why thanksgiving was great

thanksgiving was great because...

right when i walked off the plane i saw snow on the ground. ptl.

i closed my moleskin planner at baggage claim and didn't crack it once till monday.

i did 4 photo shoots. yeah. f o u r. (both great & grueling)

i got to wear scarves, boots, jackets and socks. everyday. mmm.

i logged copious amounts of nephew cuddling, family love time and friend fun.

i was freezing for a whole week (literally, our heater broke), and loved it.

even though i had to work more than i got to play, i was in my house, at my home, savoring the part of my life which takes place in a different area code.

the next 3 weeks will be a marathon, and i'll have the warm fuzziness of tgives to hold me over till christmas. 

here is some evidence...

pure glory.

the grandest mccord/fair/scott/pannell tradition of all time

the result of: me, lauren, childhood nostalgia and a wee bit too much Riesling.

the original thanksgiving, obv.

i love being aunt ray ray.

yesterday my heart melted into a puddle on the floor. and i'm pretty sure its still there.

amber (one of my sisters) called me in class and as i picked up i heard this lovely little voice saying: "oh, hi ray ray, i miss you!"

U G H. slayed me, right then and there. insta-tears.
it was Lawson, my favorite freakin 2 year old.

shortly followed by this little voice: "blorajdja hi rayraaay asndlk"

Tanner, my favorite one year old.

my day was made, and i had a silly smile on my face for at least an hour.

after talking to amber for a bit she told me that when my whole family gets together when i'm at school Law always says "where's ray ray?"
my dear sweet little neph notices when im gone.

gosh, so amazing. and breaks my heart even more that i'm not there.

after lawson singing me a song and tanner mumbling adorably i said goodbye - feeling so refreshed and loved and missed. and now i really s e r i o u s l y can't wait to go home and squeeze the living daylights out of these little creatures. only 18 more dayssss. ptl.

yum.

"Every desire for good and happiness is for each person a great and insidious love... 

Love is the desire to possess what is good forever." - Plato

l o v e & m i s s

miss these little creatures. real bad.

mi mama

happy MOTHER's day. to the coolest mom on the block...

it's true. she is the coolest.

don't believe me? i'll prove it.

:: she knows how to party, the woman can dance

:: she's a snappy dresser and her hair always looks fab

:: she is aging super well, i now have grounds for hoping to always look 28

:: she can cook like nobody's business, and even makes stuff up, but never fails

:: she knows like, 5 languages i believe. nuts

:: she is the best grandma to the best nephews

:: she is hilarious and has the most absurd squeal of a laugh, its great

:: she doesn't mind that i am always all over the place, in every way, she encourages it

:: she actually understands me when i start to talk in art-language

:: she is great at life talks & listening

:: she is where i got my creativity

:: she is where i learned how to support & encourage

:: she (almost) always has everything under control, and will admit when she doesn't

:: she has an unnatural obsession with Italian-style house decorations

:: she somehow managed to make my siblings and i turn out right despite our best efforts

:: she is my friend & let's me vent

:: she is my momma and i like it that way

love you, lady!

funny things {of life lately}

work bonding with kelsey at our last event
{as alex rapid fired away}

DC came to town and Sunny dropped by

and it was a throwback... a supremely golden oldie.

sam francis is the king of everything beautiful.

she is my favorite person to be 12 with.

attempting to make icing... although angela didn't quuuuite
know the recipe as well as she claimed. but its ok because
she makes killer watermelon cookies.

but the cookies came out well {before/after}, haha. ahh, classic.
lingerie love time for dearest shan

got some good loot

with good company
_________________________________

- unfun things:

:: its getting real hot in good old la mirada which means real hot walks to school and real hot nights with lots of fan blowin.

:: lots and lots of things due this week and next which means little sleep and not enough time.

:: i have to leave all my friends and church family soon. uprooting never gets easier.

:: life is stressful, and just full.

:: this summer will be busy, i still don't have an internship and my computer still decides to die 3 times daily.

:: i missed & will be missing my nephew's bday/grandpa's bday/mother's day/sister's birthday/parent's anniversary. being far is no fun.

:: still feeling like i have mono 2 or 3 times a week. lingering.

but in spite of it all, this is glorious:

"let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you i trust. make me know the way i should go for to you i lift up my soul." psalm 143:8

Lawson Boyce McCord's SECOND glorious year in ze world!

Today my first little nephew is 2 years old!

{what!? nuts}

Let me just tell you about this miniature sized champ...

He is THE coolest kid you will ever meet 

{and his little bro, my other champ of 

a nephew Tanner, is fighting him for the title}

He is a little rugrat that can dance like nobody's business

He loves/has an outrageous obsession with balloons... a forbidden love affair

He can say everyones name, assorted tidbits of vocab and random slews of drunken stammers and emotional expressions that sound like real sentences. He's a chatterbox, regardless.

He is always on the move, gobbling about and knocking everything out of his path. Nuts

He is clearly the life of the party, I mean c'mon he's a McCord, but more like an uberMcCord... he tops us all on the entertainment charts

He's a lover, not a fighter, well sometimes a fighter. But mostly a lover.

He is the cutest child and I am confident he will grow up to be popular, sporty, kind and good at everything, a quality which every current 2 year old female in our zip code will both love & love to hate

He is the biggest giggler and hoots like an owl. No lie, melts me everytime

He calls me Aunt Ray and its probably the greatest nick name I've ever had, just because he's the only one that calls me that

He is a master of mischievousness. Clearly.

If he wasn't 2 years old I'm convinced he would be clinically insane. Haha.

He & Tanner make aunthood a dream. I cannot imagine my life without them in it. It would not be nearly as happy of a place.

Favorite memory: one time I was giving him a bath and he was in the middle of screaming with delight {because he loves baths} and he stopped, looked at me, and gave me the huuugest hug and continued giggling. LOVE.

Lawson, you are supremely rad & I love YOU! Always, always.

{back when he was a wee not even 1 yr old}

{he will be my assistant when I hit it big. Obv}

currently missing these creatures.

 xoxoxoooo.

soon soon soon.