Lots of things to Love

As I stated last week, there’s a lot of things in my life that I’m loving, and I most likely sound like one of those overwhelmingly happy-all-the-time people who are just having the perfect life. Please know that my life is no where near perfect, and there are lots of things I could complain about, I just choose not to right now. If I did choose to complain, I feel that I may go down a path of depression and really… that’s just not a good place to be. So, it’s Wednesday, and I’m linking up with Jamie over at this kind of love!

I’m loving …

… that the hubs let me sleep in a little today and took Lilly out for her morning bathroom break

… that we have amazing neighbors who have the cutiest little boy and so many of the same interests as us. It sure makes moving to a place where we known no one a lot easier.

… that I get to go get my nails done with said amazing neighbor

… that I am having Nutella for breakfast

by the spoonful and right out of the jar

… the fan/light that is now installed in our bedroom.

Thanks to the amazing husband who can pretty much do anything. However, I’m NOT loving that all the breakers are labeled wrong, and that we have to flip the “kitchen island” switch to shut off power in the master bedroom… FAIL electrician FAIL

I am absolutely loving these two…

Kristin and Ki… Kristin blogs over here, and I don’t know what I’d do without our almost daily Skype sessions.

I am loving that my parents birthdays are a day apart. Literally… born the same year and all. And that I have a big surprise for them… since this is the first birthday that I wont get to celebrate with them.

Speaking of parents… I could love mine more.

I’m also loving these impulse purchases that I shouldn’t have really made:

Forever21 – $11.80

Forever21 – $22.80

Forever21 – $20.00 (no longer available)

AE – $39.99

Can you blame me? With these kinds of prices, I just couldn’t pass them up.

I’m ALSO LOVING the new photography gear I got… with the husband’s blessing of course:

Some color gels to go with this little flash:

I decided to go with the Canon one, just because I like to keep things in brand. It is a bit more pricey to go with a brand flash, but the quality and durability is worth it to me. If you are looking for an external flash and don’t want to spend a lot, here is a great one that you can try out:

It gets great reviews and the only thing that it doesn’t have is the auto-set with the camera, so you have to manually set the power of the flash… which is usually better anyways. This baby is going for about $70.00 right now. I plan on getting one to have as a second.

 

A tripod… I have an amazing monopod, but not a very good tripod, so I invested a little bit into getting a nice one that will last me a few years. And of course, I needed a new ball-head for the above tripod:

 

My monopod and the ball-head are both Manfrotto and I LOVE THEM. So I figured this is a pretty good choice. It also has the quick release, which will save you a ton of time taking the camera off the tripod.

I also got these guys:

An external shutter control and a reflector. These were cheap, and I learned the hard way that it’s best to have them around, then to need them and not have them. The shutter remote is about $20 and the reflector is under that.

Finally… I am Loving these two:

and this one:

Photo taken by my amazing friend Lena. You can find her here and here.

 

Hope you all are having a great Wednesday!

 

Another Year… and who remembers the Armenians?

In three short years it will be a century since the Armenian Genocide took place under the cover of the First World War.

Sadly, the United States of America still has not recognized the atrocities committed by Ottoman Turkish Empire as a true genocide. The murder of 1.5 million Armenians is still not significant enough for a nation like the US to recognize. However, many countries around the world have stood up to the current Turkish government and their boycott threats to recognize the Armenian Genocide for what it was, an ethnic cleansing.

Every April 24th, Armenians all around the world commiserate the start of what would be the first genocide of the century.

The world needs to recognize genocides along with all other atrocities. If we do not recognize and punish crime, history will repeat itself.

 

Within the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st there have been more genocides then the world should have ever seen. Unfortunately, most go completely unrecognized, reaffirming Hitler’s words.

20th Century

• Armenian Genocide
• Holocaust
• Sudanese Civil War
• Cambodian Genocide
• Liberian Civil War
• Rwandan Genocide
• Karabakh Genocide
• Black Genocide

21st Century

• Afrikaner Genocide
• Genocide in Darfur
• genocide in srilanka

It’s Okay Thursday

Today is Thursday… we’re almost at the end of the week and it’s been hectic around here. Lots of new things, and the process of getting settled into a new place is a little overwhelming at times. But it’s Thursday, which means that no matter what it is… it’s okay.

It’s okay that … Lilly got me up 4 times during the night to take her out. Her poor tummy doesn’t feel good. It’s also okay that I’m heartbroken over her not feeling great.

