Flashback Friday!

I really like having themed post days as you can tell, it keeps me organized...haha... posting a "flashback"picture will also give me a chance to blog about stuff that happened a while ago and show pictures of Carter when he was younger...

Carter was close to four months here...awww...I miss you boo-boo

Wedding Wednesday!

I have wedding fever... was on the phone for a few hours with my friend Ashley talking wedding so now I can't stop thinking about it. Wedding planning is so hard because there is so many different things you can do. I am trying to pin down what I want my wedding style to be and I'm having a hard time... first I thought  I for sure wanted an outdoor, nighttime wedding with lots of candles....maybe something like these...

or maybe I should do an intimate indoor ceremony, I don't know.

I do know there will be NO pink, poofy bridesmaid dresses. Or elvis impersonators (we want a Vegas wedding). There will be no bite-sized, tasteless food. I want the wedding to be glamourous and unique with lots of personal touches and great food (and dessert). Whether it's indoor or outdoor, I want minimal flowers (not really a flower person) and maximum candles. I want candles everywhere. And crystal, sparkly stuff everywhere too...lol..hopefully I can firm up my vision soon. Below I've posted some pictures that have drawn my eye during my internet scavenging. Enjoy and stay tuned.

The purple lighting is really stunning. I probably would want the lighted pattern higher and my cake in this table.

I love the paper lanterns, super cheap but they make any space feel modern.

Valentine's Day Pt. II

 I guess I am still in lovey, dovey Valentine's Day mode. Thought I would do a quick post about the man that I love and wish that I could have spent this Valentine's Day with... my hubby Lance! He gets on my NERVES sometimes but I adore him... he is so handsome, almost beautiful, with his baby eyes and lashes to die for...

I truly believe he is the world's greatest dad. He is so patient with Carter, but loving and attentive. He never hesitates to change a diaper or give a bath. I am so grateful that Carter has him to show him how to  be a man...

He is always there to wipe my tears, to share my laughs and to listen to my dreams. He encourages me and believes in me when I lose faith in myself. I have never trusted someone so much because he never gives me reason to doubt him... 

 I love you... (just don't ever forget Valentine's Day again...lol...) 

Valentine's Day Post

I feel like I have so much catching up to do, I just want to sit here all day and post, post, post... however I won't go overboard. Since it's Valentine's Day (it is the 14th in Korea) and I cannot be with my two favorite boys or my friends and family,  I thought it was appropriate if I post some pictures, both old and new, that I LOVE... The picture up above is me and my boys! Carter was 6 months old here, we used a picture very similar to this for our 09 Christmas Cards.

I absolutely love this picture. Carter is going on 7 months here. Our really good friend Jessica back in Italy is so talented in so many ways, one of them being with a camera... every shot she took that day was good.  Actually her husband Chris is also really good with the camera too, so I'm not sure who actually took this picture, nonetheless, I love it. The look here doesn't quite capture what a little hellion he can be, he is probably think about what he can get into next...haha...

This is my best friend in the whole world, Shanelle.  She is actually more like my sister than friend. Isn't she gorgeous?? We have been friends for about 8 or 9 years and I can trust her implicitly with all of my thoughts, dreams, and secrets. I have called her so many times in tears and she always makes me feel better. She is so feisty, it's hilarious, so we always have a good time when we go out. She has a daughter named Aaliyah Janee' (after me) that will be 2 years old in June and I will be there to celebrate with her. One of the hardest things about being overseas for so long is being away from her, but we're such good friends that we could not talk for 6 months and it's still all good. Love you!

This is my clique, I know adults don't usually have cliques. But I do. And this is mine. I love these people! Before I left Italy, I worked by them everyday... had bbq's every weekend... saw their babies born, they saw mine. Each one of them is so different and so special to me, it would take too long to explain them justly. Here is a rundown: Lance- (far left) love of my life, and look at him. Sarah- (next to him)  funny, no nonsense and she always made me oreo pie, Angela-smartest woman I know. Joe- gentle giant. Chris-(seated next to guy pouring wine) rain man perfectionist and Jessica- so likable and talented.

This is another really good friend of mine, Ashley. I call her Sly, long story. She is so smart and inspiring! Anything she sets her mind too, she does it, and while she does it she will have a HOT outfit on...lol... we have a lot of things in common and I think that's we have stayed close over the years. She travels a lot, like me and we share a lot of the same taste in fashion. I got to see her on my recent trip back to Seattle, where she flew up from LA for the weekend just for me! We were at Joey's here for lunch with Lance. Looking forward to seeing her again in June.

Last, but definitely not least, this is my friend Chloe. We have been friends the longest and have had the most ups and downs, but that has made our friendship so much stronger. This girl is CRAZY, she is so funny that anytime you're around her you're cracking up laughing...haha... we have had lots of good times. I am so proud of the woman that she is becoming and I can't wait to spend more time having fun with her in June.

MY 1st POST!!!

Hello everybody!! I must say I am super excited to finally get this blog going. It has been something I have wanted to do for quite a while but just never could get around to actually finding time to sit down and do it. However, now that I'm in Korea without Lance and Carter I have plenty of time. Also, my good friend Sarah Oliver got hers up and running and helped me with some of my technical difficulties.

This blog is mainly for my friends and family to keep up with what I'm doing over the next year. It is my goal to make lemonade from the lemons of this situation and get a lot accomplished while I'm here and I want the people most important to me to be able to share in this journey with me. I will post pictures (probably way too many) of baby boy Carter as he grows up in Italy with daddy, my adventures here in Korea, my wedding planning ideas (already married but we also want a ceremony) and of course just stuff I find interesting and cute.

Real quick, I want to elaborate and explain my blog title. It's a little bit of language/history that I first read about in a poem and have always thought was cool. So, without wax stems from the Latin words sin (without) and ceras (wax) which is thought to be the origin of the English words sincere and sincerity. The phrase became widely used at the height of Roman and Greek artistry when sculptures began to become popular works of art. Wax was used to cover flaws and imperfection on cheap pottery, therefore an expensive or quality piece of work was said to be "without wax". In my case, I am not claiming to be without flaws, I simply I accept them and I don't try and mask or cover them. Enjoy... and I promise that the next one won't be this long !!