My Favorite New Planner

Hooray, my Erin Condren planner arrived! I thought this was the perfect time to order one, to start in August along with grad school beginning!  I definitely have always preferred a paper planner; I love writing things down, using colors, making little notes and seeing everything laid out in front of me (not on a computer screen). I love the amount of organization that this planner promotes, and it has some really great features. Picture time!

 nice packaging and bubble wrap

 Taa-dah! 

 You can customize the design and text.

laminated tabs

 Huxley came to inspect. 

 first thing I put on my planner! A sticker from our wedding, to mark our anniversary :) 

 lots o' stickers

 gift labels, and a pouch and pocket for holding things (already put in some stamps)

I recently got some new pens too (plus my favorite pen lately- a free pen from Baylor) 

I have to copy Sar with this and say my planner is my favorite new possession/obsession. And here's the rest of my favorites for the 15 Day Challenge! (psst- check out my summer favorites post from yesterday, too!)

Song: Possibly, probably, Will You be There by Michael Jackson. Yes, the Free Willy song. No other song moves me (physically and emotionally...I have to dance and sometimes cry) more than this song. We played it at the wedding (at my request) and everyone loved it; I was surprised- surely that song would clear the dance floor of all but me and my two friends who also love the song, and my wee cousin who danced to everything (Queen of the Dance Floor, that one), and abruptly bring the party to a depressing end, but no! 

Quote: I'm not sure what my favorite favorite quote is, but I recently saw this one and I quite like it. Also, love Amy Poehler. 

Food: Always- cucumber. Lately- whole wheat toast with avocado, salt, pepper and cucumber. It is reminiscent of Finland. The bread is different and I don't think I ever had avocado in Finland, but I try. 

Vacation Spot: Finland! Though I wouldn't mind going somewhere tropical, either. Also, New Zealand.

Photo: We've only seen a preview of the wedding photos so far, and I'm sure one of those will end up my favorites, but for now, this picture of the kitties when they were brand new, napping on my desk chair, so tiny.

Movie: Jurassic Park. Runner Up: Away We Go

TV Show: Of all time, Arrested Development. Other great ones: Dexter (just watched all of season 6 on itunes in like a day), The West Wing, Parks & Rec, The Office.

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Outdoor Activity: Kayaking, for sure!

Thing about the Future: Little ones. Someday! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!
Oh, and sidenote, I'm putting together an Olympic themed giveaway to hopefully have up in time for the Opening Ceremonies on July 27th! Stay tuned for more info! :)

-Mrs. M

Summer Favorites

Sweet lady Lin and a couple other gals are hosting Random Thursday, and this weeks topic is favorite things about summer! 

I do not like summer, because summer is hot hot hot, especially now spending my first (10-month long) summer in Texas. But aside from the heat and AC bills, between the bug bites and frizzy hair, even I can find some good things about my least favorite season. 

 Cold Treats. A particular abundance of them. 

Hanging out in the backyard, reading, tanning, longing for the air conditioned indoors, whathaveyou. 

 Flip flops and sandals all the time! Though in Texas this is a year round luxury. 

 Outdoor adventures.

BBQ

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Summer movies. 

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Birthday times, both for Kyle and I, and a lot of friends too. 

Though my favorite summertime of all is summertime in Finland.

And, funny enough, almost exactly a year ago I wrote a post about my summer favorites, you can see here. 

-Mrs. M

Guest Pictures

I thought I'd share with you some pictures of the day that some of our lovely friends took and put up on facebook! :) It really was an incredibly fun party with so many friends and family (about 80). I will post again about our awesome guests and how much it meant to me that they were all there to celebrate with us. If I can even come up with the words to express it properly. They made my heart so full and happy.

 by Jennifer (Aunt AJ!)

 by Jillian

beer photos by Kendall :)

 by Tracy

by Alyssa

and lastly, a photo of the three McPherson brothers dancing to Moves Like Jagger, taken by Anne 

Aren't our friends pretty?

There is still much much more wedding to come, I'm just waiting until the professional photographs are in to blog about it in detail! :) 

S.