for my david

my husband david is in california. i am not.

we have often heard the phrase "lobsters mate for life"...

and it has become a symbol for us. 

with that in mind, for our 6th year anniversary, i compiled a fetching group of photos to express my love for you in lobster form.

(all images above via pinterest)

awesome, right?

'cept for this: 

lobsters don't mate for life. 

turns out a female lobster can mate only after she sheds her shell. 

(there's plenty of symbolism there, 

but i'm not going into that right now...)

pro: the female chooses the male she wants to mate with.

con: once she's made up her mind, the female stands outside of the male's den and pees, releasing her pheromone/aka love juice.

(peeing in public?! can you imagine how that would 

go down in civilized society?)

 (via millionface)

 (via millionface)

oh.

well. 

anyway.

the male then splashes himself with her, um, love juice, and permeates his den with the scent. 

super. lobsters are into urolagnia. they're so freaky.

then the game playing begins: 

the male charges out of his den claws raised aggressively. 

the female, of course, responds by either 

a. boxing with him 

(kick his ass, seabass!)

or 

b. turning away. so original.

(insert debbie downer soundbite here: waah waaaaah.)

finally, when he chillaxes enough to run a few smooth lines by her, and she finds herself more or less ready to party, 

she puts her claws on his head. 

game on.

the couple then enter his den, and he 

shows her where the magic happens. 

because i am a scientific expert, this is probably what it looks like: 

(via fierceandnerdy)

unfortunately for our gal, this guy isn't always true blue. 

er, red.

(via facebook)

"who? this? oh....this is nobody baby, this is...

uh...the housekeeper. no, really! i promise."

 (via cartoonstock)

they probably click around on the tele, watch some crap reality show marathons, or perhaps the entire scrubs box set, and then anywhere from a few hours to a few days later, she molts.

at this point he could either mate with her or eat her. 

i can't even think of a witty enough comment to write here.

he gently turns her fragile, exposed body over, "being careful not to tear her soft flesh"...geeez. the websites i'm getting this info from are starting to make this all sound like a sordid nora roberts novel. 

anyway, they do the deed. sparks fly. 

the male of course "retains his hard shell"...uh huh. 

surely he's proud of it. 

he probably makes jokes about it with his lobster buddies. 

has no qualms about adjusting his "hard shell" in public, 

even when his lobster date expresses outright embarrassment. 

after her new shell grows, in about a week, she leaves the safety of his den and they part ways without so much as a backward glance. 

at least she's got a cute new outfit on and 

he's the one doing the walk of shame... player.

all that's neither here nor there, and you probably just learned way more than you ever intended to about lobsters. 

(but hey, now you singles have new information to share on a date, and perhaps a new strategy to try when you get to that 

"possible awkward kiss at the door" moment. 

girls, just be careful not to pee on his shoes. 

that stuff really doesn't come out.)

regardless of whether or not they mate for life, 

lobsters certainly are tasty. 

wish i were sharing some with you today,  my love. 

you have been very un-lobster like in your love and support 

over the past 6 years, and for that, i thank you. 

and i love you.

with all of my heart. 

xo

i heart SoCal

i heart you, SoCal. 

my whole life i have been waiting to meet you--really meet you. 

not work in a studio for days on end, but get out, experience all you have to offer.

this past long weekend was 

the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

i am still smiling. 

more soon. 

xo

(images via pinterest and me.)

Anniversary Gift Ideas

so many of my guy friends often ask me for gift ideas for their better halves. 

birthdays, holidays, anniversaries...you name it.

i looooove this. 

actually, i have a lot of people in general who ask me for gift ideas, because gifting is pretty much 

my most favorite thing ever. 

if budget allowed, i would give gifts a lot more often than i am currently able to; 

i think about thoughtful gifts that people would like all. the. time. 

something in a store window will catch my eye 

and remind me of my sister; 

i'll imagine how much it would make her smile to receive something special, just because. 

maybe i'll be cooking something for a party, and think i should double the recipe and take 

the extra to a friend with a new baby. 

i have some amazing people in my life who i am always trying to think of creative ways to show my appreciation to, or to make laugh, and let them know i thinking of just them. 

we all need that, no? 

now while i do tend to get emotional over all things handmade and heartfelt, please don't mistake me for someone who doesn't enjoy the finer things 

that money can buy. 

