*Contented Sigh*

Whew! What a week!!! Tons of tests, only four days to accomplish a very full week's worth, and very little sleep. Blah. However, I did get some good news this week...

I was accepted into the BYU public relations major! I was so nervous because more and more people are applying each semester which makes the application wayyy more competitive. I just wasn't feeling very confident and just had myself set up for failure, because I always do that just in case things don't work out. (I need to stop doing that!) Well I got my admission letter, wearily tore it open, read the dreadful words that I hadn't been accepted, etc., then really opened my eyes and realized the words actually said that I WAS accepted!!! I was ecstatic! I got even more nervous and worked up than before I opened the letter!

I am so happy though. When I discovered that I had a love and a bit of a knack for public relations, I was so relieved to finally find a field that I could really excel in. Now, I'm officially in, and I can't wait to start! I'm very new to the concept of PR (I'll admit, before I took the intro class, I didn't even know what PR was!) but I can't wait to meet the challenges ahead. I have my orientation meeting tomorrow, and I can't believe this is actually happening! Now I'm actually on the road to graduation! I literally started to think this day would never come.

I feel so very blessed. Seth is has a degree and a job, I'm starting on my path to achieving  those goals as well, life is good. 

Now I'm going to pretend I live here and go take a nice long soak in my amazingly luxurious imaginary tub. Toodles!

*amber*

Valentines Day #3

This post is late. Because my silly husband told me I wasn't allowed to post about Valentines Day yet. He wouldn't tell me why. Then I saw that he blogged. He's so cute :)

Anyway...

As you might recall, last year, Seth planned our Valentines date/activity. This year was my turn to plan. Lately, we've really been wanting to go on vacation. We also love the outdoors, but the cold weather and school/work have made pursuing either of these passions  virtually impossible. So I thought, maybe we could somehow get away, while spending a cozy night at home.

Thus, Indoor Camping.

Seth started his first day of work on Valentines Day, so I decided to surprise him when he got home. (I apologize in advance for the terrible quality of the pictures. We only had the little twinkle lights for lighting, so the shutter had to compensate. Add in the fact that we don't have a tripod, and I don't like to use flash = fuzzy pictures.)

I draped sheets from our ceiling to make a giant tent in our living room.

Underneath the sheet canopy, I layered tons of blankets and pillows to make the inside super cozy. 

Funnest blanket fort ever.

I decorated the ceiling with hearts in honor of Vday.

And a giant crepe paper poof ball. The twinkle lights looked like starlight shining through the tent.

Pine scented candles enhanced the feeling that we were truly in the great outdoors.

Seth got home from work, and I made him cover his eyes as I led him to our bedroom. There, I made him change out of his work clothes into attire more fitting for camping. (He still really didn't know what was going on.) Then I covered his eyes again, and led him back to the living room. I had him kneel down in the tent, then uncovered his eyes. His only response was a huge "Whoa..."  

He fell in love with our tent, and it took him no time to settle right in. He cozied up and read while our dinner was cooking.

We had tin foil dinners, true to camping style. We cooked them in the coals of our grill.

For drinks, bottles of black cherry soda. Mmmmm...

After dinner, we played games. Like love-inspired Scrabble. Every word had to be related to our relationship somehow. It turned into such a fun game because we started playing so that we would retell scenes from our history together, and then the other person would have to guess the word before we put it on the board. We also didn't play for points, so there was no competition. Which was probably good. Because Seth is SUPER competitive in games :) It made the game relaxed, and it was fun to look back at the times we've spent together.

Adorable.

When we finished our games, we went over to the fire pit.

Which I made by putting twigs in a big bowl, then layering candles on top of them. The layering was done carefully to prevent any fire hazard.

We roasted marshmallows.

And had delicious s'mores and strawberries for dessert.

We experimented a bit with the s'more making this time. We used dark chocolate, and toffey almond chocolate, and even tried putting slices of strawberry in the s'mores. Delicious. If you want an amazing snack, make a strawberry s'more with dark chocolate. It tastes like heaven.

