HAPPINESS IS...

Fireworks

Are you getting excited for the 4th of July? My family and I will be celebrating early over the weekend, since the county allows the use of personal fireworks a full week before Independence Day. It will be hard to beat last year's show on the lake, but we'll do our best. Bring on the sparklers, snap pops, bottle rockets, smoke bombs, and mortar shells, I'm ready.

Have a thrilling weekend! Enjoy the festive links...

 

A cute way to wear red, white and blue.

The 4th essentials.

Proud to be an American pie.

Stars & stripes jeans with a scarf.

Fun firecracker shots. 

Make a patriotic statement in your home. 

An Independence Day beach picnic menu.

Star-shaped red & blue ice cubes.

Fourth of July fruit skewers.

DIY American flag cuffs.

 

And some posts of mine you may have missed...

• Juicy Watermelon
• A Fourth of July Toast
• Independence Day

{Image via Nordstrom}

DIY - Paper Boat Clutch

As you can tell from my wedding invites, vows, and guest book, I have a sweet spot for paper boats. They remind me of innocence.

So naturally, my heart fluttered when I came across Aimee's DIY leather paper boat clutch, inspired by the Moschino Boat Trip Bag worn so well by Alix.

Learn how to make your own here.


{Pre-edited images by Clones n' Clowns}

My Wedding 22: The World Record Attempt

Key word: attempt. Had we tried to break Jimmy Fallon's world record earlier in the day, we would have gone down in history as the longest pop n' lock arm wave!

Considering we had just over 100 people at the wedding, we thought we had it in the bag. 52 was the number to beat. But half the guests left during our motorcycle ride and the head count quickly diminished. When we got the video back, we counted... 52. A TIE! We were one person shy.

The Recordsetter rules:

- participants must grasp hands and create a full circle
- record only counts if arm wave returns all the way to the first person
- must provide video evidence

Fail. Let's try that one again...

Thanks to Mr. Steve Pappin, the Son of Shark Pig himself, we have our video proof...

 

Since then, the world record for longest pop n' lock arm wave has been broken by 528 middle school kids. Grrr. Even still, it's fun to say, that for a brief moment in time... we were once world record tiers.

NEXT WEEK... the DANCE PARTY!



{Images by One Love Photo; Video by Son of Shark Pig}

GET HAPPY 08: Finding Flow

I'm sure you've all felt it. FLOW. It's the "state of effortless concentration and enjoyment," according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the leading expert on positive psychology. It happens when you "forget yourself and act effortlessly with a heightened sense of awareness of the here and now."

Think of the last time you fully immersed yourself in a project or activity where you lost track of time. That's flow. It's usually voluntary, challenging, with clear goals toward success. And to me, it's one of the greatest feelings in the world.

I most often find flow when I'm doing something creative, like recording music, practicing the ukulele or writing my blog. I feel such an exhilarating sense of accomplishment. Like I'm pursuing my life's purpose.

Someone else may find flow in outdoor physical activities such as surfing or snowboarding, while others find it in social settings, playing with children, or having deep, intellectual conversations.

This article suggests that flow is the secret to ultimate happiness. People who experience large amounts of flow in their lives develop other positive traits such as high concentration, greater health and increased self-esteem. Makes sense, right?

So tell me friends, I'd love to know.  Where do YOU find flow?


{Pre-edited images via: 1. It's A Beautiful; 2. Habitual Bliss}

A Balanced Diet

As a lifelong vegetarian, I've always considered myself a fairly healthy girl. Until college when I was left to my own devices in the dorm room. Like many, I got into the habit of eating processed foods because they're quick and cheap. My habits improved throughout my twenties, but I'm still no saint in the kitchen. Hal and I both love to cook, but when we're exhausted at the end of the day, we tend to fall back on Trader Joe's microwavable meals. Which might be healthier than most, but they're still full of unnecessary chemically-derived ingredients that leave me feeling concerned about what I'm putting into my body.

