girls camp

I'm not sure how, but I've managed to get the best assignments and callings in the world. I had the privilege of spending this last week up at Girls Camp, where I got to work with the amazing 16 and 17 year old Youth Leaders in our Stake. It was an incredible week! I truly felt an outpouring of the Spirit in preparation for camp, as well as during the time we were up at camp. It was wonderful!

I was literally laughing until my side hurt! Between getting fake bruises (created with markers), doing acrobatics at the pool, staying up WAY late, traipsing around the woods doing pranks, and the girls calling me Sister Gospel, it was a wonderfully fun and entertaining time. We were even lucky enough to have Jeff join us for a day up there, which the girls loved, of course. :)

In addition to laughing and joking, we were able to share with each other in the Spirit and come closer to Christ. I had an absolute blast getting to know these girls and helping them understand that God loves them and wants them to be happy. It really is amazing to see what strong friendships and connections can be forged in such a short time. I truly love these girls and am already plotting how I can get back to Boise to see them as they accomplish all the wonderful things they are capable of. I love these girls and I love the Gospel!

big news

Yes, we're moving to...

Maryland? you ask. Why Maryland? Well, Jeff is going back to school to pursue a PhD in Business, specifically in Information Systems (IS). We are thrilled that he has been accepted at the University of Maryland - go Terps!

Not only is it an AMAZING program (their IS program is ranked number 6 in the country), but it is a mere 6 miles away from Washington, DC. As a result, I will be working for the U.S. Senate in our Capitol Hill office!

Jeff has had grad school in mind for quite some time, but who knew we'd be moving to Maryland? Who knew I'd be working in DC? It's so interesting to see the path our lives have taken and continue to take - how it all unfolds.

We feel so richly blessed by the Lord. We know He is mindful of us and has a plan for us, better than the plans we made for ourselves. We are sad to leave Idaho and our friends and family here, but we are also excited for the new adventure that lies ahead on the east coast!

These are my own little "terps" I bought with birthday money from Anthro. Aren't they cute?

my wildflower patch

I love flowers. Scratch that - I ADORE flowers! I'm not sure what it is, but I just can't get enough of them. Spring is such a lovely time of year, and the flowers popping up everywhere bring me joy. I need to get my camera out and start snapping some shots before the springtime varieties fade away.

Today as I was driving back to work from lunch, I noticed a bunch of dandelions in my neighbors' yards. In fact, a couple of the houses had a mini field of them. I know they are weeds, much like the yellow tansy pictured above. But seeing those bright yellow bursts of color covering the beautiful green grass are somehow cheerful to me. Then again, I'd probably feel differently if it were my own yard.

Following on that, I thought about how wonderful it would be to have enough land to just have a big field of flowers in your backyard. One big field, filled with one variety of a bright and beautiful flower, somwhere to just wander, take pictures, nap, and enjoy at my leisure. But alas, it will be quite some time before that becomes a reality. For now I will just have to dream as I admire other people's dandelions. :)

thank you

A big, heartfelt thanks to each and every person who read my last post, particularly those who left a sweet comment. I always love comments, but it is especially wonderful to read such personal and kind words as we go forward on this new chapter in our lives. Jeff and I have been so blessed to have supportive friends, families, and loved ones who selflessly reach out with their words, thoughts, and prayers, especially when it isn't easy. Thank you, thank you, thank you. :)

As for the pictures, well, remember how I went to Hawaii 5 months ago and never posted about it? Well, here are some of my pictures. I really am planning to do a recap, but it's one of those things I want to make sure I do right, so as a result I don't do it. Haha - funny how that works. It will come - promise.

We're Hoping to Adopt!

Jeff and I are very excited to let you know that we are hoping to adopt! Some of you may have already known about this, as it's something that's been in the works for a while. We just recently had our profile published on the LDS Family Services website, so we figured it was time to announce it on our lovely blogs. You can view our profile by clicking here.

The journey that has brought us to where we are today has been a rollercoaster ride filled with lots of ups and downs. With challenges in life come great blessings from the Lord, and we have faith that adoption will be a miracle in our lives from Him. We are sincerly excited to adopt and have faith that this is the Lord's plan for us to bring children into our home.

As mentioned, we are going through LDS Family Services, which allows birth mothers to choose the couple their child will be placed with. As a result, we don't know how long it will be until a mother chooses to place with us. If you know of an individual who is considering placing their child for adoption, we would love for you to direct them to our profile and get in touch with us!

The greatest strength we have found in this journey is the peace and comfort that comes from the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have faith that He is ever mindful of us and that His plan for us is greater than any plan we had for ourselves!

spring

is just around the corner

and that is something

to be happy about. :)

anthro

I don't know about you, but I do love me some Anthropologie. I feel lucky to be able to walk/drive past this store everyday for work - I'll admit I've been known to jaywalk just so I can get a closer look. :)

Not only are the clothes beautifully unique and the home accessories to die for, but the window displays are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! If you want to know what I'm talking about, just google image search "anthropologie window displays" for some great eye candy. It makes me want to have a huge window in my house someday just so I can make incredible displays out of everyday items like cardboard, paper, etc.

