Thursday, December 20, 2012

jmu! duuuuuuuuuuuuuuukes.

eeeeeeeeeeek! 




merry christmas james madison univeristy. 

you really are the happiest place in my little world. 

sending holiday cheer

i love receiving and sending christmas cards.  and it has been so enjoyable to see how much they have changed over the years. target cards, quickly transformed to couple photos, to wedding pictures, to now babies! and while i am so far away from my dearest friends, it's so wonderful to see their faces and new families on our fridge.

i've always been partial to paper cards, but next year i will most definitely be sending a wedding photo, and i am giddy to see what beautiful images katelyn james snaps on our big day. this year i went with little postcards from my favorite, rifle paper company, but  here are a few cards that have made me swoon this christmas season.

via lindsay letters

via rifle paper co. 

via pinhole press



Tuesday, December 18, 2012

birthday.

patricio,
i love you because you are patient
kind
funny
thoughtful.
you work so very hard for us.
you are attentive and present
to me. to polly. to your family. and to our relationship.
you love cheese.
you love the packers.
i mean you even dug aaron rodgers 'stache. respect. 
you are handsome.
you have a beard.
you make me feel valued.
you are so so much smarter than i am,
but you never make me feel less smart.
you can fix absolutely anything.
you stand behind what you believe to be right, even when it's hard.
you let us take turns being the star of the show.
you're okay with me stealing some of your jokes.
you call me bug.
and sometimes when you REALLY need to get my attention you call me "lewis"
you don't judge me when i never, ever, ever wake up early to go the gym.
you let me fall asleep to law and order every. single. night. 
you change the channel for me when i don't have my glasses on. 
you always start and end your day giving me a kiss.
and you know that the surest way to end an argument is to tell me that you are already mad at yourself (because really, how can i be mad at you when you already are?)




happy birthday my love.
i am oh so happy you were put on this earth to be mine.
"what a beautiful home we have found in each other."
xoxo.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

i bid you adieu, 2012

365 days ago, i was not in a good place. we were not in a good place. we felt stuck in a city that we loved fiercely. we were so helpless, do we leave this wonderful life that we know and love? or do we wait it out, until we get to the point where we start to resent it? i remember telling pat, "if in five years, we are still in chicago, living in an apartment that we are paying way too much money for, and i'm pushing a stroller in a foot of snow, i am going to hate our life." we knew that if something didn't change, and change fast, that would be there before we knew it. we would start to resent chicago, resent our jobs, and worse, resent each other.

and so pat did a really grownup thing. he applied for an amaaaaazing opportunity that happened to be very far away. in a part of the country that wasn't so expensive, wasn't so cold, and wasn't anywhere that i ever imagined living. and pat got that new job. and miraculously, i got a job 3 months later. a job that was perfect for me. a job i had been DREAMING of doing since i graduated college. 

and patrick found us a wonderful apartment, in beautiful (not at all touristy) winter park.

and almost as soon as we were settled into our new lives, we went to anna maria island for a weekend and pat asked me to be his wife. and i said of course. 

and we finished the year eagerly planning our wedding and our honeymoon.

and life is good. life is great. life is how it should be. 

but i catch myself. because i know that life will not always be great. life will be very hard. and that all the years to come will bring about trials and tribulations that i cannot imagine. while we continue to advance in our careers, and venture into uncharted territories like home ownership, parenthood, etc., i am not so naive to believe that everything will be easy. but i do know that i am lucky. because my best friend happens to be my best guy. and we are going to be married. and we have already gone through so much; so much change, so many hurdles, so many lessons learned, that i can't help but say, that while i don't know a lot, i do know that no matter what, as long as his hand is the one i am holding, the pieces will fall into place.

so here's to 2013. you have some pretty large shoes to fill and i hope you do. i hope you are the greatest yet. 

Thursday, December 13, 2012

love.

