currently obsessed / target cartwheel

as if target couldn't get any better (who else requires a weekly 3 hour saunter through every single aisle),  they came out with an app that has the best discounts. every week they release new deals in all categories of the store- clothing, baby, health, beauty, even groceries. so of course, now i have to buy even more stuff from target just because i get such a good discount on it. this past weekend, all clothing, shoes, accessories, and handbags were 25% off. if that's not enough to bring you in to the store then i don't know what is. so far i have saved $90 using the app (who knows how much i've spent). do yourself a favor and download it here, you won't regret it (though your husband might!)

1. little boy swim trunks- i'm not going to lie, target is kind of slacking in the baby boy clothes section. it is a little depressing (especially if you make the mistake of glancing into the baby girl's clothes where there are thousands of options). but these shorts are on point.

2. weekender bag- for some reason i have it in my head that baby needs his own hospital/overnight bag for when we travel. he would look super stylish with this one.

3. stapler- our cute acrylic stapler doesn't work anymore and jarman has been needing a new one for law school. i don't want to get an ugly stapler- so we are holding out for this one.

4. quilted slip on shoes- i am obsessed with these shoes for fall. they seem so comfy and would be adorable with jeans and a hat. of course, my swollen pregnant feet make it so i have to buy shoes a size up right now, making these ones look like boats on my feet. which is why i haven't purchased them yet, but i just might, boat-feet or not.

5. jersey sheets- i used to love jersey sheets when i was younger, but haven't tried them since i have been married. i mainly love the stripe options- so many good ones!

6. coffee table- we desperately need a coffee table and the price is right on this one. don't be surprised to find it in my house very soon.

book review / what i read this summer

one of my goals for 2014 was to read a book every month. this is pretty much a goal i give myself every year, but generally i never quite make it. this summer i started reading and can't stop. i'm so happy to have a hobby i can do by myself that isn't watching netflix (you can only watch grey's anatomy so many times, right?). here is what i read this summer:

Dinner: The Playbook: A 30-Day Plan for Mastering the Art of the Family Meal, by Jenny Rosenstrach

so i know, this is a cookbook and doesn't really count as reading. but i have to include it because this is the book that really got me started. i received and early edition of the cook book in june (the full edition was just released this week), and read it cover to cover immediately. this cookbook is more of a plan of action for getting your family fed on a daily basis. i know my family is still really small- but we spend way too much money eating out when i should cook way more than i do. this book got me so excited to move out of the in-laws and back into my own place to get a routine of cooking dinner nightly. since then i have been cataloguing recipes to prepare myself to take on the 30-day challenge. we have lived in our new place for 2 weeks and i am happy to report i have cooked the bulk of our meals. yes, we still eat out sometimes (we have to try the 10 best california burritos in san diego right?), but i have been using what i learned and staying on top of the cooking. (ps. stay tuned because next week we will be doing a giveaway of this very cookbook!)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer

My friends have been telling me about this book for years and I'm so glad I finally read it. It was the most charming story of a post-WWII English Isle and the happenings thereupon. The book is written in letters between an author and the inhabitants of the island. The story took me back to my trip to the lake district in northern england (which i know is totally different than the island of guernsey). we visited writers like beatrix potter and william wordsworth's homes and got a feel for the quiet english countryside life. in the book, the people of guernsey form a literary society during their time of occupation creating an escape from the trying times they were living. the book itself is an escape with witty incidents and clever mishaps. it is a definite must read.

Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos

I read the first book, Love Walked In, in this series years ago and remember loving the author's style of writing. When I started this book I immediately remembered why. Santos writes smart characters- each very intellectual in his or her own way. the story weaves together the lives of three individuals whose lives get entangled in ways they would have never foreseen. (ps. the surprise at the ending totally caught me off guard in the best way possible).

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, by Therese Anne Fowler

When I saw this book I knew I had to read it because a- I am obsessed with F. Scott Fitzgerald, and b- Zelda is my favorite girl name of all time (although I have been banned by my husband and everyone I know from ever using it on my future daughter- but we'll see who gets their way in the end). The book is a faux-autobiography about Zelda's relationship with Scott and the consequent undoing. It was a little frustrating not knowing which incidents were real, though I think the author had done her fair share of research. She puts thoughts into the mystery woman who has been blamed for the downward spiral of her famous author husband (and vice-versa, their relationship was toxic in every way). Though it is a bit depressing (as all true stories are), I loved learning more about Scott and Zelda and their time together.

next on my list:

Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon (which i started this week and can't get enough of. i didn't realize that i was committing to a 7 or 8 novel series, this might take a while!)

