summer lovin'

I can't believe that August is already half over... my favorite time of the year is autumn, but summer has always had a special place in my heart because it's my birthday!!! This summer has been full and I've loved pretty much all of it!! It's been pretty rainy - it even hailed!! Like gigantic big hail! I've only ever seen hail a couple times and it was so cool!

We will be pretty busy for the rest of the year, so this summer has been perfect not going on any big trips, just taking it easy at home. This month's circle link up is a review of our summer, so here's mine.

This summer we:


- Celebrated the birth of my favorite human being. He was pretty excited that the leftover frosting on his plate looked like a seahorse.

- Went to the movies... a few times - we saw Jurrasic World, Spy, Mad Max: Fury Road, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant Man, and Trainwreck (we didn't look at the reviews of this one before we saw it, it had some funny parts, but had we looked up reviews and ratings, we wouldn't have seen it).

- Walked around downtown. Our capitol grounds are beautiful and it's such a lovely place for an afternoon/evening stroll - and we took advantage of this beauty a few times!!

-Helped my mother-in-love pack up and move :(

- Crafted! the wreath was inspired by one that I saw in a store, I wanted to buy it, but Derek suggested that I make it myself, so I did! It was fun and I love it!

- I made goals and worked out.

- Did lots of yard work, pulling weeds, cutting grass, and aerating the lawn.

- Did the recycling. When we lived in Georgia we had separate trashcan for recycling that was picked up with the trash, but it's different here, so we take it to the recycling bins and separate it all out.

- Went to doctor's appointments - they've been a long time coming, things I've put off because I don't like going to the doctor...but then who does really?

- Thrifted this dresser!! Back in Georgia I bought a beautiful dresser for only $25!! I was going to clean it up, paint it and give it new life... Three years later I finally got around to start working on it only to discover it was a mess and falling apart (like wood was disintegrating). I was going to have to basically buy a whole new dresser to rebuild it and I just wasn't up for that kind of a project so I began looking for another dresser that was a bit less work and I found this one! It's perfect and I can't wait to share the finished product!!

- Went on walks to the hardware store! We live pretty close to some shopping so a few times we walked over to get supplies for different projects.

- Cleaned and organized the garage... This was like 2 years late... We organized it when we first moved in, but since then we've had things thrown in there and it was terrible to try to park and move around in there.

- I went to an interview and got new silverware!

- Played in the rain.

- Went grocery shopping and got LITTLE MERMAID PAJAMAS!!!!

- I played me some cello and built a little shoe rack for the entryway.

- Went to the store and got super silly and took silly pictures and laughed too loud.

- Worked.

- Went to the fair! For quite a few years, the fair has come to town and it's always on a weekend that we are busy and can't go, well it happened again this year but thankfully we had just enough time to make it the last night it was in town. We even rode a ride... my favorite ever Gravitron!!

- Did face masks (and Derek tried to look as creepy/scary as he could) and colored in a big Disney Princess coloring book that my mister got me for my birthday!

- Went bowling! We have a tradition of picking ridiculous dumb silly weird names (it's like illegal to use your actual name or something, I heard, it's a law probably). Derek picked this time, I'd tell you, but they were so silly/dumb I can't even remember ...but usually they have a bunch of letters and look like this - ffffffffllllllllluuuuuuuuuuuyyyyyyyyyeeeeeerrrrrtttttttt - they are basically the best ever.

- Went to the farmer's market. We got the cutest basket to carry our finds in! We got a Nevada magnet (made by a local potter), some local honey, local blood orange olive oil (YUM!), pulled pork, and 3 nectarines (we ate 2 and only brought 1 home).

- Celebrated my birthday with a LITTLE MERMAID CAKE!!! (would you expect anything else?)

- Airbrushed with markers! How cool is that!? Derek got me this awesome little pump airbrush! You can even use fabric markers and make shirts!

- Enrolled in a pottery class where we learned how to throw clay on the wheel! I took a pottery class in high school, but it was all hand building. This class was so much fun!!! It's 4 weeks and we can go in during open studio to play around more! I can't wait to show you what we made!!

