wedding bells and pink shoes

my best girlfriend, kelly, is marrying the man of her dreams this july 30th in our wonderful hometown, alsea. she is getting married at her childhood home/parents house (which is really really sweet!) and i just cant wait to see her walking down the aisle. it has been nothing short of incredible to witness and be a part of her (their) journey.

you see, it wasn't that long ago that i was in the future mrs. ruzek's very position. living and breathing all of the excitement. making endless to-do lists. walking around with what felt like a cage of butterflies in my stomach. but there is something so powerful about witnessing this life changing event ever so slightly removed. it is so easy to fast forward through the right now. breeze by what it feels like to be single. what it feels like in the unknown. what it feels like to be so happy and in love. in a way, it is like i get to experience these little treasures all over again. and it is beautiful.

ps. how cute are the bridesmaid shoes?!
xxo

it's the little things

as a little girl, the beginning of a new school year each september always made me giddy with anticipation and excitement; mostly for that one day that mom would take us school supply shopping! i couldnt get enough of the pens, pencils, papers, you name it.

the same is true today. although i dont get to go school supply shopping with mom, i feel that same anticipation and excitement when i know i have art supplies waiting for me at the post office. i ordered about 30 new paint colors. i cant even begin to tell you how excited i am to start playing.

in other news, we celebrated father's day last weekend here in Mill City.

you are looking at the three best men in my life. karl, dad, and ben. we are on our way to Giovannis, only the best little pizza place in the world!

karl doesn't really like it when i make him take pictures of us- can you tell?

one of the best views in town.

happy tuesday friends! stay cool today (i hear it is going to be HOT!)
xxo

abstract love

this weekend i was thrilled to spend a little quality time in a town close to my heart - yep, that's right: corvallis! going back flooded my mind with memories of college days. nothing like a little nostalgia on a sunday afternoon.

my mom and i had coffee at interzone while admiring Maggie Brock's Artwork. have you been there to see it? maggie is one of the coolest gals around, and so is her art. this is one of my favorites:

i believe it is called "geography". her etsy shop is in the works as we speak. cant wait!

here is my mom. isn't she cute?

this is a non-fat mexican mocha. the tables at interzone are all mismatched and retro. love them.

and to top off an exceptional day, this is what i saw on the drive back to mill city.

thoughts on being gentle

i am slowly beginning to recover from the past couple of extremely intense and stressful weeks.

i am reminding myself that it is okay to take a break from it all, because taking a break is not equivalent to failure (those lines are so easily blurred in my mind).

in the aftermath (oh yes, i passed my test wednesday - yahoo!) there have been a whole lot of OC marathons, a little reading, long walks around the neighborhood, and plenty of rest.

here is a sneak peak of what is waiting in the studio for me: 

can't wait to share more with you.
xxo