It's December 1st and I'm feeling the Christmas spirit at full force. All I want to be doing is buying and/or making Christmas decorations, finishing up our Christmas shopping, or listening to Christmas music. Luckily the music part is one thing I can do here at work. In fact, I've had the James Taylor holiday Pandora station going for the last few days.

A special treat came out today. In fact, just about 10 minutes ago. I've been on the site all morning waiting for the official release. Coldplay, one of my favorite bands ever, released their Christmas song today, called "Christmas Lights." Now this is my kind of Christmas music. I got goosebumps while watching this video - it's so magical! I hope you like it. Bring on the holiday season!

San Francisco

Sorry for being MIA people. We had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in the beautiful city by the bay. I love this city. My summer living and working in the city was such an awesome time in my life, and I love the fact that I have a legitimate reason to go back often. My grandparents and Aunt & Uncle both live in the bay area. We had a weekend filled with family, food, sight-seeing, reminiscing, football, and everything else that should happen when 30+ people hanging out in one house. More posts are to come... you are now forewarned of the mass amounts of pictures coming your way.

Hope y'all had as happy a Thanksgiving as we did. What a wonderful time of year.

It's Christmas Cards Time

You know you have become an adult when you start thinking about Christmas Cards. This thought has not crossed my mind up until this year, but being so far away down here in Texas means we cannot leave our family and friends in the dark! I have been trying to figure out what kind of cards to send out, but I was hesitant to run to trusty old Costco or Wal-Mart, considering they have a small selection of layouts. And then I heard about Shutterfly and their awesome selection of Christmas Cards. But here's the best part -- this holiday season Shutterfly is giving away 50 free Christmas cards to those who blog about it. Easy peazy!

The only problem is choosing from all the different options! Some of the cards that caught my eye include:

If you were throwing an awesome holiday party or Christmas shin-dig, you could even order some creative invitations through Shutterfly as well. Geesh! The possibilities are endless.

I'm excited to order my cards. The quality seems really great, as they are printed on high-quality card stock rather than the traditional slightly flimsy photo paper. You guys should all check this deal out. I'm a fan.

{Hey fellow bloggers! If you want to get 50 free Christmas Cards, too, apply here}

A Week of Thanks

Can you believe Thanksgiving is this week!?!? When did that creep up so fast?? Either way, I'm so excited for this time of year. I know we are supposed to have a heart full of gratitude year-round, but I love how people around the world stop and take time to express gratitude especially at this time of year. I have so, so, so many things I am grateful for.

But rather than bore you all with a list of things I am grateful for, today I want to express my gratitude for my little brother. I look forward to his weekly emails and letters like a kid on Christmas morning. They're full of crazy Japanese stories, uplifting experiences from his mission, and funny Jace-isms. His optimism, faith, and perseverance is so inspiring. I hope to be like my little brother someday.

Being in Japan has apparently made Jace appreciate American food. He does love the food in Japan, but he has become especially obsessed with Navajo Tacos. He claims Mom used to make these all the time, but we are all a little surprised by this random obsession that he references nearly every week. I honestly don't remember eating these all the time growing up. But hey, whatever makes him happy. Look at that smiling face! I miss that goofy grin like no other. And man... I hope my little bro' doesn't show me up in the kitchen when he gets back. He's got that skillet flip down!

I am grateful for Jace and his example to me. I am grateful that I have a good relationship with my siblings. Family is really what it's all about, isn't it?

Now it's your turn -- What are you thankful for?

Betrayal

I feel like a terrible, terrible fan. I betrayed the very series I have claimed to love so many times. I have been anticipating the release of Harry Potter 7 for some time. Not only did Caitlin and I creepily chase after the man carrying the HP7 reels in Kings Cross Station while in London, but I flew to Florida to personally go to Hogwarts!!! And then what do I do when the actual movie is released? Nothing. I do not go. Ugh. How can I live with myself?

I'm not really sure what happened or why it never came to pass. Right now we are blaming it on the insanely crazy week we just got over, and the busy weekend filled with errands and friends. I guess those are pretty good reasons. Don't worry Harry, we will see you soon.

To make up for the poor allegiance I showed, we decided to watch the Half Blood Prince at home whilst eating the most amazing pumpkin cookies ever. This is not your average pumpkin cookie. The texture, white chocolate, and macadamia nuts puts these cookies in a whole different league. If you have a few extra cans of Pumpkin to use before the Christmas baking takes over, make them as soon as possible. Hmm... I guess it turned out to be a pretty good evening.

Mirror, Mirror

We have a new addition to our family! This has been a long awaited addition. We (and by "we" I mean "I convinced Russ somehow") have been wanting a nice camera for a while, and I guess it took being robbed to get us there. That and I am celebrating Christmas for the next few years early. :)  Thanks again, Russ! We figured while we were needing to replace the camera that had been taken from our home, we might as well get a camera that we actually love rather than another point-and-shoot that Russ would hear constant complaining about. (Have you started to catch on that Russ earns many points in heaven on a daily basis??)

The final decision was to go with a Cannon Rebel XS. It's nothing super-duper fancy (as far as DSLR cameras go), but after much advise from fellow camera-loving friends, this would be a great start to a complete novice like me. I know nothing about cameras or photography. I repeat -- nothing. Looks like I have a few manuals, books, and websites to read. And you, my readers, will get to witness me messing up learning how to take pictures. We've all got to start somewhere, right?

