Dear Fall,

How much more beautiful and charming could you be?  

Dear Holly & Mindy,

Cheers to You and Monday night dinner with friends. 

I swear- it made the entire week, a good week.

Dear Why I <3 Blogging,

because fab women like Shanna inspire you to take what you have 

and make it FABULOUS ~ like Shanna did Here 
with this striped dress I'm wearing.
I'm so going to buck up and pattern mix!

and..  <3's for winning giveaways!

Dear Son,

 that was one shiner you got playing bball.  

Stop telling people I slapped you upside the head!  

It's not going to be funny with child services shows up on our doorstep.

Dear Jewelry Frames,

I'm excited to spend the weekend making you!

If only I can find another fantastic frame like the one I made for sissy.

Dear all you Beautiful People 
that watched my hair tutorial yesterday,

I cannot thank you enough.

It's rather stoopid, 

but jeez ~ what a vulnerable feeling hitting publish was for me!  

and you all were soo sweet and supportive. 

gracious.  in a mucho grande way.

have a beautiful weekend!!

-m-

ps, all of todays photos from Instagram,
come find me!  @makaila_lynn

well. this is how my Evo saw it

In the interest of avoiding another EIGHT HOUR clean out of yeeears of photos, I am cleaning them off my phone monthly.  As I looked through the photos from July, I thought what a better way to capture the essense of the month then to create a recap using the month's photos.  Some of these pictures and moments hit the blog in July.  Some did not.  But they are all sweet memories.  

~ July 2012 as per my Evo ~

the baby of the fam, Karley, turned 19 and momma came up to help celebrate!

my Bird came to WA to buy fireworks that can't be bought in OR.
I saw him for 15 sweet minutes.

we had a fab fourth at the waterfront park

I cut out of work early on sunny days
and did things like lay on the dock with my sissy

and apparently I wore a red little dress, a LOT of times

I chilled with my babe and gave him smooches .. 

.. and we found a new spot to build on dreams!

spent a saturday with my girls at the river .. 

.. spent an evening shore side gazing across the water and into the trees

drove to the Indian reservation with my sissy.. 

.. to see my Birdie play golf

miscellaneous random happenings included:
the object of beauty ~  a wonderful, easy read,
the realization the painting is so therapeutic,
and crows dancing above your head in your skylight is CREEEEPY,
flowers from your bestie is the Best,
and the quote "You never go wrong doing the right thing"
is oh so true. 

we took many Sunday drives.. 

.. to places I'd like to live followed by food I'd like to eat every day

and I had a wonderful weekend in Bend.

.. and of course, I ate a LOT of food.

wow.  what a wonderful month! 

cheers to August being just as good! 

-m-

highlight of the week

monday's drive to Kahneeta 

- a casino resort on Indian Reservation about 2 1/2 hours from Portland - 

was def the highlight.  

#1 because I saw Tristen,  

#2 cause I got to spend time with my sis, my very favorite thing to do,

#3 because the guy in the short purple shorts rocked them with his cowboy boots and his cowboy hat.

happy friday.

-m-

it's a sweet bitter pill

sista's: Karley, Me, Aubrey
we missed our other sis, Mel, big time!

bab's first ever pedi!

bye bab's!

this week has flown by.  the very best part was spending time with my little sis Aubrey.  she popped in over night on her way to the fine state of Maine.  my heart just swells with pride thinking about what an amazing, confident, self-sufficient, sweet, focused young woman she has become.  leaving her at the airport, i couldn't help but dream for her a lifetime of excitement, and wonder about what life is going to offer her next..

tristen officially graduated elementary school this week.  tonight we leave to take him to bend, where he will spend his summer with his dad. it's a bitter double edged sword.  i will miss him desperately, and will spend weeks fighting to find a new "normal" routine, fighting the depression of having my flesh and blood 3 hours away from me.  At the same time, I will fight the guilt of enjoying the freedom of not having to worry where he is, whether or not i'm actively listening to all the random wonderful nonsense he fills the air with, and will embrace the joy of being able to hit the spontaneous 10pm happy hour due to being kid free.  yes.  it's a bitter sweet pill.

-m-

this last weekend.

his last Friday of Fifth Grade.
*really, really, really BIG sigh*

stuffed mushrooms at OG with my girls.
so needed.
soooo needed that we were an hour late back to our desks!
girl talk.  needed.

is this not the most gorgeous flow chart you ever did see?
every single little thing about it.  i love.

the coolest baddest starbucks tumber Ever!
and rhett got it for me
*BIG smiles!*

i wore my boots all weekend.
every single day.
friday included.

met the fam for lunch at the farmers market.
nutella.  YES, that was NUTELLA and Strawberry Crepe.
i don't even need to tell you how good it was.
you are imagining correctly.

Best Disclaimer.  EVER.
COMMON SENSE and CAUTION cannot be built into any product.
These factors must be supplied by the operator.

bahahhahbahahhaaa.  i die.
guess that "common sense" factor means
 i'm prob not qualified to be an "operator".
of anything.

so Voodoo does it and yo cream thinks they should too.
tried it.
GROSS!

target.
twice, in one day.
and i bought nothing!
i'm serious!! pinky swear!

i saw these down a side street and begged and made rhett circle the block again so i could get up close and personal with these flowers.  they look like ostrich heads!



ah, what a sweet weekend.
the very last one before T graduates fifth grade.
and leaves me for the summer.
oh.  and he went on his very first real "date" today.
ya, can't talk about that right now...

-m-

since last friday ~ in an insta

best part:
I got to see my little bro, who I hadn't seen since August.
The.Best.

road trippin'
we drove 6 hours in 24 hours
and we loved it.
we dream  to RV the country some day. 

my bro's pad is sooo pretty! 

we laugh.  a lot.
and this trip was no exception.  

STOP RIGHT HERE.
I picked this maxi up at the Rack.
I'm seeing it at Ross, at Macy's - everywhere I turn.
And sure, means a lot of chicaroo's are gonna have it.
well, that's cause every chicaroo SHOULD have it.
Get one!!  I LOVE mine.

Sunday brunch with friends.
crab cakes with a poached egg.
holy goodness.

and then we got real lazzzzy.

I posted on our Memorial Day earlier this week..
here's a few shots from the phone that made instagram.

oh man.
this man made soup by rhett
was sooo soothing and good.

rhett's little bro had a birthday and we had another fam dinner.
I simply ADORE that rhett's fam is so close and that i'm part of that fam.

and of course.
Gelato.
It was sooo pic worthy. 

oh my, it's friday.  anyone else feeling like that?  ever have those weeks where quite seriously all you can say is:  i didn't get it all done!!!  THAT feeling is waving me, hardcore.  BUT.  It's FRIDAY!  And it's going to be a good one!  i'm picking up Miss Rindy Mae at 5 and we're heading to the NW Pacific Blogger Meet Up to meet cool fellow blogging chicks like Jes {finally get to meet Jes!}, and frankly.. i'm excited, nervous, thrilled, scared, EXCITED all over again, and ready to do this! who would have ever thunk that i'd be going to blogger meet up?? Not.Me.  i hope i don't seem an old woman among all these young blogging whipper snapper chicaroo's.  ;)  

Have a really Happy Friday! 

-m-