Once Upon A Wurt: A St. Pete Beach Wedding

The middle weekend of our trip to Kentucky, Ryan & I flew off to St. Pete Beach for Mark & Liz's wedding weekend. Mark has been a great friend for nearly a decade and I was so honored to be able to attend this special event in his (and Liz's) life.

I also enjoyed a weekend away with Ryan minus the kiddos. We haven't left the kids overnight since Adelaide was about 9 months old and we went to Italy for my 30th birthday. No doubt the kids had a great time with Mimi though!

We slept in, walked to brunch, walked the beach, swam, read (yes I read an entire book in the time I was gone!), drank, kissed, and soaked up the adult time as well as a no schedule ;)

The wedding was gorgeous and the personal vows were two of the best that I have ever heard. The details were amazing and made for a special beach feel. 

Congrats to Mark & Liz!!!

 

roomies!

view from our table

Good Night World: A Book Series

Last January when I was waiting in the airport upon my return from L. Marquette's bachelorette weekend in Scottsdale, I started perusing the gift shop looking for something to take back to Adelaide. My parents always returned from trips with a little something for us kids, and I wanted to continue this special tradition. I wanted to get her something that represented Arizona as well as something that would be relevant as she grows up. Also I wanted whatever it was to be educational and something we could share in together.

Subconsciously I always gravitate towards books because I am such a bookworm and have been since I was a little child. I stumbled upon the cutest little book: Good Night Arizona. Perfect! What a great gift that Adelaide will use time & time again over the years as I read to her and educate her on life in Arizona. I purchased a copy and set it on her nightstand atop the already high stack. During our bedtime ritual, I read it to her as I rocked her to sleep.

Fast forward to May when we went to Boston for Mother's Day weekend. I was on the hunt for a little memento from the trip. Low & behold I found Good Night America!

When we went to California, I desperately searched for the Good Night California book in every city we visited. It wasn't until we spent our last day in San Diego at the Hotel del Coronado that I found it.

So now I'm on a mission to find one from each state Adelaide has visited thus far in her life. I hope someday she will have a fabulous collection of 50 books all about the great states of America!

For a list of all the books out so far, check out their website. And to purchase, click here.

**Santa is most likely delivering Good Night North Pole this year ;)

Music Mondays: James Morrison (Part One)

Courtesy of Shana and our wine night in PB, I am totally loving James Morrison and his lyrics...

Our Family Trip To Cali: San Diego (Part Five)

Thursday morning we were greeted with homemade french toast & fresh fruit from chef Liz before hitting the road. After nourishing our bodies, we packed the car and began our decent south through the rough LA & OC traffic. Knowing Adelaide was itching for a play date, we decided to stop in the OC to visit the Lees.

Meissa & Josh just moved back to CA from St. Louis and are settling into their new house. We hadn't met Isabel yet and hadn't seen Lulu since she was a little baby so we decided to stop in for a visit. Adelaide was in seventh heaven playing with the girls. They have play rooms upstairs & downstairs so she was crawling all over the place. Then Meis served up corn & black beans for dinner so she enjoyed rubbing her food all over her face and in her hair.

Josh & Ryan enjoyed beers outside by their pool while Meissa & I chatted about all things baby and mommy-hood. It was great to see them and catch up because it had been way too long! Plus little girls playing always melts my heart :)

After saying our goodbyes, we continued on to San Diego where it all started. My Cali life; Ryan & Is courtship. The beginning of life as we know it. We arrived as the sun was coming down and the beach was glowing. Unpacked and settled into Brooke's house, we drank & gossiped with Shana and Mark all night. My original roomies and I were cracking jokes, telling stories, and laughing all over the place until nearly 3am. Pacific Beach gets you every time. I swear that town never sleeps.

The next morning Brooke, Adelaide, & I sat beach side for brunch at The Catamaran. Gorgeous views of the ocean, paddle boarders, sailboats, the sand. Cheers with mimosas to our lives and memories over the years. Once we were full, we took a stroll down the beach admiring the beauty of San Diego. I have a soft spot in my heart for the place that made my life what it is today.

Scooping Ryan from the house, our little family ventured over to Coronado to the Hotel Del Coronado. My family vacationed there many years ago so it became a homey place when I lived in SD. The adorable shops & restaurants are too much and the views are beyond amazing. It reminds me a lot of the Greenbrier which we love of course.

No trip to SD is complete without Yogurtland so we had a sweet treat before heading back to Brooke's for a sushi dinner in with friends. In our pjs, we watched comedy movies and thought about how much times had changed. Who sits at home in PB on a Friday night?! Haha certainly not this crew a few years ago.

As Ryan & I went to sleep on our last night of vacation, we couldn't help but feel incredibly blessed for the friendships and experiences we have encountered over the last few years. California will always be a special place for the two of us, as individuals and as a couple. We are thrilled to have spent such a great week together and with our baby girl Adelaide. We look forward to many more trips out west to show her the beauty of life & love.