Dessert was super yummy.

And the strawberries were divine.

Then we went back in our tent.

Because we were getting sleepy.

So we cuddled up.

To watch a movie and fall asleep in each others arms.

Overall, it was a wonderful, magical, relaxing, romantic evening and Valentines Day. Not bad for a Monday night, eh?

I love you sweetheart. Happy Valentines Day.

*amber*

Husband Here: My First Post

So Amber has been after me for well over a year now to contribute to her blogging mania and yet it hasn't happened...until now! Its not that I haven't wanted to! I just tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to doing things that will be seen by other people. Also when I want to do something special for Amber. The sad result is that unless I feel like I can do justice to something, I put it off until its too late or simply forgotten. Please don't lose hope in me! I am trying to change, to be more spontaneous and just do things for the sake of doing them (as evidenced by this blog post ;-) ). In fact this is sure to be a very imperfect post, since Amber has been waiting to spend some time with me and is getting very impatient! but I hope you will forgive me and appreciate the effort...

That being said, I just wanted to give a few thoughts on Valentine's Day. I know I'm a couple days late, but my thoughts have been the same ever since then so the thought should still count. Like my wife I have very fond memories of Valentine's Day growing up. Mostly of the huge heart-shaped sugar cookies my mother used to bake for us every year. There was one for each of my siblings and I with our names written on them and they were by far some of the best cookies I have ever had, as much for the memories as for how good they tasted! As I got older I (like most people) tended to be single for Valentine's Day. But (unlike too many people) I don't remember ever being too bitter about it. I was enough of a romantic that even the feeling of love in the air was enough to keep me excited and hopeful.

One such Valentine's Day was 3 years ago when, go figure, I had just recently gotten out of a serious roller-coaster relationship. The result was me sitting on the couch watching a movie with some roommates (and their significant others) feeling only slightly sorry for myself. Suddenly I realized I could hear some soft sounds coming from outside our door. I quickly jumped up to spy out the window and saw the girls from our fhe group causing some kind of mischief. At first I was simply going to let them be, but realized I couldn't let them get away without knowing they had been caught by my superhuman senses :-) I waited what I thought would give them a fair amount of time to wrap up whatever they were doing, then began pounding on the door from the inside, and threw it open in time to see them running quickly away. We found our doorstep had been littered with chocolate kisses and our door covered with hearts. On each heart was a saying, most of which were in a different language.

At this point I was definitely cheerful again, if you hadn't guessed yet, one of the girls in our fhe group was a ridiculously attractive girl named Amber. I had known her just a little bit for quite some time, and while I felt that she was way out of my league, told myself that if I ever got the chance, I would try to ask her out. My cheerfulness went through the roof when I found a heart with some kanji on it which translated simply said, 'from amber'. I had told her I had been to Japan on my mission and since the only other to speak Japanese was my practically engaged roommate, I knew it must have been meant for me! I should probably say here, before I get carried away, that neither amber or her roommates remembered where any of us had been on our missions, so the attempt at being cryptic with Japanese, Russian, and Swedish fell a little short with roommates that had served in Japan, Russia, and Sweden. Also, for reasons I still don't understand, Amber had not yet heard of my recent breakup and assumed I was probably inside snuggling with my former girlfriend. That being said, I was clueless of her clueless-ness and 'knew' only that she was trying to send me a message. In fact I took that heart and put it where I could see it every day. Yeah, I know, but I did warn you that I'm a romantic! Anyway, it was maybe two weeks before I asked her out, perhaps in part because of the simple encouragement I got from a Valentine's heart.

