dipping my toes into something new...

Love the simplicity & beauty of that statement.

It seems only fitting that since it's August I should be gearing up to learn new things. It's a season of life that I embarked on for 18 years & that seems habitual enough that it should stick for good, I think. 

I must admit, however, that since graduating college two years ago, this is the first August that I feel that way. Perhaps my mind + body + soul was going through that break-up period that you often hear about: it takes half the time you were committed to something before you can truly be over it. Well, I was in college for a grueling 4 years, and while they were the best years of school I ever had, by the time I graduated (as most feel I think) I was stretched pretty thin, had my planned-to-a-T future all stomped on, and left with a diploma & a giant hovering question mark regarding what to do from there (except to me it felt like an interrobang <-- There's your typography lesson of the day, folks. You're welcome).

It was just one of those times in life called "growing" and grow up, I certainly did. I got married to a pretty awesome guy. I moved away from the only place I've ever called home. I left all my friends & family half a day's drive away. And I started to figure out what this new season of life holds, and so far it is has blessed me greatly. 

I have learned that it's okay to not know what the future holds & that things change. That the idealistic dreams I cultivated at 18 aren't necessarily what I really want at 24. That the support of a loving spouse is all I really need to feel like I can do anything. That stress can really color a situation into one of fear & doubt. That taking the time to exercise & eat real food is better suited to my longevity than filling it with things that have no worth. That sometimes my type-A perfectionist personality is my biggest enemy. That happiness & success is measured in something other than namesake & dollar signs. That faith is always something you can cling to when you're not sure what's even going on.These past two years have taught me to be content with who I am & to really think outside the box. 

My entire life I've been cursed with good handwriting (I say cursed because once people found out I had it, I usually became the scribe of all group projects, note taking, & presentation boards), but that curse has evolved over the course of life into something that I love. So lately that curse/gift has led me to learn calligraphy, play with fonts & techniques, draw all sorts of things requested by friends... and eventually to start a business!

I'm in the final stages of getting it ready, but basically I'm just an open book as far as pen & ink designs & calligraphy go. So far I've done some custom shower invitations, wedding monograms & paper items, personalized stationery, & even dabbled in architectural drawings. And I've loved doing it all! Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have nailed down the final details (finish a website/etsy, packaging materials, finding a trustworthy printer (the thorn in my side), etc.), but I'll let you know when it's finally done! Also for any artistic types out there, say a little prayer for me as I learn from scratch the inner workings of Illustrator (consider it my fall schedule).

So here's to new beginnings and an excuse to buy more pens, paper, & ink!

a valentine for my valentine

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope no one else procrastinated as much as I did to tell your special someone how much you love them (some things never change...). And I know we're all secretly excited to start seeing less pink and red everywhere and more Easter pastels in the grocery stores ;) Reese's eggs here I come! 

we interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to wish you a merry christmas

Let me start off by apologizing for being MIA for the past oh almost month on the blog... Thanksgiving came and went and with it my effort at being somewhat consistent on posting. However in my (limited) defense, we are moving this weekend into our new apartment, and things have been a little chaotic around here with packing and puppy shopping and Christmas shopping...

Did you catch that one? The phrase caught between the overwhelming packing process stress and the happy festive brainstorming of giving to others? Yes, we've been puppy shopping- and I'm quite excited to share that we (as in my sweet parents acting on our behalf) found one (like an hour and a half ago while I was typing this post). 

Meet our new pup and member of the Berry fam: he who shall not be named (you know I had to work in some HP somehow...). The fact is we aren't completely sure of his name, so when we figure it out we'll let you know! We do know however that he's a Catahoula Leopard mix and totally adorable. Now to get him home via a 13 hour drive... Plenty of stories to come I'm sure!

Back to what I was typing before I found out our family just became three: I must also credit some of my disappearance to the drawing and printing of our first Christmas cards and fitting them within some criteria: a) I really wanted to do something creative and not do the typical use your wedding picture as a card thing (but for those that did, we love seeing your pretty faces!) b) we were definitely on a budget, so not many cards ventured out this year and c) I had to make sure that people might take the extra time to notice our new address on the back, so I used that as an excuse to make the addressing festive. {Side story: we ran out of ink twice printing them, so some of the finished products aren't even blue! HA! To you people (cough parents and close relatives) who get ones in black ink, it's not that we love you less but rather we didn't have the time nor money to spend on buying ink again, and we felt that you would fully understand the situation and credit it to being a newlywed story/fiasco/accident to regale later in life.}

And as if we needed any more surprises around here, husband surprised me by purchasing our first (mini) Christmas tree, despite forgetting all the ornaments my mom and I have collected over the years in Alabama and the fact that we're moving in the middle of December! He's the greatest :) I know that a tree is normally a given around the holidays, but it wasn't necessarily for us and I'm pleased as punch* that he bought one for me to celebrate the coming advent season!

*Just looked up the origin of that phrase (I tend to after I realize I have no idea what it means) and it's kinda sketch, you guys. Apparently, Punch was a puppet character who was quite the comedic murderer...

All that to say, we wish you a Merry Christmas! Love, the Berrys

It's the little things

Polka dots found here and camera smile card found here

Last night was one of those nights that consisted of snuggling on the couch, watching Modern Family, and eating Oreos and peanut butter with the husband (he's a recent convert to this practice... as recent as last night). Anndddd it was wonderful. I totally pre-ordered J.K. Rowling's new book, The Casual Vacancy, and I'm now on that constant watch of clicking the "track your package" link every few hours as I impatiently wait for it to arrive. Of course, my excitement isn't quite to the Harry Potter level of mania, but it's there. Believe me. 

This week I've really been trying to focus on the little things. The things that can bring a smile to your face and make a day a better one. Sure there are big things that can do that (hello marriage!), but there are infinite little things that when noticed are the ones that create the bigger things. I had an incredible advisor whose mantra was all about the little things in life, and boy was he right! Dr. A is a firm believer that a hug, a written note, or even a surprise candy bar can really boost someone's day from being terrible to being wonderful. It's just about taking the time to care about others to notice what's important in life. 

I was lucky enough in college to have the love and support of people who taught me the importance of the little things: friends who would leave sweet notes on my bed, bake me cookies when I was feeling the imminent stress of failing a test in 12 hours (I have my melodramatic moments), or would propose a spontaneous trip to Sonic for happy hour drinks. Even looking back on husband's and my courtship, some of the moments that stand out are the ones where he left me notes and Skittles (or a Reese's pumpkin/Christmas tree/heart/Easter egg... you know, the seasonal goodness) hidden in the library shelves while I was studying and sent me texts with the dewey decimal codes to go find them (nerd alert). It's these types of things that remind you of love and friendship, and that someone cares enough about you to take time out of their busy lives to reinforce that you are important to them.

So now that I'm down to the last few wedding thank you notes, I'll be back to my old fashioned practice of writing letters to friends, because who doesn't love getting a handwritten letter in the mail sandwiched between your electric bill and your unwanted junk mail? And I'm going so far as to challenge anyone who reads this post to also take the time in the coming week to write just one of your friends or family members an encouraging note to remind them of how special they are in your life. You may never know that they are having a stressful or bad week, but I can promise you that your note will make their day a little bit brighter and will remind them of how special your friendship means to them.