Allow me to explain.

Since I'm going to be talking "Hot Chocolate" quite a bit over the next few months, I thought I would take a moment to clarify what I actually mean by that. Because when I say I'm going to have a cup of hot chocolate, I don't actually mean that I'm just going to wander into the kitchen, grab a mug and pour in some cocoa and some milk. No, no.

"Hot chocolate" means something bigger.

To me, hot chocolate stands for one of my FAVORITE traditions with Levi.

Here's a little glimpse.

[PS: We're going to proceed as if the name on my cup really does, by some miracle, read "Amalie". Deal?]

Hot chocolate from Starbucks. "Hold the lid, extra whip, a swirl of cocoa syrup? Oh yes. And don't you dare forget the gentle dusting of cinnamon my dear." If they nail all that, you can bet I'm letting the name-spelling-mishap slide.

More than that tongue binding bitter chocolate flavor though, it's detox.

It's laughing with Levi. It's smelling Seattle. It's the cold outside. It's watching people. It's remembering the space needle and it's imagining the future. It's the reality that everyone is fighting their own battle and yet it seems to also remind me that we're all in this together. It's those sweet parts of life that you can know without a doubt you'll be missing when summer temperatures come around again. It's the pictures that you can't help but smile at when you see. It's everything I love.

To sum up? I adore these date nights with my man. Sitting. Laughing. Planning. Chatting. Sipping on a little taste of love wrapped up in a cardboard cozy, because honestly that is what it tastes like to me. Now that I have these memories floating along in every red grande cup.

Anyway, so now you know. This is what "hot chocolate" means to me.

Long day.

Like, really long day. It was a roasted tomato soup and french bread grilled cheese night. And now I'm wondering if that is even going to cut it! This girl needs a serious detox. Luckily the boy is here to cheer me up. Earlier he found a spider on our kitchen floor. We stared at him for a few minutes before Levi started speaking FOR the spider himself!

"Well. It's not lookin' too good for me."

I died a little bit. I've never heard anyone speak from the spiders point of view before. Won't lie, made it a little harder to squish the [poor] fella.

Anyway.

Bring on the hot chocolate. With EXTRA marshmallows. That's right people, she's hittin' it hard tonight.

Also, I've been putting this off but I can no longer WAIT to share just a couple of these. Isn't their little growing family so precious?? Sigh. Love these three. I am so excited to meet number four.

Honey do. Please and thank you.

Waking up to good mannered Honey-Do requests taped to the door?

Quite possibly one of my favorite things of all time!

So far today I've gotten to spend some much adored girl time with the lovely ladies in my family, who were sweet enough to sing me an early birthday song and let me blow out a little candle stuck in the middle of a big scoop of ice cream topping a delicioussss pizza cookie, I got to hold my practically brand new [6 weeks already??] little niece, I came home to a sleepy boy and got to listen to his rather interesting [very longggg] dream of family football, log boat rides, and a haunting ghost, now I'm enjoying some of the MILLION left-overs we have in our fridge and I'm looking forward to a hot chocolate run at some point in the next hour or two. Because it's like 50 degrees outside. And because boy and I could use a little date me thinks. And because, well, when is it ever NOT a good time to sit and chat over a warm cup of cocoa?

Details.

I love the sun so much more on days like this! It's too cold to sit in the shade, but settling yourself right smack dab in the middle of its rays keeps you just warm enough to thoroughly enjoy the occasional chill or rush of goosebumps.

Zooming in, today. Zooming in on strands of hair and pretty patterned scarves and argyle tights. Kind of like this morning when Levi solidified his position as my #1 favorite person in this world by gently setting his hand on the back of my arm as I climbed into the truck - a tiny gesture that may not have meant anything, but it made me feel safe. Later in the afternoon he somehow came to the conclusion that my new nickname was bumbum and he proceeded to call me by it out loud while in public - at least I know that I never need to worry about being an embarrassment. Then this evening. He let me warm up my fingers in between his arms and his chest while we watched some football - something he always does but something that I don't think should ever go unmentioned because it's those kinds of things that make me feel like just maybe this boy loves me or something.

See what I mean?

It's really pretty easy to enjoy the sunshine, once your focus is on the details. All the tiny little details. They're the ones that make this life, so great.

In the shape of a heart.

