i'm so thankful you were born.

to my nature dominating, beer appreciating, grad school smarty pants…

 i am so thankful you were born.

words fail to express how grateful i am to have met you, to have married you, and now to be able to live our lives together (with sir winston and miss louise by our side). 

i am expectant of all this next year will hold for you and hold for us.

you are my very best friend and i can't imagine my world without you in it.

and even though you aren't the biggest fan of all the birthday hoopla, i hope you know you are loved and celebrated, today and everyday.

now let's party.

29 lessons in 29 years.

{via}

in honor of living 29 years on this grand earth, i thought i would share with you some life lessons that have come my way in my old age. 

enjoy.

1. life is full of surprises. you may have an idea of how things will go, but you should just go ahead and get over that before you get all bratty that things didn't go your way. 

2. very few things feel as good as a long hearty cry.  

3. getting married is pretty much the best. and even if you can't imagine farting in front of the man you love, you will. a lot. and it will make you laugh, every. single. time.

4. always, always, always travel. seeing the world is something you will never regret.

5. your job is important, but it's not the most important. do your best and then go home and have a life.

6. every season has it's advantages, but summer is clearly the best.

7. finding a good book is a one of the greatest treasures.

8. just because something is hard, doesn't mean it's bad. normally the hardest experiences are the ones that grow us the most.

9. God speaks through his creation. if you don't get out and explore, you miss the beauty and the wonder and the reminders of your small spot in this huge world.

10. don't try to eat sushi after you get your wisdom teeth pulled. don't say i didn't warn you.

11. own a dog. few things are better for your mood and self esteem than the perfect way a dog is so excited to greet you at the door.

12. run a race. you will feel inspired and motivated and comforted and your body will thank you for it.

13. if you're ever taking yourself too seriously, sing talk. you will feel like a musical star and will start laughing almost instantly.

14. speaking of singing, karaoke. one of life's greatest joys. hand me a mic and turn up "i wanna dance with somebody" by whitney, and i am the queen of the world. 

15. God loves us. all of us. every part of us. a lot more than we can comprehend. 

16. don't use suave. 

17. vulnerability is powerful.

18. fresh flowers do a lot in the area of making a house a home. my favorites are sunflowers and hydrangeas, in case you were wondering.

19. there is NO SHAME (i repeat NO SHAME) in falling asleep every time you watch a movie. your real friends will accept you just the way you are.

20. people think about you a whole lot less than you think.

21. don't go shopping with a boy. just don't do it. 

22. "to do" lists are much more rewarding when you make little boxes to check off. and if you don't make a "to do" list daily, i'm not sure if we can be friends.

23. it's a wonderful thing to open your home, cook a meal, and sit around the table with the people you love. being hospitable takes practice and you will probably ruin a few meals in the process.
 the important part is opening your home, not demonstrating perfection.

24. pie trumps cake any. day. of. the. week.

25. swinging on a swing set is considerably less fun and more nauseating the older you get.

26. there is something magical about going to a concert.

27. it is completely acceptable (and highly encouraged) to put on your pjs as soon as you get home from work.

28. don't be so hard on yourself. God both blesses and redeems, and there is always more than enough grace to go around.

29. life is a beautiful gift. meant to be cherished and celebrated every day. 

happy birthday to one of the best.

when i say that my sister and i are "close" it may be the understatement of the century.

and if you've spent any amount of time with us, you know that it's true. 

{the spontaneous laughter and criticizing each other openly usually gives us away.

oh, and the matching. we like to buy coordinating outfits sometimes. don't judge.}

i guess that's bound to happen when you're mom dies suddenly during your childhood and someone has to be there to take over. not only was calley my sister, but she became a mother figure to me in more ways than one.

i mean, i went through a phase where i refused to shower and wore overalls constantly. 

and if those two things alone aren't a cry for help, i don't know what is. 

life has changed a lot since my staunch days of resistance to hygiene, but i can honestly say that there hasn't been a single moment where i haven't needed my big sister there to take care of me. 

and there hasn't been a moment where she hasn't been right there...

fashion advice ready.

a sack lunch of leftovers for work the next day.

a space to cry.

a matching "love" sweater to wear on valentine's day.

an open invitation for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

and it's like she doesn't think twice about it. 

calley is..

 so completely generous. 

so completely aware of the needs around her.

and so completely active in helping to meet those needs.

i feel so blessed that of all the people in the world, God put us together as sisters.
that i was blessed with such a generous, kind-hearted soul to watch and try to model after.

so on her birthday, i celebrate a life that inspires. a life that gives. a life that has made mine a million times richer.

here's to you calley.

i can't wait to grow old and become a crotchety old woman with you.

they say it's your birthday...

to the man who...

