and counting.

how odd a feeling, as i drove the rainy route down 27 this evening it dawned on me- i will not be gracing this road much longer. yes, there is the literal "not much longer" since my ride to oxford was drawing a close, but more importantly in my eyes is the metaphorical "not much longer." three weeks until christmas, five months until i graduate? im not quite sure what to feel.
this place has offered me friends for a lifetime, an education to match, and most incredibly- growth. i arrived as a child, but im leaving as a young lady (who likes to color and dreams of being a disney princess, i admit). a little bit of thought for an oh so familiar drive.

Page two: I am just a man.

Meet my narrator:

"My name is Benjamin Button. I am not a knight in shining armor. i am no prince charming. I am just a man, a man with a big heart & a hardy laugh. Adeline tells me that my eyes sparkle when I smile - but she always says that kind of thing. I work hard, I help people when I can and I devote my world to making a happy place for my love to live."

page one: this is a story.

And so begins my storybook. The moral I have decided to teach- courage and perseverance, and- love.

"This is a story about a girl & her shadow. Both of their names were Adeline. Adeline was a happy girl, loved by all for her heart of gold & pearly smile. When she looked at you- your world stood still. & when she touched your arm- you were on fire. This is the story about the love of my life."

Once upon a time.

My dream? I have many: to be a businesswoman, a bride, a marathoner, a mother, a painter, an artist and an author. That last one is what this post is about. I've had it in my head for the last couple of months that I am going to let the world know my name by writing and illustrating my own children story books - a fairy tale, if I may. Today, with the rain patting the skylights at my parents house, I begin. Hopefully you guys can watch my story grow. Hopefully- I can watch my story grow.
Anyway, bon voyage, I'm starting my once upon a time.
Lots of love, always; annebelle

dance.

dancing and flowers. how lovely.
here is a sneak peak into my technique. i do not usually come up with illustrations from my mind, i draw inspiration from favorite photos. and this was a favorite indeed.

fivecents pie.

megan pacitti and i are "power walkers." and on the weekend before i left for break, she wanted to make a pie. she brought eleven dollars on our walk. at check out we realized that it was not quite enough. we exchanged the name brand evaporated milk for kroger brand which brought us to $10.95. with tax? $11.05.

what are two girls to do?? i told her that surely i would find a nickel in the parking lot. i searched and searched. to no avail! i checked all the candy machines. no such luck! i came back empty handed and as we were about to leave.. megan chanced our last ray of hope. an exchange student was checking out next to us. we asked for a nickel. "im sorry, i dont have any cash." megan turned around, sorely disappointed. "wait.. is this one?" the girl had pulled two nickels from her purse. and in hesitant english saved our pie.

hail to the victors valiant

"ohio girl gone Mad." this is the sign that i saw flashing during the first quarter of "the game." but as the daughter of a michigan-bred mother and a wolverine-grad father, i was put in blue on game days and stared at the michigan flag that graces our porch during the football season proudly.

as a friend of mine-cough jeff- SO KINDLY reminded me, it has been 2926 days since michigan came out the winner of this game. but win or lose (and right now theyre winning) im a michigan fan through and through. 

lets go blue!

thanksfilled

happy thanksgiving, to all. and welcome, OFFICIALLY, to the christmas season.

on top of the world-table rock 2011

our last visit to table rock was thirteen months ago. 
so for the second time, we climbed 3124 feet, and every single foot was worth it- just for this picture. who could have ever guessed that life could look like this. 
happy trails.

the dirty chai

good tuesday! quick post to say ive fallen in love- with a drink!
double grande soy chai latte. it is so flavorful and smooth. it has a double hit of caffeine with the tea from the chai tea and the double shot of espresso from the dirty. i got it on a whim this morning, and i dont think i can ever go back.

novemberness

fall flowers and fall florals. a lucky girl to have these on my table.

flash flood.

 

 i grew up in the midwest. and ive always been warned by the news about flash floods and severe storms. tonight, i found out why. 


its pouring in oxford. and when i heard rain dropping INSIDE the house.. i had to investigate. it took about two seconds for me to survey the situation.. look at all my wet belongings.. and realize that every single one of my windows and the ceiling were leaking. 


temporary solution: duct tape and kitchen rags. 
keeping it classy, always.

bows&backs

There was a time, about a three month period actually, that i wore a ribbon in my hair every day. because, you know how when youre describing a person to someone, you say a few key characteristics? like "oh, (insert name) she has blonde hair and blue eyes." or "oh, (insert name), she always wears blue!" Well I wanted to be the girl who always wore a red ribbon. for a while, it worked. At the end of my junior year, everyone was describing me at the cafe as the waitress with a ribbon... then i got my haircut. Anyways, these are in memory of the happy days when i could wear a red ribbon every day of my life. 

buenos noches my loves. 

fixing a broken heart.

Isn't it interesting how a broken heart doesn't heal? How years later, it might still hurt?
But then someone comes and picks it up. And he looks at you like you're the only girl in the world. And your smile lights up his sky. And he treats you right and spoils you rotten. And then, one day, you forget that your heart was ever broken in the first place.

sketching.

  

learning to sketch. these are some of the ones from my notebook. 

chai-vanilla.

ive never made cupcakes from scratch, so im very proud of the ones i made today. and oh what a fight i fought to make these. 

chai is made of five spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. I needed three of those, the three most expensive.

the timeline of chai
sunday: i had a terrible day, but i left my wallet in loveland and sadly realized i could not buy the spices.
monday: I went through my purse for coins and found twenty dollars in quarters, tried to buy spices at self check out- the coins jammed and i left embarassed and empty handed.
tuesday: i returned to the store desperate, my plan- COINSTAR. i got twenty one dollars from my coins, but realized at check out that  that was not enough (darn you, cardamom). so i bought what i could and left to ravage through my car. I came back in moments later with ten more dollars in coins. and FINALLY the magical chai spices were mine. (sidenote, i have since fallen -more- in love with chai)

anywho, the cupcakes are tasty. come by if you want one. i made twelve (and already ate two). the rest are for all of you!

cincy classic.

a classic cincinnati couple. helene adkins, a family friend, lost her wedding ring in a lake ninety days after her fairy tale wedding to united states serving husband bill.


they cannot afford another ring on bills military salary. but a fairy godmother (the richter & phillips co.) gave them another chance. "like" this link and make their dreams come true.