it's almost here!

december is a mere 3 hours away here in minnesota. i couldn't be more exciting. this december is truly promising to be one of the most magical ones i've experienced in a long time. there are so many things to look forward to, and i find myself counting down to numerous things on a daily basis. so since i didn't have anything interesting to talk about (other than the fact that i had to video tape myself teaching yesterday and today. i asked my cooperating teacher if that's what i really sound like. he said yes. i apologized to my afternoon classes for having to hear it everyday, but enough about that), i decided to make a list of some of the countdowns i think about everyday. <3

  9 days until the christmas production at luke's church.
14 days until my last day of student teaching. (bittersweet feeling)
15 days until i my family gets to minnesota. (o.m.g. yay!)
16 days until my megan gets back from student teaching in texas. (i hope she has a southern drawl...hehe)
18 days until i graduate from college. (holy cow college went fast...now i'm an adult?)
21 days until we fly out to colorado for christmas.
24 days until christmas eve.
25 days until christmas (and picking luke up at the airport! yay!)
31 days until new year's eve.

could a month be any more magical?

what are you looking forward to this month?


xox, eden

photo via tumblr (original source unkown)

P.S. STILL HAVE TWO DAYS TO ENTER MY SHABBY APPLE DRESS GIVEAWAY!

a perfect evening.

this is what is currently directly in front of me.
luke just got done making me the most delicious chicken for dinner.
he's so wonderful.
i don't even mind the fact that he's sitting much too close to the television,
or that he convinced me to give him his christmas present so early (skyrim/the game he's playing).
i don't mind that he's a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy,
or that he'd rather wear dirty tennis shoes than dress shoes.
i love that he's smart and i admire how hard he works at everything,
and i love that he puts up with my quirks. (sometimes i think he even likes them)
i think back to when we first started dating, four years ago,
i would have never said some of the things that i now say.
i would have never been caught dead without my make up on.
i'd shave my legs on a daily basis, rather then now which has become a monthly weekly basis.
i love how he talks to himself when he's playing his video games.
i love how he gets slightly embarrassed when i point it out.
i think it's cute that when he's playing games he asks me to come sit by him.

i'm not quite sure where i'd be without him in my life,
and frankly i don't really want to know.

i'm perfectly content with sitting on the couch blogging while watching him get excited about his new video game.

this is us. this is real, and i wouldn't change it for the world.

i love you, luke william.

xox, eden

christmas wishlist.

does anyone else agree with me on the fact that long weekends are never long enough? we had such a great weekend with family and friends, experimenting with hosting thanksgiving, and eating far too much unhealthy food. time to head to the gym...gotta make sure i fit in my wedding dress. haha.

anywho! my mother has been harassing me (in the nicest way possible) for a christmas list, so it forced me to come up with a list of ideas. i actually struggled writing a list because for once there wasn't one thing that i was just dying to have. for example, last year it was a smart phone. so i came up with a few things that i'd like. here are my top four choices.

1. THEIT Bossi Bag. i am 100% head over heels in love with this camera bag. it's fashion forward, and can easily be used as a purse as well. my second choice is by JoTotes, who also makes fabulous and stylish camera bags.

2. a blazer. they are classic & versatile, and can be dressed up or down. i found this fabulous one at forever 21. (can't go wrong there!)

3. black riding boots. i've been on the hunt for black riding boots for what seems like years (and pretty much has been!) loving these ones from LuLu's. they'll work great for teaching in the winter months, but can pretty much be put with any outfit possible. plus they're vegan leather, which is always a plus.

