a good day is any day that you're alive





 

 

Yesterday was my birthday.

To me, birthdays are a great reminder of things to be thankful for, and luckily for me, my birthday always falls around (and sometimes on) Thanksgiving.

 

Yesterday was also (dun dun duuuuuun):

Heath and my one year anniversary! He asked me to be his girlfriend on November 25, 2011. Yay for multiple celebrations!

 

::Sorry for my poorly written photo comment on Instagram that put some of you in a frenzy. My bad. There aren't going to be any Ringlets running around any time soon, I hope.

 

We decided to do it up right last night by cooking new and different things. I used our new Kitchenaid stand mixer we got from my mother and made a delicious strawberry cake with strawberry icing...ahem...from scratch. Shout out M-Stew for the recipe.

 

I baked it in the afternoon and listened to Babel by Mumford and Sons on repeat while Heath took a Sunday nap. This may have been one of the greatest birthday presents I could have gotten. Baking is something I just love to do. By the way, can I just say how much the song "I Will Wait" has stolen my heart? Because it has. I am now heartless. It's fine...

 

 

Isn't she pretty?

 

Since this was a MAJOR celebration, Heath and I forwent our usual chicken we cook on the weekends and got a little crazy: we got a couple ribeyes from the grocery store, and that's all she wrote. I had never cooked steak before but last night I became a friggin' champ. I cooked them on the stove and then in the oven in a cast iron skillet (my dad would be so proud). Then...THEN...I got extra crazy and jazzed those sons of guns up with a little Pioneer Woman. Yes, you heard me. PIONEER WOMAN, I LOVE YOU. I made her legendary Onion-Blue Cheese Sauce that put both Heath and me in the most lovely of food comas. If you're feeling adventurous and not caring about your diet for the night (clearly this was a lost cause), do yourself a solid and try it. I'm having leftovers tonight, and I'm not ashamed.

 

Once the steaks were done, Heath and I went to the living room for a quiet, lovely dinner celebration. We talked about what we were thankful for, how crazy it is that we have been together for one whole year, and what a lovely year it has been. To me, this was the best kind of Thanksgiving meal I could have asked for.

 

Here are a few iPhone photos from the night. 

 

The Hunk being the cutest...because he just can't help it.



holy smokes. be still my heart.  

 

one year of loving Heath Ring is one year well spent.

 

 

 

 

 

Later we sat side by side and shared a massive piece of cake. And then I did not share a massive amount of insulin.

 

 

 

 

At church yesterday, the sermon was on thankfulness and being content with what one has. I feel like I am constantly being challenged in this area. Sometimes I fail but when the victories over myself rise, they are just too sweet. The pastor referred to the old hymn "Count Your Blessings," and it was hard to not have this stuck in my head the rest of the day. "count your blessings, name them one by one. count your blessings, see what God hath done."

My challenge to myself these past few months have been to live a life of thanksgiving, not just this particular time in my life. I want my life to be one that honors the blessings I have received because they are not ones I have earned. I wanted to throw out some of the things I am thankful for (in no particular order):

10. My house.

As much as it can be a pain in the rear because The Pearl is SO OLD, I just love my little house and all its charm. I'm thankful for a lived-in home, one that Heath and I are slowly but surely making our own. My school threw us a wedding shower and since we didn't register for anything (because we definitely don't need "things"), we asked if maybe they could throw us Home Depot/Lowes giftcard shower and those ladies and gents DID NOT disappoint. Yay Project Pearl!

09. My jobs.

Man...getting to invest in some pretty fly kids every day is not for the faint of heart, but boy, do I love it! My kids rock my world and are constantly teaching me new things every day. Things about life, things about myself. I can't imagine doing anything else for a while. I love my job so much, in spite of the paperwork :) I am also grateful to work at a gym that gives me an opportunity to lead other's in their road to physical health. Shout out to athletic gear! Also, I love being a photographer and getting to work on the side. What a treat it is to still do this and being able to enjoy my clients so much.

08. My family

The Simwells are the glue that holds me together at times. They are some of the most incredible humans of all time. My family is a force to be reckoned with: we love with a selfless love that seems unbelievable at times. We have endured a lot together, and seeing where we are now, it is just so humbling that I got so lucky to spend many of my best and worst memories with them and be loved. Always. No matter what.