Goin' Public

That's right my friends. The day you have all been waiting for! Our blog is no longer "private," so hurry up and put us on your Google Readers! For those of you who don't use Google Reader, you should look into it. All you need is an account through Google, and it's the best way to manage and read all of your blogs without clicking through a million different links. It's all in one cohesive page. Only public blogs can be seen through Reader... Hence, my loud proclamation you see above! :)

And in closing, you guys have been kind of quiet these days... so I hope y'all continue to stop on over to our actual blog and leave us some friendly comments. I really do love to hear from you guys. That's my only request. Anyway, happy Reader-ing!

Can't Wait To Eat the Leftovers

{picture via}

Yeah, you know you want some. This picture, my friends, shows the Caramel Apple Crisp (w/homemade Caramel Sauce) that I took to dinner at some friends last night. It was as good as it looks. In fact, I was caught red-handed "cleaning the edges" of the pan in our dark kitchen before we went to bed. Yes, I was that girl. I got the recipe from my ultimate favorite recipe blog, A Hint of Honey. I heard about this blog from my friend Lindsay, and can honestly say every recipe I've tried of Jessie's is fantastic. I love her style, her pictures, and of course, her food. Too bad she lives in Virginia, otherwise I have a feeling that we would be friends.

Moving on, it's a Monday, and we all know how I feel about Mondays. But I'm actually feeling quite optimistic about the upcoming week. Nothing huge to report, but I am looking forward to the following:

• Haircut!!! Ooooo I love getting an update in this department. I'm not doing anything too drastic, but am 99% positive I will bring back the bangs. I just don't think the long flowy bang-less look works for me. I gave it a valiant effort.
• Harry Potter 7. Need I say more?
• Potentially making a large plunge with a big purchase. If said plunge occurs, I will share. Until then, you must wait in suspense.
• Christmas list-making, Christmas decoration-shopping, Christmas anticipation, Christmas everything! I'm feeling it early this year.
• Last full work week until Thanksgiving!
• Family pictures taken by the wonderfully talented Sada Lewis.

Here's to making the most of a Monday afternoon, and to eagerly anticipating eating leftover apple crisp tonight. Happy Monday everyone!

Girls Weekend

My mom and sister came to visit us last weekend! Having them here reminded me of how much I miss being able to see them all the time. Despite the minor set-back with the robbery, we still managed to have a fantastic girls weekend (plus Russ, of course).

Friday we started the day off with sleeping in and going for an awesome run in the park that is right by our house. It was a beautiful day in San Antonio. Mid 70's and sunshine. This is why people live in Texas, apparently. Russ had to work, but I took the girls down for the traditional San Antonio sight-seeing tour, including the Alamo, the Riverwalk (top right), Market Square, and we even ventured up to the temple in Stone Oak (bottom right).

Saturday took a little longer to get the day going as we were obviously trying to sort through the mess of being robbed, but managed to have a fun day up in Gruene (and the outlets, of course). We ate at the Gristmill, which is probably one of our favorite places in Texas so far. We had an awesome table down along the river (bottom left). And yes, Russ ordered the baby back ribs that you can see advertised on the table. Those ribs really do fall off the bone down here. After dinner we walked around the cute town of Gruene, and managed to pull Russ away from his beloved Texan treasures without any purchases (whew! That was close).

Thanks again Mom and Brittney for visiting us! We looooooooove visitors, and can't wait till the rest of our family gets to see where we live! (you know who you are.. hem hem... Natalie).

Be Kind

This quote has always been one of my favorites. Even though it's easy to get sucked up into your own little bubble we call life, it's good to be reminded to step out of the bubble time and again. As you can read in the previous post, things have been a little hairy around these parts. I have been stressed and worried -- two words that easily translate to "worrying only about myself."

Coming to work this morning and catching up on emails/blogs/etc. has reminded me that everyone is fighting their own battle. You may remember dear Sheri who is battling with cancer right now. Her daughter, Lindsay, touched on this idea perfectly in the latest Sheri update (click on link to read, it's a good one), and since I read her post I have not been able to get this quote by Plato out of my head.

Before I ramble too much longer, I just want to express my gratitude for everything we have been given. I am blown away at how blessed we are in so many facets of life. I am grateful for our families, friends, the Lord, our house (invaded or not), this holiday season, the cooler weather, and most importantly... life. Life is good, amidst the individual battles and all.

{Picture via}

Robbed

We got robbed Friday night. Worst. Feeling. Ever. Here's the story:

My mom and sister came into town on Thursday (great timing, eh?). Friday us three were out all day long shopping/site-seeing/etc. Russ came home from work at about 6 to drop off his stuff and change before meeting us for dinner. He left the house at about 6:45.

We arrive home after our long day at 9:45. The minute I walk inside I say out loud "it smells funny in here." My mom agreed. It wasn't a bad smell, just different. We go to the kitchen and start unpacking the various finds from our shopping excursions. At one point I go to the double doors in the kitchen/dining area and notice the back door is cracked open. I immediately rationalize and think "oh, mom must have gone outside for a second after we got home." I shut the door, lock it, and think nothing more. After about 15 minutes of being home, still no one has noticed anything. Next step: change into sweats immediately.

