life of a ballerina.

hello! another new week has so quickly begun.

i'm hoping your weekend was full of good weather,

date nights, laughter, food, parties, relaxation and lovely friends.

our's was full of most of those things-

plus the dreaded homework, long work hours and too many rehearsals.

i'm happy and excited yet tired and sad to announce 

that it's my last week of dance for this season.

it's always a bitter sweet thing;

bitter: because the thought of not dancing or working out 

for a few months is frightening and depressing. 

also, saying goodbye to those not returning next year is never easy.

sweet: because my body kills and is begging me for a break.

plus- the end of the season means summer is finally here.

i have hundreds {not an exaggeration} of photos from this ballet season,

but i thought i'd share just a few to wrap it all up.

we finish our season off with romeo and juliet this weekend.

it will be a busy and stressful week, to say the least.

i hope to stay caught up in blogging and reading your lovely posts-

if i don't, bare with me and remember my summer starts

in a week from now and i'll have lots of time to do just that.

unfortunately, the semester doesn't end until the end of may-

but believe me, not having to dance for six hours a day,
certainly frees up a lot of my time. 

cheers to the last busy week of the season.

xoxo

come one, come all.

dear friday: thank you for finally making your appearance.

i've been waiting for you all week long. 

i can finally take a breather. 

this week has been absolutely nuts {to say the least}!

thank goodness the weekend is here to stay for three days:

we have big plans and lots of fun in store.

starting off with this...

i'm happy to announce a lovely giveaway! 

here's a little note from nicole: 

Hello all! No matter what kind of day you’re having, I’m hoping this post will make it all the better! I am so excited to be posting here today! The past few years of my life have been pretty chaotic, to say the least, but I am finally starting to settle down a bit. For the last few months, I’ve been living in a small city and working an administrative desk job. It’s a great job with wonderful co-workers, but for some time I just felt a void of passion in my life. In my spare time, I started dabbling in stationary design. The more I dabbled, the more I fell head-over-heels. Designing has kicked up a spark of enthusiasm in me that I just can’t get away from, and now I have little shop to share it all with you! It’s full of wall art prints, note cards, graduation prints, birth announcements, custom designed daily planners, and more! This week, I’ll be giving 30% off to everyone who uses 

this coupon code: lovebirds 

Drop by and take a peek! I hope you find something that brightens your day 

and makes your heart skip a little beat.

Nicole

it's oh-so simple to enter:

leave a comment below letting me know what print you are drooling over.

then, cross your fingers that you'll be the lucky one

to open your mailbox and find yourself an adorable print from cole&co designs.

{winner will be picked next friday}

ready...set...go!

xoxo

he's golden.

golden birthday:

a person's birthday when they turn the age of their date of birth.

today is lovebird's golden birthday.

{can i get a woot woot?}

we plan on spending the morning together doing something birthday-ish.

{given the fact we both work/dance from 12-10. lame, right?}

i'm thinking breakfast in bed or an early lunch date...?

one thing is for certain: no matter how late we get home,

we will have a feast of gelato, because that's lovebird's favorite. 

remember this birthday and then this one?

i can't believe he's 26 already.

or the fact that it's been over two years since i met lovebird.

it feels like yesterday when we: 

were giddy in love as we explored our city together.

{san francisco is where we fell madly in love}

 spent our evenings skyping due to our long distance relationship,

took turns hoping on a plane just about every weekend or so to visit each other. 

planned our wedding and indulged in a romantic honeymoon.

moved into our little home, jumped into new schools and jobs and made new friends.

which brings us to now...

lovebird is growing up. 

26 will be a good year- i can feel it in my blood.

big decisions are about to be made.

good thing they say golden birthdays bring a lucky year-

hopefully we'll have luck on our side as we plan our little future. 

