Little Letters: Sarah P. Duke Gardens Edition

I am all for fun, easy, and FREE date ideas. A walk in the garden is about as romantic as it gets! (Hellooo Jane Austen) I love exploring beautiful winding paths in full bloom, birds chirping, the warm sun on your face and the rustling of the wind in the trees. Good company is obviously a must in this setting. 

This weekend Preston and I were able to visit Sarah P. Duke Gardens once again. The first time we visited the gardens we were a newly dating couple. This visit brought back a lot of nostalgic memories and made for a lovely afternoon. All of the beautiful flowers were in full bloom, and the weather you ask? Perfectly warm! The first glimpse that spring is really actually coming. 

If you have never visited Duke Gardens I do recommend a nice sunny spring day. The blooms are amazing, and everything is coming to life. The downside to this of course, is that it will most assuredly be crawling with people in every direction snapping baby shots, engagement shots, you name it. We actually witnessed a proposal AND a wedding. All in the short span of an hour and a half. 

If you would like to know any outfit details, I have added the links below. 

Enjoy the fun pictures!

XOXO,

Maeve Larkhill Swing Midi  |  Clare Cardigan in Black  |  Block Heel Sandal Option 1  |  Block Heel Sandal Option 2

North Dakota Nostalgia - June 2017

Sometimes life is really exciting because you do all sorts of exciting and absolutely random things you never in the world could have imagined. I never in a million years would have guessed that I would ever be getting on a plane to visit North Dakota. Especially not to visit my boyfriend there! So here we are y'all, remembering and documenting this fun adventure.

Here is a quick run through of the days that all blur together now.


Thursday:

 I arrived in Minot early in the morning in time for some coffee and muffins at Tim Horton's.  We visited the Burlington bridge, and had a picnic of watermelon and snacks at Oak Park, where Preston tells me that ticks are totally normal in ND. #nottodaysatan

 The weather was absolutely wonderful the entire time I was there, hot and sunny all day! We had a cookout that night at Preston's grandparents house where I got to meet everyone a few at a time. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and Little Bit, the cutest belly rub beggar. 

We went on a bike ride that afternoon to the park again, where we managed to see a humongous raccoon (that was terrifying). That evening we met up with Preston's cousins and played games outside until dark. (soccer/swings/foursquare).

Friday:

We had an early start to the day with a ride out to the farm for breakfast at Preston's aunts house. Her kids were absolutely the cutest! They had two new puppies, Max and Marley, and they were really cute. 

We then had a lunch of Knoephla soup at the Sletten Farm, where I met the other half of the family. We went four wheel riding, visited a haunted house on the farm, the pit, rode and DROVE the tractors, and visited with the horses. My favorite part was probably driving the tractors and the combine. Preston's grandpa showed me how to do it and it was SO cool! We end the evening with a family game of volleyball and dinner and games at Shawna and Jason's house. It was lovely!

P.S. That sunset!

Saturday:

 We ventured out to Medora and the Badlands where wild horses and bison roam. We watched the prairie dogs poke their little heads out into the daylight. We had a nice hike, where we thought we heard rattlesnakes in the bushes. After a delicious and much needed pizza lunch, we went to the Medora Musical, which was amazing! It was all completely outside and the night fall only added to the magic of it all! 

Sunday:

We had an early breakfast at the Sletten's. I remember at one point when Preston was out at the car, his Grandpa tells me "I don't know if this means anything or not, but you have our approval". It was the sweetest thing, and obviously mean a TON to me!

I helped Preston run his Sunday school van route. Did I mention the terrible allergies I had?! I was NOT expecting that in ND where there are hardly any trees! We did a quick run to a store for some Claritin to get me through church without sneezing all over the place. It worked.

We delivered the cute wild children back to their homes after Sunday school, and went back for Sunday service. I was so glad I got to spend Pentecost Sunday service with Preston and his family, it was the best way to spend it. 

That afternoon the Aprils were having a going away party, since they were moving to Georgia. We got to spend a great evening with everyone and had a game night with some of his cousins that lived out of town and a nice cozy bonfire. Then there was of course the after party meet up at Denny's with the ongoing fun.

Monday:

Our last day we visited the Minot Zoo (I think the penguins were our favorite) and the Scandinavian Heritage Center. We had a nice Sushi lunch before Preston dropped me off at the airport. Is there anything more depressing than airport good-byes? I think not. 

xoxo,

Weekend in Memphis - MP 2017

10 Things I learned this weekend at Mission Possible:

1. I am a great driver.

2. I always get the exact same snacks on road trips. Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino + Airhead Extremes (Rainbow kind) + Water

3. My pockets are full of puzzle pieces. I need to give these away.

4. The entire load is not on my shoulders.

5. Lo barato sale caro.

6. Jesus has always had a plan for my life. Even when I don't see it.

7. You've got to dig your own well.

8. It will get messy. 

9. I have some amazing people in my life.

10. Adelante, siempre adelante.

xoxo,

America the Beautiful

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan

Today all eyes are trained on The United States. Inauguration day is upon us and change is prevalent on all fronts. America is a beautiful country of opportunity, certainly not perfect, but nothing ever is. However, I do believe that we are extremely blessed to have all of the opportunities, freedoms, and rights that we do.

I finally got around to visiting Washington, D.C. this January with some of my favorite people. We got snow on our day of arrival and that only added a magical effect to the entire experience and adventuring. It was a bit overwhelming, with so much to see, so much to do, and itineraries that just couldn't be stuck to! We got to tour the capitol building and that was really neat. I definitely plan on going back for another visit in the warmer months! Here's just a few pictures for you to enjoy!

Happy Inauguration Day, America!

New York : 9/11 Memorial & World Trade Center Mall (Part 6)

My blog may be turning into a collage of pictures...and that's okay, because otherwise I will never finish posting and will simply forget all about it. I went to New York, and I was able to visit the site that impacted all of America. It was magnificent, sobering, and made me remember that day through the eyes of my 8 year old self in third grade.

xoxo,