the lucky one

Daniel took me to see The Lucky One on Saturday {thanks love}. All I have to say is I loved the book and loved the movie. Ok, thats not all I have to say but, for now it is. Oh and Zac Efron did not disappoint, there is a reason he is one of my fake boyfranns. {SWOON}

NOW GO SEE IT.

Our InstaWeekend//a happy list post will be up tomorrow. I just couldnt wait to tell you about this. 

{via}

new email

Just letting you all know I have changed my email to make my life easier and keep this whole blogging thing organized. If you need to email me please email me at:

abcde.the.blog@gmail.com

I hope you all have a happy weekend and do something fun. 

XO

follow me on instagram @erykaann

pinterest love

1. Love this California print. Sorta missing Ca, well the beach part. 

2. This D.I.Y picnic blanket, needs to be made this weekend. Thanks for the idea Rachel.

3. I love red hair. 

4. I am pretty sure I must have this swimsuit, Like no joke. 

5. loving this yellow nail polish color. 

6. this pasta dish look oh so yummy.

7. someday when we have our own house i would love to have subway tiles in the kitchen.

8. painted jars. do it yourself. 

{all via pinterest}


Happy Weekend, loves. Doing anything fun? I am hoping to sweet talk the hubby into seeing The Lucky One with me. :) 
XO

Guest Post: Q&A with Ashley

Hey guys, Today my blog BFF Ashley are swapping blogs. I am so excited to have her over here. You probably know her from our Weekly Link Up we do each week. Now you get to know her a little bit better. I have added my words in italics! Enjoy! After you check out her guest post go on over and read mine on her bloggy blog! XOXOXO

Hi ABCDE friends!  I'm Ashley from absolutely ashley I blog about my randomness & every day happenings with whole lot of pictures in between. I am a born and raised utah girl who loves dancing, fashion & makeup. Eryka asked me to take over the blog today so here I am! 

1. How long have you been blogging and Why do you blog?

I have been blogging since september of 2007 but didn't really get into it until 2009. I first started to blog when I was away at college and my sisters and SIL wanted me to blog so they could stay updated with my life.. So I did. back then the only people who blogged was the married ones. So I felt awkward blogging but boy am I glad i started. not only has it been a way to record my memories but to do it with pictures! I am an avid journal writer so I love that I can recap my life with pictures & know that some day I will be able to share it with my children. and along the way I have met some wonderful people! 

2. So, you are one awesome photographer. When did you start getting into photography? 

Ever since I can remember I have had a camera in my hand. I would capture ever event of my life. I would pose my dolls & my friends and have little photo shoots. then when I got into college I would pose my roommates. Everyone always knew they didn't have to document anything because I would cover it all. Then later in college my brother asked me to take his family pictures so I borrowed a friends dslr and the rest is history. I fell in love with capturing families, couples, weddings, and children.  I love being able to look back at a picture and remembering that exact moment in time and the feelings you had. you can view my work here.

3. What's your go to beauty item?

Mac studio fix. I am a mac makeup addict. I like to call studio fix powder my face's photoshop. Try it. You will thank me later. I can't even tell you how many friends I have got hooked. It is a miracle makeup sent straight from heaven! I don't leave home with out it.

4. Favorite T.V series you've watched. Ever. and Why? 

F.R.I.E.N.D.S hands down. oh gosh. I can't even begin to tell you about my obsession with friends. I fall asleep to it each night. I quote it daily. I love the relationships between each of the characters. I love that if I'm ever having a bad day I can turn on F.R.I.E.N.D.S and I know I will end up laughing hysterically. I can always relate to this show. I compare everything to it. Let's just say if you are a F.R.I.E.N.D.S fan we are insta-friends!

Thanks for having me, E! Hope to see ya'll on my side of the blog sphere soon.

Find me here:

blog//photography//twitter//pinterest//@ashippy instagram

Isn't Ash the best? I just love her and am so glad I can call her a real life BFF! Hope you all have loved getting to know her better. So go on over to her blog and show her some love! XO

i think im in love

all via madwell.com

so, theres this site called madwell.com i think i have found my new love. too bad all there clothes cost lots of monies. if i had lots of cash money i would buy these gorgeous items. that polka skirt, the pretty triangle top, the swimsuit, the dress, the stripe top and polka dot top....sigh! do yourself a favor and go look at all their pretties! 

the little things

+ I read "Heaven Is Here" by Stephanie Nielson in about 24 hours. It was that good. I can honestly say this book changed my life. I help strengthen my testimony of this Gospel.  I am in awe of Nie Nie's faith and hope. I literally cried my way through the book. 

