Guest Post: Amber Joy from Until Tomorrow

Hey Sometimes Sweet readers! Amber here, from Until Tomorrow. I am so excited to FINALLY do a guest post regarding this crazy beast of a thigh tattoo that some of you have asked Danielle about! Let me start off by saying I am 24, this is my very first tattoo and I am incredibly glad that I waited! Although I am still very young, I feel that I know myself a lot better then I did at 18...19..20..21...22...you get the point. I also know exactly what I want to do in life, because even though our society is becoming much more tattoo friendly, let's be real, people judge based on  preconceived notions of tattooed folks.

I have been around and befriended by both moderately and heavily tattooed individuals and each one has given me their own little piece of the tattoo secret, but the best advice was most definitely given by Mrs. Hampton herself! Don't start off visible, especially if you're like me and don't respond so well to old lady jibes, being touched by strangers and/or hearing people's tattoo life stories (ugh)! Start with a piece somewhere where you can choose if another person sees it and get your feet wet every now and again..then tattoo your face....jussstttt kiiidddiiinngggg. Also, if people tell you a tattoo doesn't hurt...ask them how Gepetto is doing, because they're lying to you. Granted, some places hurt more than others (back of your thigh for one), but it all hurts to some extent. I mean think of the process...OUCH.

One of the hardest parts of the (large) tattoo territory for me has been the session situation. The line work was a 4.5 hr sitting and now just a piece of the framework and some shading took 3 hrs. I was under the impression that this was going to take just a mere two sessions and then TADA tattoo! Not the case. My artist informed me that I probably have another 6-7 hrs to go...oh ,discouraged! Once I had moved through the major disappointment I was seriously overcome with such gratitude. The guy really cares and isn't half-assing anything. Good artist who takes care and time = a good tattoo worth your care and time!

Last but not least here are a few things that got me through the process and pain:

1.  EAT and eat well i.e protein, carbs and some healthy sugars. Even if you are nervous and think you might throw up.




2.  When it hurts concentrate on breathing. Yoga style. Totally works and I don't budge an inch (I was told I sit like an angel)!




3.  If you  watch it actually becomes really intriguing and really takes your mind off what is actually happening.




4. If your BFF is a new mommy...BRING HER, because if you aren't discussing breast milk and mangoes while you're under the needle you aren't really living!



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Weekend fun (image heavy)

This weekend was really, really wonderful...and incredibly busy!  I spent part of Friday with my sweet Amber Joy, went down to Phoenix and helped my Mom throw a bridal shower for my sister, spent the evening with two of my oldest, bestest friends and our families, got some shopping done for the house, and got in a lot of family time.  I feel accomplished.  And tired!  Here are some photos from the past few days:


Henry and I got a little photobooth crazy ;)





 





 



Later that afternoon Amber came over and we spent the afternoon running errands, eating frozen grapes, and looking through interior design photos. So much fun. Now I just need to find her a Prescott guy to marry so we can both be housewives and live next door to each other and do this everyday.  haha.


 


 That night Hank, Henry and I headed down to Phoenix.  The photo below is from the next morning, as I was Moby-ing while helping my Mom get ready for Lauren's bridal shower.  Henry seriously looves his Moby Wrap and loves spending time in it.  And I absolutely love it too.  It's great to be able to move around freely while keeping him snug as a bug (in a rug?).






Henry and his Great Aunt Pat, Great Grandma, and Grandma!





Lauren! The guest of honor.





a bit of the food table.  My Mom did SUCH a great job with everything on her own, since we live hours away.  She's amazing.  If you're curious about the little sign below, I wrote that so guests would write a little wish for the couple (like "always love unconditionally") on the rocks I provided and place it in the glass container.  It's a really cute keepsake for the bride.








already giving his Dad looks like this- we're in trouble! ;)








below is a quick game my Mom had everyone play- different teams make wedding dresses for the MIL-to-be and the Mother of the bride (Aunt Pat also participated).  It was super silly but a fun little ice breaker.  Afterward I did some trivia on the couple, read a sweet letter from Abe to Lauren out loud, and then quizzed Lauren on some "Abe facts."  All in all it was really fun and went quite well.





the winner of the dress making contest, Abe's mama





Lauren's bffs since elementary school/bridesmaids Kelli and Kristin





Lauren and the two Moms!



opening up her presents




Henry spent the afternoon upstairs entertaining his papa while the shower was going on. So cute.









