Such a wonderful vacation!

Zac and I snuck away last week for a vacation. We've been looking forward to it for such a long time - and it's honestly what got me through the last few months of school. This was our first anniversary / end of school celebration / last hurrah for awhile trip. At some point, we're going to start thinking about having a family and week long trips to Mexico won't be a possibility anymore. Sigh. 

We went back to the same wonderful place we visited during our honeymoon. We loved it so much the first time around and couldn't stop thinking about it after we left. 

When we arrived, it was as wonderful as we remembered. The only downside was that we weren't "discovering" all of the neat things for the first time, but it felt like we had never left from the minute we arrived.

Obviously the first thing we had to do was order room service!

The gorgeous view from our room.

I mean, seriously. This is what heaven must be like.

Self-timed pictures are so difficult... This is me posing to check the light, but it took us four nights of self-timed pictures to figure out how to get the focus right. Oops.

Heading to dinner one night

Zac really wanted to try the Indian restaurant. Not my favorite, but he loved it!

Hanging out by the pool -- with the ocean in the background!

One of Zac's favorite part last year was the flaming coffee, and he was so excited to have it again. PS - is this picture not awesome? Josh, this one is for you. No edits.

Look how happy he is! And handsome too, by the way.

Dinner our last night there.

We had the most wonderful week... it felt like we were there for such a long time. I managed to read six books by the pool, we floated along the lazy river, swam in the ocean, and drank yummy fruity drinks by the pool. And we ate - my goodness did we eat. 

It was a wonderful trip and was a great way to celebrate the end of school. It was a great bridge between the craziness that was finishing up and the wonderfulness that is now!

Pic Monkey

If you've been using the site, you probably know that Picnik is gone. Rest in peace, awesome, free, easy, online photo editing site.

Now that it's gone, I need something different. And I am still anti-Google+ for some reason that I can't totally articulate. And Picasa is sometimes too cumbersome. And I haven't yet taken the time to learn how to use Photoshop.

Enter Pic Monkey.



It reminds me a lot of Picnik. It's super easy to use - you don't even need to register. I think it's missing some of the fancier Picnik tools, but I didn't really know how to use those anyway. This one has teeth whitening and add text. Which is enough for me.

Just kidding. It also has cropping, resizing, and my very favorite - AUTOFIX.

It's not perfect, but it works. Have you tried it yet? Do you know how to use any of the fancy features?

A fundraiser quilt

The PEACE OUTside Campus Foundation, which was started in memory of my cousin Lindsey, is having a fundraiser at the end of the week. We can't make it all the way to New York for the event, but I wanted to contribute something to the event.

Enter -- the fundraiser quilt! I've made this quilt before. I love it because it's relatively quick to make and it's a great way to use up a jelly roll.

Apologies in advance for the pictures. I finished it all of 2 hours before I needed to mail it, and it was raining so this was the best I could do!

It's really bright and fun!

Zac helped me pick out the fabric for the back, and he felt very strongly that it needed to be dark to balance out the brightness of the front. Works for me! I did simple stitch in the ditch quilting on the front, and I like how the lines look on the back. They aren't perfect straight but it seems to work.

I have a few other jelly roll packs screaming to be made in to a quilt like this. Zac loves the look of the stripes, and I like it a lot too. It would be the perfect size for a baby quilt, as well. Hope you like it!

Dressing for Beth

My sweet baby younger sister is graduating from college at the beginning of June. I just don't feel like I am old enough to have my youngest sister be a real life grown-up! Mom and Dad, I can't imagine how you're feeling. Yikes!

Beth attends Ohio University where she studies fashion merchandising. She would love to be a buyer for a department store, and she'd be so good it. She is the most fashionable person I know, but she isn't so crazy that you can't steal parts of her style. Though usually I don't start wearing trends she does until a few years later.

Did you know that high wasted pants are back in style right now?? WHY?? I don't love low-rise either, but high wasted pants highlight everything about my stomach I don't want people to notice. I'm going on record today that I think it's crazy. Bets on how soon I'll buy a pair?? This is exactly what I said about leggings...

                               

Isn't she gorgeous? Sigh. She's also got about 5 inches on me...

Enough about how great my sister is. The real reason I'm writing this post is because I have no idea what to wear for her graduation. This seems like a great excuse for getting a new dress, but there's extra pressure to be super cute so her fashiony friends think I'm awesome. What? I'm the only one who thinks about stuff like that? I don't believe you.

I'm turning to my wonderful blog friends for support. Here are some dress options I've been drooling over online -- any opinions to share??

Striped dress from Anthropologie. Definitely fun for summer.

Lace dress from Banana. I could wear it with my rehearsal dinner shoes, but I would have to do about 6,000 lunges between now and June. And it might be too short, though the sleeves do balance that.

I think this might be my favorite. Aren't the bikes cool yet unexpected? This is from Eshatki.com, which personalizes the fit. Extra perk.

I can't decide if this is adorable or old-lady-ish. Thoughts? Also from Eshatki.

I think I'm leaning toward something more fun than basic, mostly because a lot of my other clothes seem basic. Are there places that I'm forgetting to look or other dresses you've seen lately? I need some fashion advice!

What I'm Pinning

Now that school is over (for all of 4 days), I have been dreaming about all of the projects I want to tackle next. Well, to be honest, I've been dreaming about them for two years, but now I finally will have some time to do them!

The first thing I did was head over to my Pinterest account to look at the things that have caught my eye over the past few months. Usually themes arise without me knowing it...

I want to have a fancy party.

'

I want to crochet baby blankets.

And these guys.

I want to eat summer foods.

Asparagus with goat cheese

Zucchini pizzas

Zucchini roll ups. Mmmmm.

I want to become Martha Stewart.

Make your own cooking spray.

And make a wreath for every single season of the year.

What's a realistic "make things in real life that I love on Pinterest goal?" Because there are SO MANY THINGS that I really want to make!!!

I'm Finished!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I'll spend my last internship shift at the hospital. And when I walk out the door, I have completed all of the requirements for my master's degree.

I'm just letting it sink in. Because after two long, long, hard, years, it's over. It's finished. And it feels awesome!!

                                     

For the very first time in our six year relationship, Zac will work "normal" hours (no evenings or weekends) and I won't have class. What are we going to do with ourselves?? It's going to be amazing.

First, we're celebrating with a vacation. And then... everything I haven't had time for for the past 2 years! Thanks for all of your love and support during this process.

And HOORAY! I'm done!!!

The Quilt Festival Part II

Yesterday I showed you all of the cool vendors, so today we'll explore some of my favorite quilts. There were so, so many, but I tried to be selective!

That's a QUILT. Isn't it unbelievable?? The lighter dancers are embroidered in thread. It was totally and completely stunning. and I didn't get credit info for this one either. Second media pass fail. 

Spring Blossoms by Terry Aske

Springtime in the Garden by Mary T. Schneider

I am obsessed with this one. How amazing is the applique? The picture doesn't do the colors justice. And look at the striped binding! Darling.

Something like this might be my next project. Swoon.

Is this quilt not absolutely beautiful? I captured the women in the picture to show you its size. It was HUGE.

The Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild had an exhibition of Ohio Star Quilts. This one is by Amy Thonnerieux, and was one of my favorites.

I'm sure I'm biased because I love Cincinnati, but look at this beautiful landmarks quilt project completed by the Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Artists. Members of the group worked together to create panels for an expansive quilt depicting neighborhoods and landmarks in Cincinnati. It was incredible.

Love the riverboat!

And the skyline!

There were many, many more beautiful quilts, a lot that we couldn't take pictures of. It was such a great experience, and I'm grateful for the International Quilt Festival for making me feel like a rockstar with my press pass. Can't wait for next year!