Dear things...

Dear Friday, I'm so thankful you're here. Caleb and I have lots of fun planned for this weekend! Possibly a used book sale, a cheap matinee and a fun lunch date?! Yes please!!

Dear hair, I think I'm finally learning to curl you the right way?!

Dear Caleb, I hope you feel better soon. Poor guy, he's been sick all week. Pass on some good vibes so he feels better soon and we can enjoy our free weekend to the fullest!

Dear meal planning, you're making me feel accomplished. I'm really getting used to cooking and enjoying it a lot! My favorite thing is hearing Caleb tell me how amazing dinner is - yay!

Dear Blake Lively, why aren't we best friends?! Come on...

Dear bible study, you're really challenging me! You're making me pick apart verses and unpack them for what they really are and learning to apply them to my life! This is different than any "devotional" that I've done in the past. The context is more educational-style, but I'm loving it! For those of you interested, I'm reading this!

Dear Chipotle, thanks for your #raincheck promotion this week. Since they shut down on Monday during regular business hours, you could text them and they'd send a free meal coupon! I was afraid it was a scam, but I'm glad I took the chance! So we know where we'll be tomorrow!!

Dear donuts in the break room, go away. I'm trying to be good.

Dear lunch packing, you've been fun. I'm loving my nighttime routine now. Sure, it takes me 10+ minutes sometimes, but if I don't take the time to prep, I realize I will fail in the healthy eating department.

Dear friends, enjoy your fun weekend! Caleb and I have V-day evening plans to stay in, and I'm pretty pumped about it!

Feeling refreshed + some goals

I'm finally feeling like myself again. This week, I've really started watching the foods I put into my body, I've been focused more on exercise and getting my daily steps in, and I've been cooking nearly every night. Oh, and I cut off 4 inches of hair last night (which I haven't done in years)!

I call this the Claire Dunphey

Something just kind of hit me over the weekend, that all the things I say "would make me happier", I could actually be doing. The only person stopping me, was me.

For instance, I claim to love reading, yet never make the time for it. Caleb and I cannot say no to our local used book sales, and we end up leaving with about 20 new books every time. We physically have no more room on our bookshelves, so they are flowing over into our bedroom nightstands and desk. Yet, what's the point in continuing to buy them if they just sit there?! SO, I'm challenging myself to start/finish a new book this month. I'd ask you all for recommendations but I already have too many to think straight :)

So here are my goals for the month of February:
Curl my hair a few times. I love the way it looks curled yet I never make time for it. So here's to waking up a couple times to practice more!

Exercise. Whether that means waking up before the sun to get in an hour of cardio, walking on my lunch break, running at night, etc., I'm not going to be too selective! Just want to be as active as possible, every day.

Order a new photo book. Well, my FIRST photo book. I really want to make our wedding album. I know, 2.5 years later... blah blah blah. Now that I finally have free time, there's NO excuse.

Cook some new recipes. Pinterest has literally been my BFF this week, and with guests coming over on Monday, I want to step up my game :)

Date the heck out of Caleb. We have so much free time this month and I don't want to let it slip away before its gone. We don't have a wedding until March, and then starting in April it gets a little crazy again. So, I want to soak up every evening/day/etc. that I get with my man!!

Do our taxes. We are so much more prepared than we were last year and I'm ready to pay these silly taxes so we can get on with our debt snowball! We are praying to be out of debt by mid-Spring!

Organize and clean our bedroom. Somehow our bedroom turned into more of a catch-all for all of our laundry, books, etc.! I want our bedroom to feel more relaxing... not stress inducing! ;)

I hope everyone has a great Thursday. SMILE! The weekend is almost here!!

Insta-update!

Hiiii my name is Kayla and I blog here. Remember me? I've been kinda sporadic lately with my posts. Life has just been so busy lately with youth outings, photography consults, shoots, and you know, spending time with my husband! :) and while I'm not going to apologize for it, I do realize how much I miss blogging when I don't make the time for it. SO I thought I'd update you on my life this week, via the little squares I keep in my iPhone album;

1. I took the plunge last night and went back to shorter, blonder hair! I'm not cut out for long hair, and I'm finally learning that its okay. Some girls can pull off the long locks and they rock it, but that's just not me. Caleb told me to copy my girl crush (Jen Aniston) and get a shoulder length cut. Cracks me up, but I love it! Making time for me last night felt great. I always forget how good it feels to get a few inches chopped and get your hair washed. Ha!

2. After said hair appointment, I was able to get dinner with two of my best friends and sweet baby Norah!!! It was so spontaneous and I'm so glad it worked out. I miss my friends!

3. This amazing sunset last night. This photo doesn't do it justice, at all...and I even tried to take one with my DSLR but it was so humid my camera fogged up almost like we were in the south. Sometimes, Caleb and I knock on our tiny apartment, but I know we have one of the best views for sunsets...and that makes it all worth it

4. Guys, I'm kinda crazy about this man. He recently picked back up playing the guitar and has taken initiative to play every single night and teach himself new songs. We've been playing and singing EVERY night the past week...add that in with the sunset and I'd say we're having some amazing evenings together!

I have a couple meetings tonight with brides but after that I am hoping to get some blog posts together of some recent weddings we've shot! I love sharing our work and I hope to do it more :) hope you all have a great Thursday!!

End of week brain dump!

I had a consultation the other night, and it was via Google Hangout since the couple was in two different parts of the country. It wasn't until I saw myself on the computer screen that I realized how long my hair is getting! Say whaaat?! I'm normally a short-hair gal all the way, but the other day I took a look at my 25 before 25 list and saw that "donate my hair" was on it. Figured I may as well keep growing it, then!

I finally purchased a magnet board for our fridge. We've been talking about buying one since we got married, and I found one at Target for $1.50... WOO! I've decided to use it (besides for groceries) for encouraging bible verses for us to remember throughout our week.