As Pinterest would say:

"That Awkward Moment:
...when you haven't blogged in months and have no good excuse."

Well here I am again, ready and willing to get back to this baby.

Partly because Boy is starting to lay on the guilt. ["Checked the blog again today...nothin' new." Said as if I'm supposed to be as shocked as he is that no one has updated yet. Being the author...I'd be a whole lot more surprised if someone had but thank you dear, for the informal nudge.]

Partly because it's been so long that the thoughts in my head are starting to compete for attention again. Time to release some of them into the great wide world of cyberspace and see what they can do for themselves out there.

But mostly, because when I got out of my truck today I looked down and this little guy was staring me in the face.

Just what I needed. A gentle but also kind of slap-you-in-the-face little reminder of the love out there.

I do this in my journal from time to time but I thought it would be a good way to catch you up. There are ten of them but I'm' narrowing this down to my five favorites because nobody wants to read a  one hundred page long blog post, right? Here's lately.

1. EATING: Good. Really good actually. For example. Two nights ago we ordered Oregano's Pizza. Our favorite 18" thin crust of artichoke hearts, black olives, pepperoni, and gorgonzola. Usually, that pizza feeds us both for the next week! Unfortunately however, I already had a lovely round steak thawing in the fridge so the next night, despite the perfectly fine left-over pizza, I started some Swiss Steak roasting in the ol' crock pot. However, do you know what Swiss steak smells like while it's cooking? Apparently to the boy it smelled like beef stew because that is exactly what he came downstairs craving. And considering that the steak still had a few hours of cooking, and considering that even Oregano's pizza doesn't really cut it when you're craving something as hearty as beef stew... Well. Let's just say that by the end of the night last night we could've fed a small army. With options. And with homemade hot fudge to wash it all down with but who's keeping track, really?

2. WEARING: Thermals and jeans. No seriously, I think we've both worn that combination for about a week straight now. We're never real sure what to do when the temps drop below 70 in Arizona. I'll put "Figure Out Other Warm Clothing Combinations That Don't Involve Thermal" on my to-do list for this week. The jeans are staying though. There's just no getting around that one.

3. FEELING: Let's see, let's make that 45% contentedly happy, 45% unbelievably grateful, 6% anxious, and 4% ready. Life is treating us really well in our little household of two. We have such great people so close in our lives and Levi's sister and her family just moved down from WA adding to that list! We feel really blessed in that area and we feel really blessed just to get to be together. [That boy LIGHTS up my life.] There have been a few things lately...[A disgruntling HOA and a forgetful and rather flippant neighbor for example...] that have left us just a little new-adventure-hungry. We've been researching housing in green areas like Edmonds, WA. Levi wants his own space and being that close to the energy of a city like Seattle would be pretty unreal to me. We're patiently enjoying our life here, but we're also open to the idea that a change just might be brewing underneath the surface!

4. WANTING: Each other. No question. Will you indulge me while I brag on my man for a minute? One day a couple weeks ago as we were laying down to bed, I turned over and started to get comfortable and watched Levi do the same. For some reason he looked really, I don't know, foreign to me. As I took in what shirt he was wearing and the way his hair was sticking up in the back I realized how little I had taken note of him that day. I thought through it and realized we had both been so busy with things that we hadn't hugged or kissed one single time. That really doesn't happen very often but I brought it up to him. We laughed about it, he kissed my face a couple times and we made a little half-asleep goal to never let it happen again. You know what? He hasn't. He takes time every single day to just hold me. To wrap me up and look me in the eye and give that simple little reassurance that he knows I'm there and that he's glad. At this point in my life more than ever I'm realizing how important it is to make that move. To let people know, that you recognize them in your life. Everyone should feel wanted.

5. ENJOYING: Sleeping in and cloudy days. Blockbusters 4 for $20 deals. Dove dark chocolate. Belting The Carpenters Christmas songs together, knowing and forgetting all the same parts. Cuddling to stay warm. The comforting whiiirrrrrr sound that Holmes, our little space heater makes. The opportunity to wear beanies. Fantasy Football [OH how we enjoy Fantasy Football!]. Going to get the mail in the middle of the night, in shorts and a T shirt just to be able to rush inside and dive under every blanket we own. Dance parties in the kitchen [This is pretty much ALWAYS on my list though, yes?]. Nicknames. Out of town family visits. Quiet evenings, all to ourselves.

