lev the lion heart

one month and one week ago today, a little boy who is very special to me and blaze turned one years old! it was a great day spent with a lot of good people and delicious food. i had such a fun time drinking beer, eating ice cream, and holding babies... can you think of a better combo??
enjoy the following pix, and be warned, they contain an overdose of toddler deliciousness...

blessing lev.

party favours!

impromptu photoshoot ;)

babies + birthday traditions= the cutest confusion!

hmm... not bad....

yup!

i'll take another please!

lev all partied out..

 thanks jared and amanda for being amazing friends, and lev for putting a smile on my face every morning!

it's been a while since i updated my flickr...check it!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/52876355@N07/

xo

love affair

you probably wouldn't be surprised to find i'd choose the harsh wet rain and cold cutting winds of a storm any day over a plain blue sky.

picture dump

it's been awhile since i've done one of these, and i've got way too many beautiful captured moments to keep them all to myself...

throwin' it wayyyy back to ma burfday. i was so spoiled all month long and had the best time ever <3

rocky's bday weekend at the cabin.

oregon snapshots.

one of our best friends visited in april. he knew us when we were two dumb, hilarious, self-absorbed 19 year olds with awkward chemistry. the whole trip was dance parties and "remember when?"

a little snapshot from this past weekend (which was AMAZING! we have a new sibling coming our way!). will have to dedicate a whole post to that day.

can't believe the year is half way done already! if it isn't going the way you hoped, today is the day to change it.

xo, teen.

the open road

so this past week me and blazer went on a little adventure up the coast. we hit the road early one morning, egg mcmuffins in hand, and expectations out the window.

it turned out to be, without a doubt, the greatest trip we have taken since we got married last spring. in our short time of marriage we've been lucky to travel across states, the country, and the continent... but something about just the two of us, the open road, and a good playlist, made for some serious magic.

i totally meant to film more, but this'll do till our next trip:

so here's to wal-mart parking lots, eating donuts, spending 30 minutes untangling a kite, losing our keys in the forest, kissing at the gym, eating cinnamon rolls, waking up beside the ocean, petting lots of dogs, goodwill shopping sprees, hotel showers, snuggling in our hammock, taking shots around the campfire, eating more donuts, awkwardly trying to pet more dogs, playing at waterfalls, long car conversations.

here's to many more special adventures with my best friend, forever boyfriend, and family; blaze russo.

promises

A compassionate heart,

I will love you to the end.

Fiercely loyal

I cannot lie.

Strong but scared

Weak but brave…

Raw at its finest.

A true promise will not break.

an ode to being present

Don't let your mind get weary and confused

Your will be still, don't try

Don't let your heart get heavy child

Inside you there's a strength that lies

Don't let your soul get lonely child

It's only time, it will go by

Don't look for love in faces, places

It's in you, that's where you'll find kindness

Be here now, here now

Be here now, here now

Don't lose your faith in me

And I will try not to lose faith in you

Don't put your trust in walls

'Cause walls will only crush you when they fall

Be here now, here now

Be here now, here now

"Be Here Now" by Ray LaMontagne

i hope that if you're in a moment of fear or isolation today, looking only to your past or future for the answers, this song finds you and INSPIRES you. it's be years since i took a listen to it, but this morning i woke up with it on my mind. more than me needing right now, it's like a gentle reminder.

man, this man. what a writer. love seeing people using their God given talent so obviously.

-teen