Later that night we headed over to the Loops to enjoy Autumn's delicious homemade chili and hangout with all of our families.  Here's my little goddaughter Chloe in her new kitchen and apron (from us, from Anthro- I forgot to rip off the tag, oops!).  She loved it.





playing Wits and Wagers- have you ever played this game?  We LOVE board games and somehow hadn't played this one before.  I'm definitely going to go pick up our own from Target this week to add to our collection.  Lately I've really been wanting to start a regular board game night.  Who's in? ;)






We tried to get a photo of the boys but Carter was squirming and Henry was tuckered out.





I love this picture of Shirley and her fiance Nate- they're getting married in the fall and I'm so, so excited to be a bridesmaid. Shirley is one of the most amazing people I've ever known in my life, and I'm just ecstatic to be a part of their big day.  Nate's such a wonderful person too, and hellooo, how adorable will their future offspring be?!  Seriously.





Henry LOVES his Aunt Shirley so much. He went right to sleep and was so comfy.





The next morning my family and I went to IKEA so we could get some odds and ends for our home. Can I tell you how much I love that place?  It's so fun to just walk around and get ideas.









Annnd, after a long, long (fun) weekend we are finally home, safe and sound.  Henry is sleeping peacefully next to me, and I'm going to go ahead and join him in a moment.

Goodnight everyone, I hope you had a wonderful, wonderful weekend. xoSource URL: https://sweettattooforgirls.blogspot.com/search/label/amber%20joy
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Today is Tuesday.

Today has been a fun day spent with my little guy, following a great evening spent with my dear girlfriends!  Last night Amber and Adie came over so we could have a little "bachelor party," and indulge in some silly, wonderful reality television!  Hank cooked us dinner- a delicious yellow curry with veggies and tofu- and then we flipped on the tube to rot our little brains away!  If you didn't know, I have a not-so-guilty pleasure of watching The Bachelor or Bachelorette every season (Adie does too!) so we tried to convince Amber to love it right along with us.  And, we may have been successful!  Let's hope.  The night was super fun though- just sitting around and laughing at all the insanity on the television screen was just what I needed, from the weird vampire girl to the zig zag part, to the Rockette and the expected musical number, it totally made my night. I'd say my top girls so far are definitely Emily (the Southern Belle) and the gal who got the first impression rose.  Have I lost any of you yet?! hahaha.  So yes, it was a really fun evening and I ended up getting to sleep pretty early.  Henry slept so well last night and I actually woke up feeling rested!  Amazing. We spent the day playing on his activity mat, napping (well, he did), and reading some of the books he got for Christmas.  It's pretty neat because even though I know he isn't necessarily understanding what we're doing when we read, I can tell he is taking in all of the pictures and listening to me as we work through the book.  I read somewhere that it's good to read babies books with repetition so right now we've been sticking to Eric Carle which has a lot.  I might eventually go crazy from hearing The Very Hungry Caterpillar a thousand times, but for right now I'm doing okay.  Later in the day we took a little trip to Costco too, so I could get Hank some razors and pick up a few other miscellaneous items like berries and a big box of Annie's Bunny snacks (love them).  I'm still a little nervous to go out and do things on my own but every time I do a little more of the fear goes away.  Oh and speaking of Hank, I know I've said it a million times but nothing is more beautiful to me than seeing my husband and son together.  Melts my heart every time.  He'll actually be home from work in thirty minutes and right around this time I start a little count down in my head...twenty minutes, ten minutes, five minutes, one minute!  I can't wait until Henry will be big enough to really get excited for Hank to come home every night.  I remember that feeling when I was little- my sister's and my face pressed up against the window until we saw my Dad's car pull in the driveaway. Then: "Daaaaaaaaaa-dddddddy!" running toward him with open arms as he walked inside.  I can't wait for that.  So yes, today was a good day, I got a lot accomplished, including being put on hold for about thirty minutes with our insurance company. Fun! ;) 

