over the weekend

just a quick post to stop in and say hey before my first day of classes.

[heyo senior year!]

this last weekend of summer vacation was a lot of fun.

there was a cookout/bonfire on friday night, a best friend's wedding on saturday [which was beautiful and so.much.fun], and then church and a last Panera trip with mom and sister on sunday, followed by officially moving back to school and catching up with a bunch of friends.

it's good to be back.

and now i jump right into a week of work, classes, my internship, and getting settled.

i can't wait to set up and decorate the apartment and make it our own.

i'm hoping to make a trip to the farmer's market sometime soon to pick up some fresh flowers to brighten the place up.

or maybe i'll just go pick some of my own.

from here

whateva.

time to get this last semester of school started!

hope everyone has a beautiful monday.

-wildchild

he's got the right idea

 sometimes i'm on a computer that's not my own and instead of being able to look to all of my saved pictures for inspiration, i have to look to Pinterest.

 that's not really a problem though because pinterest is overflowing with awesome things.

for instance, today i found this:

Matthew Gray Gubler (who i love from Criminal Minds and 500 Days of Summer) says his perfect woman

 "must love decorating for holidays, mischief, kissing in cars, and wind chimes. No specific height, weight, hair color or political affiliation required, but would prefer a warm spirited non-racist. Cynics, critics, pessimists, and “stick in the muds” need not apply. Voluptuous figures a plus and any similarity in look, mind set, or fashion sense to Mary Poppins, Claire Huxtable, Snow White, or Elvira wholeheartedly welcomed. I am dubious of actresses, felons, and lesbians, but dont want to rule them out entirely. Must be tolerant of whistling, tickle torture, James Taylor, and sleeping late. I have a slight limp, eerily soft hands, and a preternatural love of autumn. I once misinterpreted being called a "coal-eyed dandy" as a compliment when it was intended as an insult. I wiggle my feet in my sleep, am scared of the dark, and think the Muppets Christmas Carol is one of the greatest films of all time. All i want is butterfly kisses in the morning, peanut butter sandwiches shaped like a heart, and to make you smile until it hurts."

can i just say i love this?

the first and last sentences are my favorite.

-wildchild

just let me dream

for all my laying around the past few weeks i've been home,

i've all of a sudden realized that there are a thousand things i have to do 

before school starts up again.

in a week.

so while today has been a beautiful day of bike riding, a long Skype chat with b, and catching up with my best friend who just got home from her summer internship, the rest of the week is not going to be so relaxed.

my plan is to live vicariously through these beautiful engagement pictures featured on Once Wed last May, by Nancy Neil.

[so many links right there!]

i don't have anymore carefree summer days left this year, nor do i have the love of my life around to walk around a pretty little forest with to take pictures, but just let me pretend, alright?

click on the "these" link above to see the rest of these stunning photos.

even better, if you go to Once Wed today, you can see this couple's wedding photos.

you'll be glad you did.

time to get crackin on my to-do list.

hope you all have a wonderful end of summer night.

-wildchild

a little of this, a little of that

what a wonderful weekend it's been.

a day on the lake, fun night with friends, time outside with a good book and the sunshine [trying to keep up my riviera tan], a best friend's bachelorette party, lazy day today and some family time tonight.

and on top of that, we have less than 2 months left until b comes home!

[hopefully. theoretically.]

b, this is for you:

from here

anddd even more, Amy from Boundless nominated me for a blogging award! what a nice girl, that one is :) go look at her blog for me, just to say thank you, kay?

 

The Liebster Award is meant to connect and highlight new bloggers that have up to 200 followers.  

As with all other awards, this one has a few rules:

• Link back to the blogger who gave you the award to keep the chain going
• Choose your top five and leave them a comment to let them know 
  [and really go check out these awesome blogs, guys!
   i'm not nominating them for nothing.]
  Spidatter
  From the Mind of Katie
  Mrs. Alana's Miscellany
  No Small Dreams
  August and Everything After

• Post the award on your blog
• Soak in the love
• Spread the love
  
  
  so there you have it.
  a great past few days, some lovin', and a blogger award.
  awesome way to end the summer.
  but i do have 1 week left, so don't even rush me.
  -wildchild

caught up in a [northern] summer, barefoot blue jean night

wellll i promised an update, but i'm off to my aunt and uncle's cottage for a night and day filled with bonfires, lazy mornings, tubing on the lake and lots of family time.

it's probably going to look like this:

i think it's from here

so here's an update on speed:

the past few days have been very productive and for that, i'm thankful.

a busy mind is a happy one, in my case.

if i'm just sitting around all day, i start wallowing and throw myself a little pity party.

"i feel chubby, my boyfriend's been gone for 3 months and doesn't come home for another 2, i haven't worked since may and my bank account shows it, blah blah blah, woe is me"

butttt then i got off my butt and kicked myself into motion and here's what i've accomplished:

-worked 2 days

[not a lot, but it's something]

- mowed the whole freaking lawn with the push mower. 

[i wasn't aware that the riding mower worked]

-come up with, and stuck to, an awesome work out routine

[2 months, people!]

