/ / chalk art for the kitchen.

yep, i'm pretty much obsessed with these chalkboard prints. lamar and i are closing on our brand new home next friday [8 days!], and these would definitely add some charm to our amazing kitchen. the shop also has one that would be perfect for a bar cart. swoon.

you can find these prints here.

/ / a quarter-century birthday.

So, I'm twenty five today.
And I'm feelin' good.

Things I have to look forward to in this twenty-fifth year:

Getting hitched in June ;)
Moving into our new house
Honeymoon!
Starting our lives together.

It's a big year full of lots of great things. I can't wait to see what God has in store.

/ / oh, happy may!

happy my favorite month, y'all!

 there are many reasons why may is my favorite month:

the beautiful weather

my birthday [i'm turning 25!]

two bridal showers

a winery bachelorette party for my roomie

a trip to the zoo with my second graders

my love's birthday

closing on our house

summer vacation begins!!!

tell me, what are you looking forward to in may? 

& now for a wedding DIY update…

 

can you see a little theme happening here? 

ok fine, i'm obsessed with gold and polka dots. 

(just wait 'till you see the bridesmaids dresses...LOVE)

i'm excited to see it all come together soon. only 8 weeks away!

have a happy may. don't forget to tell me what you're looking forward to this month.  

xo

 

/ / the perfect date.

 

i hope you all had a perfect april 25th. 

what has your week been like?  i've been a little lazy until i had my first personal training session yesterday. needless to say, i've been limping around all day. time to get in shape for the wedding! there are only 65 days left. i can't believe it!

really though, what is your favorite date?

 to clarify [tehe], i mean the romantic outing you do with your special someone. ;) 

dinner and a movie? cooking? painting classes? 

i'd love to hear! 

 

/ / scenes from our engagement shoot.

i am so excited to share with you our engagement photos. we had so much fun during the shoot! our amazing photographer, amelia of bloom & lo photography, made us feel comfortable and at ease. our day definitely didn't start out that way, though! i attempted to curl my hair and it just went crazy--therefore we were very late to the shoot [i despise being late to anything!] and then lamar forgot his shoes! who forgets their shoes?! what a hippie... oh, but i love him.

anyways, we met amelia at a sweet little park in atlanta, set up our little wine picnic [with a few hotair balloon touches] and got right to it. the weather was perfection and the light breeze made tiny little flower petals sprinkle from the flowering trees. ahh...

i hope you like the photos! which is your favorite?
to view even more from our engagement shoot, visit amelia's blog here.

xoxo

/ / i'm back + an update on life + bachelorette weekend!

it has been 40 days since my farewell post and i just can't take it anymore. i miss y'all too much and i get sad anytime i hear the word "blog", so i think it's about time for me to return.

first off, how are YOU? please tell me what you've been doing for 40 days. i'm dying to hear.

are you ready to hear what has happened to me in the last 40 days? okay, well then pretend. ready-go!

i will start with the biggest news first: we are under contract with the most perfect little house! we still have some things to check off the list and then it will be ours! ours. i'm so ready to finally live in the same city as this boy. no more driving 40 minutes to see each other a few times a week. thank goodness!

Other than that, we have had a couple's shower, engagement pictures, some wedding diy's, purchased my wedding shoes [perfection!], passed the 100 day [until our wedding] mark, and last...

instead of going on and on about how much fun it was [it seriously was the most amazing time!] i'll just show you in pictures. that is the best way, am i right?

when we arrived, there was a surprise of strawberry & champagne for all of us [thanks to julie's sweet boyfriend, bob]! 

after we unpacked, and enjoyed a glass of champagne, julie gave each of us a bachelorette survival kit. every item in the bag was perfect and fun! fun fact: i used all 10 hello kitty bandaids in one weekend. bam!

then, julie explained the weekend long NON-CHEESY bachelorette game: each girl had a pack of lamar trivia questions and ribbons. throughout the weekend they randomly would ask me a question about lamar and our relationship. if i answered the question correctly, they tied a ribbon on my bangle. at the end of the weekend, it was full! then, i glued all of the ribbons down to create a cute little bracelet that i can actually wear. so cute! 

lauren tyin' one on!

clearly, the glasses were a hit.

it was such a fun weekend, and my sister [MOH] did an amazing job planning! I can't get over the survival bags. it was my first time to charlotte and it did not disappoint! 

where did you go for your bachelorette party? or, where do you want to go for yours? i'd love to hear! 