Inspired by the 100 Days of Real Food blog, I've been feeling the urge to slowly transition into a whole foods lifestyle. And the first order of business will be green smoothies for breakfast to increase my fruit & veggie intake. I inherited my grandmother's fancy high speed blender and experimented over the weekend with a gang-load of healing organic goodies. I'll have to share the recipe with you, it was delicious. When my picky meat-and-potatoes husband agreed to drink one with me every morning, I felt like I hit the jackpot.

I can't wait to see how I feel in a month or so. Do you eat a whole foods diet? Or drink daily green smoothies? 


{Images by Karsten Wegener}

Going Slow

There is absolutely no reason for being rushed along with the rush.
Everybody should be free to go slow.

- Robert Frost

Have a lingering weekend, my loves. Admire the view, close your eyes, feel the breeze. And go slow. I'll see you again on Monday and until then, please enjoy the links...

 

The 10 best summer camp movies.

An interesting article on reclaiming domesticity.

What advice would you give to your 23-year-old self?

Beautiful quotes about motherhood.

Any reason to throw a cat party is good in my book.

5 great tips to reach your goals.

Somehow, this long flowy skirt & sweatshirt pairing works.

20 fun DIY nightstands.

An awesome macrame lamp.

I like to think that I inspired BHLDN's buyers to carry my wedding dress!

 

And some posts of mine you may have missed...

• Bright Coral Eyelids
• Tea Houses
• Black & White Holga Love 

{Image by Branco Prata}

A Solarium Made From Sugar

Yes, you read it right. All 162 windows of this jaw-dropping jeweled solarium were made from caramelized sugar baked into the glass. William Lamsen, built it for the Storm King Art Center's Light & Landscape Show in New York, to function as a citrus tree greenhouse and meditative sanctuary.

I'd love to spend some quiet time alone there, wouldn't you?


{Images by William Lamsen}

 

My Wedding 21: The Motorcycle Ride

As the sun began to set, Heather and Jon stole us away from the fun and games for some more fun and games... on Hal's motorcycle! If you've been following my blog, you'll know that his Harley is very special to us both. Hal inherited it from his late father and drove it up from California with a ring. He proposed to me on a bike trip soon after.

I grabbed my leather jacket, slipped on my boots, and off we went up the driveway...

... very slowly. I'm dying of laughter because my cousin drove the photographer/videographer team along beside us in my parents' golf cart! We felt so silly. And yes, we were sans helmet for aesthetic purposes. Kids, do not try this at home.

All was fine and dandy, until we made our way home. Until I felt a sharp tug on my leg. Until I screamed for Hal to stop. Until my train got caught in the back tire!!!

The outer layer of chiffon was completely ripped off. Hal untangled the mass of fabric wound up in the wheel spoke while I looked down at myself in shock. Did an accidental trash-the-dress session really just happen? Laughing it off, I thanked heaven for gown lining and for not being indecently exposed. I have a faint battle scar on my thigh to this day.

Something goes wrong at every wedding. This was our something. But it makes for a great story, right?

NEXT WEEK... our WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT!



{Images by One Love Photo}

Geometric Pinatas

That's it. Next party I throw, there WILL be pinatas. Most likely fancy geometric ones.

When was the last time you played with pinatas?


{Images by Prospect Goods}

Pretty Purple Picnic Wraps

How was your Father's Day? We planned to have a picnic in the park, but my folks surprised us with a new electric lawn mower, so we plopped down on the freshly cut grass and enjoyed a picnic in our backyard instead.

I adapted these pretty purple wraps for simplicity, substituting a few ingredients here and there. Whether you're into beets or not, they're quite tasty! I placed the following mixture into whole wheat tortillas, topped with a large salad leaf, and rolled them up burrito style.

1 can of beets
1 10-ounce log of goat cheese
1 cup of cooked quinoa
1 handful of roasted pumpkin seeds
1 handful of dried cranberries
5 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt, pepper, cinnamon and chopped fresh basil to taste

I told my family they were secret wraps, so they'd be surprised by the bright purple bite. 