4. last but not least, tights. i want an abundance of tights. pink tights. red tights. yellow tights. black tights. green tights. white tights. etc. :)

what do you have on your christmas wishlists?

xox, eden

p.s. don't forget to enter to win my giveaway! one lucky winner will win a dress from shabby apple!

giveaway: Shabby Apple dress! CLOSED

shabby apple is an amazing online boutique that sells women's vintage-inspired dresses, skirts, tops, & accessories!
shabby apple is giving away the waimea dress from their south pacific line. (an $86.00 value!)
it would be perfect for the upcoming vacation/cruise season,
or layered with tights and a sweater for the holidays!
you could even give it as a gift!
i will be very envious of whoever wins this adorable little number.

requirements for entry: (U.S. residents only. sorry!)
1. follow minnesota girl on GFC (on the left sidebar)
2. "like" shabby apple on facebook

*leave one comment with your name and a way to contact you, along with stating that you follow minnesota girl, and "like" shabby apple.

for extra entries:
1. follow minnesota girl on bloglovin'.
2. blog about this giveaway!
3. tweet about this giveaway!

*post each of your extra entries in separate comments with links to post/tweet.

must enter by friday, december 2nd. winner will be announced on december 3rd.
good luck!!

xox, eden

AND THE WINNER IS...

congrats leigh! i'll be in contact with you soon! <3

i successfully hosted my first thanksgiving.

i learned that the greatest thing about hosting thanksgiving is that you can always change into a dress that allows you to cram more pie into your mouth if your first outfit choice doesn't. i also learned that i will never again roast a turkey. that is eternally luke's job. thanksgiving was way easier as a vegetarian, that is for sure.

we had such a great evening hanging out with our friends, and it was so great to see the howells! we've missed them so much! everyone brought delicious foods and drinks. we had wine and played games. i am so blessed to have so many amazing friends in my life.

today is going to be very low key for me. i'll clean up from dinner last night, and hopefully get a few lessons planned for this upcoming week. less than three weeks left!

hope your thanksgiving weekend is going fabulous!

xox, eden

i love thanksgiving.

luke and i had such a great day with his family. we were able to see his sister, who has been in north dakota for college again, and we ate ate ate! we had grilled turkey (yes! they make it on the grill and it is oh so good), stuffing, cranberries, luke's aunt's delicious salad that i look forward to every year, rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, and two very delicious pies. :)

let's hope that my tummy digests everything for tomorrow's eating fiasco.
luke and i invited 12 or so friends over for a holiday dinner.
i'm cooking my first turkey.
i'm scared,
and intimidated.
mostly by the giblets and neck that i'm supposedly going to pull out.
eww.

i hope all of you had an amazing day to sit back and be thankful for all of the beautiful things in this life.

xox, eden

thanksgiving.

i am so thankful for so many things. here are just a few.

my families for always being there. (missing my CO one right now)

luke for making me feel like i can be and do anything.

food for filling my belling.

our home for keeping us safe and warm.

this blog for helping me meet so many fabulous people.

the macy's thanksgiving day parade for bring back so many childhood memories.

my students for making my heart so warm and full, and making all my hard work feel worth it.

our troops for keeping us safe everyday.

that hot pot of coffee in the kitchen.

i hope you and your family have an amazing thanksgiving. eat a ton! i know i'm going to!

xox, eden

photo via rifle paper co.

one year ago today...

(this is an old picture of us, but i still love it. it makes me smile.)
luke asked me to spend the rest of my life with him.
he made me the happiest girl alive.
i love you, luke william.
i cannot believe that i found you, and that you are the one that i'm going to share all of my memories with.
i couldn't ask for anything better.
june 2nd, 2012 will be an amazing day.

xox, eden

no freakin' way!

are you kidding me?
this is the cutest stinkin' idea ever.
i showed luke. he said, "no way."
i say, "absofreakinlutely!"
we are so getting these, and we will wear them.
even if luke says we'll look like idiots.

i say let people stare.
they're gonna be mad crazy jealous of our smittens.

xox, eden

photo via smittens.

10 cheap and fun holiday date ideas!

