Inspiration for the coming week.

There's a lot of planning going on around this house, & we're really looking forward to the next 6 months. I'm diggin' on this Ryan Adams quote, to move into the next week with happiness & an open heart.

It's Eric's birthday next week (woo!), gotta get those party plans nailed down (eek!).
Love you guys, take care.
xo Chlo.

On a trip home.

Man, I love traveling until I've been forced to sit on a plane for 15 hours. It just ruins it, y'know?

Anyway, we made our way over to Australia again late last month & were lucky enough stay through most of April. It was a wonderful time, as usual :). Here are just a few snapshots from our time. I don't have all of the photos from the family yet, so there will probably be another post soon.

Relaxing Sunday.

baby Cleo :)

E & Dad went golfing!

This was my general diet, haha.

West Coast Blues n' Roots for my birthday - awesome day.

Family shots.

Sydney airport.

Hope you've all had a great April.
Take care,
Chlo xx.

On a big ol' dude named Caruso.

We had the fortune of being pup parents to a wonderful bloodhound, Caruso. Unfortunately, at about a year old he became epileptic & so began our journey of caring for a seizure dog.

It has been a long, expensive few years with our Roosy Roo, but oh boy did we love him so. His personality was typical bloodhound - dopey, affectionate, loyal, & gentle. He loved to play with Satchmo, & wouldn't even play tug of war because he never learned to hold onto the rope tight enough - he was a true gentle giant & treated little 'Mo with much care.

Yesterday was the day for our sweet Caruso, as his medications became too hard on his body & we had no other solutions for his ever-increasing seizures. His condition was never under control & every few months was a race against his disease.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some memories of him. He was such a huge part of our lives, & I hope beyond hopes that he knew how much we love him. He will be missed.

xo, Chlo.

Life Lately - February/March

Hello! First of all, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out to us over the last couple of weeks. We really appreciate your love & support, it means the world to us. Now, it's onto better days!

Here are just a few snapshots of the last couple of months :).

Left to right: Macaulay Culkin in his band Pizza Underground at Club Dada, our hydrangeas, Eric at our fav burger joint, my new teacup from hubs, selfie ;), us, kitty cuddles, Stephen's change of command ceremony, Eric playing darts, new console table from mum - making some house updates, coffee break, Leeloo sitting pretty, my first drink at the Londoner, & Harry Potter, a celebration of the music of John Williams with a live orchestra at Alamo Drafthouse.

We head to Australia next Thursday (3/27). So excited! Taking my camera this time so I will have TONS of photos to share.

Take care,
xo Chlo.

On answering the question, "So, how have you been?"

This life is a beautifully impossible one, isn't it? It is so bold, yet so fragile - how love, compassion, & strength can exist simultaneous with pain, sadness, & indignity.

I was planning a post to share some really exciting news with you all, but unfortunately life had other plans.

Eric & I were pregnant, but we lost the baby at 9 weeks.

I don't really know what to say; I've written & rewritten this post over & over again. First of all, E & I are good. We are so, so good. My gratitude for my amazing husband cannot be put into words. We have handled this with complete honesty between us, & it has given the experience a backbone of strength. This is cheesy, I know, but I really didn't think that we could be any closer or any more in love - but we are. I don't know what I've done to deserve this love in my life, but I must've been a saint in a past life ('cuz I sure as hell ain't one now!). I think getting through a situation like this shows you what you're made of, as a couple. Man, oh man, I am one lucky girl.

We are amazed at the women in our lives who have come forward & shared their own stories with us. I am sorry that I didn't know about your loss before & that it takes things like this for women to be able to share. Ultimately, I guess that's why I'm writing this at all - we deserve to deal with these things in our own ways, to avoid any form of shame, & to connect with the people around us in shared human experience.

I feel no shame or personal failure for this loss. The body knows what it's doing, it knows how to handle these complex processes beyond what my mind can even grasp. Fortunately, the doctor does not foresee any additional problems for us in the future, & when we decide to try again, it will be with much more confidence than before.

We are so thankful for everyone who has supported us during this time. You have been warm hugs, crying shoulders, welcome distractions, & big belly laughs. Sharing in your experiences has given us exactly what we needed - perspective. We have so much time to enjoy before we have children & when that eventually happens for us too. I'll be honest, we're taking some time to get back to the life we love before we embark on this journey again.
We're in no rush ;).

