st. augustine video

  large from Laurie Brotherton on Vimeo.

celebrating 365 days of marriage

a few weeks ago {that's how far behind on posting i am} M & i celebrated our first year of marriage! we joke that we managed to make it this far. but i like to think that making it a year is something to be proud of. because i am proud of us. proud of how well we try to work together {notice the word try}. this year was fun yet also a challenge. we found out marriage isn't playing house but a lifestyle that takes patience & compromise. something that i still need to work on. i'm so blessed to be married to a man that respects me & understands me better than i do. 

so for our first anniversary we celebrated by visiting the town of st. augustine. we were only a short fifteen minute ride from the town & planned to take full advantage of that fact. it's filled with history around every corner & not to mention all the precious shops. being on an island we experienced a few popup showers here & there but nothing could ruin our day. we found an adorable cafe that had bubble tea. boy! was the tapioca soft! we walked along the water hand-in-hand & reminisced about our wedding day. we found the only mexican restaurant on the island which was nicely located by the water to enjoy dinner at. if chips & salsa was the last thing i'd ever eat i'd be okay with that. & no brotherton vacation is complete without overdoing it on the sweets. so when we stumbled upon a fudge shop we naturally bought five squares to share. that same evening after the sun set, we played on the beach with sparklers. 

hidden cafe that had heavenly bubble tea ^^^

our fudge that disappeared quickly ;) ^^^

 sparklers!!!

can't wait to celebrate many more years.
xoxo
-L

six things you should know about me

the overly talented shio from sweetness a boos, tagged me in this trending post & i'm flattered. these little posts are always fun. go check out shio's bloggity blog!

here's six things about yours truly:

enjoy!

one // favorite movie, song or tv show?
my favorite movie is pretty woman. but another favorite, one that i could watch daily, is she's the man. yeah it's unfortunate amanda bynes is a little cray cray now, but that movie is hysterical.

image one // image two

two // who or what inspires you?
hands down -- both of my moms. growing up my mom believed her children should have the chance to try anything they wanted. so i played any sport i could join. she pushed me to join all the school clubs. she wanted us to know that she wanted us to have the chance to have the things she couldn't. & she taught us that well :)
my mother-in-law has showed me strength like none other. her battle with cancer has been long & difficult yet there hasn't been a moment of it that she hasn't been strong.
i'm blessed & inspired daily by both of my mothers. not only do they each teach me to trust in our Lord, but continually show me through their personal lives. both are magnificent women of God.

three // what's your favorite go-to outfit?

it's definitely an oversized/layer-able shirt. worn with skinnies, boots & DUH! a beanie :) if i wore this exact outfit this time of the year, yes i'd probably die. but it's still my favorite. i prefer wearing shirts that aren't as fitted & that are easy to layer because i love food. & because i love food so much i get food-babies on the daily.

four // what's something we don't know about you?

hmmm... my nose runs when i eat too much. i'm a lefty. i'm obsessed with candy crush saga & i suck ar it. i own more pairs of underwear than a victoria secret model. i hate loath despise talk radio. i was adopted in high school. i work with dogs. the idea of reading in the car makes me car sick. i suck at cooking {oh wait, y'all knew that}. i pop my knuckles way too often. i've had the chicken pox three different times. i used to call M my brother -- weird? 

five // what's your favorite part about marriage?

knowing that i have the rest of my life with an amazing partner. we've only been married a year, so i still experience those "woah! i'm married?!" moments. but what makes me the happiest is knowing that M & i will always have each other. i can picture my life five/ten years from now & M's the first thing i see. heck! who knows what our lives will be like, but it's comforting to know he's there. 

six // what's your current dream you're hoping to achieve?

this is a question i often battle with. i guess right now my dream/goal is to complete photography school. i'm waiting for that aha! moment & i'll know what i'm supposed to do. but right now things feel right & if & when things don't feel right i'll move on to another dream :)

wanna get to know other bloggers better?

heather

rachel

lena

amanda

pick six to answer for yourself:

one // is this how you imagined your life would be?

two // what's your least favorite thing about marriage? or what are you least looking forward to about marriage?

three // favorite evening out drink?

four // who are the blogs you love to stalk?

five // what's something you love about yourself?

six // guilty pleasure?

seven // how did your blog come about?

eight // anything else you want to share?

thanks for sticking around to learn more about moi!

friday's letters {29}

dear world i'm back!!! i'm officially recovered & well again. being sick is NOT fun. the worst part were the days where it felt like i ran a marathon then tried to get on an elliptical while holding my breathe. one minute in feeling decent then the next i'm barely holding it together.
dear bloglovin holy moly batman! i have 423 unread posts. woah. might actually have to click that mark all as read button for once. #sorrybutnotsorry

dear furminator you're amazing. you magically remove bags {yes. i said bags} of fur from kodi when at first it didn't even seem like she had that much fur to begin with. & it's fun! can't say kodi's having the time of her life but me? you bet!
dear heather girl, you are so thoughtful! thank you for sending me a sonic gift card. you know they say, nothing cures a cold better than a sonic milkshake ;)

dear photography school i'm so excited to begin you. in less than three weeks i will have gone to my first couple classes. going to school is such a joy to me. i love learning, especially when it's something i really enjoy. i can already feel the first day jitters. wondering what to wear? deciding if i should up front or closer to the back? & most importantly, if i'll make any new friends?

any plans this weekend?
as for us, we'll be visiting my mother-in-law at the hospital. probably helping my sister-in-law find furniture for her big move. & maybe a nap or two ;)

have a wonderful weekend!!!
xoxo
-L

lately {26} & resurfacing

lately i've been sick. like help-i'm-seeing-double-can't-breathe sick. after multiple doctor visits, a bottle of steroids, an inhaler & a few bottles of nyquil later, i've been able to move & finally resurface. but being sick definitely has its advantages.

like getting new phones - - -> 

there's actually a story behind this. M's never had a smart phone *gasp* yeah i know. weird. my phone basically runs my life from sunup to sundown. i guess he woke up that morning realizing it was time to man up & get a real phone. & because he can't do anything without thinking of me {& the fact that i was sick} he got me one too. thanks for the new life support hun. it's the shiz.






also getting new clothes - - -> 
i've never owned a peplum top before. now i own two. looks like i actually have hips. i can get used to this.


& lately there's also been lots of doggie snuggle time under the covers. as well as plenty of time to rest & watch trashy reality tv. though all of those things were great to receive due to my illness, probably the best thing about being sick was the outreach & encouragement i got from you guys. i couldn't believe the number of sweet emails & even letters in the MAIL from friends i've created over the internet. you all make me feel so special.

wanna be neighbors?

what have you been up to lately?