Sorry if I bored you. If I was trying to get back into the habit of writing - I'd say I accomplished it! I'll pop back in with more picturesque fun filled posts soon. Promise! Happy Sunday!

My favorite thing to do.

All right. I will admit it. There are times in my life where I get burned out...or just plain grumpy and I kind of blow photography to the side. I tell myself "Eh, it's fun, but whatever." and I push it out of my mind for a while. And then I have shoots like these.

I have shoots like these and I suddenly remember why picking up that camera really is my favorite thing to do. Brooke emailed me a few weeks ago wondering if I could take her seniors and I was of course thrilled to do so. Not only is she an absolute babe, but hanging out with her and her boy for a couple hours was a total blast. This girl is so much more real and down to earth than I ever even dreamed of being when I was graduating high school! Loved her [and her boy's] laid back personality. Hope you like em, lady. Choosing just a few of these shots to post was one of THE hardest things I have EVER had to do.

[That wasn't a joke. I think the only thing harder than narrowing this shoot down to a few "favorites" was trying to get into these freshly washed jeggings this morning - and come on. We all know there is nothing more difficult than that.]

Her boy came along and we all know how hard it is for me to resist taking mushy gushy ooey gooey lovey dovey pictures like this one.

They're just so dang hot! How could I resist?

Hope you're having a great Halloween weekend! I won't lie, Levi and I have been just a wee bit boring this year. [Yes, I just said "wee bit". I'm awesome.] We're going over to my grandparents to help pass out candy tomorrow night which actually is my favorite way to spend the holiday anyway. I'm not even sure we'll dress up. If we do though - you can bet there will be pictures! Be safe y'all. Love and candy comin' you're way.

A welcome.

Meet my lovely sister.

This was actually taken about a month ago and when we took them she was already ready to pop. Thank the Heavens above the little lady inside of her finally decided to greet the world yesterday. I honestly consider myself THE luckiest girl in the world today to get to be an Aunt three times over as of eight thirty last night.

Is there anything so refreshing as holding such an innocent little beating heart so close to you like that? 

Welcome, Cosette. You are already so loved!

Here's lately.

Levi says his head is too big for that outfit down there and that I have to update this thing so that you're not looking at solo pictures of him every time you log in anymore.

As much as I disagree... I guess a push is a push is a push, huh? And Heaven only knows, this girl needed a push. Dear fellow bloggers, How DO you keep up?? Love, me.

It's really not that I don't LOVE blogging - because honestly I do. It's not even that I'm too busyyyy to post - because let's be real here, I'm just not. And it's definitely not that I forget about this little inch of cyber space I've claimed as my own - I think about it every single day. It's just that I'm still learning how to keep up the inspiration. I'm still learning how to not let it overwhelm me. I'm still learning how to juggle. How to find the balance. How to make it a steady routine. As opposed to bursts of on and the ever unfortunate [but seemingly inevitable] bursts of off.

I'm not sure I'll ever learn.

Here's lately.

I am so crazy about this boy. Last night we went to a party with some of our friends and when we went to head home afterward, our truck had died a little bit. We had to have a friend drive us home to get the other truck so we could tow big blackie [the dead truck] on home. I won't lie, I had never towed anything before and let me be the first to tell ya - that is NOT easy work. I was in the back truck - the dead one - and it took pretty much all of my weight just to break that sucker. Luckily. I have an amazing boyfriend. Every single time I did it right, that boy would pop his head out of the window and applaud me.

That kind of sums him up, to me. Always applauding me on. Always lifting me up. Just being there. Every step of the way. I will never be able to express how much it means in my life to have that. That constant. That light. Him.

I love him.

I do have things to share. I'll be better.
Goodnight.

What HE wore.

In love with this boy. 

How super FLY does he look?

Seriously.

The whole outfit is from H&M and I'm pretty much swooning in my seat over here.

It was all I could do to get these things edited without drooling all over the keyboard.

Want a little insight into our daily lives? 

Friday Sept 30, 2011 Text List

Amalie 3:25: I'm bored.

Amalie 3:57: I'm hungry.

Amalie 4:44: I'm sleepy.

Levi 5:03: I'm lonely.

Amalie 5:04: I'm coming.

Levi 5:04: I'm excited.

Amalie 5:16: I'm close!

