happy anniversary, babe

Happy Anniversary, Hawk.

Two years ago, we hitched ourselves to something pretty great. Unique. Far from mediocre, mundane, merose.

The walk thus far has had it's great challenges, but we knew that going in...

Marriage calls each spouse

to fight against himself for the sake of his beloved.

~alice von hildebrand

You take care of me. You carry me past my own faults. You make me a great wife and mother. And I like how your eyes match your blue ties.

Thank you for making me take life less seriously the past 2 years of marriage. Thank you for providing for us. Thank you for wanting our family to grow, and to grow quickly. Thank you for making a home, making a marriage, and making it all even better than I envisioned it could be.

I respect and admire you above all others.

yours, 

cheeks

all photos courtesy of frontroom photography, taken by erin calfe weide

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light reflection

I confess, I've dreaded blogging as of late. 


My faithful readers, thank you for enduring it, as I'm sure you've noticed a lack of consistent blogging this past month. I am not entirely sure why, but I believe it has a little to do with trying to become what the blogging world already embraces instead of simply going with instinct, inclination, and reflection. We (yes, we, though Hawk doesn't directly write) started thishawksnest because Hawk and I found that working through new home ownership in our first year of marriage opened doors for greater marital development than might have otherwise occurred. We called these connections: {devote}. 


Quite some time has passed since we added a {devote} portion to a post. So tonight, we're returning to a more authentic hawks' nest...


{devote} : a dress & a dance
Yesterday, we went to a wedding--the first of nine this summer--in Cottage Grove, Badger Farms. Doesn't that sound inviting? College friends of Hawk whom I am an acquaintance. Lovely people and lovely guests, some of whom were married only last year (11 weddings in that one!).


Overall, the wedding was delightful. Yellows, whites and beiges within a new/old barn. We sat on a third floor landing, looking down. The bride and groom were so entranced and giddy, yet sophisticated and composed. Hawk held my hand or put his arm around me at every opportunity. We are one of those happy couples who have very detailed memories of our wedding ceremony, and it seems that we relive them at every wedding we attend.


a dress : And with my birthday money from Mom & Dad Shedd (thank you!), I purchased the dress from Francesca's Collections, and I kept it visually hidden from Hawk until yesterday's wedding. I'm afraid these photos will have to suffice, as we forgot our cameras yesterday. 

The bottom portion is made of a faux jean material, soft, thin and lightweight, with a shimmer. The upper third adds just the right touch of embellishment. Sleek, yet ultra feminine.

It may not look like much, but it packs a punch when you fill it out. I felt marvelous. For the first time EVER, I was the girl receiving random stares and compliments about the dress. Not one compliment, but a dozen. This sort of thing never happens to me! 


the dance : Nonetheless, it was just one of those days where I felt out of place, tired, and a little unwell. Everyone else knew each other from college and church and while they were very welcoming, I didn't quite have a place. 


An hour into dancing, I crept up to the third floor for a break. Just to sit and be for a moment. I noticed Hawk searching for me, so I went down to explain that I was fine but that I preferred to take a rest. I insisted that he return to the dance floor, but after a verbal tennis match, "Jen, I'd rather sit with you than dance with anyone else," we crashed upstairs once again.


After I'd finished a soda (I was the DD for the evening), he suggested we have our own dance party. No one else was up there, after all. 


I hesitated the briefest of moments before tossing down my Shirley Temple and letting him pull me to my feet.


The light show reflected all through the third floor loft, and we had just enough room to kick up our heels. In no time, I was laughing, swinging around him, being dipped, going low during "Shout!" and giggling like a silly schoolgirl. It was rather awkward when an older couple came up the stairs and we were crouched on the ground waiting for Shout to swell, but even then, we kept the party going through three songs. Even they were laughing.


After that, our good friend, Kurt, grabbed a chair for the infamous chair dance, established as a wedding tradition at ours last May (photo below), so of course we had to run down and join him.

And for the rest of the evening, I was on cloud nine. No, higher. Much higher.


What selflessness, to hide away and sit when he could be dancing with long-time friends. What humility, to cut the rug without a care in the world. What husbandness, to think of my happiness and my presence as the greater gift.


We're nearing our year anniversary. Two weeks from now. We've planned a getaway (we're not telling where), and after last night, I feel like I'm going on a honeymoon all over again.




So thank you for bearing with the absences. We plan to keep Housewalking, HouseNotMine, and our home updates, but we'll be doing so only in so far as they contribute to the {devote}, even if we do not mention it specifically each time. 


yours sincerely,
~j & hawk

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and we're back!

The wedding photos are back, so take a peak and let us know what you think!

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wedding photos

The wedding photos are finally up! Click on the "wedding" tab above. They're unedited (Jen's waiting for the Totally Rad Actions Photoshop pack for her birthday), but they're fun! We've received enough email requests about the wedding, so we created a page dedicated to it. Thank you for showing so much interest! We hope you enjoy the photographer's work even if you don't know the details behind each shot. We hope to add such details in the next few days.


icj,
~j & Hawk

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the one that got away

Yesterday we began sorting through our wedding photos, and we received an email from our photographers regarding an image they've used in their Fine Art collection. This means it has been on public display in a few places, and on temporary display at Broadway Paper Co. We received the image in our digital collection, but it was in black and white. FR was kind enough to send along the colored version. Hawk isn't crazy about it (he says nothing's really happening), but I think it's fun. Our photographer, Calfa, caught me in the middle of a yawn.

