about the past 9 years :)

Hello Friends!

August 22^nd has a very special meaning to me. Why, you might ask? Well that’s easy, it just so happens to be the day that the love of my life and I first started dating.

I received these beautiful roses from my better half and I was feeling a bit nostalgic so I thought I’d share with you the story of how we first met and a few little bits and bobs from the past 9 years of our relationship. I’ll try not to make it as cheesy or boring as it sounds, I promise. Plus, there will be embarrassing, awkward coming of age pictures, how could you pass that up?

 

We met in 2005, at a restaurant in Florida. I was 15 and he was 16. He was a bus boy and I was a customer. He held the door for me and I have to say I fell for him, even in his horrible Hawaiian shirt that he was required to wear.

One of our first conversations was of him just insulting my CD collection while we sat awkwardly and as far as possible from one another on my mom’s couch. We’ve come a long way since then, though he still doesn’t like my choice in music much.

The first picture taken of us as a couple in 2005

We’ve been through some hard times. It definitely wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Of course we fight, we get on each other’s nerves, we take each other for granted and we let little things get in the way but we’ve come so far and we’ve learned so much. I don’t think without those bad times we’d be able to fully appreciate the good ones. We know each other better now, we can exchange thoughts with just a look across a room or a smile or an eyebrow lift. We’re better, we’re stronger and we’re still trying. There are so many times we could have called it quits just to make it simple or easy but we didn’t.

While going through old photos and documents on my laptop I came across these notes I’d written to him. When we first started dating I would write him poems and love notes for every month we were together, I guess I was a bit of a romantic…or just really obsessive. Either way he must have liked it because he didn’t run off screaming.

Our favorite picture of us taken in 2005

My mom actually took this picture of us and one day I would like to recreate it. In a way it kind of became the profile picture for our relationship and we both agree that it’s one of our favorites.

For our 5^th anniversary Chris surprised me with a puzzle made out of this photo (that I still need to have framed) and he also gave me this lovely poem plaque that sits on my shelf next to our pictures. 

 

He was also sneaky and planned a trip for us to New York City. We ate dinner in an expensive, rotating restaurant with an amazing view and went to see The Phantom of the Opera, which of course, was incredible.

Us at a fancy dinner in New York for our 5 year anniversary in 2010

 

Last year for our 8^th anniversary I made him this collage of us throughout the years. 

It still amazes me how young we were when we met and how much we’ve changed over the years. I’m so lucky to share my life with someone I grow closer to each year instead of growing apart.

I honestly think that it was just down to fate that we met. We both lived in the same town, went to the same school a year apart and yet never met until the day I walked into that restaurant. We could have crossed paths at any time and we probably wouldn’t have given each other a second glace. I believe in luck, I believe in fate and I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe we found each other because we were meant to. We’ve been through crazy family drama, sad times and the deaths of loved ones, a move alone across the East Coast and we’re still in love and we’re still together.

We were goofy, awkward teenagers when we started dating and now we’re goofy awkward 20 something’s. Not much has changed there.  

Us at dinner for our 9 year anniversary in 2014

 

I’m not going anywhere. I’m in it for the long haul. I want to grow old with him so I can tease him about his memory loss and his wheezy laugh. Then again, I do that now ;)

See you soon friends,

 Lynn

about turning 24!

Hello Friends!

Fun Fact: This past Sunday, July 27^th, 2014 …I turned 24! Cue the cheesy celebration music! Honestly, I can’t believe how quickly the time flies by once you hit your 20’s.

 

I thought I’d recap my birthday festivities for you starting with the wonderful and generous gifts I was given by some truly amazing people.

First of all, I have to say thank you to my mom because without her I wouldn’t be here. I don’t know how you did it mom, but thank you for sacrificing, enduring and loving me enough to go through what you have for me. I don’t know how you did it. I love you.

This Harry Potter Owl Post messenger bag was a gift from my mom. I love the design of this bag and how casual it is. I can take it camping or out to dinner with friends and it fits in perfectly. It’s big enough to hold all of my things and then some without being too big and bulky to carry comfortably. Also, it’s Harry Potter, how can you not love it? Keep an eye out for this bag. It may be making another appearance in the future, in a rather, shall I say, magical post ;)

SPOILER ALERT: For those who haven’t read the Harry Potter Books!

July 27^th is also the day in the 7^th book when Hedwig sacrifices herself for Harry and dies in his place. This broke my heart into a million pieces when I found out. Happy Birthday to me :(

END OF SPOILER ALERT

My friends Christa, Bunky and Jerie gave me the best card ever created. 

