we come from good stock.

our beautiful parents on their wedding day.

both our parents married young, younger than we are.

and both our parents will be celebrating 40 years of marriage this year. 

how to feel fancy on a rainy autumn day off, when your only plans are to stay in your pajamas

wear CHANEL Rouge Coco Shine 62 MONTE-CARLO while sipping your morning coffee with your husband-to-be (flirt with your mouth).

kisses to Lindsey for this fancy and fabulous gift!

a little more than a year ago today...

i sent my then-boyfriend Max a love letter.

i told him i missed the little things, like holding his hand.

i signed it "love, your technical wifey."

i can not wait til he's my husband.

(i still reach for his hand every chance i get)

THERE IS.

i fell in love with this accordion book when i first saw it (months and months ago) by an artist named Iris who lives in Switzerland. 

the last three squares are my favorite: 

In this room, there is me.

In me, there is a heart.

In this heart, there is you.

fun date with my husband-to-be: thrifting at my favourite antique shop.

i found some goodies! pretty embroidery,  glass milk and silver candlestick holder, framed art that reminded me of jane austen & my sisters, and of course mugs to add to my overflowing collection- i couldn't pass up finding one of Dallas (the city i love), the cute heart handle, and of ELVIS! plus two apple dishes, another thing i collect (anything with apples). 

i also found vintage jewelry to hold aside for this swap. 

Max was so cute... he said i should open up a vintage shop, as if it was a genius and (his) original idea. I had to kiss him!

have you found any vintage treasures lately? 

i took a nearly two hour nap this afternoon - much needed sleep because i am WIDE AWAKE for this Rangers game!!! AMAZING!!! my Texas Rangers are killing the Yankees! sorry Yankee fans, it's our turn to shine and i'm loving it. LOVING IT. 

a day of sports, thrifting, a cat nap, and a morning putting together care packages in the mail for my dear friends... a lovely day off indeed. x

oh my Texas!

What an AMAZING game last night for my Texas Rangers : First Post-season series win in franchise history, and as the visiting team no less!!! AMAZING!

me & Max at a 4th of July game. how i miss Arlington Ball Park!

speaking of my Texas, look at the souvenir tray i had to get when i saw it on Kitsch Cafe. It even has home on it... my beloved Wichita Falls (and it'll match our Virginia one). 

off to work, smiling HUGE for my Rangers (can't wait to discuss sports with the boys!) and i'll be back later this evening to show off your halloween costumes! 

also... my darling husband-to-be is traveling today so PLEASE keep him in your prayers he's safe for me? thank-you lovies! have a great work day! xo

perfect perspective.

so this is my facebook profile pic and my husband-to-be just commented, "Pretty soon! I'm excited, Mrs. Maxham!"

i could not stop smiling! He is my life's greatest blessing.

having the day off, i felt creative and sat at my thrifted school desk replying to your love letters. i was writing back to a dear friend who shared her past toxic relationship and of course, inevitably, it brought back memories of my past demons. Toxic is a good word for said relationship.



my heart is free of my past. for awhile it has been and finally.

it has been a long road getting here but i am exactly where i was meant to be. I am lucky to be here, right now in my present with such a beautiful heart to share it with.

it reminded me of what Elizabeth Gilbert wrote in the book that changed my life:



"The philosopher Sufi said that God drew a circle around the exact spot you are standing on. I was never not going to be here. This was never not going to happen." 

-pg 280

i was never not going to follow my heart to Virginia to be with my future husband.

It puts all the struggles, tears, even our personal heartaches into perfect perspective.





i was never not going to be with this man for the rest of my life.

(a huge thank-you to Sandra for my pink sash) 

comedian Dennis Miller once said :

“After seven years of marriage, I'm sure of two things -- first, never wallpaper together, and second, you'll need two bathrooms.. both for her. The rest is a mystery, but a mystery I love to be involved in.”

i'm not sure about the two bathrooms, but it's the definite truth when it comes to closet space.

