A Public Service Announcement

This is the LAST DAY to sign up for the mug swap! Please go here to find more information. So far, we have had over 100 mugs swapped across North America (I think I'm allowed to say that since there were some bloggers from Canada, and at least one from almost every state - including Alaska!!)






I have had a couple of people e-mail me saying they never heard back (if this is you e-mail me again, please!). It seems that some people are misspelling my e-mail address. Please make sure there is an S at the end of Suzels....as in suzelSsays@gmail.com


Not sure if you want to play or not? If you get a USPS flat rate box, it will only be around $10.00 (give or take). Unless you send an extremely large coffee mug, which hey…I don’t think anyone would mind. I try to match you up against a similar blogger (similar tastes, style, interests, etc). Stop thinking about it and just do it! You will get a sweet new mug out of it.



Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Thursday Thoughts

{one}
Do you ever have dreams of having conversations with people, then you wake up in the morning and can’t remember if those conversations were in a dream or really happened? Well, that happened to me this week. And I had A LOT of conversations in my dream (or in real life?). So I’ve been walking around all week not starting many conversations with people, because I’m not sure if I’ve had that one or not. “Hey Sarah, thanks for telling the guy who mows your lawn that I had meat loaf for lunch yesterday.” Dreams are weird. I’m confused this week. Which isn’t different than any other week.


{two}
It’s a rainy and chilly day and all I want to do is go home, curl up in my bed, and watch a movie with a cup of coffee…or glass of wine…and think about nothing. One of my favorite past times.

{three}
Do you need a new app to get addicted to? Download Doodle Jump. Just trust me on this one. Just an FYI- the free one isn’t as good as the purchased one. Go ahead- splurge.

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{four}
Color Me Mine came to work this week and put out a bunch of mugs for us to paint. I got carried away and painted three. Oops! Can’t wait to get them back after they have been glazed!

{five}
This video was inspiring to me this week. It’s so true. When you do something new, whether it be blogging or photography, or whatever! You go through this awkward stage. Stick with it! Watch the video. Now!

WATCH THIS VIDEO!

{six and seven}
Hello. If only this was what I looked like on my bad hair days.

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I can’t wait until it’s beach weather and I can go to the beach and have cute hair like this.

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{eight}

It was so much fun seeing David this past weekend! I never want to leave whenever I go down there. If only my company would magically open up an office in Charlotte, North Carolina…

David’s model face. Watch out GQ.

They also have a nice boot store down in NC. I would like to own a pair of you before the season is over please. 

Linking up with Sar!

On a side note- does anyone know who to choose which picture will show up in your follower's reading list? With the old blogger, it seemed to be the first picture in the post. But with the new blogger, it doesn't seem to have any rhyme or reason. HELP! Please and thank you :)

Happy almost Friday people!

Mug Swap: 6 Days Left!

This is just a reminder that the coffee mug swap will end in 6 days! Please see this page if you want to play!

So far we have had over 80 people participate! If for some reason you e-mailed me about the swap and I haven’t gotten back to you- please e-mail me again! There were one or two that snuck by me :)

High Five for Friday

{one}
My sweet mom sent me a Starbucks gift certificate after I got my wisdom teeth out a few weeks ago and I just remembered. What a great way to start the weekend. She sent the letter from “Winnie the Pooh” and even signed it from him (I have had a winnie the pooh that my grandma gave me when I was one, and still sleep with it do this day. #needtogrowup). She also put two dog paw stickers on the outside of the envelope and wrote my dog’s names next to them...like she could really trick me and make me think that my dogs actually stamped it. I love my mom.

{two}
The other day was SO nice out that I decided to walk to get lunch at work. When I was walking back I passed a guy waiting for the bus drinking coffee. Then the bus came. Then he just placed his coffee cup on the ground and jumped on the bus. I thought “Really?!!?” So I walked over to pick up the coffee to throw it away and happened to see the cup had this written on it:

IF YOU ARE GOING TO LITTER, MAKE SURE THERE ISN’T A “TAKE CARE OF OUR PLANET” MESSAGE ON IT! #firstworldproblems

I’m not going to lie, part of me thought I was on a show where there were video cameras and they just wanted to see if I would do the right thing and pick up a strangers trash. I mean, I would have thrown it away anyways. But I did look around for cameras.

