anniversary

warning: this post may be overloaded with gushing about ross pinson. proceed with reading at your own risk.

we woke up early & enjoyed a quick little breakfast of sliced cherry tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs at our kitchen table.  the sun was just coming up on our drive to the airport; a brightly glowing grapefruit warming the cool blue sky and thin cotton candy clouds.  we just couldn't stop looking at each other.  thankfully, we'd both given up on stifling that pesky uncomfortable feeling in our throats last night and finally let it out; so this morning was calm and warm with love.  until we got to the airport, that is, but even that wasn't so bad.  i parked the car and got out with him, and we must have looked like a couple of high schoolers the way we were kissing and looking longingly into each others eyes. the whole goodbye scene was kind of silly, which was nice and it helped the tears go away.  but hey, the longest we've been apart since we've been married is a whopping two nights, and today we embarked on our 5 weeks of long distance marriage- so i don't feel too bad about being cheesy or a little teary or anything else for that matter.

i know it's easy to say right now, since i was just in ross' arms a few hours ago, but i feel really good about this season.  ross prayed over us last night and again this morning, and theres a peace in my heart about how sweet this time apart will be.  the way ross and i enjoyed every little minute this past weekend proved that sometimes we need a deadline to stop taking our time together for granted.  and speaking of this past weekend, i have to take a few minutes to gush & brag about how cool my husband is. 

we got back on sunday from what seriously felt like a second honeymoon.  ross planned every detail & kept everything as a surprise, and he completely swept me off my feet.

late friday afternoon we arrived in dallas and pulled up to an incredibly beautiful hotel, the adolfus. i fell in love with the gorgeous french style and had ross cracking up as i freaked out about all the beautiful furniture, mirrors, fabrics, etc. straight up swoon. 

we quickly headed out to catch our dinner reservations at a resturant ross picked out for the evening, nonna. mouth wateringly-delicious. incredible service, atmosphere and especially food. the lobster ravioli is to die for. 

 

afterwards we headed to the big event of the weekend/year: WICKED! i'm afraid even my most eleoquent descriptions would fall flat & i would fail miserably at describing what was by far one of (if not the) most entertaining, talent-packed, captivating performances i've ever had the pleasure of seeing. my super high expectations were puny in comparison to the reality. we had a blast.

that night we also had the pleasure of celebrating one of ross' best friends' engagement with a whole house filled with baylor people. can a day get any better?

yes it can. when we got back to the hotel, there was a bottle of champaign waiting for us. i was practically get whiplash from all of the surprises my husband had up his sleeve.  seriously, my husband is the man. 

we snoozed & snuggled our way through our breakfast plans, but managed to get up & going in time to meet one my best friends for lunch before the next surprise: rent bikes & ride all around round rock lake. the weather could not have been nicer and i was very grateful to be burning off some of the calories from friday nights praline nougatine semifreddo with pistachios and acacia honey (basically a fluffy little white slice of heaven).  we took lots of breaks to admire the views, and enjoyed riding by all the pretty houses an dreaming of one day (many, many years from now) owning a house of our own. 

that evening we enjoyed a couple of drinks at the adolfus so we could walk around and admire it some more before our next surprise: dinner & dancing at sambuca. loved it. we definitely want to go back. for us, sambuca has it all: swanky atmosphere, great food, live music, and a dance floor.  of course ross told the band we were celebrating our anniversary while i was in the bathroom.  so they called us out later in the evening to dance to the song ross and requested: brown eyed girl. 

and THEN, as if my heart wasn't already exploding with love and gratitude and shock, ross says to me,

"i know we said that the wicked tickets were are gift and we weren't going to do anything else, but..."

and pulls out from his pocket the infamous pretty little teal box with white ribbon and i couldn't keep from tearing up at the words that came with it, as he talked about this past year, our future, and especially the next 5 weeks. 

it was nice coming back to college station yesterday and enjoying a usual sunday.  unpacking, laundry, a game of tennis, a long walk and snow cones.  spanish salad and garlic bread for dinner and then a movie.  

ross said he wanted to make our anniversary weekend extra-special since we wont be together on the 4th, and he absolutely did.  i am incredibly blessed to have him as a husband and best friend, and i'm also starting to feel pretty spoiled. the reason i wanted to write down all those little details is because i know in the next 5 weeks i'll be drawing from the fullness of our weekend and reliving it all.

i feel like shouting out elf-style "i'm in love, i'm in love and i don't care who knows it!"  can't freakin wait to drive back to the tiny college station airport in 5 weeks and pick him up.  thankfully, i have that long to try and plan a few surprises of my own. that ross franklin leaves a tough act to follow...

happy friday!

here are a couple of the songs that have been on repeat in our home this week. 

they are especially sweet on a lovely summer friday afternoon.

for our one year anniversary gift to each other- we got tickets to WICKED!

can't. freaking. wait!