+ I suggest you read it, like now. Don't forget the tissues. GO READ IT NOW! Your life will be changed. 

+ Finally getting organized with this whole blogging thing. Phew! It makes such a difference. 

+ If you haven't had a Pace's popsicle I feel sorry for you. They are the best things in the whole world.

+ This week I have spent everyday so far sitting outside for a little reading in the sun. I love it. For a girl who doesn't like Summer, I am loving this warm weather. When it gets to 90 I wont be so much. 

+ Our new lawn chairs are so cute and I love them. You can get some too at Home Depot. 18 bucks, yo!

+ I love being able to sit outside with the hubs and just talk about our days or whatevs. I love it! 

+ Guys, I finally ordered some new work out shoes. Those yellow and gray babies will be here soon! Yes, I cannot wait to wear them. {Thanks Momma!}

This week I have been focusing on the little things that make me happy. I've been reading, eating popsicles, working out {like Yoga}, blogging, talk to friends, and spending time with the hubby. I have noticed a huge change in my outlook of the day. I suggest you try this. Take a week to do things that make you happy. Its pretty awesome. 

Hope you are having a Happy Wednesday! 

XO

Ps. If youre looking for Weekly Link Up, we'll be back next week. Ash is on VACA..Jealous!! 

Guest Post: Livy Love Designs

Have you ever thought about running an online shop? {me raising hand} Ever wonder what goes into it? {hand still raised!} Today the lovely Diana from Livy Love Designs is going to be telling us all about running an online shop. We did a little Q&A a few weeks ago and I hope you guys enjoy it! 

1. Not only are you a blogger but you run Livy Love Designs. When did you start your shop?

I started Livy Love Designs right after I had my daughter.  I wanted to do something for myself and felt the desire to create.  Other people really liked the nursery prints that I had made for her nursery and then I decided to just start making some on my shop.

2. When did you realize your interest in designing prints?

Well, I went to school for graphic design.  I love art and I love design.  I know that other people do too and I had so many ideas that I knew it would be a blast making prints.

3. When you aren't making adorable prints. You are being a mom to two cute kiddos. What is your number one parenting advice?

Parenting advice would be to always make time for yourself.  It's extremely easy to forget yourself and just tend your children because they are obviously your world but you need to fulfill your personal happiness as well or else you will get burned out!

4. While running an online shop, how do you stay organized?

Great question!  I have an office where I just store all my paper, packaging supplies, and everything else that is needed to run a small business.  I also designate Mondays and Thursdays as my shipping days because I can easily get overwhelmed with making trips to the Post Office which isn't always allowed in my busy schedule.

5. What's your number one advice to someone looking to start their own online shop?

Number one advice to someone who is looking to run a shop is realize if it's really something for you.  We all want to make money from home and the idea is verrrrry enticing.  But it's honestly not for everyone which I think people don't realize.  There is a lot of your money that goes into it, late nights, frustration, and discouragement.  You have to be the assembly, production, customer service, shipping and packaging of your own company and that can get extremely overwhelming when you are just one person.  I think you need to evaluate your circumstances to see if you can actually handle it.


You can find Diana here: 
Etsy/Twitter/Blog/Facebook

I just love Diana's work and can't wait to get some of my own prints from her soon. You should go on over and check out her other work. You could even check out her bloggy blog and tell her I sent you. This week she is even having an AWESOME SALE 50% your purchase!!! So what are you waiting for go on over!! 


Thanks Diana for guest posting on my blog. :) 
XO

our insta weekend

{follow me on instagram @erykaann let me know so i can follow you}

peach days at artic circle//got my craft on//sunny and warm weekend//babysat my little siblings thurs-fri//watercolors with oakley//bridgers baseball game. he hit a freaking home run it was awesome//bodie making some sort of burrito boys eat the nastiest things//cute oakley//orange wall at my dads//spring//nightly routine//his and hers tablets//fro yo date//bed head//new fave snack//the result of getting my craft on a new wreath all for about 8 bones//watercolor pic with oak//shopping for my send something good secret sister//cute soda bottle/my breakfast date friday morning with cereal. 

we had one eventful weekend. thursday-friday we watched my little siblings. bridger{almost 12} bodie {10} and oakley {5}. we had a blast spending time with them. friday evening after my dad and stepmom got back from their trip oakley was out playing with friends down the street. long story short she was bitten by a dog and got hurt pretty bad. bite marks on her arm and stomach. she is such a good sport. she was being so brave and strong. i talked to her saturday afternoon and she said she feels so much better and was even going to try her bike without training wheels. i know right, she is so brave for a 5 year old. love her! saturday we enjoyed the gorgeous warm weather and bbq'd. sunday was a relaxing warm day. got spiritually uplifted at church and had dinner with dan's parents. i loved this weekend. the weather was perfection. if you live in Utah, don't you agree? :)

hope you all had a happy weekend. do anything fun? 

xo

pinterest love

pin with me. you know you want to. 

