flashbacks.

1 - love my scarf from Ecoshag and in a super giggling mood / 2 continuing to fall head over heels for this man / 3 - crunching the leaves under my favorite Minnetonka Moccs / 4 - got 'em bangs and hair cut / follow me via instagram at @muchloveilly

day 21. a list of links to your favorite posts in your archives.

this week has been a complete whirlwind, so i am running very behind on le challenge. i also am lacking on much mental capacity so we are going with this easier challenge. and actually it was really fun to look through some of my old posts - lots of good memories and growing moments. so for those who have been here since day 1 can have fun reminscing with me, or if you are brand new, get to me and my little ole blog just a wee bit more!

i never would have imagined where blogging would take me when i wrote this post.

this one was absolutely one of the happiest days of my entire life.

includes some of my favorite pictures ever. sorry about the mushiness. mmkay, not sorry.

saying goodbye is always hard to do.

first outfit post ever and made a promise that i broke.

meeting blog friends is always a heck of a good time: here and there.

we are a little obsessed.

this weekend was about more than being around crazy teens and tackling the great outdoors.

i am an ugly crier.

making this apology before i felt like i was going to explode.

super high up there on the list of happiest days ever: here and here and here.

any post involving my family being together is def one of my faves.

spent my first Christmas away from home but feeling welcomed by my new family.

he really, really loves me.

marriage is a learning experience.

sometimes, always, and never.

on the edge of something.

good thing, i gotta to head out the door and grab dinner with Ryan or else, i would be going on and on with this list. i would be very impressed if you made it through every single link!

it made me think how one day i'd love to turn this blog into a book - not one i'd publish to the public, but rather one for myself to pass on to my kids or to keep alongside with all of my journals...since this blog has been one of my favorite ways to document my every day. and as always, thanks for reading - enjoy! xo

much love.

{happy wednesday, friend.}

p.s. are you Zoe Aron and Krysten Gautreaux 'cause both of you just won the Naked Hope book giveaway!?! shoot me an email at muchloveilly at gmail dot com with your mailing address to claim your prize. congrats to Zoe and Krysten - and thank you so much to Abby for a fabulous giveaway! 

sponsor love + Target GC giveaway with Diligent Joy.

meet Abby of Diligent Joy.

I'm Abby and I write the blog Diligent Joy. It's all about me, my family (one husband, one daughter, and two dogs), the books I read, the places I go, the music I play, my goals, my thoughts, and the beauty products that I love. 

***

first off, totally stating the obvious here,  Abby is just down-right beautiful! the pictures on her blog of her and her precious family always bring a smile to my face. be sure to get to know them a little bit more in this cute post - i loved reading through it! actually i've loved reading through Abby's blog - it's refreshing and so down to earth. you won't regret adding her blog to your list of daily reads, my friend.

I'm a bit of a beauty aisle addict and I love sharing tips and favorite finds with my readers (for hair and makeup tips, check out my Beauty Aisle series). Most of the products that I purchase come from that Heaven-on-Earth that is known to us as Target. I find lots of goodies in the Target beauty section (and in all the other Target sections, which proves to be both a blessing and a curse on a regular basis) and would love for one of you to as well, which is why I'm giving away a $25 gift card. ~Abby 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to ALL Much Love, illy readers thru May 28th.

Winner will be announced on May 29th.

much love.

{happy Tuesday, friend.}

struggles.

 t-shirt: c/o Skip N' Whistle / skirt: Forever 21 / sandals: c/o Blowfish Shoes 

day 20 of the challenge. share something you are struggling with right now.

i am struggling with...

...not being able to hold back from eating the entire bag of sour gummies sitting on my desk right now.

...not not wearing this Skip N' Whistle t-shirt every day because it has easily become a favorite.

...the fact that i finished the first season of Hart of Dixie last week and cannot find season two anywhere.

...missing my long hair and being able to put it up in a messy bun especially this morning when we ran out the door to church in a hurry and it was rainy and icky outside - so really, what was the point of straightening my hair? 

...all these pesky spiders making their appearances around the apartment (due to the warmer weather, people - i promise i have kept a clean home for me and the husband)

...missing Chicago and springtime city happenings.

...that i have not yet seen The Great Gatsby or the new Star Trek yet!