- I got tattoos (or as Derek loves to call them tuh-tooos)! I have been thinking and dreaming of these for a while and they became a reality this past weekend! I love them so much!! The verse on my foot is my favorite verse as well as the first verse that I ever memorized in 2nd grade. It's been a resting place for my whole life. Also it is in my own handwriting, how cool is that!!?? The anchor is for Derek and a few others in my life who are my anchors, who keep me from floating away when times get tough and when I seem to forget everything else I've ever learned. But it also stands for Hebrews 6:19. (this was taken the night I got them, so they are a bit swollen still, also say hello to my strawberry mole on my arm underneath the anchor).

How has your summer been? What have you been up to? Do you have any tattoos?

Hi, it's me!

This month's topic for the circle link up is blogger introductions, so with no further ado...

Hi! I'm Aubrey and here are some things you probably don't care to know about me.

When I open the fridge, I always hope I find... something good... it changes, but a few things high on the list would be; macaroni and cheese, pizza, and really delicious cheesecake (let's just assume that if these things were found that they would magically have no calories/fat/sugar and would in turn actually be very healthy for me).

My favorite article of clothing is... pajamas all day son! NAPS (I don't have these, but by golly I wish I did) seriously though, pajamas are one of my favorite things about life!

Last week I was really upset when... I don't usually get really upset, so I can't think of anything off hand, but if I did, it was most likely at myself.

One thing nobody understands about me is... uhhhh... I'm not that complex, but probably half the time people don't understand what I'm saying because I can never really get the words out right...

One thing I don't understand is... politics. And a ton of other things.

The world would be a better place if... people would just calm down a little and not get so worked up over stupid things.

If I had a million dollars I'd... help my family pay off their debt, I'd save for our future kids' college, put some away for a house, and invest/save whatever is left.

If I could change one thing about myself, it would be... that I would have a higher metabolism and the ability to make everyone laugh

Something that can always make me happy is... puppies, kittens, and basically all furry animals.

Something I'll never blog about is... politics (or anything else controversial) and relationship issues.

If I could go anywhere I would go... to Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Russia, Antarctica, and all of the other countries

If I were an animal I would be a.... dog because they are always happy and they can have food on their face and still be cute.

A job I've always wanted is.. to be a mom.

My idea of a perfect day is... waking up without an alarm, get a good workout, have a yum breakfast prepared for me, do some crafts with my favorites, get our nails done, have a delish lunch, go to a few stores with my favorites, then go to the movies, then have dinner and a super yum dessert, come home and get a massage and fall asleep.

If I knew I'd die next week, this week I'd... pick a question that isn't so deep. Jeez. Um I'd spend the week with people I love and probably write letters for people to read after I died. Also I'd eat ALL OF THE FOOD.

On a regular basis, you could open the camera roll on my phone and find pictures like this:

and this:

but then there are also these ones....

That's just how I do it. 

I'm really not good at writing/talking about myself... so if the above isn't enough, you can read these blog posts that give you a different little look into me.

Getting to know you

What's in my bag

28 things I learned in 28 years

So what, who cares

Things I like

Things that make me weird

Never have I ever

Reverse bucket list

About me

What's up Wednesday

This is from one of our trips out driving through the historic west side of town... one of my FAVORITE spots! There is so much beauty at every driveway like the one above.

Maybe it's just me, but today feels like a Monday.... Thankfully though, we are already half way through this week!

Here is what's going on around here!

What we're drinking this week:

I got this super cute drink jar to put water and fruit mixes in to add flavor to the water! I haven't tried too many mixes yet, but so far my favorite has been blackberries and strawberries!! I have seen some other mixes like, cucumber, lemon, and orange! YUM! I can't wait to try more!

What I'm reminiscing about:

The sweetest little boog I know! My precious little pup turned 9 years old this week!! We got her when she was about 6 months old and we have been through so much together! I know she is a dog, but she is my sweet Hubble! So happiest birthday to one of the sweetest things to grace my life. You have taught me patience, love, humility. You have been there for me through the hardest of times and through the best of times, you have let me cry on your shoulder, hug you tight, kiss your cute little ears, dance with you around the house! You don't laugh at my singing, and you are always overjoyed when I get home. You are one of my favorite things in this life and I am eternally grateful for everything you are!! I only pray that you know how deeply, greatly, and wholly you are cherished and loved!! Thank you for being my sweet little bear!

What I'm loving:

Here in the valley it is quite windy and I often complain as it blows my hair all around knotting it up and making it impossible (and hurt terribly) to comb through, but there is a silver lining to this windy wind, and that is being able to watch the trees blow in the wind and the sound it makes. It's very therapeutic! So while I don't love the wind so much, I super love watching it and listening to it.