{Images via Green Kitchen Stories by Johanna Frenkel}

Solo Road Trips

My freshman-year college roomie is in Portland for a wedding, so I'm driving down from Seattle for a 24-hour rendezvous. It takes about 3.5-hours each way, just long enough to enjoy my alone time with the windows rolled down and the speakers turned up. It's also a great opportunity to catch up on "reading". One time I listened to the entire audio book of Eat, Pray, Love during a solo drive from Los Angeles to Monterrey. Do you ever take road trips by yourself?

Have an adventurous weekend, my loves. Here are a few fun links to keep you entertained...

 

A handmade Father's Day gift guide.

Curtains hung with nautical rope.

How to make your own fanny pack (and why you'd want to).

How awesome is this VW bus tent?

15 toys you can create with a cardboard box. 

Who knew jello shots could be classy?

Vintage advice for girls who wear glasses.

An entire wedding photographed via Instagram.

Thinking of living aboard a boat?

Would you wear any of these one-piece bathing suits?

 

And some posts of mine you may have missed...

• A Dream Motorcycle Ride
• To Long For The Sea
• A Little Town At Night 

{Pre-edited image via Style Tracker}

My Grandparents' Reunion

I don't mean for this to be a sad post, but my dear 88-year-old grandmother, Helen Grace Hartley, has passed away. Due to her declining health, we knew it was coming, but there's never enough time to prepare for the loss of a loved one. I'm grateful to have shared a few special moments with her in recent months. And as the youngest grandchild, her presence at my wedding meant the world to me.

But more than anything, my heart overflows, knowing she has finally reunited with my grandfather, who passed 6 years prior. They were madly in love, married for 62 years, had 3 daughters, 7 grandchildren, and 18 great grandchildren. This is my favorite photo of them from 1946, when she was pregnant with my mom's oldest sister. Don't you love her saddle shoes, fur coat and Brownie camera? They were quite the stylin' couple.

Grandma and Grandpa, you lived beautiful and inspiring lives. May you rest in peace, together at last.

My Wedding 20: Fun & Games

During the reception, I received a few comments from parents. They loved how we catered our wedding to children. This took me by surprise, because that wasn't our original intention. Entertaining the kiddos was secondary to entertaining ourselves. All the fun and games we provided were there for purely selfish reasons! But of course, we were thrilled to see the littles having just as great of a time as we were.

The Viewmaster table number holders were a big hit with small kids...

And big kids alike.

Instead of a photo booth, we opted for a flipbook booth so we could make our own 7-second mini-movies! The boys at Fliptography shot the film, printed and cut the frames on the spot, and stapled the books into instant party favors. Hal and I did the swirl n' kiss while some of our guests got extra creative, acting out entire scenes.

The vintage percussion instruments leftover from the ceremony were quickly snatched up and put to use. The big band we hired had to leave after dinner, but you wouldn't have known from the jams coming out of these boys and girls!

I adore this shot. Hal was overjoyed when miss Charlotte made him a crayon drawing. 

And what's a backyard wedding without lawn games? We placed a few hula hoops, plastic balls and a corn hole set out on the grass. My dad almost built a life size Jenga game, but that bright idea was quickly placed on the bottom of the "I'll get to it if I get to it" list. We did, however, have some giant Pick-Up Sticks which were sadly left inside the house! Although I'm not sure the kids would have known what to do with them. Do they even know what Pick-Up Sticks are?

Let's not forget the tepee playhouse, which I failed to take a single photo in. Doh! Thankfully, my beautiful maids did not.

NEXT WEEK... the MOTORCYCLE RIDE. Vroom vroom!



{Images by One Love Photo}

Get Happy: 07: Bliss Triggers

So what's a bliss trigger? It's a completely made up term by yours truly. But before you roll your eyes, hear me out. According to my imagination, a bliss trigger is a powerful little life tool I personally use to lift my spirits and fill me with hope. Here's how it works...

Find a rare occurrence. Something that doesn't happen on a daily basis, like spotting a penny on the ground. Let that penny trigger a feeling of joy, gratitude and bliss. This could be done in a variety of ways, not just with pennies. Maybe a plane passing by overhead. Or a cat crossing your path. A certain song playing on the radio. Or a whiff of a specific perfume.