{one} love this decor

{two} animal print and rust 

{three} pretty headboard

{four} genius idea. will have to try it

{five} neon and sparkle nails 

"it's friday, friday, friday....gettin' down on friday"--sorry i had to. remember that song? poor girl. anyways, have a happy weekend!!! 

send something good link up

I found this awesome "secret sister" type thing via Gentri Lee and today we are all linking up to help us all get to know each other. So excited to start getting things together for my "secret sister". :)

all about me: 

+taking pictures

+blogging

+pinterest-a-holic

+ kind of a girl who gets attached to tv characters and book characters

+loves babies and cant wait to have one of our own

+a caring wifey

+the color pink

+shoes

+sunglasses
+target
+hair products
+books
+the song "i wont give up" by jason mraz
+all things hunger games

tumblr love day

1//2&3//4//5//6//7//8//9//10&11

tumblin' thoughts: 

+love the zooey gif from the new girl. pretty much how i react when the tea is all gone. i think i have looked at this like 100 times and cracked up each time

+i wanna watch 500 days of summer now after posting this "to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die" 

+even though the pic with the girls is sorta weird i love it
+well said josh, well said.
+and i freaking love seth cohen and miss the oc sooo much. i think my mom needs to find the dvds and mail them to me asap. 

follow me on tumblr and let me know so i can follow you if you have one. its pretty much the coolest ever

do you have any questions?

hi everyone. i just had a brilliant idea. since i have had A LOT new readers, i thought it would be oh so fun to do a Q&A post. do you have any questions you have been wanting to ask me, or ask the hubby of mine daniel? i hope i get a good amount of questions. so, i can do this post in the near future. 

you can send your questions to erykaann88{at}gmail{dot}com

ready, set, ask us those questions.

hope to hear from you loves

xo

weekly link up: fake boyfranns

Hey readers. Welcome to this weeks Weekly Link Up. Ash and I always love coming up with link up ideas. This week was extra fun and I am so excited about it. We wanna know your celeb crushes or as I call them fake boyfranns. You know we all have them. The certain hotties of celebs we crush over. I even have a Pinterest board just for my fake boyfranns. Yeah, you know you are jealous. Bahaha! 

Let me introduce you to my fake boyfranns....Yep I have more than one. Its ok, Dan totally understands and loves me for it. Besides I could never marry these guys. That would be awkward. Dan already has said no to the brother husbands idea anyways. Jk! 

Leo Dicap//Gets hotter with age. 

Zac Efron//Cant wait to see him in the lucky one

Zach Gilford//The other Zach I love from my fav show ever Friday Night Lights

Ryan Gosling//Does this need an explanation of why I love him? nope!

Joesph Gordon Levitt//He is what I like to call Geek Fake Boyfrann

James Mcavoy//Love him in Penelope. Swoon

&& last but not least my very first crush EVER 

Justin Timberlake//Guys, I can't even tell you how much I used to love him. I still do. 

Well, this was probably the most fun I have had creating a post! Bahaha. Now, its your turn to tell us your celeb crush/es. Can't wait to see them. Oh, and tell all your friends to link up with us! 

if you are new to this link up or if you forgot how it works here are the instructions:

 1. each week we will post the topic for that week, then blog about it on your blog and add the button from above to your post. 

2. then, come back here and link it up at the end of this post as well as go over to ashley's blog and do the same. make sure you link up to both!! 

3. now, read other bloggers lists and get to know them, that makes it the party!!! be sure to spread the word of this awesome weekly link up party! 

Guest Post: Q&A with Kailyn

So a few weeks ago I started emailing back and forth with the lovely Kailyn from Finding Fortitude. She is one awesome lady. She and I have had so much fun chatting about One Tree Hill. We have even dubbed ourselves P.Sawyer and B.Davis. Im P.Swayer and she's B.Davis! So today we are swapping blogs for the day and doing a little Q&A with one another. I hope you enjoy getting to know her like I have.

You recently changed your blog name. What does your new name stand for?!

Well, it first came to me when I realized that One Tree Hill was ending soon, which is kinda silly. But fortitude means, strength in mind. So my blog name basically means finding strength of mind aka Finding Fortitude.

What are your fave blogs to read?