26 sounds old, but oh-so young at the same time.

we have a lifetime of love to look forward to.

and that my friends, is what i look forward to most.

the fact that lovebird is mine and will be forever.

i'm excited to celebrate many more birthdays together.

all i know, is winnie the pooh said it best:

"if you live to be one hundred, i want to live to be a hundred minus one day so i never have to live without you."

to him:

happy golden birthday!

you are my everything:

my "shugg", my better half, my lover, 

my "shorter" half, my companion, my source of laughter, 

my inspiration, my partner in crime, my shoulder to cry on...

but most of all you are my best friend.

have the happiest of birthdays today. 

i love you.

xo

wed.nes.day

it's wednesday; which means it's hump day.

currently, wednesday is my least favorite day of the week.

my body feels exhausted and my mind is tired.

the thought of the weekend still feels so {too} far away. 

wednesday is my busiest day of the week;

i've somehow managed to cram everything i do into one day.

{school, teaching, dancing, personal shopping}

coming across something motivational on a wednesday is what gets me through to a thursday.  

this quote did the trick a couple weeks ago-

so, i thought i'd share it with you.

as simple as it is, i've thought about it numerous times since. 

just when you think you are at your limit...

you are not.

there is always more in you.

lately, more often than not, i feel as though i've reached my limit.

it's as if one more math problem, dance step or errand just might kill me.

but, it won't.

and that's the hard part; understanding i'm fortunate to be busy.

that pushing myself is only benefiting the outcome of who i am and who i become. 

today i will think harder, dance a little longer, love a little deeper and

through it all- i'll be a little happier. 

maybe then i won't dread wednesdays so much. 

instead, i just may embrace wednesday with it's challenge of enduring it

while being a little better and giving a little more in all that i do. 

happy wednesday.

let's get over this hump together.

because believe it or not, the weekend is just around the corner.

xoxo

little love notes.

a few {little} love letters as of late:

dear elder carlson: i get to talk to you in one week! i am waiting as patiently as i can for monday to come. you can bet your bottom dollar i'll be by my phone 24/7 that day- i am dying to talk to you- and that's an understatement. hurry up already- mexico is calling your name!

dear shellac/gel nails: you are the best invention {ever}. if i could convince myself that i deserved to spend money on you every two weeks, i totally would. i'm a sucker for nail polish; especially un-chippped and shiny nail polish, which is exactly what you are for a solid two weeks.

dear romeo and juliet rehearsals: you are exhausting. your rehearsals are long. or maybe it's the long day i have before i start rehearsing you. you're lucky i am in love with the music and the starstruck love story- or i'm not quite sure how much longer i can put up with you and the bruises you cover my poor knees with.

dear number 26: what a special number you are this week. you happen to be lovebird's golden birthday this year. i'm looking forward to thursday, his birthday, and the year that follows. i hope 26 is a good year for him. please bring lots of luck, love, traveling and maybe a graduation...?

dear hairs upon my head: thanks for not being the oily type. i don't know if i'm embarrassed or proud to say that i haven't washed my hair since wednesday night. {that's not a joke.} with my extremely busy schedule not having to wash my hair is a true blessing simply because i don't have to take the time to style it from scratch every morning. a special thanks to moroccan oil, dry shampoo and the top knot for allowing my hair to get it's debut for several days in a row.

dear artichokes: you are a recent love of mine. i ate a whole one for dinner last night, and could have had another one if lovebird would have let me. you are scrumptious. why didn't i like you as a kid growing up? i wasted all those years on not enjoying your yumminess.

dear evolution: exploring your theories and principals are quite interesting. being raised religiously and believing in a creation my whole life interferes with you slightly. that being said, you do intrigue me. i enjoy learning your perspective. your point of view is scientific while my point of view is based on faith. both of our ideas together, make for a confused outcome. one thing is for certain; my anthropology class has certainly made me open my eyes to a whole new concept while planting my feet even further in faith.

earth and time.

happy monday.

i hope you had a lovely weekend.

earth day was certainly earthy over here.

we spent our time loving the beautiful weather outside.

of course we had homework, so why not take it outside and do it at a park?

genius idea, i tell you.

we are surrounded by national parks and there's no charge to enjoy them.
{thanks to earth day}

we just may have to take a trip to yosemite.
nothing beats the beauty of that place.

