reflection.

this last week grady and i celebrated 8 years being married.  crazy.  a few days later we celebrated grady's final day of classes for trimester 5.  (((meaning: he is halfway through school)))  that afternoon we picked up grady's little sister hanna at the airport and have loved having her here for a few days.  as we've crazily been introducing her to our new home i've been thinking a lot about how much has changed for us in 8 years of marriage. 
if you asked either of us 5 years ago where we would be today, we would've told you dallas, tx attending parker chiropractic college.  while at byu-i, grady felt really strongly that he should attend logan chiropractic college here in st. louis.  i soon felt the same.  three and a half quick years and we were packing up all our things to live in the center of the united states. 
the first two months were miserable.  i think i cried 5 times a week.  (((pathetic)))  i felt so alone.  grady was busy with school and i felt like i wasn't really needed here.  it was the hardest two months of my life.  slowly we started making some really good friends at church, work and school.  i started to become busy with work and doing hair at night, grady quickly became engrossed in school.  things were picking up quickly for both of us. 
fast forward a year and a half.  this last month i found a really amazing job opportunity.  one i couldn't turn down.  our apartment complex bought out another complex within a half mile of my current apartment.  they were hiring an assistant manager.  one phone interview, six face to face interviews and a drug/background test, i signed a job offer and i start this upcoming monday, august 26th.
quitting my job at the dealership was sad.  for a year and a half they have been like family members to me.  i cried on my last day, don't judge.  i am really grateful for the friendships i made working there. 
this next job will be hard.  i'm going to learn a lot really fast, but i'm excited for the challenge.  grady and i will be moving to the new complex.  the timing is "tbd".  it's been a huge blessing for me to take this new job and i'm really grateful for it.

this adventure in st. louis has been almost a roller coaster.  although it started out really REALLY hard, it has become really REALLY happy.  i've really grown to love this city.  we have made some really great friends here and had some really fun experiences.  we have grown a lot and i'm enjoying our little life here.


ok no more drama, here's some pictures of the last little bit:

we celebrated our anniversary a few days earlier at a place called Kemolls downtown.  perfect view from the 40th floor of the whole city and great food.  although, i was more obsessed with the fact that there were spiders outside on the windows...40 floors up.  i couldn't handle it.  how did they get up there?  how long did it take?  what were there webs attached to?...it was all glass on the outside.  i just watched them shaking in their webs, 40 floors up.  still blows my mind.  moving on...

had to borrow grady's car one day this week.  the whole car was clean... but there was about 25 pens/pencils in a cubbie.  life of a student i guess.  some of my jay wolfe friends will recognize the auto beauty pen amongst the mechanical pencils (((whoops))).

 hanna came this week and we had some fun doing "st. louis" things.  hit up the zoo.

went to a cardinal's game. they won, obviously.  hanna and i spent most of the game watching a highly intoxicated attendee make a fool of himself.  singing at the top of his lungs EVERY song that came on over the speakers.  then he liked to tell absolute strangers how amazing the songs were.  we ate a world famous cardinal's stadium hot dog.  changed my life.

went to the arch.  (((i'm an excellent photographer.  had to get my finger in the picture))) 

we also ate at pi pizza, drove around forest park, went to the jewel box green house, ate at fitz bottling co. on delmar, drove past city museum (((way to tired to go in))), did a budweiser brewery tour, ate at bogarts bbq and hit up soulard farmers market.  tomorrow we are going to six flags for a bit and then they are off to the airport.  grady is going to go home to see his family and chat with some chiropractors out in phoenix.  he'll be gone ten days and i miss him already. 

here's to 58 more years.

still here.

