You're better than the best...

...I'm lucky just to linger in your light...

Dear MR.,
I can't thank you enough for being here for me during all of this.
Losing my Granddaddy has been hard on my heart,
but having you around showing me your constant love and devotion
has kept me from falling off the deep end.
I am absolutely the luckiest girl in the world to have found you.
Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for you &
your unexpected appearance in my world.
You have changed my life.

I love you babe,
Lacey

I need to breathe... & a little help.

Today just wasn't my day. I can't seem to finish a thought or task to save my life.
It seems when I get on a roll, I'm needed elsewhere or my brain just hits a wall.
A big brick one.
With a steel frame.

I'm overwhelmed & sad & wondering how to carry on like normal.
I've done this before... how did I do it?

...pssst...
I need help.
My sister and I are in charge of making little memory cards for my Grandfather's service & I'm wondering if any of you know of any places online where I can find fonts/frames/etc. for cheap or free?

Losing a piece of my heart

My sweet Granddaddy passed away Friday night.
My heart is happy knowing he is in heaven with family and friends,
but I'm sad because I want him here with me.
I wanted to be selfish and have him for myself a little longer.
He was one of my first playmates & never gave me reason to do anything but smile.
Not a day will go by that I don't think of him
& remember the words he spoke this night.
My eyes hurt from crying & my heart hurts because i feel like a piece is missing.
Mr. has been more than great & has even managed to make me laugh a bit...
which my funny Granddaddy would have wanted.
But when the laughter fades and I'm left with my sweet memories,
the loss sets in & the pain in my heart becomes more apparent.
My family could use your prayers right now...
so, if you have an extra minute(which I know is hard to come by), please send one up for us.

Flash FORWARD, it's Friday!

This week of flashbacks has been good for me! I needed to be pulled away from blogging in order to be able to... well, blog. Isn't that always the case? You step away from something to take a breather and it's all you can think about! I was able to get a few drafts going and jot down some interesting thoughts that could turn into something at some point, so I consider it a successful break.

Anyway, How are you?
I missed you so!

I thought i'd have a little Factoid Friday over here today to get back in the swing of things :)

Fact:
I'm having a giveaway next week! It's not a sponsor giveaway or anything... it's a Lacey Giveaway! How ya' like them apples? To you, love me. It's sahhweeet too :) I'm thinking I'll do that Wednesday!
pst... it's something from here

& here & here!
Fact:
I have never been so in love & so happy. It's amazing & I feel like the luckiest girl in the world every. single. day!

Fact:
I'm about to start working on my first quilt! Eeep!
To the left is my inspiration quilt & to the right are the fabrics I've chosen!

I threw a little black in mine since my bed frame is black. I'm not making a full size... just a mini to lay at the foot of my bed :)
What do you think?
Fact:
It's Friday! Friday, friday, friday!

If I wore socks in the Summer, I'd wear Friday socks every day :)

Have an amazing weekend!
Love you & all your sweetness!

Marriage

Flashback to: 9/10/09

To Me, Marriage is:

Feeling like you couldn't possibly love him more than in this moment:

and this moment...

and this moment...

and this moment...

and then proving yourself wrong EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

It's not easy and it's not always sweet. It's imperfect & madness. It's learning to take a deep breath and say "I love you", when you really want to scream. It's making promises and keeping them. It's vows recited in front of God. It's dancing in the kitchen & stealing the covers. It's notes on the bathroom mirror. It's a red sock in the white laundry & a mass of pink underwear. It's hands held during prayers. It's a shared shower in the morning & a shared bed at night. It's creating new life. It's laughing so hard you cry and crying so hard you laugh. It's knowing your best friend is always by your side.

It's pure and simple & complex and deep.

It's Love.

It's True.

It's Forever.

That is what I hope my marriage to be.

Scenario:
Writer's Workshop prompt. "What does marriage mean to you?"
I stand by this.

Flashback: Makeup vlog

scenario:
Blog block and 2 random questions about the types of products I use prompted me to make a little chitty chat video.
This was "favorited" ... it is not at all my "favorite" Ick. I cringe between the "Uhmmm, uhm, uhm, uhm's..." and having to watch myself. It's like hearing yourself on the answering machine... but worse.

Why I Did It...

I did it because my heart wasn't in it. I couldn't find the passion that I thought would be there. I stepped in feeling sure of myself and then I changed my mind. It happens. A part of me was missing, and I needed to figure out what that was. I did. I could have easily stayed put and lived a seemingly nice life... but life is nothing without passion. I climbed to the top of a mountain and free fell off... I hit the bottom and you just happened to be there. I may have jumped in too soon after I fell from high above. I felt like I was living a lie, so I stepped away. I don't feel brave for doing it, nor do I feel weak. I feel like I did exactly what I was supposed to do, because I feel like I am now exactly where I'm supposed to be. The picture that was painted for me was pretty, but maybe I wasn't meant to be the star of someone else's pretty picture... but my own, interesting picture. Modern art, if you will. I'm thankful that you were a part of my life again, but sad that it had to be in that particular era. You're going to paint someone a beautiful picture.