07. Elliot and Eden

Yes, my nephew and niece get their own number. When Elliot arrived, I remember looking down at his tiny face, into those big black eyes and thinking, "how in the world is it possible to love someone this much?" He made me believe in love at first sight. He made me feel grateful that a piece of my dad was being born into this world: the same blood that ran through Elliot and my veins, also ran through his. And now, there will be another one. My heart won't be able to stand it, I fear.

06. The Rings and The Smiths

Heath's family has opened their arms to me from the beginning, and I am so grateful to have such wonderful in-laws. Seeing both his mother and dad on Thanksgiving was such a treat. We are so blessed.

 

05. My mother

Talk about someone who fights for those she loves. I cannot ask for a better example to follow than my mother. She has always been one of my closest friends and the person I could always talk to. Her prayer and guidance and discernment is how I am where I am today. I cannot imagine any other person raising me. I love her more now than I ever have. After losing my dad, I realized she is the closest thing to him that I will ever have, which makes me see so much of him in her. It is weird, I know.

 

04. My friends

I have been blessed with some really lovely creatures that I am honored to be able to call my friends. One of my favorite sayings is "Friends are the family you choose." I just love that because it is so true. I have kept some and lost some, but the ones I have lost have taught me almost as much as the ones who have remained constant and true.

 

03. My spiritual walk

Speaking of constant things, I cannot fathom my life without my walk in Christ. Talk about a faithful friend. The one that encourages you but isn't afraid to put you right in your place. I am nothing without Him. Daily I am challenged and reminded of this fact. There really aren't words to do it justice. So I won't do it the disservice.

 

02. Musicians

Music is a way for me to get inspired and be creative. I am always so grateful for any and all inspiration. Plus, music is a way for me to feel things deeper than words can express. It gets me motivated when I don't want to and relaxed when I do. It also is a way I reach my kiddos at school, which is huge for a nerdy English teacher :)

 

01. The Hunk

My darling. My best friend. My partner. The one who will always make sure I get the good fluffy towels for my shower before he does. The man who gets up with me when my blood sugar crashes and fixes me peanut butter and honey toast while in his boxers and with bed head, no questions asked. My love who wakes me up when he hears my breathing change because he knows I'm having a nightmare, so he does what he can to stop it. That precious fella who when I chuckled nervously while standing in front of the jacuzzi tub at our honeymoon, freaking out enternally about dropping my towel, gave me the biggest smile and put his hands over his eyes and said, "I won't look until you tell me to." The man whose voice singing songs at church is my most favorite singing voice in the world. Yes, that one. I guess you could say I'm thankful for him.

 

 

xoxo,

lady

on turning water into wine

Forgive me if the next few (or way more than a few) posts are about my wedding or moments during or after. This feeling is all too new and exciting. Once we get photos from our photographer in the next month or so (btw. She is Heather Canterbury and is the CAT'S PAJAMAS!) it will be on...so please brace yourself, my loves.

I have a post that I wrote the night before my wedding, but I am saving it for tomorrow or the next day, I think.

My first post about the wedding involves my father, who as most of you know died 5 years ago today. It may sound strange to you for me to talk about a wedding post that involves my deceased dad, but trust me, he was there.

The Lord's first miracle was keeping a wedding party going by turning water into wine. This could have been a very frightful thing for the bride and groom (or let's be honest, the bride's mother). By this time, they probably hadn't been married but minutes or a couple hours max and BAM: everything suddenly wasn't all roses and rainbows. They faced a (small) problem right off the bat. The Lord then provided them with what they needed, which was his very first miracle.

The wedding planning was such a fun thing for me and my mother. She rocked it out with her creativity and thriftiness. I have witnessed so many weddings through being a photographer. I had a pretty good thought process on the do's and don'ts, the things that I have seen that worked, the things that hadn't. I tried to trouble shoot as much as I could. I wanted our day to be full of joy, but there always seemed to be something amiss, no matter how much we checked things off lists. As much as I wanted to fight it, I knew it was the fact that my daddy wasn't going to be with me. In a way, I was moving on to next big thing in my life. Though these types of moments are filled with so much rejoicing, there is always a piece that is missing in our puzzle. Him.

October was his favorite month. It is the month that held his birthday, but it is also the month that held his death. It is a bittersweet month for my family because we know this was his favorite time of year, but October 30th always hangs on at the end like whale with its mouth wide open ready to devour the happiness leading up to it.