{three}
I’m going down to see my boyfriend this weekend. YAY! Since they spend HOURS warming up, I plan on taking a trip in to Charlotte to find some awesome places to take pictures. Any recommendations?!


{four}
Someone at work yesterday told me that her wedding photographer cancelled and asked me if I wanted to do it. I said, “YEAH!' Then realized I have never done a wedding by myself before and got super nervous. Yikes!

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{five}
Now that I’m really getting in to wedding photography, I’m starting to think that this is really what I want to do in life. I might be jumping the gun, and I know I’m new at it, but I figure if I’m going to do something I might as well do it right.

So I spend the past couple of days thinking of business names, how I want to get my name out there, setting up a website, portfolio, etc. Any suggestions on business names would be appreciated! I was thinking Susan Louise Photography (Louise is my middle name, originally Louisa from Sweeden :) but I can’t figure out if that’s cool and hip, or sounds like a 70 year old. Thoughts? Be honest!

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Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Shooting in Film: best pictures ever.

Lately, I’ve been having play dates with my friend from college, Carly. We will go to random places and just start shooting, like here. These little adventures are so.much.fun. Mainly because we just aimlessly walk around and enjoy being outside. Call us nature-lovers if you must.

This past week we have been playing around with film. At first I thought that there is no way a film camera could do what my DSLR does. Wrong. I love my DSLR, but there is something amazing about film. It’s the way the colors glow, the perfect complexion it gives your skin, and just the overall softness of the picture…all while still being super sharp. Try to figure that one out.

Carly took this amazing photo of me below. I’m not the amazing part of the picture- but the complexion and how the camera captured all of the colors is. This is totally un-edited as well. Blows my mind!

Shot with a hasselblad. If you don’t know what a hasselblad is, google it (like I had to do…). It might make you laugh. because it’s really big and clunky, but as a photographer at work described it- it’s the Mac Daddy of cameras. He might of thrown a choice word in there as well.

I’m seriously liking this film thing so much that even I called my mom and asked her to send me her old film camera! That means many more blog posts with film pictures to come-showing both the good shots and the “I must have had too much coffee so my hand was shaking and that’s why the picture was blurry” shots. 

Okay, I understand perfecting film is really hard. Like, REALLY hard. But I'm a determined girl. And when I set my mind to something, I do it, even if it takes years. There is no reason that with a little a lot of hard work and determination I can't get to where I want. So, here is the beginning of my film journey- and I'm going to take you all along for the ride. 

The Reality of Minor League Baseball

Last night one of David’s roommates got released and another got sent down to extended spring training. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it made everything more real. It made me remember that our lives could change at the drop of a hat. I’m not going to lie- I got nervous when he told me all of this and I immediately thought, “Oh no, what if David is next?” I think he could tell I got nervous because he quickly reminded me that he very well could get released today, tomorrow, next month, next year, or never…but it doesn’t matter. If that’s what God’s will is, then we will be happy to be in it, whether that means playing baseball or not.

There is no point for him (or me…) to wake up each day worrying if today might be his last living out his child hood dream because it is completely out of our control. No matter how well he plays, or how well he doesn’t play…we will live in the conditions in which God wants us. The point is- no one knows but God and we need to be at peace with knowing that we don’t know. Did that confuse you?

I would rather be in poor circumstances living under God’s will than great circumstances not under God’s will. 

Blogging isn’t perfect.

