on my way home from the lake

thankful for cold, cold Green Bay water to fling myself into on sunny 80 degree days
thankful for amazing Wagon Trail brownies (absolutely delicious every. single. year.)
thankful for cute texts from a husband who misses me but also loves me enough to let me go on vacation without him
thankful for a flight cancellation that led to a 5 hour car trip with my dad and great conversation about jobs, our family, and what matters most
thankful for lost luggage that allowed me a mini shopping spree on the airline's tab (hello, new jeans!)
thankful for early morning coffee in the quiet
thankful for our deck which gets just the right amount of sunlight and gives me the feeling i'm in my own treehouse in the woods
thankful for sweet time with my sisters who seem to be funnier and more fashionable every year
thankful for whatever law forbids chain restaurants or shopping malls from popping up in Door County
thankful for walks with my mom
thankful for my nana and gampy who birthed this wonderful, large family and gifted me 24 years of summers at my favorite place on earth

home for the holidays

merry christmas, all! my sister and i are heading out today for chicago to see my family. i really can hardly wait - my nana and gampy are already at the house, my youngest sister is home from college, my mom has White Christmas ready to be watched, and my dad has promised fresh homemade cinnamon rolls (he makes the best ones!). they have lots of snow on the ground and i can't wait to go sledding (never too old, right?)!

i'm looking forward to watching modern family (we're obsessed) curled up in my parents' bed with my sisters and some quiet time of reflection and prayer in our reading room (my favorite room in the house). my aunts are also throwing me my first bridal shower while i'm home!

i always get pretty emotional during christmas. thinking about the love of God embodied in a child. being overwhelmed by how much i love and cherish my family. and, this year, missing m. it seems unnatural to part with my best friend for my favorite time of year, but i know we have every christmas from this time forward together. thank God for that.



i'll be posting randomly over the next week or so, so please say hi if you're also on the blogosphere! wishing you all a merry, merry christmas!

s'mores sommelier

i keep a folder of places i'd like to visit, and after I discovered Paws Up Resort on the Today Show, Montana has officially been added to the list. y'all - have you ever heard of glamping? it's glamorous camping, and i'm all about it.

Montana looks gorgeous, doesn't it? the resort offers fly fishing, atv rides, horseback riding, and a full concierge service for your tent or cabin to just name a few perks.








and did i mention their food looks amazing? this molten chocolate cake had me at hello. is it too early to start planning a one-year anniversary trip?

road trippin'

i love a good road trip. m & i will be traveling this weekend to asheville, nc to see his brother (and my soon-to-be brother-in-law - how crazy is that?). jeff will be competing in the green river kayaking race. i'm really looking forward to seeing him in his element! it's about a 5 hour drive, so i thought i'd share some of my road trip faves.

just bought this sweater (on sale!) and love how soft it is!

my j brand jeans are always a favorite. they're stretchy without stretching out. tom's shoes are incredibly comfortable, and they're always a good buy since every pair of shoes bought will guarantee a pair of shoes for a child in need.

sweater, jeans, & tom's

can't resist fruity candy in the car.

i've mentioned that i love to read. m and i started to read books together when we were dating (it's so much more fun than watching a movie!). we read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close earlier this year, and i highly recommend it. now we are reading m's pick - Killer Angels, which chronicles the battle of gettsyburg. i'm not usually drawn to historical fiction, so this has been a good exercise for me.

and where would a road trip be without some good listening? we are making our way through tim keller's sermons on marriage (amazing), and i will be forcing m to listen to the new taylor swift album until we both know the words by heart.

we both love the tunes of mumford & sons. this album seems to embody autumn to me.

do you have any road trip musts? i'd love to know!

images found here & here