(image: porter hovey polaroid project)

we are so fairytale it makes people sick.

forgive the sappiness but today is my only day off until next tues.

i pulled a double on saturday (8 a.m. - 9 p.m.)

and had to work on my one day off last week.

i'm exhausted.

my body hurts.



and because i have the world's greatest husband-to-be...

he surprised me with another one hour hot stone massage at the spa.



i am happy. completely happy and madly in love.

i have been hurt/disappointed/and made stupid mistakes in love before to recognize what it's like to have the real thing.

he is the real thing.


so forgive the sappiness because finally finally finally...



my heart is in good hands.



my heart is complete.

because i had been wanting one for awhile...

i love him i love him i love him.

i could type that a million + one times.






i'm off to work on a rainy Dallas Cowboys game Sunday (sad day) so forgive i don't have time to post a sharing sundays but!

i'll make up for it tomorrow:


check back here tomorrow for an AWESOME giveaway!!! 

i am so excited and just might wish i could win my own giveaway. you'll love it too.

It's from my new favorite etsy so tomorrow's post will be like a sharing sundays PLUS a possible win for you, my darling readers. xoxo

movie date with my "husband" : "Going the Distance."

honestly, who doesn't love Drew Barrymore? she's just beautiful, real, fun, and a guy's girl... the kind of girl i want to always be. 

i fell in love with justin long in "he's just not that into you." I love actors who seem like "real" guys you could actually meet (jake gyllenhaal / james mcavoy anyone?). They don't have the drop dead looks of say Brad Pitt but they're sexier for it. That's Justin Long to me. 

They were my favourite celeb couple and when they broke up i was so sad. I was happy to hear they were back on and together in a film no less. I think their chemistry made it all that much more real onscreen. 

I LOVED "Going the Distance."

 I laughed AND cried ... isn't that the kind of film you wanna see? no spoilers here but i cried because it showed emotions i have felt in my relationship/relationships. Isn't that the definition of a good film?

ladies, take your husband/boyfriends to go see it because though a rom-com, it has some fun for the boys. 

another plus? features music from a band that just might be my new favorite.

i so love movie dates with my husband-to-be.

if you've seen it, did you love it as much?

a big upset for my cowboys but SO MUCH FUN!!!

yup, i wore my Cowboys jersey that has my last name on it {a gift from my dear friend John}, cut off shorts, and my j. crew mocs (for the Redskins).

lovies, i was in pure heaven!!! even though we sat in the nosebleed section, it did not matter. It was SO MUCH FUN to watch the game live! even in a sea of Redskin fans because there was still a lot of blue and white. 

we were quite the pair in different team wear.

I seriously thought we had it at the last minute... but good for Donovan McNabb's debut.

i can not even begin to tell you how AWESOME it was to see the guys i've cheered on at sports bars, parties, or even while in my pajamas at home. It was ten times better being there and half the reason is because i had Max right beside me.

some girls want jewelry. not me. happiness is a ticket to a football game.

happiness is max.


P.S.  someone who shares my love of sports (well baseball at least!) is the pretty Faiza. My football team may not have won, but my Texas Rangers sure sweeped the NY Yankees!!! SO EXCITING! 


Pretty Faiza's Jays beat my team labor day weekend but check out this beautiful shot of my Rangers Boyfriend Michael Young Faiza took just for me on the jumbotron! too cute. Don't you love moments between blog friends where it makes it that much more real we are true friends? 


like Claire & my bestie M's texts during the game yesterday. I love those moments!

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: COWBOYS & THE REDSKINS... and WE WILL BE THERE TO WATCH IT!!!!

i am a girly girl by all means. always in heels. hardly without make up. an obsession with shoes.

the one thing i do love though is FOOTBALL. 
i LOVE my Dallas Cowboys!!! 

the first Halloween i knew Max, i invited him to my Halloween party. I was dressed up as a Cowboys cheerleader and wanted him to think i was pretty. When i told him what i was going to be, he goes, "that isn't scary." {oh my husband-to-be} He came dressed as a "flasher"-- in a trench coat and sunglasses in his hair -- i thought he was inspector gadget. He was my favourite beer pong partner that night! 

Crystal, me, and Jarrod - oh the prettiest drag 

queen. what's a party without one? 

