Workin' on my bronze

Maybe it's the unusually high tide, or maybe it's the thrill of getting into a bathing suit, but my excitement for summer is particularly high these days. We went to the beach the other day and almost got washed away by a couple really high tide sets. I got some cute bathing suit combinations from Target, and was super excited to break them in. You're not allowed to see a full-body shot just yet (Crossfit isn't done doing it's magic), but in a couple months when I'm model-skinny and caramel-brown, you can bet I'll be showing off like a show pony. I came home and saw the beginnings of some very meager tan lines. Let the love affair with the sun begin.

Campout (otherwise known as the post with a million pictures)

On Friday, Conrad and I went on a campout with the young women in our ward (I'm a leader, and they needed one more man, so Conrad jumped right in). It was so fun! We ate lots of junk food (and I actually woke up in the middle of the night and threw up from it, all the while realizing that I'm not 16 and I can't eat junk like I used to), made a peach cobbler in a Dutch oven, sat around the fire and talked, and I even got my hair French-braided by a twelve-year old! We all know it's not camp unless you've been French-braided. The sun was extremely bright, so some of the pictures are blurry or over-exposed. 

An ode written for a husband. And an assignment.

Last semester I had to write a poem as part of an assignment, so I drew from my biggest inspiration (gross, sappy, I'll stop). Essentially, his imperfections and traits that drive me crazy are some of the things that make him perfect for me and totally unique among other men. GAW I'm so in love. 

Conrad

Your eyes are like a foggy day,

Grey-blue, and moist,

And they look at me happily every morning.

Your lip is scarred and asymmetrical,

And it kisses me loudly, right in my ear, when I’m sleeping.

Your hair is mousy and coarse,

And grows much too fast.

And your face is prickly,

And your nuzzling makes my skin raw.

Your nose is big,

And pokes me in the face when we kiss,

And smudges my glasses when we hug.

You are long, and we both trip over your limbs

When we flirt and chase each other around the house.

Your belly is evident,

Proof that you like my cooking.

Your hands have palms that are calloused and rough,

Especially around your left ring finger.

And they have fingernails are jagged and bitten low;

They snag my clothes and hair –

Always just minutes before I have to be somewhere.

Those hands only touch me lovingly.

Your skin is tan and warm.

Your feet are huge, they step on me and trip me;

And they wrap around my cold feet while I’m falling asleep.

Is it any wonder?

Friday Giveaway: Scrabble Tile Necklace

Today's giveaway is from HomeStudio, the number-one jewelry seller on Etsy! Above are some of my favorite pendants. They've got hundreds of styles to choose from. Mother's Day is right around the corner, and HomeStudio is giving one lucky reader TWO pendants and one ball chain! You could pick one for yourself and one for Mom! [Or just two for yourself]. All you have to do to enter is follow my blog, visit HomeStudio and pick out two of your favorite pendants, and leave a comment telling me that you follow and which two you'd get if you won! 

For additional entries:

Like The Framed Lady on facebook

Follow @theframedlady on twitter

Add HomeStudio to your circle on Etsy
Blog about this giveaway (leave a link)
Tweet this giveaway
Share the giveaway on Facebook

That's seven chances! Leave a separate comment for each entry! Good luck to ya!
This giveaway closes on Friday at midnight.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED
Congratulations to (#14) Emily from freckledfiasco.blogspot.com! You won the scrabble tile giveaway! Email me at tesiahwilk@yahoo.com to redeem your two pendants and chain!

Got this little gem in the mail

Restoration Hardware, you and your grand-scale, reclaimed, re-purposed furniture sure know how to get me going. If only your couches didn't cost $15,000. Or if only I had $15,000 to spend on a couch. Ya. That one.

Good news regarding graduation! When I started the semester, I needed 3 classes to graduate. I petitioned to have one of them waived because I took a similar class in a previous semester. It was approved, and now I'm only in 2 classes! Granted, they are both really heavy classes... So with my slightly lighter load I can start looking for an official job - much to Conrad's delight. He's a money fiend. Which is good, because I like Restoration Hardware furniture.

Click here to see if you won the Ad space giveaway!

You know you're an online senior when...

