a little san fran

well, husband has been on orders for the past month...so i made a very last minute trip to see him for a full 24 hours. so thankful for summer time and the opportunity for spontaneous moments like these. 

since he is training in san francisco, we spent the majority of the day being the ultimate tourists...gazing at the skyline and enjoying the best of clam chowder bread bowls that pier 39 has to offer.

we walked up and then down the telegraph hill steps. 

and a few more miles of walking to find the most important destination...a little ghirardelli amazing'ness. later we caught a movie, got some delicious pho and then i was off for the drive home, in order to make it back for the manic monday c: the perfect trip to see my love. 

a graduate and a summer

well, hello and welcome c:  it was been a long, incredible two years but i officially have my education specialist credential in moderate~severe disabilities...yahoo! {and you better believe i have my hands in the air, doing a happy dance right now}. i am so blessed to have gone through the program i did and excited to pursue the calling God has placed on my heart.

here's to my husband, who has been nothing but supportive of my insane and ridiculously stressed`out`self. boy do i love him.

and now here's to the summer break. we have quite the budgeted list of home improvements and i'm excited to share each and every one`of `them.  HAPPY SUMMER c:

six weeks of instagram

catching up on my last six weeks through instagram...

the bulk of my time has been teaching, homework, making communication systems for students and going to class...but hey eating pudding while i review reports isn't all too bad.

in my spare time {well the time that cuts into my sleep}...we finished projects around the house, i decorated for fall and we've been picking limes like crazy.

the weather finally cooled down enough to thoroughly enjoy my favorite salted caramel hot chocolate {always in a larger cup for the extra amazing'ness to be piled on}

a few fall themed projects at work, which includes sparkle pumpkins for those aren't too thrilled about pumpkin pulp texture.

i most definitely voted, then had a mock interview via skype for my sister's first vet school choice  later that night c:

God has kept me inspired by the little things in life.

and the boy has been doing car stuff, putting up with my crazy pinterest dreams i pinned during summer, playing with my label maker and just being plain amazing.

well there it is, life in the midst of the never ending schedule thanks to instagram c:

thanks jane, i've missed this!

nothing my boy and yankee coupons can't fix

oh it's been one of those days. you know the kind of day that if something could go wrong it goes wrong. to paint a picture for you, i literally ran into a wall about an hour ago...and to make the story even more pathetic, that wall was in my own house. yup, that's my day. after my confrontation with the wall, i lit a candle and poured myself a glass of wine. then the boy called with oh so perfect timing. i vented and he encouraged...what would i do without him? i then made the executive decision to just peak into blog world before i started my readings...and guessy what i found.

thanks to Money Saving Mom i was informed kohl's is having a sale on fall yankee candles, two for $20 plus free shipping plus twenty percent off with these promo codes: SEPTFRIENDS and FREE2SHIP. 

on top of that wonderful'ness i had $10 kohl's cash, so i got a tank top, fall'ish dishtowels and four delicious yankee candles for less than $30. i'm a pretty frugal girl and it usually takes me a lloonngg time to make a decision like this, but the boy told me to go for it...so i did.

can you sense the smile on my face...just thought i should share the news, now back to homework c:

two weeks of life through instagram

and here's the recap...

{two weekends ago was the last time the boy could come home until the end of this month...sad but counting our blessings he has been able to come home at all during this training}

that weekend i was sick :c so i spent much of the time laying on the hammock trying to recoup for the upcoming week | we've been eating outside A LOT and i love it | made roasted tomatoes with shrimp and feta for dinner, it was delish | early sunday morning he was out luster`ing his boots, how do i not take a picture when he leaves everything oh so picture perfect c; | my massive rose in a little mason, made me smile | and i MAY have been back in the hammock while the boy was bqq`ing some dinner sunday evening

{lynnee has had a rough couple weeks}

 pretty sure she caught my cold because last week she has a raspy little meow, sneezing like crazy and would just look at me with sad eyes :c here she is after sneezing in her sleep seven times | she cuddled in bed with me with me as i read, apparently psalm 35 puts her to sleep | and this is her politely refusing some medicine, our ferocious kitty got in her first cat brawl the other night...told you it's been a rough two weeks

{student teaching, school, work, assignments, eat, sleep = the life of little ole' me lately}

wore new shoes on a fifteen hour day and no blisters...success! | living off cookies and a little bit of vino to get through my late night studies | brainstorming ideas for nightstands...and i believe i found a winner c:

...and in a blink those two weeks were gone. onward forward to what this next week brings c: be blessed and don't forget to pause, soak in and take a picture of little things in life <3

as always, thank you thank you Taingamala for bringing us all together c:

insta`tuesday and weekend love

has school really started? answer is, yup. first week back was a tad overwhelming, but i survived and as my treat the boy came home for a three day weekend c: with him being back i was able to escape my color`coded schedule and ignore the text books arriving at my doorstep. we took full advantage of these past days getting all that stuff done around the house and taking time to be relax before life picks up again. 

starting out the semester strong with our tradition to swing by the bar after our first week of class. love the girls in my program <3

 we have lynnee's approval of our new rug | finished staining the crates for our future coffee table | boy is home so i tried a new recipe, beer chicken in the crock pot, intriguing yes? find it HERE  | off to visit a baby and his momma c:

a bbq with some dear friends | margaritas with limes from our yard c:

 my little sunday project after church c:

awwwe, after a few trips to home depot we finally got the hammock up and secure. lynnee and the husband are relaxing after the day's labor.

alright time to close the lap top and open those books. thank you for stopping by and extra thanks to miss Taingamala for hosting. happy tuesday c:

training, schooling and insta`tuesday

hello, hello and happy tuesday. our hectic summer is winding down and slowly transitioning into fall. here are a few updates on our lives...the boy received orders for six weeks of training with his unit {last minute as always}. luckily the station is only a couple hours away instead of across the country, so he'll be able to sneak home every now and then. for me, well student teaching has been well in gear for the past few weeks and my classes begin this week. on the beautiful bright side, by the end of this school year i will finally have, in hand, my credentials to teach moderate`severe special education as an inclusion specialist as well as several masters classes under my belt. let the studying begin.