4 1/2 months?  wow it's been a while.  grady is officially a tri 5.  meaning... we're about halfway.  happiness.  we're really getting into a groove here in st. lou.  me with work and hair at night, grady with school and studying at night.  our weekends tend to be jam-packed with grocery shopping, cleaning our house and spending time with friends.  we're both really happy for the warm weather. 

things i'm looking forward to this summer:

• fireflies
• city carnivals
• using our season pass to six flags
• garage sales/yard sales/rummage sales
• seeing my family

 things grady is looking forward to this summer:

• golfing
• using our season pass to six flags
• a visit from his little sis

 on my way home from a hair appointment this last saturday, i followed my thrifting gut and stopped by two estate sales.  now... typically my blood is too cheap for estate sales, BUT i hit the mother load.  the first sale i went to i found two hobnail milk glass planters.  2 for a quarter!!!  a QUARTER!!!  i couldn't believe it.

so now the cash i just scored from my hair appointment was burning a hole in my garage sale pocket...so i found a sign for another estate sale.  this one i found an even BETTER treasure.  i walked through the whole house.  this lady collected hobnail milk glass.  had tables and tables FULL of milk glass.  she had the white milk glass and then had a few other collectible pieces.  fenton turquoise opalescent hobnail milk glass.  ie: picture below:

highly collectible and quite expensive when you can find it.  i dug through all the tables, but everything was priced way too high.  i tried haggling with the estate sales workers and they weren't budging.  so i kept those tables on the back burner of my mind in case i couldn't find anything else worth buying, i'd go back and find one special piece.  THEN... i walked into the garage.  mostly garbage, but then i saw this absolute GEM in the corner. 

so how much did i pay for this bad boy???  well, it had a price tag of $45...which is dirt cheap to begin with.  BUT i'm all about getting a good deal.  so i offered $20.  isn't that terrible???  i figured, it's the end of the day, they've got 30 min to sell as much as possible, and there's no way they will sell this before they close.  WELL, he didn't take $20, but he countered with $25.  SOLD!  then came the hard part... how do i tell grady i just bought a second dresser...that needs work.....and to help me unload the beast out of our teeny car...and i know i'm taking on another project when i already have that mini armoire i need to refinish?  well, luckily he was half asleep when i got home so he only half understood what i had just done. 

so what am i going to do with it??? well, i can pretty much guarantee this sat in his garage for at least 10 years.  it's been painted baby pink and i'm guessing was his daughter's many years ago.  i love the keyholes in the top two drawers and the handles are super cute too. ((although i'm still debating throwing on some glass knobs...tbd)) it also has the cutest little casters on all the legs.  fun!  i'm pretty sure i'm going to paint it all white.  do A LOT of distressing.  finish it off with some hard wax.  i'm really excited!!!  if there are any other suggestions, they are welcome!

Trading up.

A little something on getting an education in a trade:

One of my biggest regrets in life is not going to Beauty School while in High School.  I have a friend (hi Shiloh!) who did this and I am sorta jealous.  I felt like if I didn't go to a University that people would think I wasn't smart enough, or that I gave up... Fast forward 3 years in College that's exactly what a lot of people thought.  After I dropped out of BYU-I to go to Beauty School, some of the responses I got were:

• "Really...?  Did you fail your classes?"
• "You're going to Beauty School?   That's it?"
• "So after that are you going to finish at a real school?"

Despite negative feedback, I felt that my decision was right.  It all boiled down to one night.  I remember laying in my bed thinking, "I don't even care about Broadcast/Journalism.  I spend 90% of class doodling or wondering when it's going to end.  Why am I here?  Will this even make me happy?  Am I even going to use this degree?"  It made me wonder what I really had a passion for.  Turns out my doodling was a clue.  I wanted an artistic outlet.  I spent countless nights doing roommate's and neighbor's hair for dances, or in Amber's case, for a normal day in class.  (Love you Amber, hope you still remember how to put your hair in a pony!)  I got up, hopped on the internet and was amazed that a Beauty School was literally 1 mile from my parent's house.  I started blocking out how I was going to pay for it all and decided I'd better see if I could at least get my Associates Degree.  Turns out the next day was the LAST day to apply for graduation.  I remember calling my dad the next day (scared to death) to tell him I was going to get my Associates Degree the following April (2 month from then) and move home to go to Beauty School.  I'm pretty sure he was a little lost for words.  My parents were supportive, but I'm sure still hesitant.  No one in my family had ever gone to a trade school.  What should they expect?  How much would it cost?  Would I make the money back with the job that would follow?  I worked hard all summer.  Saved every penny I could.  Come to find out it would cost me around $850 a month to go.  (this is where I covet Shiloh and her intuition to go to Beauty School in High School- it's like a $15000 difference in price)  I was able to hold two jobs and school full time for 13 months.  (*side note* my mom was YW Prez in our home ward and called me to Camp Director that year...and I got married 3 weeks after camp.  To this day I have no idea how i survived....)  One of my jobs was assisting in a salon.  I wanted to be the best hairdresser when I graduated and felt I needed to learn as much as possible in those short 13 months.  I learned more there for real world work than anywhere else.  Lucky for me I also have an incredibly supportive husband.  He spent our first 3 years of marriage allowing me to hone my art.  His career was on the back burner so i could learn.  I'm grateful for every day of those first 3 years.  I developed a love for hair, people and non-traditional education.  I finally found something that was 100% me and would forever bless Grady & I financially.

I have now held my cosmetology license for almost 8 years, and have been a hairdresser in 3 states.  I love what I do.  I know for me, College wasn't right.  I was smart enough.  But I was also smart enough to know that being in a program that ultimately wouldn't make me happy was wrong.  Right now my husband is in College.  We are 5 1/2 years into an 8 year program.  This is right for him.  He is happy.  He loves what he is learning.  I knew I had to support him in anything that he felt he would love doing because he had done the same for me.

Traditional College isn't for everyone.  For those who it is right for, I'm really happy for.  I'm happy that they are happy.  I just don't like the stigma that anything other than that is wrong, or is a sign that someone gave up.  Our society NEEDS trades.  I have a brother who is now a chef.  I work with 25 mechanics.  I'm going to go get a massage from a friend who is a massage therapist this week.   All of these trades have a place and are necessary.

Other than marrying Grady, I would say that going to Beauty School was the best decision I ever made.  I have supported Grady financially through school by doing hair.  It's been my creative outlet at night while he studies.  I know someday when we have kids and Grady works, I'll have a little side business doing hair.  It makes me happy to know that some critical thinking about the direction of my life in the middle of the night led me to a career that I really love. 

A few years ago I was cutting a teenage girl's hair and she expressed interest in becoming a hairdresser.  I encouraged it.  If she has a passion for something, she should follow that passion.  Her mom said (while I was cutting her hair...) "You're better than that."  Really?  She's better than finding a career that makes her happy?  Please don't become that parent.  I said, "That'll be $40 for the last hour I spent cutting her hair.  Not a bad job if you ask me."  I hope I opened her eyes...her daughter tried College to appease mom.  Beauty School was always on the back burner.  She is now enrolled at a Beauty School by her parent's house.

Please don't look down on those who choose a path different from yours.  Be happy for those who are happy doing something different.  Support your kid's passions.  Allow them to feel they can be anything they want, even if it doesn't mean going to a traditional College.  Your support may make all the difference.  I'm grateful for my parent's support despite negative commentary.  They stood up for my decision when others did not.  I am so grateful everyday for those who allow me to touch their lives for 2 hours at a time by making them feel good about themselves.  I like being a sounding board, an artist, a friend, and a day-maker.  I am grateful for all the guys and girls I have worked with who have made me a better hairdresser, a better person.  I am grateful for my boss Rose who took a chance on me.  She made me the hairdresser I am today.  I am forever indebted to her.  I am grateful for clients past, present and those who I will someday be their hairdresser.  Sharing their lives and experiences with me have made me better.  I am grateful for a husband who allowed the first part of our marriage to be about me and my career.  Putting his needs aside until the time was right.  I hope to someday be as supportive of him through the next few years as he was of me.  He is my greatest promoter and cheerleader. 