-moved most of my junk back to school

-helped [read: watched] my little sister redo and rearrange our room

-got a zillion papers organized, filled out, signed, and turned in for schooly school, because

IT MIGHT BE MY LAST SEMESTER!

[this completely depends on how many credits i get for this summer in France, but there's a big chance i could be graduating early. i have mixed feelings on this, but mostly excitement because that means i save a whole bunch of money and can start saving up for everything that's coming next! woah real life.]

oh and my other exciting announcement was that b might be coming home early.

but then yesterday he said that was just a rumor, and that if anything, they're coming home late.

so uhhh, nevermind.

dumb military, crushing my dreams.

life goes on.

i have to run.

have a wonderful friday everyone!

-wildchild

i die

this has nothing to do with my life right now, because we're nowhere near having babies.

let me repeat that:

nowhere.

if wanting a baby right now is New York, we're in China.

they're loud and smelly and demand all of your attention and are just annoying.

not to say that i hate them [i do see their upsides], or that someday we won't have some [we actually want 5], but right now?

no no no thank you.

but just look at this:

from here

seeing dads love their babies is just the sweetest thing to me.

one of the things i noticed first when i got to france was how many more dads i saw out walking with strollers or playing with their kids at the park or grocery shopping with their babies in a sling.

i hate that in america, it's mostly moms you see doing these things. 

mostly mommy taking care of the kids, being the nurturer and the provider.

i know it's different in every family, and i'm not judging anyone, 

but i'm just throwing it out there that i think the number one thing that will melt my little heart is when i see b someday in the [distant] future loving on our kids.

-wildchild

p.s. today was a kick ass day. i'll post about it in the morning, but just throwing it out there that jesus is just making my life turn out perfectly. y'all should be excited to hear about it.

genius!

going back to work for a little bit tomorrow.

finally!

should i bring some of these?

from here

-wildchild

ma famille

i love these people.

just throwing it out there.

clockwise from top left: (1) Mom, (2) big brother Jake, (3) little sister Jess, (4) Dad

me & Jake, and then him & his beautiful girlfriend, Jenn

me & Dad, him & his girls, then a  group shot courtesy of the friendly, neighborhood Pizza Hut waitress

me & my best frannn

clockwise from top left: (1) mom and her sister Leta, (2) lookin hot cleaning to get ready for the mini-fam visit, (3) our beautiful cousin Val,  (4) buds in the truck bed

so thankful for every little second with them.

go kiss your family for me, would ya?

-wildchild

and that's a wrap

almost 2 weeks later, here's the end of my adventure abroad.

i miss exactly what i thought i'd miss: the beach and the gelato.

but it's worth it. it's good to be home.

top to bottom: last day of class, last day at the beach sad face, last sunny beach pic, last pretty Antibes sunset, last picture with Emily [excuse the early morning lookin rough on my part] anddd first picture in a while with the grandparents who saved me from JFK

that's all.

from now on, it's all America, all the time.

i'll give it 3 months until i'm itching to escape again.

-wildchild  

over it

really 9 more weeks?

...awesome...

taking my time

from here

sorry i haven't posted in a while, but 

i've been spending the last few days catching up with people i love dearly and have missed terribly.

doing awfully normal things with people who are extraordinary to me.

and those small moments have been filling my heart right up.

that's a good enough excuse for me.

i'll be back sometime soon.

-wildchild

if only i had the skillz

i'm not going to complain about being bored.

i'm actually not bored.

after the 2 months of running around france that came directly after a few weeks of working full time, and before that, 9 months of school, it's nice to have some down time.

my bank account and i would both be thankful if i was working, but i'm just going to enjoy this [unplanned] time off.

part of that is catching up on the blog world, wasting time on Pinterest, and fantasizing about how i'd do my hair if i had unlimited bobby pins and all the skillz in the world.

it'd look something like this:

:

all from Pinterest

that olsen girl's is my favorite.

[don't tell me you can remember which one's which]

and also, that last one.

gorgeous.

anyone who wants to be my personal hair stylist, step right up.

I’m begging you.

-wildchild

home sweet home

cheesy, but true

nothing feels as good as coming home.

after craziness in the airport, walking around with a huge luggage cart like a homeless lady, standing in line to talk to delta for what seemed like hours, interacting with some definite crazies, cancelling my morning flight, going to my grandparent's, and getting a bus home instead, i was greeted by a sister running towards me and a family holding posters.

it was perfect.

since then, it's been hanging out with mom and the sibs, going out for ice cream with my dad, stopping by my grandparent's, running errands, getting my hair cut, and not unpacking at all.

seriously, my room is a mess.

and my mom is the laundry master.

in other news, i ordered one of those heavenly Erin Condren life planners (!), but then i got an e-mail from them this morning saying that something happened that made them lose all of the orders from the past 2 weeks and i need to order again...

really, i think it's jesus telling me i don't need to spend $60 on a planner.

anddd i'm starting to work out again.

8 minute Arms and 8 minute Buns baby.

my man's coming home [relatively] soon! gotta look good.

that's all i got for now.

i'm off to help with dinner and spend some quality time with the fam.

but just for you, here's a picture of me ready for my flight home in my crazy pants:

you're welcome.

-wildchild