six.

Today we have been married for 6 beautiful months.

Marriage is easy and perfect.  I'm not kidding.

It is so much more than we ever hoped it would be. 

It continues to surprise us with its sweet hidden gems that we keep discovering. 

We have had countless times when we just look at each other and stop what we are doing and  squeal with excitement that we are actually married.

This Thanksgiving it is obvious that we were full of so much gratitude for our new marriage.

*sorry for the graphic nature of this kiss

We start the trek home from Colorado today.  

We had such an incredible time with all of our family and have many lovely pictures and memories to savor. 

We will be spending our six month anniversary in the car holding hands and reminiscing about our favorite parts about the trip.

Thank You Anonymous

Remember how I said I was going to spend my Thanksgiving vacay doing makeovers on my perfectly beautiful twin nieces?

It happened.

And it happened big.

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

Want to know the kicker? They are 8. Not 18.

Autumn and Jadalyn are life size Barbie dolls.

Yesterday on (this)post I got an interesting anonymous comment.

 

So, I decided to kill two birds with one stone. 

 

Makeovers-check.

Tutorial-check.

 

Dear Anonymous,

Here is your tutorial.  I love my nieces and they were the perfect models.  Even though they are wee little ones, hopefully you can still apply the techniques to your beautiful face.  

Love,

Rachel, Autumn, and Jadalyn

Jady's finished product.

Auty's finished product.

Their make-up artist:

Sisters.  

They know when to be the hams and they know when to be serious.

We are in love.  My heart hurts to leave them in 3 days.  Maybe we will just move to Walsh.  I could have a pretty busy opera career here in Walsh, right?  Right guys? 

I'm off to bake Thanksgiving desserts with my sister (in-law).  Ahhhhhh, family is so precious.

1,000 Beautiful Things Have Happened

Small town life is a beautiful thing.  

We have already done so much.

Dare I say, Walsh CO is burrowing in to my little ole heart.

We are still here for 5 more days.

That means:

5 more breathtaking sunsets

5 more days of delcious food

5 more days of meeting and loving delightful people
5 more days gazing at soft golden fields
5 more nights of clear skies and silent sleep

5 more days to wrap our arms around our nieces

5 more days of no traffic

5 more days of crisp powerful wind sweeping across our faces

I'm learning how to slooooow down.  

And I love it.

you and me from here to there

In just 17 short hours...

me

...will be taking a 23 hour road trip from Atlanta, Georgia to Walsh, Colorado.

Our trip will consist of:

singing at the top of our lungs

eating more junk food than we should ever consume in a 23 hour period

reading scriptures in the car

crossing many-a-state line

a lot of hugs and kisses

wallowing in the love and laughter of our nieces and nephew

makeovers with nieces

fart contests with nieces

cooking

an enormous amount of card games

jamming with our children

sleeping in an old hotel from the 20's now remodeled in to John's Mother's home

eating exorbitant amounts of delicious thanksgiving goodness

seeing the new harry potter movie

more jamming

spending holiday time with cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and friends

feeling gratitude

being thankful

All beacause you laughed in your sleep

 Dear Husband,

Tonight I may have gotten a little mad at you.  And it may or may not have been caused by a certain syndrome that seems to come around every month.  

I was so perturbed that I lay in bed completely restless and disturbed.  I was determined to stay mad at you, even though really you had done nothing wrong.

Then something magical happened...

You laughed in your sleep.

I looked over at you and you had the most beautiful smile on your sleeping face.  Even though I was brimming with unreasonable anger I forgave you for the things you didn't even do right then and there.

You see, you are a pretty wonderful guy and we don't ever fight but I've been feeling so touchy lately.

Maybe it's the fact that graduation is 4 weeks away and I have so many obstacles looming over my head.

Maybe it was a little bit that I really wanted to snuggle and watch Toy Story 3 tonight. (Even though I enjoyed Forrest Gump)
And maybe it was the fact that tonight you said my chest skin looked leathery.

Anyway...here is my peace offering.  

I was so inspired by your magical slumber induced giggle that I had to come in here and do this for you. I love you.

Love, Your Wife

P.S. I hope you remember what you were dreaming about so we can laugh about it together in the morning.

A Death...A Birth

Good news, there has been a death.

Bad news:  It wasn't our mouse.

THE GREEN STRIPES HAVE DIED!

And this is why the hubs and I decided to make a fort in our very new and wonderfully green stripe free living room.

I need to change those light-bulbs, eh?

We tried to watch Monsters Inc.  but I fell asleep. Shameful, I know.  It's hard for me to finish any movie that is started after midnight.

We had some wonderful beverages.  Hot hot hot Chocolate and some Welches Bubbly.

Check out those long beautiful legs.  My man could have been a ballerina.