I walk back into our bedroom and see the blinds are completely drawn and the window is WIDE open. A lot of times when we are home we crack the window for some air (especially now that the weather is nice). But it was open as wide as it could go. Again, I rationalize and think "wow, Russ must have been really hot when he got home from work." And then I look at the dresser and most of the drawers are cracked open. The master bathroom drawers - cracked open. Our bedside table drawers - cracked open. I go to close the window and realize the screen is gone. It clicked. Someone was in here. Before freaking everyone out, I run back into the living/dining/kitchen area and look on the kitchen table to find my laptop, where I know we had left it that morning. Gone.

"Russell....." I say in a loud, kind of crazy voice. I tell him to come back with me into the bedroom. Again, I didn't want to freak my mom and sister out if I was just jumping to conclusions. I show him the window and say "I think someone broke into our house." He looks down by his side of the bed and says "yes, my work backpack is gone." This backpack had his work laptop and secure ID badge inside. Gone.

We start running around the house like crazy. After a thorough investigation, we notice the following are gone:

• My laptop
• Russ's work laptop/backpack
• My 16 GB ipod (from my bedside table drawer)
• Our camera

Our windows have ADT stickers on them. When you open any door or window the house beeps. We are not paying for the service, but apparently that wouldn't have mattered because he still broke in with the stickers on. He didn't know we weren't paying. And plus, the beep probably freaked him out, and he was undoubtedly in and out within 60 seconds. So ADT would have called the cops and they would have showed up 15 minutes later? So what? He would have been long gone. We go onto the back porch and notice the even more disturbing part. Before attempting to open and break into our bedroom window, he first tried to pry open our kitchen doors with a crowbar. This guy was going to get in no matter what. The doors will need to be replaced. We called the cops who were really nice and helpful, telling Russ he needs to get a gun to protect himself.

In the end, it's just things that he took. Luckily we have renters insurance, and we are working with the insurance to get everything replaced. Russ is vigilant about backing documents and pictures up, which I am grateful for. But that's not the point. It's the fact that our "home sweet home" was penetrated and invaded. We immediately changed all of our passwords to everything online, seeing as he has my laptop with saved passwords. We all do it. You think you are safe in your home. Until you're not. I hate the fact that he dug through my drawers. I hate the fact that there was a thief who ran through my house, saw pictures of us, and still had the gall to steal from innocent bystanders. Russ went around our cul de sac Saturday morning to tell the neighbors. Most people he talked to told him they haven't heard of a robbery in this neighborhood the whole time they have lived here. Guess that's just our luck. We move in and two months later get robbed. C'est la vie, right?

I look forward to the day when I will be able to sleep soundly again. These last few nights have been rather restless. I now know that feeling safe is not a feeling you should take for granted. It should be cherished.

Lewis Elm

You know how when you move into a new place it seems to take forever until you have everything "put together?" It seems to be never ending, actually. Oh yeah, and kind of pricey. Why did no one ever tell you that decorating a house could literally clean your wallet out?

Needless to say, we have been attempting to budget and buy things on sale, re-purpose items we already owned, and even attempt some D.I.Y. projects. I have been wanting a simple, looooooong, black shelf for the bedroom for a while now. I have searched this massive city high and low, and the only shelf that seemed to fit the bill perfectly was from none other than West Elm. The Deep Picture Ledge was just what I wanted, except for the price tag, of course.

So on a whim we decided to make the Lewis Elm shelf, a literal recreation of West Elm's picture ledge.

We did have to buy a few tools, but I grew up with a father who never counts tools in the final price of a project. They are merely investments, you see. It seems Russ has inherited that trait. Here is a rough breakdown of supplies:

Wood: $3
Stain: $7
Wall Mounts: $2
Wood Glue: (already had)

Yup, that's it. Pretty straight forward. As I mentioned, I wanted it to be long. So we even added a foot onto the original West Elm's dimensions (theirs is 4 feet, mine is 5). Even better.

And how 'bout them vases? Remember them from long ago? I didn't mean to leave you hangin'. Anyway, we still have a ways to go with everything, but gosh darn... I think it's coming together!

This Weekend I Did the Following . . .

* Bought a new phone on Craigslist. Why did I do that? Let me tell you. A few days prior I pulled the genius move and dropped my phone in the toilet. Luckily the toilet had stopped flushing and did not flush the phone, but it did soak it enough that it would not work. Go team Camille!

* Came home from my Craigstlist deal to a man in a mustache making delicious quesadillas. See below.

If you look behind us you can see my new gray wall! I was so excited to get approval to paint from the landlord (even if it was just ONE wall). Oh, and don't judge me that we don't have pictures in our frames yet. One step at a time people.

* Ran half of a 1/2 marathon. (do I say a 1/4 marathon?) This couple from my church planned a 1/2 marathon on a Saturday (since there are like no races on Saturdays here) for anyone who wanted to run (obviously for free). It was basically a 6.6 mile loop twice. I haven't been training per se, so I opted for just one loop. But now I can say I have run a 1/4 marathon. Don't be jealous.