life is hectic right now.
if i could only slow it all down, add an extra hour to the day
or put everything on hold and concentrate on one thing at a time...
now, that's what i call blissful living.
if that were the case, it may actually feel like i am living a real life,
rather than feeling like i am in fast forward motion;
blinking and wondering how i say hello and goodbye
to the same day in a single sentence.

all this to say, i am looking forward for that moment when
life will suddenly slow down.
{it will, won't it?}
for me, it will be at the close of my ballet season and
after the end of the this semester.
{just a few more weeks. i can make it.}
maybe then, will be have time to explore all the beautiful
national parks we live so close to.
and maybe then, will the days feel like they pass me by one by one.

cheers to the start of a new week!
may the days pass slowly enough to enjoy them-
yet quick enough to get through them.
if you know what i mean.
xoxo

i heart you.

i have a crush on you. 

i'm totally crushing on these few things lately.

long skirts: you are my fashion obsession at the moment.

especially the long-silky-pleated ones.

i just want to spend my days letting the wind blow you, as you make

me feel oh-so feminine and in a sense conservative. 

moroccan oil: i will be faithful to you until the day i die.

you save my hair every single day.

i love you more than you know.

up the amp:  hello purple lips.

thank you mac, for this fun bright color.

i'm clearly in love.

organic produce: i've been falling for you more and more lately.

you may be pricey, but you are well worth it.

i prefer you ten times over "regular" produce now.

you taste better, you last longer, and buying you locally supports a good cause.

j.crew: yes, the entire store.

if i could transform my closet into your store and catalog,

i would do it in a heartbeat. 

bright blue: simply the color.

whether it be this new clearance skirt i just bought,

the gorgeous blue skies we've been lucky to have lately

or the way you remind me of my lovely mother and grandma.

i'm totally into you.

what are you crushing on lately?

it's time to reveal your secret crushes.

beauty items, food, colors, people or places.

what ever it may be....

spill the beans, i want to hear! 

hello, busy.

{source}

did spring bring an extra amount of busyness to anyone else?

i feel like i am treading to keep my head above water.

i have "to-do lists" coming out of every pocket, purse and calendar.

i have chores piling up due to lack of being able to get them done.

homework is stacking up by the minute.

rehearsals at dance are never-ending. we are in crunch time.

spring is busy.

are you with me?

i am suddenly learning to manage my time differently.

i'm discovering what needs to be my priority rather than 

choosing what i think should be a priority.

i'm accepting the fact that i have to let go of being a perfectionist

in order to get everything done.

{i struggle with this one}

i'm watching time pass as if it never happened;

where do all the hours of the day go?

but through all of this busyness,

i am taking time to smell the flowers, quite literally.

it is a gorgeous time of year in it's entirety. 

the hustle and bustle of spring time paired with
the breathtaking beauty of nature. 

spring is beautiful even when busy.

and that is something i need to be reminded of as i feel busyness overcome me.

spring is such a beautiful season, that is over in the blink of an eye.

 let's embrace it's beauty.

even if that means embracing the busyness of it too.

p.s. today is the last day to enter this giveaway!!
winner will be announced tomorrow. 

the love hate chore.

a day full of laundry will get you thinking.

thinking about clothes, of course.

more often than not, folding endless piles of clothes is tedious. 

watching my dirty clothes pile grow into a mountain

is sometimes overwhelming.

having to dedicate a whole day to switching loads of laundry

is a penalty for having a busy schedule.

although, there is often times that glimpse of happiness as i hang 

my favorite blouse or dress to dry. 

i am reminded of my love for fashion, clothes, shopping and more clothes.

as much as i despise doing the dreaded chore of laundry,

deep down, i love nothing more, than a closet full of clean clothes.

the smell of dryer sheets and this detergent makes me melt.

slipping into a warm pair of sweat pants fresh out of the dryer is simply heavenly.

so today i am happy doing laundry.

cheers to laundry, dryer sheets, warm clothes and the beloved chore. 

seconds, please?

we had a weekend full of nothing but food.

or rather little food dates. 