The two Valentine's Days that have followed, have been some of the best days of my life. Mostly because I get to share it with the love of my life, my eternal Valentine, and it is simply an easy day in which to forget all else and enjoy the company of the one you love. Also, Amber is by far the most crazily creative person I know. She just has this ability to dream up ideas that most people might think about for a second and dismiss as unreasonable or too hard, and she makes them happen! She never limits her ability to do what she puts her mind to and it is one of the things I love most about her. I was going to post about the details of the other Valentine's Days as well, simply to show you what I mean, but you can find her posts about last year in previous posts, and she will probably tell you about this year far better than I could. Suffice it to say, it was awesome and made for a perfect Valentine's Day. Anyway, the last reason they have been such good days is because it reminds me of the way I felt two years ago. As unintentional as it may have been, that little heart made me happier and more hopeful than I had been in a long time. I probably would have found the courage to ask her out eventually anyway, but if nothing else, gave me the push I needed to ask out the most beautiful, wonderful girl I have ever met just a little bit sooner.

I love you sweetheart! 

*seth*

Valentines Day #2

As I mentioned in my last post, my family has some wonderful traditions that focus Valentines Day on family love. Not just couple love. Sunday night, we went up to my mom's house for dinner. She spent a lot of time getting a really nice meal ready for us. And it was amazing.

• Appetizer: Shrimp Cocktails (this is tradition. every year.)
• Drink: Apple Cranberry Martinelli's.
• Salad: I'm not sure what it was, but it was a yummy, fancy salad with pine nuts. Mmm!
• Fresh rolls and butter.
• Side Dish: steamed asparagus and sauted mushrooms in a seasoned butter sauce.
• Main Dish: lobster and fillet mignon.
• Dessert: cheesecake tarts with raspberry.

All served on the fine china, crystal goblets, and eaten by candlelight. 

O. M. Gosh. Seriously, SOOOOOOO GOOD! Everything was delicious. I even ate and enjoyed half of my fillet mignon! (I'm a meat hater.)

Family  Valentines Dinner. 

It's the best. It's a tradition we've decided we want to continue with our own children someday. That way, you always know that you are loved, even without a gf or bf. 

Side Note: I weighed myself when we got to my mom's house. Then I decided to weigh myself after this dinner. 4.5 pounds. I'm not joking, that is how much I gained. Almost 5 pounds in one meal!!! 

So worth it.

*amber*

Valentines Day #1

Ah Valentines Day. It has come yet again, along with all the commercialization, obligations, stress, unnecessary hookups and consequential breakups, awkwardness, and extreme awareness of loneliness that it unfailingly brings each year. I too remember a time in my life when I hated this holiday and despised the tackiness of cheap chocolates, weird naked babies with arrows, $80 red roses, plush toys, and either over-dramatized displays of affection, or incredible sorrow and animosity toward a significant other that hasn't presented themself yet. (However, I do love those cheap Valentines heart suckers you used to get from your classmates in elementary school. Yum.)

There was one Valentines Day in general, the year that I first moved away from home and was finally aware of my singleness. I remember an awful day filled with roommates who also felt crushingly single, trying to find ways to pass the time, watching what we thought would be a cute love movie, but instead completely broke our hearts, ended up at an awkward singles dance, and spent the rest of the night talking about our pathetic love lives.

Ok, true, now I am married, and have someone to spend this day with. But I still feel much the same way as I did before I had a significant other. I still think many people take V-day too dramatically, feeling the need for whatever reason to crush their self esteem this one day a year, and I also find many of the commercialized aspects totally tacky. However, I now prefer to take a different view of this holiday. I suggest you consider it as well :)

<3 <3 <3 

Growing up, Valentines Day was such a magical day. Up until I entered high school, I was completely oblivious to the supposed necessity of a significant other in order to celebrate the holiday. Then, it was just a day about love. Not necessarily romantic love, but all types of love. I had so much fun exchanging gifts with friends, taking goodies to neighbors, and most of all, sharing our love within my own family. Thanks to some wonderful traditions, I have a very healthy attitude toward this distressing holiday.

