we won.

US!!!

thanks to justina blakeney and her fabulous blog, we are the grateful winners of a $100 gift card to tottini.com. browse justina's blog. she's fabulous. then, take a look at tottini. goodness gracious. preciousness abounds.

if you're curious, no, we're not pregnant. no, we're not even officially trying... yet. 

i'm a planner, though. remember? and, who doesn't love a good giveaway?

image courtesy of http://blog.justinablakeney.com/

summer love.

thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you for your colorado suggestions, both here and on facebook. we're having so much fun planning and considering our options.


we've heard from several people that the red rocks amphitheater should be at the top of our list. shane checked the amphitheater's schedule to see if there were any concerts we'd even be interested in seeing during the time we're planning to visit, and i must admit that i shrieked a bit when i heard that florence and the machine will be there in late july. florence and the machine, people; one of my absolute favorites! tickets have been on sale since february which means there is a limited quantity left, and the tickets that are still available are $150. bummer, right? let's just say that the concert tickets are the newest addition to my growing birthday wish list.


i won't bore you with the entire list, but i'd love to share some of my absolute summer favorites. get ready for gorgeous overload...

i need these kate spade studs in every color... honest to goodness, every color.

this dooney & bourke "happy bag" is another must. choosing a color is overwhelming, but today i'm leaning toward the yellow. it's so happy, dainty, and cute. 

and finally, these topshop sandals make me smile. they're so adorable and fun, and i can imagine wearing them daily.

are you drooling yet? i am. 

planning a birthday adventure.

i love holidays, no matter the day or occasion. birthdays, however, have always been a bit troublesome. growing up, my birthday treat was a trip to tulsa for back-to-school shopping. i love shopping and tulsa in general; i always have. back-to-school shopping, though, is more a necessity than a treat, and with three siblings, my birthday treat always felt more like a, well, necessary back-to-school shopping trip for the four of us.

because i'm a bit of a planner and because i want to enjoy my birthday in its entirety, i've started meticulously planning birthday adventures for myself. sometimes they include shopping and occasionally they include tulsa, but they never resemble the back-to-school shopping days of old. my birthday has become a great excuse to get away, and shane appreciates that he isn't expected to plan some elaborate surprise.

this year, we're contemplating a road trip to colorado. i've somehow never been to this neighboring state, and a birthday adventure isn't really adventurous if you're not trying something new.

we haven't yet mapped our route or decided which particular cities we want to visit, but i'm currently compiling a list of things to see and do.

one of the things i'm most excited about is potentially visiting the stanley hotel in estes park. first of all, it's called the stanley hotel. that's pretty cool, right? i'm thinking a tour is in order, and if we're really brave, we may even stay a night there. the hotel is where stephen king's the shining was filmed, and it's said to be haunted by at least seven different ghosts. supposedly, while filming dumb and dumber, jim carrey was scheduled to stay at the stanley hotel but after checking in quickly decided to stay elsewhere. maybe the ghosts, much like myself, weren't impressed with his ridiculous facial contortions and expressions.

have you been to colorado? what else should we add to our list of colorado attractions to consider visiting? 

summer success.

friends! one week of summer has come and gone and the stanleys are down fourteen pounds!

we're working hard and praying hard and seeing good results.

celebrate with us!

we'll keep you posted on our progress.

summer 2012 soundtrack.

two radically different songs are part of our summer 2012 soundtrack. both songs, however, have the power to make us dance (yes, i said us) regardless of the situation or setting. enjoy, friends!

learning.

my summer break, thankfully, allows for rest, recovery, and learning. i can take off my metaphorical teacher hat and do some learning all my own.

i spent time reading this morning, before my husband woke up, a book by mark batterson. this book, the circle maker: praying circles around your biggest dreams and greatest fears, has been and is the perfect way to start my summer. shane and i both believe that this summer is going to be one of great changes, and we are trusting that God is present in the dreams and fears we are working to tackle this summer and beyond.

i want to encourage you to read the book, and i want to share with you some things i've gleaned from the early chapters.

batterson encourages readers to "intercede until God intervenes." isn't that good? prayer, he says, has the power to change things, the power to save a generation, and even affect the course of history. 

intercede until God intervenes.

prayer has the "power to resurrect dead dreams and give them new life." i know there are dreams you've given up on. because you've pursued a dream and failed, even multiple times, does not mean that prayer can't revive that dream. resurrection, says batterson, is central to the christian faith. God is the father of resurrection. why couldn't he breathe new life into your once-forgotten dream?

do not settle for small dreams that don't require divine intervention. don't go after dreams that don't require prayer.

ephesians 3:20-21

"now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory..."

my apologies.

my apologies for our absence. the last month of school is typically torture, and this year was no different. shane and i have both been busy beyond belief (notice the alliteration -- just wrapped up an awesome poetry unit with my ninth graders, forgive me [again]).

somewhere within the last month, beth and dylan visited. our time with them was much needed and provided an awesome break from the chaos that is may.

we said goodbye to our friends for another year, but our fingers were crossed behind our backs in hopes that we can see them again before another full year passes.