The Story of A Dresser

Once upon a time we had this:

Hideous. And I'm talking about the dresser...pretend the couch isn't also hideous. Gah. I can't even look at this photo any longer. This was taken the week we moved into our house.

Let's fast forward to about 8 months later, when the great transformation occurred:

Getting better. We moved the dresser to a different wall, added a random assortment of frames, and whatever else was on hand.

Then we took it a step further:

Sam took out all the drawers, and built shelves in their place.

With Kona's supervision of course. And that orange chair, it's another project I hope to start soon.

Then I took the sander to the parts that we wanted to paint.

The bits of rock/concrete in the photo below were helping the new shelves adhere to the wood glue that we used. And please excuse the adult beverages ;)

In the end, we picked up two baskets from Marshall's and ended up with this:

Happy Monday!

Recent Adventures - Heffelfinger Style

The past two weekends we have been blessed with some decent weather. (Finally). So Sam and Kona and I took advantage of it and had ourselves some good ol' outdoor adventure time.

First off, we packed up the bikes and headed out towards Sycamore Canyon for some easy dirt road riding. Nothing too technical, just the wind in your face and a little dust in your hair.

Our next adventure involved a little more planning, sustenance, and water :) Sam mapped out a 20 mile backpacking trip for us in the canyon just over from where we had been riding in the photos above. It was my first time relying solely on the items in my pack for an overnighter - I was a little afraid of forgetting something vital...like water or food...kidding. But Sam was very prepared and had lists of items and food packed and ready two nights before we left.

We also packed Kona's backpack so she carried her own water and food - she's such a trooper! This is the pack that we have for her - thanks to a our wedding registery :) she loves it and it's worked really well for us, if you're looking to get one for your pooch.

As you can see, Sam was the photographer on this trip - since there is maybe 3 photos of him total...ooops.

 

Thankfully we made it through the night (no bears..lions, or tigers...whew!) after a hearty meal of Parmesan pasta and sausage. Oh, and some smores...can't camp with out those!

And the next morning we hiked about 2.5 miles to a trailhead for Secret Mountain, then switched to the Loy Trail.

Well I guess you can't really read the sign... but it took 3 takes to get that picture!

And that, my friends, was the last photo taken on this trip. We were suffering from blisters, and it was hot, and lots of thorny things to watch out for, (gosh darn desert!) so the camera stayed put away. But the good news is we made it back to the truck in time for some Dairy Queen, and a quick stop off at Oak Creek in Sedona to swim and play some fetch. 

It was a great weekend, a lovely way to spend some quality time with the hubs and my favorite furry friend. 

Have you been on any great adventures lately? Let me know in the comments!

Upcoming events for the Heffelfinger's and Workout #6

Last week I had good intentions of writing 3 posts, I even wrote them on the calendar to remind me...but they never happened. Sometimes life just gets busy and things have to be prioritized. But I'm back now and I was just taking a look at our shared calendar for the next few months, and there are so many things to look forward to and be thankful for! Besides, everything's more fun now that we're MARRIED! (Yikes, sometimes it doesn't even feel real!)

First up on the calendar of events is obviously Christmas. Our first Christmas together and we'll be visiting a special place! Here's a hint:

And to top off what's already going to be an awesome trip, we'll be sharing it with my parents and brother! And also doing an early Christmas celebration with Sam's folks too! It's going to be amazing.

Next up on the Heffelfinger calendar is one of these bad boys:

Oh yes! There is no better place to be in the dead of winter than the Caribbean, am I right? Or am I right? Can't wait to put my pasty white legs out there on that deck in my bikini!

Since we're talking about bikini's, here's workout #6! I'm teaching this tonight and I'm hoping to leave the gym feeling sweaty and gross!

This is a 60 minute workout, 20 minutes of leg, arms, and abs, tabata style!

And just a reminder, in case you're looking for a Christmas gift or supplies to make the perfect gift, check out my Etsy shop: Floral + Ivory! I just lowered prices on some stuff to make some room for new things, so check it out in the side bar -------->

Or click HERE!

Hello Monday

It's been a little while since I've linked up with Lisa from Lisa Leonard Designs...so here goes:

Hello to sisters!

Hello to a house filled with colds. Yuck.

Hello to spending time with my parents.

Hello to target practice.

Hello to beating our rivals - Go Ice Jacks!

Hello to new maroon skinnies!

Hello to Sam's Blog.

Click HERE to check it out.

Hello to another work week. Yuck again. 

Hello to a great new song: Gary Allen

Happy Monday folks!

Throwback Thursday

How about this little gem to get you ready for the wedding:

That's me, 20 years ago(OUCH), as a flower girl in my Aunt Carin's wedding. I'm the last girl in line behind my cousin Marli and Brooke.

Too stinkin cute.

I remember vividly...(or maybe I just remember looking at a picture vividly) myself, Brooke, and Marli getting ready for this big day, jumping on the bed with nothing but our white tights on, we were so excited to be a part of this wedding!

And now, in 10 days, I'll be the one in the long white dress, getting ready to marry my best friend.

I LOVE THIS MAN!

And shout out to my father's Kickstarter campaign: we're 3 days in, 8 Pledges, $452.00 out of the $25,000.00 we're hoping to raise. So please, if you have a minute to spare, check out the Kickstarter site, and make a pledge - every pledge receives a gift in return, and will not be taken out of your account unless all $25,000.00 have been funded by the end of the 30 day campaign.

Click here to become a supporter:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/863771009/patio-farm

Please and Thank you's in advance, because I know you all want to show some support ;)

See you in 10 days! 

Ahhhh!

How am I doing?