My husband-to-be has always wanted to take me to a game.

and today, he is making all my dreams come true. My first NFL game at the first Sunday Night Football of the season!!! Though we may be in Redskins Territory, the Cowboys are America's team right!? because you better believe i will be in my Cowboys jersey! I'm extra excited because this is Donovan McNabb's first game as the Redskin's Quarterback, since leaving the Eagles after 11 years.  i am EXCITED period!

life could not get any better. off to a little overnight trip that includes my darling fiance and COWBOYS FOOTBALL. 

No, life could not get any better than this.

i love you Maxie!!!

ps. my co-worker Amy offered to watch Stella while we were out of town. It means so much to me! especially because she knows stella from when stella was just a pup in the window. (aw) I offered to pay her and she said, "Nope, not at all. Babe, that's what friends do." Not only do i have the best fiance, i have the best friends! {this includes you too}

watching: Peter and Vandy

it's been awhile since i've had a movie date with myself that yesterday on my day off, i thought i'd have one with my 3 girls. Twinkie posted about this one. I'm glad she did.
















This review said it best... "it explores the question most couples ask themselves... 'How the hell did we get this way?'

i cried and i laughed... relating to their fights and their love.

it made me realize that me and max never fight about silly things {so thankful} but oh, how i remember. How something small can turn into a mountain of words you can never take back. {i once had a fight about french fries! that's another story for another day}

sometimes even the words said out of anger in my past relationships still make me wince when i think about them. Shame i said them just to hurt because i was angry.

"rage is not attractive in a girl..."

this film was refreshing, showing you an inside look at the highs and lows relationships go through.

it was refreshing because it was real.



happy friday lovies. off to work! Max is picking me up after i get off work so we can drive down to Durham, North Carolina and catch a baseball game with his sister and family. As much as i love my dog children (and i do SO MUCH), i do so love seeing Max hold his baby niece and when his 3-year-old nephew caleb calls me "aunt micaela." He used to call me "mi-caleb"-- his name and mine together.

Friday, I'm in love!!!

meet our new fur baby!

a puppy shih-tzu named Stella (yes, like our favourite beer - stella artois)

fancy writing this after our puppydate yesterday! i have been itching for a 3rd dog since i've been working with puppies. i know as soon as i started working there, it was max's fear i'd come home with one.

i had fallen in love with a little carmel/white/black shih-tzu girl we had for her sweet temperament and a face that reminds me of an ewok from star wars. She found a home with a sweet woman who had a shih- tzu for years and was devastated when it passed away. I showed her this little girl and she fell in love.

Unfortunately, her husband just had to undergo a kidney transplant unexpectedly and will need rehabilitation. He should do just fine (i'm praying he does) but she can't care for a new puppy the way one should be able to. She had wanted to sell him back to us but then remembered how much i loved her. She said more than the money, was knowing she'd go to someone that loved her.

I LOVE HER.

and now, little Stella is a Lechuga-Maxham.

she has two sisters that can't stop giving her attention.

just awhile ago, i was laying on our couch with all 3 of them. love love love.


dear husband-to-be,

thank-you for understanding my love of furry animals. these are our children until we have real babies, and even then these pups will always be loved. It's why she thought of me.

love your girls,

Micaela, Maverick, Bubbles, & Stella xo

find me at Pugh's News today!

While Erin and her family is away enjoying London for a few more days, i was thrilled to be asked to keep her reader's company.

She asked us to share a favourite summer vacation memory. I instantly thought of one place:

GRACELAND

please check out my guest post on Pugh's News today, and tell Erin how much i've missed her. 

Unfortunately, the internet was acting cheeky & my post had kinks in it as sweet Erin apologized. Since there's a sentimental reason why i chose this once upon a time Mansion in Memphis over Italy, i will re-post my guest post as it's meant to look like here but disable the comments so you can please leave them on Erin's blog spot. 

Graceland was a huge life list of mine checked off last summer when my darling fiance (then boyfriend) surprised me on our road trip home from meeting his parents in Virginia. 

It was very well the surprise of a lifetime.

I am the girl who wrote my high school thesis on Elvis Presley. When I hear Return to Sender i HAVE to sing along and think of my Momma because it's our song. (If you haven't read "Elvis and Me" by Priscilla you must.)