"love one another, but make not a bond of love. let it be a moving sea between the shores of your souls."

a perfect description of what our relationship has been for the last four years. 

and what our marriage will be for the rest of our lives.

less than 10 months, honeybee.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

a rifle paper co. print

when pat and i got engaged, i swore up and down, no way/no how will anyone else do my wedding invites/save the dates other than mrs. anna rifle bond. and then reality hit, and while i adore everything she does, it just wouldn't have fit with our wedding OR our budget. 

that being said, i was determined to have her talent on display in some way. since we aren't much into couple pictures, we already knew that there would be very few on display at our wedding, but i still wanted to somehow incorporate the personal touch that photographs bring without using actual pictures. and so we ordered a custom wedding print from rifle paper company. it will be personalized with our names, wedding date, and city/state where we will be wed. 
 
we are so thrilled with how the proof came out and we cannot wait to see the finished product. i mean our little faces ACTUALLY look like our little faces! it is the neatest thing. we plan to order a custom print around this time every year, as a fun alternative to traditional portraits. and you better believe next year polly will be front and center. 


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

snapshots 5

DIY advent calendar

christmas bow!
not impressed with either the redskin or packer win this sunday
love, love, love this old school publix in college park

sometimes pat is sad he doesn't have an engagement ring.
so i let him wear mine.

soon to be husband and wife. and our reaction to the ikea monkey.

Monday, December 10, 2012

weekly roundups!

i've heard that you should write about what you love. which is why i choose to write about patrick. and polly. and our life. because from the soles of my ballet flats to the tips of my curls, i feel like i am the luckiest girl in the whole wide world to have those two feet, and those four paws to go home to every single night.

but i have other loves. i like to cook, and i like pretty things, and i've been known to whip up a DIY or two. and so, per a few requests i have received, i will begin to write about those things as well.

i'll post stuff about once a week, and if you know me, and feel like i'm leaving anything out, just let me know!

the new normal

normal conversations to have with your soon to be husband: 

me: i cannot wait to buy our helmets
Patrick: we need to make sure we get ones that fit us right. i have an enormous head!
me: do you seriously think your head is bigger than bj raji?
Patrick: um, yes. he looks like he has a tiny head. although aaron rodgers might have my size head. he looks like he has a good dome.

-or-

"did the green mile win for best picture?"
"i don't know babe, i'd have to look that one up"
"you are supposed to know these things anna, and it really upsets me when you don't."

Thursday, December 6, 2012

there is just one thing i need.


there are a few things i look forward to every christmas. 
real christmas trees.
the lively's christmas cookies.
my mom's posole and tamales.
my dad's crab cakes.
home alone & and the holiday


and mariah carey, all i want for christmas.



i'm going to say it. 
mariah, you are on fiyah.

this song has been played at an especially high frequency, as this is the first december 25th, in three years, that patricio and i will be sharing. 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

want! need! wear! read!

want

in hot pink, please! 

need

did you know, i am planning a wedding? things need to be cut! with gold scissors! 

wear

the most perfect holiday dress, i ever did see.
via nordstrom

(re) read

atlas shrugged by ayn rand

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

fight for ol' dc



"Griffin has brought excitement and hope for the future to a fan base that has endured a long, difficult period of quarterback struggles and failed seasons. No matter how this season turns out, Griffin has energized this team, this place, and these fans." - via espn


and in the words of my dear father, "that boy is the real deal." 

ps - jason campbell and shaun suishman you both suck. 

Monday, December 3, 2012

to elope. or to wedding.

confession time. i have never been one of those girls to dream about her wedding.

when i was little, and thought about my life as a grownup, yes, it included a husband. i just never even thought about having a huge, over the top, wedding with a big white dress and cake and all that. my childhood dreams (in no particular order) were: owning a powerwheel, working in a grocery store, and having a baby. but never, not once, was i one to walk down the aisle and have a faux wedding with toys.

so when pat proposed, for that blissful day where we were the only two people who knew, we discussed eloping. it seemed do-able and quite lovely to have our parents and our brothers come into town and celebrate with a small ceremony and a quiet dinner. and that would be that. we would be married, we would be legally and spiritually bound, and we would begin our journey as husband and wife.

we talked about it seriously for five minutes. and then i said "well what about my dad? i'm his only girl. he won't ever get to walk his daughter down the aisle." and so that was that and we decided to have a wedding.

we settled on about 135 people. and i am really excited. not only for our union to be celebrated by close friends and family but at this rare opportunity we have to honor the people we hold so dear to our hearts. to honor their role in your life. your cherished memories. and the bond that only humans are capable of forming.

every single person invited to the lewis heckel wedding is wanted. from the bottom of our hearts, we want to honor you. and thank you for all that you have done for me, for him, for us. we want you there, not so you can celebrate us, but so that we can celebrate you.