* Cleaned/organized/weeded/ran errands like a mad-woman on very little sleep. And then I crashed at about 4 pm leading to my first nap in a good 6 month period. It was glorious.

* Went on a date with the mister and friends to dinner, the Riverwalk, and back to Megan and Brandon's cute house for dutch-oven-peach-cobbler and s'mores around their fire pit. A fun evening had by all!

* Made pumpkin pancakes in honor of Halloween before church (click on the link for the recipe. It's worth it). Russ wanted to have "bats" in them... so I added some chocolate chips. yummmmm.

* Have filled the candy bowl and am anxiously awaiting passing out candy to eager trick-or-treaters for the first time in my own home.

Ahhh, the weekend. So short, but so sweet. Hope yours has been just as sweet! Oh! The doorbell has rung...

Ellen

Sooo... work has slowed down. A lot. Unfortunately, even though we don't have much work to do we still have to show up. Today has resulted in watching this video, where I was trying so hard to not laugh out loud. Just watch it, it's funny. (It's totally G-rated... no need to fear).

I can't help but think how good of a sport David Beckham, and not to mention that masseuse, is to play along with Ellen's schemes. Oh, Ellen. Too bad you are on day-time TV and I can't watch you.

Baby Brigham

As of last Wednesday, we are an Aunt and Uncle for the third time! Marcella had her third baby, Brigham. Everyone is happy and healthy, which is all we can ask for. Looking at these pictures and seeing the sweet moments of Benny and Lucy meeting their new baby brother has made us very excited to get to meet him ourselves at Christmas. Until then, meet baby Brigham everyone!

A Tribute

 This is a tribute to the night bagel. When Russ and I first started dating, he introduced me to the night bagel, a tradition him and his roommates had carried on for years. Tonight I also got to hear a speech about how this, this very bagel you see in the picture above, is the perfect bagel. It has the perfect softness, warmth, texture, flavor, and yes, even the perfect weight. Wow, I didn't know all of this was possible in a bagel. Now I do. Thomas' Everything Bagel, you are the real thing. Thank you for making Russ's night... and I'm sure many nights to come.

Phone Woes

So.... a few months ago I let Russ "hack" my phone. Apparently my phone didn't approve. We "unhacked" it last night, and I magically had over 100 voice mails I never received since the beginning of September. 

Point is, I apologize profusely if you left me a voice mail since then and I was a jerk and never called you back. I just didn't know you called. :) You may be getting an apology phone call in the next few days. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Sheri - mom

I say "Sheri-mom" because that's how Sheri always finishes any emails/cards/texts she sends my way. She is and forever will be my second Mom.

Sheri has occupied my thoughts a lot lately. About three weeks ago they found a tumor in her brain. After going through brain surgery and removing most of the tumor, she was then diagnosed with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive form of brain cancer (and ironically the exact diagnosis as my Aunt). I haven't been able to be there with her and her family (seeing as they are in Spokane), but I get daily updates from my Mom and her daughter Lindsay, my "sister"/former room-mate/life friend.

Sometimes I get so frustrated with this situation and want to scream out loud "WHY SHERI??? Why that family?" But I know you can't ask that question, because the Lord has a grander plan. He really does have everything in control. I have always looked up to Sheri, but in the last 5 years I have seen her become one of the strongest, most faithful, positive, and influential people in my life. Her husband, Lindsay's Dad, and my own father's best friend tragically passed away in an airplane accident. Since that day in March 2005, Sheri has been a rock. I am completely in awe of her and their family.

And now with this brain cancer, from the stories and experiences I hear, she has not faltered. I tell you this story mostly to get it off my chest. But also, remember her and her family in your prayers, if you are the praying type. Miracles happen. Faith is powerful. Prayers work.

I love you Sheri and family!

If you are interested, you can follow her story HERE

PS. I'm sorry Lindsay, I totally stole that picture from your blog. She just looked so pretty, I had to :)

Summoning Fall

The Texas fall is much different than any other fall I've had. It's a very welcome season, for sure. But none of this "crinkling autumn leaves," "cool weather to bundle up for," or any reason whatsoever to "cuddle up by the fire with some apple cider." No sirree. Not in this part of the country. We are just grateful to have left the 90 degree weather.

With that said, I have been trying to summon fall. You saw the yellow wreath. We also bought pumpkins. Lots of them. A few big ones for carving, and little pumpkins to scatter about. Oh yeah... and the cooking! I started this weekend off with some homemade Butternut Squash Soup. It sure was delicious, and it was my first time conquering the beast of a vegetable known as a butternut squash. Wowzers. That vegetable is tough. But so, so worth it.

We finished off the weekend with some scrumptious pumpkin cookies (with cream cheese frosting, of course). Just prior to our "La Cocina de Lewis" experience, we had unpacked a few last boxes from the move. Russ found these matching "his and her" aprons we had received from our wedding. If these cookies are the result, I might need to get Russ in that man-apron a little more often (or should I say Mapron?)

Happy Fall-ing everyone!

The cipher to my code

Hello everyone,

So I have the answers to my riddle that I posted on Sunday. BTW that was the most fun post I've ever done and really loved reading the responses to it.

1. Camille. I guess growing up with a foosball table in your basement, and Jace as a little brother makes one competitive player.