I am driven to make every blog post better than the last. This is how I have been raised all of my life. I went to practice and if I was better than I was last practice…I was doing my job. But for the first time I am finding that having this mentality is holding me back. I’ve realized that I have been waiting to write until I have something exciting to post about and only posting about it if it will be better than my last. I am scared to write unless it is perfect. But the thing I am learning about blogging is that every post doesn’t have to be perfect because life isn’t perfect. Your blog should be a true representation of your life, from the boring mundane things to the biggest milestones. It’s what keeps you real as a writer.

I commit to not being afraid to post about simple things in between the big things, even if it means my readers will be bored. I commit to still push myself, but not being afraid to show my life isn’t exciting all of the time (I know, I had you fooled). Because in the end, I’m blogging for me.

To kick off my new commitment, here is a simple post about the simple Sunday I had with Carly.

Carly was my model for the day. She can make any shot you take look good :)

Taking a picture of Carly taking a picture of me. I know- we’re cute.

That would be Carly playing with a hasselblad. I didn’t even know what that was until today, but let me tell you- it’s ahhmazing. Once we get pictures developed (yes, developed), I’ll explain more.

See, I told you- she can even make weeds look pretty.

And a pretty picture to start the week with.

Here’s to a simple week with not much going on!

Give me Jesus

This past week I made the long drive back home to Connecticut. My grandma has passed away and we spent the week celebrating her life. I didn’t want this to be a sad post, because she made it to 97 years old and had a great and fulfilled life. My family spent the week digging through old pictures, visiting her favorite spots in town, and laughing over her feisty personality. I’ll be honest though- I always have disliked coming up here. Everything in New England is a bit older (including the people, apparently! Okay…you’re right, that wasn’t funny), and I never have grown to appreciate the history behind this place. But spending the week going back to 1914 and visiting her old town was so much fun. I thought I would wrap this week up with a tribute post to my grandma and her sweet life as well.


 One of the first things we pulled out was her autograph book from when she was growing up. They used to keep a little book and have their friends sign it after a week at camp, or your friends at church. We laughed so hard reading through some of the things that 15 year olds thought was funny back in the early 1900’s. Then we came to this page. It was a note from my grandpa to my grandma when he was trying to date her. The date on it was June 13, 1934. 1934!!! Can you believe that? We laughed at how cheesy his note was, but apparently it worked! It says:

June 13, '34

Ashes are Ashes

Dust is Dust

If it weren’t for you

My lips would burst.

“Red” Millen

P.S. Office hours are one till won.

We spent one night digging through the box she kept at the nursing home and found some really neat stuff. We also found some things like a plaque that said “Grandma” on it. I looked at my cousin and said “Aw, Katie, that was so nice of you to give her this!” And she said “Uhh, I didn’t give her this.” All of the grandkids looked around at each other before we realize that my grandma actually took it from her roommate in the nursing home. When you are 97 years old…you take what you want and no one will say anything.

Their wedding cake toppers. How cute!

This is a town icon where she grew up. All of the kids would go here after school (or skip school!) to get some food. My grandma LOVED Bart’s hot dogs. When my grandma turned 90 we wanted to take her out to a fancy dinner. When we asked her where she wanted to go she said “Bart’s!” So, all dressed up…we all went down to Bart's to get a good old greasy hot dog (I wasn’t complaining). So, yesterday, we all went down to Bart’s to have a hot dog in honor of Grandma. That’s my mom and uncle Jack in the window.

 Oh, I guess I will eat a Hot Dog…only because it’s in honor of my grandma. Yeah, that’s it.

This is my cousin Katie (one of my grandma’s other grandkids). She was living in Uganda with her husband and four kids for 6th months and I went to visit them for a mission trip. She flew all the way over from California to celebrate my grandma this week. It was such a blessing to be able to spend this time with her. We stayed up all night like little girls having a slumber party. She has such a heart for the Lord and is my role model. If I could be half of the wife and mom that she is I would be so blessed. I love her.

Obsessed with this old picture we found! It’s of Katie and my grandma growing up. Katie would always love to switch glasses with grandma.

