celebrating!

life is so full + rich. sometimes it nice to take a moment + soak all of that in, especially when celebrating life.

i've been celebrating trav for the last week and a half and it has been FUN! the week leading up to his birthday, i got him {small + useful} birthday gifts everyday. examples: golf balls, stuff for fishing, surprise starbucks at work, etc.

i decorated the house the morning of and had a healthy start to the day with a donut run for birthday breakfast.

unfortunately, we weren't able to meet up for lunch, but we continued the celebration for dinner! we ate at this yummy spot in pasadena called il fornaio. {most handsome 27 year old!)

i loved having the night with him. we ate good food and i was able to tell him some things the Lord shared with me that he was going to do in his 27th year of life. that was special. and that yummy looking dessert was icing on the cake!

then we went shopping and got some cute new birthday clothes.

we didn't stop the celebrating after the actual day... we continued it for a weekend in palm springs. we were surrounded by some great friends, bomb food, and a beautiful location!

i planned a surprise birthday dinner after the guys golfed 36 holes on saturday! thanks to the help of the wonderful ladies there, we set up a great party!

our yummy spread: steaks, grilled corn, garlic mashed potatoes + mac+cheese.

for dessert: funfetti cupcakes + cigars for the fellas.

my spontaneous "photobooth" {this pic ended up being the only pic taken there that night!}

serious guy time - bonding over cigars.

thankful for this great weekend. celebrating, relaxing, rejuvenating, and lots of eating!

xo

best day in the world!

john travis harper was born on october 3, 1985.

 

27 years ago, trina gave birth to a studly son and i am thankful everyday that she did.

 

travy, you make my world go round. your life; the joy, wisdom, and love you bring to me daily astounds me. you move me in ways that are only of the Lord.

 

you are a man who: fears the Lord, adores your wife, loves your family, has the best, hardest work ethic, enjoys the great outdoors and all things manly, gives me insight on any and all sports, always is fun to be with, has kind eyes, a beautiful heart, and a generous spirit. you are unlike any other.

 

and so today, i celebrate you. so thankful that you have made this world a better place the last 27 years.

 

happy birthday best friend + lover.

 

 

let's party like it's your birthday... cause it is.

xo

mama g

 

if i can be anywhere in the world right this moment, it would be in las vegas, with my mom celebrating her sweet life!

mama g, you have a heart full of love, kindness, generosity + straight up beauty!

i think about grandmama having you just 46 sweet years ago. what a woman to raise such a great daughter who in return, has a happy marriage, has raised three wonderful children, and gets to love on two grand babies! your life is so rich, so full of people who love, believe and encourage you.

i hope this is your best birthday yet. you deserve it. just think - next year we will be celebrating your birthday at your beach house! ;) love you dearly.
xoxo

27.

happy birthday sweet candice.

you are brave, gorgeous, always fun to be around and hilarious.
you consistently show Jesus to everyone by simply just being you.
you naturally carry something that everyone wants, it's gotta be your joy. it's contagious.

don't stop doing what you do.
especially this year.
because the best is yet to come.

here's to 27.
love you.
xo

twenty.5.

my friend let me read this book: bittersweet.

a chapter in the book, titled "twenty-five" (how appropriate) really rocked my world! it was so encouraging to hear and also challenging. 

encouragement: figure out what you love + do it.

challenge: start counseling, get involved in a church you love, try different communities.

she asked some questions at the end that got me thinking...

am i proud of the life i'm living?

what have i tried this month?

what have i learned about God this year?

do the people i'm spending time with give me life, or make me feel small?

is there any brokenness in my life that's keeping me from moving forward?

i'm not going to share the deepest parts of my heart with you, but i do want to encourage you... whatever season of life you are in, at whatever age, grab your drink of choice and a journal and reflect on these. it's been already eye opening sorting through these questions and letting God speak to me. 

all this to say: it's been a wonderful 25 years. many lessons learned, many miles traveled, two lives moved, many changes and moments of growth. so thankful for every single season. 26: i'm ready for you. bring it on!

25 + beyond.

i cannot believe it has taken me so long to blog my 25th birthday!

i wasn't looking forward to the age but a girlfriend texted me the night before- and said, you're gonna be a quarter, and no one throws away quarters- they throw away dimes, pennies and nickels. i LOVED it and that simple sentence changed my perspective on 25! lol

started off @ 1am with a surprise of my mom- sister- niece- best friend- and mom's best friend. i was SHOCKED. they jumped on my bed!

then woke up to my handsome hubby who bought me some stunna shades.

(gold ray bans for my golden birthday.)

then off to breakfast at LGO where i met this guy...

(steve nash all you non-suns fans!)

then shopped around. had an amazing lunch at arcadia farms with trav's moms side of the family! it was a blast.

then came home and CHOPPED off my hair!

(before)

(after)

love it. so sassy.

then me and trav went to olive & ivy and had the sweetest spot on the nicest patio in town.

it was the perfect day. thank you all for loving me so good. and a special shout out to my mom for having me :)

xo

free falllllin...

so for travis' 25th birthday, i thought it would be fun to surprise him and go sky diving! he is adventurous and has done it before, so i put him in the car and told him on the way there!

we had a BLAST! i highly recommend it! i mean, come on, you can't beat that facial expression!

22nd birthday!

22. i am twenty-two.

sounds old right?

well we kept it young.

enjoy.