a day at Disney

Last month I was able to check off one of my “bucket list” items.

To take my family to Disney World.

When I learned I was being given the opportunity to attend and help present at a nursing leadership conference in Orlando, FL, I immediately got Brian on board to have him and Miller go with me. We spent our second year wedding anniversary in Orlando visiting close friends and walking miles after miles at Disney. It was my third time at Disney and Brian’s first. While I enjoyed it more, he knew I wanted to come back one day with our future family.

be our guest

When choosing a home, we wanted a place that felt inviting. A home that felt comfortable. And a home that felt like home to our guests. I believe one way to make a guest feel at home is (of course) a home cooked meal or a freshly brewed cup of coffee! So when remodeling our 1930’s home, I wanted our connecting kitchen and dining room to reflect a sense of coziness and comfort while spending as little as possible!

our days in London

When we got together, Brian and I talked about all the places we hoped to visit over our lifetime. On my list was the United Kingdom because of the castles BUT, even more so, because two of my dear friends live there. I lived with two beautiful women (Grace and Ellie) in Kenya one summer and promised myself I would see them again one day. Brian knows my heart oh so well and when we talked about where our next “big vacation” would be, he kindly said, “let’s go visit your girls!” He really is too good to me.

happy first birthday miller

When I think back to the past three hundred and sixty five days, the word that comes back to my mind is “joy.” Becoming parents and working as a team to love Miller as the child God has given to us has been everything to our hearts and more. I expected to love my child unconditionally, I expected some days would consist of tears, I expected moments of frustration, and I expected to see qualities in our son I would love and laugh at. What I did not expect when becoming a parent was instantly understanding and getting a glimpse of the kind of love God has for us all as His children. You simply cannot understand it until you become a parent yourself.

the power of communication

I once took a course in college that focused on relationships and during class one day we were discussing the topic of overall “relationship effectiveness” (aka – what held a relationship together). Each corner of the room was labeled with a noun and we were asked to stand in the corner that we felt was most important for a relationship to have.

Trust. Honesty. Communication. Respect.

There were only eight of us in the class and I was the sole individual who stood in the third corner: Communication. While no answer was greater than the other, I can still picture my instructor grinning at my choice. Through discussion, we quickly all came to the conclusion that trust, honesty, and respect cannot exist without communication.

classic and comfortable: the unique wood watch

Every season, I find myself wanting to completely clean out my closet and start fresh. This spring season, I have a different goal in mind. I have a goal to become more of a minimalist with my wardrobe, keeping only classic, versatile, and comfortable items. This includes accessories. One accessory I simply cannot live without is a watch because, well, they are practical! My favorite watches by far are the JORD wood watches.

everyday purse must haves

anytime you leave the house, there are those “must have” items that you just can’t go anywhere without.  as women we tend to need much more than men, but personally i’m okay that.  I kind of love the look on my husbands face when he asks for or wants a drink of my water, a piece of gum, my chap stick, tissues, or my phone charger. I know everyone has different ideas of what they think they need, or lets be honest, how heavy you want your purse to feel but i wanted to quickly share what i have on hand in my purse on a daily basis! i love learning about what others keep in their purse so that i can find new products to try; therefore, i hope you find something mentioned below to be just what you have been looking for!

texas: friends + food + magnolia

brian and i celebrate our anniversary every year away from home. year two was at Disney World, year four in Kansas City, year three in Africa and year one was in Puerto Vallarta. while on our one-year wedding anniversary (or one-y-moon as i like to call it), we met a couple who were celebrating their one year anniversary, as well. from California, christian and amanda quickly became some of our closest friends!

after only being able to spend two days together at the tiniest resort (the 42 room resort allowed us to recognize faces quickly)–because they were at the end of their vacation while we had just started ours–we made plans to stay in touch and visit one another in our home towns. we have since visited their home in California and they have visited ours. honestly, i like to think of the Arriaga’s as our “marriage soulmates.” 

DockATot: from deluxe to grand

when planning for our baby registry approximately a year ago, we tried to list only items we knew were necessary. while we had wipes, swaddles, bottles, a carrier, a stroller, and of course a car seat listed, i knew i wanted one “splurge” item. that item was the DockATot.

staying in

i am so excited for today’s blog post! though i am posting this five days later than i hoped to (i worked all week so that we could leave for vacation today!), it is my hope you find these nine “must have” décor times to be inspiring for keeping your home cozy and ready to host your future guests!