I love reading abcde, obvi. But a few of my others are Before The I Do's, Happiness is...according to Sara, Gentri Lee, Busy Bee Lauren, and Close Encounters. They are all lovely reads and I suggest you take a look at these fine ladies.

Why do you blog?
I started blogging just over a year ago. I started finishing my work at work early and found myself bored. So one day I thought, HEY! I'm gonna start blogging. That will keep me occupied. And occupied it has kept me. I love meeting new people, so blogging is the perfect way to meet people you would have never thought you would have met, being that they live NO WHERE near you. I love it.

When you aren't blogging, how do you spend your days?
When I'm not blogging, on weekdays I'm either working or going to school. My weekday schedule is pretty jammed these days. But on weekends, I'm either being lazy with the boyf, playing soccer or trying to learn to play hockey.

What is your favorite color right now?
I'm glad you said right now! My all time fave color is purple, but right now I am LOVING olive green!

What spring trend are your loving currently?
Spring trends, I'd say chambray shirts and fedoras. I just love how they look together. Like this picture here..

{via}

I love that she named her blog after One Tree Hill because let's face it. OTH was one amazing show and I love her style. I told you she was awesome. You should go on over to her blog and show her some love. Tell her I sent you. While you over there check out my Q&A. 


Thanks B.Davis! 

I hope you all are having a happy Tuesday!
XO

our insta weekend

started watching greek again//took my first trip out of the house since ive been sick on thursday to the store//two blanket kind of a night//still overwhelmed by the response from this post//went to the bees game fri night//dan and jase had matching shoes. i did too//jase and rachel//all playing draw something//us//sunset at the game right before we left because it was cold//new fave quote//sunday outfit//pretty clouds//at the park with our nieces//pretty green grass//sunshine//the nieces//toms of course//slide fun//us at the park//pretty temple 

this is what the weekend looked like via instagram. do you follow me on instagram yet? @erykaann you should. then let me know and i will follow you. 


hope you all had a wonderful weekend. loves ya!

hi, you.

found this while browsing meg's blog.

xoxo

my thoughts on future little ones

***EDIT: I am overwhelmed with the response from this post. I appreciate all your love and support. You are all so amazing. Thank you for all your sweet words. This was a hard post for me to write and I am amazed by the response. I wrote this for me. For me to finally put my thoughts in to words. All of your sweet words are just a bonus. You have made me feel oh so loved. Thank you! <3***




ok so i guess im all about the deep posts these days. here is another post about something i have been thinking about A LOT lately. 


i am sure i am not alone in noticing the amount of ladies who are preggers these days. there must be something in the water everywhere. ok, so as much as i honestly am happy for everyone who is pregnant. i can't help but be a little sad too. for the past month or two i have been so baby hungry. i am not really sure how to explain what im feeling but, i honestly feel like i am suppose/ready to be a mom. trust me i know it will be hard work, and its not all easy. so please, spare me the comments about how hard being a parent is. 


a few weeks ago we had general conference . the very first two talks were on children. no joke, it was actually pretty funny. i kept laughing and looking at dan. he kept telling me to stop. haha. anyways, as i listened to the talks all of them seemed to be about children and what we are suppose to teach them. it got me thinking about what kind of mom i want to be. which lead to think about how i want to be a mom so bad. 


we by no means trying to have a baby right now. dont get all excited. i know we have a lot we need to do in order to really be ready for this next step. with that said, i honestly believe that there is no RIGHT time for anyone to have a baby. it's not on our time it's on his time. him being God. only he really knows the right time. we can come up with all the excuses we want about why it's not the right time. when really, they are all crap. 


i love this quote from this last conference. 


"The creation of life is a great responsibility for a married couple. It is the challenge of mortality to be a worthy and responsible parent. Neither man nor woman can bear children alone. It was meant that children have two parents—both a father and a mother. No other pattern or process can replace this one." - Boyd K. Packer


with all this said, i know that it will happen for us when it's suppose to. i also know i can't be jealous or sad when i hear of someone i know who is pregnant. i need to be happy for them and understand that my time will come.  i will be a mom, someday. i will be able to love, teach, guide and cuddle my own little one someday. 


along with my desire to be a mom, comes alot of worried feelings. i worry people will judge me. worried they think i am too young or immature to be a mother to a child. i worry that people will be mean about this. i know that nobody's feelings really matter. having a child is decision that is between my hubby, God and i. nobody else's feelings matter. so, everyone who is reading this i hope you understand that and i hope that you can just support us when the time comes. 


when the time comes for us to add one more to our little family, i will embrace it with all my heart and cherish it. until then i need to remember to cherish these times i have with dan. as a young married couple i should be grateful for all the time we have together and for life we have. 


