  And later in the day we shared fancy Italian desserts.  I'm glad we were able to spend the day together.

 

P.S.  I read in the De Soto Hotel that they are having a rooftop party for the Fourth of July that is open to the public.  I need to remember to tell Spenser and see if he's interested!

Kick off to summer!

Last night, a bunch of us got together and went bowling.  We are all pretty terrible bowlers.  Except Dan.  We think he secretly practices. ;)  Dan was actually one of the reasons we got together-he is leaving soon for an internship in Fort Collins, Colorado.  So this was sort of a goodbye to Dan til he returns in the fall.  I also mark it as a start to the summer!  I can't wait to hang out with these awesome people and make more summer memories.

It was also the first bonfire/fire pit gathering of the summer.  We are an extremely indecisive group of friends and as I mentioned last summer the fire pit is an easy answer to where we should go/what we should do.  Plus, I love having these people over.  So last night, after bowling when the question came up of "what next?", this is where we went.  We had s'mores, Adele was birthday serenaded, everyone discussed what they're doing for the summer and where they're working, and there were lots of laughs.

Life Lately

I went and bought myself another pair of sunnies.  I'm pretty sure I'm starting a collection. :/  Also, did you know that in some parts of Australia they call sunglasses "spekkies"?  And in India, they're "glares"?  Fun facts.

 Lilacs are in full bloom!  They're everywhere and they're making me happy just looking at them.

I am sooooo excited for bonnaroo!!!  I can't even take it.  I'm going to see my love, Paul.^^  Not to mention a ton of other amazing artists.  This year it's going to be just Spenser and me.  I know he's been wanting to sit down and plan a lot of it with me (who we're going to see and when) and I feel badly because right now I just have not been available to do that.  I've been starting the job search, taking care of grad school things, and when I get a free moment, planning anything just sounds overwhelming.  But Spenser's a bonnaroo expert and a wonderful planner in general, so I know that our bonnaroo plans are safe with him.  Plus, no matter what we do and who we see, I know we'll have a lot of fun because we always do.

Graduation Day

This past Sunday I graduated from college!  After transferring my freshman year, taking courses at the community college during my summers, doing my senior design project my sophomore year, and completing two internships, I can finally say I did it!  I finished in three years just like I said I would and I am happy and proud to have reached that goal.   But I did not get through alone.  This is not just my day, rather it belongs to everyone who has helped me get to where I am.      

The graduation ceremony itself had its goods and bads.  The guest speaker was a bit long in my opinion, however I thought the student speaker was very good.  The best, most meaningful part of the ceremony though was actually before the ceremony.  All of the potential graduates, including myself, met backstage and had pictures taken and visited while waiting to proceed to the main area.  Once we got the cue, we started walking towards the main area through a tunnel-like hallway.  Lining this hallway on either wall were all of the university professors clapping, smiling, and speaking words of congratulations as we walked through.  It was a total surprise and such a sentimental moment. 

Obviously these two, my parents, came, as well as my grandparents.  Two of my aunts were nice enough to fly in (from Washington D.C. and Florida no less!) for the event.  Some more closely located relatives came too.  I had invited some friends, but many were still in school.  There is one lady who I know was very disappointed she couldn't come, but I could still feel her love that day.  And of course, Spenser was there!  Beaming and all!  He was the first to find me in the crazy mass exodus.  He ran up to me and swept me off my feet-quite literally.  He lifted me up, swung me around, and proceeded to carry me towards the rest of my family.  I loved it. 

This woman deserves a special thanks.  As I mentioned above, my loved ones all helped through college in various ways, but my mom seemed to encompass all of those ways.  She supported me in every way, whether it was listening to my accomplishments and struggles, setting up my room, helping me organize "extra" paperwork (bills, transcripts, equivalencies, etc.), or just being available for whatever.  I appreciate every moment, you amaze me.  Thank you.