2. Camille, she has never sworn.

3. Russ. What can I say, I have good taste.

4. Camille. Her favorite subject was math and she really was math student of the year.

5. Russ. I got out of school for a day to go work some word problems and hang out with my friends. Who wouldn't join?

6. Camille. One day Camille's good friend Danielle greeted her a little too warmly and cracked her laptop screen on accident.

7. Camille. She loves solitaire and will win if you let her play for more than 10 minutes.

8. Camille. She would hang out with her friends and play Halo on the weekends.

9. Russ. I have old computers from Desktop Distribution that followed me from college and are still going strong.

10. Camille.

Thank you to those who played my game, and I will see you next time I surface for another post.

Happy 011000100110100101101110011000010111001001111001 Day!

If you are confused about the title of my post, do not dismay. Today is 10/10/10. I overheard a guy at church behind me say that it was binary day. Then I got to thinking that I should post about this. BTW this is Russ if you couldn't already tell. Also the picture above is about the most complicated sudoku I can do and will ever be interested in. So in celebration of 10/10/10 I have decided to setup a little game for our readers. Below are 10 things you may or may not know about Camille and I. Read each one and put a 1 down if you think it is Camille and a 0 if you think it is about me. At the end, you will find out something pretty cool.

0001. One of us is an intensely competitive foosball player and can beat any opponent faced. This is performed without even having to spin the rods.

0010. One of us has never used a swear word, although there have been some very close calls.

0011. One of us is a furniture snob. Pottery Barn outlet only.

0100. One of us loves math and was the math student of the year.

0101. One of us participated in the Junior Engineering Technology Society in high school.

0110. One of us had to repair a screen on a laptop because of a friend hugged a little too hard.

0111. This person's favorite game to play on the phone is solitaire.

1000. This person used to play Halo in high school with friends on the weekend.

1001. This person hasn't bought a computer in 5 years

1010. One of us plays the guitar.

Ok everyone so here is the breakdown of scores and what impact it will have on your future:

0-2: Have you h@ck3d every technology you own? You know my mind.
2-5: Work on your twitter skillz. Once you get up to 6,000 followers, come back to me.
6-8: You are on the path to great craft-dom. Spend some more time on Etsy.
8+ : Go buy yourself a diet coke and some sour patch kids cause you are Crazy about Camille.

Our Hot Friday Night Date

One word explains this last week: CRAZY. After getting into town late Sunday night from Albuquerque and getting right back into work, I felt like I could never really catch up on anything I needed, much less wanted, to accomplish. Last night Russell and I stayed in to finally catch up on conference that we had missed last weekend. Within 30 minutes Russell was OUT. I seriously questioned if he was even alive. I decided to capitalize on the opportunity and delve into the craft project I had been itching to get started. After all, the house was needing some fall colors to help bring in this amazing season.

And can I just get it out there that I cannot wait till I have a legit camera and finally have some decent/non-blurry pictures on my blog? Whew, I feel better getting that off my chest. Please don't judge me until that time comes. Moving on, I found the idea from this fun blog. Mine really does look like hers, my pictures just don't quite portray the full cuteness. Someday people, someday.

I hope you all had a wonderful Saturday and had fun celebrating John Lennon's birthday like I did (which before you roll your eyes and think how creepily obsessive I am, all I did was listen to the White Album. Normal enough, right?). Google even paid tribute! He would have been 70. And dang, he was a pretty cool guy. And before I ramble on too much longer, PEACE.

New Mexico Part 2: The Wedding!

As we were driving to Sada's wedding I was nervous and giddy, almost like it was me getting married all over again! Sada and I share a room in the back of our office, and during the slow times (and even when it wasn't that slow), we were constantly planning, talking about, and scheming her wedding. I loved being a part of her planning process -- I got to help plan a wedding without the stress! Needless to say, I was perhaps just as excited as Sada to see how everything was going to turn out. I got to the reception center in Old Town Albuquerque early in the day to help set everything up. Thanks to the help of Sada's family and bridesmaids, and the bride herself, everything came together seamlessly. I think it all looked fabulous.

Clockwise from top left -- Sada made these adorable place cards to designate which guest got which plate, accented with Washi Tape, of course. I loved the feel of the tent with the lights... it was so cozy! The roses were the table center-piece. Those roses. Oh, I loved those roses... we even got to take some home! And finally, the cake table was planned with great care. The cake was a Tres Leches cake (yummmm), and that paper banner was made by me!

Do you see those white vases in the top right picture? Do you remember a post from long ago promising they would be used? Ah ha! You thought I would let you down. Do not fear, they reappeared.

And of course I must mention the part that really mattered: THE CEREMONY. It was so beautiful, I may have shed a tear or two. They were both beaming and totally in love. It really was such a happy moment. Sada designed these programs, and carried the theme throughout her wedding. Everything was so well thought-out. As I leave you now, just remember that:  

"Marriage is like a WEDDING CAKE. You need all the right ingredients."

- Sada's late Grandfather

New Mexico Part 1: MUSE!

