our current oasis.

the past week,  thank goodness is exactly that... the past!  i was so terribly sick all week.  i spent the majority of my time laying in bed - under a blanket, sitting in front of the computer - under a blanket, or on the couch - under a blanket!!

as i sulked in these various locations i really got the chance to look around at our sweet lil home.  just some iphone images that i took while i was stir crazy and sick.

its pretty wonderful when two worlds collide and decorate an apartment together <3

peace & love~

puzzled.

mark and i are absolute hobbyist at heart.  i imagine we always will be.

for christmas this past year i got him a panoramic puzzle of the new york city skyline (which we both very much admire that city) to go under the glass of our coffee table. 

we started out strong and determined to finish it in a timely manner and now it still currently sits under construction. i was re-motivated today when i saw these images we took after the first couple of nights we worked on it.

its 3 feet long and full of beautiful colors (yeah the swirling color pieces have been tough!) which go well with our colorful, city inspired living room and perfect for our table. 

my hope is we will jump back in and get it done by the end of april!! i promise to share images.

peace & love~

Cha cha changes...

Changes
David Bowie

I still don't know what I was waiting for

And my time was running wild

A million dead-end streets

Every time I thought I'd got it made

It seemed the taste was not so sweet

So I turned myself to face me

But I've never caught a glimpse

Just gonna have to be a different man

Time may change me

It has been brought to my attention many times in my life that I am not always the most positive ray of sunshine to be around...even though I really dont want to be seen this way,  I still let it happen far too much.

I've been through quite a bit in my 26 years and feel I have mostly grown from it in a positive way, but I have recently noticed that is not always the case. I have so much to be thankful and happy for and all too often I only concentrate on what I don't have, or need and can't get at the moment, or what I've been through. I guess I suffer from "the grass is greener" syndrome when in fact the grass is greener underfoot. (thanks)

I desire to be happy and naturally make others around me happy too. I'm not completely sure where the negativity and self-loathing comes from or even where/when it started but it has become a slippery slope.

Why is everything... never enough?  I have my health, a job (maybe not my dream job, but who can be picky now-a-days), a car I love, amazing animals, a great apartment in a great city, a lover and friend that I spend every second I can with, an incredible hobby/side business that fuels me everyday to get out of bed, and family that would walk through fire for me.

Yet I dwell on the harsh reality of a failed marriage, lost/destroyed friendships, never having enough money, the hell of customer service and feeling left out by living so far from everything I've ever known.

This sadness and negativity must STOP!! I've got too much to lose if I let myself slide into the dangerous abyss of depression and I've got to try harder to move on, let go and find peace. My life really is too great to let go of dreams and stay stuck in a rut!!

So cha cha changes are in the works and I'm feeling great about it. I follow some very positive blogs written by very inspiring girls that remind me on a daily basis that life is pretty and wonderful and worth using every second you can to discover what's amazing around you!!

You should check them out too!

katie stratton
elsie flannigan
angela hardison

Thanks ladies;)

So my hopes are to frequently update this blog with positive and happy observations and changes of my/our life until I snuff out that pesky dark cloud that follows me around all too often!!

The first positive change has been my hair!! (shallow maybe, but who doesn't want to feel pretty?)
Yesterday I got to see my favorite stylist Holly and spend quality time at the salon which is always wonderful. She is amazing and always makes me feel pretty, she can do the same for you too :)

I walked in feeling unkept and icky...

and left feeling confident and lovely!

so here is to positive changes, finding the silver lining in every situation, and 

photographing beautiful things everyday!

peace & love ~

momma mia meets opa!

from the very beginning mark and i have enjoyed cooking together.  we always try to make it elaborate and go all out when creating a new meal. usually its a theme related to the culture of the foods we are working with...           and last night was one of our best greek pizza nights ever!

this is the second time we have made our own greek pizza (which are inspired by last years greek festival here in columbus, they are amazing!) and i think we have mastered it.

this time around we added hot banana peppers and it was absolutely perfect!  in case you want to try it here is our (not so formal) recipe.

-preheat oven to 450

-we cheat and buy the crust at the store :) and it should be 12 inches

-1/2 cup light mayo

-4 minced cloves of garlic

-1 cup feta cheese ( to be divided in half )

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-vine tomatos

-red onion

-baby spinach

-kalamata olives

-banana peppers :)

1.) mix mayo, garlic, 1/2 cup feta cheese in a small dish.  spread mix over crust and top with oregano and sliced olives. Bake about 10 minutes. 

2.) toss spinach, onion, and tomatos in oil. top pizza with the veggie mixture and the other 1/2 cup of feta.  return to oven for about 2-3 minutes.  

it was wonderful and i hope you give it a try and add your own spin.  i promise your home will smell incredible too!

were planning on trying lots of new recipes that we have never done before  and also changing the way we eat ... i'm sure i'll be sharing on a regular basis.

happy baking!

peace & love~

is it spring yet?

my favorite weather requires me to dress in thin layers, a hoodie, jeans and flats and feel more than comfortable outside....

i'm ready for open windows, sitting on patios, colorful flowers, green grass, budding trees and chirping birdies. 

the other night we got a taste of whats to come with the changing weather.  it was a gorgeous day and it happened to be a gorgeous night.... perfect for sitting outside, cuddling, laughing,  people watching, drinking on the city streets and enjoying irish music and food.

st. patty's day downtown. 

it was such a wonderful evening filled with love, laughter and quality time.  a great way to lift the spirits and welcome warmer weather with open arms.  Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

peace & love~

all we needed was a truck to make progress.

this weekend my love and i took a mini road trip to ikea.  my momma had given me gift cards for christmas and they were burning a hole in my pocket!!

the journey started friday evening when we met some friends in the arena district for drinks, food, conversation and truck keys.

the evening was quite eventful and didn't end till after 3am but we got the truck!!

the next morning we got up as early as we possibly could and made our way to west chester for the third time together.  

this time we knew exactly what we wanted and were going to control impulse buys.

we needed a desk for my new workspace and a bookcase for our living room so that we could finally combine our books and trinkets in the same place. 

lots of beautiful things catch your eye as you walk through the showrooms and its so inspiring, luckily we were strong enough to make it through without picking up a yellow bag along the way for extra goodies....

that is until we got to the "free for all" area as i call it.  they allow you to grab a shopping cart and walk through what feels like miles of amazing deals.  i always get tripped up in the prints, frames and accessories area of the store.  i swear if i had the money there wouldn't be a blank wall in our home.

this amazing clock became a dilemma :) (this decision took a lot of math and discussion)

but don't fret it made the cut.

and luckily we acquired the desk and bookcase!

i always love the pictogram ikea instructions:) so cute and understandable in any language. 

it was a wonderful saturday filled with love and progress.... (more to come.)

peace & love~

time slips away so fast...

why does it always feel like there is never enough time in a day, yet before you know it... it's been an entire month since you have blogged!  

well luckily that is about to change....

i am almost completely set-up to keep up with all things important to my soul,  photography.  

last month i purchased my dream computer, and although it was painful to see the final balance, its been worth every penny!!

 i also finally became part of the current era of technology and got my first smart phone:  the iphone4 

(its incredible).  an imac and an iphone all in the same week.  what a lucky girl i am:)  its kind of like being in the 1980's and suddenly waking up in 2011, a mind trip, but an amazing one.

i've spent the last couple of weeks working on a new website to promote my photography business and i'm so eager to get started.  please check out the site and let me know what you think and send people my way.

BrittanyDavisPhotography

thanks for taking time to check things out.  i'll be focusing my photo blog on all things creative and wonderful in my everyday life.

peace & love~