<3  <3  <3

for those of you who were interested in my picture on wood from my last week's insta'tuesday post, i have written a tutorial for you c: find it HERE.

<3  <3  <3

here's my linkup for insta`tuesday and a glimpse into my week. 

chopping my pasta salad while getting my criminal minds fix | making my heart and nose oh so happy | my pink wine opener i was gifted on my twenty`first saw its last cork :c

{my evenings with the boy gone}

a pinterest inspiration | a morning fish bowl makeover

eating {pretend} sushi with high.ho.cherry.o buckets and glow sticks with my favorite God daughter peyton | lynnee waiting for best friend peyton to return with another brush to pet her with c:

yes and the boy had the weekend off, love having him home | the nights are cooling off and we've been spending them outside. oh and on this night i thought i taught miss peyton what a crescent moon was...turns out she now argues every night with her dad there's a crescent moon, oops.

join the link`up love over at Taingamala 

my family vacation

this has been quite the summer, making memories left and right. from purchasing our first home to road trips galore with family and friends. we also had a total of seven weddings this summer, five of them out of town, i was a bridesmaid in three and two weddings husband was a groomsmen {make sense?}. i kidded myself to think i would have the time to write on each and every event that occurred this summer. 

but this trip was extra special. my parents rented the cabin we used to visit every summer in my childhood. the first two days was just my dad, mom, sister and me. the first time in years that the four of us vacationed or were even together in one place just the four of us. i felt like a little kid again, goofing off with my sister and helping my parents prepare dinner. it truly felt like i was back time and it was perfect in its own way...than that boy of mine came...and the trip remained as perfect as could be. it was such a blessing for the two of us to spend so much real, quality time with my family. four full days of togetherness is unheard of for our family with the conflicting schedules and living on opposite sides of california. beautiful and perfect, just the five of us. alright enough with the chatting, here's the evidence of our little family gathering. 

absolutely breathtaking lake tahoe.

yes we are definitely the family that wears headlamps for evening walks. 

hiking just the four of us, the old collins clan. 

 the stretch that we spent our afternoons at. 

 watching the boy paddle board from my kayak. 

 pardon the water splotches, my water case got a bit wet. 

 sharing a famous chamber's punch. the only reason he posed was because my mom suggested for us to take the  picture...hehe can't say no to the mother.in.law...i'm going to keep this in mind for future uses c;

pose two that mom asked him to take...i could get use to this photo taking compliance. 

i will leave you with this...pretty incredible what our God designs, yes?

summer. instagram. linkup.

alright, lots of firsts for this post. 

ONE. first time posting in over a month TWO. first time linking up with Taingamala THREE. first time using photoshop...hint the collage'ness and playing around with watermarks.

since i've been absent from blog'life and missed the past few link up's...i only thought it was fair i included the past month or so of our summer through instagram {and i became a little obsessed with making collages once i finally figured it out!} so here we go...enjoy c:

decorations for husband's bday | american flag in our hometown | the best traveler ever | new blinds for our bedroom | a birdie hang out 

husband bought me a hook to hang my wreath i made last summer  | mmmhhhmmm i love this bar. toby keith just opened down the highway from us | front yard fireworks | boys taking their time with the finale setup | some mason jar love 

traveling as a little family to stacey's wedding | <3 being a bridesmaid | back home being productive and getting a pedicure while editing husband's resume | spray paint and rubber bands 

aspiring photographer | with my bestest at natalie's rehearsal dinner | wedding makeup outside | bouquets in a sink | pretty dresses | dj husband whoop whoop!

back at home, lynnee helping with my to do list | tanning and priming some of my favorite things | mantel still not finished...but cozy

seattle for jeremy's wedding, sipping on the best espresso ever | pike's place with my love | and the space needle of course

back home to see my roses still surviving | outdoor breakfast with the hubs | lynnee assisting with our dresser to entertainment center transformation

love last minute hosting | oops, i guess that mantel really wanted to make another appearance c; | lynnee refusing to let us work | lynnee not letting me finish my paint job | prettiness | happy three year anniversary, we got a new hose! | mom in town and taught me the family bleu cheese dressing recipe | it's official, we have a pomegranate tree c:

lake tahoe with my fam | mosaics with mom and sis | my favorite sister

 mosaic light switches done and up, husband helped with the one on the right | my dresser revamp is complete!

my happy place, on the lake with husband's fam | finally reading bloom <3

all the hot weather made for some pretty skies | came home from work and spotted my hose hanging thing up...thanks husband c:

you made it though! thanks for stopping by and letting me share some summer memories c:

thank you Taingamala!