enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

Augustalmost

Tossing out the plans and the post ideas and the photo walk today. I'm feeling so good about August that I flipped my calendar over last week. (Yep, I still know we're two days out.) I adore August, this final month of summer (not scientifically, or technically, but in every other sense of the word). Lots of good around here.

Here

I am celebrating a garden that is producing bright red tomatoes in every size daily. These are the best tasting tomatoes I have ever eaten. I am proud of my container garden and my first foray into growing something edible. It's the start of an annual hobby, for sure.

Here3

I am grateful for an organized space. It's going to be a crazy few weeks and then a crazier few months. Projects on top of projects. I want to make more. I want to take 10,000 photos. I want to enroll in a ceramics workshop. I want to release new stamps. I'd love to launch a new mixed paper book. I will be re-running the Blog 2.0 workshop. (Edit : My schedule has changed! I'll be doing something different with the blog class material!) I will be working hard on my first class for Big Picture.

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I am so looking forward to seeing my college girlfriends at the end of the month. It's been crazy difficult to get everyone together often enough. We tend to rely on weddings to do the reuniting for us. I spent much of last Thursday looking through old photos and remembering the hilarity and magic of that group. We're having reunion t-shirts printed and that about sums it up.

Colors

I am paging through Pantone swatch books and learning so much about design, color & printing processes. Every few minutes I want to pinch myself that this has become part of my job.

Sketches

I am sketching on paper and playing with ideas for my site & shop relaunch. The best way I have found to embark on a revamp is break it all down and start from scratch. Destroy to develop. I have a home page plan and now I need a decent amount of text and a shop layout that makes sense. After that, it's just code. And while I am far from fluent, HTML is my favorite language.

Olympics
I could have used one of the 50 photos I have taken of my TV over the last few days, but this one tells a better story. Also, my skin color is like a PSA for sunscreen.

I am such a fan of the Olympics. There is something special about them (duh). We signed up for cable for the first time in two years (previously we watched all our TV on the Internet the next day) just to tune in. We'll be keeping it through college football season too. Our method is to DVR all the coverage and then speed through commercials & five of the six hours of bike racing. I so enjoy watching the best in the world complete on the greatest stage. I love the sappy three minute packages that make you fall in love with an athlete you've never heard of and will never hear of again. I love scooting to the end of my seat for the final 50m of any swim race. I love that when one of our guys fell off the high bar & I screamed and sloshed my full mug of coffee into the air and on to the couch, Paul didn't even bat an eye.

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I'm in love with the idea that Paul will be home for the rest of the summer, all of the fall and through the holidays. The reward for having him miss this last year is that I get to sigh with relief every time I remember that he's here this time around. Next weekend we celebrate five years of living together. It feels like forever and it feels like just yesterday we dove head first (synchronized diving style) into this relationship. Going for it was by far the best choice I ever made. I'm so excited for what's next.

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48 responses to “yep, yep.”

  1. Kathy Avatar

    Awesome photo of you guys on the couch and such a natural expression. Your tomatoes are fantastic and I know how proud you are of them because my first tomatoes were such a thrill as well and the flavour.

    Like

  2. robyn Avatar

    in love with this post today! so positive and happy and excited for what’s to come!
    (and i flipped my calendar over to august this weekend as well!)

    Like

  3. Pink Ronnie Avatar

    Honestly, reading this just brought the biggest smile to my face. I can literally FEEL your energy and enthusiasm through my computer screen! So awesome. YOU make me excited for August. Thanks Elise…
    Ronnie xo

    Like

  4. helena Avatar

    congrats on the BPC gig – did I miss the announcement ? what are you teaching?

    Like

  5. Krys72599 Avatar

    You know what I like best about your photos with Paul? There’s such life, fun and love in every one of them, and you can really see how much he loves you. We know already how much you love him – your words show that even more than your photos. But in each and every photo, you can see it in his eyes… you two are very lucky to have each other!

    Like

  6. Susan Avatar

    BPS! Yes! it’s about time they worked you in. i’m very selective of the classes i take from BPS (part cost; part time) but you are on my go-to-blog list so my selective list just grew!!!

    Like

  7. Megan Anderson Avatar

    You make me excited about everyday life. Seriously. Your joy is kind of contagious 🙂

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  8. ashley Avatar

    You seem to have SUCH a great relationship with Paul, like you two are the same person. Did you/do you have tough times? (Other than the deployment obviously!)

