the tops.

the tops this week:
1.  my sister got a texting plan. this is a big deal.
2. dinner, drinks and milkshakes with my coworkers downtown on friday night.
3. outside patios.
4. rearranged my apartment slightly and feeling a little more at home. and a little safer.
5. today is sunny and warm and beautiful and I am outside writing this.

I've been feeling really inspired the past few weeks. I have been oil painting about every other night, been eating (slightly) better, and today I started a barre regiment through an online gym. yep. an online gym. I get home between 5:45 and 8:15pm during the week. I can't ever really tell when I'll get home and how tired from the day I will be. I saw that the fresh exchange was doing a yoga gym online and so I looked into it. apparently you can find any kind of fitness class online through fitnessglo.com, including barre, which is something that I've wanted to try for a few months now. It's a cross between classical ballet and pilates. it is wonderful. this morning I felt like I knew what I was doing, I was having fun and I was also sweating more that I ever have before. in my mind, that means it's great and working. today is the first day but I'm making consequences of no technology at home until I've done it each day.

I'm still trying out different churches in des moines but I'm thinking that if I don't have one that I can see myself staying and serving in within a month, I'm going to settle into cornerstone in ankeny. I miss having a church that I can rely on to be biblically sound and kingdom minded. but it's been good to get to experience other churches too.

so anyway, it's been a good few weeks. I am loving summer in des moines. it's so beautiful downtown and in sherman hill. des moines is becoming one of my favorite places.

source unknown via pinterest

to have and to hold (or why I love my job).

the year was 2000 and I was in the sixth grade. the internet was still going through puberty and microsoft publisher 97 was cutting edge in all things layouts. make a card, make a flier, make a resume. the options were endless. my friends and I saw an opportunity. a zine. gossip, astrology, nsync news - the truly important things. our magazine had it all. I mostly worked on it but it served as a safe haven for my friends who used brainstorming new content as an excuse to not play basketball at lunch. the magazine was in print on and off all of middle school. nerd, right?

I love blogs. they are instant information and inspiration. they connect people of similar interests and make the world a little smaller (in a good way). I love knowing that I can go to designsponge.com or designlovefest.com every day and see something I never have before. I love that I can live 2 hours away from my sister and yet go to teamvanvoorst.blogspot.com and feel like I live alongside her family. blogs are great.

the problem for me is that everything is online. I skim it all other than those three listed above. I'm in a pinterest mentality when I read blogs. I look for the most inspiring thing, store it in my head, and move on quickly to try to find something even better. even virtual magazines, I click through the pages without really looking.

when I get my real simple or house beautiful magazines in the mail, they sit unread for quite a few days. then on a sunday afternoon, the tv is off, the computer is closed, and I read my magazines. I love turning the pages. I love that there is nothing to distract me except the next beautiful story. there is something about print media (including books and newspapers) that can't be replaced online. the content may be similar but the feeling is completely different. someone took weeks and months to produce what ends up in my hands. and that is magical.

beaut.

["A Christian, above all people, should live artistically, aesthetically, and creatively. We are supposed to be representing the Creator who is there, and whom we acknowledge to be there. It is true that all people are created in the image of God, but Christians are supposed to be conscious of that fact, and being conscious of it should recognize the importance of living artistically, aesthetically, and creatively, as creative creatures of the Creator. If we have been created in the image of an Artist, then we should look for expressions of artistry, and be sensitive to beauty, responsive to what has been created for our appreciation."

Edith Schaeffer - The Hidden Art of Homemaking]

that is beautiful. I think one of my graphic designer friends should make a print with the first sentence. and then sell the first in the limited edition to me. or actually my sister, who texted me the quote tonight. so I call the second print in the limited edition.

paige is reading the book that it came from. I'm just a poser and read this paragraph only. but the quote makes me want to read the book. it's hard to explain why living in an aesthetically purposeful way is important. it's not more important than other ways to express that we were made in the image of God, but important still.

