Not Merely Living

My Golden February

Oh February,

You reminded me that living a "golden" life  isn't always about the sparkle. It's about the truth telling. The scary kind. to yourself. I always forget how hard it is to tell yourself the truth and have yourself listen. 

February, you were a journey filled with creative moments and trying ones. There were lots of unexpected loving moments during all the most random of times. But also lots of teary moments and alone moments and moments filled with heavy-weight thoughts. 

For a brief moment I believed that I had it all figured out only to discover that it is still a work in progress. I thought that it had to be only either a or b, but now I think it maybe, might be both. 

I made a plan this month, but it was a very emotional month for me in the process. I really sat with all of these things that make me uncomfortable (things I want to do that I don't know how to do, ways I want to be that I don't know how to be), and I tried to figure them out. and poor Viet! He came home from India to find me in a tailspin of windy and whispy emotions. But he totally handled it like a pro! This husband thing sure does look good on him. He seems to prove to me again and again and again that it doesn't matter how few the words are if you say the ones that really matter when they really need to be said. There was one moment in particular that I will never forget where I was talking myself out of something important to me because I was scared and insecure, and he firmly grabbed both of my hands in his and said something to the effect of:

DIY Window Picture Frame

My honey has finally arrived home. He was gone for two weeks on a work trip to India. For some reasons (maybe obvious?) I was a little nervous to share this with the wide interwebs. But now he's back. So if I seemed a little mopey over the past two weeks, now you understand. and I have officially snapped out of it!

In light of our reunion, I'm excited to share with you a very special DIY project today--my DIY Wedding Window Picture frame.

Viet and I got married last June, and for our reception we made a special bar sign from a window pane we picked up at a local scrap yard. For months, I've been wanting to turn this window into a wedding picture frame for our apartment. Finallllllly, I have succeeded.

This is a simple project that you can make in as many different iterations as you can imagine.

All you need is:

+ a clean window

+ white paint (or a paint of a different color of your choosing)

+ photo paper and a photo printer of your choosing (we have the Canon MG620)

+ Photo glue sticks

>>In this project, my main objective was to find a way to reuse the frame we had used as the bar sign in our wedding. I didn't want or need it to be perfect. I just wanted to reuse the frame, which is sentimental to me now. I also wanted it to look clean and well composed.

If you're starting from scratch (aka going to look for windows as the scrapyard), try to think about the type of pictures you have that you want to frame. Are they vertical or horizontal? Do you want to have a few large pictures or many more smaller pictures? This will help you to have a more discerning eye when you go to pick out the perfect frame.

I was in a bit of the opposite position since I was trying to find a way to utilize the frame we already had. After looking closely at the window, I decided to go with a simple black and white theme. I chose my favorite six black and white pictures from our wedding photos and printed them on 8.5 by 11 sheets of photo paper. 

Here's an overview of my process:

Step 1: Clean the frame and paint it to the color of your liking.

Step 2: Thoroughly clean the glass on both sides.

Step 3: Choose and print your photos and lay them out on the front of the frame to decide their design/alignment.

Step 4: Line the photos out on the floor in your chosen order and then flip the frame over.

Step 5: Use the glue stick to coat the outside edges of the front of your first photograph. 

Step 6: Carefully place the photo on the glass and make sure that it lines up parallel to the edges of the pane.

Step 7: Repeat steps 5 and 6 for all the remaining photos.

Step 8: Allow to dry and enjoy! 

I haven't decided exactly where this beauty will live permanently, but I'm very happy with the end product. It's nice to know that this special mememto from our wedding day will stay with us and help us to remember our favorite moments from the day. Are you looking for a creative frame to kick your photos up a notch? 

Happy Making and Happy Monday,

2012 Favorites

On this last day of 2012, I have the flu. :(

I've been fighting a fever for the past day and a half, and I'm trying to keep my spirits up as we count down the hours to 2013.

The good news is that I've finally made it out of bed and into the recliner, and I'm well enough to write this!

I had prepared to share this post with you all this morning, but needless to say I wasn't well enough to schedule the post last night.

This has truly been a magical year for me. I married my better half. I feel like I really came into my own at my job. I've gotten so much joy out of this blog. I believe that writing and capturing my hopes and dreams and every days makes me a better person. With the exception of the few weeks before our wedding and during our honeymoon, I have posted once a day during the week. Committing to Not Merely Living has helped me recommit to actively living with my eyes open instead of just moving from day to day without reflection.

And all the people in my life have really been the biggest factor in 2012's magic. My husband, family, and friends have made 2012 the best year yet.

Here are all my favorites from 2012:                              

 

 

(Click on the title or photos below for the recipes.)

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Kale Salad

Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Plumble (Plum Crumble)

The Perfect Sugar Cookie

 

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

 

   Getting Married

   Becoming an Aunt for the 2nd Time

    Participating in Tiffany's Engagement and Wedding

   Our Trip to Austin

   My Golden Birthday

It's has been a wonderful year. Thanks 2012.