This love for the King was given to me by my Mom who grew up pretty poor in the Philippines but would always save up her lunch money when a new Elvis film was out. It's a love she passed on to me, something we share. When I moved to Virginia in January to be with my fiance, my Momma gave me her VHS Elvis collection. I realize VCRS are hardly around these days, but to me this perfect Elvis video collection is an heirloom I want to one day pass on to my daughter.

When I hear "Return to Sender," I think of my Momma and the teenage girl she was, long before I was even in her life, adoring the one and only Elvis in his glory.

It is why when I stood in front of Graceland last summer i had felt like i had made it! Like a dream of ours was coming true...

inside the "Jungle Room"

I only wish my Momma was with me to experience it.


please leave your sweet comments over here at Pugh's News, won't you?

there are a million reasons why i love him... this is just one of them.

lately my shoulders and back have been a mess ; exhausted from working so much. Soon, i will tell you exactly what i do but it's constant movement on my feet.

max surprised me with coffee bright and early while i was at work last week (seriously? i hit the jackpot in future husbands!) and saw how intense it can be. He also noticed i was tossing and turning in my sleep because i just could not get comfortable. 

this morning, i woke up with a text that said he had a little surprise for me when i woke up.

i was not expecting this envelope on my little pink laptop:

YES!!! an hour deep tissue with hot stones massage at this cute place called The Spa and Salon at Acorn Hill. So charming! the place and my darling fiance.

i've had fabulous massages before (including a few at the W hotel's bliss spa - also a gift from my Max) but lovies, let me tell you-- never before like this one! THE BEST MASSAGE EVER. I truly needed it-- she completely healed my shoulders. Amazing pressure points... just pure amazing! i feel incredible and it's all thanks to this man i love. Who loves me. 

how i got so lucky, i don't know!

on the way home feeling blissful, i stopped at a local family owned bakery called Chesnut Hill. I picked up this cream puff for Max 

and cupcakes to bring to my favorite postal clerk. I just love her! As you know,  i go to the post office quite often and she's always so helpful and funny. She's so cute and just like me (nosy lol) and asks what's in this box or that package. Yesterday i dropped of Claire's belated birthday gift and she made a joke about the cupcake photo on the front of the box and how i should have sent real ones so she (Carol, my postal clerk) could have had one. I joked with her next time. I made up my mind right then and there to surprise her with cupcakes.

lord knows i can't bake, but support local businesses? my kind of thing. 

making someone's day after i was so incredibly blessed? exactly my kind of thing.

dear micaela's life,

never forget how blessed you are. stay this good? please? and always be thankful. You've got such a loving husband-to-be. Never take that for granted.

love,

me xo

Comic Relief.

not having a job, all i've done today is lounge around in one of max's old t's.

no make up.

no brushed hair.

glasses.

and a moment ago, he said how cute i look in his shirt.

comic relief, indeed.

i really love roadtrips with my future husband.

he is the most careful driver i know. Who else can drive 20 hours non stop? We have so much fun on these little road trips, talking about anything and nothing while eating hot funyons and sipping gas station coffees.

When he first got the job in VA and left last September (before i moved with him in January), i gave him the audio book of David Sedaris' essays.

i can now forgive him that he never opened it during that whole trip.

only because it entertained us on our drive back from Texas. Sedaris is darkly entertaining, and most usually with a deeper punch as the conclusion. It was our first audio book experience, and it was the best kind because the books were read by him.

and Tillie you'll love this-- in one of his essays, he mentions being on a music show in Europe and guess who he says was there? ROBBIE WILLIAMS!!!




i do so love our little roadtrips of love.

VA is for lovers.

hello my darling lovies!!!

me & Max got back into Virginia early this morning. What a wonderful time being back home surrounded by my family and my greatest joys (my nieces/nephew-- seriously, please go to my twinkie's blog and swoon! i am just in love with them).  What made it extra wonderful and much more meaningful was that last Thursday Max drove 20 hours non stop to be there with me.

i am in love with this man. 


(ps. thank-you whole heartedly for the sweet letters that welcomed me home! replies soon, promise.)