That's why I did it.

Scenario:
[I had just broken up with my long term boyfriend & started dating someone else almost right away. My heart was broken & I was looking for comfort. He was looking for love & clearly, my heart wasn't in it. I broke things off with him at the end of December 08 & went back to the ex. I felt bad(not regretful) about it for months... until I wrote this post. Whether he ever read it or not, I don't know. It was therapeutic for me.]

Takin' it back...

It's flashback week!
[ It being Monday and all... I thought it fitting that we flashback to a mix tape monday :)]

Scenario:
My first mix tape Monday... still my favorite :)

Flashbacks

[via]

I've been home from the beach for a week & my brain still isn't working right.
Vacation brain blows.
I just can't seem to get a whole post together!
Soooo, in an attempt to wash my brain of the sand and ocean salt,
I am going to do a flashback week next week!
I will be re-posting some of my favorite posts from the past
as well as some of your favorites.
So if there is a post that sticks out in your memory...
speak up!

Mix Tape Monday

Another little love song to add to my mixtape!
Such a cute one :)

I'm an open book

[I'll have my people waiting to take your questions...]

Whatcha wanna know?

Formspring me or leave a comment & when enough questions have been asked...
the answers will come out!

I'm a Brown Eyed Belle as well :)

I forgot to mention that I'm over at Julie's this weekend!
Come visit me there :)

Beachin' it with my Babe

Vacation with The Mr. was perfection.
I got to spend day in and day out with my favorite guy & his sweet family on the beach.
Some photos for your viewing pleasure :)

Blowing up our rafts...Soaking up the sun...Salt water beachy waves

Giggling at Mr. being a dork...The view from our balcony...Gettin' smoochy

Playing on a sandbar...Our piggy prints in the sand...Mr. conquering the waves

Bocce ball for him...Reading for me...Capturing me capturing him

Yesterday was our first full day back at home and back to normal life and it. was. painful.
We missed spending all day together & the sound of the ocean,
but still felt pretty lucky to be next to one another at the end of the day :)

Guess who's back?

It's me, sillies :)

Did you miss me?
I bet not... things were pretty well taken care of while I was away!
Thanks so much to my fabulous guest posters for keeping things looking lovely around here!

We had a fabulous time on vacation!
Tomorrow I will share some more photos and we can play catch up!
xoxo

I Love (Love) Movies

Hi, all you Lacey In Lovers! This is Ali from The Way I See It. I'm just subbing in for our Lace today while she continues to float on cloud 9 with her Mr.

In my opinion, guest posts are tricky. You are so excited to take over someone's blog for a day, but then you're all, um...what the heck do I write about?

Or maybe that's just me.

Regardless.

I was wracking my brain trying to come up with an idea of what to write today, when it hit me: Lacey's blog name doesn't lie; the lady's got a thang for love.

Which is why I found it all too appropriate (not to mention fun!) to present to you my top 5 favorite movies that have to do with -- you guessed it -- love.

Ali's Top 5 List of Love-ly Movies

1) William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
Cliche? Maybe. But putting the story itself aside, Baz Luhrmann's version is so beautifully done and so unique. Not to mention Leo and Claire Danes have amazing chemistry. Hot damn.2) Dirty Dancing
Don't eeeeven get me started on this one. My sister and I were about 5 and 8 (respectively) when we managed to sneak this movie past our parents, resulting in us pleading for dancing shoes just like Baby's. To this day, if this movie's on, you can bet I'll be staying put until Patrick Swayze (literally) sweeps Jennifer Grey off her feet one last time.3) Say Anything
Let's face it: don't we all wish we had a Lloyd Dobler in our lives? He's the ultimate romantic, and that famous boom box scene just kills me every time. This is, in my opinion, one of the best young love movie classics, period. And how is it that John Cusack still looks so good?4) When Harry Met Sally
This film brings up the age old question: can guys and girls really be just friends? While I'm still not sure about the answer to that one, I do know that this movie is so freaking cute/funny/timeless. Meg Ryan + Billy Crystal = perfection.
5) The Bridges of Madison County
No, I do not in any way condone cheating on your significant other. I do, however, 150% approve of the chemistry between this sad woman and the man that brings her back to life when her husband is away. And while movies based off of novels often do not live up to their accompanying literature, I think this one absolutely does.

Do I have more picks? Of course I do, but that would take another 10 or so posts, and I'm afraid my time is up. Thanks for having me, Lacey girl!

Now you tell me: what are your favorite love-ly movies?

[all images from amazon]

A Lust list

Hi all! I'm Helena from A Diary of Lovely. I'm so excited to be guest posting here at Lacey's, she is one of my favorite girls. So while she is out there enjoying some fun days, here I am chit chatting about my June's lust list.

