manual mode is a bugger

so, confession: i didn't know how to work a camera unless it was on "auto" until about 4 days ago.

yes, i am officially a manual mode user now. and while it is bothersome, a bugger and annoying...and i feel like i am doing calculus homework as i set up a shot, it actually feels pretty good to able to say that i took all of the above photos after the sun was already hiding behind the horizon. yes. i finally understand apertures, and shutter speeds and what the heck an "f stop" means. turns out it doesn't mean "the f word" plus "stop". who knew!?

can i say again how excited i am that i took these photo after the sun was bye bye? because i am.

PS...you best be getting used to lots of photos that don't really have to do with anything. i don't have much time to blog other things when all i do is work and go to school now. that's also a bugger.

bye bye august!

august was a great month for us. i like the idea of looking back and reflecting on all of the moments that we experienced together.

1. we moved into a new home, and we are absolutely loving it. it is my favorite place we have lived so far. it's so bright and cheery and GREAT.

2. we went on dates to get gourmet ice lollies and went on a hunt to find delicious gluten free pizza. we like this and that one.

3. we went on a road trip to my grandparent's summer home in Pine...and decided we probably need to go back ASAP.

4. i went to the Josh Groban concert with my parents and little brother. it made me decide that Josh Groban is the shiz.

5. i found out some annoying/scary/annoying/stressful/annoying news. but decided that it will be okay, especially with lots of prayer!

6. we made a big and life-changing decision. one that scares me, but also is exciting at the same time.

7. the hunger games teaser trailer came out, and i shed tears. yes...yes i did.

8. i read "Divergent" and it was awesomespice. probably one of my very favorite books ever.

9. we got callings in the Primary at church, and we are really happy in there. the kids in our class are freakin' hilarious. i probably shouldn't have said "freakin" just then.

10.i started going to school again. and it's been really hard and stressful for me. but i got a new camera, and that is awesomespice.

what was your favorite thing about your august?

PS...on top of my spending freeze, i am now putting all proceeds from the vintage shop towards paying off my camera. i added some new dresses to the bunch. sorry about the sizing, i haven't been able to find my tape measurer since we moved! anyway, buy dresses here :)

august sponsor giveaway!

this month's sponsor giveaway is freakin' awesome. seriously...so many shop owners with GREAT giveaways!

first up is this beautiful gold chevron necklace from moorea seal!

i am the happy owner of two of moorea's amazing creations, and i can tell you honestly that they are some of the most beautiful jewelry pieces in my closet, and SO well made. i feel edgy and chic when i wear my gypsy crown, and my necklace. you can see me wearing both here.

next is an awesomespice shop credit of $40 to just.lovely.things!

heather makes some of the most darling jewelry pieces, of pretties for your hair!

some of my favorites include this owl ring, this deer ring, and this necklace :)
her shop has GREAT prices, so you will be able to find a couple things you love!

steph anne is the genius behind yellow & savvy design, and she is giving away a free blogger or wordpress template!

as a blogger, i know how important it is to have a clean, and stylish blogger layout and steph anne makes the best!

as the winner you can choose from any below. i personally like the second one the best!

our final giveaway item is for a $35 shop credit to much love, illy!

ilene is known for her beautiful poppy garlands, and this one is my favorite of the bunch!

it would be perfect for the fall! or to wear to the grocery store. that's what i do with headbands. they negate the grungy jammie look! hahaha! or maybe that is just me. who knows.

anyway, i have worn my poppy garland here, and my cute bow headband here.

her items are so well made and totally awesomespice! and if you want free shipping, just use the code "ILOVELAUREN" at checkout!

so many awesome giveaway items! all you have to do is comment letting me know what your favorite thing about fall is!

you have until this saturday to enter! good luck :)

party in the USA

i don't care what anyone says. i love the song "party in the USA" and i am pretty sure ted likes it too. but i wouldn't swear on a bible or anything.