1// bundle up and go for a walk in the snow, and then snuggle up on the couch with hot cider together.
2// bake holiday goodies together.
3// go to a local bookstore, and surprise each other with a new book. the fun part is picking a book for each other. it kind of shows how well you know one another.
4// invite another couple (or just other friends) over for adult hot cocoa.
5// play a board game. our personal favorite is bananagrams. thanks to the howell's for introducing us to this date night idea! (and for mailing us our very own bananagrams!)
6// have crepe night! it's such an easy recipe, and you can really mix things up with toppings. my favorite is nutella and bananas (big surprise there). luke's favorite is nutella in lesser amounts. he think i'm a little crazy. i'll pretend he thinks it's cute.
7// curl up on the couch, and read together. sometimes just being near each other is the best part. you could even read the books you got for each other. (see #3)
8// volunteer together. luke and i haven't done this recently, but it's something that i've definitely been looking into. local food drives, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters can always use the extra help. plus, it's a perfect way to remember the true christmas spirit.
9// hop in the car once the sun goes down (which these days is at 5 o'clock!) and drive around to look at the holiday lights! bring a thermos of your choice of hot drink OR even better egg nog (sans rum of course).
10// go sledding, have a snowball fight, or build a snowman. the two of you can reminisce about sledding as kids, while making new memories. yep...i'm a sap. :)

what are some of your favorite holiday/winter date night ideas?

xox, eden

photo via tumblr.

luke won't stop making fun of me for being so excited about our first snowfall!

today we received our first dumping of snow! i am so stinkin' excited. i've been whining and complaining for over a week about how i'm all in the christmas spirit, but we haven't got any snow. well, we finally do! i'm so happy! luke, despite being less than excited, went on a walk with me this evening to take in all of our new white, fluffy snow!

well, i'm off to see breaking dawn with my girlies. <3

hope you had a great saturday like ours!

xox, eden

some of my favorite blogs as of lately...

1// virginie's cinema has been one of my favorites for a while now. she's so sweet, and adorable to boot! her style is fabulous, and her blog is always a fun read! i'm especially loving her recent post on must-have boots! so appropriate for a minnesota girl like myself!

2// i've been reading cakies for only about a week now, but i can't stop. rubyellen's family is one of the cutest by far, and her recent post of her daughter's first official school photo is hilarious. definitly a funny read!

3// the girl never gets older is another blog i've been following for a while. if i had the time/wasn't as lazy as i am, i would get all dolled up like her every day. she wears the most amazing vintage/rockabilly/pin-up inspired outfits. a true modern-day pin-up girl!

4// last, but certainly not least, selective potential. i find so much inspiration from tieka's style because she too lives in the northernmost part of the country (michigan). her fall and winter outfits are to die for, and i love reading about her adventures in michigan. makes me want to adventure in my own state more often :)

be sure to check them all out!

what have been some of your favorite blog reads as of lately?

xox, eden

christmas cheer.

as previously stated, christmas cheer came very early for luke and i. i created a list of some of my favorite holidays songs that i've had on repeat! (the ones available on project playlist of course)

what are some of your favorite holiday albums/songs/artists? 

xox, eden

p.s. we're supposed to get our first "big" snowfall tomorrow, and i'm SO excited!

oh, november.

this month has just been flying by! i cannot believe that thanksgiving is already next week. i'm looking forward to so many things, and i just feel so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life. who knew that such a terrible few weeks can leave you with such a happy outlook on life and the future. i am a mere 33 days away from college graduation (not that anyone is counting), and the holidays are so near!

as i wrote in a previous post, i may have already put up our christmas tree, started listening to christmas music, and hung a few sparkly snowflakes around the apartment. holiday cheer is coming super early this year for us, and i love it!

here are a few things i'm looking forward to in the next month♥:

1// seeing all of luke's family next week on thanksgiving, including my future sister-in-laws who've been away at college. miss you girls!
2// eating a ton of delicious holiday food. i'm thinking of making dessert to bring to dinner. any suggestions?
3// when the local radio stations switch to christmas music.
4// my family coming to minnesota for my college graduation on december 18th.
5// going back to colorado with my family for christmas, and continuing many of our newer christmas traditions!
6// baking holiday goodies with my mom and sister.
7// playing video games with my dad. :)
8// and probably my favorite, on christmas evening i'll be driving to the airport to pick up luke, who is also coming out to colorado for a week. we've never been together on christmas day before, so we're really excited! thanks mom and dad for buying our plane tickets! love you!


xox, eden

photo from bede design.

so cruel.

for them to release such an incredible trailer, and have the movie release date still be 6 months away.

xox, eden

p.s. i think i finally found a design/layout that i like for my blog!

oops.

so maybe i've been listening to christmas tunes all weekend.

and maybe i accidentally took our christmas tree out of its box...

