did we just fall in love?

i hope this doesn’t come on too strong, but, i’m about to make you fall in love with me. yes. sh*t is about to get real.

have i kicked your interest? i thought so. it peaked mine as well when i read Hallie of corals + cognacs post on a recent essay from the New York Times on how to fall in love… with anyone. you betcha, anyone. and she threw out a challenge to the blog world for us to post our answers. so, peoples, i hope you’re ready to take things to the next level. i mean we have been chatting online for like two hours every day, so i figured things were getting pretty serious anyways, so here we go.

alright here’s how this is going to work… according to psychologist arthur aron there are 36 questions that when answered with mutual vulnerability fosters closeness. i hand picked some for this post, you can see them all here. ready, set, love.

before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? why? not really; it would have to be a super important phone call, but even then i would worry about sounding too rehearsed or getting too flustered because it isn’t coming out the way i practiced.

when did you last sing to yourself? to someone else? my co-worker and i sang a line of the gem in a meeting today. and i can’t not jam out to this current song obsession when it comes on in the car.

given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest? as much as wholeheartedly believe that jennifer lawrence or lauren graham and i would be instant best friends if just given the chance, i would choose my baby sister, Haley Ellen. we lost her far too soon, and i would love nothing more than to meet her and have a sister, even just for an evening. hopefully she learned how to cook up there though; because otherwise we’ll be having wine for dinner. (not that that’s a bad thing; but i would get hangry)

what would consistute a perfect day for you? in some order or another it would involve these items: caribou coffee + snuggles with #starksthepup + spending all day with [b] + wine + peanut butter + dancing + lots of pictures + all my family & friends. hmmm. i think i just described 9.12.15 <3

for what in your life do you feel most grateful? my family, my fiancé [b] and #starksthepup. they’re all just kind of beyond incredible.

if you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be? i would have let me have that barbie jeep. man that would have been fancy.

is there something you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? why haven’t you done it? the short, vague answer; yes. i have so much that i’ve dreamt about… taking my blog to a more “legit” level; becoming a social media consultant; etc. the why? fear. fear of failure, of not being (gasp) perfect, that i’m not good enough. the happy ending is that i’m working on it. i’ll get there.

what is the greatest accomplishment of your life? being asked to host a half day workshop at EXHIBITOR2013 on social media. i will never forget getting that email while at baggage claim at the airport.

what is your most terrible memory? seeing my dad after he had surgery to remove cancer from his prostate. they had to move him to the bed in his room and the tears just rolled down his cheek because he was in so much pain. to see the strongest man you know so vulnerable and weak… so hard.

how do you feel about your relationship with your mother? my mom is my best friend. i couldn’t feel more grateful for the bond that we share. she is my role model, my rock, my inspiration and my biggest cheerleader. she’s incredible.

if you were going to become a close friend with your partner readers, please share what would be important for him or her to know. mornings are for quiet and for coffee. directions are hard. i need snacks. (always). some nights you just need wine and non-stop marathons of criminal minds. i am fragile; be gentle with my emotions. my hair sheds. everywhere. once i let you into my life, i will be there for you always and will expect the same in return. and sassiness is just part of the package.

tell your partner readers what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met. thank you, i appreciate you, you inspire and motivate me. there is nothing like someone telling me that they enjoyed something i wrote (heck, them just telling me that they read something i wrote makes my day); that it made them smile, helped them feel like they weren’t alone… those are the comments bloggers live for. to every single person who reads this, i love you. thank you for taking part in my story.

share with your partner readers an embarrassing moment in your life. just one? oh Lord. i used to have so many they were coined as “emma moments.” one of the top contenders would have to be when my dad and i went through the drive thru at the bank; i said my name and that i wanted to make a deposit. and then a wave of realization washed over me… i don’t bank there. #truestory (perhaps i will bring back some posts about emma moments, what do ya think?