i cannot wait to have my own little. when the time is right. thank you for taking the time to read this and know i love each and everyone of you readers! xoxox

pinterest love

{pin with me}

my pinteresting thoughts 

+ loving this blue and green combo

+ i am thinking i will have to purchase this yellow gingham shirt

+ stripes are always good

+ love that light blue color

+ navy dress is a must

+ teal shoes are pretty

here are some pretty pins of some things i am loving for my wardrobe for this summer. i have some pieces that are similar to these. don't you love these colors? yellow, navy, teal, blue, and green. pretty together. 

i hope you all have a great weekend. we are going to a bee's game tonight with jase and rachel. then saturday my dad, stepmom, brothers and sister are coming over for a BBQ. yay for spring weekends. 

happy weekend.

a blog post about blogging

i have been doing a lot pondering lately about blogging. it seems i am not alone there have been alot of bloggers blogging about blogging {get it?}. i am so grateful for this blog of mine, it really has been a growing experience for me.  

since the beginning of the year i have  gained a total of 55 new followers and this has blown me away. i am in no way doing this whole blogging thing to gain more followers. i am simply blogging for me. to express my creative side, and document life events. 

what i am about to say, is something that is really hard for me. i dont want people thinking i dislike such and such bloggers. i just have been really bugged by somethings lately. i recently started taking sponsors and i have loved it so far. last month i told my then sponsors i would leave their buttons up til may. well, i was doing my usual reading of their blogs and noticed some of them didn't have my button up. this seemed weird to me since they have said they would leave it up til may as well. so i decided to start taking sponsors for may now and re did all my buttons. only adding the ones i have received emails from telling me they wanted to continue the swap. really this isnt a big deal i just was so annoyed by this. in my ad swap tab i say what an ad swap is. we exchange buttons and put them on each others blogs. so idk, i guess i am just taking this the wrong way. it really isnt a big deal. so if you are interested in swapping with me for may, i am now accepting sponsors. email me at erykaann88{at}gmail{dot}com. 

another thing i wanna talk about it really really really dumb. i totally understand that there are those big name bloggers who have thousands and thousands of followers. well, i feel  like they dont care about me. i know they have alot of followers and a real life, so it is probably hard to respond to each and everyone of their followers. sometimes i feel lost in the sea of followers. 

you are probably think "eryka, they can't respond to everyone" i know i know. but, something i try to do is respond to my comments and followers. yes, i only have 155 followers so it is very easy to keep up on. i just feel like its so important to keep a "relationship" with my followers. i have actually made some really great friends from the blogging world. 

i know that if i dont like a blog i dont have to follow it. but i just have been thinking about these things lately and really wanted to get them out. 

please don't take anything i said the wrong way. i tried hard to write this in a way i didn't make anyone upset or anything. this is my blog and these are my thoughts.

okay so thats it for now. please know i love each and everyone of my followers. i am so thankful for all your love and support. you all are awesome sauce. kthankss. xoxoxo 

tumblr love day

{all via tumblr}

tumblin' thoughts:

+ great motto
+ emma stone is so pretty

+ pretty much how us girls are about everything am i right?

+ star wars nerd love
+ love this

weekly link up: summer fun

Hi guys! This week Ashley and I want to know your favorite Summer activity. With Summer quickly approaching I have started thinking about the few things I do like about summer. I am a Fall/Autumn kind of girl. I do like Summer for a few things. 

Snow cones, swimming, tan skin, and I get to wear my rainbow flip flops. I love my rainbow flip flops. Do you have a pair? No, well you should get some. Yes, I know they are like 50 bucks but, they are so worth it.  I have mine for awhile and they are still in great shape. 

I think I would have to say my favorite Summer activity is something I got to experience for the very first time last Summer. Trips to the local snow cone shacks. We made so many trips last summer to get snow cones I can't even count them all. I am so looking forward to them opening up in a few weeks. California doesn't have them and I have really been missing out on this glorious summer treat. 

Just the other day the hubby and I saw one and both exclaimed "I cannot wait for snow cone season!"

{one of the many sno cone trips last summer}

Now it's your turn to tell us what your favorite Summer activity is. We can't wait to hear them all! 

if you are new to this link up or if you forgot how it works here are the instructions:

 1. each week we will post the topic for that week, then blog about it on your blog and add the pic from above to your post. 

2. then, come back here and link it up at the end of this post as well as go over to ashley's blog and do the same. make sure you link up to both!! 
3. now, read other bloggers lists and get to know them, that makes it the party!!! be sure to spread the word of this awesome weekly link up party!