And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini

Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross

The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain

let me know if you have any other suggestions!!

fashion / embracing the bump

well really i should title this post embracing the bumps- because everything has gotten so much curvier (it's still up for debate whether my belly or booty is bigger- i feel like nikki minaj most days). i think it's time for me to get over it and embrace it. why not show off my curves- it's the one time where it is almost encouraged right??

lately i've been wearing tight tops (and sometimes bottoms) so that people can really tell that i'm pregnant. i have been following oh joy's 'dressing the bump' series and have learned some awesome tips- like pulling your skirt above the bump. i love doing this with all my skirts now. i got this black and white polka dot pencil skirt just before i got pregnant and contemplated returning it as soon as i found out. the stretchy material and long length make it ideal for pulling up over my bump though. i can't get enough neon right now and this top has been my go to for a pop of color. 

ps. swelling has gotten the best of my feet and ankles. it hasn't even been going down over night, i wake up and they are still massive. my inner ankle bone is long gone. while i typically don't have the slimmest ankles (some call them cankles), any semblance of definition i have is totally gone.

pps. i just want to make it known that i don't dress like this every day. in fact most days i wear a t-shirt and maternity jeans. but after looking at another fashion bloggers pregnancy fashion i was encouraged to try a little harder and feel a little better about myself. so while most days all i care about is comfort (and yes my rainbows are the most comfortable thing i wear), i  do like to sometimes feel cute and fashionable. i wanted to say that in case any of you readers are pregnant and annoyed at me, because that's how i feel toward other pregnant bloggers who wear things like heels and leather pants. but don't worry, i will definitely be doing a post on my typical pregnancy styles. since i bet you were super worried about that. 

bridal session / mkaul and tyler

this summer i had the chance to do my very first bridal session and first real reception (i've photographed lots of receptions before but was never the official photographer). it was so much fun and such a good learning experience. the bridal session was my favorite though. mkaul and tyler's wedding had a carnival theme, and they let me come up with ideas for the bridal shoot. those are my favorite shoots- the ones where i have total control and can choose props, locations etc. the first location for the bridals was in a soda shop in old town temecula. i loved that it had bright colors and went along with the carnival theme.

our second location may have been my favorite. i got it in my head that i wanted a carousel horse in the pictures. naturally. so my mom and i went to granny's attic in hopes that they would have one. we first found a full sized carved gold and white horse- but it was $300. i asked if i could just borrow it and the lady all but laughed in my face- worth a try though right? then my mom came upon this little white horse on a pole. the bride wouldn't be able to sit on it, but it still worked for what i was looking for. at 35 bucks it was a winner. for a location i really wanted a red and white striped circus tent. we drove around and found this little old red fire house. it was fate. this is for sure my favorite part of the shoot.

for our last location we walked around a block in old town. i had a giant balloon with fringe garland to use on the bridge, but it was way too windy so we just gave it up. i love the industrial vibe of these last ones though.

thank you so much mkaul and tyler for letting me take your pictures! stay tuned for the details of their gorgeous reception!

from my camera / summer

hi! i'm finally back from a nice summer break and trying to adjust to real life again. we moved away from temecula to our own place in san diego and have been loving it. living at home has it's perks, but we are so happy to be on our own again. be ready for lots of home posts because decorating my house is all i can think about lately. and cooking/eating, it is so much fun to have my own kitchen again.

jarman started law school last week and absolutely loves it so far. i've been kind of jealous that he gets to go to school still- i miss it! i'm trying to find ways to enrich myself and keep busy with important things (rather than just shopping). most days i feel like such a housewife - i clean, cook, do laundry, work from home, and wait patiently for jarman to get home from school to hang out with me.

today marks 100 days until baby's due date! every day i still can't believe how crazy it is that we are actually having a baby. i try to grasp how much it will change our day to day lives. overall i'm just so amazed that it's really happening. sometimes it feels like it hasn't hit me yet- like this pregnancy is just another part of life. but i love feeling him move and kick, it makes it seem so much more real. i keep having dreams where i'm looking at my belly and watching him bump around in there, and then all of a sudden i can see him through my belly. one time he was actually halfway out and we were playing with him. another time i could see whole imprints of his feet and toes because he was kicking so hard. pregnancy dreams never stop and get weirder every day. i'm pretty sure jarman thinks i'm insane every morning when i tell them to him.

anyways, i wanted to share some photos of what we have been up to the past month! at the end of july jarman's younger brother got home from serving a mission in colorado. we loved picking him up from the airport and finally having his whole family together again!

after lots of jarman family time, we went to a beach house with all of my mom's sister's families. it was so much fun- we stayed in oceanside right on the water crammed in two apartments complete with spa, fire pit, and putting green. we swam and ate and watched beautiful sunsets every night.

my cousin made the cutest video of the beach house, watch it here: