Just a Few Party Details and Such

Not a lot of time for a deep and thoughtful blog post today, but I’ve been wanting to share some photos on here from my grad dinner! My mom throws a great party =) She worked really hard getting the house ready, and I just wanted to share a few of the beautiful detail shots that Luke took!

Pink and white striped, polka dot, and heart-covered paper straws!

For favors, I baked my famous (favorite) chocolate cupcakes in mason jars! They turned out super cute and super yummy!

Thanks for the fun dinner Mom and Dad!

P.S: Check out the cute announcements my parents sent out =)

{Front}

{Inside}

So fun!

Love,

Bre

A Memorial Day Note

I had a hard time getting started on this blog because I almost didn’t know what to say. It is hard to write a proper post to thank those who have served and are serving this country, when I know I often take them for granted throughout the rest of the year. I will always support the troops, but how often do we really consider their sacrifice? As I get a little older, and watch my peers, my family members, my friends, join the military, I am seeing the reality of military service, and the sacrifice it requires. So today I wanted to blog about my dear friend, Shelly, and her awesome husband, Matt.

© Ashley Maxwell Photography

My dear lifelong friend, maid of honor at my wedding, my “sister”, was married last July to Matt, a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army, and he was recently deployed to Afghanistan. Shelly is one of the strongest people I know, but being somewhat newly married myself, I can only imagine how difficult it is to have to watch your husband go into service, to celebrate your first wedding anniversary early. So today I wanted to write to these two =)

To Shelly: I am proud of you. I am proud to call you my friend, my sister. I am proud of your strength, of your willingness to give up “normalcy” to join your husband in service to this country so that we all may enjoy the freedom that we so often take for granted. I pray for you all the time, that these months will fly by, that you will have Matt back to you in the blink of an eye.

To Matt: I am also proud of you. Proud to know you, proud of your sacrifice, proud to pray for you. Thank you for giving up your safety and security to help make this country safer. Thank you for your bravery. Thank you for loving my friend. (Also, thanks for the awesome updates that give us all a picture of what your life is like right now! We love to read about your adventures!) May you be encouraged every day, and may you be brought home safe and sound as soon as possible!

© Ashley Maxwell Photography

Praying for you both, everyday!

“If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation. ”

Psalm 91:9-16

Happy Memorial Day!

Love,

Bre

The World’s Best Nap

After a week full of studying and finals, graduation, parties, and herding junior highers all over the Santa Cruz boardwalk, I was a bit of a zombie today. I am, however, happy to announce that I am now feeling much better thanks to the world’s best nap. I mean, I guess it is possible that I might have had a nap this good in the past, but nothing comes to mind. I think the secret behind the amazing nap I just had is the fact that my brain knows I am done with school, and I’m not set to go to Utah to start work until later this week. Yup. That’s it. I’m stress-free. ahhh

I definitely didn’t get naps like this after I graduated high school…after that graduation, I was so exhausted that I ended up with mono and strep…Ugh.

These guys know what I’m talkin about:

HAHA AWWW. the cutest.

Love,

Bre

Graduation Re-cap

Oh man am I exhausted! Yesterday was a really long day! I had to be at graduation at 8:30 am…which is really really early for me. Especially to be somewhere where you should look cute…that just doesn’t happen very often hahaha They lined us up on the side of the event center, and it was SO COLD! It was basically a wind tunnel. By the time they had us walk in, I was an ice cube. After that, everything was good though haha I got warm and got a “diploma.” Okay, diploma is in the mail, but I got a folder! And the good news is that I did not trip once! I was a little worried because I tripped a little when we were leaving the apartment, and that just made me worry the whole time that I would trip in an arena full of people. I was especially worried when I saw the rickety stairs I had to walk down after receiving the fake diploma, but I didn’t fall! (The stairs were as scary as I expected though…they’re those temporary kind that shake when you walk down them *shudder*)

Anyways, I got together with some family and friends last night to have dinner and celebrate my big accomplishment! It was nice to visit with family and friends, and play with my nephews =) So happy to be done!

And now a few pictures from graduation!

and a blurry video of me accepting my “diploma!” Watch for my sparkling cap! haha

Now Luke and I are off to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk to spend the afternoon with our graduating junior highers (from our small groups at church)! Woohoo!

Love,

Bre

 

Graduation

I’m graduating this morning! Bright and Early!!!

I took my last final on Wednesday (it went great). When I finished and turned in my test, I enthusiastically handed it to my professor with a look on my face that said “HERE IT IS! MY LAST EVER FINAL BECAUSE I’M ALL DONE!!!!” Of course, not everyone in that class was a graduating senior so I’m not sure that my semi-crazy face totally made sense to him…oh well. As I drove out of the school parking lot, I felt that I should do something momentous…I felt that something exciting should be happening now that I had officially completely my last bit of school. There should be music…and cheering. So I turned on KLOVE real loud and yelled “WOOOOOOO! WOO-WOOOOOO! WOOOOOOOO!”

