die hard popcorn bar

This past weekend we celebrated my husband's 26th birthday with two of his favorite things: movies and sweets! We transformed the back porch into an outdoor movie theater, complete with a fully stocked concession stand.

The weather is perfect right now, mid 80s during the day and low 70s in the evening. Arizona has a short but very delightful spring. We wanted a genuine summer blockbuster feel, with every movie candy you could possibly think of as well as an extreme popcorn bar. We had plain, kettle and homemade caramel popcorns to choose from, as well as a plethora of seasonings and toppings for a truly versatile popcorn experience. We also had a friend bring a ton of old school boxes of candy, including Raisinets, Sugar Babies, Junior Mints, Red Hots, etc. We finished off the buffet with a giant container of cheese puffs (because obviously) and a few bags of chips. We were pretty lucky that Easter was the next morning because we had a LOT of candy left over. We're not too mad about it, though. I currently have a whole sheath of Almond Snickers in my purse and I may have had peanut M&Ms for breakfast.

After everyone arrived and swarmed our concession stand, we lit the fire pit, gathered in our chairs and underneath our throw blankets, and got ready for a lively viewing of Die Hard. 

On Instagram

Popcorn seasonings: Popcorn salt, Butter, Garlic Parmesan,
Nacho Cheddar, White Cheddar, Spicy Jalapeno

I absolutely love birthdays. I think the worst part about getting older is having people care less and less about your birthday, and having to resign to only celebrating every other decade or so for the big milestone events. There's this point in your twenties where it feels like you have to pass the torch to the younger generations because their birthdays are more important and should be more memorable. I mean, that's true...and I understand the necessity of it...but it's still painful to let go. I'm no Elsa. I'm a birthday month kind of gal and I try to take advantage of celebrating as long as humanly possible. I'm glad that my husband feels the same way, so that we can hopefully continue to throw these silly and fantastic themed birthday parties every year. Especially when it involves vintage Bruce Willis and strings of twinkle lights.

sunset: outfit 13

It was such a beautiful evening on Friday, and we got the chance to shoot some photos right as the sun began to shine through the trees before it set. It has been such a great week, but Friday couldn't come soon enough! I was looking forward to the farmer's market on Saturday, and walking along downtown and showing my friend some of my favorite spots.
Introducing outfit 13:

Top: LOFT, Vest: Kohl's (shop!), Pants: Old Navy, Shoes: Zulily

This spot is one of my favorites around our neighborhood.
We've done a couple photo shoots around here (like this one), and it's beautiful all year round. Probably my favorite is at the peak of Fall, when the largest trees turn a stunning shade of yellow and every time we drive down the street we're stunned by them.
I've always been a huge fan of sunset (being an Arizona girl, and also never being enough of a morning person for sunrises), and we had just met some friends for snow cones when we were heading home and decided to stop for our daily photos while it was still light enough.
It turned out to be the perfect time of day for photos!

It's moments like this that make me realize how much I love being outside. I'd love to take the opportunity to go on some local hikes, and use these cooler mornings for some of the gorgeous trails we have downtown.
We've talked a lot about trying to go out on a lake this summer, and also trying to get some friends together to go camping. Camping used to be an annual event for our family, and I haven't been in years and years.
I've never been camping with Dusty, and I think it'd be a blast! We'd both love to try and introduce camping into our regular summer activities.