My love,

We planned on celebrating Valentine's Day last night instead of today. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't in our favor and we had to cancel plans to go out. I made dinner instead. Following dinner we camped out on our sofa, watched anime, and ate a few too many frozen thin mints.

I managed to snap this shot of him watching the show without his notice. He's so dreamy.

Thank you for the laughs, the discussions, the episodes of Naruto, Chipotle runs, musical variety, and all of your love. Happy Valentine's Day, babe.

Guatemala Trip Recap: Part I

My recent trip was better than the first.

On Sunday we were able to tour Antigua as our work at the orphanage didn't start until Monday. Antigua is beautiful. We got to see old churches and buildings, the jade factory (with lilac jade - awesome), chocolate museums, and a lot of markets. Everything was so colorful.

A huge highlight of this trip was seeing a volcano erupt during our drive back to the hostel. It was really amazing. Unfortunately, I didn't get my camera out in time to snap a photo.


















During this trip, we were given information and watched a video of the work the ministry teams had done in the village outside of the orphanage.

Over the span of a few years, teams were able to go into the village and build multiple homes for widows. The houses were made from cinder blocks, hauled brick by brick down hills and trails where the trucks couldn't make it. They were about the size of your average living room. To the villagers, it was more than they could ask for.

I was really honored that I was able to take pictures of them and their houses.



























--

I'll be posting later with pictures and details of our time within the orphanage. They deserved a post of their own.

Fashion Inspiration: Ankle Craze

I want to wear cropped pants, like yesterday. I'm completely envious of the southern states that have warm weather that allows ankles to be seen. I'm kind of going through winter blahs. Freezing temps don't really, as Cher would say, mesh well with bare ankles. (Though I was feeling rebellious yesterday and wore a skirt with no tights)

Here are a few looks I'm anticipating as soon as the temps are on the rise. (all from Pinterest)
















[sigh] Is it April yet?

Found Event

It was Friday night and time to get dressed up. (cue cheers!) The Found Event was a wedding art and networking gathering of some of the best in the Twin Cities. I got to catch up with quite a lot of my friends in the business. The night was filled with laughs and delicious French macaroons from Cocoa & Fig.

(Faith, Megan and bump, me)

(Cadence, me)

Faith was the coordinator for my wedding. She's also a family friend and awesome.



Sequin skirt made an appearance, it was a good night.

Moleskin Monday: MLK Day

I'm posting this on Tuesday because my home computer is on it's way out. I had to wait until I got to work to post this. :(

I hope everyone had a fantastic Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I really enjoy this day because it sort of gets me ready for Black History Month which tends to be a highlight of my year. I'm glad I can recognize the battles we've won and the bridges we've crossed. We're still not quite there, but everyday we're making progress.

An art piece that has stayed with me since childhood is Norman Rockwell's The Problem We All Live With

I felt like sketching the little girl because her contrasting dress against her skin seemed so profound and ironic to me.




Celebrate diversity, and make a difference where you can.

Winter to Spring Wish List - plus a sketch

I didn't make a post about New Years resolutions because I tend not to make them. Not serious ones anyway. A few that I did come up with included sketching more and dressing more professionally at the office.

I'm going to start a weekly sketch post on Mondays featuring my Moleskin book sketches. Aptly named Moleskin Mondays, because I have a thing for alliteration. Clearly.

I'm throwing one out there for today just because.


Inspiration from the Sartorialist

On to the wish list. I wanted to be more consistent with work wear. I've found that during the week I'll look completely casual, then other days I look like I'm going for an interview. I know that I'll have some fluctuations here and there. However, I do want to create a more consistent look while not being boring.

I also like being able to wear bright colors for this season because it is really so gray outside.

A few things I have on my wish list for this season:

Banana Republic Striped Blazer


Banana Republic Slim Ankle Pant

Banana Republic Bella Pintuck Dot Blouse



Colorful dresses from Ann Taylor. Blue, Green



Pencil skirts from Loft. Yellow, Lace



J Crew Café Capri


We'll see what makes it's way into my closet. :)

Featured - The Fresh Factor

My beautiful friend and local blogger Kasidy asked me to write up a feature on Guatemala. (Can you tell I'm excited??)


Please, go check it out. While you're at it, feel free to follow her. ;)