Really loud….like I meant it. Then I felt like someone might see me having my private celebration in my car, and I suddenly felt silly and stopped. When I got on the freeway, I still somehow felt I should be yelling…so I called my mom, and when she picked up I yelled “I’M NOT A STUDENT ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Hilarious.

I ended that day at my mom’s house, baking for my graduation party. As I was baking and busy and maybe a little too focused/stressed/suddenly cranky, Luke told me to be more excited because I was done with school. Then it hit me a little. After all of those years of schooling, I looked at my mom and said “I’m not a student anymore…” and welled up a little. That was unexpected. I never considered that the thought of being completely done with school would feel emotional, but it did for a second! (Like…GREAT…now I really have to act like an adult. harhar) And it does feel oddly bittersweet. I absolutely do not want to continue my education, but I’ve been in school for most of my life! I was in school during every major event in my life…I even got married while I was still a student. So I’m definitely feeling the close of a really long chapter (or maybe the closing of an entire book) of my life. I guess that should not have come as a surprise since we all know how much I love change…..*sarcasm*

ANYWAYS, now that my Graduation day is here, I’m finally going to share more of my grad photos from the session that Luke did with me (remember the sneak peek I gave on my birthday? That session.) And I’m finally sharing what the top of my graduation cap looks like!!! Sparkle baby!

My Pink Sparkle Grad Shoes that FedEx almost didn’t deliver, remember?:

CHEESE!

Excited to be wearing my sparkle shoes =)

Presenting: Sparkle Cap!!

and the moo moo that they pass as a Graduation Robe:

WAHOO!

Love,

Bre

Last day of school! Last day of school!

Cheesy bathroom photo to commemorate my last day of school EVER!! I’m about to take my last final in my human resources class on diversity in the workplace, which has been one of my favorite classes of my whole college career! It’s a nice way to wrap up my education

It is a written final so… I’ve got this!

Wahoo!

Happy dance happening in about two hours!

Love,
Bre

You Are For Me

100! Wow…I can’t believe that this is my 100th post. This whole “blogging experience” has been really fun. I love getting to share my heart on here, along with my random thoughts =)

I wish I could spend more time on this post, but I’m only taking a quick study break. I am currently so overwhelmed with finals. My teachers have asked me to know so much information, and I don’t know if it is possible for my brain to hold this much. The frustrating thing is the loads and loads of straight-up memorization they are asking me to do. UGH…I’m not even going to remember that information by the time I put on my cap and gown at the end of the week!

I graduate on Friday, and I have so much to do before that day gets here…I have two finals Monday, one on Wednesday, and one massive take-home final to be submitted by Thursday (hoping to get it in sooner though since I have a bunch to do to get ready for graduation on Friday!)

On top of school, there has been so much busyness in other areas of my life…I’m just feeling pulled in so many directions this week. I can see the finish line, but weeding through all this stress is …a lot. I’m constantly forgetting things or feeling like I’m forgetting something.

I know I have to stay focused on studying, but I got really sidetracked a little bit ago. I felt like there was just too much on my plate and too many expectations from others, and I really just wanted to throw my hands up.

I’m sure I’m not the only student feeling this way, so I thought I’d blog about it and share something that helped me.

I’ve been listening to Kari Jobe’s cds a lot this week, and she has this song called “You are For Me” that has totally struck a cord with me. It’s about the fact that God is for us. Even when I am overwhelmed, He wants me to succeed. He wants me to stay focused as I study, and to do well on my tests. I know that if I stay diligent, and try my best in all areas of my life, God will be pleased. I know that when I feel like life is just a little too much, God is right there. I may not be able to do everything I want to do, when I want to do it, and I may not be able to meet everyone else’s expectations, but my best is going to have to be good enough!

Anyways, if you’re stressed too, take a listen.

Love,

Bre

When Fashion Takes Over Studying…

While studying for my art history final, I found myself on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I was looking for some information on a 17th century silk Manchurian cloak, and in searching, the website happened to bring up their collection of silk fashion. And that’s when I veered away from studying for a few minutes.

Holy moly I love looking at historical fashion. Thank goodness I had enough self control to not search out more of their collections and just stayed on the page of their silk fashions. So many beautiful pieces from so many eras! I just had to share some of these gorgeous pieces!