An ostrich made out of paper? Yes indeed!

A few months ago I noticed a little sign in their window for "Visual Tuesdays." So, for a few weeks, I spent my lunchbreak at Anthro helping design their holiday window display. The theme was "15 inches of snow," so lots of white! We used some pretty random items - paper receipt rolls, paper cups dipped in wax, etc.

It was really fascinating to see how they do their displays. Each store has a visual director (not sure that's the actual title), which is a full time job. Every time Anthro does a new display they send a little inspiration booklet to each of their visual directors. It is full of images, some of their own images, some from other artists, to inspire the director. Then the director gets to decide how to execute it in their individual store. I LOVE the concept of giving the director freedom to make the display what they want it to be - what a way to encourage creativity!

So bottom line - Anthro is fresh, fun, and inspiring. A little pricey for my current situation, but you can get a whole lotta inspiration for free by just doing a walk through of the store - or just the window for that matter.

new digs

So I was just reviewing my posts for the past 6 months or so, and I realized there are almost NO pictures of Jeff and me! You would think we have no lives beyond weddings, crafts, food and photography, which isn't quite true. :)

However, I do love having this little spot to share my creative musings and latest (or not so latest) projects. Therefore, if you want to keep updated on the family happenings of Jeff and me, take a little hop on over to our

family blog - woot woot!

I've had this address for a few (ahem) years and am finally getting around to using it. But better late than never, eh?

Enjoy!

dasily + mckay

December brought yet another wedding in Jeff's family, Dasily and McKay. Yes, that's right, 3 weddings in 12 months! Props to Jeff's parents for surviving that! It was a beautiful winter day for a beautiful couple. Congrats, Dasi and McKay!

The Idaho Falls temple - we kinda like this place :)

The happy siblings

I can't even tell you how much I love this face!

Tasty reception treats (LOVE that argyle!)...

and the full spread!

I made the turquoise tablecloths. As for the recipes for some of the treats (including those AMAZING argyle cheesecake pops my mother in-law made), you can find them here, here, and here!

You can also see more wedding pics from the photographer here.

winner winner

And the winner of my most recent giveaway is...

Becky!

Congrats, Beck! Send me an e-mail and let me know what colors you want me to use for your little custom made package.

In fact...why don't all of you who did a blog post on my Etsy shop send me an e-mail with your address and favorite color (karlaehlers (at) yahoo (dot) com)? I do love to make things, so I'll send each of you a little something. :) Thanks again for the shout outs on your blogs!

How's that for a little Christmas Eve present?

NOTE: I made these earrings for a friend a few months back and never got around to posting about them, so there you go!

ho hum

Remember how I used to blog? Yeah, I know it was a long time ago. These last couple of months have been crazy! Someday I will start posting again, and I hope that day is soon. :)

Let's start with this: I will commit to posting about my second giveaway before Christmas.

Deal? Deal!

shallie + jesse

Okay - so maybe I shouldn't get ahead of myself. I haven't posted many details about my sister in-law's wedding, now have I? And that was way back in October...a long time ago!

To make a long story short, I was Shallie's wedding planner and had a blast helping her plan the big day. I spent hours and hours thinking and brainstorming for it - so fun! Martha Stewart and Snippet and Ink were my main go-to websites. I can definitely see myself being one of those moms that just wants to plan their child's whole wedding for them.

We started planning back in June when she got engaged and used a special, private blog I set up (which is now public) to share ideas since we are in different states. It was stressful at times (those centerpieces were just about the death of me), but it all turned out fabulously. Shallie was such a beautiful bride and we are so happy to have Jesse in the family.

The bride and groom, with Shallie's cute little boat shoes peeking out. :)

Where forever started.

An Ehlers' wedding isn't complete without No. 1 making an appearance (family joke)

Jeffrey + Me

Wasabi - hilarious (a Jeff and Karla joke)

The centerpieces that almost brought me to tears, first tears of frustration, then finally tears of joy.

Blessed, blessed pumpkin cupcakes - YUM!

Paper lanterns...they make me so happy

Be sure to check out the wedding blog for more pictures and sourcing information for most everything we did. And definitely check out their engagement pics here, bridals here, and their wedding pics here from the real deal photographer, Eric Izlas. Amazing!

And by the way, I CERTAINLY can't take credit for everything. Becky and Rod were HUGE contributors - they are responsible for the incredible lighting. Mindy was also a major factor in all the inner tent beautifulness. Grandma Ehlers did a ton of baking. And of course, none of this would have been possible without my wonderful parents in-law, Mike and Lanette. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

back from paradise

We're back! Okay, so maybe we've been back for 2 and 1/2 weeks, but I've just been too busy doing other things to blog. :)

More details and fun pictures to follow!

aloha!

Just wanted to give a little shout out from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. That's right - Jeff and I are currently in HAWAII! We just got here today and are already having a blast!

And just a little update - I will be announcing the winner of the giveaway, but I need to figure out a little detail before I do. Until then...

Aloha!

happy election day!

Don't forget to get informed and vote today!