"a Christian, above all people should live artistically, aesthetically, and creatively." yes. edith, yes. 

being in des moines gives me this ability a bit more than ames could. earlier today, I signed up for a caligraphy class that meets every monday night for 6 weeks at the dm art center. my job challenges me daily to be creative in a way that inspires Christian women. living alone, though I miss my roommates dearly, allows me to paint furniture and rearrange shelves on any given whim. this quote though pushes me to be more worshipful in my creativity, seeking closeness with the Father through a gift He gave that reflects back to Him.

source

the tops!

the tops are back after an eventful week.

1. most beautiful photo shoot ever. french outdoor dinner party.
2. getting the afternoon off of work unexpectedly on friday.
3. walking to sculpture park and reading on a blanket for 3 hours today.
4. mom spent the night friday.
5. bought and refinished a coffee table.
6. photo shoots for life:beautiful summer 13 are done!
7. loving work.
8. might adopt a fully financed dog from my boss.
9. really like my new church, gateway.
10. got to be with paige and the kiddos the night before they moved tuesday.

life:beautiful shoot

sorry about the lack of activity on here. hopefully will be better.

the moines.

I now live in des moines. it's great. I love the location of my apartment- less than a minute to the highway - less than 3 minutes to downtown - less than 5 minutes to the east village - less than 15 minutes to work.

my apartment is quirky, to say something. at all. I really like it. other than the toilet never flushing toilet things, the black mold on the fridge seal, the way the angry radiator pipes violently bang at all hours of the night, and the way I could slide down the slope in my living room, it's beginning to feel like my home. it's pretty, personal, cozy, and has so much beautiful, natural light. I got internet today after a scare that my apartment was unable to receive 21st century signals. so I like my apartment even more.

once I can afford magic erasers, have some time to diy, and get the radiators turned off for the warmer weather, I will completely love it here.

it hasn't been the best timing financially with my large chunk of taxes due this month, not having a subleaser for my ames apartment still, and still driving to ames from work almost as much as I did before I moved. I am confident though, that this is still God's timing. so many blessings have come out of being in des moines sooner than I had planned and I love seeing them unravel.

and now for a shameless plug - if you know of a girl looking for a place in ames this summer, you email me. okay? thanks!

what are your favorite things about des moines? what should I make sure to do in my first few months here?

pick up.

two weeks ago my boss asked me to move to des moines as soon as possible. I had been planning to wait until mid july, but when the person who hired you for your dream job asks you to do something you were already planning to do, you make it a priority. so I started looking. and I found a few that seemed like good fits and were available may 1. my budget didn't work for one and the other was leased before my showing. the other ones that I found were all for april 1 leases. by the end of last week, I was deflated. I didn't have a lease and thus, had no idea when I would be moving. I went into survival mode and packed up 95% of my room in one night. this last week went by with more disappointing showings and competition of other renters. I finally saw what will most likely be my apartment after work on friday. I will sign the lease on monday and move in on saturday or sunday, a week from now.

ames has been so wonderful and I'm thankful that it is so close. I am sad and excited to move. I feel so blessed that the apartment I'm going to rent is significantly below other units in the area and that the deposit is only $100. also, I can get a dog. which is so great. the place is a bit quirky but it's in the neighborhood I want to be in, close to downtown and the freeway.

I feel a bit better now with having a move in time frame, my walls painted, most of my things packed. now to find a subleaser. know of any christian girls looking for a place in ames - april through the end of july?

via

re-up.

I love these couches:

crate & barrel

west elm

The thing I don't love about these couches is that I can't afford them for like 5 years. I was online couch browsing in my living room yesterday when I realized that the couches I kept being drawn to have the exact same arm shape and back shape as my craigslist sofa and loveseat. inspiration has officially hit. imagine either of the couches above with the side bases extended to the floor rather than having feet. and imagine a thick, wool, oatmeal upholstery that has seen better days.

the couches are solid wood. I can cut down the wood to make the sides equal to the seating base, change the upholstery, make new cushions and add feet. I can have two beautiful couches for less than $300 total. I am so excited. now I just need the weather to warm up, order upholstery fabric, and to steal power tools from my parents.

taupe, light grey, or stone upholstery? help me choose.