Photobooth Greatness.

This morning I got on Facebook and saw a whole lotta fun in Ben and Jenny's Wedding Photobooth album. Remember, they were the couple who got married in Oklahoma a few weeks ago? The wedding was magic, and this is just a small sneak peek into how incredible our friends really are. We look like a lot of fun, don't we?

(Photos by CWard Photography)

Thanks you two for hosting the greatest party ever!

Lightroom Magic.

I've been messin' around with Lightroom for the last week or so. I've been havin' a really good time with it! On my photo editing journey over the last couple years I have realized two things: I cannot for the life of my learn Photoshop and that iPhoto doesn't have wonderful editing options. I had been hearing about Lightroom for the last few months, and while watching my friend Jared edit photos at his house the other night, he offered to give it to us and we accepted. Little did I know that this was the answer to my photo editing prayers...

Lightroom is SUPER user friendly. The copy I have has great preset options that require very little touch ups after the fact. I didn't really do that much research before I started using Lightroom (maybe I was testing my knowledge before seeing what Lighroom could do for me) and I found that with what little photo editing skill that I had, I could do a LOT with a little. Going in with good photo composition skills and a great subject, I tried it out for a few days. The results were better than I thought that they were going to be.

Pretty cool huh? When I learn a little bit more about it, I'll share some skills that I learned through Lightroom with you all! Happy photo editing!

Lately on Instagram.

Just a few of what's been on my Instagram lately. I love having an absurd amount of photos to look through. Thank you iPhone, for allowing me to be that Mom that has thousands of pictures of her child. 

Hope you have a good weekend!!

Cut It Out. A Life of Transition.

I've been working with this idea lately that I'm calling "cutting the fat."

When I became pregnant with Violet, I understood that everything was going to change. The way that I looked, my relationship with my husband, my friendships and my family; all of this was going to change. Some of these transitions came easier than others, but some of these transitions I struggled with. I had a really hard time knowing that I wasn't going to be around for every party, every coffee date, etc. and be able to hold strong my relationships with everyone. I did understand on the other half of things I was soon going to receive something much more valuable: my daughter Violet. 

After Bean was born, this idea of "cutting the fat" didn't really exist. Everyone was really excited about her being born, which was not unexpected. We had a lot of visitors and a lot of people interested in our lives. Slowly but surely that dwindled off, and the constants remained. My life became diapers and breastfeeding, much unlike the late nights and evenings out with friends it had been before. I was in LOVE with Bean and I couldn't get enough of her. My husband and I were thrilled with this new little life that we constantly stared at in awe. Time went on and life moved and shifted again and again like it always does.

In the last couple of months with the idea of going to cosmetology school in the air, with Josh eventually transitioning into a new job and everything else that life has thrown at us, the idea of "cutting the fat" has come back with a vengeance. Instead of spreading myself so thin between trying to be everyone's best friend, attending every party/get together, and being the best wife/mother/friend/daughter that I can be, I realized that no one was getting my 100%. Instead of being my best, I was giving to these people way less than what I should have been giving.

I remained steadfast with this "cutting the fat" idea, not an idea anymore, but rather something that I was given to think, dwell on, and pray about. I thought about friendship and what I wanted from these relationships that I was surrounding myself with. I thought about my efforts and if I was putting them towards the right direction. With a limited amount of time, I want intentional action. I want a two way street. I have to let go of the fact that I cannot be everywhere all the time. I cannot always know what is going on with everyone. I cannot because it's shortening my greatness. It's lessening the “me” that I have to give out. This has shown me that I need to make more room for what I do need. I have a lot of exciting things coming up, and this idea may change, but it’s been a really great thought to put into action in my life.

A Work in Progress.

We moved into the "big bedroom" a couple of days ago. What's the big bedroom, you ask? Our house was built in the 1950's. It's a long, rectangular, galley style home. Everything is pretty skinny, but we love it. When we first were looking at our house, we noticed that the "master" was not the biggest room in the house. It has a hallway sized closet in it and a really small bathroom. To compensate, they put a really nice walk-in shower inside of it. That helped. We just figured that since it had the attached bathroom that this is where we would shack up. Well, it's been almost a year since we moved into this great little house, and that room wasn't really cuttin' it for us anymore.

In December, our friend Taryn moved in with us. Since the "big bedroom" was technically an office/hangout/music room at the time, we decided to empty out that room for her. She just moved out last week, and we thought that it was time for us to have some more space and finally be able to share a closet together. We'll sacrifice the attached bathroom, but now that no one else lives here, no big deal. Here is our work of progress so far...

There is a whole lot of work to be done in our "new" room and in the old one as well! In went the amazing trunk and leather wingback chair that we scored, now the room needs some crazy organizing and decorating. The closet is now storage of craft and art supplies. Re-decorating and moving furniture around seem to be a hobby of mine, so this shouldn't be too crazy of a time for us. Hooray for new rooms!

Father's Day.

Hello!

How was everyone's Father's Day? We had a pretty great day! Spent some time at church where Josh and a few friends led worship, went to the in-laws for some birthday/Father's Day celebration, and out the night with some swimming/BBQ-ing with friends. It was relaxing and filled with a lot of love!

 Bean and I made a last minute attempt at a Father's Day gift. This was not last minute because we didn't have a plan for what to get Daddy, but because what we were going to make him turned out to be a pretty crappy product. The idea was wonderful, but upon further review, it wasn't good enough for Dad. We pulled a book for Dad full of really fun coupons that he really enjoyed. Handmade gifts are ALWAYS the way to go with little ones.