when did you last cry in front of another person? by yourself? i’m an emotional person. so it was probably yesterday.

your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. after saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. what would it be? why? i think about this all the time actually. and as petty as this sounds it would probably be my phone. it has everything in it; my photos, my messages, my work, my blogs.

so… are we in love yet?

sass and sarcasm aside; i think there is definitely some truth behind this. when you open up to someone and the open back up to you… you get place and REAL relationships are formed. though it may seem easier to hide behind who you really are online, sometimes i feel like this is where i am most genuine. i’m so much better with the written words than i am with the verbal ones.

want to join in on the fun? create your own post with answers to these questions and be sure to link up to Hallie’s post! (here) and please share them with me too! xo

the story before the story // happy 30th anniversary mom and dad

30 years ago today, my story became a possibility. two people, having only known each other for 6 months but trusting in love got married. and this is their story.

they met on a blind date. she lived in minneapolis; he lived in albert lea. they dated for 3 months. one day, on the front steps of his house; he asked her a question. “so, do you think we’re going to be together for awhile?” she answered, “well yes, i hope so.” disappearing for a moment he returned with a ring. 3 months later they said ‘i do’ and started on to write the rest of their story.

the years that followed brought change, joy, heartache, happiness, struggle, growth, blessings and so much love. in those 30 years they had 3 children and 1 angel left up above watching over them. there were 6 graduations. there were dozens of family vacations. most of which were enjoyable. (except for the one when dad wanted to leave spencer at the black hills… or when i slammed my head into the side of the car… or when carter was crying because we were picking on him). more than anything, the 30 years that followed that day, november 24, 1984, brought family.

as i’m in the midst of planning my wedding, i can’t help but imagine what life might be like 30 years from now. no one can know for certain but one thing i wish for is a family like the one that my mom and dad created. a family where you support each other no matter what, a family where you are there to celebrate in life’s most important events, a family that is ridicucously good looking and sarcastic. and a home that is always welcoming filled with people who you might not like all the time, but that you love always. a family that knows that we might not have it all together, but together we have it all.

momma and daddy; thank you. thank you for building a home and a family that makes it so fun to get together and so hard to say goodbye to. thank you for raising me to be the woman i am; strong, faithful, determined and sassy. thank you for supporting me in everything and anything i do. every move i make (literally), every success i have, and every heartache i feel. you two are the best support system i could ever imagine. love you to the moon and back forever. xoxo

this morning, with him, having coffee

[b] and i share a love for coffee. weekend mornings we can most likely be found at a caribou sipping on the seasonal favorite and taking #bouface selfies. there’s something about a coffee shop that’s just cozy. even if we’re both on our laptops or phones crushing candies while we’re there hanging out it’s some of my favorite times. something we like to do together.

at the old house this enjoyable activity was limited to weekends only. [b] or i would sometimes make coffee durning the week but we had to the leave house so early because of crappy commutes that it was almost always taken to-go. one of the many things i love about our new house is that we both have a short commute. there are oodles of good things that come from this; we’re not as rushed in the morning to try and “beat” traffic (which never worked – 494 is the worst), we’re not stuck in hours of traffic on the way home which just makes you uber cranky by the time you get home. it’s glorious and makes you realize how much a shitty commute can really affect your attitude.

but [probably] my most favorite thing that has come from this is that we get to spend time together in the morning. we’ve eaten breakfast together more in the past 2 months than we ever did in a year and a half at the old house. and almost every morning we have coffee. [b] gets up with the chickens at unforsaken times like 4 in the morning so he’s usually/always the one to make the coffee. sometimes we enjoy our coffee seperately while we’re getting ready. but some days, like this morning, we get to sit together [with #starksthepup] and watch tv and look at save the dates on pinterest and enjoy our coffee together before we started our day. nothing else mattered, no anxiety, no worry, no stress, just us. and those moments, with him, having coffee that make me feel so blessed to get to do life with that guy.