    Like

  9. Isobel_A Avatar
    Isobel_A

    Hey! The first blogger I read who’s watching the Olympics!
    I’m a ticketless British resident who is currently insanely grateful for the BBC. All day (ad free) coverage on BBC1 (in HD) and BBC3, but the best bit is the red button stuff (do you have red button in the US? Probably). Anyway, on the red button (and live streamed on ‘tinternet) is everything – every.single.minute.of.every.single.event. It’s fantastic. All the niche sports that don’t get much/any coverage? All there. I was like a toddler in a sweet shop all weekend watching every single eventing dressage test, and then when I get home from work tonight I’ll catch up on the cross-country 🙂

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  10. JillT Avatar
    JillT

    #tomatolust

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  11. sara Avatar
    sara

    favorite post in a while (although i love them all), and ps i totally cried for the little gymnast girl. to have to awkwardly stand there behind her friend getting interviewed…pain.ful. “t: are you crying? s: are you NOT crying?”. word.

    Like

  12. Paige Avatar

    How can anyone read this post and not be excited?!?!? You should participate in blogging olympics- you’d totally win!!

    Like

  13. Lauren Avatar

    I love the Olympics… suddenly everyday seems more important 🙂 There’s nothing better than getting together with your college girlfriends… I had the pleasure of getting together with all of mine this weekend, for a bridal shower, Hah! Funny how weddings bring people together 😉

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  14. lindsey Avatar

    The couch photo cracks me up! Perfect monday morning post Elise.

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  15. Carole Avatar
    Carole

    Elise, the college girlfriends reunion is so worth all the effort. I get together with 3 other gals every summer. We met 23 years ago in the dorms as scared/excited freshman. We started out camping, and shortly after graduation moved to hotel suites or we rent houses. We went through a few years of bringing our babies – and are all now past that point. Over the years, we’ve got a system down… we meet about the same weekend each July, and we pick next years location while we’re together. The four of us live very different lives, but we always leave on such a high after our annual reunions. We have a charm necklace with all 4 birthstones that travels around with a journal. Cliche’, but I love it – (and I’m wearing the necklace right now). We hired a photographer for a shoot when we all turned 40 last year – that was awesome. In two years, our 25th year will bring us back to the same town where it all started. These little traditions are so fun. Hopefully, some encouragement to make the effort. Its worth it over the years. I can’t tell you how many times I hear “Oh… I would have loved to stay in touch with so-and-so, it just never worked out” or “my girlfriends from college USED TO BE so close.” I’m so grateful we were intentional – and now its just as much a part of our summer as sunshine!

    Like

  16. Dawn Avatar

    I’m in love with this post. The writing, the photos, the excitement…I love it! It inspired me, motivated me and just really put me in an all around great mood to start my Monday..thank you for this!!

    Like

  17. elise blaha Avatar

    I could not agree with you more. I see many of my girls a few times a year and most every year. The way our schedules work out, the eight of us seem to only ALL meet up for weddings, so every two years this time, but as the weddings become more frequent, it will be closer to every year. That is really amazing that you are able to get together with yours every summer. Believe me, I recognize how much planning and effort that takes.

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  18. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    Enjoying garden tomatoes, watching Olympics, and having a summer with a husband deploying after the holidays here too. What a fun photo and great post! Hope your August is everything you want it to be!

    Like

  19. elise blaha Avatar

    Very cool! We have the option of watching online at NBC.com and I am pretty sure it is all coverage all the time. This past weekend though, we stuck to the regular broadcast. I might keep some of that on during the day while I am working! Enjoy!!

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  20. elise blaha Avatar

    I snuck it in to a post awhile back… I am developing a class on goal setting an documenting your progress. 🙂

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  21. elise blaha Avatar

    Haha, we do have an awesome relationship, but we have more differences than similarities. I think part of why we work is we truly enjoy each others company more than anything else. But we still battle despite or maybe because we are such a good match. 🙂 I am gathering up steam to share more personal stuff here eventually and part if that is rough patches.

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  22. Julia Avatar

    Your tomatoes look SO GOOD. Also, super pumped for your class with Big Picture. When do we get more details??