We made the drive across beautiful west Texas (cough cough... not) to attend Sada and Reagan's wonderful wedding nuptials. We arrived in Albuquerque Friday afternoon, and immediately stopped at Terriyaki Chicken Bowl, a local restaurant that Russell was quite sentimental about. After dropping our stuff off at our good friends, Jessy and Dylan (who happened to be fantastic hostesses), we high-tailed it to the Sandia Resort and Casino for the first wedding event -- the Rehearsal Dinner!

It was at this dinner that Reagan surprised Sada with the honeymoon destination which is the far-off land of FIJI! After nonchalantly asking the waitress for some water, she brought him a Fiji water bottle that he had put a picture of them in the background, with the phrase "we are going here" and an arrow pointing to the word "Fiji." Pretty creative, if you ask me. Way to go Reagan!

After the dinner, we again high-tailed it to Rio Rancho, to attend the Muse concert. Oh boy, was I excited to see them. I have been a big fan since college, but never been fortunate enough to see them. It just so happened they planned a trip to Albuquerque the same weekend we did! Who'da thought?

We made it to the arena just a few minutes before Matthew Belamy and crew walked on stage. All I can say about the rest of the night was it was an EXPERIENCE. That band delivers. If you can't tell how much we were enjoying it from the picture on the left, Russell's expression on the right is a perfect description of what we looked like the entire show. Can I say sensory overload? They played lots of our favorites, Matthew played on his light-up piano, big balls fell from the ceiling, all while experiencing a pretty amazing light-show. Thanks again, Muse. I hope to see you again someday.

The Sign-In Book

As mentioned previously, I made a sign-in book for my good friend, Sada. She got married this last weekend to a fellow Lewis (her new husband is named Reagan John Lewis... strikingly similar to Russell John Lewis, no?). It was such a beautiful wedding, and I am excited to share some details in the future. As for now, I present the sign-in book, hand-made by yours truly.

I made this scrapbook based on the same book I made for our wedding. Sada's colors were orange and gray. It was perfect. I made the book primarily with these colors, but threw in a few splashes of light blue. I "sewed" the front and back with basic sewing thread. The cover is made with fabric from Hobby Lobby that I backed with Wonder-Under (3 different times! I guess third time really is the charm). Anyway, I think it turned out great, and I was glad I got to keep my bookbinding skills fresh! I might just need to make another book... don't want to lose it, now do I?

And can I just say, are her engagement pictures not AMAZING? She used a local photographer, Bend The Light Photography. I love, love, love their style, and would be one happy chica to have a photo session by them. Maybe someday. You can see more of her engagement pictures HERE.

Crafting

What's a girl to do when her husband is gone... {again}? Well that's simple! Craft! Russell was out of town again this week, which leaves me to fill up my evenings by destroying the living room with fabrics, papers, scissors, hot glue gun, and any other random crafting tool I happen to own.

My main priority was finishing up a special book for a special friend who has a very special wedding this week. (Pictures to come, I'm sure). We actually leave tonight for the great city of Albuquerque (a.k.a "Albu-crazy") to see Sada & Reagan tie the knot. I hope its not bad that I'm just as excited to give her the handmade sign-in book I made her as I am to see the wedding. Okay, that might be an exaggeration.

While I wasn't working on the book, why not make random flowers and onesies for little newborns?

Here's a crazy story for you:

I was born in Salt Lake City. (Keep reading, it gets more interesting). I lived on a street with all sorts of childhood best friends. One of which, Stephanie, I lost contact with sometime after we moved from Utah to Washington. Fast forward to last Christmas when my family and I attended the wedding of another one of these SLC childhood friends, Megan. Who was at the wedding? Stephanie. Who came up to me and told me she lived in San Antonio? Stephanie. Awesome! A new friend in Texas!

Fast forward to this last month when we moved into our new house, thus a new ward for church. Who do I see when I turn around after sitting down? You guessed it, Stephanie. So after almost 15 years after living on the same street, we are back to being in the same ward. Man, I love how small this world is.

Anyway, Stephanie just had her second child, a beautiful baby girl named Anna. I thought Anna was a great name for yellow and gray flowers. Or maybe I'm just obsessed with yellow and gray... you tell me.

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A

As of last week we are now proud members of a GYM! Ok, I know, so is every other person out there. But joining the YMCA is a big deal to me, for a few reasons:

1) We tried to get by at our apartment complex by using that facility for the last year. Ever since the majority of the equipment broke down and was never repaired, the whole complex was sharing ONE TREADMILL. Yeah, kind of ridiculous and frustrating, especially for one who primarily runs to exercise. Running outside? Not possible in Texas during the summertime.

2) It was FREE! Thank you to my office and the corporate wellness program. I love free memberships.

3) It has all sorts of perks -- rock climbing wall, outdoor pool, yoga! (oh, how I have missed yoga), and friends who are fellow members

4) It is literally 3 minutes from our house.

Now reading over this list, I realize I have no more excuses. Oh wait, no more excuses? Shucks.

T.G.I.F.

Let me say that one more time: THANK GOODNESS IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!!

Holy moly, I felt like this week would never end. But it's Friday afternoon, and the weekend is knocking on my door. What do I have planned, you ask? NOTHING. And I couldn't be happier. Oh I'm sure we will fill it up with errands here and there, but it is so refreshing to have a weekend with nothing set in stone. I feel like life has been so incredibly packed with things lately that a weekend like this is just what the doctor ordered.