 If you’re wondering, yes this is the accurate level of our maturity. 

 

They also gave me a set of Real Techniques brushes, the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (the sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) and this bright peachy orange nail polish.

These Real Techniques brushes are so incredibly soft. I haven’t stopped rubbing them on my face long enough to actually use them with makeup but I’m excited to try them. Sam and Nic Chapman are the soon to be sister in laws of the lovely Tanya Burr and they also own their own line of beauty products and brushes. If you don’t know Tanya Burr, she’s a YouTube makeup guru whom Christa and myself are completely obsessed with and you should look her up right now. Sam and Nic also make makeup tutorials on YouTube so you should check them out while you’re there. I didn’t even know their products were available here in the United States so I was extremely surprised to receive these.

The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, oh my God, I can’t even tell you about this one without getting giddy. As an obsessive follower of all things makeup I’ve seen this palette so many times being used by the best of the best in beauty. Never in a million years did I think I would ever own one. I was so excited that I used this right away, so I apologize for the close-ups where you can definitely tell that it’s been used. 

Then again, #sorrynotsorry because this was my gift, it was my birthday and I wanted to feel special, damn it. The palette itself is just so pretty that I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it. 

Without flash

With flash

The eye shadow colors are a beautiful spectrum of neutrals that work so well together you almost don’t have to try at all. I’m in love with everything about this palette.

Hollow City is the follow up sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I first learned about his books while camping in Gettysburg last year. I picked up a strange looking book filled with old black and white photographs and an eerie sounding description and I knew I had to have it. The story is anything but ordinary, however to avoid spoilers I’ll just tell you this. Read them. They’re a fun escape from reality with a hint of danger and darkness. The characters in these books are unlike any others and you’ll fall in love with their weird, quirky ways. The other neat thing that I love about these books is that the photos in the book are real. The author actually hunts down vintage photographs and forms a story through them. I think these are the most creative and imaginative books I’ve come across and I’m so excited to see more by this author. 

This China Glaze nail polish in the color Sun of a Peach is so bright and summery. I’ve been looking for a peachy shade that was more playful for the warmer months. I tried to recreate a nice sunset nail art look that I found on Pinterest and unfortunately this is what happened. 

Oh well, I tried. Also, I found out later that my nails look a lot like Port Wine Cheese, which if you haven’t tried it you don’t know what you’re missing. 

I’m not a big cheese fan but this is probably my favorite kind. It’s pretty to look at and tastes good on crackers, what more could you want?

My Aunt Pam, who is also my godmother, gave me these lovely hair things that she found in New York. The first is a gold hair barrette with stones that sparkle in any light. The second is a fun headband with a giant material flower for a cute boho look.

She also found this cute little coin purse with a dragonfly on it. There’s a spot on each of the dragonfly’s wings that shines bright gold in the light. She finds the coolest, most unique gifts for me and I cherish them.

The night before my birthday we ate at a pirate themed bar called Mutiny, where the items on the menu have the best names like Kraken Tentacles (Calamari) and Shiver Me Tenders (Chicken Tenders). I was serenaded after dinner by a, very possibly drunk, individual with a guitar while I blew out my candle. My loving boyfriend Chris, who puts up with all of our shenanigans, purchased these fun and hilarious t-shirts for Christa and I while we were there. 

Yes, they say Ship Happens. My new life motto.

By far my absolute favorite present this year was something that wasn’t material or physical at all. My best friend Christa filmed, edited and uploaded a secret video filled with pictures and memories from our past 12 years of friendship. I laughed and cried my way through her video but the smile never left my face. I am so lucky and honored to have such an amazing person like her in my life. We both grew up together, leaning on one another for emotional support and I honestly wouldn’t be half of the person that I am today if she hadn’t been by my side for all of those years. I wish I could be anywhere near as selfless and caring of a friend as she is.

 Click here to watch my surprise birthday video made by Christa!


I didn’t spend my birthday out at some fancy restaurant or out at a hot nightclub where the ground pulses with the beat from the speakers. I spent my 24^th birthday surrounded by some of the closest friends a girl can have and a bottle of Captain Morgan while we all played Clue (that’s right, the board game from our childhood) and you know what? That’s what I’ll truly remember. Not a room full of strangers but a room full of friendship, laughter and love. It sounds cheesy and made up but it’s true. These people mean the world to me and I’m thrilled beyond words that these simple nights together making each other laugh until it hurts are what I’ll remember when I’m old, gray and probably senile. That's what it's all about, folks.

See you soon friends,

Lynn