The significance of 409. My mom grew up on 409 broad street. And that number followed her around her whole life. All of her phone numbers ended in 409, and when my grandma had knee surgery my mom woke up at 4:09 in the morning with knee pain. There were little things like this that always made her shout 409! I’ll admit…my mom probably looked extra hard for this number, and we played along. Then, my grandma died on April 9 (4/09) at 4:09am. Alright Mom, we believe you now. Then at the church service my mom opened up the hymn book and it landed on hymn 409. The name of the hymn was “And my Mother Says to Me.” I think it’s important to note that when these things happen, it wasn’t my grandma trying to tell my mom something. And if it did have any connection at all, it was a message from the LORD, not grandma. But the words of the hymn were “And when I die, I will say to you…Give me Jesus.” 

What a great message to end a great week celebrating the life of my Grandma, Mary Louise Millen. 

Oh, How Pinteresting

 Here are some of the things I’m swooning over this week.

OBSESSED with this top. I feel like that’s definitely my style.

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If I wore bangles, I would wear these. 

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Special place in my heart for Uganda. Post about my mission trip to come!

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I’m on a engagement photography kick lately. I wonder why!

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Absolutely love the colors in this one. And the old school bike. I have a thing for bikes.

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Just plane old country and a sweet pair of boots!

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When (or if…) I own a house, I would definitely want to do a seating area like this in my back yard. It just looks so welcoming and like a fun place to hang out.

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This bathroom just looks so clean and open. I like how it’s not too overdone, but still ahhh-mazing. 

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I commit to doing a better job with April than I did with March. Which shouldn’t be hard, since I only did one in March. But I’m going to try my hardest to do at least half of these :)

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Amen!

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Happy Wednesday!

April Sponsors

I’m so excited to introduce some of my April sponsors (more to come next week)! Go visit all of their blogs and show them some love! You'll be happy you did :)

{The Daily Everythings}

Hi there! let me introduce myself. my name is andrea brionne. brionne is my middle name- pronounced [BREE-ON]. i realized only a few months ago that my parents made up my middle name. talk about unique! :)
i am a blogger, photographer, aspiring graphic designer, seattle native, student, traveler and lover of everything chocolate. my blog, the daily everythings, is all about real life, design and self improvement. some of my popular posts are my abc dates and the new improve series. i'm all about communication (being a Communications major) and opening my view of the world each and every day. stalk me, follow me, pinterest me, whatever it may be so that we can become friends!

{Styled With Life}

Hey! My name is Kara, and I'm a 20-something just starting out in the blogging world! (I’m really loving it!) I was born in Idaho, have lived up and down the coast of California, but feel most at home in the Bay Area. It’s where I went to college, work, and most importantly where I spend time with my wonderful family and friends. I love fashion, interior design, bad reality TV, bright colors, neutrals, rom-coms, animals, Kristin Wiig and Keri Russell (just to name a few things!) I’ve come to a place in my life where I’m learning to love the little things and take in every moment. I am constantly reminded of how lucky of a girl I am. I find time for gratitude everyday. Styled With Life is a “lifestyle blog” where I share my love of fashion, interior design and products I’ve come across. I also love to share tidbits of my life, work, family and friends. I’d love for you to stop by, and maybe even stay awhile! I look forward to meeting you!

{The Magnolia Pair}

Hey y'all ! I'm Britt, and I blog over at The Magnolia Pair! With my husband in medical school I have a lot of free time, so thanks to my new found love of blogging, I enjoy to write about cooking, fashion, photography, and our puppy! I am very laissez faire and enjoy a good belly laugh over watching my favorite youtube videos. Come on over and say hello!

{Glistening Ambition}

My name is Kelsey and I'm the blogger behind Glistening Ambition!  I'm a 20 something, God loving, nursing student who is blessed beyond measures and is slightly obsessed with fashion and DIYing.  My blog is a fashion and lifestyle blog with a touch of anything and everything in between.  I started it as a creative outlet and a way to document the things I love.  I hope I can inspire you to glisten in all areas of life!


More sponsors to come next week!