Happy New Year's Eve friends! Celebrate a little extra for me :)

Let Your Heart Be Light

Our Holiday Cards by Minted

Happy, happy day to you and yours,

Merry and Bright

We have arrived safely in Alabama. We had quite a difficult red-eye last night. It was raining on both sides of the country, and we were on two of the most turbulent flights I've been on in a while. 

Nevertheless, I think that made me even more excited and grateful to finally make it home to my family in Alabama.

We had a sweet, quiet weekend celebrating our first married christmas:

>We officially entered into vacation mode. 

>On Saturday, I had an epic girls day with Shappy and Lisa having brunch at the historic Sears Fine Foods, getting our nails done, and doing some light shopping in Union Square.

>There were beautiful skies all over the city, and it was truly magical.

>We ate at the delicious Flour + Water. This place is always packed. We thought we might be able to get in a little bit easier since so many folks in our neighborhood seemed to have left for the holidays.

>On Sunday, we visited with friends who live on the east coast who were in town for the holiday.

>We made our favorite gumbo (with plenty of yummy leftovers for our friends/upstairs neighbors) and had a nice quiet evening just the two of us exchanging gifts and preparing for our travels.

It's about 70 here in the Bama, and the sun is shining.

Tonight our family will be having our annual appetizer dinner (complete with mom's chocolate fountain) and playing dirty santa (white elephant for my California friends). Tomorrow we will have a large dinner and exchange presents. I am so excited this year because my oldest nephew Kai is old enough this year that I think he will really enjoy the Christmas fun.Wednesday we are headed up to Birmingham to see my extended family. 

I am so grateful for my family and friends this holiday season. And I'm also grateful for you. Thanks for reading. It means a lot. I'm sending you all lots of love and joy today.

Whether or not you are celebrating,  I hope your day is Merry and Bright.

lots of twinkling love and a few ho, ho, hos-

Currently Coveting: Ornaments

Ornaments are one of my favorite things about Christmas. I love pulling them out each year and carefully placing them on the tree. Before I met Viet I never really had a tree of my own or ornaments of my own, but since we've been together we've slowly been accumulating our own little collection of ornaments. 

He knows how much I love ornaments, and so almost each year we've been together now he has surprised me with a special ornament he knows I will love. And each time I see those I remember the moments when he gave them to me, the places we were at in our lives, and the way that it felt-always special, always filled with love.

Like old friends we haven't seen in a while, it is so special to find ornaments again. Sometimes I find myself searching just to see what new ornaments I might want to add to my collection. Here's the ones catching my eye this year:

1. World Champion SF Giants  | 2. Anthropologie Ship in a bottle  | 3. BATMAN (this one's for Viet)| 4. Guitars (also for Viet :) | 5. Roll Tide!  | 6. First Married Ornament: 2012

Do you have any special ornaments that you're coveting this year? Do you add new ornaments to your collection each year, or do you stick with the ones you've always had?

Happy Holidays!

These Days

+married life looks good on us.

Pre-married life wasn't always a cake walk for us. As I've mentioned before, we come from very different families and have very different ways of living our every day lives. Somehow, though, with a bit of magic and a lot of love, we've made it here.

and this place, y'all. . . it's sweet. I know marriage isn't always easy, but maybe we struggled enough before getting married that we earned ourselves a stretch of time in this sweet spot.

Because right now, married life looks real good on us. Even if you might not be able to tell how good it looks on us by looking at us. We aren't sleeping enough or exercising enough. not even close to enough.We eat as healthy as our hective lives will allow. We are moving all the time.

Things seem still to be swirling around us, and yet, 9 times out of 10, as long as we're together we've got smiles on our faces. 

These are the days.

+I am dreaming of babies. Those of you who know me well will find this as no surprise. I may have been dreaming about babies for most my life. And now when starting a family seems closer than ever, I feel not only strongly drawn towards starting a family but also focused each day on being present in our lives as they are without children. Our lives are just as they should be right now. And they will be just as they should be whenever we're ready to have kids. I feel like I've we've got a few more things to do first. 

Until then, I'm enjoying these moments. My husband looks at me like he's carrying something bigger than love inside him. He's a man of few (emotional) words, but man those looks.

 And this is just the beginning. 

These are the days.

+We are still (after three years) trying to find a way to make our apartment our own. We are staying put. We dream of more space and less mold. We dream of storage and "extra" rooms and dishwashers.

But I know that we're doing the right thing by staying put right now. It's hard to know what move to play next when your talking about housing in San Francisco. For now, however long that is, we're fine right where we are. 

I know that some day when we are in bigger/more, we will look back on these days in this little apartment in the amazing neighborhood, secret garden yard, with unbeatable restaurants around the corner and the sunshine at our back-when we played cards on week nights with our friends and had sunday family dinners-when I made veggie casserole every other week, and we picked rosemary from the bush out front and had bonfires in the backyard-when we watched all of the West Wing and Supernatural-when we celebrated and mourned and were single then married and build some shared (big & little) dreams-

we will look back on these days and think

those were the days.

So for now, I'm trying to live them slowly and savor them, because I know all too well how quickly they will pass.