... trying to organize and settle on all of my wedding reception ideas because Pinterest is so freaking awesome. tell me, how did people plan weddings before it?!

much love. {happy monday, friend.} p.s. are Erika of Rouge and Whimsy 'cause you just won the Minnetonka giveaway!?! shoot me an email at muchloveilly at gmail dot com with Minnetonka shoe of choice, shoe size, and mailing address to claim your prize! congrats to Erika and thank YOU, Minnetonka Moccs, for a fabulous giveaway! 

the Guy Behind the Camera series: vol. 2

first off, thank you for last week's incredible response to the first installment of Guy Behind the Camera. i loved giving our men a big applause for their hard work and their support of our blogs and our dang outfit posts. and today, i am even more excited to show off more fabulous bloggers and their incredible husbands. and after you read through this, i am sure you will agree with me, that these are some very lucky ladies!

***

caroline and david hulse of Sew Caroline.

Sew Caroline is a creative lifestyle blog that focuses on sewing tips, do it yourself projects, handmade fashion, and everyday life. David and I have been married for almost two years and he still gets annoyed when I ask him to take my outfit pictures. Although, I think he has actually come to enjoy it, he still loves to tease me about snapping all those photos. I know this because he has started directing me, posing me, and finding great spots for pictures....

sandy and marv of Sandyalamode.

Sandy a la Mode is a lifestyle blog that has bits of fashion, style, inspiration, recipes, photography, and everyday life of a family with a toddler.  It wasn't until a couple years into blogging that I first asked Marvin to take outfit pictures for me.  We would take some on the weekends and some after work.  And a few months into taking these pictures, I became pregnant... which meant the outfit pictures revolved into capturing "bump" progress pictures.  And after our son was born, it had become increasingly more difficult to find time to take the pictures, but we end up just taking a bunch in a row all on the weekends when our toddler naps.  At first when we started taking pictures, Marvin didn't really know how to use my DSLR and I'd have to direct him to take "fully body" shots and "detail" shots and explain all the angles I wanted... but now, he's a real pro and TELLS ME how to pose and considers the pictures his work of art, HA!

jessica and brogan of Jessica Jean Blog.

I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful segment on Ilene's blog! Let me tell you, it has taken a lot of convincing for Brogan to really take my outfit pictures and to take them well. He has never loved being in pictures- whenever we take formal pictures (our wedding, couple pictures, etc.) he HATES it. It is just very obvious that he would rather be anywhere else haha. I, on the other hand, am a picture fanatic. Opposites attract, right!? I think that's why it was easy to convince him to take my pictures- because he isn't in them! He really is very supportive and does whatever I ask for- for the pictures that is. We usually do shoots until I get the perfect poses that I want... and he puts up with me for it! He really is a wonderful husband for that and he must really love me because sometimes I can be a little difficult. It has become something fun for us to do together and I think he secretly enjoys it. We don't take pictures on any specific day- just whenever is convenient for us. We both have busy schedules so sometimes it is hard to fit it in. A lot of times we just step into our backyard and take them before work/school. Brogan has a really hectic schedule between his two jobs and school, so I just love that he squeezes in time to help me with my blog by taking my pictures!

kristine and nate of The Foley Fam {unedited}.

So thankful that Nate is so patient about taking my gazillion pics for my "fashion" posts. Even tho I enjoy them, photo seshs are not natural to me at all, and Nate is so awesome about making me feel so beautiful, even if my "outfits" usual consist of jeans and a shirt. Love when he offers to take them, and since we've been doing them more often I've become more confident and he's getting to be quite the photographer. #winning 

erika and evan of Rouge and Whimsy.

I texted the husband the other day:  "Guess what we should do after dinner? ;)" Evan knows me so well and texted back "Outfit post!" Not only is Evan incredibly patient with me (I'm kind of demanding about the photos --"can you take one like this," "tilt the camera like so") but he's also so encouraging about my blog (and my number one reader even though I never post about his favorite topic: sports.) I may be the one authoring the posts about fashion, food and life, but the husband is a huge part of what makes my blog what it is.

blair and david mcleod of Wild and Precious. 

