chocolate chip pancakes are a great way to start off an average day. the usual seattle rain is drizzling down-but that's OK, it's refreshing and calming to listen to. i still haven't changed out of my pj's...

my favorite part of an average day is getting a thoughtful message from kev in the morning. simple and cute messages are a way to a girls heart, and he stole mine since the day we met. miss that guy...

i stopped by the farmers market today with my mom to check it out (and find a little sweet to devour). i love that cities all around are having farmers markets- it's such a neat way to sell fresh (and local!) foods along with getting your name out for smaller businesses. there was a huge line in front of this yummy dessert stand. they had the biggest donuts i've EVER seen in my life- sorry, i didn't snap a photo of it... instead i got a delicious reeses peanut butter cookie. made my day a whole lot sweeter.

i am thankful for
a loving and amazing fiance who is incredibly thoughtful and treats me like a princess
my family and the great examples they are to me
talents, and sharing them with others
technology
sunshine and birds chirping, cannot wait for summertime
& i am especially grateful for the gospel in my life.

when things are tough or you're having a bad day, take a step back and remember the things in your thankful heart. 

i collect postcards. some are from decades ago, one of them even had a 100 year old stamp! that's what happens when you find old postcards from old people. (bingo!) whenever i travel somewhere, i always grab a postcard. i love it when my friends travel and i get a lovely postcard in the mail! if you're feeling super awesome and wanting to do a little something nice, send me a postcard and i'd love to hear from you!
recently i've developed a new love for vintage cameras. i have a small starter collection, only 2, but i hope for it to grow so i can decorate my new apartment.

do you collect anything?  

photographs are one of my favorite ways to remember moments in my life. starting when i was young, i loved buying a disposable film camera to snap photos of every trip, every camp i went to, and of my favorite places to go with my favorite people. i've saved all these old photos in my old reese's tin can. ever since i saw the parent trap (newer) movie when i was younger and she grabbed her tin box filled with photos, i wanted to do the same thing. so this tin can holds my memories of the past and every once in a while i love to pull it out and remember. sunday's seem to be my quiet time kind of day to go through old things.

i hope you have a relaxing and beautiful sunday today! 

i want to share how i started into photography. i'll try to keep it short and to the point. about 4 years ago my friend came to town and she had a digital SLR camera. we were both really into modeling and taking photos together. it was our thing we did every year. that's when i discovered my love for photography. i loved being behind the camera and taking portraits. (it helped that my best friend was totally meant to model, which made my job easier.)

i took one photography class my senior year in high school for my senior project. i bought my very own camera (started with a NikonD3000). i instantly fell in love... with photography. i'm not going to say i'm the most amazing photographer ever- nor did my photos look that great when i started out. but i yearned to learn more and grow. the rest is history. it's been 3 years since i started my photography business and i'm still learning so much! all i'm going to say is it took practice. lots and lots of practice.

my point is- don't give up. if you're wanting to become a photographer- go for it! if you're wanting to run a marathon- heck why not? (not saying i will ever do that) but all it takes is practice and a whole lot of wanting to succeed.

I'm so excited to share with you the new design I made for Piril over at The Bookness! I've followed her blog for quite some time and was thrilled when she emailed me to design a new layout for her. We got some late spring cleaning done and I'm glad I got to work with her and get to know more about her and the fiance.
Check out her lovely blog and become her friend as I have! :)

If you're wanting some late spring cleaning done, lets chat about a new layout for you!

I would like to think of it as 3 months. THREE more months until I am married to my best friend. I wish it would come sooner, but I'm keeping busy with all the wedding planning that needs to be done. My mom and I got all the major things checked off the list, and now it's down to the nitty gritty with planning. phew! but thats the hard part... so many details!