Thank you all so much for being constant reminders of why we have so much gratitude for our beautiful lives. We count ourselves as the two luckiest people walking the earth, & this experience has only made us believe that more.

Take care, until next time.
xo Chlo & Eric.

January.

Besides our trip to Austin, January has been a pretty quiet month. The last week especially has been so bloody cold, it's hard to convince myself to even go outside ;). We've been making some changes around the house, updating our bedroom a bit finally. We're currently planning to remodel our bathroom - it's so tiny & inefficient, there's lots of room for improvement (but that's for another post!)

It's been nice to just spend time together. We've become a little hermit-ish since the wedding, & it's probably time to get together with some friends again, haha. I mean, Eric built a 3000 piece Lego Sydney Opera House & I'm having Downton Abbey pizza parties by myself. It's not looking good (but I'm secretly loving it).

Here are just a few snapshots from this month.

Love you guys!
Chlo xx.

OH! P.S. This little guy was hanging out on our windowsill the other day, trying to keep warm. Pretty much left him alone after he shot me this killer stink eye. He was the size of a large grapefruit & I wanted to cuddle, but he wasn't having any of it.

On a last-minute trip to Austin.

A couple of weeks ago, E & I decided to get out of town for the weekend - actually, I discovered an Aussie meat pie shop in Austin & that was that. We booked a little cottage via airbnb & took off. We had a fantastic time, & the place was amazing; we will be staying there again, for sure. The whole back of this place opened up, & if you know me at all, you know I live for open windows & fresh air on a good day.

got dressed up for dinner ;).

bone marrow at park side was awesome.

drinks afterwards down rainey st.

Sunday morning saw brunch with the always beautiful Sus & Austin at Elizabeth St. Cafe (sorry, I forgot to take a photo! Can you believe it?!), & a nice drive home.

Hope you guys are having some adventures in 2014,
Chlo xx.

On rehearsal dinners, honeymoons, & families.

We had an amazing rehearsal dinner in our backyard, coordinated by my mum. This was my one bridal this-is-what-I-want-so-give-it-to-me moment. I knew it would be crazy to have a catered event in my backyard the day before the wedding, but it seemed like it would be really great to have everyone here. & it was! Thanks to mum taking charge of the whole thing, haha. It was like we had two weddings.

After the rehearsal dinner, Liz (the most rad MOH ever!) & I went the NYLO for the night. It was so weird leaving Eric at home! We are one of those annoying couples who are basically never apart, so it was really hard to leave at such an anxious time. But Liz was awesome & we drank too much champagne in our posh hotel room.

Once all of the festivities were over, it was great to relax & spend time with family. We spent a few days showing them around Dallas & Fort Worth before we headed off on our honeymoon. I have to say, it was so funny seeing them react to our fantastic shopping in Dallas - the selection & prices are so much different to Australia. & then there's all the FOOD. They were pretty impressed, I think, & it was nice to take them to a few of our favorite places.

We left on the same day as family to head to California for our little honeymoon. We went to Eric's hometown, San Luis Obispo, for a stress-free vacay. It's nice to go somewhere you're already familiar with after the intense wedding experience. It was a lovely time - wine & beer tastings, good food, & lots of sleep.

After four days in San Luis Obispo, we met my Dad & family in LA to explore the city & Universal Studios. It was a blast to see that with my brother & sister - kids make that place a lot of fun! It was a short couple of days, but I'm so glad we got the chance to do it :).

Phew. These really were the most insane weeks of my life. As much as I cherish every moment that I was privileged to experience, I can say with all certainty - NEVER AGAIN.  Eric is the one & only, because I'll never do it again, haha ;|.

Take care, loves!
Chlo xx.

On something borrowed, something new, & something blue.

Our wedding day was one of the most amazing times of my entire life. Eric & I are so grateful to everyone involved for making it the once-in-a-lifetime experience we dreamed of.

I honestly can't find the words to portray our complete happiness, gratitude, & love for each other and the people around us that night. So I'll let the photos do the talking.

(This is an extremely small taste of our wonderful day. See all photos here.)

A huge thanks to the people who made this day so so special.
Wedding Coordinator: Rachel Burt - As You Wish
Photographer: Sean Berry - A Guy & A Girl Weddings
Officiant: Marty Younkin - LoveNotes
Catering: Jim Lee Events
Florist: Pamm Meyers - Bridal Blooms

P.S. If you haven't downloaded the photos yet, they are available here.

With all the love in the world,
Chlo xx.