{what!? this never happens}

friday was my the last day of spring break for me,

and lovebird's school just so happen to have the day off, thanks to "pacific day".

so... we took advantage of that free time we never seem to have and

 drove to a nearby town to grab a bite. a yummy bite.

saturday came way to quickly.

but we embraced it again with a little dinner date.

{that didn't feel so little after eating one too many breadsticks}

since that didn't seem to be enough, we took it one step further- 

and went on a second dinner date out of town with some lovely friends.

don't worry. we didn't eat a second dinner.

we just shared a scrumptious dessert.

then sunday came way to quickly.

since we don't go out on sundays, {this is why}

we stayed in a for a yummy home cooked dinner date. 

which of course ended with 'just a taste' of our favorite gelato. 

you can't go wrong when dates revolve around food.

especially when they end with dessert. 

or maybe that's just my opinion, since i seem to have an odd love for food.

i'm hoping your weekend was full of delicious dinner dates.

if so, do share with me. 

i'd love to hear what you had on your plate this weekend.

{pun intended, or course} 

xoxo

p.s. did you enter the giveaway below!?

you don't want to miss this.

happy friday!

i'm so excited to announce {drum roll please}...

my first ever giveaway on the blog!!

{a print from haley's shop} 

{this would be my pick! it was hard to choose just one}

haley is a dear friend of mine now, who i met a little while ago.

 thanks to the blogging world we have kindled a little friendship i'm ever so grateful for. 

here's a little "guest post" from her, explaining the background behind this giveaway.

"Hello! I am Haley, from Haley in Wonderland! I currently live in Montreal, but am originally form Texas. I am so excited to showcase some of my work for you today! One of my favourite things to do it take photos, especially of my travels. Recently I have created a shop on Society 6 to showcase my work, and possibly make some money! I love sharing my work with others and receiving feedback. That is the best part about art. This summer I am headed off to Kenya to work with The Children of Promise Project. I am so blessed to have this opportunity and because of this, 15% of every sale will go towards the project. I would love it if you would check out my work! And to read more about my shop, you can check it out here."

so go on- what are you waiting for!?

click here to pick which 8x10 print you would love to hang in your home.

now, let's play by the rules:

one entry for leaving a comment below telling me which print you love.

one entry for following {my blog} the little lovebirds.

one entry for following haley's cute blog. 

one entry for following tweeting and/or facebook-ing about this lovely giveaway.

{that's a total of five possible entries!} 
winner will be announced next friday!

my fingers are crossed for you! 

xoxo

recap through pictures.

my mom's visit through the eyes of my instragram. 

 the week with my mom went a little like this:

{in no paticular order}

1.the two of us in our matching ray bans. 

thank goodness we live in two different states. 

2.ranuculous flowers. simply my favorite.

thank you walnut creek, for planting them everywhere.

3.mini diet cokes. or rather the perfect size.

what could be better? 

4.just my mom, "being a little midge."

inside joke between our little family.

5.mac lip stick. i could never have too many shades.

6.a delicious pick me up during our eight hour shopping streak.

7.yesterday's books: a used bookstore here in town.

aka: my mom's second home on earth. {arguably her favorite home.}

8.we were on a quite the search for the "perfect" purse this week. 

i fell in love with this one. {my birthday is coming up. hint hint.}

9.not-even-a-day-old kitty.

i about died. if only i could convince lovebird we needed him. 

10.the most delicious artichokes for easter dinner.

as sick as he was, even lovebird snarfed one down. they were that good. 

well, that's a wrap.

it was a lovely trip and now it's back to reality...

which, thankfully it's still spring break! 

xoxo

instragram user name: eleasejane 

mothers are priceless.

okay, i'm in big trouble.

and i mean big trouble.

you see, when you don't typically have a mom around to 

do all things girly and fun... you don't spend much money.

it's the normal: grocery shopping and saturday date night with lovebird.

however, when you do have your mom around...

that story changes. big time. 

with the combination of it being spring break {free time} and

the fact that i live in a place surrounded by fabulous shopping in every direction,

it's a little hard to not spend money. 

