Lately.

    Well I can finally crawl out from underneath my large pile of assignments, study flashcards, and final projects and make a blog post.  I finished my last final today and it feels wonderful.  All I want to do is create, photograph, spend long hours on the beach drinking on an Arnold Palmer, and do DIY projects galore. Thankfully, I have all summer to do so!

Our last Tuesday Lunch together

Cal will be graduating in a couple of days and it makes me pretty emotional when I start to think about it.  It's been so nice having my best friend, lunch buddy, and one I complain to about my insane professors with right there with me.  He added a smile to the middle of my day, when I'm all stressed out.  BUT! I couldn't be more proud of him!  You're GRADUATING baby!  I couldn't be more happy for you. You are one dedicated little turtle (sorry couldn't think of a better animal), and your hard work sure has paid off.

Other than school, Cal and I have been hanging out in all the in between times. It's been so nice.  We love to dream and talk about the future on nice spring night walks on the canal.

Also... my brother got married!! I am so happy for the both of them! It was such a beautiful wedding - so nice to see family and get down on the dance floor.  If there's one thing you need to know about me and Cal it's that we love to get funky on the dance floor at a wedding! And of course, me and my family LOVED the photo booth!

Arrriba!

LOL! Me and Dad! <3

~FAMILY~

It's been crazy but so so good.  God has been so faithful to both me and Cal.  We've had some relationship and personal things to pray about and work on and God continues to show how faithful He is to us.  So glad that we have his constant and eternal love to be grounded in.  It's so awesome that the closer you grow to God the closer you grow to each other.

Alright well I think I am going to celebrate finishing up this semester with a cheesy Netflix movie! Peace!

With Love,

DIY Family Map Sign!

  So my immediate family lives all around the country, and Cal came up with this wonderful idea to show the closeness of family is not measured in miles (hey.. that should be added to the sign!).  So anyways, he got the states and the sign, and I, well, made it pretty. Here's a few tips so you can do this on your own!  I must say it's a great conversational piece, because you get to talk about your family or those close to you.

• Don't have a map of the US that you're willing to cut up? Neither did we! Check out THIS website, with individual maps of each state!

• For the paper I just used scrapbook paper, that is found at Micheals. Other material you could use: newspaper, brown bag or paper, or black paper with a white paint pen to give it that "chalkboard" feel.

• I also put the number of miles and the amount of time to get to each place, just to keep it interesting
• The quote: "Family like branches on a tree we may grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one"

 This was all put in a 16x24 frame.  Hope you enjoyed this little project - would love to know any of your ideas or interpretations!

With Love,

Love happens

This is Cath and I a few days before our "1 year anniversary of dating". 

 What you don't see behind this pic is the story I'm gonna write today. Anniversaries can be a difficult time for the guy. There are so many pressures to deliver a special, romantic, sometimes original, sometimes traditional gift to your loved one. Sometimes you can get absorbed in the pressure and miss out on the purpose of the celebration.

I went through that last year. Some people would say that one year of dating is'nt that big of a deal, but for us, it's different. After knowing cath for so long, 1 yr of dating doesn't make sense, because it feels like we've been together much longer than that. What I mean is that I felt like I knew everything about her. So, I really wanted to make something special for her on our 1 year anniversary. I don't really remember what I got for her, but I do remember making this foot long card out of construction paper that I thought was the greatest expression of my love that I could create. What I wrote was what got her attention, not  the blue and yellow construction paper with a pretty rough anchor drawn on it. I guess my elementary education in Arts and Crafts is'nt enough to get by anymore. With time flying by so fast, we sort of overestimated when our 1 year anniversary was. We jumped the gun and celebrated it a month early on accident, but at least we were both on the same page.

Here's a pic of us from last month:

Now we try to celebrate our love anytime we can. I don't think it ever helps to put so much pressure on one day to show your unconditional love for one person on just one day. What happens is blue and yellow construction paper cards that don't do your love for her justice.

This is a print that Cath made out of my card, complete with very emotional language. She knows how to make anything look good.

 Caleb Craft

Proverbs 4

Guard your heart above all else, For it determines the course of your life.