It’s okay… that I started out my day with a very large cup of coffee and called it breakfast.

… that I have no desire to change out of my PJs or even take a shower.

… that I would rather play with my Lilly bug then do anything else in the world.

It’s okay… that I’ve been dying to get these Loubatines, and have been trying to figure out how to justify the purchase when we need to get so many things for the house.

It’s okay… to miss my parents and friends in Colorado, but it’s also okay not to feel guilty about enjoying our lives out in Tucson.

It’s okay … to wear dresses and skirts every single day of the week even though the furthest and most exciting place I’m going to go is the grocery store.

It’s okay also okay to priorities getting landscaping over bedroom furniture… hey our dog’s needs outweigh ours

Finally… it’s okay to plan a meal around the bottle of wine we have sitting in the pantry.

Hope you all are having a great Thursday. Head on over and link up!

What I’m Loving <3

It’s been a really long time since I’ve done one of these posts, and I figured what a better way to start of my busy Wednesday then by reminding myself about the things I love.

 

As you all know in the last few weeks we’ve been doing a lot of back and forth driving between Tucson and Denver. We’ve also managed to pack, move, get a new car, bring home our baby all while working full time, traveling for work (on the hubs part) and being extremely sick. So here is what I’m loving now that things have settled back down.

Our beautiful house!

This was the day we finally got our keys. I had just gotten a diagnosis of bronchitis and a sinus infection. It seems every big event in our lives is marked by illness (we were both sick on our wedding day).

What I love most about the house, is the amazingly beautiful and large kitchen.

This was taken the day we had our initial walk through of the house, so there is actually a fridge in the gaping hole in the wall, and the counters are covered in dishes/boxes and other things to still unpack.

I’m absolutely loving the neighborhood and I am so glad that we picked Sahuarita over Oro Valley.

Not only is it all green and beautiful, but there is also a pool at every corner, a water park for kids and teens, several parks all around, over 7 miles of walking trails, a full gym that is included in the HOA fees and two DOG PARKS.

I’m loving the kitchen table we got to match our barstools:

AND the price on it! The whole set, delivered was $320.00. I had bought the bar stools about 2 and a half years ago, for $50.00 a piece. The backs, the metal and the cloth all match, and I cannot wait until it gets here.

I am loving this housewarming present from my parents.

It’s seriously the best invention every! I love that it takes less then a minute to get my coffee/tea ready in the morning. And the fact that I can make ice tea with this as well, makes me one happy girl.

I’m LOVING my new car.

We had really outgrown our little beater, so I gave the Camaro to the hubs and we got ourselves an SUV.  Lilly loves the back seat! I love the roomy interior and the great, smooth ride. This car is going to be fantastic for long road trips, and runs to Costco and Home Depot.

I’m also loving this little shrimp:

 

Our Lilly Bug is such a sweetheart and the best thing that’s happened to us! She is currently sleeping with her head on my lap and I couldn’t be a happier gal!

And of course, I’m always loving this handsome man:

Hope you all are having a great Wednesday. Head over to Jamie’s and let us know what you’re loving today.

A Formal Introduction

Hi all, hope you didn’t think I died, or anything like that.

We’re finally moved, and getting settled in. There was lots of big changes in these parts of town, not only did we close on our house in the last month, but we also got a new car, started putting together our house (which has depleted all of our savings) and got our baby girl.

Out of all the new things we’ve gotten lately, the one that makes both the hubs and me the happiest is our Lilly.

Please meet Lilly!

She loves her food, exploring the backyard, long naps and car rides. She is also a fan of getting her mama up at 6 sharp every morning for a little walk and a long nap afterwards. Lilly is about a year and a half, and one of the best dogs I’ve ever met. She is super smart and learns quickly. She’s already figured out that our lives revolve around here. She’s also marked the house as her own and is now a guard puppy. Granted she is chicken shit and will bark and then hide behind me. She hates baths, but loves rolling in the dirt. She is also not a fan of being left alone, and follows me around all day long.

Lilly is a Doberman Pincher with natural ears and a docked tail. She is about 70 pounds and will fill up to about 85/90 when she is fully grown. She loves to grin, which can be scary at first, smile and roll around on her back while her daddy gives her belly rubs.

In short, we’re completely in love with our little girl and couldn’t be more thankful to the a-hole that dumbed her at a shelter with her brother, because his fiancé said it was either her or the dogs.