or should i say, it's too easy to spend money?

wether it be spent on clothes, accessories, diet cokes, lunches, decorations...

it all adds up. and it adds up quickly, might i add.

lovebird is about ready to hide my little wallet.

however, as much fun as it is to spend money on a new outfit,

there is nothing like "spending" time with my mom.

we are best friends.

and have been for as long as i can remember.

i was in need of a little mother-daughter time to reboot my engine.

she sometimes feels too far away from me.

being in her arms these last few days has been lovely.

yes, most definitely- spending hours shopping, drinking diet cokes,

reading, laughing until our bellies hurt, going on lunch dates

and running errands has been the absolute blast.

but, simply being in the company of my mom is worth far more than

any outfit, diet coke, decoration or pair of shoes i could buy.

i love her dearly.

xoxo

p.s. i'm back to "normal" blogging on thursday.

and stay tuned i have an awesome giveaway coming up! 

spring break, baby!

hello to a new week.

{a spring break week.}

my mother is in town,

so blogging will have to be on 

the back burner for a couple more days.

{so sorry}

i hope you had a lovely easter.

we sure did.

even though it was spent mostly indoors due to lovebird being so sick.

a day full of church, an easter dinner, cuddles, movies

and a drive to the country roads to visit the baby cows.

i promise to post pictures as soon as i get the time.

until then, have a happy week- 

i can't wait to read up on your fun weekends.

xo

a little "midge" is coming to visit.

{adorable wreath my cute mom made and sent me for easter}

happy weekend.

{and happy spring break to me}

today is a quick post due to two things:

1. i woke up with lovebird's sickness. 

2. my dear mother is flying into visit us today.

{a very last minute decision.}

can you say awesome?

what a perfect way to start spring break:

sick and in the arms of a mother. my mother. 

surprisingly, i'm not joking.

this is a dream come true for me. {okay fine, minus the sick part.}

now, if i can just boot the sickness by easter that will be perfect! 

please send happy and healthy thoughts my way,

as i will send them back to you.

xoxo

"the sun will come out tomorrow."

{nerd alert}

it's thursday already. 

this week has been quite lovely all in all.

{minus the fact that lovebird is sick}

i have been a little too busy this week.

but a good busy.

the type of busy where i throw my hair up in a pony, 

put little {if any} makeup on,

grab my glasses and wear the first thing i see in my closet.   

rehearsals for romeo and juliet have picked up,

my school load as seemed to doubled,

and racing to a from to teach piano has been crazy.

however, i think knowing spring break is just around the corner 

has given me motivation to plow through.

spring break starts tomorrow. 

thank goodness.

i have grand plans of doing one thing:

relaxing. 

{and reading a book or two of course} 

i would ask what your plans for spring break are,

but i feel like everyone has already "been there and done that".

for some reason, california schools seem to be behind schedule. 

it's odd. but i'm not complaining,

because a break is a break.

and we all need one no matter when it comes. 

so the countdown has gone from days hours...

27 more hours until spring break. 

what a lovely thought.

xo

hello world: meet bonnie.

I know what you're thinking right now.   "Guest post today?  Well, shoot. Alright, toots, you've got exactly seven seconds to impress me before I click out of this site and don't give you the time of day ever again." The pressure is intense, I tell you, it's intense! Deep breath.  And here I go. First things first.  My name is Bonnie.  This is me.