We watched my glorious state of Ohio ring in a Championship on Monday night!!! & I got to use my Polaroid for the first time. #addicted. Caleb also may or may not have used his hard earned pay pal money to purchase us Championship tee's, ha!

Yesterday was a good day. I got to wear my adorable new necklace, wear lipstick (while still wearing khakis), and surprise a best friend. What a Thursday!

This has been my mom and I all week (she started a new job, yay)! She made some new friends... all they do is send silly pictures back and forth so I've been feeding her hilarious memes to help her out a bit...which means this has been us, all week.

...but NOTHING beats mail day yesterday. I told you a week or two ago that we paid off our smallest loan (my student account balance from my old college that I had to leave), and well, they finally sent my TRANSCRIPT!!!! :) This was a huge "accomplishment" for me. In no way, shape, or form can I manage time for school this year...but its exciting that my transcript is released and I can go back when the time is right!!!

I have overnight plans to hang with the ladies of the youth group tonight, a birthday party for our favorite 4 year old tomorrow, then a lot of relaxing the remainder of the weekend. I hope it goes by super slow! Enjoy it, friends!

I'm on the dark side.

This is one of those posts that I just don't quite know how to start...I could come up with a catchy saying, talk about how LONG I've been wanting to do this, or I could just come out and say it...

I FINALLY DID SOMETHING CRAZY!

For the past few months I've been chewing on the idea of doing something different with my hair. I played through the typical scenarios in my head and almost backed out every other day and just said screw it, I'll keep it blonde. Then, I was kind of silently challenged by a sweet friend to "live more", and that's when I decided (although life is the longest thing we can ever endure...), life flies by too fast to NOT do a few things that scare you.

So last night, I pulled the trigger and told my stylist (& amazing friend, haayy Bec!) to go for it. I was freaking out the entire time I was in the chair, and even said "I might throw up..." a few times. I'm so happy to say I LOVE my new hair, and am really happy I took the chance.

I'm officially a brunette! Which is funny, cause technically...I naturally am, but almost no one knows it since I usually keep it pretty blonde. I just decided along with needing a desperate change, it was too much to keep up with those horrid roots. Luckily this dark brown dye will fade a bit and get closer and closer to my natural color. I'm excited! I really love it, and am so happy with it!!

For anyone interested, here is the before/after! I will say though, the lighting in her salon does not do it justice...my hair is REALLY dark (like the above pic)!!

I not only want my choice of hair color to be a move to live more boldly, but also in every other aspect of my life. I want to take more risks, laugh harder, and squeeze my husband tighter. I want to run that extra mile, enjoy the occasional second mountain dew without guilt, and snap beautiful photos with more confidence. I want to pray bolder prayers...cause I know my God can handle it.

So, happy Friday friends. What new chance will YOU take today??

Hello/Goodbye!

Hello: July
Goodbye: June...seriously, how'd that go so fast!?

Hello: husbands new sexy haircut.
Goodbye: long neck hair.

Hello: to a fresh new dew!! YAY! My friend Becca hooked me up last night, I'm thrilled!
Goodbye: nasty old roots!! Hopefully we won't see each other for weeks ;)

Hello: wedding edits
Goodbye: life

Hello: gym. It's been like 2 weeks. The second half of June was TOO busy for you, sorry!
Goodbye: belly fat. You are getting the boot ;)

Hello: Ang! I missed you :)
Goodbye: the time that had gone by since we hadn't seen each other. A few weeks is too long.

Hello: short week. The offices are closing at 1:00 on Thursday.
Goodbye: brain. Short weeks pretty much turn my brain into mush.

Hello: running watch.
Goodbye: bare wrist.

Hello: photo shoots. Seriously, they are taking over my life (but I like it)
Goodbye: quality time with my couch.

Hello: slight sunburn. I'm glad to see you.
Goodbye: vampire skin. You won't be missed.

Hello: Ebay, Craigslist, and yard sales.
Goodbye: random old stuff that needs sold. We want some extra cash!

Seriously though...last month FLEW. The fact that June is already considered "last month" blows my mind...but here we are. Lets do this July, prepare to be enjoyed!
(Linking up with the adorable, Allison!)

Chopped!

No, not food.

MY HAIR!

Last night I had a (much needed) hair appointment. Let me just tell you how long it had been for me...

SINCE MAY 8TH! Waayy too close to that 5 month mark. Will I ever go that long again without a trip to my salon? I think not. My roots looked like dirty dish water that sat for days, and my ends were more split than ever. I felt gross. Like, all the time.

So I finally made that appointment and decided I was going to go back to how it used to be...CHOPPED! I have never been happier.

BEFORE\\AFTER

I even made Caleb do the unthinkable (for him, at least)...take pictures of me for my blog. Ha!

Getting ready has never been so easy. Yeah, I may have to blow dry it under a little...but the shower time was cut in half, and so was the drying time. After my stylist put it in a pony and chopped it, she took a good 7 inches off, then proceeded to perfect it and chop in some layers. I felt easily 3 pounds lighter when I left!

I just feel like a new me.

The past few days I've officially started my REAL fitness journey. Since I'm now signed up for a half marathon next year, I knew it was time to get serious. I always go a day or two, then I cave and eat a candy bar or a whole bag of chips. Then I realized, there is no one stopping me from changing...except ME.

I caaaan resist junk food, I have the ability to exercise, I am able to make good choices.

If only I try.

So, I can now say I've successfully gone two FULL days without sweets and eating clean. I know, two days isn't HUGE, but we all have to start SOMEWHERE. I've also been working out. It feels great to be active again...for no one else but me!

I also have some exciting news coming soon (and its not what you probably think)!!

Happy Fridayyy eve!