What we've been up to:

Driving around the historic west side of town. It's my favorite part of town and it's just full of streets (and yards) lined with tall trees, white picket fences, and beautiful houses! I love the way the sun was peeking through the trees in this yard, and the cute little kid's bike, and the bit of wrap around porch you can see. It's easy to fall in love with the neighborhoods down there. The first picture at the beginning of this post is another font yard from our exploring.

What I'm dreading:

Making doctor's appointments. I have a little list of things I need to make appointments for, but I'm really not looking forward to making any of them. I'm not a huge fan of going to the doctor. Why can't my mom do this for me and then I have to go, because mom said so....

What I'm working on:

Getting the yard and garage cleaned up. I spent the day weeding yesterday and I'm super sore and sunburned... I seem to always forget sunscreen... or maybe I just think I won't need it? But I need to start making it a conscious thought to use it! 

What I'm excited about:

For some summer craft projects I have. I have picture frames I need to spray paint, I have a little drawer stand that I'm going to sand and paint, and a dresser that I need to sand, and re-build parts of, and then paint. 

What I'm watching:

-Pretty Little Liars - Y'all I can't stop watching... I need to know everything!

-Ink Master - I don't know how I found this, I think it just popped up on Hulu, but we are really enjoying the series, it's so interesting to see all the tattoos and the artistry in them!

-The Last Man on Earth - Mr. Miller... This show is really funny, and if I can quote Derek (although he may deny saying this) "It's basically the best show on ever made!" 

What I'm listening to:

I have a playlist that is set to random and it goes on anytime I go in the car, shower, chores, or out for a walk, but a couple of my favorites as of late are these three:

-Bride & Groom - this adorable singer/songwriter/folk couple are quite the duo! Kaitlyn plays the cello and Jesse is on guitar and the combination of their playing and their voices is just magic! They have a new album coming out soon! (or if you were a pledger you might already have their new album) You can learn more about them here. (a couple favorite songs are Blackbird in a Cage and Born to Roam (number 1 & 3), On the Run (number 1)
Oliver Dragojević - His beautiful raspy voice mixed with Stjepan Hauser's cello makes this album one of the most dreamy! A few of my favorites from this album are Pismo Moja, Brod u Boci, & Galeb i Ja
2CELLOS - of course this is on my list... these guys are genius! The arrangements they come up with are so perfect! And they are making music videos for all of their songs on their most recent album! Here are some of my favorites - They Don't Care about Us, Mombasa, The Trooper, and basically everything else they do!



What I'm wearing:

This second I'm wearing pajamas (thanks to my sunburn), but I got these super flowy pants from Walmart that I have been LOVING! They are so soft and comfortable!! And of course It's summer so I'm living in sandals!!



What I'm doing this weekend:

We might tackle some yard work, and I hope to get started on some of my summer projects (or perhaps finish some that I started earlier this year and never finished)!



What I'm looking forward to next month:

The 4th of July! We are going to cook out and shoot of some fireworks that Derek got for his birthday... I probably couldn't begin to tell you how excited he is about them! And also I'm super excited to dig into fitness! I am doing the Fit Girl Challenge with a friend and I'm so excited to get started!

I'm linking up with Mel & Shay

Reverse Bucket List

oh my goodness I can't tell you how excited I am to be co-hosting the Circle Linkup this month with Kiki!! Do you know Kiki? She is beautiful and funny and kind and encouraging and uplifting! I found her through a link up last year when I started my blog and I was just drawn to her! She just has a way with her writing that is so comfortable, like you are chatting with a close girlfriend! We quickly became friends & pen pals where we discovered that we are basically twins and have been chatting ever since! So thank you for having me as your co-host this month (and as your friend!) Kiki!

The topic this month is reverse bucket list - where you can share about things you've already crossed off of your bucket list (or as I call it my Tuesday list) you can share list of things you've crossed off your bucket list, or you can pick a few to highlight and share about!

So here is my list in no particular order!


-visited the arctic circle

-visit the pacific northwest

-driven a humvee - like a real military one yo! My dad let me drive his!

