out & about in tacoma

My friend Arielle is one of my favorite people to go to museums with (my other favorite being my mom), especially art museums. Instead of glancing at a piece for a second and moving on, we might stand in front of it for as long as five minutes and chat about the texture of the brushstrokes, the lighting, the subject, and the intended meaning and story behind it. It makes for a much fuller experience than simply looking at a painting and saying, "I like this painting!" or "I don't like this painting!" and moving on. A lot of times, though, thoughts like that are great grounds for conversation on that particular piece, maybe describing why you like it (or don't like it). 

Anyway, I had told Arielle about the free day for the Tacoma museums, and so we decided to go in August (yessss....I took these pictures over a month ago!). We started out at the Washington State History Museum, then walked next door to the old train station turned courthouse to take some pictures of the Chihuly glass pieces inside. At the courthouse, we were just about thrown out by the security guard who was eager to close the place down (it's a long, awkward story!), but not before getting at least a few good shots. Then we spent some time wandering the galleries of the glass museum, which is a fairly small museum, but definitely worth a visit. 

Afterwards, we headed to the art museum, where we probably spent the most time out of all the museums. They had not one, but two Renoirs on display, guys! I love Renoir, and had never had the pleasure of actually seeing any of his work in person. So amazing. 

We wound up the day at the Spaghetti Factory...probably my favorite restaurant ever. It was a fun day...full of adventures (perhaps more than we expected), and laughter, and the best of company.

Have you had any adventures lately?

Grace Unplugged Giveaway

Hey guys! I'm super excited for this giveaway that I get to share with you today! I was excited to hear about this upcoming movie, Grace Unplugged, coming to theaters on October 4th, and even more excited to be offered the opportunity to host this giveaway for a Grace Unplugged prize pack!

About the Movie:
Having just turned 18, Grace Trey aspires to more than just singing at her church where her father, a former pop star, is the worship leader. So, with the help of Mossy, her dad's former manager, Grace records a cover version of her dad's old Top-10 hit, runs off to Los Angeles, and begins to taste the kind of stardom she's always dreamed about.
Yet with each rung of the ladder she climbs, Grace feels more and more pressure to compromise her values, further straining her relationship with her parents. Will everything she experiences lead her to reject her faith… or rediscover it?


Now, on to the giveaway!



The prize pack includes:
• Grace Unplugged Soundtrack CD
- Songs by TobyMac, AJ Michalka, Chris Tomlin and Shawn McDonald.
• Grace Unplugged: A Novel by Melody Carlson.
• Own It: The book Discover Your Faith in God by Michael & Hayley DiMarco.
• Grace Unplugged Exclusive Guitar Pick.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada. The giveaway ends on Wednesday, October 9, and the winner will be contacted soon after.

Have fun!

fit for a princess

//dress: vintage / heels: target / fascinator: ross//

This outfit is actually from way back in the beginning of September, when I attended my aunt's wedding, and when it was also significantly warmer. My sister and I were in charge of the guestbook for the wedding, which was something neither of us had really done before, but it was fun, and it was a wonderful opportunity to people-watch. I had been itching for the perfect occasion to wear this gorgeous vintage dress I picked up at the thrift store about a month or so before. It had needed a lot of work and was overpriced (according to my thrift store standards), so after dreaming about it for over a week, I finally asked if I could get some sort of a discount because of all the work it needed, and I ended up taking it home for a mere $8. When I got the dress home, I realized two things--one, the dress was made for a very tall, incredibly thin girl, and two, it was going to be quite a bit more work than I had anticipated to actually make it wearable. I was able to pair it with my highest heels to make it so the hem barely grazed the floor, but to make it fit at the top, I had to take it out several inches. But finally, I made it work! For the wedding, I added a fascinator to dress it up a bit, and kept it simple by not adding jewelry. 

I hope you all are having a lovely week, and a wonderful start to your October!