Let's Give 'Em Somethin' to Blog About: Inspiration Destination

"Let's Give 'em Somethin' to Blog About" is an effort for me to share a blog posting that I have read somewhere or an article I have found interesting. I will give my thoughts that rambled on through my head as I read them or have been marinading since then. Some I may have just read within a few hours and others may be ones that have stuck with me through the weeks, months or even years, and I want to grasp something from it and remember. They are a way for me to look back and remember.

Today's Post: Our Wedding

Young House Love. What else can I say besides...LOVE! These two are fantastic (well, and Clara & Burger too!). John and Sherry are full-time bloggers with so much energy, quirkiness, and creativity that you can't help but soak up all they write. Amazing. Many of their projects and ideas have inspired me to think beyond what I actually see and create from that canvas to something so different you can't believe the transformation. They LOVE their ORB (I am a huge fan of it too, Sherry!), painting everything they can white or yellow (have I said before that I just love yellow?!), their ceramic animals, and crisp clean lines with bold burst of color and soft gray contrasts. I did not love gray or yellow or ORB or being crafty..at all... until I started reading their blog a few years ago (wow, has it already been that long?!). So it wouldn't surprise anyone then to say that their DIY wedding was a HUGE inspiration for me as KGK and I started thinking about our own wedding ideas. With that said, let's get into the pure simplicity and merry of their DIY backyard wedding. 

John and Sherry bought a house in Virginia and planned to have their wedding be as relaxed and friendly as their awesome personalities are. They had those cute vintage touches with the water and mint lemonade in the wine bottle, and string lights overhead to set the scene. Everyone looks so happy and soaking up the love of the day. They really focused on their guests and how much they appreciated them coming to their wedding and being a part of their lives.  There was also a photo booth where guests could commemorate the occasion with awkward yet funny pictures with friends and family, and enjoy the peaceful setting of a backyard cookout. How fun does that seem! 

So when KGK and I were planning our wedding, having it as relaxed and "us" was the focus. We wanted it to be as outdoorsy and inviting as we possibly could. Laughter, eating, catching up with family and friends you rarely see, and enjoying the time with people you see often was the main focus of our wedding. It was perfect. 

College friends!

Fall Centerpieces

Yeah, I love this guy ;)

So thanks, YHL, for the inspiration to keep it simple and you through the whole shebang. It made it so worth it. 

~AMK

Let's Give 'em Somethin' to Blog About: I'm Still Me

"Let's Give 'em Somethin' to Blog About" is an effort for me to share a blog posting that I have read somewhere or an article I have found interesting. I will give my thoughts that rambled on through my head as I read them or have been marinading since then. Some I may have just read within a few hours and others may be ones that have stuck with me through the weeks, months or even years, and I want to grasp something from it and remember. They are a way for me to look back and remember.

Today's Post: Sarah Sitting Down

Sarah's story was first revealed to me by Kelle Hampton (I told you I really liked her blog!). Sarah's story has been tragic and amazing and wonderful..and I say all these with the utmost awe and respect. She was paralyzed from the waist down after an accident while horseback riding. Her story has been on my mind, and I eagerly await to hear the next part of her journey and what she is learning to embrace. 

In each blog post, Sarah eloquently describes her story. Her scary-yet-enlightening story. She goes through the different times she has struggled and was adjusting to a new way of life. So many times, I think that a new way of life is something that YOU initiate. That it is something you have chosen to do-- like become a vegetarian, or move to another country, or change career paths. But Sarah, she had an accident. Her path was chosen for her. She didn't have a choice in this. She just had to deal with what happened to her and learn to live her life in this new scenario. 

So many times, I plan (cue laughter now!). I plan every detail of a day or hour or minute. I try and have a course of action or a well-thought-out road map for where my life should go. But really, it just doesn't always go as we planned. We can account for whatever curve balls will come our way, yet we will still miss something. That's just life.