...and some pump up music for tonight:

forward thinking

it's been a big year for my new little family of two.  in a little over a week it will be our one year anniversary, which is as hard to believe as it is exciting.  we've been so challenged, stretched, humbled, grateful and blessed this year.  when i think about how dramatically different our lives were this year compared to the year before alone, i can't help but feel awe.

friends, though ross and i are still complete beginners at the whole marriage thing, i can't express enough how much love we have for this institution given & ordained by God.  when i think about how ross loves me my throat instantly closes up into that uncomfortable i'm-not-going-to-cry feeling.  i constantly go back to the same insecure-girl thoughts of "why does he love me?" but more questions than that bounce around my mind, like "how does he have to strength to serve me, day after day?" "how is he so quick to forgive?" "how does he choose to love me on the days i fail so miserably at loving him?" marriage is 100% humbling & eye-openeing.  when i look at ross- my heart is moved in a new and powerful way, not because of his imperfect human love, but because of the powerful, heart-stopping, shocking love that Christ has for me.  on my ugliest and darkest days the perfect Christ loves me. and because i'm so dense and forgetful of that fact, he gave ross to me as a daily reminder of the intimate love Christ has for me, for us.  even when ross fails at loving me perfectly, i'm glad of it, because i'm reminded that there is only One who loves fully and flawlessly.

for some reason yesterday ross & i independently had the same thought and shared it with each other when we were hanging out on the porch yesterday afternoon.  we were talking about our upcoming anniversary and all the ups & downs of our first year of marriage, and we both felt that sometimes we dwell in the past just a little too much.

ross admitted that he's all for nostalgia (he's mr. captain-of-the-high-school-football-team, after all. sidenote: i already know he's going to be one of those dad's that makes our kids groan from hearing the same high school/football/college/fraternity stories over and over [but they'll secretly love it, like me]) and i've never lived in the past so much as i have this year.  seriously, i always thought those people who were obsessed with high school were so lame...and then i became one of those people who lamely obsesses about college being the best four years of my life.

obviously, we'll never give up on nostalgia, but as our one year anniversary approaches we're going to try and focus on the next year(s) more than looking back.  we've done plenty of looking back.  it's been a big year, but there is so much more to come.

so, in the spirit of looking forward, here are some of the big upcoming events happening in the pinson family:

* this weekend ross & i will celebrate our one year in dallas!
* on monday, ross leaves for five weeks air force officer training in alabama. welcome back LDR.
* next week i'm heading down to new orleans for the first official tribe (my college community) reunion...and my best friend, my other other half, sarah miller will return from spain. ummmm it makes me want to yell at the top of my longs in the rain on a cliff, garden state style, and that's an understatement.
* on july 12th, i'll be having some long overdue sinus surgery.
* in august, ross will start his second year of medical school & i'll start my full time job! Praise the Lord.

summer days

kebobs on our porch are our new favorite thing.

especially when enjoyed with friends & followed up with cranium.

when we got married, we started our quest for recipes that were easy, cheap, healthy and good- and since last night's dinner fits the bill, i figured it might be worth sharing on here:

our kebobs were inexpensive, easy to make, and surprisingly filling. we just used mushrooms, onions, green & red bell peppers, pineapple, tomatoes, and chicken. to season them we just threw on some salt & pepper, lemon juice, soy sauce on some, and of course, tonys. next time we want to find a good marinade (any suggestions??), but our make shift flavoring worked out pretty well. for sides we grilled some deliciously sweet corn on the cob & christa made some awesome rice with lime that i might have had three servings of.

i only have two weeks left with ross this summer before he leaves for 5 weeks of air force officer training, so we hope to enjoy the heck out of our time together. heres to more grilling, time with friends, little adventures, and time with each other. he's my favorite.

how to have a perfect day

step one: begin the day in your favorite city with some of your favorite people

step two: big brek. freshly brewed coffee, homemade crepes, fresh fruit, turkey bacon, scrambled eggs and plenty of sunlight.

step three: go kayaking on town lake to burn off big brek and work on tan.

step four: afternoon snack. mighty cone & daily juice = perfect.

step five: walk around fun streets & stop in interesting shops.

step six: play with puppies.

start serious discussion of when you can adopt some puppies of your own.

step seven: watch your true love fall in love with puppies.

step eight: afternoon work out with jillian so you can better enjoy

step nine: enjoy incredible food with even better company.

step ten: finish the meal with some happy birthday creme brulee.

final step: go out. dance. listen to live music.