-visited the leaning tower of pissa

-walked the Sentiero Azzuro (Azure Trail) that connects the five villages of Cinque Terre

-helped build a playground for children in the Czech Republic

-ridden a train (this was not on my Tuesday list, but I count it an accomplishment since I'm super terrified of them)

-visited Disney Land Paris

-graduate college

-toured through the Neuschwanstein Castle

-saw what is believed (by some) to be Dracula's grave

-swam in the Mediterranean Sea

-snowboarded in the Alps

-hiked in the Alps

-white water rafted in Ötztaler Ache

-went vacation with just me and my best friend

-went to a few Christmas markets in Germany

-gone on a cruise (I've always been afraid of them because Titanic)

-learned how to play an instrument that I've always wanted to play

-own my own business

-laugh until I sound like a robot and end up losing my voice (seriously.. this happened last weekend... two different noises were coming out of my mouth at the same time and it sounded like a robot... which made me laugh even more, my stomach hurt and I lost my voice as a result! It was AMAZING)

and here is one that I am working on
-learn another language

Do you have a bucket list? Have you named it something else like I have? What have you crossed off of your list? I'd love to read about what you've done! If you want to share, add your link below!!


What's on your reverse bucket list??

currently

Wearing | my hair in a bun or a high ponytail! I have been loving having my hair longer! I've been growing it out.. although I just found some pictures of me with short hair and I'm considering cutting it... shh!

Sipping | water, ice cold water! I am terrible at getting enough water during the day, but lately I feel like I can't get enough! I tried cucumber water  (just putting slices of cucumber in water) for the first time this week and I super loved it! I can't wait to try it again!

Wishlisting | this, this, this, and this

Writing | lists. I live on lists! If you browsed through the notes on my iPhone, you would see lists, lists, and more lists!

Exploring | information on Parkinson's Disease. My grandmother was just recently diagnosed with this and short term memory loss and it's new territory. I want to learn about it and be educated in how to help her.

Linking up with Anne and Jenna!

currently

Hearting | my cello! Y'all I'm telling you, I can't get enough of this beauty of an instrument! I know I just gushed about it yesterday, but I can't tell you how beautiful it is! I love it! I am also hearting some new friends I made! These girls are so fun and genuine and best of all they accept me for who I am!

Reading | I have been reading educational books to learn about classical music and the different eras and instruments of those times. It's been pretty interesting! Aside from that, I have Mindy Kaling's book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? that I need to start.

Pinning | everything? :) I looked at my most recent pins and it is just a smorgasbord of pins, from all things Doctor Who, to recipes, to work outs, to DIYs, and house design plans... Pinterest is a great place to get lost, so I try to not go on as often as I might want just so that I don't lose all productivity ;)

Eating | sunflower seeds. When my mother in love was living with us she always had them and we got hooked!

Anticipating | our anniversary trip in March! This is our 6 year wedding anniversary and 10 years of being together! So we planned a big trip to Vegas... and... We are going to see my favorite band LIVE! I'm so excited!! I've told you guys about 2CELLOS before! I can't wait to rock out with them!

I am linking up with Anne and Jenna.

What are you up to?

Currently

Planning | blog posts and my weeks - I have a lot of work to catch up on with Etsy, GAP, and at home! So I am planning out time for all the different projects and work that need to be done.

Hoping | that I can get this mess with my eye figured out.... The other day I had this weird spot in the center of my vision, that was dark and everything was blurry in it. I went to the eye doctor and they said that it looks like I have a pocket of fluid on the back of my retina. So they are sending me to a retina specialist.

Baking | nothing. I got stuff to make pumpkin pie bars, but Derek is out of town, and I don't want to make them until he can take the rest to work! If they stay here, then they will just call my name all day and I can't be having that!

Wearing | Pajamas. Y'all, I could live in pajamas! I always tell Derek that pajamas are my love language! I think it's one of my favorite things about being a human... that we can wear pajamas!

Resolving | to practice the cello for a minimum of an hour a day and at least 5 days a week. I have dreamed of playing the cello since I was a kid, and I am so excited that I am finally doing it... although I wouldn't lie if I didn't say I'm kicking myself for not starting sooner! I could have been playing all these years!

I am linking up with Anne and Jenna.

What are you up to?

how to summer to do list

SUMMER IS HERE!

My friend Lauren is hosting a little summer bucket list link up over on her blog. So I jumped at the chance to make a list (something I love doing) and make some summer memories!

Here is my summer bucket list so far

you can find your own how to summer list here. I cropped mine for the picture.

What are your plans for the summer, I plan to add some things to my list later on!

I linked up with Lauren over at Bound by Love! If you want to join in head over to her blog to link up with her!!