For now, I'm looking forward to being with Kev in California. Countdown: 5 weekends to go! We have our time scheduled with going to the beach, taking engagement photos (soo excited for that!!) visiting his grandparents and one of my favorites- hitting up the rollercoasters at Six Flags which is basically my dream date :)

Are you counting down to any fun events in your life?

my grandparents have made it past 50 years of being married and are still in love.

i cannot wait to start my new beginning with kevin and years down the road, be more in love with him everyday.
he's my everything and my better half.

i've had such a great time while in utah visiting with my extended family, getting ready to go to the wedding and shopping! we checked out the new mall in downtown Salt Lake City called City Creek and it's amazing! all of my favorite stores.

my family and i are heading down south to the one and only Utah! i'm really excited to go visit there and to be with all of my extended family. they're all so fun to be around. my cousin is getting married so we'll all be together- it's an almost gordon family reunion!

my mom and i will be staying in town longer to get wedding planning done. i can't decide if i want a veil or a birdcage or do both and switch for photos?? hmm... what do you think? shall we take a vote?

for my 9th birthday i was surprised with a little mini schnauzer puppy and look what she's grown up to be, a little bit bigger mini schnauzer. sometimes i wish i could flashback to when she was a puppy, that would be the cutest thing ever! but now she's getting old (turning 12 next month!) crazy how time flies by. still gotta love her though. funny how dogs can have such unique personalities. 

do you have any family pets?

i seriously am so excited!! i am crossing something off my bucket list- Go to a Jasmine Star Workshop. BOOYAH! i signed up, paid and it's official. i've been a huge fan of Jasmine Star Photography for a few years now and love her natural, fresh photos. i stalk her blog all the time and take note about all the wonderful advice she shares with fellow photographers out there.
it just so happens to work out perfectly to go to her workshop in Orange County June 26th- which i'll already be in the area for my friends wedding and to visit my love, kevin! could it have worked out any more perfect? i simply think NOT!




i can't wait to meet jasmine star herself! she seems like a spunky lady and of course i'll get to meet other photographers out there. how awesome is that?!

what a wonderful feeling to wake up in the morning to sunlight streaming through your window! we got lucky with 80 degree weather today and all i could think of is wishing i was at the lake with my friends swimming. but instead, today is my sister's 18th birthday so we went shopping! i could spend hours in H&M and was excited to find these white shoes and this striped skirt. after shopping and celebrating at Red Robin, i decided to take some time to relax and soak up some sunlight. i was so happy to talk to kevin on the phone for a bit and catch up with him. he makes me so happy and i'm counting down the days til i see him in california next month. can it come any sooner?!

i was craving a dessert, but didn't want to calorie binge so this is what i found in my kitchen: strawberries, bananas, cool whip and chocolate syrup. a brilliant idea came to me, why not combine them?! anything is good with a little chocolate and some cool whip!



what are your favorite "healthy" desserts? pleeeasee share :)

i thought that while living at home this summer i would have time to blog more often, but this little place on the internet has been rejected lately! today i changed (once again!) my blog layout so that i can transform this place for kevin and me! you don't know how long i've been wanting to change the name to fit kevin in, and now that the ring is on the finger, he's ALL mine :)

i will still be blogging about my specific areas of design and my improve series, but it will also be a place to write about our upcoming new life together and i couldn't be more excited.

to recap my life lately, i'll just post the handy dandy instagram photos. seriously, i'm obsessed with instagram. so if you're also obsessed, join me! @andreabrionne

.... my final decision for my wedding colors is:


i'm going for an urban/Anthropologie theme and have always loved these colors! wedding planning is very fun and i'm enjoying every bit of it. next weekend i'll be in utah for a cousin's wedding so i'll have time to get some wedding details taken care of while i'm there!

okay Utah residents, help me out here. Where would you suggest for a florist? dress shopping? cake? and any other wedding suggestions i would love to hear? :)  

since now i'm in full swing wedding planning mode, (no worries, i'm not a bridezilla) my weekly favorites are all things wedding! thank goodness for pinterest, yet there are SO many ideas and inspirations that i can't narrow it down! i'm also very thankful that my mom is a professional organizer and is very on top of things, phew!

p.s. i'm looking for a California (LA/San Diego area) photographer to take my engagement photos, so definitely let me know if you know of anyone/are a photographer yourself!