happy 29th birthday, love.

for nic's birthday a handful of people "pitched" in and got him a tent. this particular tent is to enable him to cuddle with his bike while traveling to alaska next summer. for the record, i (along with a few other family members) will be flying to AK next summer and meeting the motorcycle travelers (nic and his dad) at their final destination (which we haven't determined yet). once we arrive, we will all tour the state together and then the boys will continue onward home. i think those are the only details we've put together so far. lots of planning yet to do.

assembly required.



our collection of motorcycle gear continues to grow as does our anticipation for the trip.

back to ballet. back to the basics.

i started taking ballet classes just before i turned four years old. my mother told me that at age three i would sit and watch at door of my older sister's ballet class waiting patiently to be old enough to get in there and try it for myself. i danced from age four through college, performing in various recitals, productions, competitions, etc. i remember multiple times wanting to quit, i despised putting my hair in a bun and dreaded the nights of ballet class (when i was little, i'm not sure how my mom put up with a screaming child in the car the whole drive to the studio). but for whatever reason i stuck with it, and now i miss it.



i've been out of ballet class for about three years now, and i think it's about time i get back into the art form as an adult. i've taken one class in the last three years. it was a couple of weeks ago when the kansas city ballet offered free dance classes as a part of the grand opening of their new space in downtown KC. the class was challenging. my body doesn't seem move in the same way, i can hardly point my feet without them cramping and my flexibility has been slowly dwindling. thus, i'm convinced that there is no better place to start than with the basics.

want to learn how to tendu? check this out. i'm scheduled to go to my first official beginner adult class this thursday. i'm excited for the painful journey ahead.

i'll leave you with a gorgeous video i came across tonight. it's an intricate and breathtaking use of classical ballet. the camera angles are amazing, bringing the audience into a unique view of the performance.

love it.

if i had a bucket list

if i had a bucket list or 101 things to do in a 1001 days list, visiting an awesome local kitchen gadgets store would be on it. i heard about this store shortly after moving to the city and due to circumstances out of my control (i.e. having a job across town from the store location and store hours), i've had the hardest time getting there. but, this weekend i did it, and i LOVED it.

look at this line up! incredible! i have a slight addiction to all things kitchen. i think i walked up and down this isle at least 15 times, seriously.

in the market for a coffee cream container. good contender.

learning to love color.

taking lots of pictures and unfortunately not buying anything, still led to a successful 2 hour-ish visit to the hardware store for the kitchen. during my time in the store i realized that kitchen gadgets and organizational storage truly is a passion of mine.

these are a few of my favorite things (and people).

for those of you that live in the midwest you know that it has been a hot summer, we have been breaking heat records left and right, but alas, today, the summer heat broke. in comes the beginnings of fall. fantabulous.

fall is my favorite season, and it is only fitting that i married a man who was born early september. i am so very thankful for my husband. he is devoted to seeking and following Christ, and as he daily clings to Him for his identity, he blesses and leads my weary heart.

we celebrated his 29th birthday yesterday. happy birthday, love.

last night dinner was with my parents at a local italian kitchen. true italian food. sangiovese wine. great conversation. pure bliss.

he said on countless occasions this weekend, "it's your day, babe. what do you want to do?" selfless? manipulative? jury is still out. fortunately for me (or for him, depending on how you look at it), we find our tastes aligning most of the time. some of my favorite things from this weekend included, spending time with those we care about, sleeping in as long as our puppy's bladder allows, a morning starbucks run, a chilly dog park morning (neosho hesitantly got in and out of a little dog pool, so proud), home cooked deliciousness, and patio lounging. AND, labor day tomorrow = no work! it has been a perfect weekend.

his birthday happened to fall on one of my very best friends going away party. this dear friend of mine just got back home from the west coast and will be traveling across the pond soon. and, i will miss her. she is incredibly funny and all together deserving of the opportunity ahead.

ciao, mmm. but, i better get to see you again before you leave, again.