Levi 5:17: I'm impatient!

Amalie 5:20: I'm home!

To which Levi proceeds to swing the door open and swallow me up in a sweet rib crushing squeeze.

He is seriously, THE best.

While cuddling in California...

I wore this.

Dress, Belt, Scarf: Target

Shoes: Steve Madden

[Realizing I could stand to learn how to accessorize.]

Every piece in this outfit is a new favorite. The dress? I love that I can dress it up with heels - or - I could throw on Toms with it and make it a little more casual. The scarf? I love the colors in it - and - I love that the pattern is perfect for mixing with stripes. The belt? Well, who doesn't love a good skinny belt? I was super excited about adding a few little versatile pieces to my [slowly growing] wardrobe. 

Want in on a nerdy little secret about me? I have this section in my closet. The back section. It's not huge, but it's got two or three pieces of clothing that Levi has never seen. I keep them there for special date nights or you know, trips to California and I spring them on him when he least expects it. It may be a vain little streak in me, but I LOVE hearing his "Ooh! Where'd you get that?? I haven't seen that yet, have I??" reactions. There's really very little that that boy doesn't know about me so I suppose I just itch occasionally to throw that little element of mystery into our relationship. I mean really, the CIA should hire me.

Honeymooning.

Kiddddinnnggg.

Just vacationing.

But man. I tell you what. Every trip feels like a honeymoon when you got a stud like this holding your hand through it.

We just got home from California! It was a little spur of the moment. I mean, we've been talking about going for a while, but we weren't exactly sure when we would exactly until Levi finished up some work for the weekend and said "Let's just go!" and we dropped everything but our pants and ran. We went to Huntington - where he lived for a couple months back in the lame before-me-days. I had him show me where he lived, and where he went when he needed time to himself, where he surfed [or "tried" says he], where he hung out, where he got his groceries. You know that Rascal Flatts song, Take Me There? It was in my head all weekend long. Learning about him is one of my favorite things in the world. The fact that I'm the girl he chooses to share every part of his life with is still so unreal to me. Getting to grow a little closer, share a little more, getting to put another few little pieces into the puzzle that make up him, sigh. It was a pretty perfect weekend.

  

Our spot on the beach. Safe distance from Creeper at tower #16 [whose boyfriend looked none to pleased at his man's wandering eyes] and just enough space between us and the kite surfer at  #20 that we could watch him fly...but still turn around and make out without being completely inappropriate.

 Seriously.

Could you have kept your hands off of him?

French toast for dinner.

Today when we got home from running some errands, this little guy was hanging out front waiting to greet us. We named him Bartholemew of course [After the last toad that we had come visit, who was named after the toad before that, who was named after who-knows-what.]. The poor little guy had a little bit of a gimpy leg so we held him for an extra long time [because I'm sure that made him feel better]. As soon as I jumped out of the truck shouting "Barth!" Levi started talking about reasons we could probably keep him. That boy has a heart of gold I tell you. A heart. Of. Gold.

Are we dreaming in black and white?

I haven't felt very good for a few days and I'm not yet back to my photo-happy self so today I think I'll just write a little bit. I think I'll just write a little about my life. About the things Levi and I talk about. About the song I'm listening to right now. About living YOUR life. And maybe a little about faith.

I feel like so many people in this world dream in black and white. I did. For a really long time. I still do at times, to be honest. Do you know what I mean by black and white? I mean I feel like a lot of people go their whole lives planning vacations around the weather. I feel like a lot of people throw away every one of the goody trays they get at Christmas. I feel like a lot of people say they "love the beach" but they've never swam in the ocean. [I am so to blame!] I mean when we think about our lives are we just watching the hours go by or are we living in every minute?

[ANECDOTE ALERT]

I was at my grandma's today for a "girls lunch" with my sister and cousin and aunt - all of us that live in the area. Anyway. My grandma had a friend selling chocolate in bulk and we all went around the table signing up for our 5 lbs. of mini chips or kisses or m&m's. It was fun but as I was walking out the door, I changed my mind. I crossed off my order, said, "You know, I think it's probably better if I have to go to the store when I want chocolate chip cookies - makes me think a little longer about it!" and I left. Now that I'm home, and have been of course, taking it easy, I'm wondering...Why? Why not let yourself make cookies when you want em?

