White House West Wing Tour

Even though for work, I previously had the opportunity to go to a meeting in the West Wing of the White House, I didn't really get to see much besides the Situation Room. So when my friend Lauren offered to give Lincoln and me a tour of the West Wing, we were more than thrilled to be able to go and look around. 

We couldn't take any pictures inside most of the rooms. They only allow pictures in the Press Room and outside.  

We really enjoyed being able to see in person the rooms where great men and women have and do work. (Even though, to be honest, everything is smaller and not as cool as it shows on the series The West Wing)

Thank you again Lauren for showing us around! 

Men on guard on top of the roof of the White House. 

I am reaching over to look at the TelePrompTer on the podium. 

Kiri, me, Lauren, and Gail  

The rest of the apartment.

Master Bedroom:

The color of the room used to be a baby blue, but we painted it a light grey.

We continued the "shutter" theme, and used one of the shutters for the headboard. Next time my mom is in town, I want to make a nicer headboard, but this one works for now. 

We bought the night stands on Craigs List, and received the lamps for free. We spray painted them and bought new shades. 

This is my favorite piece in the bedroom. I have SO much jewelry and my mom came up with the idea to use an old door we got for free and make it into my jewelry center. She but a shelf, and a mirror on it, and door stoppers to hold the jewelry. It is so nice to have everything organized!

Second Bedroom/ office:

Before:

After:

We painted it from peach to white, and it feels so much bigger and brighter!

And, yes you can see where we store our bikes!  That is the ONLY negative aspect of our new apartment, no porch or garage to store the bikes! So we do what we can. 

Equipped with a futon and all.  This second bedroom makes everything easier when  guests come stay with us. 

The Bathroom:

My mom always taught me that it is important to put your cotton and ear swabs in pretty jars, so the bathroom is a more pleasant place. 

That about does it for the tour of our new apartment. We absolutely LOVE it! We feel so blessed that we got such a good deal on the place and that it is walking distance to the metro (which will come in handy when Lincoln starts working).

We are also very lucky that my mom came out and we were able to put the apartment together in less than one week. While there is always more little projects we can do, it already feels like home.

New Apartment--Design on a Dime

If you have seen me smiling more in the last two weeks, it is because Lincoln and I moved into a new apartment!!! 

We are finally out of the basement, and into a two bedroom! I couldn't be more happy about it. Just having more natural light was good enough for me, but to top it all off, my mom flew out to help us paint and decorate our new place. Many of you know by now that my mom is amazing, and she seriously did wonders with our new place. 

{She is showing the step by step process on her blog this week 

and next week} 

Since we found out we were moving, I started shopping and 

gathering together everything we have. 

I LOVE CRAIGS LIST! 

It is like shopping at the thrift store, 

all from the convenience of your own home. 

I found a victorian style couch from the 1920's on Craigs list and bought it right away (I haggled my way down for a good price of course.) I had my mom help me decorate the new place around the couch, and I was very happy with the results. 

Here are some before and afters:

 (sorry the before pics are not that great)

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

We bought that beautiful China Hutch on Craigs List for $25

Our coffee table was given to us for free right after we were married, and the mirror table came from my mom who bought it at the Utah D.I. We brought it with us when we drove back from Cali to DC last summer. 

My mom also bought this awesome oversized lamp for me at the D.I. (I love the D.I.--I used to work there in high school. Best thrift store ever.) I brought it back with me in my checked luggage two weeks ago.

I spray painted my old dresser black, and now it is in the front room with the lamp on it. We also got the dresser for free. It was broken, and my dad fixed it when he came out for our graduation.

Before:

After:

The old ceiling tin above the TV came from Eastern Market. 

The Essigs bought it for me for my birthday, Thank you!. 

Before: (this pic is the only "before" picture I have of the kitchen, it was taken when the previous renters were there)

After:

That table used to be in our study area in our previous apartment. We got it for free because it was damaged on top. Lincoln sanded and refinished the top with a cherry stain.

We love it now. 

We bought the bar stools on Craigs List. 

The stand that the lamp is on was on the side of the road for free, so we took it.

Also, someone was giving these shutters away for free. Of course we snatched them up. It was my mom's idea to use them to frame our windows, inside the house. I love the cozy look it gave.

This buffet was made from two non-matching microwave stands. 

 {See the how to HERE}

We kept the same paint color in the kitchen. 

I loved it, but we did paint the cabinets bright white. 

I will post the bedroom pics next week!

New Camera?

While in Utah I got my hands on a really nice camera and took some pics of my darling niece. It is amazing the difference a nice camera can make. I didn't even use any type of photoshop and the pics look a million times better than with our point and shoot. 

Lincoln and I have officially decided that we are going to save our pennies and buy a nice camera and lens for our "family Christmas present."

 Any recommendations? 

1 year 3 months 28 days

What do you do 1 year, 3 months and 28 days after your wedding?

Eat the top of your wedding cake of course.

I was actually still pretty good.

My mom is pretty happy to have space in her freezer again.

Super Cheesy Pictures

While in Utah, Landon and Alyse were married--Landon is number 5 of 11 in the Essig Family. We are excited to have Alyse join the sister in law club!

Their wedding reception was gorgeous. It was in Heber valley. Oh how I miss Utah mountains!

While the couple was off taking pre-reception photos, Lincoln and I decided to take advantage and snap some super cheesy "pretend we are getting married" photos too...

I know, I know, you are probably gagging by the cheesiness, but we had fun.