Cheers to "Trade"ing up!

new.

new friends:
at least 10 new lds couples moved here for Logan this trimester.  i've already become fast friends with those i've met.  there's some new couples who don't have kids yet and it makes me feel more normal.  it feels like rexburg here sometimes.  constant turn over.  sad in that we lose people every tri, happy that we get to meet new ones every tri.

new hobby:
in the last month or so grady and i have house sat/dog sat/cat sat/mail pickup/etc.  for 4 families. so far we have lived in two people's homes, watched a total of 4 dogs and two cats.  i don't know how i became, as grady has so lovingly named me, "the pet whisperer"?  it's been really fun though.  and educational.  i'm not ready for a pet.  (((grady cheers on the inside)))

new knowledge:
grady has been really motivated this trimester to further his education.  grady's been attending some really incredible seminars.  i've been the recipient of the new adjustments he is learning.  it's. been. awesome.  more on this later.

new furniture:
seriously.  seriously... so emotional.  i have been looking for a dresser for exactly 9 months and 22 days.  there's been more than one temper tantrum, thrown by yours truly.  i've looked at probably over 30 dressers via craigslist.  i've folded and re-stacked our piles of clothing on the floor close to twice a week.  i've found exactly 2 larger than a quarter size spiders in those neatly piled piles on our floor where a dresser should sit.  grady's probably cursed me in his mind 10,000 times just hoping i'd pick a stupid dresser.   all of it was worth it.  i found a gem.  for $50.  bah!!!!!

 shut the heck up right?!  the girl i bought it from paid over $350 for it.  steal!  and the yellow top!  ahhhhhh!  btw, those are the original glass knobs... kills me. 

this other super sweet find i got at an antiques mall.  $25.  i'm going to paint it to match my mini armoir.  remember?  (((btw, i'm working on sanding that one down as we speak!)))

very retro.  i'm painting both the mini armoir and the little blue cabinet gray.  (no i'm not stupid enough to paint that beautiful dresser.)   i put the blue cabinet in my dining room as it and the blue was TOOOOOOO much.  keeping it subtle and classy with the neutral.  i do think i'm going to put something on the front.  design, pattern, something.  any suggestions?

new perspective:
i'm back to the "more on this later part".  so grady has been doing these seminars and he's been learning specifically adjustments on extremities.  selfishly this is a beautiful thing in my eyes.  i click every step i take.  i have had issues with both knees, hips, ankles, elbows, shoulders my whole life.  i'm a mess.  well tonight i had a pretty big break through.  grady learned a new adjustment on knees.  it's intense.  he said to me, if it's the last thing i do i'm going to get your knees to get better.  as i laid on his table and watched him stretch and manipulate my knees, hips and ankles, tears poured down my face.  my whole life i've spent living in frustration with a body that aches, wears out quickly and makes a gross/obnoxious sound with every step i take.  tonight i gained a little perspective on that matter.  maybe i was given this body so grady could learn and practice on someone everyday.  give him a challenge, a goal.  tonight was the first night i was grateful for my clicking knees and hips that give out.  i've never been more proud of grady than i was tonight.  i know he loves what he is doing.  i'm grateful he is putting time into educating himself past the bare minimum requirements.  i'm grateful he doesn't let others get him down about the path he's taking.  i know he's inspired and following the spirit.  life is good.  really good.

"she's crafty" take 2

updates on my craft projects:

 2 ceramic candlesticks

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AFTER:


 

all black, i put one up on the hutch above grady's (((super messy due to finals...))) desk.

 
don't you love the exposed brick?!  ahhh!
there's that HUGE "S"! 

the green yarn balls are from this tutorial i found on pinterest.  i found the elmer's glue on super sale because it's back to school time.

the big star is from this tutorial i also found on pinterest.  i personally used poster board as opposed to cereal boxes...seeing as we don't eat cereal.  the poster board was also on super sale for back to school.  i made 3 smaller stars too and attached them with hot clue to some skewers.  i put those in a hobnail milk glass vase on the shelf i repainted.  pictures below.

the small frame i found at one of my thrift shops for $0.50.  it was not the right color, but has a bomb double matting on the inside, so i just pray painted that one too.  i'm going to print a free printable and throw it inside the frame.  

 the big frame i bought in a 2 pack at Costco.  it's an 11x16 frame with an 8x10 mat.  i bought 2 packages because i needed 3 frames from the project below.  so this was the leftover one.            (((btw, 11x16 frames are pricey.  before you have a grand idea of a cheap print blown up to 11x16, price out the frames.  yikes!)))

the pleated looking vase i found at home goods (love...) for like $5 on clearance.

here's that print project i was talking about:

 i bought the rights to these prints from this shop on etsy.  i think all 3 were $22.00, i think it was worth it.