[photo credit: sloan photographers]

anyway, i have been thinking about having a party. but not just any party...a-readers-of-this-blog party!

when i saw that my girl sydney from the daybook had a party when she reached a certain amount of followers, i thought "huh...maybe i should do that some time."

the thought has been in the back of my mind for a while now, and now that i am approaching 4,000 followers, i thought it might be fun to start planning one.

i was thinking we could do it December 17th and we could have a white elephant gift exchange (you know...the COOLEST type of gift exchange!) since it would be close to christmas. i feel like the 17th would be good because the school semester would be done by then and all that crap that is the antithesis of a party.

i was also thinking it would be fun to get some etsy shop owners involved. basically anyone that wants to donate giveaways for door prizes, in exchange for advertising at the party.

of course food would be involved. and all sorts of awesomeness. and i was thinking it would be fun to invite significant others, if they want to come...because ted WILL be at this party, gosh darn it.

so my questions are:

1. if you live in arizona (or anywhere, actually) would you honestly come to the party? i mean, i am bribing you with food.

2. what kind of venue would a party like this be cool at? or would a venue be dumb? should we do it in my backyard? ha! (that might be cool actually)

3. i am shy but i want to meet all of you! (you don't have to be bloggers! just readers!) would you promise to come and not make me sad when no one shows up?

*if you are a vendor in the valley that would either like to host the event, or would like to contribute to the food portion of this party, advertising can be exchanged. let me know if you are interested!*

kay...okay...okay...bye!

PS...i created a facebook event where we can chat and you can let me know if you want to come!

pizza for breakfast.

[photos shot with an EOS Canon Rebel/ 50mm f/1.8 lens]

This weekend Ted and I finally tried out Le Grande Orange in Arcadia. I don't know why it took us so long to finally make a visit and nosh on their incredible pizza (we got our's gluten free!) and see their awesome grocery section. Ted asked if we could go back this coming weekend, and I said, "as long as I can eat the leftovers in bed again." So basically it's a done deal.

I really like when Ted and I go on dinner dates because we have in depth conversations about different things. I wouldn't consider either one of us to be good conversationalists, but together we can talk each other's ears off. Not literally, because that would be gross and sad. But anyway, this particular night we made plans for our future. Big plans. Ones that we have given a lot of thought and prayers to.

Things aren't a done deal, and nothing is set in stone, but at this point in our lives we are pretty sure that Ted will be enlisting in the Air Force. We toyed around with the idea of the Army, the Army Reserves and so forth, but we feel really good about the Air Force. Since Ted has a knack for picking up foreign languages pretty quickly, he is thinking about looking into something having to do with linguistics.

I often have felt worried and concerned out our future because school has been very difficult for Ted. When my dad casually brought up the military one day, knowing that Ted struggled with school and knowing what he wanted to do as a career one day, I was shocked and upset that he would even suggest that. I remember going home and telling Ted in a "isn't that so funny and proposterous of my dad" type of way, and Ted said he had often considered the military but was too afraid to bring it up to me. The more I prayed and we talked about the military, I just felt at peace and that this route is the right one for us. And Ted feels that it is a very honorable way to support his family (even if our little family is just us two right now).

Anyway, that's what's going on at the casa de Brimley right now. Well, that and lots of homework and watching of "Doctor Who" and "X-Files". You know...keepin' it nerdy and real around here. But what else is new? :)

the couple that cooks in jammies together, stays together

whenever ted and i cook a meal together, we ALWAYS like it better than anything we can get at a restaurant. why do we go out so much? i don't even love it! we decided to commit to stop being lazy and cook more. plus, cooking together is fun! especially when jammies and music are involved.

what are some of your favorite things to cook at home? we love making "eggs in purgatory"!

you can find our recipe here.

scenes from the weekend

this weekend we took the plunge and bought me a new camera. a few of the photos above were shot with it. it's my baby. some people have actual babies, but since i can't seem to make that work yet, i buy a freakin expensive camera. it's cool :) ha!

how was your weekend? do anything fun??