{blog crush... good girl gone glad}

As someone whose love of blogging is growing by the day, one of my favorite parts of blogging is spending hours perusing the blogs that others put their hearts and souls into. I quickly developed a few favorites that I visit every day, and without a doubt, Good Girl Gone Glad is one of those blogs that is a must on my list.

Aside from being a DIY goddess (check out the stenciled wall below), Jesse, the creator of Good Girl Gone Glad, has impeccable taste, inspiring faith, and a house that is absolutely to die for.

(images via)

I hope that you will all check in with this one from time to time, and I hope that you all love it as much as I do! I'll try to start posting more of my blog crushes, because I love sharing the things that I draw inspiration from.

{the stars at night are big and bright}

The other morning while I sat and waited at a red light on my way to work, I took a second to look at the mountains that stand so impressively along the edge of Denver. They’re certainly a sight to behold, and they're particularly lovely in the morning. I thought about how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place. But that being said, as much as I like it here and as much as we have come to feel at home here… my true home always has been and always will be… in Texas.

 (image via)

Being from Texas is a special thing, in a way that probably only Texans truly understand.  I have a dear friend in Texas who is getting ready to move to Chicago, and the other day he wrote a blog that offered a thought that I found particularly poignant…

“Texas, however, will always be the only place we will ever truly consider to be home. I know this in my heart the same way I know that God put a very special people in this land for a reason… That’s part of the reason Texans are so proud of who they are, and where they come from. It’s not some abstract “because we’re bigger” reason. It’s because of a sense deep inside that we are different, and set aside for a special purpose; both individually and as a whole.”

I couldn’t agree with him more. As much as we like Colorado, our hearts have never truly left Texas. It’s more than having grown up there… it’s the way time seems to slow down a little when you’re in the hill country, the unassuming beach towns like Port Aransas that feel like an old friend when you return summer after summer, the rich and honorable history of my hometown of San Antonio, the friendly “hello” waves you get from total strangers when you pass on the road, the goodness of its people, and the sense of camaraderie that you seem to feel with them simply for being fellow Texans.  It makes me proud to say that Texas is where I’m from, even though I know that others don’t always understand why that is. And that’s ok… they just haven't seen how the stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.

{happiness, thy name is pinterest}

A few weeks ago I discovered Pinterest, and it was love. Now it seems like I want to spend all of my free time going on pin binges... seeing all of the creative and beautiful things that people share, pinning my favorite things from around the web, and finding endless sources of inspiration. I must say, my bookmarks bar probably appreciates the break from my saving copious amounts of things that I see and don't want to forget. This is without a doubt one of my new favorite things, and I've collected a few of my favorite pins so far...

( 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7 )

Feel free to find and follow me on Pinterest, because I'd love to follow you back!  Happy pinning to you all...

 

{weekend at home}

We flew home to Texas a few weekends ago for Father's Day to surprise our parents... and surprised they were! It was great to have a weekend at home, albeit a brief one, and to get to hug everyone's necks. We were especially happy to get to spend time with our niece and nephew, Sofia and Judah. They are such sweet and precious kids and we miss them so!

Sofi is so full of life and personality, and she's never afraid to speak her little mind. Her sweet hugs and heartfelt laugh just make my day.

 

Judah is without a doubt the sweetest baby I've ever known, with the sweetest smile you've ever seen.

We loved being back home for a few days, even though it was hot as sin, and can't wait to go home again in October for my sister's much anticipated arrival from Africa, as well as the arrival of our new niece! We are certainly blessed.

Happy 4th of July to you all!

{what i'm loving}

The heat of Summer is definitely starting to set in, even in lovely, sunny Colorado, which means I'm starting to shove all of my jeans and long sleeves to the back of my closet, and pull out the dresses. Lately, I've been craving flirty, flowy and ultra feminine dresses, like these from Anthropologie. They might be a bit outside of my current husband-in-grad-school budget, but I adore them just the same.  

 

{images via}

Hope that everyone is having as beautiful a Summer as we are so far.