As an example of one of my own triggers, there's a part-time cashier at our local Walgreens that looks, talks, and acts exactly like the nervous Target Lady on Saturday Night Live. I kid you not. It's as if Kristen Wiig based her character off of this woman in my neighborhood. It's rare that I see her, but whenever I do, I giggle inside.

Use these triggers, no matter how silly, to remind yourself to stop what you're doing, be present and smell the flowers. Drink in the moment to celebrate all that you are and all that you have. And don't limit yourself to just one trigger. Have many! Soon, you'll start to notice them popping up exactly when you need them the most. They become symbolic. Almost as if the universe is telling you that everything will be okay, or that you're on the right path.

Do you have any bliss triggers in your life?


{Pre-edited image by Oh Hello Friend}

Alphabet Letter Shelves

I'm really digging these wooden letter shelves, handcrafted by Italian architect duo, Giulia and Lucio of WE ArchDesign. They're deep enough to hold books and large enough to make a statement. They sort of remind me of the alphabet furniture pieces I featured awhile back. Think of all the word possibilities. Pretty genius, don't you think?


{Images via Design Milk}

That Summer Feeling

Seattle's finally feeling the heat. Although summer's officially two weeks away, we're getting a nice little sampling of what's to come. This weekend should be a glorious one. Does it feel like summer where you live?

Enjoy the sun and the a few happy links...

 

An artistic summer salad.

How to get no-heat beach hair waves.

A treehouse that rivals the one my dad built.

4 steps to a smart marriage.

One stunning ear cuff.

An unbalanced hotel concept in Madrid.

Two silly yet spooky cats.

Wire sculptures never cease to amaze me.

Could you live inside the world's skinniest house?

A pretty photo backdrop.

And some posts of mine you may have missed...

• Bouffant Bangs
• Snacks
• Afternoon Outings

 

{Pre-edited image via Julia}

Girl Crush

GIRL CRUSH: (n.) an overwhelming sense of awe felt for another lady, elicited by varying causes ranging from deep respect to giddy enthusiasm.

I have a ton of girl crushes. And I suppose Wendy does too. She created the beautiful site, Girl Crush, as a way to inspire herself and others by featuring fascinating women living their dreams.

Not only are there stories about artists, photographers and designers, but there are interviews with a candy maker, bartender, attorney-musician, autopsy technician, panda ambassador, ballerina, oncologist, bike messenger, homicide detective, puppet filmmaker, roller derby girl, supermom, rockett, and a hustler of culture. Just to name a few.

Which of these girls make you crush?


{Images via Girl Crush}

My Wedding 19: Performances & Speeches

With full bellies and hearts, we sat back down for a few very special performances and speeches. My bridesmaid, Melanie Nyema, is sort of a big deal. Right now, she's touring the world, singing back-up for the one and only Taylor Swift. You may have seen her on the telly! Hal and I were so honored when she agreed to perform one of our favorites by Etta James:

SOMETHING'S GOT A HOLD ON ME

My other two bridesmaids, Tiffany and Alissa, were her Pips. Do you remember all 3 of these beautiful faces from my recent Charleston adventure? 

My girl Lauren Santiago is also a big deal. Complex Magazine's 50 most desirable bachelorettes! She sang the second solo of the evening, and rocked the house with a classic soul tune by Edwin Starr. 

TWENTY FIVE MILES

Believe it or not, Melanie and Lauren both sang back-up for me when I was pursuing my solo career in LA. And later, Mel and I sang back-up for Lauren when she started writing her own songs. I have so many special musical memories with these two. Including the craziest gig imaginable, singing for the troops in Guantanamo Bay. And we almost started a record label together! Ah, the dreams of youth. 

Many of my good friends sang with me in Sirens, our all-female a capella group at USC. We had enough of them at the wedding to sing one of my solos, Sooner or Later, originally performed by Madonna in Dick Tracy. Our former musical director, Guang Ming, re-arranged it for modern day and rounded up the gals (who live all over the country) to learn and rehearse the song via conference call! I always imagined singing for my husband on my wedding day. These women made my dream come true.

