I need to blog more...

I've really dropped the ball on Team Gilster recently. Honestly, there hasn't been much motivation to get on here and write, the lie of "I'll update tomorrow..." has really gotten the best of me, or I start on a blog post and get horribly distracted by Teen Mom 2. Is it just me or does Janelle have the worst crying voice? So I'll start with our quick trip to San Fran. Super fun and we had a blast sightseeing, eating, finding cute coffee shops, but it was hard because I kept comparing it to NYC (I miss you ny). For the first time we got to actually see and walk across the Golden Gate which Paul had been dying to do. It's pretty incredible. We accidentally left the camera at home so if you follow me on instagram you may have been a lot of these ;-)

Then.... we officially launched our second business, The Toasting Tent! A fun & fresh video booth company. I wrote a little about it on here...check out our website www.thetoastingtent.com or keep up to date by liking us on facebook! www.facebook.com/thetoastingtent We are super excited about it and excited to see it grow! Would love to hear if you would have had a video booth at your wedding, we totally would have. To see our guests like this would have been priceless.. Watch a sample toasting tent film below...

Then....my mom found a project pony, we tried her out, and then bought her! Cray. We've had her for just 5 days now and she is a handful but we are excited to keep working with her and see what she is capable of. For those of you who aren't sure what a project pony is...it's basically when you purchase a green horse/pony (green meaning hardly trained)  as an investment. It's up to you to put the time and training into the horse and hopefully sell for more when he/she is ready. With ponies, the goal is to work with them until they are ready for a child to ride/show them. So here we are! Sienna is pretty cute and I'm trying hard to not get attached to her.

Then...no just kidding, not much else has happening over here. We've been doing little house projects here and there but other than that Paul is super busy with school and getting ready for finals. Just 3 more weeks and he will be officially be halfway thru grad school! Proud of that guy. 

A weekend getaway!

image via Pinterest

2013 seems to have brought out the little jet setter in both Paul & I...First Florida & the Caribbean, New York City and now San Francisco for a weekend getaway! We've been twice together but it's always been for work and not play. We came across a great deal and went for it (all while we were in NYC may I mention). Ever heard of someone who books a vacation while on vacation? I'm excited to really explore SF for a couple days and of course get some amazing food! The camera is coming so pics will soon follow :)

guest-ing a wedding.

Kelley - Dress: TJ-Maxx // Paul: Jacket: J-Crew, Pants: H&M, Shirt: H&M.

Last weekend we had the pleasure of driving up & staying a night in San Luis Obispo for our friends Garry & Taylor's wedding. It was such a treat to get dressed up, enjoy appetizers, a glass of wine, and dance the night away while enjoying ourselves as guests instead of vendors. We also reunited with so many other college friends that we hadn't seen in a couple years! Where does the time go?! This week we are also excited to announce the launch our second business. It has been a tiring few weeks as we have been preparing for everything and it feels great to be so close! Below is a sneak peak of what's the come...

an afternoon in central park

I'm going thru some serious New York withdrawals this week. Trying to convince Paul that we need to take a trip back each year, there is so much more of that city I want to explore and experience! This was one of my favorite days, spending an afternoon in central park.

craiglist. ikea. and the need for something new.

"If I can't have a puppy then can I at least remodel our apartment?" A brief glimpse of a recent quarrel between Paul & I. This sentence actually says a lot. For instance.

#1. I still ask for a puppy everyday.

#2. No, we haven't moved.

#3. I'm so ready for some new scenery 

#4. Puppy dispute: Paul 1, Kelley 0.

So I'm attempting to calm my puppy fever with some new nesting techniques. My hope is that if I could love our place as much as Paul does, maybe moving so that we can get a dog won't seem so sweet. My first priority is our bedroom. We bought all our current bedroom furniture from Ikea, It's dark, matchy-matchy and doesn't really display our style at all anymore. I still love me some Ikea, let's be real...it's cheap and awesome, plus you don't feel super guilty when you want to sell it on craigslist almost 3 years later.

After selling all our current b-room furniture and using that cash, my goal is only to invest $300 in this our new and improved bedroom. Of course I wish our budget was endless and I could make one trip to West Elm, badda-bing, badda-boom, done. Ya right. To stay within budget, my plan is to Ikea hack a lot of pieces and bring some inner Martha out for a little DIY-ing. First things first. Our headboard. Below are our top 2 ideas for what we could do. Would love to hear what your favorite is!

Plain off-white headboard with fun draping fabric behind.

DIY stained wood headboard

No headboard, Ikea fabric wall 

Balance & Grace in marriage.

Marriage is hard. Really hard. Not always...sometimes it feels like a walk in the park, while other days seem like a battle zone. Both Paul and I are pretty stubborn, probably the #1 reason for any and all arguments. At almost 3 years of marriage, it's safe to say we are past the point of not voicing our opinion if something bothers us. Can't tell you how many times I've been lectured for leaving a wet towel on the floor or when I've gotten on Paul for leaving anything and everything inside his pockets all over the dining room table (both of these things are our pet peeves). Marriage takes a ton of grace, that's the truth. It's been a journey for us to find the healthy balance in confrontation. It's obvious that no confrontation in a marriage isn't healthy, yet too much isn't either. I know there have been times when I've felt, "dang, I really didn't need to get that worked up over that, I probably hurt Paul's feelings in the way I confronted him" and on the contrary there have been times when I thought, "Why didn't I say anything, I should have stood up for myself!" Balance is hard. Grace is hard to give. But I'm still so thankful for the gift of marriage, even if it's not always a piece of cake.

Image by Color Me Rad

That time we explored NYC

I don't know how I waited 23 years to explore that amazing city. It's full of so much life, I totally fell in love. So much that I was looking for apartments to rent (Yeah.) Sadly, I think we would have to take out a loan in a half to live there. Worth it? Absolutely. Below are just a few photos of our trip, we took so many. It would be annoying if I posted them all! :)