It's a dream/real list, some are attainable wishes some are no no no(s), like the studded flat Louboutin (aren't these so very rock n' roll?) and the strappy Miu Miu sandals. There's also the Alexander Wang Rocco bag and the Philip Lim dress, those are blog pieces (that's what I call them) you know pieces you only dream on your blog? Then there is the WHOLE look I/you/we all love, you know, the one you are like "oh... I WANT it all!" sounds familiar? I guess that's why they pay stylists, to... well to style catalogues and websites.

The desk and the chair are my latest obsessions, I even blogged about it some days ago... 

Then when I get the desk, I will need some art (thats what my little me says on the right/left side of my brain) and these have been on my forever list.

A girl also needs some pretty pin flowers to brighten up a gloomy day and a nice classic pillow right?

And finally on my wish list this month, is a DIY project, I can't stop thinking about this stunning table runner. CANT.STOP.

And that's what I love about wish lists. The "wish" factor :)

WHAT's in your June wish list? Share share share please

Thank you Lacey, it has been a real pleasure to be here today! xoxo

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Let's Talk About Love +

Hello Lovelies,

This is Rasha, from andthisiswhatshesaid, as you have heard Lacey is having the time of her life on vacation right now, so she had some guest posters, and I was a lucky chosen one :)

I wanna talk about love. As you all know our Lacey is smitten with her new man, and if you've ever been around my blog, you would know that I am head over heels in love myself... so I think it sounds like the popular topic between our two blogs!

I've always considered myself a hopeless romantic. When I fall, I fall hard. Someone once told me a long time ago, that "love is what we are put on this earth to do, and you should always do it with two feet in" so I guess that logic stuck with me.

I have been in love exactly two times. The first time I fell in love, was complicated. We were young, we were stupid, but it was perfect. We loved like there was no tomorrow, like the end of the world could stop today, and we wouldn't care as long as we had each other.. I'm sure you've all had simular experiences, and I'm sure your ending was the same as mine. It ended in devastation and heartbreak and for a long time, I thought my world was never going to be the same.

but I was very wrong...

He came into my world before all of what was previous mentioned, started and failed. I was instantly attracted to him. He was funny, intelligent, attractive, he was basically anything anyone could ask for. Everyone in our town had a crush on him. I of course, being the mere freshman and him a junior was not on his radar. We were good friends, and he taught me a lot of important lessons during low times in my life, but that was all that came of it. We keep in touch, but he had his life and I had mine. We each had our first loves. Not long after I graduated HS, we got back in contact, we talked day and night, about anything and everything, and eventually, he asked me on a date. I was completely taken back. This boy that was my high school crush for so long, now wanted a shot.

Of course I agreed, he came and picked me up for the night and we spent it eating delicious BBQ chicken pizza and homemade chocolate strawberries. From that night on, I knew he was it. I'd fallen head over heels in love with this boy, and you know what? He felt the same.

Skip ahead two years later (well two in july), and you have us. We're silly, we're crazy, we're not like other couples but best of all, we're head over heels in love with one another.

Tell me: Are you or have you ever been, hopelessly in love?

(all pictures via weheartit)

Throw Me Somethin' Mista'!

 (via google)

Hello all you Lacey in Lovers! How sweet of you to drop in!! Y'all are in for a serious treat over the next few days with all of Lace's friends taking over for her. As you know, our sweet girl is on vacay and there was no way in the world that we were going to leave her hanging!

Oh, I'm Julie by the way! Around here, though, I'm known as Brown Eyed Belle. Today you know me as Lacey's first guest blogger! I'm certain that I know some of you, as you read my blog as well. However, if we've never met it's so lovely to meet you and I hope you'll decide to be friends?!

(Fleur de lis, a symbol of New Orleans)

So, you may be asking yourself, 'What in the world does that title mean??' Well, if you've ever been to Mardi Gras you know that line. As you know, our dear Lacey is from Nola. So I thought, what better way to kick off this little blog party than to pay tribute to a place that Lacey (and myself) holds so dear??!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(St. Louis Cathedral)

(Charming streetcars)

(Jazz Fest)

(Remember this cute picture of our Lace from Jazz Fest this year??)

(Shopping in the French Market is amazing!)

(Rue Bourbon is quite the experience all its own)

(The best beignets you ever put in your mouth!)

(Pat O'Brien's is quite the landmark in Nola.)

 (Charming little spots like these)

(Beautifully stunning architecture)

(Creepy, yet, fascinating voo doo shops)

(And, of course, Mardi Gras)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed my little tour of Nola. Of course, there is so much more to see than what I've shown you in these pictures! It is one of my favorite cities that I've visited. So much character and charm, I simply fell in love! Have you been to Nola? Are there any places there that you love to visit? Please share!

Thank you again for stopping by! Please come and visit the other ladies next week!

Happy Saturday, lovies!