(Also, thank you to Spenser for capturing this moment.  No wonder you're my photography coach. ;) )

I wanted to keep the celebration afterwards pretty simple.  For my high school graduation, we had a big open house on and in our patio/deck/backyard area.  A lot of people came, we set up tables, had it catered, etc.  I know that many people also do that sort of celebration for their college graduation.  However, this being said, I wanted something that was a nice time, but required less planning and setting up.  We decided on a casual dinner after the ceremony.  We went to The River House, which has a lot of historic décor.  Everyone got to order what he or she wanted and there was no clean up after. Win-win. :)

 

Thank to everyone who has supported me and influenced me these past few years! 

Here's to you!

I did this today...

 

...and I couldn't be happier!

the prettiest of yards

About a block from where I live, there is a little brown brick house with the most amazing yard.  The front yard is all flowers; tulips mainly.  Tucked between neatly mowed grass yards, it's just such a happy sight.  I'm absolutely in love with it.  I love yards that aren't just grass.  When I was in Urbana a year or so ago, I walked down a street where each and every house and yard was a plant-lover's delight.  I love houses like that.  I've never been one to be a real green thumb, but I'd like to grow more in the future.  I had always planned on having a small garden, but who knows?  Maybe I'll go full-out jungle like in Urbana.  Or maybe I'll walk out the front door into a thousand tulips each morning.  Who knows? ;)

anybody out there?

if you are, hello hello!

as much as I love this tiny little corner of the internet, I'm having a hard time keeping it up currently.  I'm not quitting or anything, I'm just a slow blogger and owning up to it. ;)  so bear with me?  how do all those serious bloggers do it?  I don't know.  I'm constantly at a loss for time.  But I'm hoping after graduation, this summer should allow me some time to organize and get back here more steadily. For now though, I'm keeping at it, even if I'm often late.  I hope you're having a crazy, happy Tuesday!

 

xo,

C

The city I lived in.

For the last two and a half years, I've lived in Davenport, Iowa.  I never dreamed I'd ever live anywhere in Iowa, but I have and I've appreciated the time I've had here.  I've always liked the Quad City area, so moving here was easy because it was somewhat familiar.  As I'm getting close to leaving, I'm feeling sentimental and as if I didn't go enough places here.  This in all probability is most likely false.  Spenser and I do an awesome job of exploring cities, trying new restaurants, and going to everything a place has to offer-whether old, touristy, or whatever.  That aside, I decided to take a final trip downtown this afternoon. 

So many cities have beautiful, historic architecture in their downtowns, but I often feel it goes unappreciated as cities begin to sprawl and business moves away from the original center of the city.  That's why I love when cities have projects that attempt to revive the energy of old downtowns; bringing people and usually the arts back to the downtown area.  Luckily Davenport's downtown still has numerous buildings in operation, due to its prime location close to the riverfront. 

I saw downtown with new eyes this afternoon.  I took many of my photos from a walkway in the John Deere Pavilion and I was reminded that a person can really gain a new perspective of a place just by angle and height of where he or she is.  I know that sounds so simple, but it rang true today as I watched the evening traffic speed home under my feet in the walkway.

I have some great memories from living in Davenport.  But as I was downtown some of my favorite memories were not from my college days of residing here.  Instead, they were of when Spenser and I were dating in high school and we went on one of our first dates outside of town (that was big stuff back in the day-he got to drive me an hour away for it).  We went to go see the Quad City orchestra play at the Adler Theatre.  We love our orchestras!  That particular night the orchestra was doing a Led Zeppelin tribute.  Before the concert, we ate at Duck City Bistro and at that time it was probably the fanciest meal we had had to date.  Near our parking garage, in the same area as those red tulips^^ were in ground water fountains.  I was wearing a red maxi dress and didn't want it to be soaked so we had avoided it on our way to the theater, but on our way back we ran through, skirting the edges, just enough to get a sprinkle or two.

Davenport, I'll miss you, but I'll still be visiting so no worries. ;)