I used to have pink hair before I got a real job.  Now I have a real job.  But I don't have pink hair.  You can't have it all, people. I've been given a lot of nicknames over the course of my life, but the one I prefer is Bon Bon.  So if you feel in the nickname-best-bud kind of mood, you can call me Bon.  Or if you feel in a normal mood, you can call me Bonnie.  Whatevs.  The nickname you can not call me is Bonnarrhea.  I do not like that name. I write over at Life of Bon.  If it weren't for blogging I would have long been driven to insanity by now.  That's because I spend my days in the company of punk seventeen year olds.  Mostly I try to teach them how to write thesis statements and how to tell the difference between your and you're.  It's a lot harder than you'd think to get that rule to stick, I tell you.  Even though those high schoolers can be a bunch of bratty ingrates they have somehow completely stolen my heart. Ain't that always the way it is with bratty ingrates?!?! I'm not exactly sure why I love these teenagers so much. I think it might have to do with the ridiculous things that are always flying out of their mouths at 100 miles an hour.  Because I love Erin and I love her blog I figured I must love her readers by default.  And because I do nice things for the people I love, I have decided to include for your reading entertainment some of my favorite "stupid questions" that my students ask me. Student: "Mrs. Larsen? What do we do if we can't find what page we're on?" Me: "Uh... find the page you're on..." Student, six months after school has been in session: "What time does school get out?" Me: "Five o'clock." Student: "Did we do anything in class yesterday?" Me: "Nope. We all just sat here and stared at each other." Student: "When you were in high school were computers invented yet?" Me: "I went to high school seven years ago." Student: "So were they invented yet?" Me: "No, not yet. The world was a very primitive place seven years ago. I had to use a type writer for all my assignments. Cars weren't invented either so I had to walk to school. In the snow. Uphill. Barefoot. Because shoes also were not yet invented." Ah, don't those little cuties just say the darndest things?! When I'm not trying to cram grammar into the heads of hormonal teenagers, I try my best at being a wife- a gig that is new to me this past year.  I guess you could say I've got a small crush on this guy.

Ahem... the one without all the hair... If you're wondering why my hubby has got a giant teddy bear on his shoulders, it was an experiment to see if we are ready to have babies.  We are not. If you're wondering why the walls are lime green in our apartment, it's because I made a terrible, terrible mistake.  It's fixed now. And because I just couldn't resist, I recently got a new haircut and have therefore spent a lot of time lately flipping my hair around.  I mean, what else do you do when you get a new haircut besides flip?!?

I figure by now my seven seconds to impress you is long gone.  Also, the ice cream in the freezer is calling my name.  So I guess this is adieu.  Unless, of course, you hop on over to Life of Bon and say hi, which I strongly encourage you do.  I promise you won't regret it, and if you do Elease has promised you a box of French chocolates.  You can't argue with that now, can you?! Come on, Elease, just go with it....  You know your cupboards are filled with French chocolates...

greetings in april.

goodbye march. hello april.

goodbye st. patricks's day. hello easter.

goodbye leprechaun. hello easter bunny.

goodbye self control. hello cadbury eggs. 

goodbye 25. hello lovebird's birthday.

{golden birthday, in fact. woot woot!}

goodbye feeling overwhelmed. hello spring break.

goodbye choreographer workshop. hello romeo and juliet.

goodbye seriousness. hello april fools.

{did you play a good joke?}

goodbye pandora. hello spotify. 

goodbye hatred of tea. hello vanilla rooibos tea lattes.

goodbye red lips & mint nails. hello coral lips & lilac nails.

goodbye to my usual: silent car rides. hello recent obsession: kina grannis.

goodbye side part. hello middle part.

{i'm talking hair, incase you didn't pick up on that.} 

goodbye kelly green. hello chartruese.

goodbye chickadees. hello robins. 

goodbye animal print. hello floral print. 

{ever-so trendy yet completely adorable.}

goodbye to spending. hello to saving for summer vacations.

goodbye to dark winter layers. hello to light silky pastels. 

goodbye march. hello april. 

hello lovely followers,

happy april to you.

please link back to my page if you carry on this idea.

i greatly appreciate it. 

xo

instagram weekend.

 happy monday.

i hope you had a lovely weekend.

we sure did.

but, once again- it just wasn't long enough.

we played a little putt putt.

{aka miniature golf}

i had a little ballet performance.

lovebird worked. however, not as mush as normal.

watched conference. so inspiring.

we ate fire balls, like we used to in the sixth grade.

saw the jelly belly truck.

{of course i had to take a picture}

and took a nice sunday drive out on the country roads.

what did you do?

i hope something fun.

xoxo

p.s. follow me on instagram. user name: eleasejane.