5.21.2017

little letters: durham bulls edition


one of my favorite bloggers does a post from time to time called "little letters", which basically consists of random thoughts and thank you's.  i enjoy reading it so much, i decided to do my own "little letters" post specific to our evening last night at the durham bulls game.  but first, here's some pictures for ya:
















dear summer,  thank you for finally returning!  you're without a doubt my favorite season (even if i was profusely sweating prior to sundown).

dear baseball,  thanks for always having such yummy food staples (veggie dogs and soft pretzels... i'm talking to you)!

dear guy at fan assistance,  thanks for upgrading our seats to a much better location after the ass hats behind us refused to move their feet off of the back of our chairs.

dear general public,  it's really rude to put your dirty shoes on the back of someone's chair literally inches from their head.

dear bodysuits,  i'm so glad you are back in style!  even though you can make going to the bathroom a bit of a challenge sometimes, you still look just as cute tucked into a pair of ripped denim shorts as you did in 1992!

dear husband,  thanks for being such a fun date  :)

dear pints of craft beer,  you go hand-in-hand with baseball and taste so good to sip on during the game.... but you provide a pretty gnarly hangover.

dear hangover,  don't you think it's about time you go away?

dear cafe lights,  you can make any space about 10 times prettier when you're strung about!

dear fedora,  don't worry that all the other hats in my closet are jealous of you.  you can jazz up the simplest of outfits and you keep the sun off my face.  you're perfect in every way.

dear 30,  thanks for making the sun, hangovers and the general public a bit less tolerable than they were in my twenties.  i really appreciate that.

5.07.2017

sunshine and seafood

a few weekends ago was one of the nicest days we've had so far this spring!  i'm talkin' 80 degree weather with clear blue skies!  it also just so happened to coincide with the french market and seafood festival in nearby, lafayette village.  if you've never been, it's the cutest shopping area that literally makes you feel like you've been transported to a village in france!  they have specialty shops for cheeses, olive oils, wine and spices... and they have a few great restaurants too (oh, there's a bottle shop and a crêperie too, which puts it pretty high on my list of places i like to hang out)!  it was our first time attending their annual seafood festival.  we lounged in the sun, drank a few beers, listened to some live jazz, and dined on some steamed oysters.  i already can't wait to go back next year :)


















5.01.2017

springtime in michigan



a few weekends ago, husband and i packed up for a road trip to michigan to visit his family for a few days (louie came too, of course).  we had such a lovely time!  the weather was a bit cool at first, but the sun finally came out and warmed things up the day before we left!  cory's mom recently moved, so we loved seeing her new house and we did a lot of sight seeing around her new town!  here's a few pics from the weekend:

this is basically what car rides with louie look like...

"this is comfy.  don't move your arm for the next 12 hours, okay dad?" -louie

shortly after our arrival, cory's mom showed us around the nearby town of port huron, and i got to check out lake huron for the first time!

the water is so blue and pretty!

such a cute little lighthouse


i saw this in the sand, and thought it was so sweet!


this vacation was much needed! (you know you've been doing ultrasound too long, when you look at this picture and it instantly makes you think of gallstones).


post-sightseeing beers by the water, watching the huge freighters go by!


back at penny's house for some snuggle time with mr. louie!  he loves his gramma!

my gorgeous sister-in-law, christine and her insanely intelligent hubby, travis (i call him the human google), joined us for the weekend!  they're so fun! (here's a post i did from their wedding a few years ago)

sampling a few beers at war water brewery!

cory's uncle, milo, joined us for the day as well!!  he's so sweet and always full of great stories :)

i'm pretty sure i won the mother-in-law lottery!

the brewery had markers sitting out on the tables!  there was some very interesting existing artwork... to which we contributed 
-dad 


spring seems to have turned into summer rather quickly back home in north carolina, so it was nice to experience spring for a second time up in michigan!  this japanese magnolia tree was giving me all the feels (again)!

the blue water bridge, connecting the US (left) and Canada (right)!

seriously can't get over how pretty the water is



downtown port huron has some adorable old victorian homes... this one was my absolute favorite!

stocked up on wood for an evening bonfire (we may or may not have overestimated the amount we needed).

there's nothing more relaxing than sitting out by the fire on a crisp night (especially when there's a beer in your hand and a sleeping schoodle in your lap)!

we went to the raven café for brunch several times!  if you're ever in port huron, be sure to stop there.  the food and coffee is amazing...

.... and the decor inside is so fun and unique!

their quiche alone is worth the trip....

also, no brunch is complete without a bloody mary, in my opinion!

brunch with cory's aunts!

louie loves all of his aunts, but he has a very special bond with his aunt kathy!  he's obsessed!

heading back home to north carolina!  one of us loves 12 hour car rides together, and the other does not.  can you guess which?  

we are missing everyone already, and can't wait to see you again!  thanks for such a good time, michigan!