1. The phrase "c's get degrees" becomes "d's get degrees" and it's no longer used as a joke. It's a legitimate motto.
2. You wear your bathrobe all day every day and don't care one bit.
3. You find excuses to leave the house so that if you happen to not do your homework, it was because you were "busy," and not because you watched 300 episodes of Frasier.
4. Some of the books you ordered for class don't even get opened, and you still get a B. You've been at this whole "college thing" for years now. You know how it works.
5. You get a D+ on a final, and shake it off because you passed it, it's over, and you're one semester closer to being done.
6. You're thinking more about the vacation after graduation than the actual graduation.
7. You fantasize daily about all the things you'd do if you didn't have homework, but then you don't actually spend much time on homework anyway. At the end of the day, you probably could have done some of those things and been no worse off. Like go to Palm Springs.
8. A huge stack of books no longer intimidates you.

Take that, school!

In which I go Ombre

The last time I got my hair done, the stylist did a really good job with the blond highlights, and they blended really well when my hair grew out. My natural hair color, however, is really mousy and dirty looking, so it was time to get it done again. I decided to jump on the trend of ombre! It's another style that will look natural when my hair grows. I'm all about convenience. For colors, I chose blond on the tips, and a couple shades darker for the top. It will fade really well when summer comes, and it's not too dark for the sunny seasons. Maybe in the fall I'll try going darker!

Awkward Pokes

Awkward:
- The noises I make at Crossfit. Sometimes, flipping a certain huge tire takes a lot of effort. Sometimes that effort results in me grunting really loud and long like a warrior. And then all the handsome men at the gym (except my husband - he's used to my weirdness) look at me like I'm repulsive.
- A certain toenail clipping incident in which I attacked my ingrown nails, went way too deep, and may or may not now be infected.
- Trying to fall asleep after watching a particularly frightening episode of "The X-Files." Cheesiest show ever, I know. But still. My night goes a little like this:

Conrad, can you make sure the blinds are closed really well?
He does it.
Five minutes after we've settled into bed, I start looking around the room, turning shadows into monsters.
Conrad, go take down the robes from the back of the door. It looks like a ghost. 
He does it.
Another five minutes later, I hear Ninners make noise in his cage, and I convince myself that there's an intruder.
Naturally, I start crying. Conrad the Hero troops the house, pretending to check for danger. When I'm certain I'm safe, I wimper myself to sleep. It's pathetic.

Awesome:
- Since we bought our condo, we've gotten lots of catalogs addressed to the previous owner. One of those catalogs came the other day, and when I saw the outfit pictured above on the cover, I looked down at my own outfit and almost fell over. I was wearing the same outfit. It seems that I'm fashionable, according to this middle-aged women's business clothing store.
- Planning out your meals for the week and sticking to it! It's quite an accomplishment if we eat in every night, seven days in a row.
- Seeing myself tone up from Crossfit. The number on the scale hasn't really gone down, but my clothes fit better and I feel great! Plus, Conrad can't get enough.
- Doing button swaps with other blogs. That is awesome. 

Claire's Birthday Bonfire

Fire

Smoke

Chili cheese dogs

Yahtzee

Talking

Huge bird pooping on Conrad's leg

Poppyseed cake with strawberries and whipped cream

Overcast

Perfect

More anniversary pictures. And a Friday giveaway.

To view more pictures, view them on my personal facebook page. Can I also just say that your comments are so encouraging and inspiring! I love finding fellow bloggers. I'd like to announce that two lucky followers can win a large ad spot, and two lucky followers can win a small ad spot for thirty days! View the Advertise page to see what the package includes. I'm excited to jump right into advertising!

The mandatory entry requirement is easy:

Just follow my blog and comment that you do so!

For additional entries:

Like The Framed Lady on facebook

Follow @theframedlady on twitter

Share The Framed Lady on facebook

Post about the giveaway on your blog

Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry, and leave a link if you post it on your blog! 

UPDATE:

This giveaway closes on Wednesday at Midnight, so get your entries in soon!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Congratulations to Natasha Serenity You! You won a large ad space for 30 days! 

Congratulations to Janean! You won a large ad space for 30 days! 

Congratulations to Jonnique! You won a small ad space for 30 days!

If you are a winner, email me at tesiahwilk@yahoo.com for more information.