I feel like a have a million and one blog posts I can't wait to share with all of you, and again, I appreciate all of the responses to the survey this morning.  In case you missed the edited version of that post and were confused when there wasn't a link, the survey site I used only allotted me 100 participants, and that filled up within thirty minutes or so.  I apologize to those who couldn't take it, but I definitely got all of the information I was looking for as far as how you found this blog, when you visit it, etc.  It was incredibly fascinating to hear all of the feedback, and I actually have a few things to share in regards to it, so I'll be doing that tomorrow, along with a recipe post from my friend Sarah, which marks the very last guest post!  

I hope all of you had a great day today- I'll leave you with some photos! xo





















Source URL: https://sweettattooforgirls.blogspot.com/search/label/amber%20joy
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A slice of...Austin, Texas!

This week I am so happy to share one of my darling best friends in the whole wide world with y'all...and her little slice of Austin, Texas (hence the y'all!). Amber Joy has always been a fixture here at Sometimes Sweet and if you're a regular reader I'm sure you recognize her from any of the million photos we take when we are together. Amber is actually from Prescott originally and kind of grew up with Hank, they went to the same high school and all of that jazz. I met her about six years ago through all of our mutual friends, and we've spent many summers and all of our school/holiday breaks together having some of the best adventures and the most fun, silly girly times you could imagine. Amber is now a newer resident to the Lone Star state, as she moved from Santa Barbara just a few months ago, but has already settled in and has happily made Texas her new home. Prior to that she lived in the great city of San Francisco for many years, and although she easily could have written page upon page of her favorite SF things to do and places to go, and I wanted her to share Austin with us! I definitely can't wait to go and visit her once little Henry is born so he can see where his Auntie Amber lives, and so we can visit all of these neat locations. It looks like a fun, lively place and seeing it through Amber's eyes has been wonderful, and I hope all of you enjoy it as well. Also, check out her blog http://amberjoyh.blogspot.com/, and be sure to leave her a little hello! And now, here's Amber!


As a recent transplant to the Austin area I am barely scraping the surface of all the great things this city has to offer, but I am already overwhelmed with all of the great entertainment, variety and never ending things to do so far! Although maybe pre-mature these are my top five favorite things to do in Austin, Texas!

1. Barton Springs: This is an amazing natural spring that they allow the public to enjoy. The water is always FREEZING, but feels so wonderful on those crazy hot summer days of Austin! It normally costs $3 for a day, but from 9pm-10pm it's free swim and what could be better than a night swim in a natural spring.. for FREE?

2. Liberty! This is a staple bar on the east side of the city that features a wonderful family seating atmosphere on the back patio. Another feature on the patio is a delicious food trailer that's open for as long as the bar is and it's definitely a must try. They also have a great happy hour with $1.50 16 oz PBR and there ain't nothin' wrong with that! But most importantly, Liberty is a wonderful spot to check out some pretty fly doodz!

3. Lone Star Beer...the NATIONAL beer of Texas because "to drink anything else would be treason".


4. Hey Cupcake! Just deliciously wonderful. I am pretty darn picky about my red velvet cupcakes and I must say...they take the cake! Hey C.C. also offers many other absolutely yummy options often including one vegan flavor of the day. Something for everyone!


5. Favorite Shopping...so far....I still have a lot of exploring to do in this area, but South Congress will be tough to beat. It is most accurately and easily described as the Haight st. of Austin. It features a great number of vintage, costume, eclectic stores and some great little food spots. If you end up visiting grab a cupcake and dive into some of the fun stores such as Uncommon Objects and Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds and prepare to lose a couple hours, but all in good fun!


So there you have it, Amber's lil' slice of Texas! xoxo

Source URL: https://sweettattooforgirls.blogspot.com/search/label/amber%20joy
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