When Heath and I got engaged in September, we knew we didn't want to wait very long but we wanted to have enough time to plan a small family-based wedding. We both chose October because we really wanted to have a Fall wedding because Summer weddings in Arkansas are too hot.

October 27th: I feel as though I had a small miracle of my own this past Saturday; though by many, it could have been viewed as a problem. But as the Lord does, he turned my water into the sweetest wine.

It happened right before I was walking down the aisle. I dreaded walking down the aisle by myself. It wasn't like I didn't have anyone who could have done it. I had originally asked my mother if she could because she is the closest thing I have to my dad. She told me she didn't think she could do it emotionally, and the more I thought of it, I didn't want to rob her of getting to see her oldest daughter walk down the aisle. So, I resolved with walking myself, and the more I let the fact resonate, the more encouraged I felt about it. I am a 27 year-old woman who has lived independently for 5 years. I wasn't a 20-year-old who still lived at home to where it would be customary for the father to "give away." Even if my dad had been with me physically on Saturday, he wouldn't have been "giving me away" to Heath. I was willingly giving myself to Heath, all on my own.

Feeling empowered, I waited behind the door after my bridesmaids left down the aisle and was standing on the stoop of the church alone with Heather, our photographer. Before I could catch myself, I said, "Hey, could you get a picture of my bouquet, please? I have a picture of my dad in it, and he died 5 years ago." Once the words left my mouth, I felt this huge lump form in my throat, and I thought that I was going breakdown and then there would be no bride walking down the aisle and everyone would think I had ran away and was rejecting Heath and so on and so forth... (crazy how the mind just takes off before you can catch it).

The bridesmaids song was getting to a close and I knew I had to suck it up because there was the most beautiful man waiting for me to come to him. I took a deep breath and then all of a sudden, the song was over. The song that I was walking down the aisle to (Saeglopur by Sigur Ros) was supposed to be starting. My brother Callahan was in charge of the music that day. I had given him 3 cds, all numbered with directions. #1 was supposed to be music playing while the guests were arriving, #2 had 2 songs: the song that the bridesmaids walked down to and mine, both cut and faded, all he had to do was push play, and then #3 was the song we were walking down the aisle to once we were pronounced. As I nervously waited behind the door, waiting for the piano/ xylophoney music, it never came. All of a sudden the previous song came on, then it abruptly stopped. I heard a slight shuffle and whispers and thought how strange it was. Then I heard it start and stop again and then I got a bit concerned. The left door of the church was open and is the door I entered, slowly I put my hand out in the open giving the number 2, and I heard the giggles. After Andrew saved the day and Saeglopur started up, I had the biggest smile on my face. You had to know my dad to know what a big prankster he was. I find no surprise that the music mysteriously messed up when it was a pretty cut and dry thing. When it was supposed to have started, I was on the brink of getting upset. By the time it actually did start, I found myself giggling and feeling like this was the most perfect way to enter my wedding. Quite fitting. As soon as I entered through that left door, all I saw was my Heath standing at the end with the best looking smile I have ever seen from him. When I got to him, he gave me a big hug because he knew that it really was a big moment for me, walking alone.

But as I said before, I was not alone.
Not at all.

photo of my dad when he and my mom were dating, which is what he looked like when they got married later that year.

 

 

xoxo,

lady

you don't have a clue

...who you impact.

i just received an email notifying me of a facebook message that was sent. i looked down and saw the name from the sender. nothing really rang a bell at first glance. then, when i opened my facebook, i read it and was brought to tears. you know: those big, crocodile ones that seem to well faster than "normal ones." it was from a student at my school who had found me on facebook. she isn't one of my students, but last week, she had been placed in my room for the Algebra End of Course exam (EOC). this is what she had to say:

Dear Miss Simmons,
I know that you don't have me, and that you probably don't have any clue who I am, but I just wanted to let you know that I was in your class for the EOC and I think you're pretty amazing. You make me just want to go outside and stop time. Prove the impossible. Even just when I pass you in the hallways, it's enough for me to want to belt it out to the world. So, yeah. That's about all I wanted to say. And that I think you're an awesome teacher as well. Many of my friends have and love you. Thank you for making such a difference in their lives and in the school overall.
Sincerely,
R.B.

i didn't have a clue.

xoxo,

lady

a montage

hello, my darling readers.
have you had a good weekend?
i do hope so.
i had a great weekend. nay, the best weekend.