Every Valentines Day, we have a nice family dinner. My mom makes an amazing meal and we all eat by candlelight. Yes, that's something you usually do with your sweetheart, but it was really fun to do it as a family. Afterword, we'd exchange little gifts and goodies. My parents would each write us a love note: essentially a long letter about how much they love us. I don't come from the most affectionate family in the world. We don't hug, share our deepest feelings, or say I love you that often. That only made Valentines Day so much more meaningful every year.

Essentially what I'm getting to is this. Everywhere I went yesterday, I heard so much talk of "Single's Awareness Day" and "I have no plans tonight" and "Woe is me". Ok, not that last one, but that's what everyone was saying. Yes, Valentines Day is over-commercialized and there are certain expectations that our society has placed on it. But just so you know, you don't HAVE to have a sweetheart on Valentines Day! Seriously. You don't. Please don't go out and try to find someone to hook up with the week before. It won't work out and it's unhealthy. If you are single, please look around you and see the love that surrounds you. Parents, sibilings, friends, roommates, coworkers, neighbors, etc. etc. etc. Really. Spread the love, and don't worry. Someday your prince (or princess) will come. I promise.

*amber*

It's gonna be a perfect day...

My French roommate used to sing this song ALL the time. (it's by Clay Aiken. Hm... who knew?) She'd sing it in the mornings when we were getting ready, and it never failed to put me in a good mood and feel more optimistic about whatever my day would bring. That's how I feel today :)

After such a crappy week, I'm feeling really good today! Here are my top ten reasons why:

1. It's just after 1 on Friday and I'm done! Went to school, went to work, now I'm free!
2. I finished the all the major things I had to finish for school this week. I had to get up super early this morning, but I finished.
3. For my second assignment in my floral class, we made single bud vases (because flowers are so expensive this week!) It was a simple little project, but I love it and now we have fresh flowers in our house again. And I liked the cool vase I found and spelling Love with gold wire. I am seriously falling in love with floral design.

 4. Ran into my old roommate Briana on campus today. Made my day. I love seeing old friends.

5. Painted my nails last night. That always makes me feel pretty and special :) Used to be my toenails, but I've switched. Although, I recently found out Seth thinks painted toenails are attractive. I'll have to try to keep those babies looking good too.

6. We have this week's Biggest Loser to watch today!
7. Talked with my work friend about a bridal shower we're planning. Nothing like planning a party to get you super excited about life.
8. In just a minute, we're going shopping for supplies for next week's floral design assignment. I'm so excited! Any excuse to get to thrift stores and craft stores ;)
9. I'm getting a haircut! This is a big deal because I only get them a couple times a year. And my hair is in the super-awkward-length-stage and I can't handle it anymore. I'm not quite sure what I'll have done yet, but hopefully it will be an improvement.
10. My incredible husband asked me on a date for tonight. He told me to dress nice. I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to see what he's going to surprise me with!


So, I'm basically giddy. And that's a stark contrast from how I've been feeling lately. Eeeeeee! Happy weekend!!!

*amber*

Shabby Apple

Today, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite companies. Shabby Apple. Ever heard of it? If not, go check them out here.

First of all, Shabby Apple specializes in amazing dresses that look amazing on everyone, and are modest too. Bonus! I first found out about Shabby Apple when I was in a modest fashion show in Young Women's. I got to wear this amazing dress that was so chic, classic, but wearable that also fit like a glove. It also fit the other two girls amazingly, and we all had different body types. I completely fell in love with the dress.

Here it is.

The Shabby Apple Nantucket dress. It seriously looks AMAZING on everyone. I know own this lovely item, thanks to my sweet hubby who buys the best Christmas presents ever! 

Since then, I have also gotten this dress.

The Consultant. Also beautiful and so classy. (Sorry, I would have posted my own pictures, but alas, I don't have my camera yet.) Both of these dresses are absolutely beautiful and make you feel like a million bucks.

Now truthfully, the only reason I don't own more of their dresses is because they tend to be a bit on the pricey end. But if you're looking for a nice dress that will last for years, these are a worthy investment. 

Not only does Shabby Apple make beautiful, vintage inspired, unique, modest dresses for almost any occasion, they also have swimsuits, active wear, shoes, jewelry, bags, kids dresses, aprons, and the cutest little boy bow ties you've ever seen. 

To take this a step further, Shabby Apple has an amazing charitable system that helps women worldwide.

You can read more about it here. The social responsibility is one of the coolest things about this company. 

Any of you out there have an interest in fashion design? Well they also have an Emerging Designers Program to discover new independent designers who can be featured on their site. Check it out if you've ever wanted to design your own line. I'd love to see more new things coming out :)

Also, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, you can help me win one of their new dresses! Or sign up to win your own I guess. Just go "Like" their facebook page. Then go here, find the comment by Amber Dickson, and click Like. Easy as that. Please? ;)

But really, remember them when you have an event coming up, or just need a nice dress to spruce up your wardrobe. Trust me, you'll look FABULOUS!

*amber*

Say Cheese!

Hello. It's Thursday now and I don't feel like I've accomplished enough for the week to be almost over! Lately, I've kind of felt like my life is spinning out of control. Ugh. One of my classes today was cancelled, so hopefully that will give me some time to catch up on my life.

So now that Seth has a job, we're trying to decide what we want to spend all this new cash on! :) Just kidding. We do want to get a few new things, but for the most part, we can't wait to finally have some savings.

One of the things I've decided I NEED is one of these babies.

A Nikon D40. I've looked around at a few different cameras, and this one seems like it would be the best fit to my needs. So I'm officially in the market. If you see one or nice lenses or other accessories for a good deal, let me know! We've budgeted $500 for this, but I'd like to go as low as humanly possible. We'll see.

The one accessory I would really like to NOT worry about is a nice camera bag. Luckily, Sydney from The Daybook is giving away one of these amazing Theit camera bags. *Squeal* I hope I win! Fingers crossed, fingers crossed, fingers crossed...

I really want to win... 

Ok, well hopefully I'll be finding a lovely camera of my very own soon. Maybe then I'll have some good pictures to put up here!

Time to go play stressed-out-of-her-mind-student. Hooray! The weekend is coming, the weekend is coming, the weekend is coming...

Ignore my self assuring mantras. I'm in dire need of some good motivation. 

*amber*

Hello Tuesday

What happened to Monday? Excuse me, but can you please just go away for awhile and let me have more time with the weekend? Please? 

This weekend was so good. Here were some of the highlights:

• Took 2 tests and did... well better than I thought I would.

• Went to a concert composed by an old friend from work.

• Went out to dinner with a gift card from Seth's parents. Thank you!

• Got Netflix.

• I've been super sick lately so we spent most of Saturday cuddling and watching fun movies like Ponyo.

• Cleaned the house a bit.

• Finally finished this pillow for our bed. 

 I've been working on it forever, but the flower is made of wool felt which I hand sewed. Because it's so thick, it hurt my fingers, so I kept procrastinating. By the end, I felt like I was getting my guitar calluses back. It was worth it though. I'll have more pillows done, hopefully in the near future.

•  Seth got a job!!!!!!!!! A real one. With benefits and everything. We feel so blessed. And grown up ;)

•  And best of all, spent some much needed time talking, joking, laughing, and getting to know my sweet husband just a little bit better.  

Needless to say, I really wanted this weekend to last a lot longer. It was so relaxed and perfect, and I loved finally having some free time to hang out with Seth. I felt a little like this:

 “Sometimes, when we’re lying together, I look at her and I feel dizzy with the realization that here is another distinct person from me, who has memories, origins, thoughts, feelings that are different from my own. That tension between familiarity and mystery meshes something strong between us. Even if one builds a life together based on trust, attentiveness and mutual support, I think that it’s important that a partner continues to surprise." --Barack Obama

What a great perspective on love from our nation's President! As great as it is to feel like you know someone so deeply, it is a wonderful blessing to know there is still more to learn along the journey. I like that.