    Like

  23. Lindsay Overbey Avatar

    You just made me realize the summer is almost over, haha. I need to knock out my summer manifesto 😉 I plan on picking my FIRST tomato EVER tonight + I am so excited!!! I will for sure be blogging about it. Happy Anniversary!!! ♥

    Like

  24. elise blaha Avatar

    thank you! not for awhile, I think. I am still working on content and do not have a scheduled release date, but I will of course keep you updated here. 🙂

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  25. Monica Avatar

    “The reward for having him miss this last year is that I get to sigh with relief every time I remember that he’s here this time around.”
    YES. This. My husband was deployed half of last year and he’s been home for 7 months (longest stretch of our marriage) and I am so happy that he is around. It seems so…indulgent? He’s leaving again in 2 weeks but I am relishing having him here. I totally know how you feel.

    Like

  26. Jessica Rodarte Avatar

    I agree with the other comments. You exude energy, and it is contagious. 🙂

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  27. Ann-Marie Avatar

    I love every bit of this, Elise. Two things I wholeheartedly agree with: a ceramics class would be ridic fun. And the Olympics make me oh-so-happy slash oh-so-emotional as well. xoxo

    Like

  28. Linda Avatar
    Linda

    YEAH! can’t wait for your BPC workshop!! sign me up!
    great post…enthusiasm and inspiration exude from your blog 🙂

    Like

  29. elise blaha Avatar

    I am going to one in Ventura for a few Saturdays in September I think (waiting for the fall schedule to come out) you should join!!

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  30. Nicole Avatar

    Love that couch photo so much and looking forward to your BP class even more. Happy Monday! 🙂

    Like

  31. elsiecake Avatar

    omg- your olympics photo is SO adorable. we’re wasting WAY too much time watching it every day (maybe wasting is a little harsh- but it’s definitely too much couch time) but it’s so fun!

    Like

  32. Ashlee Avatar

    Love this little update! So happy life is so full for you! I’m happy Paul is home and will continue to be home for a long while. Also, the couch photo is really such a gem! Haha!

    Like

  33. Amanda Avatar

    This was one of my favourite posts in a while! The everyday life happiness! (And the coffee on couch story made me laugh!)

    Like

  34. Skye Avatar

    I agree! So sweet! 🙂

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  35. Skye Avatar

    This post is so genuinely happy, I love it! Watching the Olympics took up almost my whole weekend and I loved it. Olympics season is the only time I watch sports at all and I get really into all of them. That is adorable about your college friends. I also tend to only see my whole college friend group at weddings, and I’m excited for this weekend because one of them is getting married on Saturday so I will get to see everyone! I’m getting even more excited to finally hear about your big project one day 🙂

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  36. Harriet Avatar

    I am also on the edge of my seat during the games – my enthusiasm is almost embarrassing. Cute little post, enjoyed it.

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  37. bonitarose Avatar

    Great post Elise. You inspire by all you do. All of us are blessed to get a glimpse into your one beautiful life. xo

    Like

  38. Laura A in OR Avatar
    Laura A in OR

    Love this post, Elise. So real, so honest, so you.
    thanks for sharing.

    Like

  39. Ali Avatar

    Here’s to diving in!

    Like

  40. J3SS1C4 Avatar

    Such a happy, inspiring post! Your enthusiasm is contagious!! It’s so good to get to start a fresh month and know you you have so much planned for it! I wish you all the best for it, and can’t wait to hear more about your upcoming class and the new stamps your planning! I’m also super excited for you blogging workshop!

    Like

  41. o-girl Avatar
    o-girl

    I enjoyed this post – especially the part where you wrote that it was 5 yrs ago that you & Paul “dove head first…” into your relationship. As an older-than-you gal who’s had opportunities to dive in head first and didn’t (regret is a bitter thing to live with), please let me say I admire your braveness for going for it and I don’t need to say this because you already did…having dove in head first will be the best choice you could ever make. 🙂 Wishing you both a lifetime of friendship and love.

    Like

  42. Emma Avatar
    Emma

    You’ve probably answered this before but I missed it — what type of sunscreen do you use?

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  43. elise blaha Avatar

    Josie Maran face and body. chemical free! 🙂

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  44. Emma Avatar
    Emma

    Thanks!

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  45. J3SS1C4 Avatar

    I did ceramics with Mum for a few years when I was still in high school. It really was great fun! I would definitely suggest trying it out!

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  46. kate Avatar

    i’ve been marking this post unread all week for when i had more time to come and comment. there is such JOY in it, i love it. so it was fun to see your extra thanks in yesterdays post. hope you’re having a lovely, poolside vacation!!!

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  47. G-Lub Avatar

    This might be one of my favorite posts from you! Love it 🙂 And love the last 2 pictures!!
    Giuseppina

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