My husband is a full time artist (oil & canvas portraiture - you can check out some of his artwork HERE) so he knows a thing or two about capturing people.  He works so hard and helps out so much around the house that sometimes I feel bad pulling him out of things to stop and take pictures for me.  But he is always gracious and I think truly enjoys helping me because he knows blogging is something that I really enjoy.  I only do outfit posts once a week usually, so when Tuesday rolls around he usually is expecting it - especially during our daughter's nap time.  There are always giggles involved during photos, but  what is awesome is that even on my "yuck why am I taking pictures of my mess of a self" days, he always makes me feel beautiful.

***

and as always the original inspiration to this series comes from Ryan, my husband, best friend and my very own guy behind my camera! i have moments where i can't believe how blessed i am to have such a loving, patient man in my life. he deserves more credit than i give him, and this is one small way i am able to do that. i love that man so much, it's ridiculous! 

*the original Guy Behind the Camera series was started by my friend, Tieka of Selective Potential who was so kind to pass on the baton. be on the look out  on the blog for more volumes of this fun little series!*

much love.

{happy friday, friend.}

don't laugh at me.

 dress: F21 / vest: c/o Vintage Urban Renewal / wedges: Belk / lipstick (park): c/o Radiant Cosmetics 

pointing something out that is quite obvious: these outfit pictures are not yet up to date but this is the last batch pre-haircut...so more up to date pictures with the new hair cut are to come. woohoo! and now back to the regular scheduled programming...

***

day 16 of le Challenge. something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it.

now don't laugh at me but i am being for reals about this. the "lot in life" that i wanted to throw out there on the table is that i am not a runner. i really am not. i was not born with the skills and the endurance of a runner. i was a gymnast for most of my life and so i was always physically in shape and still dreaded the days we had to run laps around the gym. and when it came to P.E. for school or for college, i always started hyper-ventilating and always ended up in last place. i remember running with some friends back in college - we were all trying to get in shape together, and even though they hadn't run in forever, a mile was the most normal and easiest thing in the world to them. for me, i couldn't even run the mile (only a freaking mile!). i walked most of it and probably stopped by Mcdonlad's for a large coke. 

exercise and staying active has always been an important part of my adult life. whether it was scheduling time to go to the gym or going bike riding outdoors, i made it a priority. but running? no, i just accepted the fact that was not in my DNA. 

the pain in my legs. 

the constricted chest muscles. 

the lack of oxygen making its way into my lungs.

the irritating stitch in my side.

not for me.

however, i don't know if it was the lack of sunshine last month or the boredom i was experiencing from riding a stationary bike every day or the motivating running scene from Silver Linings Playbook, but i got the itch to run. at first, i shook my head and was like naaaawww, you've tried that before. don't waste your time. i told Ryan about it and you know what? he thought it was a good idea - so good in fact, he decided to join me. 

sometimes Ryan and I re-enact this scene when we run. i'm Bradley, trying to stay focused, and Ryan is Jennifer, running around me in circles like a crazy person. it makes me laugh every single time.

so the next morning, we put on our running shoes and headed out the door. slow and steady. my ipod shuffle blasted Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars, the beat in sync to the pounding of my shoes on the pavement. i had to stop and walk a couple blocks but we kept going. and then we went for it the next day. walk and run, walk and run. 

and this week is our third week of running, and i finally have been able to run a mile without stopping or walking! so some people that may not be a big deal, but for me - that is me overcoming my "lot in life," people, so heck ya, it's a big deal for me! 

so this is me overcoming my "lot in life" of not being a runner and how i'm overcoming it involves this:

- running with a partner (in this case my husband)

- blasting upbeat music (i do not work out well without music!)

- good running shoes (so that your shins and your feet don't hate you later on)

- good running attire (the kind of shorts/leggings that don't ride up your butt - that def helps)

- stretching out beforehand (i discovered that the best stretch to wake up your sleepy leg muscles is steadying yourself against a wall or chair and swiping your leg back and forth several times in front of your body - this helped ease the muscle soreness)

i am no expert runner, but the point is that i am trying and that i'm running with it. ha! no pun intended, of course. *wink* so for all of those with the same "lot in life" as me and want to overcome it, be encouraged. if i can do it, you totally can, too.

much love.

{happy thursday, friend.}