2 weeks from tomorrow I will offically become Leah Whitney Heffelfinger.

Craziness.

I've been getting this question a lot: Are you nervous?

Answer: No. I'm 100% ready to become Sam's wife. Yes. I'm nervous excited to see the plans that we've made for our wedding weekend come together. 

I think it's a good thing that I'm more nervous about the actual day than the lifetime that's ahead of us. 

Is Sam nervous? 

I think he would say the same thing - though I don't think he will care too much if the flowers are the wrong shade of pink or a groomsman forgets a tie...

So, other than the fact that my new signature looks like a 5th grader is signing my name, I'm doing great! Sam and I are ready to commit ourselves to each and to God, and begin this new chapter in our lives. We've got the love and support of our families and dear friends. And to add a cherry on top, we're each others BESTIES! What better way to spend a lifetime than with your best friend?! 

I'm rambling...I was thinking about writing a post about my feelings about getting married, but all that I could come up with when I sat down at the computer was... I'm Fine! I'm not nervous. I'm so excited! I LOVE Sam. And he LOVES me. And we're GETTING HITCHED in 16 days! 

HOLY. CRAP. 

Once we get married, I do have one slight problem that I'd like to share with you... the name of this blog is Sam and Leah Get Hitched...do I change it to Sam and Leah GOT Hitched...? Doesn't really have a nice ring to it. 

I've been brainstorming some ideas, but I'd love you advice. 

I want to continue this blog after the wedding to document our adventures, show you what we're building, post some awesome new recipe that I found, and of course add to all the ways that Kona sleeps. 

So, how about you give me some ideas, huh? That's a great idea! Lots of brains are better than just mine! 

Alright, let's wrap up this mumbo jumbo of a post with some pictures of the week, shall we???

1. We're makin' stuff! Before and Afer pics to come soon!

2. I taught myself some basic embroidery skills so I could use some of those Pinterest ideas.

3. Date Night with my #1 Man! 

4. Beverages.

5. Oh, he forgets his name, so he wears this shirt :) Isn't he a cutey!?

6. Sneak Peek: the ties for the wedding!

7. The 5th grade version of my signature - good grief is it long!

8. Oh, didn't you want to see this picture twice?? Sorry about that!

Have a fun weekend everyone!

California Dreaming...

Good Monday Afternoon to everyone! Sam and I and Weston and Kona spent a glorious weekend in sunny California visiting my parents and attending a family reunion. We left Flagstaff at the butt-crack of dawn to get to Paso Robles in time for my dress fitting. The good thing about leaving that early was this incredible view:

We're getting down to the wire in terms of days left until the wedding, so we took this time in Paso Robles to visit our photographer, Cindy Franklin, check out the Loading Chute (wedding venue - since Sam hadn't seen it yet), have a final dress fitting, and meet with our pastor. 

Kona and I had the pleasure of sharing the backseat of the truck.... not the most comfortable 10 hours of my life, but what can you do??

Saturday was spent in Morro Bay with the family for kayaking and fish tacos. For fear of losing my camera and/or phone to the Pacific Ocean, I didn't take any photos, but I know someone did --- Hey Family! If you have photos of this weekend can you share them with me?? 

That's dog beach, north of Morro Bay. Gorgeous day, but the family reunion was on the schedule so we didn't get to stop. 

The reunion consisted of:

card games

tacos

sausage casserole

tidepools

wedding shower

and quizzing Sam on all the new faces 

Lots of fun!

 

We even had some time to lounge around my parent's house with their dogs, Rusty (right) and Honey (left) that's Kona in the middle. And yes, they are professional beggars, not spoiled at all :)

And finally, the weekend had to come to an end.... I taught a 6am cycle class this morning, and got to work by 8. Time to get back in the groove of things until the wedding. 27 more days! 

But on a brighter note, I got to bring home my old friend! It's been a while since we've been together, so we're planning on getting reacquainted this weekend!

And the question of the day:

Once Sam and I are officially HITCHED, what should we change the name of the blog to?

Leave a comment at the bottom of the page!

The BIG periwinkle surprise!

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! 

Our FIRST home! 

Together!!!

Come visit! We've got a guest room! and a backyard! And my very own kitchen! 

Here's a smattering of random pictures:

The yard needs some TLC - our plans include a lovely porch and maybe a lawn and new shutters. But it's definitely periwinkle! 

PS - a HUGE thank you to Aunt Sarah for letting us borrow your trailer, it was a life saver! 

PS again - another HUGE thank you to Weston, Jeremy, and Darren for helping us move in!

This is the view from the back door, looking into the kitchen.

We quickly replaced the ugly track lighting with beautiful barn lights! Soon to come is a cover of some sort to hide the track... any suggestions??

Oh, and the kitchen table won't be staying in the living room - it just doesn't quite fit in the tiny kitchen, we're working on that too.

And the view of the kitchen from the living room - please note the AWESOME vintage tiled counter tops (LOVE THOSE!) and the beautiful rock fire place!

And the fire place! A real one! We'll probably put a wood burning stove in there, it's more efficient. Notice the door on the left - that's our pantry and laundry room! My OWN laundry room! Oh and please notice the gorgeous hard wood floors!! We're hoping there is hard wood under the ugly laminate tile in the kitchen --- otherwise the kitchen is getting new floors soon.

Our second project - a doggy door for Kona! She loves it!Look at that studly man with the saw! He's all mine! Forever!

New lights, new doggy door! Productive first weekend! We also installed a ceiling fan, and polished all the wood floors and caught up on 12,000,000 loads of laundry -- not an exaggeration.

And without further ado, I'd like to pass this blog over to my love, Sam.