Monday, December 8, 2008

{FAQ 4} On Design, Cleveland, Smiles, and le Husband.

Gretchen, who perhaps has the coolest name ever and an equally awesome blog header and impeccable taste in television asks: What inspires you as a designer?

There is so much that I adore about designing and creating. I like to make things that people want to look at. Whether I'm designing a newsletter, brochure, website, or something for my Etsy shop, I am inspired by simplicity. I look at books, magazines, or websites that are well-designed. I am very inspired by good photography. Some of the blogs I visit I only go for the photography. New and different ideas for composition rock my world. Seriously.

I am just in love with the idea of communicating visually. I love being able to portray ideas through fonts, concepts and emotions through photography, and translating my intentions onto a publication.

I especially love taking old, poorly done publications and updating them. It makes me so happy!

Shannon, a total sweetheart who I adore and admire, wants to know: Where is your favorite place to go in your city and why?

I LOVE living in Cleveland. LOVE it! There are so many adorable little neighborhoods, such a sense of Cleveland pride, and it's just totally awesome to be living in (or near) a real city again.

My favorite place is perhaps Coventry, a hip little area with a awesome restaurants, a very cool toy store, an art supply store, American Apparel, and lots of coffee shops and bookstores. It's so unique. And I love it.

I also really like University Circle - home to the Botanical Gardens, Natural History Museum, and Cleveland Art Museum. (You might remember I took Mike here for his birthday.) It's also right next to Little Italy, which has amazing restaurants and bakeries. Mmm.

L.C.T.. who loves chocolate and It's a Wonderful Life just like me asks: Not including people, what makes you smile most?

Children. But I guess those are usually considered people, eh? Then either food, photography, or good television. Or perhaps a really good latte. I adore hot beverages - I'll drink hot chocolate any time of the year! Sunshine also makes me smile, as does The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun."

Ashley, one of the few bloggers I've actually met in real life and a wonderful photographer wonders: Okay, maybe I'm behind the times and should know this, but how did you meet your husband? And how did he propose? (I'm a sucker for cute stories).

I was a sophomore in college (at the University of Dayton- woohoo!), he was starting a graduate program. He was a campus minister who lived in a freshman dorm and I heard about him before I met him. My friends gushed about the "cute, new campus minister!!" who played guitar.

Then I met him. And we were "just friends" because it was against the rules for him to date an undergraduate. We ate dinner together in the dining hall all the time, and he came to my aunt's wedding - the whole family got to meet him only two months after I first met him. They adored him. Then I left for a semester in Hawaii, and we talked ALL the time on the phone. And exchanged tons of postcards, emails, and letters. We still insisted we were "JUST FRIENDS."

(He sent me flowers and a package on Valentine's Day with a CD of songs he wrote and recorded for me. Yep, we were just friends.)

Then I came back to Ohio and we decided we wanted to get married eventually. Buuuut, I was only a junior in college. My senior year, he was done with his program so he jetted off to Denver for a year to volunteer. This time, the distance was awful. It was so hard to be apart and I hate almost every minute of it. (Except the fact that I got to spend much more time with my friends and roommates with my boyfriend gone. Woohoo, senior year!)

I spent Christmas with his family that year, and on Christmas morning, he and I opened a stocking that was on our doorknob. A letter was in it from him, telling me that I was going on a scavenger hunt. With riddles. That were associated with our relationship. (One was on the coffeemaker, because he hated coffee before me; one was on the thermostat because I'm constantly cold, things like that.) After 16 different riddles and hunts around his parents house, we ended up by the piano. He sat on the piano bench and instructed me to sit in a chair next to the piano. He gave me a lyric sheet.

He played a song he wrote for me, a song that he had written in the beginning of our relationship without lyrics, a song that had been on my Valentine's Day CD. And now he wrote lyrics about how he wanted to spend his life with me.

At the end of the song, he knelt down and proposed.

The first thing I said?