There are times when Levi or I will be just a little distracted with something in our lives. Whether it's work, whether it's family, whether it's whatever. Usually we tell each other. Usually with a "BABBBEEE! I NEED SOME 'TENTION!" [Tention=Attention in our household.]. It almost always ends in a tickle fight, or a cuddle fest, or a night out, or something where we can just be together. Where we can remind each other to appreciate the fact that we get to be together. Just to be together. I am SO grateful for this! I am so glad he's there to remind me that life is good, if I ever forget and I'm so glad he's willing to be reminded as well.

I think that's the secret. For me, personally, I believe it's vital - yes, VITAL - to each and every one of us to be surrounded by people in our lives who will give us that reminder. There has to be those people around us that make us want to enjoy the moment. That make us WANT to live every one of those minutes. At least for me, that makes all the difference.

Let's make our lives what we want them to be, yeah? Let's make cookies every time we crave them and soak up the time we get on this earth. Personally, Levi is what fills MY dreams with color. From the first moment I got to share with him. He brightens every shade. He helps me make those minutes count. Every one of them. I love him just for that.

In the rain.

It's raining today. Yes, actually RAINING. Not only that, but it's been raining. For like the last three days. It's been incredible. I'm actually sitting on our porch right now. Sitting on the porch, blogging, pretending I'm not in Arizona. Weather like this makes me oh, so reminiscent. More on that later. Without further ado. Style blog number double oh eight. Right hurr.

Not my most "mature" outfit to date, but it was a lot of fun to wear! Plus the boy liked it. And we pretty much just go with whatever the boy says.

Top and tights are from F21 and the skirt and the shoes were both thrifted.

These clouds make me think Seattle. Driving down the five, sitting in the middle seat, cuddling up to the boy that I'm getting to know so well. Talking about sights we want to see, pictures we want to take, reasons we're falling in love. Laying in the grass under blankets, still so much electricity running between us. We're talking about all the excuses we can to postpone not being together. All the ways we could make "us" really work. We hold hands. We giggle. We ask people to take our pictures. We flirt. These cloudy days will forever be my favorite. They will always remind me of what started it all. The beginning. Our beginning. It was a cloudy day just like this one, when my life changed for the better.

Today I Love

Today I love that when I asked Levi the other day if he was okay with me never straightening my hair again, he looked at me blank and responded with an "Of course!" as if it was silly that I even asked. I love that that boy takes me as I am - frizzy unstyled hair and all. I love that the other day I froze some cookie dough in little balls so that I could pull them out and eat them whenever my little heart started craving, and I love that every time I do so now, Levi calls it a "Cookie Party" and absolutely INSISTS that I formally invite him to it. [I won't even go into the pitifully pained expression on his face the first time I didn't. I tried to explain that it wasn't really a party, and that if it had been he of course would have been number one on the guest list...but "how on earth could I have thought for even a second that it wasn't a party if there were cookies AND me involved"?? Lesson learned.] I love that while we're painting cabinets, he calls it a game and races constantly to catch up with me. I love how FUN that boy makes my life. I love surrounding myself with people who make me laugh. People I don't have to think around, if that makes sense. Do you know what I mean? It's just nice when you can let go with someone. When you can just be. No pressure. It's rewarding.

Want to know what else I love?

 

Isn't there something so magical about new boxes of crayons? It's like a blank canvas for me. Or opening a fresh tube of paint. Or sharpening a dull pencil. I'm a sucker for fresh starts I suppose. It's just so...you know. 

Inspiring.

PS: Blue green has been my favorite for as long as I can remember. Blue green, then Scarlet. What's yours?

Here's what I sweated in today.

YES. I am still trying to force Fall. Only today, instead of long sleeves with shorts - it's a tank top with a scarf. I'm a confused little child.

I also ventured into the world of jeans today. I am so excited for cooler weather.

Do you want a side-dish-story this morning? 

Every day, after Levi wakes up, he yawns a couple times. Then he spends several minutes stretching. Then goes to the bathroom. Then he wanders back out scratching his messy hair [and looking a little lost]. Once he gets his barrings again, he turns the light on to the very lowest setting. He hasn't picked up his glasses yet, so he kneels back down on the bed and puts his face about an inch away from mine to see if my eyes are still closed, whether they are or not, he always whispers:

"Are you still sleeping?"

I absolutely love this.