Masculine Hair, Stunning Niece and Marshmallow Sheets

 

Mitchell is funny.  More than just funny … the funny-ist eva’. 

 

I, on the other hand, have hair comparable to my homeboy, JB (justin beiber). I never knew my hair would leave such an impression.  I’m pretty sure I will forever be known as the crazy aunt who cut her hair like a boy … ON PURPOSE. That crraaazzzy Aunt Erin.

You win some. You lose some.

 

 

 

 

A while back I did a little photo shoot with our gorgeous doe- eyed-avid-reader-niece Alyssa …

 

Mitchell and I celebrated back in May, being together for 2 years … 730 days … 17,520 hours … 1,051,200 minutes. Best 1,051,200 minutes of my life. 

We decided to celebrate Hotel Monaco style.

I married a model.

Just sleeping there for one night gave me a slight case of “bed envy” …the sheets,like butta’ … the comforter, so marshmallow-like … I seriously felt like the Queen of England. Maybe when Mitchell rules the world and I’m making booukobucks being a photography rockstar, we will have butter sheets and a marshmallow comforter.  Fingers crossed.

 

 

Cheers to us.  Bring on eternity.

Getting Over Our Hill

 I never had any big trials growing up, unless you consider that bad perm job I had in the 5th grade.  In fact, I remember wondering when they would show up in life and what they would bring.  We always hear that we should learn something from the hard knocks of life.  As I experience more and more of life, I realize that one of the best gifts we can receive from our trials is empathy.  I LOVE what Annie Swetchine had to say about this:  

"Those who have suffered much, are like those who have learned many languages; they have learned to understand and be understood by all."   

There are so many difficult languages to learn. Mitchell and I learned a tough language this week and I am so grateful that we were filled with love and compassion and not bitterness and anger. I know that is a direct result of so many of your silent prayers and thoughts for us.  We love you all and have felt your love in return.  We are continuing to grow and we will get over and conquer this hill.

  I have had several days to ponder and reflect and music seems to speak to me.  

 

After The Storm - Mumford and Sons

And after the storm,I run and run as the rains come

And I look up, I look up,on my knees and out of luck,I look up. 

Night has always pushed up dayYou must know life to see decayBut I won't rot, I won't rotNot this mind and not this heart,I won't rot. 

And I took you by the handAnd we stood tall,And remembered our own land,What we lived for. 

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.Get over your hill and see what you find there,With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

Evolution

I have evolved over the years.  

 

I used to have two rules when walking into a thrift store: 

Rule #1:  don't buy used 

underwear/leotards/unitards

  

Rule #2:  don't buy used shoes.

I can't quite put my finger on what made me 

change my mind a few years back....

about rule #2 that is ... don't worry ... 

rule #1 is still very much enforced.  

You better believe I buy all my unitards brand spankin' new.

I was making the rounds at DI the other day ... and I heard something whispering my name.  "Erin, Erin, over here."  I turned around and saw these loverly shoes.  Cute. Comfortable. Stylish. 

  

 

  

I mean, just look at them.  BRAND NEW.  And for 5 buckaroos. Then I looked at the size. 

11.  Oh dangit.  This was one of the few times I wished my feet were size 11.

Unfortunately my petite little size 10 feet are just a tiny bit small.
 

I bought them anyway.  

Maybe I'll just wear some thick wool socks with them.

 

 Side Note:  This next picture is the 2,349,201th reason I love Mitchell.  

He said he wanted to make dinner the other night ... and this was what he came up with. 

LOVE.

Current Events

-  Mitchell and I don't sing. 

And that is the reason why I 

actually laughed out loud when 

we were asked to be the new primary 
choristers. A tag team duo if

you will. We can now do "Head 

Shoulders Knees and Toes" backwards 

and in our sleep.

- I am surprisingly still employed 

with my temp job that was supposed to end around Christmas time.  Knock on wood.  Mitchell recently got a job as an HVAC tech with Whipple.  I love a man in uniform.

- Our neighbors thought it would be
cool to purchase an awesome 
subwoofer. 

Not so awesome for us.

- Mitchell and I were cursed with a 

curse last week. We had to throw out 

not one but TWO failed attempts at

cinnamon rolls. 

- We had a Chuck Norris Walker 

Texas Ranger birthday party for 

Craig in honor of his Texas mission

departure.  It was complete with a

Chuck Norris face garland and 

homemade fortune cookies filled 

with Chuck Norris jokes.

Mitchell's workplace party was a
breeding ground for bump its. I 
have never seen so many bump its 
all in one place, at one time.
My mouth was 

seriously ajar.

-I scored a really- nice- practically

- brand- new winter coat for $12 at DI. 

  Thrift stores make my heart leap for joy. 

It's the thrill of the hunt I tell you.

They Don’t Even Make Buttons This Cute

cute

/kyut/ Show Spelled [kyoot] adjective, cut·er, cut·est, adverb, noun

1. Ellie and Kien Hicken

2. attractive, esp. in a dainty way; pleasingly pretty: a cute child; a cute little apartment.

3. affectedly or mincingly pretty or clever; precious: The child has acquired some intolerably cute mannerisms.

Ellie 4 months

 

Kien 3 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Baby In Me

 

Photography.  Love it.

Mitchell understood and understands this slight obsession.

Now, I usually don’t like it when people mush, gush, ooooooze and brag about their spouses and all the awesome things they do … but I can’t help but oooze for just a couple seconds.  Mitchell somehow managed to save bit by bit enough money to buy me the camera of my dreams.   He wanted me to learn how to use it before Christmas and couldn’t wait for me to open it … so I may or may not have opened it about 2 weeks early. 

I don’t usually cry.  I didn’t cry when my parents said goodbye at the MTC.  I didn’t cry during Charly, The Notebook, or The Lion King (when Mufasah gives up the ghost … so sad, but no tears).  Nor do I cry when chopping onions.  But I DID cry after I opened this present.  Not once.  Not twice.   But thrice.  

I was shocked.  Surprised.  Touched.  Ultra happy.

This camera has more buttons, levers and toggles than a 747 cockpit.  I’m waiting for the Cliff Notes version of the manual to come out.  Basically I have NO idea what I’m doing.  I thought I took decent photos before and now I realize just how little I know.  Taking good photos is a lot harder than I thought. 

Poor Mitchell has been my Fabio for the past couple weeks. 

( I personally think he could give Fabio a real run for his money. )

 

The title of this photo is :  HAWT

 

My friend Seara was nice enough to pose for a few shots as well.

 

 

So I might be calling upon some of the readers of this blog and their children to be my guinea pigs …

Man in the Mirror

Mitchell and I felt strongly about creating this post.  We want to share our experience in hopes that others may learn from our bad decision and not make the same mistake. 

It all began quite innocently as we were in Bed Bath and Beyond looking for a Christmas present.  We were approaching the front of the store when a certain aisle caught our attention.  We should have turned and walked away at that point … but we didn’t.  Like a moth to the flame.

We each grabbed a mirror and took a glance.  We both just stood there.  Too shocked and mortified to run away after what we saw.  Everything magnified by 1.3 million.  Every pore.  Every hair.  Every blemish.  It shook us up good.  We walked into the store thinking we were a little above average looking people and left feeling like the scum of the earth.   Mitchell and I quietly shuffled out of the store with our heads down, not speaking to one another.  If the world saw what we saw that night … babies would cry … our own mothers would turn their backs on us.

No words can describe.

The battle between good and evil is raging.

Evil won that night.