gift guide under $50 :: for him!

for some reason, i always think that guys are so hard to shop for... but as i was putting this guide together, i realized that there's a lot of 'guy' stuff out there, you just have to be creative. i totally understand that not all guys are the same and thus having different interests and tastes but i think this little round-up will {hopefully} help you think of something other than the standard shirts and socks gifts. :)

1. for the coffee lover :: chemex coffeemaker makes amazing coffee & creates more of an experience than just hitting the 'brew' button on your cuisinart, starts at $35 // or maybe just buy them a bag of some freshly roasted beans like stumptown, $14 / 12oz.

2. for the outdoorsy :: opinel knives can be personalized with engraving {and come in cool gift boxes}! $34.95

3. for the traveller :: headphone splitter $10 {so he can enjoy and share that favorite youtube video with his fellow bandmates or travel buddies} // cool canvas backpack to carry on the plane $32 // timex watch {just in case that iphone craps out} $40

4. for the leather lover :: leather keychain $34 // leather camera strap for the wrist $49

5. for the music lover :: bon iver {or whatever his favorite band is} LP $14.99, $9.99 on itunes

6. for the inner child :: back to the future trilogy blu ray $19.99 // mini walkie talkies $15 // buy credits on the wii shop channel then purchase his favorite childhood game so it's ready to play on christmas morning! starting at just $5

7. for the wood shop lover :: wooden desk caddy $35 // chalkboard tablet $22

five.

it's the number of years the husband and i have been married today. so crazy. that number represents so many travel adventures and nights in, tea + coffee dates, bike rides to the beach, last-minute d-land trips, endless amounts of time listening to music and talking about it, and everything in between.
husband, i am so thankful for you. the last five years spent with you have been, well, above and beyond amazing. amazing. honestly that word doesn't even feel adequate........ i love that i've never laughed so hard or shed as many tears with anyone else in my life..... i love that, through life's elations and tragedies, you're constant... constantly having a servant's heart, constantly encouraging, constantly loving me and everyone around you. i can't believe i have you, that i'm the one that gets to call you "husband" and all the other 'nic'names, that you're my leader, my best friend, my perfect perfect perfect match. like we've always said:: no one has it this good.
and it just keeps getting better.
happy anniversary.
i love you.
p.s. so much.


nic and ashley. from Brittany Fay on Vimeo.

livin' on a prayer

friends + costumes + karaoke + good food + glow sticks = BEST. PARTY. EVER.
husband and i had so much fun last night - getting dressed up, singing karaoke {oh yes, we performed 'livin' on a prayer' for everyone}, seeing everyone in costume of choice {we were graced with the presence of the beatles, the blue man group, taylor swift, audrey hepburn + fred astaire, woody + jessie, pocahontas, even a montana hunter + deer, an elephant, a robot, just to name a few :)}, and of course dancing {husband busted out some caaarrrraaaazzzzy moves, including the moonwalk}!!

who were we? take a look....

bon jovi + his devoted, adoring groupie! {my shirt said 'bon jovi forever' and yes, husband was shirtless under that leopard scarf and authentic 80's leather jacket}

i didn't want to spend a lot of money on our costumes because we'd only wear them once... {although, after last night, husband asked me multiple times if i could dress like that ALL the time} so i visited two thrift stores and found gold earrings, a black necklace, and a stonewash shirt for a grand total of $2.50!! i picked up a couple of fabric paint bottles and made my own groupie shirt then paired it with black leggings and red shoes that i already had. so, literally, my getup cost less than $5.00! husband's costume was a little more - we got the wig for $8 and the leopard scarf for $9 {which i will totally wear!!}. seriously, i feel like the less money you want to spend, the more creative you can be.

hope everyone has a fun, costume-filled weekend!

the pawn

{the one and only move that husband played on the chessboard today at lunch. ha}

husband came home today!

{a sketch of his plane}

the treasure state

the husband and i are having a blast out here in whitefish, mt... it is absolutely gorgeous!! as i blog, i'm looking out at the greenest forest you can imagine backdropped by snowy mountain peaks... accompanied by the most mouthwatering scent coming from the kitchen, ah! i still can't believe we're here! i just wanted to share a couple photos of week 1 of our trip... hope you enjoy!

{on our way! the handsome husband looking out at the columbia river}

{almost there! flathead lake, montana}

{pescado blanco!! this place had the best beef tacos}

{hanging out with the horses!}

{the red caboose!! frozen yogurt + coffee = our new fave place!}

field notes

i feel the need to apologize for not keeping you in the loop for the last two weeks but it has seriously been crazy madness over here... and where's here? currently, huntington beach. three days ago, costa mesa. six weeks from now, the north. :) i'll fill you in on our travel adventures a little later but today i wanted to feature these cute little ditties i found on our record player last night:

whenever the husband trots the globe sans his wife, he always brings back some sort of goody... and i have to say that these are among the faves! aren't they just beckoning you to document your daily adventures?! well, if these aren't, then i'm sure something on the {field notes site} will inspire you to journal. i think i might order a couple more states... california, oregon, montana.... just to name a few. :))

happy journaling!

monday pick-me-up: movie recs

the husband and i were both home sick yesterday - so we both camped out on the couch in our sweats and decided to watch a couple of our faves:




....great characters, doubly great music, iconic elements - a restaurant in the heart of paris and, let's be honest, we've all wanted to travel through time in that awesome delorean - and seriously fun stories. love it!

if you're needing a pick-me-up, i highly recommend watching either (or both!) of these movies tonight. i'm sure you've already seen these but they are so good even the tenth time around. :)

early bird with flying colors

As you know, Nic is a musician- meaning he gets to sleep in pretty much every morning (except for those grueling CC Chino Hills Sunday services... ugh...) and I, on the other hand, start the work day at 8am.... and sometimes earlier. Well, today just so happened to be that "sometimes earlier"- I had to be at work by 7:30am... therefore my alarm was set for 6:20am, pretty much an obscene wake-up call for anyone, let alone the musician sleeping beside me. But this morning was different.
At 6:20am, I sleepily find my alarm clock and immediately press the snooze button. To my amazement, the husband next to me greets me with a soft "good morning" and then proceeds to get out of bed to start my shower and then asks what I want for breakfast! Yes! I love my husband! [And, mind you, Nic got home super late last night and has to work a ton today (basically the best example of sacrificial love) mm hmm... anyways....]
With my hair wrapped in a turban of towel, I'm further surprised as Nic hands me a perfect cup of coffee topped with whipped cream... fantastic. As I gather up the last little items to leave, he stops my process to give me a hug and a kiss, and then, of course, "I love you" as I walk out the door.
No wonder I love being married. :)

in the beginning...

Hello!
Here it is. The start of a blog.
Yes, I could have tried to say something clever to entice readers (if any) to come back... but I figured a simple "hello" is the best way to start any form of communication with someone. And, as it turns out, that's just what I'm trying to do: communicate the ins and outs of this busy life I share with my best good friend (aka Nic the husband).
Hope my tactic works...