the past two and a half days have been filled with two of my favorite people on God's green earth: my sister and my nephew. jade and elliot scooted in Bryant(6 baby chicks in tow)on friday evening and left sunday afternoon. before their arrival, my friend aaron stopped by for a couple of hours to lust at bedford camera and video, grab a bite, and return to my apartment to listen to vinyls.

isn't it divine to be surrounded by some of your favorite people in your very own abode? once jade and elliot showed up, aaron and i got our cameras out and went to town with elliot. babies are some of the cutest and most frustrating things to shoot, but i am super partial to this one. :)

bless his heart. he wasn't here 10 minutes and the paparazzi had already shown up.

saturday morning was wonderful. we got E up, bathed, and i made egg sandwiches for breakfast. i also learned that elliot has an affinity for the strokes's new album. he went nuts when i put them on, giggling and wiggling and such. stinkin' cutie, i tell ya. as we got ready, i whipped up another pie for later (is there a clinic i can check into. no really...pie bakers anonymous? what.is.my.deal?) we headed out to thrift in the benton area: habitat restore and then the benton goodwill, also known as my mecca. jade and i bought them out of their cute vintage pillow cases; we bought them for the fabric. one of my favorite moments was when we checked out. our cashier had a heavy southern accent and made a comment on almost every thing jade and i bought. jadey and i snagged some amazing deals. as jade was paying i looked to her and said, "that is insane" (about how little our totals were) our cashier: "honey, we're all insane here, and we'll teach you FOR FREE." gosh, i love people who are quick with wit.

we headed in to little rock to do more thrifting and enjoy guacamole and cheese dip at Las Palmas for lunch. we got the same server i have had every single time i've been there. i kind of think he may have worked at chick-fil-a before scoring this gig because every time we thanked him, he said in a rich Antonio Banderas sort of way, "muh playzure." Best Friend met up with us at park plaza mall for about an hour; it was high time she met my sister and nephew. needless to say, it was a hit. i love it when the people you love hit it off. i had no doubt. she headed off to a wedding, and we headed off to my apt. after going back to my apartment and napping, we went back to little rock to the Union so jadey could try THE DONUT BURGER. now, if you have yet to try this magnificent creation, i would urge you to. i have tried it once and that was enough for me. this is a bacon cheese burger with grilled onions and instead of a bun, they have grilled a krispy kreme donut. it is a once in a lifetime thing (at least for this diabetic). there is really nothing like it; those of you who enjoy a good montecristo sandwich should most assuredly try out this bad boy; it is a great blend of salty and sweet. anyway, jadey gave it two thumbs up. she's a champ.

early sunday afternoon, we took boo's easter photos. living on a golf course has its perks: beautiful scenery. it was quite bright, so we took boo out by the lake under a shade tree. he was kind of hit with all of the country clubbers whizzing by in their golf carts. the ladies would giggle and look over their shoulders at us, and we had one guy come to a screeching stop and in his best Walter Cronkite impersonation say, "i'll give ya a dollar for that little boy." oh gracious. anyway, i looked through them and here are just a few of my favorites so far.

gosh, it'll be all over when he learns the name "Aunt Josie"

also, this weekend, i received a lil' package in the mail from the ever-lovely Angie Ford. fun story: angie knew me back when i was a wee girl in kindergarten. :) she is unique soul from memphis who is a dabbler, like me. she creates photographs, loves recipes, and makes super cute jewelry. i saw these wonderful earrings she made from leather and pearl. i commented on how they'd be great in my collection, you know, a fun way to compliment. AND SHE SENDS THEM TO ME IN THE MAIL! ahhh...an overload of three of my favorite things ever: handmade jewelry, snail mail, and acts of kindness. (lucky for her, i, too, like to create things, and now that i have her address, i shall be sending her some goodies soon :)

word on the street is she is in the works of creating an etsy account. when she does, i'll be sure to let you lovelies know. i am in love with these lil' darlings and am so excited to have them as a staple in my collection. thank you so much, angie!

well, my sweets. i am kind of exhausted just typing all of this out. i am sure you are just from reading it. i wish you all a happy monday and sweet dreams

xoxo,

lady

brodeo

yep.
i had one tonight.
so very good.

two of my favorite men folk graced apt 501 tonight, and boy, did we have a grand evening. clint and jacob have been friends of mine since high school, and this year is the first year we have all lived in the same area since high school. we took advantage of the situation this evening, now that our schedules have somewhat died down and enjoyed dinner together. i cooked pistachio-crusted chicken, mashed potatoes, and lemon garlic broccoli, and then we had chocolate chip pie for dessert. ladies, if you have never had your man friends(men friends?) over to your place for dinner, i'd highly recommend it.
a few reasons being:

