My 15 Favorite Spool No.72 Patterned Shorts
Which are your favorites? Let me know in the comments below!
Friday, June 13, 2014
Fashion Friday: Patterned Shorts.
Hey, friends! Happy Friday!! It's a beautiful, albeit hot 103º in Scottsdale right now. Our summer has officially begun, although it's only getting toastier from here. Inspired by our rather warm weather lately, for today's Fashion Friday post, I decided to highlight on an absolute essential this season in the blazing AZ sun: patterned shorts. They are funky, fresh, and the perfect pop of color when paired with a solid, simple tank top or tee. One of my favorite cyber-shopping destinations over the past couple years has come to be Spool No.72. It's a flavorful online boutique that specializes in trendy prints and exciting statement pieces. I urge you to check it out, as their prices are beyond reasonable, and they frequently have great sales on top of that. Woohoo! Here we go:
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Our Love Story: Part I - My Life Before Reid
As I sit down to write out my personal love story, in its entirety, I am immediately taken aback by the amount of joy my heart feels. I am joyful because of Reid and for the person he is, I am joyful because of who we are together- a couple that is young and madly in love with one another, as well as our Savior, but mostly, I am joyful because of God's Hand in it all. He has provided for me, so sweetly, throughout my twenty-one years. So it came as no surprise when He decided to provide me with such a strong, compassionate, humble, hard-working, kind, handsome, caring, intelligent, hilarious, Jesus-loving, tender-hearted man.
Before I begin telling the Story of Us, I want to go way back… back to me as an individual, single girl… because I know that my journey to becoming Mrs. Simpson started many many years before Reid was actually a part of my life. God started preparing my heart to become the wife of Reid Jeffrey Simpson when I was very young. I just didn't know it yet.
I think it all began when I was a little girl, watching my parents and paternal grandparents, both in loving, committed, faithful, and lasting marriages. My dad's parents, 'Nana and Papa' as they were affectionately called by all eight of their grandchildren, were married at twenty years old. They shared an incredible, unexplainable kind of love that I was blessed to witness throughout my childhood and adolescence. For 58 years they were inseparable, best friends, and so deeply in love. It wasn't until Nana's passing in November of 2006, that I had ever really seen them apart. I don't think it was a coincidence that Papa joined her in Heaven not even eight months after her death. They belonged side-by-side… it was clear to all who were fortunate enough to know them.
My wonderful parents, Jason and Penny, have also set an amazing example of all that a selfless, God-honoring marriage should be. Their love for one another is so evident in even the most mundane, day-to-day tasks. When asked for their advice in creating a marriage full of happiness and longevity, their response was simple: "Always put your spouse before yourself, and never make demands of the other person." They were also married at just twenty years old, and will be celebrating their 38 Year Anniversary on October 30th, 2014.
The presence of such healthy and genuinely joyous marriages in my life, began shaping my hopes, expectations, and standards for my future marriage, at a very young age. Every single day, I have seen that my parents not only love each other, but they also really like each other. They find happiness in spending time together and enjoy making memories as a couple- something that I feel has become a rarity over the years for many people, resulting in the comfort of being away from one's spouse for prolonged periods of time, ultimately ending in divorce. Divorce. That terrible "d" word. A thing now common to so many, is something I have been blessed enough never to fear, when it came to the relationships between my parents and grandparents. All along, God has been preparing me to want and to strive for that very same stability and consistency in my future marriage.
Now, to keep it very real, throughout my life I have also been surrounded by many separations and divorces. I am not naive to the fact that they can and do happen. A lot. I have felt the sting of witnessing dwindling love, and have seen both very harmful and very amicable separations. In no way have I ever been sheltered from the potential of divorce, and the wreckage it can leave in its wake. I have just been very blessed that most of the marriages I got to see on a frequent and very personal basis, were not only intact, but thriving.