What else do I need from the doctor? Some serious pain medication. I had my first week of boot camp this week, and boy do my legs feel it. My work is paying for a 6 week boot camp for any of the employees that are crazy enough to join. Let's just say I found a few new muscles.

Modern Family is back. Amazing episode. If you haven't watched this show yet, start now. It's our very favorite show--I've never seen Russ laugh so hard. Plus, the more and more I watch this show, the more I am convinced it is a precursor to our life. We are Phil and Claire. The end.

Also, my "sister" Caitlin posted this on her blog today, and I felt slightly like a little child. Giddy with anticipation. Only two more months.

It was perfect that I saw this on Caitlin's blog, because I was with her in London when we became wanna-be-paparazzi at King's Cross Station and happened upon the set of Harry Potter 7. We didn't see anyone famous, but we did see the reels from filming, which is practically a celebrity anyway. (Thanks Cait for letting me steal this picture... I needed proof.) Oh, and for the record, Caitlin is really my sister's sister-in-law, but we call each other sisters anyway.

One more thing, can I please get some of this "fall weather" everyone keeps raving about? Mid 90's and sticky with humidity isn't fall to me. I'm serious, Texas, I'm getting sick of it. I want to wear an outfit like THIS and not die of suffocating heat. 

Ok, I'm done rambling for now. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. We'll see ya on the flip side.

Love me some sales

I always feel like a good sale is something to write home about. You walk out of the store feeling slightly victorious. Oh wait, is that just me?

As you loyal followers know, Russell made me a craft desk a good while back (go here for a reminder). Due to life's busy-ness and general hectic nature, it still has not been used, mostly because I had to paint, re-paint, yada yada yada. And then I didn't have a chair. The only chairs we own go with our dining table, which is one of those high bar-stool height tables, which are cool and all, except when you need an average height chair.

So then I decided I'd make a chair! Brilliant, Camille! I bought a $5 chair at a thrift store, stripped, re-painted, re-covered, and tried to put back together. And then it looked H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E. I hated it. I love being crafty, except when you fail. Then it's not so fun.

I almost bought a chair at Target for $30. But then I didn't. Today during my lunch break I went by one of my favorites, West Elm, and saw this little beauty (the exact chair that Target tried to rip off) marked down from $79.99 to $31.99. SOLD! I know it's nothing special, but it's white, sleek, simple, surprisingly comfortable, and everything I wanted to complete my craft desk. Let the crafting begin!

Double Computers All The Way

We have been busy, busy, busy moving in / setting up / furnishing the house. This includes, but is not limited to, a (rather expensive) trip to Ikea yesterday. Getting settled in a new house obviously means a total re-haul of the media center. My dear husband is always trying to figure out how to make it better. I guess this isn't too far from the environment I grew up in. I think my Dad's favorite word is "upgrade." I guess that's the general point of life? Anyway, I walked by the future office tonight and found Russ up to this:

... Figuring out how to optimize the media center by using not one, but two computers at the same time. Please also note there are two keyboards. It looks like the next purchase we need to make will be to get Russ a desk to complete his "command center" (his words, not mine).

Thanks DMB, you did it again

Number 7.

As in I've now seen the Dave Matthews Band SEVEN times. Some may call that insane. I call it amazing.

We drove up to Houston after work on Friday with two of our good friends Zak and Kate. We weren't going to go when they first invited us... I have seen them plenty. But then I was informed that the band is taking next year off (after all, they have been touring for almost two decades). Well, that sealed the deal. To Houston we would go... and with a Warehouse member, nonetheless. Yes, Zak is a fellow hardcore fan of the band, and is even in the exclusive DMB club, "The Warehouse," a club I only aspired to join as a teenage DMB fan. We got some pretty dang awesome seats, thanks to Zak's membership. The concert was in the beautiful "Woodlands" of Houston -- a pretty shwanky area with an amazing outdoor pavilion amphitheater.

The band put on a seriously awesome show (as always). Maybe it was luck, maybe it was because they are getting down to the end of the tour and it is the last season for a few years. But whatever it is, we had an amazing set list. I finally got to see, among many others:

Dancing Nancies -- ok high school peeps. Does anyone remember the days of AIM? Yeah, you know you all did it. My screen name was "dnancy41." Yes, that's how insane I was. "dnancy" for the song Dancing Nancies, and "41" for the song #41. Mega nerd.

The Warehouse. 

You & Me. 

and last, but certainly not least...

All Along the Watchtower

(gasp!) I know. An epic song. We left the concert elated, but as always, I woke up with a small tinge of sadness, knowing the day I looked forward to all year was over. It's like Christmas. But different.

Anyway, thanks again Zak and Kate for letting these two crazy fans tag along with you. We had a fun weekend and look forward to more fun weekends together!

We Love Visitors

Over Labor Day weekend we were lucky enough to have some visitors! We looooove getting visitors (wink wink). Russell's parents and his sister Marcella (along with her family) came from Utah to the lovely, hot, humid state of Texas. We had such a fun weekend filled with movies, catching up on Modern Family, good food, shopping, and of course, good company.