"How did you afford to buy this? Did you STEAL it?"

Yes, I am so romantic.

27 comments:

  1. the story about how your husband proposed is so cute, I love that you asked him if he stole it? how funny.

    I just love these FAQs.

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  2. The thieving youth minister! I love it.

    I just posted my engagement story, too, but yours is way cuter.

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  3. That is such a romantic proposal!

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  4. I can't believe you asked your husband if he stole it! That is totally something I would say!

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  5. "Did you steal it?" that is absolutely priceless (bad pun not intended).

    Thanks for answering my question - it definitely lived up to the cuteness I expected!

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  6. OMG.... that was the cutest proposal... I would have asked the same question?? LOL... you are too cute Ash!!!

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  7. Wow. Seriously cutest Hubby ever. Props for stealing that one Ash!

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  8. your proposal story is amazing. I'm hoping my proposal (whenever that may be) is just as adorable.

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  9. I love the story about your husband proposing. & I think it's hilarious if you asked him if he stole it!

    When Jonathan got on one knee to propose to me, I was like, "Honey... get off the floor. It's dirty & I need to sweep." !!! I had no idea what was going on... & then when I found out, I felt so sheepish to be fussing about him getting his knees dirty. ;]

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  10. Yay - thanks! Similar things make us smile. And CUTE story about the proposal, I'd probably say something similar!

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  11. the story of you and mike makes me smile A LOT. i want a good one like that.

    hey, i still have a chance to marry someone from UD : )

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  12. I love your little stories! I wanted to do one of these on my blog and I had no one ask any questions! A little heart broken over here!

    Maybe one day I can do one, in the mean time I really enjoy yours.

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  13. Um, proposals like that only happen in movies. You have to let me keep believing that!

    Sweetest story ever.

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  14. Cleveland sounds like an amazing little city! I do remember you taking Mike to University Circle for his birthday :D

    Aaaaand, can I just say how glad I am Ashley asked you that because that is the sweetest story ever!

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  15. ahhhh i LOVE your love story and adore the proposal!! i can't tell you how jealous i am. i am literally waiting on the edge of my seat for the day when i can share my own proposal story with the world!

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  16. "DID YOU STEAL IT?!"

    hahah. oh, i love you. that is perfect.

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  17. awww adorable. I love proposal stories. Your husband did well :)

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  18. Hey, being yourself and speaking your mind is as romantic as it gets, in my book.

    Also, I have not yet set foot in American Apparel even though I worked on a lease for their local store--apparently it is better than the impression I got during negotiations???

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  19. That's such a sweet proposal! Awesome!

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  20. Awwww! I loved hearing about your proposal! SOoo romantic! How freakin adorable that you got to go on a scavenger hunt with riddles! And then he sang you your song?! So, so sweet! Yay! And ohmygosh, you are so funny! I love that you asked if he stole it! heee!!!

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  21. Awwwww. Your engagement story makes me so incredibly happy. I always told myself that I'd marry a musician, and I totally didn't, so I must live vicariously through you.

    Do you mind? :)

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  22. First, I totally meant to say this sooner, but thank you for the wonderful compliments!
    Your proposal story is one of the best I've heard, especially your response. Classic!

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  23. When I find my future husband, I'm going to refer him back to this very post for ideas on how to propose. I love it!

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  24. My husband graduated from U of D in 1999. We went to his college reunion last year and I fell in love with the campus. I am totally prepared to go into debt if our yet to be made child wants to go to U of D:-)

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  25. My husband graduated from U of D in 1999. We went to his college reunion last year and I fell in love with the campus. I am totally prepared to go into debt if our yet to be made child wants to go to U of D:-)

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  26. The thieving youth minister! I love it.

    I just posted my engagement story, too, but yours is way cuter.

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  27. Awwwww. Your engagement story makes me so incredibly happy. I always told myself that I'd marry a musician, and I totally didn't, so I must live vicariously through you.

    Do you mind? :)

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