 

 the whole wall.  i'm working on putting something on the right side of that cabinet.

 those hideous cherub oval picture frame things

BEFORE:

AFTER: (still needs our silhouettes)

 
spray painted all black.  i found some scrapbook paper super cheap.  using the cardboard backing inside the frame, i cut out the ovals on the paper and used spray adhesive to attach them to the cardboard backing.

 

 found this mirror at an antiques mall i just discovered.  it was $2.50.  crazy right?!  it's incredibly heavy and incredibly nasty gold.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 so here's the reason it was $2.50.  it has a 2 chips in the corner.  did you even notice in the finished project??

 


super cheap hobby lobby shelf

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AFTER:

 All black...  i'm going to paint the "s" lime green to match my couch pillows.  did you recognize the mirror?!


ok i'm saving the pictures of my finished dining room chairs for last.  because i think they turned out the best!  BUT, here's a few more purchases i've made recently that i think i got a good deal on!

boat propeller.  it was $2.50 at this antiques mall i just found.  it's about 20" tall.  i'm going to either set it up on a shelf, or hang it up on a wall.  to be determined.

 isn't that color bomb?  (((side note:  yes i'm completely OCD, but i'm not going to clean it.  i love the dust and dirt on it.  it'll be like therapy, right?)))

 tall spaghetti jar.  $1.50.  ok, so i know a spaghetti jar seems like NBD, but my mom found a jar like this at a antiques mall filled with old bobbins, cut up fabrics, buttons, thread and spools.  it is SOOO cute.  so i'm copy-catting it.

my newest obsession is milk glass.  specifically hob-nail milk glass.  my entire dining room table is filled with the stuff. 
i found this gem at that same antiques mall for $6.  it's the cutest candy jar.

 

this is a candle holder.  it holds a large center candle and 5 smaller ones on the outside.  isn't it cool?  i paid $5 at my fav thrift store here.  

this is a cologne bottle.  i found it at a "rummage sale" for a church here.  i think i paid between $3 and $5.  

this is my favorite of all of them!!!  a freaking pitcher!!  ahhhh!  found it at that same sweet thrift store for $4.  i almost wet my pants.

two cute vases.  the skinny one i found at a Goodwill outlet in the most sketchy part of st. louis i've encountered yet.  i would estimate 93% of the people in the outlet are homeless and ready to shank anyone who comes between them and their awesome finds.   ANYWAY... they sell glass by the pound.  it's like $0.30 per pound or something ridiculous.  so i bought that skinny one and like 4 others for maybe $1.50 total.  kills me.  the wider one was given to me for my birthday by my co-worker friend pam.  she knows my super obsession with hobnail milk glass.



my whole collection.  smiles!!!

lastly, my dinning room chairs.

 drum roll:

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 (i like that you can see some of the grain through the white paint on this one.  another one turned out like this too and i think it gives the chair a little character.)

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 (this is the other one with wood grain coming through.  i've considered sewing a little cushion for the butt part.  thoughts?)

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ok so this one i need some help with.  it was the ugliest to start with by far.  i felt like it was weird all the blank space on the chair back.  i made up my own "template" and upholstered it.  i attatched one to the back and it looks like this:

  
don't look too closely to the taks, one of them is majorly out of place.
so my question is this: do i add the other one to the front?  i've been so nervous to mess it up.  here's an idea of what it would look like:

so here's the finished project (kinda.. i need to buy 1 more chair):

  

cute right?  i'm really proud!  i still need to stain that dang table!  maybe while grady is at one of the 50 chiropractic conferences between now and christmas i'll eventually get it done.  i think i'm going to go buy paint for that cute little chest thing i bought (in my last post) tonight.  wish me luck.  this is what my living room looks like amidst paint choices.  ahhhhhh!