There is a huge Hispanic influence here in San Antonio. Downtown has a fun area called "Market Square" that has live Mexican music, authentic Mexican foods, and is basically one big party all the time. We took Russ's parents there. We knew Argelia would love it, as she was born and raised in Mexico, but I was surprised at how "real" she found everything! You could tell she was so happy to be sorrounded by things that reminded her of home. Here Russ and Argelia are posing by a stand with shirts that said "I didn't ask to be born Mexican, I just got lucky." Russ wanted it. Maybe next time.

I am so lucky to have such a great mother-in-law! Argelia is always so happy and supportive. We miss you!

Future family band in the making?? Hopefully they will grow into those guitars fast. Benny and Lucy (Marcella's two children) are quite possibly the cutest little kids. I am lucky to be their new Aunt.

On Monday we went up to Gruene (pronounced Green) with Russell's parents. Russ told me to prepare for "ultimate cuteness." It's a small town about 30 minutes north of San Antonio with old Antique shops, cowboy dance halls, a flowing river, and some great eateries.
The Gristmill is probably the main attraction. I was quite excited to partake of this food, especially since I prepared the tax return for this and about 6 other establishments in Gruene. It's kind of fun to visit a place that you know the in-and-outs of... well, from a financial standpoint I guess. Wow, I'm a nerd.

It is quite a popular restaurant. Below is us waiting to be seated. Good times.

Anyway, as you can see it was a great weekend, and we were glad the Lewis and Milne families could help us break in the house. In case I didn't mention it before, there are two spare bedrooms, just for future reference to all our family and friends (you know who you are). We'll be seein' ya soon.

Da Casa

Can I apologize profusely for slightly dropping off the face of the planet this last week? Thanks for being understanding, because it has been one craaaaaazy week, and the craziness is not even over. But before I bore you with non-essential details, let me show you a (terrible) picture of our new house!

Yup, there she is. Our little red brick home. I am falling in love with:

a) Having a garage opener in my car. How adult am I?
b) The trees. Love them. (I'm a Washington girl... I'm allowed to love trees)
c) Having a back porch. We haven't used it yet, but I'm sure it will be fantastic.
d) The quiet cul-de-sac we live on. As much as I loved having people live to the side and on top of us in the apartment, I think this takes the cake.

Anyway, we don't have internet yet, hence the phone picture. But this will have to get you guys by till I can give you a real update of our lives. Until then, we're taking a quick trip up to Houston tomorrow to see one of my first loves, Mr. Dave Matthews. I will not go into detail of how excited I am, but for those who know me, well, they know. We're driving back Saturday morning just in time for me to attend the bridal shower I am co-hosting for the lovely Sada Lewis-to-be.

Whew. See you on the flip side.

Chapters

It's moving day my friends! Somehow everything we own got put into boxes/some sort of transportable form in the two short evenings I had to pack. Whew! (Thanks again to Megan and Andrea. I owe you guys big.)

Russ & crew moved everything today while I went to work. (We owe you guys, too!) Where would we be without friends? I'll tell you where we'd be. Still in our apartment.

{Enter sentimental Camille}

It's kind of crazy that Russ and I are now on home #2 as a family. We are closing chapter 1, the chapter of our first apartment in Texas. The apartment that held a newly married couple who came to Texas with no friends, only one job, and one month of married life behind them. We are starting this next chapter in a house, but this time with lots of amazing friends, TWO jobs, and over a year of marriage! I can only imagine what the future holds.

As for the near future? The Lewis and Milne families! Russell's sister (and her cute family) and his parents are coming to party Texas style for the blessed Labor Day weekend and to help us break in the new house. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend that is labor free. 'Cause that's how it should be.

Holga

My worst nightmare came true yesterday.

I open the door to leave for work, and 5 mosquitos come swarming into my face. Sick. After shoo-ing them away, I look down and see this nasty brown, hairy spider that had run into my apartment the 5 seconds the door was open. I look a little closer and think "hmm... that spider has a spiky butt!" But no. The "spikes" were really hundreds and hundreds of baby spiders riding the momma spiders back into my apartment. Let me repeat that in case it didn't register -- there were HUNDREDS OF SPIDERS IN MY HOME. Amazingly, I kept calm enough to grab the nearest magazine and fling the momma spider and her offspring out of my apartment and across the breezeway. I see her hit the wall across the hall. Whew. As I leave the apartment and lock the door, I realize that my vicious fling caused her hundreds of baby spiders to now be scattered on my doorstep. After running from my door like a little girl to find refuge from the storm of bugs, I approach my car only to find a green preying mantis sitting on its roof. REALLY TEXAS? When will it stop?!?

In other news, WE FOUND A HOUSE! After viewing house after house and feeling a little discouraged, this little red brick, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house saved the day. We just got approved yesterday, and are apparently crazy enough to try to move in by Friday. Yup, that's tomorrow. With Russ still being out of town, that means yours truly is packing the apartment by herself (with the help of some amazing friends).

To put it lightly, I am exhausted, a little enormously stressed, and very ready to have my husband back where he belongs.

My friend Laura sent me this picture from Kensington Gardens in London. She took it with a Holga camera. (Go HERE to see more of her work. She's quite talented.) Isn't it lovely? It makes me want to jump right in, relax in the beautiful gardens, and let my worries float away.