We originally recorded the song my freshman year, the Sirens' first year of existence. Due to the sound quality and strange arrangement, I'm slightly embarrassed to post this audio. But it will have to do! 

SOONER OR LATER

"Sooner or later you're gonna be mine. Sooner or later you're gonna be fine. Baby it's time that you faced it, I always get my man.

Sooner or later you're gonna decide. Sooner or later there's nowhere to hide. Baby, it's time, so why waste it in chatter? Let's settle the matter. Baby you're mine on a platter, I always get my man."

"But if you insist, babe, the challenge delights me. The more you resist babe, the more it excites me. And no one I've kissed, babe, ever fights me again. If you're on my list, it's just a question of when. When I get a yen, then baby amen. I'm counting to ten, and then..."

"I'm gonna love you like nothing you've known. I'm gonna love you and you all alone. Sooner is better than later, but lover, I'll hover, I'll plan."

"This time I'm not only getting, I'm holding, my man." 

And it only took 10 years to get him! 

After the entertainment, we began the speeches. My dad gave a touching toast, although well over the 2-minute max! He told the now-classic story of Hal's first visit to their house and offered some heartfelt advice for a loving marriage.

For "not being prepared to speak", Hal's mom gave arguably the best speech of the night. It was pure comedy! She had the crowd roaring one moment, then wiping their eyes the next. 

My maid of honor, Robin, unfortunately had to follow Hal's mom, but did so with grace, humor and class. She gave a beautiful toast that brought me to tears.

I thought the speech by Erik, Hal's best man, was right up there with Hal's mom's. He has a brilliant wit and I honestly can't remember laughing so hard at a wedding speech before in my life. It truly goes down in the books. We're are thankful to have video footage!

My big bro, Christopher, gave another fabulous speech, full of love, jokes and childhood memories. Impressive, considering I gave him one very limiting prerequisite: be nice!

I'm not quite sure what Hal's brother is doing in this shot, but it may have been a reenactment of a bodily function. And from there, he trailed off into some unresolved issues. We love you, Greg, but how many did you have to drink?  ;) 

Hal's youngest brother, Micah, brought the house to tears as he choked up before finishing his first sentence. 

Somehow, the microphone was handed off to us. Standing before our favorite people, who flew in from all over the world, to celebrate in the backyard I grew up in, absolutely blew my mind. There were so many people I wanted to acknowledge, but I was at a loss for words. We gave our unrehearsed thank-yous through watery eyes and lumps in our throats.

NEXT WEEK... some FUN AND GAMES!



{Images by One Love Photo}

Our Honeymoon In Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine!

Last night on Instagram, I leaked some extra fun news. If you snag the latest Summer 2013 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, and flip to Page 346, you'll see my mug in print! Our trip to Mexico & Belize is featured in their Real Honeymoon Diaries.

I've never been in a physical magazine before, let alone a national one. Let alone the queen of bridal mags, as my friend puts it. I'm so excited. Cartwheels excited. I raced into the bookstore newsstand yesterday and nervously leafed through the pages, fully expecting a sad little blurb in the corner. But it's a full blown 8x10 page spread!

When I initially told Hal the news, the second thing he said was, "man, I wish I got in better shape. At least a few push-ups or something." Thankfully, he can rest easy, since our bathing suit photos didn't make the cut. He's being a very good sport about the press (some men may not), and I smile inside when I overhear him telling his friends.

Thanks friends, for letting me share my enthusiasm!

P.S. We'll also be featured in the MSW online version of Real Honeymoon Diaries, but its not quite up yet. I'll keep you posted.

Embroidered Felt On Vintage Linen

How's this for a Monday pick-me-up? Bright and playful embroideries by Rachel Castle out of Australia. Wouldn't you love one of her hand-stitched felt letters on vintage linen? To remind us how happy and nice our places really are. Damn straight.


{Images by Castle & Things}