'vintage' is not the same as 'twee'

the internet, much like william shakespeare, has a remarkable way of transforming the english language.  take the adjective 'pretentious.'  until recently, the word was used to describe excessively unjustified statements, but after enough angry internetters (pretentiously) misused the term to mean "rude in a smart-sounding way," the online dictionaries have added a second definition to mean something along the lines of "showy and ostentatious."

nowadays, etsy, pinterest, bhldn, and modcloth have taken the internet by storm to gradually change the word "vintage."  now, i am far from a thrifting queen.  i no longer scour the hip second-hand stores for chic vintage finds the way some other amazing bloggers do.  but i've noticed over time, and when searching for a "something old" to wear at my wedding, the term "vintage" no longer means, well, "vintage."  nowadays it seems to exist as a synonym for "stylish, sentimental somewhat distressed, rustic, anthropologie-approved cute."  once upon a time, it was oxymoronic to say "make this DIY vintage brooch."  nowadays it is simply an extra word to reassure you your lacy burlap something or other is adequately precious.

alas, this post isn't so much a critique as an observation.  it's not really that hard to change my search keywords from 'vintage' to 'antique.'  still, much like one's inner child, i possess an inner senior citizen who sighs in vague disappointment when i see that we're even co-opting everyday language to better suit our throwaway culture.  want a vintage band tee shirt?  don't worry, we've got forever 21 sweat shops who can make you one for $15.80.  now get your adorable, brand new vintage chelsea crew oxfords off my lawn.

brb

steve circa 1993

i'm busy, but i still love y'all.  xoxoxo.  be back soon!!

happy new year (OMG we're getting married in 2014)

i promise i will be back with a better post soon.  historically i have always really liked taking advantage of the new year to reflect, regroup, and reassess and i know this year will be no exception.  in the meantime, here's a bit of fun from one of my stocking stuffers: the fortune telling book for brides.

according to this knower-of-all, here's a little bit of what is in store for steve and i based on details of our proposal and our wedding plans:

if your proposal was on bended knee:  "if your husband to be got down on one knee and proposed, it is likely that you will be parents tot three or more children."

if you got engaged by trees:  "trees are symbols of life and the soul.  becoming engaged under a tree symbolizes that you and your future husband will shelter each other all your lives, and serve as a grounding influence for each other."

if your wedding is between september 1-15:  "you will be blessed with many opportunities throughout your life.  don't hesitate: reach out to them as they are offered to you.  chances you pass up may not come again."

aries / sagittarius:  "this high-octane pairing will be full of laughter and adventure."

orchids as your wedding flower:  "you and your husband will always be passionate about each other, and you will live in great luxury."

well fortune-tellers... there's a look into steve's and my future ;)  see you all in 2014!

word count: 36,443

happy birthday stevedore!!

happy birthday to:

my personal comedian

my co-cat wrangler

my bff

and my very favorite human in the entire universe

steve is officially 22 today (does it feel like the perfect night to dress up like a hipster bebay?)

happy happy happy birthday to my handsome, hairy younger man!  the world has been infinitely better the past 22 years since you've been busy livin' in it!!

[insert excessive/obsessive proclamations of love here]

word count: 34,149

the weekend when we dressed up the cat and i forgot to take pictures of my sister

yes, as predicted we've hit the time of year when my independent productivity goes out the window.  maybe it's the time change, maybe it's steve and i's complete cabin fever with this weather.  maybe it's the limited computer access we have away from our jobs, maybe it's this wedding planning thing.  maybe it's the fact that work has woken up a little and i finally have deadlines again.

actually it is.  it's all those things.  and those things are all legitimate, valid, and real, which means i'm not feeling guilty that my blog is quiet, my draft is dusty, and this script i'm writing is still unfinished.  the script is easy, the draft is like my child, and here i am breathing a little life back into the blog.  we're still good.  we'll still get there.