Ok, well now I just need to soldier on through this week. I'm feeling really crummy, but hoping this blasted cold will get out of here soon. But at least I have next weekend to look forward to. Valentines weekend :) We have some fun things planned. 

I hope you all have a lovely week. And if you feel like I do right now, just keep walking toward the light at the end of the tunnel.

*amber*

People Watching

Right now I'm trying to study in the library. I have two tests today, and I need this cram time. However, it's not going very well. It never does. I find it so hard to focus here because there are so many people! See, I'm a people watcher. People are so fascinating!

Anytime we go anywhere in public, I spend a lot of time just staring at people. Seth has had to catch my attention back on many dates. But really, people are so interesting! I love seeing what they wear, how they conduct themselves around their friends, overhearing parts of phone conversations, and just their general mannerisms. I love trying to develop the depth of who this person could be, without actually knowing them. Ok, when they catch my watching them, they are probably majorly creeped out..

Anyway, I recently realized that some people agree that people watching can be cool. In fact, there is one blogger in particular who has made a profession of wandering the streets of different cities worldwide and watching interesting people. Ever heard of a little blog called The Sartorialist?? Yeah, if you haven't, follow it now. It's fascinating. 

I recently found this video of The Sartorialist. I've always loved hearing artists' explanations of their own art, and this one is so inspiring. Enjoy!

Interesting, eh?

 I especially liked how the girl was creeped out by him at first, but once she found out he was a famous people watcher, she was flattered. So how do you go from creepy to cool? Hm... maybe I'll have to explore that a little..


* * *


Speaking of The Sartorialist, some of the coolest fashion inspiration from all over the world can be found on its pages. Here is one of my all-time favorites.

Understated beauty. I love it.

Enjoy your weekend! Go to an interesting place and watch people! Trust me, it's oh so much fun.

*amber*

JCrew Floral Inspiration

So, remember that first flower arrangement I made last week? Well, right before I went to make it, I got my JCrew catalog in the mail. If you didn't know this already, I love JCrew. A lot. A lot a lot. I spend wayyyyy too much time browsing their website. It's kind of a problem... Curse you college budget!

Anyway! I got to the JCrew Wedding section (LOVE too, by the way!) and saw this photo.

 

Gorgeous, right? Look at those flowers. So understated and textural. They may or may not have inspired the color scheme I chose for my design... ok they totally did.

So I decided to look through other past JCrew photos to see if I could find more floral inspiration. It was plentiful.

Spring 2010. Can I PLEASE have that hairpiece??

Oh. My. Lanta.

Fall 2010.

Gasp! Seth, I really need to set up a floral shop in our home.

Valentines inspiration anyone?

This is a window display they did in NY and New Jersey last year. Look at the floral lettering. Wouldn't that be amazing for a wedding? Or any event? You could even cover the bride and groom's initials for a cake topper. Ideas, ideas!!! And these are only some favorites from 2010!

Seeing all those flowers makes me crave Spring. Walking to class when it's -4 F is NOT fun. And it kills all the flowers. Phil, the groundhog didn't see his shadow yesterday, so Spring is supposed to come early this year.  For his own sake, he better be right...

If you see amazing florals in an ad or photo spread, please share. I'm on the lookout for inspiration. Have a lovely Thursday! The weekend is near!

*amber*

Welcome

to The Butterfly Papers!

The concept for The Butterfly Papers is simple. In my experience so far, life is all about transformation. We are constantly trying to be better, happier, more... whatever. For me, one of the biggest ways I improve myself is by seeing beauty in the world. 

I was once given the nickname of "the girl with the kaleidescope eyes". (Yes, like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.) It's a fitting name, because every day I look at the world through slightly different eyes. I try to see everything in a different light than when I looked at it before. When I do that, I find so much more beauty than I ever knew existed. 

So there you are. I will be exploring this transforming journey we call life, searching out all the beauty and good I can find, and hopefully, I'll begin to transform into something beautiful in turn.

*amber*