Thanksgiving 2012

Family+Sunshine=Bliss

Looking back over our Thanksgiving pictures made me so happy. We had such a wonderful time. I've decided that Thanksgiving should always happen at the beach.

We are slowly getting back into the swing of things and back into our routine. It's always nice to be home, but I miss my family. Luckily, I'll be seeing them again in just a few short weeks. 

I can't believe it's almost December. I think I'm almost ready. not quite. but getting close. 

Happy Tuesday Y'all,
 

M + V: Newlywed check in

I must have plums on the mind this week. I can feel stone fruit season slipping away, and I am fighting it. Because I love plums so dearly, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this William Carols Williams poem. Now that I am married, this poem seems to reveal so much more to me. This Is Just To Say. and Forgive me.  A tiny written note can say so much. 

I also have marriage on the mind because, as I've mentioned, I am reading Gone Girl. Holy Crap is it intense and suspenseful and jam packed with a frightening look at marriage.

Each morning before I leave for work I find Viet's wedding ring (whether it has been lovingly left on the dining room table or his desk or the floor), and I place it carefully on top of his wallet. We have been married now for almost four months. Four months of spooning (we love spooning) and picnics and new wines and sunsets. Amidst moments of sweet bliss (last week Viet said, "I think you love me more right now." and somehow I did) and moments of hissed disagreements (No I did not do the dishes. You forgot your ring?! again!), we are slowly settling into this new phase.

And what I want to remember most from these early months is laughter. That we fought stress and anger and exhaustion with laughter.  We are at our best when we can make each other laugh even in our worst moments. My husband is a man of very few words, and if words were raindrops I'd be a rushing river. So I have learned to read his faces, to lean into the curve of his dimples, and to adjust my reaction to the strength of his jaw. He can make me laugh with a single glance. I am the noisier half. My comedy is quite literally louder. I sing and talk and make noises. I make him laugh with impressions: homestar runner and Marcel the Shell.

While in the middle of a empty argument over dinner, we decided to create a game. I call it "10 words." When he is feeling overly frustrated with my loquacious explanation or he is staring silently at me (and I think I might scream), either of us may evoke 10 words. In such a case, I will say "10 words or more." He would say "10 words or less." This game is brilliant, because it most often ends with me playing charades with him or him telling a funny story. Both always end in laughter.

In terms of next steps, we are dreaming of a bigger apartment, but we also can't imagine leaving this lovely place. Even though we don't have a dish washer or almost any storage, the trees and the flowers and the cozy cottage warmth of this place are quite magical. We have outgrown this tiny apartment in so many ways, but the magic makes it worth it.

We don't have fancy furniture (all Ikea or Craigslist here), so you won't see many interior design shots of our place here on the blog. We have well loved and well worn hand me downs. Our coffee table was left in our hands by a world traveling friend three years ago (she swore she'd come back for it). She's currently in South Sudan. Our good friend Duchess passed gave us her awesome Eddie Bauer pull-out couch close to four years ago when she moved cross-country. She now lives back in SF. Our dining room table was given to us by another friend cleaning out her apartment, and all of our bureaus, buffets, and desks we found at Goodwill (they're awesome! trust me!). I think our nicest piece of furniture (?) is the jewelry armoir Viet bought me for Christmas two years ago. Is it worn and well used, and it is home. at least for now.

yes. Forgive me. and the plums. This Is Just To Say. it's all worth it. Thank goodness for better halves to make us whole and friends to keep us sane. 

Happy Wednesday. 

 

M+V Wedding Recaps: We Came to Dance

I hope you all have enjoyed reading these recaps as much as I have enjoyed pulling them together. 

Here's the final chapter. Thanks for following along. 

---

My father and I danced to a Rascal Flatts song "My Wish"

I tried to tell him how much his toast meant to me, but I think I was too emotional to squeak it out. love you dad.

Viet and I didn't practice our dance before hand. We didn't take any lessons or even practice in our apartment.

We picked a non-traditional first dance song, "Forever" by Chris Brown because our first choice L-O-V-E (the song Viet likes to sing to me during kitchen slow dances) was too slow, and Forever just made us happy.

The video may prove us wrong, but it felt like a smash hit:

at the end of the song, we asked the dj to play "We came to Dance" by Taio Cruz and to invite everyone to join the dance floor. And ohhhh did they!

Viet and I slipped away to get some pictures at our favorite spot in the Exploratorium. You can hear each other completely clearly only if you talk right at the giant balloon between you (Marriage metaphor anyone?). 

Our wedding day was a beautiful and amazing day. We committed a lifetime of love to each other in our favorite city surrounded by all the people we believe in. . . the people who have made us who we are. . . the people who have walked with us and will continue to walk with us down our paths.

Although I am rarely short on words, these pictures-this whole process of culling these together-has left me misty eyed and with few words to describe the feelings and emotions of that day. Pulling them together each night has reminded me how lucky we are. we are so lucky.

To end our recaps, here's our awesome short video from our videographer Vocal Eyes Media. 

 

love you b.