Her story makes me come back to the whole "If God has a plan for your life". I really believe He does. Whether you believe in God or not, there are so many things in life that really seem to come together, even when the unexpected happens. For me, I like to believe that those things are the ones that will, in time, make us stronger. They may not make us happy, but we will be different because of them. It is just up to us whether we chose to be better from it. 

This change that occurs within us-whether from something major, minor, completely life-changing, or just a small insignificant memory or moment that stays with us- we need to be patient. While we are still living, we are still able to grow. We can adjust, adapt, grow, crumble, and build back up again. We can have hope. 

And not all change is from bad circumstances. Change can be fantastic. Like, getting married--since this is something very real to me right now. It is wonderful to share life with someone. The one person you have committed your time on this earth to. This change has been wonderful for me. And I am excited to see how I will change and grow from this point forward.

It is funny, when I was younger, I thought getting married meant you would somehow be different by that point. Well, I am still me. I have changed, but I am still the same in many ways. In my teenage years, I thought when you went to college, you would have everything figured out. NOPE. And when I was in college and right after, I thought that then, I would have it all figured out. NOPE. I always viewed adults as the ones that knew things. They just did, somehow. They were grown ups. I thought being a grown-up meant you had it all figured out. NOPE. And when I was single, I thought, when you are married, you have made it. You will be grown up and have it figured out. NOPE. Well, I have realized that I am still me. I am still growing. Changing. Evolving. I still have areas where I need to mature and grow up. There are things that I have overcome and do not worry about from when I was younger. Things have changed-life has changed.

While my change has not been as drastic as Sarah's, she has learned to grow and adapt in ways that I have never and may never even begin to imagine. She has overcome so much. Her story is inspiring.  She is strong and courageous. She works through life and she is always adapting to be better. She is living life and learning to figure things out. She is constantly working to be herself.

To Read Sarah's Story from the beginning, go here. 

~AMK

Let's Give 'em Somethin' to Blog About: "My Kids Are Your Kids" Motto

Today is the first post of a series I am hoping to do.

"Let's Give 'em Somethin' to Blog About" is an effort for me to share a blog posting that I have read somewhere or an article I have found interesting. I will give my thoughts that rambled on through my head as I read them or have been marinading since then. Some I may have just read within a few hours and others may be ones that have stuck with me through the weeks, months or even years, and I want to grasp something from it and remember. Hope you enjoy!

Today's Post: Raising Kids Together

There are a few blogs that I follow religiously. One of which is Kelle Hampton's Enjoying the Small Things. She writes and words and photos just flow. Gracefully, imaginatively, and with so much inspiration. I want to be a better mom, and I'm not even a mom yet. I want to take pictures, and let's face it, that is not my strong suite (although I wish it was!). I want to take each day and enjoy the small things because those are the things that we forget so easily, but mean the most to us. 

One post that has really stuck with me that Kelle shared was when she talked about how grateful she was for the friends that are there for your family, no matter what. These friends are the ones you call in a pinch or will offer you an ear (with or without giving advice), or drop-everything-and-run to be there for you and your family and your kids. 

While KGK and I are not in the whole parenting phase of life yet, we will one day (hopefully). And we will want to thank these friends that treat our kids like their own. They will drop everything to be sure that they are taken care of. They will discipline our kids like we would, not let them eat candy right before bed, watch them after school when we just have to get errands done, or be there in times of stress when we cannot be truly present for your children. These friends are awesome. They help beyond measure. I want to remember to thank those people when I am a parent one day. I will need them, and I will be so thankful for them.

But for now, I want to be that friend. The one that plays with the kids and looks out for them. I want them to be excited to see me yet know they can't get away with shenanigans with me either. While I may not be a blood relative, I want to be as close as a relative. This is something that has been speaking to me tremendously lately. I hope I can be that friend and that I can become that for those that I am not yet. I will not do it perfectly, but being a parent isn't about being perfect either. It is about being present and doing what is best, even if mistakes happen...and they so do. 

~AMK