-always makes great fashion choices

-bought us a new car and lets me drive it (that is true love)

-just dominated his first year of grad school

-draws the most incredible chalkboard art you've ever seen 

-reminds me every day how much he loves me

-has kept his turtle louise alive for 21 years (and counting)

-puts others' needs before his own (we're helping friends move today)

-really listens

-is perfectly content with a burnt hotdog and a galloon of ketchup 

-accepts every part of me (even when i don't understand myself)

-makes me grateful everyday i said yes to our adventure together

happy birthday mr. lesley! 

you are smart, you are brave, and i love you.

now let's party.

dirty 30.

in honor of mr. lesley celebrating the big 3-0 last week in his home state of michigan...

i decided that he needed some love on the bloggy blog too.

so, in no particular order, here are 30 things i love about my main squeeze.

1. his voices for animals (sir winston's voice is my fav.)

2. how much he adores his family

3. he's a EAGLE scout (he even got an official letter from bill clinton!)

4. how he sticks out his tongue when something is funny

5. his impressive movie knowledge

6. louise (who owns a turtle for 20+ years...this guy!)

7. his compassionate heart

8. his extreme mountain man skillz...he's climbing kilimanjaro in less than a week. amazing.

9. he's also got cooking skillz like you wouldn't believe.

10. his starbucks order of choice? a grande, extra hot, white chocolate mocha, no whip (complete with hand motions)...sometimes with a shot of raspberry and sometimes with an extra shot of espresso...he's not too cool to love his starbies.

11. he supports me, no matter what.

12. he's hilarious and makes me laugh constantly.

13. he's embarking on grad school so he can study international community development and find practical ways to help people...so brave!

14. aviators. enough said.

15. he's my blog manager. and takes his job very seriously:) 

16. pbr. enough said.

17. he taught middle school for 6 years. and all the kids LOVED him.

18. he knows everything there is to know about ancient rome. and i'm not kidding.

19. we have the same sized head. seriously. big domes all around.

20. he is committed to our church community. 

21. he talks me off the ledge when i get ridiculous.

22. deep voice club? yep, he's the president.

23. he won the hearts of the secretaries at our school with his charm and neckties. 

24. he's really good hangman competition...even though i always dominate:) 

25.he loves to travel and go on adventures.

26. watching him wrestle with sir winston might be my favorite pastime 

27. HOCKEY. he loves it. i am learning.

28. he likes ketchup. like more than any other human being i've ever met.

29. his man beard. he keeps it around because he knows i'm a big fan.

30. his love for me is unconditional. honestly and truly.

here's to at least 70 more years of shenanigans...

and with modern science, possibly thousands more:) 

you're the best mr. lesley. and i love you.

the big 2-6.

yep, i'm 26.

closer to 30 than 20 (as my lovely sister pointed out).

and that's kind of a big deal.

a celebration was in order.

a day of good, clean fun.

it started with an end of the year meeting at school...

where mr. lesley turned in his keys and said adios to teaching and hola to grad school. 

all the ladies in the office were so sad to see him go but happy mr. tie (as they affectionately called him) will be back in the fall to help me set up my new classroom and periodically throughout the year to bring me lunch (hint, hint). 

we did a high five in the car and drove off towards our favorite record store, twist and shout...

where i picked a ray lamontagne album and mr. lesley chose pink floyd and led zeppelin (so hardcore, i know).

then after being indecisive for awhile, i decided we should pick up some lunch at whole paycheck and enjoy the sunshine...

where we made up voices and hypothetical scenarios for the ducks...

(making up animal voices, dialogues, and conversations for animals is one of our favorite pastimes) 

posed for pics...



and snuck a little kiss, kiss.

after lunch, i wanted to spend some quality time with the pup.

i mean, obviously.

then that evening, the fun really started.
i went to the cherry cricket for the first time.
and it. changed. my. life.

and i got to hang out with two of my favorites!
heather and jason!
who came down from fort collins to hang out for the night.
love them.



i ordered my burger with cream cheese, bacon, and an egg.
and i may or may not have been heard saying "it's so good...i mean, it definitely tastes like cheese...but it's creamy."
people have been known to say crazy things under the influence of amazing food.



then it was time for the highlight of the evening.
BOWLING!
with all my favorite denver-ites!

kari even made me a razzleberry pie...along with brownies courtesy of calley and heather! 

we bowled. we talked. we laughed. we danced. we talked about oprah.
you know...the usual.

i can't help but think how i moved to this city knowing virtually no one (besides my wonderful sister)...
and now i have met so many great friends, along with the man i love.

love this city.
love these people.

this is going to be one great year.
i just know it.