What my outfit has in common with a mullet...

So you know how mullets are business in the front, party in the back?  I like to think that my outfit today is analogous with a mullet.

It is Spring on the top.

Winter on the bottom.

Here's hoping that unlike a mullet, this style will never embarrass my future children.  The weather refuses to warm up here.  I was trying to invite Spring to finally come with my bright colored blazer and floral scarf.  Though, my sweater tights and fuzzy boots may have confused it.  Warm weather, please come soon!

Thirsty?

Photo by Me

All I can find the strength to say today:  in a dry and weary land, you are my water.

Memorable Valentine's Days

As Phil and I went on a walk tonight, we were reminiscing about some of our most memorable Valentine's Days together.  If you're wondering about tonight, with all the student-teaching craziness lately we decided that a low-key evening would be just what the doctor ordered.  I got Phil a new travel mug and a bunch of hot cocoa goodies (marshmallows, caramel/chocolate sauce, cool whip, etc.) and we drank cocoa while we went on a sunset walk.  He got me chocolates and the movie Bride Wars and ordered in Chinese--I had always wanted to try doing that.  A relaxing walk paired with dining on our couch over a movie was perfect.  We are also going to do some celebrating with a road trip, shopping, and fancier din this weekend.

Without further ado, here are some V-day highlights from the Chelsea + Philip Saga

Our First Valentine's Day Together

Love = Mutual Weirdness?

The most adorable child I have ever seen.  

We had been dating for 10 months in high school and Phil had told me that he didn't have the money to get me any Valentine's gifts that year.  I understood because he hadn't been able to find a job in the small town where he lived.  He ended up calling me and leaving me a sweet message the morning before school.  Then when we met up in Pullman in he gave me a handmade card with a picture of him as a little kid (see above).  I think that was the moment he won me over.  He was so adorable I was like, "I have to have a child that looks like that one day."  We were just going out to a regular-old Mexican restaurant for dinner, but we got all dolled up.  Throughout the evening he surprised me with a series of gifts.  He would find the perfect moment to give me each one.   Like, he gave me this stuffed animal monkey that whistled and he made it whistle at me right after I changed into my dress.  At the actual restaurant we were sitting across from this table of college guys who were eyeballing me the whole night.  They even sent Phil a note with an obscene drawing on it that said, "No hard feelings."  Aca-awkward.  Overall, though, I felt beautiful and I loved that Phil put so much thought and effort into everything.

Me and the girls who wrestled in my region in 2007/2008.

For those who don't know, I wrestled in high school.  *pause for shock to subside*  I started a girls program at my school, and the next generation of lady wrestlers was about to compete in the regional tournament that would qualify them to wrestle against women across the state.  The tournament that year happened to land on Valentine's Day.  Phil knew I wouldn't want to miss it so we decided to go together.  That morning he pulled the car right up to the front of the dorm--which he got a ticket for, jeeze parking police hating on romance much?--and came up to get me.  When I got down to the car I saw a chocolate and a single Gerber Daisy (my fave) tucked under a teddy bear's arm all set up in my seat.  We had a blast watching the tournament and Philip even put up with me screaming at the top of my lungs during every match (now that's a keeper).  We headed home and oblivious me didn't notice until we were in Spokane, "Hey, this doesn't look like Pullman."  He had surprise taken me into one of my fave cities to eat at my absolute favorite restaurant:  Olive Garden.  Win for lady's wrestling, win for Phil.

Proposal:  note same tie from Valentine's date haha (I think he may have only owned one at this point).

Another, quite different but equally as memorable V-day was the one right after we got engaged.  Phil popped the question the Saturday before Valentine's Day.  Since we had just had the most romantic weekend of our lives, complete with scavenger hunt and dinner at the Melting Pot, we decided to do something a little different the night of Valentines.  At the time, we were living in the dorms and didn't have the space for hosting any guests but we decided to anyway.  We bought dollar store decorations, pushed two desks together, and served spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and sparkling cider in red champagne flutes to four of our single friends.  It was so fun to love on neighbors that night and gave us a glimpse into the bright future we imagined we would have as a married couple.

It's exciting to think about all the Valentine's Days to come, and especially exciting to think that I get to spend the rest of my days with my favorite person.

Fashion Risks: Bold Lips

I've been taking more fashion risks as of late.  This inevitably means more fashion fails and probably pictures that will embarrass my future children one day.  But I don't really care.  I've just been thinking, why the heck not wear what I think is fun and pretty?  Style is a way I channel my creativity and creativity requires risk.

That is how I came upon bold lipstick. I was after some bright red lipstick as inspired by one of my fashion role models:

I got Clinique Chubby Stick in one of their free tester bags awhile back, and fell in love with it.  It isn't greasy, and smeary.  It goes on feeling like chapstick and tints your lips even as it fades throughout the day.  So I wanted to try their new Chubby Stick Intense in Heftiest Hibiscus. 

Unfortunately, when I finally made it to my local Clinique counter the stylist went on a wild-goose-chase after the deep red I wanted and discovered they were out.  Boo.  I wasn't leaving there without some love for my lips so I decided to try the closest colors we could find:  Mightiest Marichino.  What we came up with was pretty similar to the red, but with more of a hot pink tint.  

I don't wear it every day, but when I do I feel sophisticated and daring.  It's a fun and easy way to quickly feel more dressed up on those blah days.  Muaw!

P.S. how cute does my little sis look rockin' the red lips?  I might just have to go back for the red-red.

Oh, hell, where is your victory?

Let me just tell you that I'm only a month in, but this has already been the hardest semester of college by far. I mean whole package-wise.  Just emotionally, spiritually, circumstantially, tough.  There's some unjust stuff going on.  It's a situation where my husband and I feel oppressed.  It is hard not to get sucked into that negativity.

On top of this, lots of minor things seem to be going wrong.  I'm having some health issues (that could end up being more serious).  We have had lots of car trouble.  I had a computer and a phone stop working.  When you're living on a tight budget and you're already under a great deal of stress, those little nagging things can seem detrimental.  

At church on Sunday, during one of the worship songs we sang, "Oh, hell, where is your victory?"  Those words really struck me.  It feels like the enemy of my soul is trying to get a victory.  Like satan and his followers are trying to get Phil and I to turn away from God.  To stop trusting him.  To crumble.  

Yet I know, Jesus will be victorious.  No matter what that looks like, whether things pan out the way I think they should or not.  God is using this to write a better story with our lives. 

 If prayer is part of your life, I would ask that you pray for us.  Pray that we would handle this situation in a way that accurately represents that God we follow.  Pray that we would rely on him, and not our own strength.  Pray that his Holy Spirit would give us everything we need to get through this.  

I believe that at the end of this, Jesus will be victorious!  We will be able to boldly say, "Oh, hell, where is your victory?"