an early birthday present.

 

the other day i was cleaning the house when i accidentally discovered luke's birthday present to me...

two vinyls from the band the xx, one of my favorites. they had a new album come out just BARELY...and i've always wanted the old album on vinyl.

needless to say he knows me well.

i was sad to have to text him, "hey...i may or may not have found my birthday present" & even though he was a little sad the element of suspense is gone, we have not been upset about being able to jam these albums over the past few days.

thanks so much luke!!! you really are the raddest boyfriend in the history of boyfriends. i think i'll keep you around. 

les artistes dans ma petit maison.

the other day my friend aimee was over. i worked with her at starbucks & she is one my favorite coworkers from working there. she asked me where all the art in my house is from... at first i was kind of shocked. my house is over 100 years old, the carpet is over 40 years old, nothing is updated, & there are holes in all of the walls. needless to say i've spent a LOT of time covering up wall space, but i've always thought my house was kind of...bachelor pad.

but since she asked, it seems like everyone who has come over has said something like, "wow that art is really cool!" or "where did you get this?" sooo here ya go, all. a lot of them aren't really "art" but mroe "covering up that huge hole in the wall." so enjoy!

luke's best friend amy painted this for his birthday. the pic is small, but this bad boy is HUGE. like takes up the whole wall, huge.

one of my dear friends annie let me buy this piece off her. it's simple and yet soooo not at the same time. this might be my favorite painting in my whole house.

PS she will paint you anything. if you have an idea of something, let me know & i will give you her contact info. she is brilliant.

to cover up the gross blinds in my living room, i painted clothespins and hung up the various polaroids i've acquired over the years. my personal favorite is the one of my sister casie & i on santa's lap..it's hilarious.

the toms flag is just until i can afford another frame for my vinyl covers (they're so expensive?!) the pic on the top right is a beatles montage my friend kendra got me in mexico in 2008. the other frames are 2 vinyl record covers that i want to keep in good condition, & also look awesome on the wall: pink floyd's "dark side of the moon" and the beatles "sgt peppers lonely hearts club band."

these 2 prints are the newest addition to my casa.. we are still looking for frames for them. we found them while wandering the utah arts festival this summer.. the artist is kendra baird & her work is found here.

so there you go. i'm definitely still working on my bedroom...it's the most bachelor pad room in the house. broken windows, blankets used as curtains, a towel hanging to stop the AC from leaking...it's a mess, guys. someday, though. someday...

the weekenders

though the weekend is more my "week days" than anything, i still manage to find some time to kick back, relax, & enjoy the lovely summer we've been having.
the past 2 weeks i've worked 7 days a week, with 3 of those days being "doubles" (cafe 8 am to 3:30 pm, starbucks 5-9:30 pm). needless to say yesterday's day off was MUCH needed. and this week my doubles are cut back to only once a week, so hopefully y'all will see more of me.
in the meantime, here's what i've been doing with life in ogden:

facetime with matthew & grace.

they were telling me all about their mom's spider bite, the pond by their apartment, and their new friends. they seem to love texas!

closing shifts at starbucks aren't so bad. working at the top of a hill = i get to see hands down some of the best of utah's sunsets. love!

ally & i made homemade pizza & had a "pizza & wine" night out on our patio. i love my yard.

of course, a bit of thrifting...cuz what else do i do with my spending money? bought this bad boy on vinyl for 6 dollars, & just yesterday morning found a billy joel record for 50 cents at savers. sometimes this is a cheap hobby...sometimes. ;)