/ / wedding update + a little farewell.

wedding, wedding, wedding.
there isn't a day that goes by where i don't plan something for the wedding.
it's a bit overwhelming at times, but the big stuff is mostly out of the way. thank the Lord!

those of you who have planned a wedding, what was the most stressful part of the planning? so far, mine has been finding the dress (which i found!) and finding a reasonably priced caterer.

here are just a few images of seriously inspiring details for the wedding:

Source: google.com via Jenna on Pinterest

Source: stylemepretty.com via Jenna on Pinterest

now for some sad news [for myself].

i'm going to be taking a little bit of a break from my dear little blog. i haven't been feeling very inspired to post lately, and i've been spending all of my spare time planning the wedding. i will post every once in a while, but not as regularly as i did in 2012. i'll most likely pick back up in the summer when i have a little more time.

i love y'all and appreciate all of you who have read my blog over the last three years and followed my journey through the last three hundred posts.

xoxo

/ / happy day!

lamar surprised my class with snacks and brought me flowers. ugh, he's the best.

one of my school parents sent in cupcakes for a valentine treat, plus they are samples for our wedding cupcakes! 

oh, valentine's day. i love it.

i love the colors.

i love the loveydovey-ness.

even when i was single, i loved it.

today has been filled with...

bible verses, spelling tests, tulips, candy [and lots of it], cupcakes, and surprises from lamar. 

i'm so excited for mine and lamar's date tonight. he is being super secretive, so i'll let you know what happens. 

have a lovely day, my dears.

xoxo

/ / happy valentine's week!

hello, darlings.

i know i've been real bad. real real bad.

i think i have averaged about 2 posts in the last 2 weeks. 

i'll be honest: aside from just being busy, there are things going on at work that are really stressing me out. not to mention, wedding planning can take a lot out of a girl. 

i'm working on a post to update you all on my wedding plans (lots of exciting things happening!), but i can't ignore my excitement about valentine's day.

i mean, the day is full of pink, hearts, candy, and smiles.

what's not to love?

lamar and i are planning on doing a sweet date-night at home. candles, wine, and just us. yay!

don't tell him that with my cute skirt, and heart earrings, i plan on wearing my comfy slippers.
call me grandma, but those things are cozy!

what are you going to wear for valentine's day? 

i'm loving this:

the red lips, cozy sweater, and polka dot skirt are perfection. can't wait to begin to recreate this outfit!

what about you? what are you plans for the big day?

before you go, stop by my valentine's post from last year.
xoxo!

/ / the month of lurve.

happy february!
so i thought i would kick off the first of february with some mushy gushy words and phrases that remind me of my sweet fiancé. one of these prints has the lyrics of the song that will be our first dance!
super gushiness ahead.
you've been warned. 

                   

         

happy love month, friends! xoxo

/ / sex trafficking awareness.

dear friends,

did you know that january is national sex trafficking awareness month? nope, neither did i until a couple of days ago. God has burdened my heart with this growing nightmare, and it wasn't until recently that i realized how much of this happens in my own country. as i researched more, i kept asking myself how our civilized country to allow this to happen. we fought a war to end slavery, but it still very much exists.

human trafficking isn’t a completely new concept to me. i had seen documentaries about the issue, but they always focused on less developed countries. my heart broke when I first learned that in some countries most orphans would be forced into prostitution. it broke more to see children offering to perform sex acts for the undercover reporters. sickening. not only does this happen in other countries, it happens in america. it is just hidden a little better and isn't talked about as much.

i recently read a book called rescuing hope which is a story about a girl in atlanta who gets manipulated and forced into trafficking. although it is technically a fiction story, the events and characters are based on the true, and recent,  life events of victims and former pimps in the atlanta area. it infuriates me to think that there are men in my community preying on young girls [and boys] and forcing them into the industry.

i know this is not a typical DL post, but friends, we need to educate ourselves and others about this reality. we can make a difference.

still not convinced that this is happening in your community? look for yourself. here's a slavery map where you can see where trafficking has been busted or investigated in your area. i looked at mine, and there were at least two trafficking rings in less than half a mile from my own house [and i live in the historic, cute, busy, downtown marietta, ga].

if you're not sure how you can help, here are some things you can do:
1. pray. pray for the current victims, former victims, their families, missionaries, our government, our president, our community, our world.
2. visit Not For Sale's website to see how you can donate or volunteer.
3. research so you can educate yourself and others on warning signs, prevention, safety-tips, and ways to help.

/ / oh, the joys of teaching.

being a teacher, to me, is a calling. it's so super fun [and incredibly draining], and each day is so special and different. here's a little peek into miss secrist's class. enjoy!

mr. lamar [my love] teaches my kiddos about animal camouflage. they LOVED every second. 

science project-function of a stem.
 [another blogger mentioned on instagram this could make a cool decor DIY...stay tuned]

need i say more? 

...and then there's my sweet 6th grade cheer squad. absolutely love their spirit.

there really is nothing like being a teacher.
every day there are new challenges, dreams, accomplishments, and blessings.
it's not an easy job, but it is oh, so rewarding.

to my all my teacher ladies out there, what have been your highlights of your teaching career? was there one specific child that stirred your heart? i'd love to hear your stories!