  -Proverbs 4:23

     Last weekend Cal and I went to a Basic Conference, which was full of good teaching and worship.  The conference focused on dating, singleness, and relationships.  We we're both pumped, for we needed some encouragement and just some solid Biblical views on relationships.  Let me tell you, we weren't disappointed!  Something that has helped and encouraged me recently is Proverbs 4.  Seriously, this stuff is great.  Not only does it push you, like 4:13 - "Take hold of my instructions; don't let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life." it will offer great encouragement, like 4:12 - "When you walk, you won't be held back; when you run, you won't stumble." And Proverbs 4:23, the scripture above, really hit home.  Your heart determines where your feet go.

    This chapter is such a refreshing encouragement to me, and I hope it may be to you as well.  Hope you are having a great week! 

~Read Proverbs 4~

My two lovelies and I, enjoying our weekend in Rochester!

With Love,

What to Wear: Busy Saturdays

So Cal and I went to the Galleria Mall out in Buffalo Thursday and I got this tee from H&M (for $2.50!) and it inspired this look.  It's just an over sized T (this is actually a large) and and A-shirt with skinny jeans and moccasins.  I tried out several different jeans, and the dark wash seemed to look best.

 

Accessories:

- Long necklace

- Braided bracelet

- Braided belt

Hair: Just scrunched, keeping it chill.

Also, during the shoot, Cal was teaching me some football moves.  Multitasking like a boss.

Be sure to enjoy it! :)

With Love,

Day Trip - East Aurora

So excited to have the week off because that means day trips!  My mom and I traveled (through the blustering snow!) to East Aurora, NY.  Aurora is an artisan community that promotes small businesses.  There was even a sign that said "Occupy Main Street - Shop Locally."   Many of the shops resembled the Arts and Crafts era and Art Nouveau. I mean SUCH a cool community!  If your ever down by Buffalo, I would highly recommend to check it out!

Headed in to a small gallery/shop

 

Would love to revisit this summer...

What I would do to have this be my front door some day.

I spy with my little eye a... photographer!

My lovely Mama

Olive and Vinegar shop - MM! My Italian side can't get enough of this

The old 5 and 10 cent shop

Last stop - Cupcakes!

Chocolate PB & and Vanilla Bean. Brought home to share with Cal and Dad!

I had such a wonderful time.  We browsed shop to shop and slowly made our way down the row of shops.  We made a stop at the local cafe Taste for a delicious wrap.  I am so glad I got to share this time with my mom, too! My heart is full.. and my tummy too - with cupcakes! :)

With Love,

No Shirt! No Shoes! No Worries!

 I was reminiscing tonight about summer. Longer days, warm sun, tan skin, swimming, bonfires, sports, etc. After waking up every morning in the winter, to snow or drizzle or ice rain, it is easy to get depressed waiting for summer. Especially, when you have great pics to remind you how great it was...

NYC partial skyline

This first picture is taken by my best friend Andy Hollingshead. We went on a road trip two summers ago through NYC, Atlantic City, and Cape May in New Jersey. Jumping from beach to beach was ideal living for me. We also saw a New York Giants game(THANKS CATH!)

Flip City Disc Golf Course; Shelby, Michigan

Last summer, my brother and I drove down to visit Andy in Michigan, where he goes to college and kinda sorta lives. We visited some beaches and dunes, while we were there too. The first time I saw a "real" sand dune, I was blown away.

Waiting for 6 hours for the Pop-a-Lock guy!

 This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. No other picture elicits such complicated emotions. When I first look at it, I think of perfect times biking(see the bike in cath's car?) or hanging out in the summer with Cath, where there's no place I'd rather be. Then, I remember how we waited in the parking lot for 6 hours that day trying to sort out the problems with my car. The ignition key quit working, and AAA was super slow to respond. It was beyond frustrating. Thankfully, Cath was there, and she was a much better sport than I was. We joked, laughed, and talked.... a lot. It turned out to be a good night. Now, when I look at this picture, it puts summer into perspective. Warm weather and lesser responsibilities are not always a recipe for happiness. Sometimes, if you're with the right person/people and rely on God, nothing can get you down(including upstate NY winters.)

Andy, Grace, Cathy and I celebrating the last days of summer!

Look! we still have fun in the winter!

 By,
Caleb Craft