...and fluffed it

...and put lights on it

...and ornaments

and maybe i've already finished 2 quarts of egg nog since it's been in grocery stores.

and so what if after we put up the tree i popped in elf.

maybe i'm watching it right now as i write this.

so what?

i love the holidays.

and i'm gonna pretend the holidays have begun even if no one else is.

[though i hope i'm not the only one!]

here's to only 5 more weeks until graduation, and to a fresh week!

xox, eden

little letters.

dear boxed up christmas tree,
please stop tempting me. i know you wanna come out, but i am forcing myself to wait until thanksgiving.
i promise i'll make you EXTRA pretty when you get put up to make up for it.

dear luke,
thanks for the christmas tree and extra strands of lights.
you are the greatest, but you already knew that. ;)

dear minnesota,
your nickname is minneSNOWta. please live up to that nickname soon.

dear kitchen,
after spending hours cleaning you today, i would really like for you to try to stay clean.

dear hallmark,
your christmas movie marathons are really not helping me avoid christmas tree temptation.
i'll enjoy you anyways.

love, eden

this commercial made me cry.

reminds me of grandpa.

miss you gramps.
i'm sure they have '57 bel airs in heaven.

xox

scenes from the weekend.

1. luke's delicious sandwich concoction. 2. yeah...i broke out the christmas sweaters. 3. vader :) 4. lesson planning with a few blogging breaks in between.

luke and i had a very relaxing weekend back at his parent's house (we've been doing that a lot lately). it's always nice when we can sit back and just hang out for a few days, especially with loved ones! we honestly did a whole lot of nothing! (ok, i think luke accomplished a lot of homework...so maybe just i did nothing) this morning we went to church with luke's parents and met with one of the pastors that we have been considering to ask to officiate our wedding. we're really hoping everything works out, and he'll be able to! we're so excited! it feels like we've finally accomplished something else as far as wedding preparation. this week will be a busy one for me, as i'm in my second week of teaching full-time at school. this week i have a project planned so it will be a lot of guided research for the students. hopefully they have fun with it, and let's hope that this week there are a few less tears than in previous weeks due to stress.

here's to a fresh week!

xox eden

feeling much better today.

i'm feeling a whole lot better today.

thank you so much for the sweet comments yesterday.

it was certainly not one of my best.

after many vent sessions today with my fellow teacher candidates, i am feeling much better.

rest assured, my stresses and anger have nothing to do with my aspirations of being a teacher.

let's just say it has more to do with my surroundings and context in which i am teaching.

i'm going to try to remain positive, do my best to teach my kiddos, and get through the next 6-weeks.

i cannot believe i'm a mere 6ish weeks from being a college graduate. wowza.

now, back to lesson planning. :)

xox, eden

today was a bawl your eyes out kind of day.

i have been so down lately. student teaching is far more stressful then ever imaginable. in order to protect myself and the school in which i'm teaching at, i won't go into much detail. to sum things up i feel:

unorganized

unappreciated

disrespected

professionally unsupported

angry

unhappy

and i have a headache from crying all afternoon.

i'm going to bed early.

xox, eden

ps. luke, i know you don't read my blog often, but i want you to know that i love you so much and i'm so lucky to have you in my life. thank you for holding me while i cried all afternoon. you're hugs are the best hugs.

oh, peeta mellark!

I. CAN'T. BREATHE.

i'm too excited!

peeta, if you were real, i would make you mine. seriously.

i love you.

call me.

see more posters here.

p.s. to all of you gale lovers out there...*sticks out tongue*

just kidding, let's be friends.

***i should add that i've only read the first book...so no spoilers, please!!