We celebrated our new clean white wall with some Sparkling Red Grape juice.  I could drink an entire bottle of that by my self...in one sitting.  I swear, its a good thing I don't ever drink alcohol, it could be a bad situation.

And now for another fort.

More good news:  There has been a birth.

We have a new child.

Last night, after dinner with our aunt and uncle, John gave me my very first guitar.  She is a classical guitar and is lovely. It was his quite some time ago and has been through a bit as you can see from her 4 strings.

Mr. Murphy and I played our first guitar duet together.  "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room".  Its too hott to share now. (Plus maybe I need some more practice...)

It's such an incredible sensation to feel so connected to an object. My instrument has always been inside of my body because of singing.  Now I am learning how to develop this new talent out side of my body and it is a completely new challenge.  I can't wait to hear all of the things that will come out of this beautiful instrument that is so foreign to me.

when the husbands away the wife will cave.

Last night I came home at 11:15, from almost 12 hours of babysitting, to an empty home.  John was invited for a racquetball and a video game marathon at my sister and her husbands home in Athens.  I will never understand men and their video games.  So...I had the night to my self.  What did I do?

1) Put on the most comfortable jammies I could find, included but not limited to a shirt I have had since Elementary school

2) Felt a little lonely with no one to snuggle with

3) Realized that was silly and told myself, "You can have fun by yourself, you like yourself."

4) Took a self portrait

5) Took off all of my make-up, let my hair down, and indulged in two guilty and unhealthy pleasures

6)  Netflixed a classic. Old movies are the cure for any secluded night

*Jane Russell completely out-shown Marilyn.  Sorry Mary.

I really enjoyed the movie except for the fact that the whole time I just kept thinking, "Jane Russell is Adam Cooper in drag! Jane Russell is Adam Cooper in drag!"  It was tripping me out the entire film.

Adam Cooper would make a beautiful female.

7) Did another self-portrait through the viewfinder of my Nanny's vintage Ricoh Singlex II

8)  Then I watched The Proposal and made snowflakes for a special Christmas decoration. Stayed tuned, it's going to be brilliant.  I made them out of some music sheets from an old vintage piano music book and maps from an old Atlas that John had in his car.

"Hello Washington, how will your Christmas be?"

I realized a few things last night. 

It's just as important to feed the relationship you have with yourself as it it is to feed the relationships you have with others.

Marriage has changed the way that I spend my time.  When I come home or have free time, the only thing on my mind is wanting to be with my husband.  But I realized last night that sometimes we have to step back and check back in with ourselves to make sure that we are doing what we need to feed our souls and stay connected to the "little I am" inside of us.  We can do this alone and with people but I just needed the reminder that being alone is a sweet time of self discovery and self love.  I had a great reunion with myself last night.  I think we will get together more often.

I know...I know...

It's still only November but I couldn't wait any longer.  Our Christmas Decorations have been going up for the past week now.  I started listening to the Pandora Christmas music station on November 1st.

For John's birthday my mother gave us a firestarter to have our FIRST fire in our fireplace.  We can't wait.  But this Atlanta weather just really cant decide what it wants to be.  Today I rolled up my pants legs and didn't even wear a coat. WHERE ARE YOU WINTER??

I went to Hobby Lobby to return some knobs that I got for (this) project.  I had planned on just getting my money back but in true female fashion the crafts were screaming my name not to leave the store empty handed.  So...I succumbed.

I wanted to get a couple of wreaths to go in the living and dining room areas.  So, I took a look.  

80 bucks...90 bucks...for a wreath!?

Heck, I'll just make my own. So, I found plain wreaths that were on sale for %50 off so I got them for $4!! Then I picked up a few berries and went home and got to work.

I wanted something really simple and clean.  So I went with earthy colored berries.  I love how simple and beautiful it turned out.

Cost: $6 each as opposed to $80.  I'll take it!

Then I took some extra old lace that I used to make this (earring holder)and I glued some berries on to the lace.  Then I hot glued it closed and used it as garland to go around the chandelier in the dining room.

Mr. Murphy and I started seriously dating around this time last year so this is a particularly special time of year for us.  I love thinking back to all of my memories from last year.  I am so pleased with how our lives have progressed in this past year.

I remember going down to my Nanny's for Thanksgiving last year and texting John the whole time missing him and longing for his presence.  My Nanny asked me if I thought I was going to marry him.  I told her there was no possible way.  She disagreed.

(mr. murphy is wearing a hat that I made. he sure can rock a flower)

We had our first kiss on December 3rd 2009 and we were engaged on January 3rd 2010. Grandmothers sure do know best. (and apparently can tell the future.)

Happy Holidays my sweet friends!  Enjoy every single minute of it, this time of year goes by fast!