buying a house and getting a dog ...

Yesterday marked 3 years of marriage for Mike and I....amazing.
He surprised me with reservations at IndeBlu- a local Indian restaurant I've had my eye on for months.

A bottle of Pinot, live jazz music and amazing vegan friendly meals made for a perfect, wonderful celebration. Over dinner I asked Mike what the high point of this past year had been and without hesitation he said, "buying the house and getting a dog."  It has been a wild year with lots of ups and lots of downs but we accomplished two goals that we've had for as long as we've known each other- we have a place to call home and a dog to love. These things among so many others make us extremely blessed.

On my way home from work I stopped at Goodwill hoping to find a cheesy little gift but instead found the exact frame I had dreamed up (here) for the artwork in the kitchen.

It looked old but the tag on back from HomeGoods said otherwise. It is a bit worn but has the funky character I was looking for.

Instead of the HomeGoods $40 price tag I spent $15 and passed it off as an anniversary gift.
After removing a ton of staples I replaced the print and now I have this beauty...

It is going to be hung on the wall between the kitchen and the dining room- the deep red flowers match perfectly with the Saffron walls in the dining room and help connect the two rooms. I might paint the frame- but I'm not sure yet...the gold might just be perfect.

A little decorating, an amazing dinner and another year together=fabulous.