• not having to worry about looking cute. tonight i wore some grey skinnies, and a raggy old smashing pumpkins tee. when they got here, my hair was still wet from having hopped out of the shower 10 minutes before. low maintenance dinner? yes, please.
• being among people who eat with no regrets. generally, men will eat your food without stating every 5 seconds how bad this is for his diet, how he is going to regret it, or verbalizing how much of a pig he feels he is for eating so much. tonight it was all, "jordan, you're the best!" "let me know anytime you want to have us over again." "oh my gosh, this is so good." etc. girls, you want a nice ego booster? invite boys over for dinner.
• for further studying the male species. while the boys were talking at the table, i washed the dishes (before you think that they were jerks who didn't offer to help, they most certainly did. i just shoo'ed them off because it is just easier for me to do it myself. plus, when guests come to your place, don't let them work. that's why they are your guests. ha) as they spoke, i listened to their conversation and giggled to myself because the differences between men and women astound me sometime. it was nice to hear of their joys and struggles. just their life. another reminder of how rich it is just to be removed from some things and just listen.

one of the things i was most excited about was making a pie that my father used to often make. a couple of christmases ago, my mother gave all of us kiddos framed recipes my daddy had handwritten. most of them were the same: chocolate chip pie. i don't know if he kept misplacing the original or what, but it is really cute to see the quirks he had. this was just one. i keep my favorite winky faced photo of him in my kitchen, since that was one of his favorite places. so...with the wink close by...i took care of business as best i could with making a chocolate chip pie for this evening.

...and let's just say...it was a hit.

hope your weekend was playful and full of loved ones.

xoxo,

lady

be your favorite date.

Yes, I realize it seems a bit ludicrous to say that, but seriously...do yourself a favor and try it out, whether you are single or not.

This evening I went to Robinson Center in hopes of winning the Wicked lottery and scoring 2 orchestra tickets for $25 each. The rules were: you had to sign up 2.5 hours before the show, must have photo i.d., and must pay in cash; also, you could only buy up to 2 tickets. So, I set off to sign up in hopes of snagging tickets for my best friend, Laura, and me. I waited around with a book in hand until the names were drawn. I didn't win; however, after they had called the last name, the lady in charge informed us that there were some orchestra seats still available and seeing as we came out so early for the lottery, we could buy them for $40 a piece but must be with cash. Seeing as I only had $50, I knew that I couldn't score tickets for both Laur and me, but I wanted to see if I could get one and have my chance to see the show. I stayed in line for what seemed like an hour and finally got up to the counter. People had been dropping like flies because we were informed that many of the tickets they had left were not together. "How many?" the sweet lady asked. "Ummm...one, please" came my reply. "Just one??" she inquired with a quizzical stare. "Yes ma'am." I smiled back to her.

Wow. A date with myself. Just me.
While this would probably unnerve many, it made me chuckle because I realized that I was going to have this special night...with me.

I walked down the sidewalk in search of food and found the sushi bar, Wasabi, nearby. So I walked inside to a "seat yourself" sign. So, I did, and my server approached with two menus. "Waiting for someone?" he asked. "No, sir. It is just me." came my reply. Then there came the pity stare, "Oh, ok." he said. After ordering and taking off my coat, sitting there, I realized that I was the only person who was alone. I smiled, and whipped out my latest novel from my satchel and read until my food came. I savored it all and ate my lot. Sitting there, I pulled out my compact and retouched my makeup, packed up my bag, and headed back out into the cold. I walked the couple blocks to Robinson and entered. I found my seat which was completely secluded because there was an empty space beside it for those who require a wheelchair. I could not have been more alone, and I loved it. I sat through that fantastic performance and just soaked it in. It was such a fun night, and while it would seem that it would be horrible not to share it with someone, I really had a great time...with myself.

So, my challenge to you: take yourself on a date.

You have little to no worries of:

1. rejection :)
2. who is going to pay
3. if your outfit is too dressy/not dressy enough
4. whether or not your breath is kicking too much for a goodnight kiss
5. the possibility of another date

Seriously, give yourself a chance. You may surprise yourself because who are you more comfortable with than you?

Have fun.
Love,
lady