When I was 13 years old and in the 8th grade, I really began thinking about the important, non-negotiable characteristics of my future husband- number one being his faith. I remember talking with my mom about how clear it was to both her and my dad that they were meant to be, right from the very start of their relationship. She told me that when she entered high school, she began praying that God would someday bring her the one, in His perfect timing. Sure enough, he answered her prayers by bringing my dad into her life just a couple years later. From seventeen on, they were inseparable. When I started high school, I decided to do the same. I began praying every night that God would bring the future love of my life, into my life, completely on His time and agenda. I casually dated a couple people before Reid came along, none of which I was supposed to be with forever. From the moment God opened my eyes and my heart to a future with Reid, everything was completely different than it had ever been with anyone else. The night we first met, my life was beautifully changed… although I didn't get to actually see that until a bit later.
Stay tuned for Part II of Our Love Story: The Night We First Met.
Stay tuned for Part II of Our Love Story: The Night We First Met.
Paul and MaryAnn Moore - my beloved
Nana & Papa
My beautiful cousin, Lindsay, posted this picture on Facebook last night in honor of what would have been Nana's 86th Birthday.
My incredible parents,
Jason and Penny Moore
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Our Wedding Colors.
As the five-month countdown to our big day is drawing near, I have jumped into major planning mode. So far, it has been a completely stress-free and wonderful process. (I'm so thankful we gave ourselves over fourteen months to plan!) While I am waist deep in decisions about cake flavors and floral arrangements, I have really begun to hone in on the beauty that is our wedding colors. We have loved them from the moment we picked them, but the more I feast my eyes on the shades that will be most prominent at our wedding, the more I can't get enough. Below is a great visual reference of what we are going for!
Winter White
Soft Pink
Light Beige
Hints of Mint
Friday, June 06, 2014
Fashion Friday: Floral Sundresses.
Happy Friday, friends! Today I am not only thrilled that the weekend is mere hours away, but I am also very excited to announce a new series I am launching on Thread of Pearls. For the next several months, every Friday on the blog will officially be Fashion Friday!
Now, I'm not claiming to be a fashion expert, by any means. However, I am a bubbly, vibrant, twenty-one-year-old lady with a fun style that reflects my personality perfectly. That's gotta count for something, right? I will be linking the names and prices of each featured item to the website I found them, making your cyber browsing (and shopping!) a breeze. So without further ado, I present to you the very first edition of Fashion Friday. Hooray!
My 12 Favorite Floral ModCloth Summer Sundresses
Did I mention that each of these gorgeous frocks are affordable too? (Bonus!) Have a great weekend!
Thursday, June 05, 2014
New Beginnings.
After an incredibly long, unexpected hiatus from blogging, I am back, and ready to relaunch this exciting adventure. My last post was way back in August of 2012 (oops), and so much life has happened since then, so I'm ready for a new beginning. It is going to take me multiple pages to bring you up-to-date, so I'll take it piece by piece, incorporating new, joyful experiences in my life all the while. Many major milestones have occurred over the past year and nine months that I will begin by highlighting in a huge way.
First of all, Reid and I got engaged!!! I get to marry the love of my life! He popped the question in an amazingly romantic way on Tuesday, September 10th, 2013. Even though we have known marriage was in our future from our very first (incredibly beautiful) date, I was totally taken by surprise and rendered speechless, when he got down on bended knee and asked me to be his wife. I will share every last detail of our engagement story in a future post, along with some of our stunning engagement photos taken by the brilliantly talented Trevor Dayley Photography. (They truly deserve an entire post of their own). Reid and I will be tying the knot in front of our closest friends and family on Thursday, November 20th, 2014. It will be our Five Year Anniversary of dating, on the day we commit the rest of our lives to one another. We couldn't possibly be more excited! All of the glory goes to God.
There are oodles of other updates to share: Reid becoming an Ironman, his University Graduation, and my University Graduation, are just to name a few. For now, I am going to leave you with a teaser of engagement photos that are so dear to me and my love. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have!
Check back soon for all sorts of other lovey dovey photos of me and my soon-to-be hubby!
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