1700′s

Left: Dress (robe à la polonaise), ca. 1780
French
White silk de chine with hand-painted multicolored floral sprays
Right: Dress (robe à la polonaise), 1780–85
American
Yellow silk de chine with hand-painted multicolored floral sprays

Corset, late 1760s
French
Silk, linen, leather, wood, baleen

Robe, mid-18th century
French
Patterened light blue ribbed silk, brocaded in polychrome silks, metallic gold, and silver

Corset, third quarter of 18th century
European
Green silk damask

1800′s

Left: Evening dress, 1812–14
French
Silk
Right: Dress, ca. 1820
British
Silk

Pump, 1873
Made by J. A. Petit, Paris
Leather, silk, linen, metallic threads

Left: Evening dress, ca. 1887
Charles Frederick Worth (French, born England, 1825–1895)
Silk, glass, metallic thread
Right: Evening dress, 1892
House of Worth (French, 1858–1956)
Silk, crystal, metallic threads

Evening dress, 1893–1900
Charles Frederick Worth (French, born England, 1825–1895)
Silk

1920′s

Evening dress, late 1920s
Jessie Franklin Turner
Silk

Day ensemble, ca. 1927
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (French, 1883–1971)
Silk, wool

Evening dress, 1928
Louiseboulanger (French, 1878–1950)
Silk, feathers

1930′s

Evening coat, 1935
Madame Grès (Alix Barton) (French, 1903–1993)
White silk brocade with polychrome birds and polychrome striped silk

Evening dress, 1938
Madeleine Vionnet (French, 1876–1975)
Black silk satin and black silk net embroidered with black sequins

Evening gown, 1939
Madeleine Vionnet (French, 1876–1975)
Pale pink lamé and black silk lace appliquéd with black silk velvet

 

1940′s

Dinner dress, summer 1940
Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian, 1890–1973)
Orange silk jersey, blue silk faille, ceramic

“Junon” dress, fall/winter 1949–50
Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957); Christian Dior Haute Couture (French, founded 1947)
Pale-blue silk net embroidered with iridescent blue, green, and rust sequins

“Venus” dress, 1949
Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957)
Gray silk net embroidered with feather-shaped opalescent sequins, rhinestones, simulated pearls, and paillettes

1950′s

“Four-Leaf Clover” ball gown, 1953
Charles James (American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978)
Silk: Ivory Duchesse satin; ivory faille; black velvet (velours de Lyon); synthetic: nylon mesh

Evening dress, ca. 1959
Cristobal Balenciaga (Spanish, 1895–1972)
Pink silk gazar with matching pink feathers

1960′s

Evening dress, fall/winter 1965–66
Cristobal Balenciaga (Spanish, 1895–1972)
Lace, silk

Cocktail ensemble, ca. 1967
Yves Saint Laurent (French, born Algeria, 1936)
Black wool bouclé with black silk grosgrain trim

 

aaaah…. ok now back to studying!

Love,

Bre

I Love Weddings

I haven’t had a chance to blog in the last couple of days. Been spending some extra time with family before jumping into some major finals studying sessions. I am very excited for this post today though because I get to share some beautiful photos from one of my good friend’s wedding! Luke and I got to photograph Mike and Staci’s wedding a few months ago, and we actually posted their photos on our photography blog today. You can see the full post here, but I thought I’d give my readers a mini-version of the post because I love them so much! And I actually wrote the post on that blog too so here’s the introduction to that post along with a few pictures!:

“{a post from Mrs. 1985Luke}

Weddings are great, and this wedding was beautiful. But there is something about true and honest love that makes a wedding even better. Mike and Staci’s personalities compliment each other so perfectly. Staci is the girliest, bubbly, loving person, and Mike is more of a soft spoken, funny guy. When Staci would start to stress over an element of the wedding, Mike would just stick his face in hers with a funny scrunched-up expression until she laughed. They’re just sweet.

A note about Staci: I had to write this blog myself because I think Staci and I are soul sisters. She is me, only boho, but in general, we have a mutual love for girly things, Jesus, and Anthropologie. Which brings me to my point: the dress. Pretty much the most unique, beautiful, vintage-looking wedding dress I have ever seen close up. Straight from Anthropologie’s wedding line BHLDN, the dress was the most delicate, amazing thing. Paired with layers of pearls and anthro pumps? Yes, please.

A bit of back story: Staci and Mike hit more than a couple speed bumps on their road to the aisle. Within the few weeks leading up to the wedding, she was hospitalized, they were thrown a few financial surprises, venue surprises, and Mike’s father had a heart attack while on business in London.WAH!!? Because a bride doesn’t have enough to worry about right?? With every little hiccup, Staci would text me (I would freak out for her!), but she always responded so gracefully. She once said “I just want to marry this man, and have a beautiful day, and just rejoice.” Staci, boy did you get your wish!

Staci and Mike married in a candle-lit room full of family and friends, serenaded by their good friends (including singer songwriter, Allison Sattinger, who sang Staci down the aisle to Kari Jobe’s “My Beloved.” So darling.) We loved working along side Mike’s best man, of Aqua Vivus Productions, and can’t wait to see their wedding video!

Staci and Mike: we wish you a lifetime of love, fun, and blessings! Thanks for letting us be a part of your day!”

Love,

Bre

I Get to See My Girls!!!

Yesterday was my last day of classes… My Tuesday night class isn’t meeting anymore… Soooo that means I get to go see my lovely 8th grade girls at youth group tonight!! They don’t know I’m coming wahahaha

So excited! I miss their sweet faces!

See how excited I am:

Love,
Bre