ANYWAY HERE'S A SEGUE NOW.

last weekend steve and i were hosting my sister, who was in town from san diego, visiting friends and making wedding plans (for her wedding, not ours).  we had a fantastic time, failing to document any of it (well, unless you count an awkward selfie i took with a halloween decoration at the bar).  when we weren't hosting sarah we were hosting friends, and, retrospectively, we had an alarmingly and uncommonly social weekend.  one of steve's groomsmen from the other side of the state was in town, as was a good friend of ours who was back on a visit from law school.

we suffered to watch a sporting event that ought ne'er be spoken of again.  fortunately, as obnoxious as it sounds, when people weren't turning up at our door with champagne, we were racing to brunch, making dip, and staying up late.  it's taken a few days to get ourselves and our kitchen put back together (and we've been going to bed so early you'd think we remember world war two), but as we head toward the second half of this week, we might just have a few consecutive hours to get back in a groove before we face our next couple days off.

and, as the title and image suggest, we put clothes on bert this weekend.  apparently he is a success-vacuuming cheerleader, but he's almost cute enough to help us forget our shame.

word count: 33,365

cool alert: david parise's vintage barbie and ken photography

now that steve and i are officially going to be moving in together, it is difficult for me to describe the immensity of my decorating urges.  for now i have been able to resist buying every jamie young lamp and caitlin wilson throw pillow, but once we actually get used to the space all bets are off.

a few of my more loyal readers might remember when i walked you through my little baby collection of fine art.  well yesterday i found an artist whose work i cannot wait to add to my collection.  david parise is a photographer whose vintage barbie and ken prints are adorably humorous and wonderfully creative.

i think i'll have the willpower to wait until we actually move (we will definitely have less wall space than my current place, which means i may not have the room for additional wall art) but if we have the room for barbie and ken i am going to have some tough decision making to do. look at how many amazing shots he has:

check out david parise's portfolio and shop here!

have a lovely hump day!

peoneasy peasy

peonies are apparently the trendiest flower ever, but ann arbor was hipster enough to plant a huge peony garden in the arb back in the roaring 20's.  apparently historic peonies were donated by the same guy who founded the company my dad has worked for since the 1980's so clearly me, doc upjohn, and these peonies are tight.  

(all fun facts i just learned doing research on the garden for this blog post.  see how educated you guys make me?  also... by research i mean clicking this link.)

you guys cannot imagine the willpower it takes not to pick these things.

it may have been extremely hot out

also, since we are trying to break out of our collegiate routine, we poked around the corners of the arb that back up to the beautiful neighborhoods in the area.  we decided to gawk at houses and imagine my total and utter glee when we stumbled upon hogwarts.  seriously, someone won the ultimate parenting award amiright?

and just for good measure here's some kitty pics in case you've been needing a bert fix.  i usually require one every few hours.

meow.

everything about this video is lovely

belle & sebastian is just always so good.

this video makes me smile and want to go to disneyworld.

for a less techno-y slightly better version listen here.

have a good evening!

and hey what do you think of the new look?  

i'll probably be tweaking it more tomorrow once i have easier access to photoshop.

that thought bubble looks bojank.

in case you didn't know

steve and i have matching tee-shirts.

i had them made for us a while back for our three year anniversary.  they say: steve & becky est. 2009.

the other day we both ended up wearing them without planning it.

needless to say, it was awesome.

i love dis guy.

happy valentine's day !!

so today was officially the best valentine's day i've ever had.

but don't read too far into that, valentine's day isn't a big deal.

i was totally shocked at work when a delivery man stopped by with a lovely bouquet of red and white flowers for me from steve.  it absolutely made my whole day and i kept catching myself with a big grin on my face.

then we got dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and chowed hard on curry.  i LOVE indian food.  

i power walked downtown on my lunch break and picked us out some valentine's day cupcakes.  2 red velvet, 2 german chocolate, and 2 girl scout samoa cupcakes.  so we can basically run on simple sugar forever now.

if you recognize any of the photos in the collage i made for steve... you've probably been to charleston, SC!  i found us an incredible deal on a hotel in charleston and decided to give steve a valentine surprise.  we are headed down south for his spring break!

it may not be jamaica but 66 degree whether sure sounds better than what we've had here.

hope everyone had a simply lovely valentine's day. and if you didn't, that's ok there's always next year.  it's just the 14th of february after all.

cat attack

omg i know i'm a huge freak.

but he's just so darn handsome i wanted to give him his own post.

meet bert (he's named after the philosopher bertrand russell).

he makes me smile but i'm pretty sure i need a dog.

i can't do this cat lady thing.