Bon voyage!
We're off to New York for the weekend for the Kinfolk Dinner in Brooklyn. We're oh so excited. You can see the film for the first Kinfolk Dinner in Portland here.

We'll be staying with my friend Alpha Smoot. She's already been a lovely hostess and we're not even there yet! We're lucky to have such welcoming friends in the city.

Cree and I try to go to new places to eat every time we visit...any suggestions? All are most welcome!

PS. The lovely photos were taken by Andrew Gallo during our last trip to NYC.

I started following Julie's blog years ago when Cree and I were living in the Philippines. We became blog pals, then pen pals, and this past summer we finally met in person for the Kinfolk Bee Harvest video shoot. I really like these two. They are incredibly talented and just really genuine people. I'm so glad they were up for a My Better Half feature!



MATT
1) Has an unabiding love for dinosaurs (If you could see his socks you would know–dinos all over them!)
2) Eats a lot of spicy food.
3) Dreams of one day owning a '69 Dodge Charger.

JULIE
1) Collects pressed pennies.
2) Can listen to my favorite song on repeat for days.
3) Chooses pie over cake every time.

THEIR STORY
We spend our days together making films, dreaming up ideas, and saving our pennies so that we can one day own a house with a big garden. We started Tiger in a Jar last year after both of us quit our day jobs, to date the scariest/best decision we have ever made. Julie has a background in Graphic Design and Matt has been making films since he was old enough to hold a video camera. When we are not working, we like to watch old movies, make dinner together, and go for walks around our neighborhood.

Thanks Julie and Matt for being a part of My Better Half!

Click on over to see Cree's Gentle-Man feature over on Emmadime.
I have a pretty dapper man, huh?

Thanks for the feature Emma!

When we left DC, one of the places we missed most was Seventh Hill.
Fortunately we just discovered a little pizza gem in Ann Arbor, Mani Osteria!
Don't judge them by their website...it's actually really lovely inside. Lots of hard wood, beautiful oven + exposed kitchen, awesome old school chairs and a really delicious menu. It's our new favorite haunt.

PS. The sky is pouring snow on us again today. Must be something about Tuesdays. Might just pull out the sled.

I'm ever so happy to introduce you to Tim and Kesh Coulson. I first came to know these two through Tim's beautiful photography portfolio and Kesh's maternity series. Tim and Kesh are based in Sydney, Australia and are soon to be new parents. (I love Kesh's cute baby bump!) I highly recommend you explore their blog, here.




KESH
1. She's a printmaker (and has a degree to prove it). I took photos of her printing one day, here.
2. She has a serious weakness for McDonalds. Big Macs are her favourite but she also loves Cheese Burgers and Chicken Nuggets.
3. Soon to be Mum (in like 14 weeks).

TIM
1. People who know me very well understand that my attention span is minimal. I regularly stand up and walk around mid conversation. I have too much energy...or something.
2. I play piano.
3. I used to live in Japan.

THEIR STORY
The night we met, she was wearing Adidas three stripe track pants and Dunlop Volleys. For some reason, I always remember Ugg boots and not Volleys. Kesh remembers it right.

I had seen Kesh before but never like this. She was beautiful, without trying. Every word we spoke together became more significant.

I spent the next four weeks driving up and down the freeway to be with her. And when I wasn't with Kesh, her voice whispered to me down the telephone and into the beginning of new days. Four weeks after we met, Kesh flew away to the far reaches of Canada.

Kesh would be on the other side of the world for twelve months and almost immediately, I knew I was going to marry her. Life without her didn't feel like it should.

Two months after Kesh sailed back into the country, we were engaged. One morning, before sunrise, we walked across the sand and stood in front of the ocean. Kesh's Nan and Pa's home as our backdrop. I asked the most important question of my life. She said yes and we celebrated with eggs benedict and hot chocolate.

Two months after that, we were married—forever.

THANKS TIM + KESH! 

A little late notice, but you can click here for the free printable boxes I designed for Oh Happy Day.
They could probably be used for non-valentines day surprises too. :)

Enjoy!

A snowy Valentines for us!
Cree made secret dinner reservations. I love surprises.
And I love having a Valentine for life.

Have a happy day!

PS. Thanks Martha Stewart Craft Department for the post yesterday!

I've decided to start a new column called My Better Half.
I hope it will be a fun and unique way to introduce different artists and bloggers. The column will feature a different couple each week, complete with a short bio and three interesting "facts" for each person... illustrated icons included (of course!) I'm excited to see how it goes.

I figured Cree and I would start things off, so without further ado...



CREE LANE
1. Aspiring political economist
2. Seasoned hitchhiker (Boy does he have some good stories!)
3. Closet clogger (Just ask, and he'll give an impromptu show...Promise! He's actually really good!)

AMANDA JANE

1. Occasional Jazz Singer 

2. There are 72 vintage dresses in my closet.

3. Very embarrassed by my ipod's top 25 playlist

ABOUT CREE + AMANDA  Since this is my blog, I figured a bio wasn't necessary. I decided to share the story of how we met instead! It was the summer 2005. Cree had hitchhiked from Utah all the way to Kansas City for a concert. We met the next day at church, and my family gave him a ride to his hitchhiking companions. We said a quick goodbye, and that night, I wrote in my journal about the mysterious hitchhiker I'd met. (The entry is a family treasure to this day! So so funny.)

Three years later, we were set up on a blind date by Kenz + Tyler...plans changed...Cree flew back to Baltimore and the date didn't happen, but when I heard his name after the fact, I knew he had to be the hitchhiker. I don't know too many people named Cree.

It wasn't until one year later, when Cree was living in Philadelphia working for Teach for America and I as living in New York interning at Mucca before we went on our first official date. We ate lunch at the Madison Square Park Shake Shack and went to an art exhibit by the pier. A favorite memory to be sure.

New couples for MY BETTER HALF next week! Happy Weekend!

Click here for a fun and colorful Valentine Scrabble Gram printable I designed for Oh Happy Day.

What a difference a week makes.
This is what it looked like last week.
I'm loving this winter.

PS. If you haven't entered the Brooklyn Kinfolk Dinner lottery...there's still time.
PPS. Here's my latest what to wear post for Oh Happy Day.