feel the fresh night air & be grateful to be alive and loved.

the architects house: austin, tx

ross & i love to get away and stay in a nice hotel on occasion as much as any couple. who doesn't love the tiny bath products, white robes, and fancy lobbies? but, for our most recent trip to austin we rented a house with some friends and were blown away by the experience. to all my friends that read this blog, i have to share this info with you!

this past week ross didn't have class, so we wanted to go on a fun trip with our good friends blake & stancy. we looked into everything from beach houses in galveston to lake houses on lake travis, but blake found the ultimate getaway house by simply googling "austin vacation home rentals." lots of options came up, but the architect's house was the winner.

the pictures don't really do the house justice, but they give you an idea:

we fell instantly in love with the house and had to pretend we lived there

every little detail was thought out and super cool

true life: i want these chairs

please note how intense this door is.

perfect balcony for good talks, wine & board games

...and here's my true love looking handsome & at home in the architects house in austin.

i love him. and austin. and adventures.

we feel so blessed that we got to spend time together during the week

with great friends in such a unique house.

next time you go to austin, you have to look into this house!

goodbye swoop

so for as long as i've know ross, he's had a certain signature look. his look includes polo shirts, sperrys, large aviator-style sunglasses, and his crowning glory- the 'frat swoop.'

it turns out that ross was rocking the frat swoop long before his days of kappa sigma. in fact, he had never had a buzz cut in his entire life. there was even a point in high school when all of his best friends agreed to shave their heads on a particular night. the next day everyone in the group came to school with freshly shaved heads...and ross showed up with a mere trim...and his vanity intact.

when ross found out he would for sure be going to officer training this summer, we decided that it might be the right time to get his first new hair style. so, without further ado, for anyone who is interested to see, may i present to you...the haircut of ross franklin:

just moments before the big hair cut. trying not to act nervous.

cutting the first snip.

a new man!

ross' first words when he saw himself in the mirror were, "i look...mean."

i think he looks like a g.i.joe, which will be perfect for when he heads off for the air force officer training this summer.

we both thought it would be way weirder than it actually was, and i actually really like it.

with that said, i'm still really looking forward to the swoop's return :)

fro yo

true love is

finding someone who can agree that frozen yogurt is a perfectly good dinner

and who couldn't be happier cuddling on the couch

with popcorn & a harry potter movie

on a saturday night.

i love you, ross franklin!

...and we're back

it's official: i am back online.  

this weekend ross & i left little ol' college station and headed to the familiar city of houston.  friday night we celebrated my cousin mary catherine's birthday at a swanky mexican restaraunt downtown with a marathon-long table with seats filled with family and friends from every corner of the country (and a little ways out of it, too).  margs, chips, guacamole, laughs & stories were shared for hours, and the party continued on at my uncles house nearby, where we celebrated with pretty cupcakes and an a good time. 

we woke up early saturday morning to share a incredibly tasty breakfast at the hotel with my parents, and made room at our table for more as other family members trickled in... and we might have scared away a certain celebrity with our excited whispers.  several cups of coffee later and with fully satisfied appetites, my amazinghardworkingdiligentmedschoolhusband studied in our room at the houstonian all day saturday and i got to spend the afternoon with my parents wandering around the galleria.  

thanks to an incredibly generous gift from my dad, i am now blogging from a shiny new computer.  to say i am grateful & excited is a severe understatement- not just for my parents giving hearts and generousity, but for the way they always believe in me. they are brilliant examples of the kind of people and parents that ross and i pray we'll become.  but the best part of the shopping trip was when my mom and i walked out of j.crew to find my brother brother sitting on a bench, his leg acting as a pillow for my very asleep dad.  

that evening we attended the wedding of my uncle kent to his finace sarah.  once again, we spent an entire night enjoying beautiful food, wine, and company.  one of my greatest joys in life is when the whole crazy family is together, or at least most of them, and we can talk about old memories while making new ones.  toward the end of the night, ross, my cousin william and i straight up crashed the other two weddings that were going on at the hotel.  our criteria for wedding crashing evolved into several must-do activities:  walk around the reception, get a diet coke, make small talk with the photographer & get your picture taken, and finally leave- with a wedding favor in tow... all in good fun. 

it was such a happy weekend.  one of the sweetest parts of being married is seeing your spouse with your family.  ross and i are a family now, and it's so fun to see how much the rest of my family loves him too.  he's the man. 

anyway, i'm officially back to trying to be a graphic designer & photographer through this rockin new computer, but more on that later.  in the meantime, here's some inspiration i found while soaking up my long-lost friend, blogosphere... don't even laugh- you're obviously friends with it too. 

{above 3 from marina at makina, found via ohjoy!}

{via design*sponge}