I love how Hawk's tie stands out, that you can see the full dress, the color of the chairs, and how young and handsome the groom is at this moment. It's a little embarrassing that with Hawk sitting and me standing I'm still only a head above him. Ugh.

[post-Post addition]: The photographer is Calfa of FrontRoomPhotography.

Happy Thursday!

Tomorrow, etsy friday!

icj,

~j

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if we could....

...get married again, that is, I would go for this look:

I don't know where I found this photo: please don' sue me!

Minus the man-scarf...

icj,

~j

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wedding weekend

We're on our last wedding of the season for two of our favorite people! I'll be away from posting until Sunday night. Enjoy your weekend!

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wedding shower favors

I am teased rather often for owning a blog about homemaking, house-making, etc. There are many reasons I do so, most of them rational. I like to be crafty, though unfortunately not in the clever sense--rather, just the I-definitely-think-I-can-pull-that-off-sense.


Here's a brief step-by-step instruction toward making your very own, maybe-they'll-last-a-year wine-glass this-one-is-mine thingie:


Step one:
Purchase 1 $0.29 12x12" felt square for every color you want to use. Total cost here, under $10 for 18. (I could do the math, but I refuse. I'm on vacation, and I study theology. No point in thinking when I don't have to).

Step two:

Open bottle of good red wine. Fill glasses. Sit and compete with friends over whose family is more like those in that film, Four Christmases. Fill glasses again. Oh yes, and cut fabric into 1"x3.5" rectangles.

Step three:

Fill glasses. Cut white yarn that is clearly the wrong style. Very fuzzy. It is best if the yarn becomes tangled and shreds and becomes the catalyst for expletives. Definitely the best.

Step four:

Open the bone-like ivory beads you purchased at JoAnn Fabrics for $3.99 @ 50% off. Drop into small dish. Watch them scatter across the table making a plink-plink-plink that perfectly compliments the expletives that follow. Gather back up. Stare at them in the dish, daring them to escape. Fill glasses.

Step five:

Cut a whole at the base of one end of each rectangle. Do this first by trying to shave a hole with a dull razorblade. Then, realize that this is inefficient and looks ridiculous, after all--you're not really a surgeon or a crafter. Watch as friend on her third glass of wine folds the end and cuts a perfect inside cut. Glare at beads.

Step six:

Take the best yarn ever and try multiple ways to make it look cool around each rectangle. Fail at this at least twice. Then go for simple route. Forget to take picture of simple route and find yourself stuck with only photo of first-and-not-coolest attempt at yarn decoration.

Step seven:

Thread bone-like jumping beads through yarn, tie behind one side. Push through the easy hole your friend has made after three glasses of wine, and style on formica-top table.

Step eight:

Fill glasses and toast the prophecy that EK's fiance, southern-man-Eric, will see wine-mine-things and call them, "precious."

Merry last-days-of-Advent!

icj,

~j

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possibly the best wedding of 2009

The Katie&Miles 12.12.09 wedding was possibly no, definitely, my favorite wedding of the year. By far the best Protestant church I've ever seen (these photos really don't do justice, and I've an aversion to snapping photos during vows). The music was sincere and professional, the congregation truly sang it, and the bride and groom sought ceremony over entertainment.

The reception took place at our beloved Lakefront Brewery. Beloved in that it offers a variety of locally-brewed beers and showcases--quote unquote--"the best damn tour in the world...forget Miller!" Katie chose to go with the season and keep decor understated and classic:

The cupcakes were topped with cheesecake frosting (we think):

We shyly snapped one photo of Hawk, Adam Sandler, and this cutie named Sarah (isn't everyone cute named Sarah?). 

Note: Not really Adam Sandler. Just a really good friend who looks and speaks like the real thing, unintentionally.

Then, one of my favorite photos of the evening. Not sure if it's Pauls suspenders, the glow, or the fact that three of these four men are rather special to me, but it pleases me greatly:

There was a prop box for photos, and the graduation hat became the "your turn to dance crazy hat," passing from guest to guest. Here it is on Bruce, with Aaron "cuttin' a rug."

This girl danced in style (the personal attendant--we thought she was fantastic):

Seriously, we closed the dance floor that evening! I'm getting old, and frankly, I've been getting bored with the whole wedding dancing thingie, but this time, I took this photo at 11:30pm!!! and the place was packed! I'd jump off for a sip of something tasty and rush back, even with hurting feet, tired quads, and a buzzing in my ear:

thishawksnest has long since realized we're not the most photogenic couple. So rather than post what we wish we looked like:

   

I thought honesty would be more joyful:

And honestly, THIS is what I was going for with my wedding dress (I'm happy with what I chose, but...). I can't get enough of Katie's gown! Classic, crisp, relaxed, sophisticated---and dance-worthy:

Last but not least, I must leave you with this guy. He was in the wedding party, and he had me cracking up constantly. I gave him the tambourine an hour before this photo was taken, and he just kept going with it:

Thank you Katie & Miles!


icj,
~j

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