(and hey, in this shite economy, 

it sure is fun to daydream.) 

even the most expensive endowments have a knock-off, however. a scaled-down version, a  "real life" option, for those of us not playing the game with monopoly money. 

i'll take anniversary gift ideas for $200, alex.

plum pretty sugar
loungerie
kind of obsessed, actually. 
these gorgeous garments are brilliant for any woman in your life, let alone as an anniversary gift. 
you can go as sexy or casual as you want. 
they even have bridesmaid sets--brill!
i would never take them off.

(via michellearmas)

 (via loridanielle)

(via maxwanger)

beautiful art. 

with killer talents like these, you cannot go wrong.

(ooooh, look at us! 
all grown up now and buying art!)
i love art as a gift. 
michelle armas will custom paint a brilliant piece to coordinate with a room, a color scheme, a moment; whatever you want. 
its custom, bitches.
as if that wasn't awesome enough, 
in struts lori danielle with her laser-cut paper custom fingerprint art.
dayyyyyum. is that what you had said?! uh, yeah.
she sends you a fingerprint kit along with all the info you need; you send her your prints. just make sure you send them back to her address, 
not the fbi. 
(or even the county clerk. you know, what with all those unpaid parking tickets.)
max wanger not only has an awesome last name, but his photography skills are insane. 
check out his blog for more; my words are no testament to his work. 
(though i did find myself stranded deep into the recesses of his tumblr the other day and just barely made my way out before i dehydrated and remembered i had children to care for.)
i love the print above in particular for an anniversary, and you can order it big and frame it up; she will love you for it. 
i would.

you know you're o.g. when you've got a lucite ice bucket with your custom monogram on it. 
or in this case, in it. 
i've been crushing on iomoi for months now. 
their use of cheeky animals, brilliant color & current patterns are uber appealing. 
so very "mr. fantastic fox" meets palm beach.
yachty.
the lucite trays, custom stationary and home accessories are all beyond fabulous, and would be ideal for a housewarming or engagement/bridal shower gift, in addition to an anniversary!
if you do get the ice bucket, however, just be sure to include this very important accessory:

(via evinite)
yum.

(via nikon & maxwanger)

the best gifts i've ever received are, of course, my girls. but the superfast badassness of the camera my husband got me for my birthday a couple years ago is a very close runner-up. 

kids move so fast they seem to go from diapers to bieber in no time flat. 

its nice to have a camera that can keep up.

(wow, they should really pay me to write this stuff. 

i know, right?)

i take some incredible photos with my trusty slr; if only i really knew how to use it. 

imagine the detail i could show you: picture with perfect clarity the chocolate running down birdie's face as she devours an ice cream cone, or the tears streaming down poor little bunny's cheeks as she trips and gets another skinned knee. 

wait, why am i photographing that? weird... anywho...this would make an awesome gift. 

an amazing camera and the knowledge to be able to use it. (via max, no less!)

(via lilypulitzer)

another one bites the dust. 

i kind of swore i'd never like this stuff, but darn it if she hasn't sucked me in. 

the queen of posh prep has made me love her, 

and i'm not ashamed to admit it.

this adorable bicycle would be so much fun!

probably not your best bet in training for your next ironman, but for a breezy ride down by the water, or an afternoon cruise down the lane: perfection.

in my opinion, these are all fabulous gifts any woman would be overjoyed to receive. 

but if you just aren't pickin up what i'm puttin down, trust me when i tell you:

you can never ever go wrong with baubles, biscuits, bouquets or bags!

(unless of course she doesn't wear jewelry. 

or has a variety of allergies which prevent her from eating cookies. and is allergic to perfume and flowers. in which case it sounds like you have bigger problems.)

(peonies. my favorite. image via flickr. but if you live in atlanta use michalevans! they're the best.)

 (via laduree)

 (via neimanmarcus)

(via calypsostbarth)

 (via jcrew)

(via emersonmade)

happy gifting, ladies & gents! 
xo