And as usual with most holidays, I always forget to have photos taken of US. I always forget! We were too busy having fun! Hope your Father's Day was so special!

News that I Can FINALLY Share.

I can finally share some exciting news!

As of September 21st of this year, I will be attending Brillare Hairdressing Academy!! I am so thrilled with this new transition period in my life and I cannot wait to start! 

What happened to teaching? Well, that door is not completely closed. I have been encouraged by many people to continue on at some point. I think having a college degree is always a wonderful option, and I fully intend to pursue the continuation of my education. I have come too far to quit and who knows, maybe I could do both someday! Since my junior year in high school, I had always thought/wished to do something creative like hair. I knew that I wanted to teach also, and as time went on I think that I just went with the teaching route because it made the most sense when I thought about my adult life. I put my creative passion on the back burner and focused on what would look/sound most stable. A few months ago, I started to feel stagnant. I wasn't incredibly excited with the way that school was panning out, and it felt like God was calling my attention somewhere else. I started to pray that God would give me some direction, and after talking to Josh about it and a few friends who are in the industry, I received some really great confirmation that this was the direction that I was supposed to go. This decision is one that comes with a lot of change, but I am encouraged that everything will work itself out. 

Brillare will last for 11 months. Bean will be attending preschool during the time that I am in school. This was the hardest part about pursuing something for me. I have had almost two years at home with her, and I know that I will miss her incredibly. She is at the age where social interaction and a fun classroom experience will be really beneficial for her. I am excited for her to grow and learn outside of my teaching and care. She needs peers and activities, and I want her to have those things. Overall, this decision will possibly be the best thing that I do for myself and my family. There are SO many opportunities after my education is complete and I am so excited for where my life is heading!

AZ to OKC. (Image Heavy.)

What a weekend we had! Our wonderful community of friends all traveled to witness to marriage of our wonderful friends, Jenny and Ben in good ol' Oklahoma City. 

Our good friends the Griffin's and us Johnson's rented a minivan for the weekend trip. A minivan you say? This was no ordinary soccer mom mobile. We had leather interior, two tv screens and a whole lot of other fancy gadgets. From the woman who said that she would NEVER drive one of these, I'm reconsidering. Even with all of the fancy gadgets, 15 hours one way in a car is still scary with two almost two-year-olds. The babies did pretty well there and back, giving us just enough rest to be able to have an amazing weekend with our friends. 

The wedding was unlike anything I had ever been to. Ben and Jenny were married in this old brick church complete with stained glass windows and the token gigantic pipe organ. It was one of those churches where you feel God's presence immediately. I heard through the grapevine that Jenny's parents AND grandparents were married there. Such a special tradition to carry on. Jen looked stunning in a floor length vintage inspired lace gown adorned with the always amazing mantilla veil. I loved watching Ben's face as she walked down the aisle. (It's really my favorite part.) My husband Josh and our friend Shanda did an amazing arrangement of "Be Thou My Vision" which had us ALL in tears...and this was just the ceremony! The reception was held at Jenny's parents home not far from the church. Their home was unlike anything we had seen and Jenny and Ben made it the best reception place I had ever seen. Vintage inspired decor, detailed centerpieces, personalized touches everywhere; this wedding was truly one for the books. Congratulations, Hainlines!

Here are a few of my favorites from throughout the trip!

Dinner the first night with almost all of us!

We visited the OKC National Memorial. Truly a moving experience.

Josh in front of the Survivor Tree.

Winner!

The winner of the four pairs of vintage cabochon earrings is...

Cate Johnson!

Congratulations Cate! Email me with your information and again, congratulations!

First Giveaway Ever!

Hello!!!

Remember that post I did on all those vintage cabochons that I got? Well, after receiving my order from MK Beads I knew that I needed to share these with someone. So, I'm doing a giveaway! Let me show you what you can win...

Vintage cabochon earrings! Woo-hoo! They all range in size and shape, but are really beautiful. I am wearing a pair right now!

There are a few ways that you can enter to win:

Follow Waiting for Bean by clicking "follow" in the right sidebar

Follow Waiting for Bean on Twitter

(Tweet @waitingforbean that you follow me!)

Follow Waiting for Bean on Facebook

(Leave a message on my wall letting me know that you are following me!)

Each of these contributions counts for one entry! I will choose a random winner on Saturday, June 11th! Good luck everyone!

Wedding Recap.

One of my very favorite people in the world was married yesterday. This woman has played such an amazing role in my life and yesterday I got the privilege to watch her marry the love of her life. I was surrounded by family from very far and wide and together we celebrated love. I caught up with family I hadn't seen in ages. Canada is far away, and the great white North came to AZ for a June wedding that we'll never forget.

Stripe Mania.

What a fun post for me to write! Ah!

I read this week over on the amazing Decor8 about what they are calling Stripe Mania. You can read the full post at Decor8 but I'll give you the cliff notes versions, yeah? Bloggers from anywhere and everywhere can photograph themselves wearing stripes from June 1st until June 12th. You can put up the photos on your blog and tweet Decor8 with the link and they'll add it to a new Pinterest board that is made especially for Stripe Mania! It is going to be so cool to see who all does this. There are no prizes, no competition, just good clean stripey fun!

So, speaking of stripes, tonight for my aunties wedding (which was phenomenal) and I just happened to wear an AMAZING thrifted striped dress. It was a hit, and I felt amazing in it. So, here you go, Decor8! My Stripe Mania entry! 

These pictures are post dancing in 100 degree weather. Just a heads up in case you thought that I looked, well, questionable. Go out and take your photos in your stripes!