Summer Favorites

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

Summer is in full swing in these parts, with our 100 degree daily temps. And while sweating is not my forte, I do enjoy this season. We've been spending the evenings in the park walking or playing a round of disc golf, and we are looking forward to #6 on this list this weekend!

This zip up blanket is rather toddler-mom of me, but it's been handy even without kiddos! It has replaced towels at the beach because it's much larger and easier to shake off the sand. Birmingham has several movies in the park over the summer, and this is perfect to grab and go.

I purchased these Teva sandals a few years ago and every summer I think, "These are my all-time favorite shoes." Many of you are Chaco's fans, and while I can't speak to Chaco, these Teva's are excellent! They are super comfortable, great for the outdoors, dry easily, and I like the adjustable velcro straps across the width of the toes. And while they are definitely outdoor shoes, they aren't so grubby that I don't wear them with some casual outfits.

The IT Cosmetics CC Cream is pretty fabulous. I've wanted to find some makeup that wasn't as full coverage as my normal foundation to wear on more relaxed days when a "full face" is not necessary. Or in situations, like at the beach or hiking, which is why I love the SPF 50 in this formula! I received a sample, but was immediately sold, so I'll look into purchasing this soon.

When thinking about sunny, summer days I have to put a plug in for your eyes! Protect them from from the sun too with UV protective sunglasses. I'd also always recommend polarized lenses for your sunnies, like my Maui Jims. I've had my prescription Maui's since working in optical in college, and they are some of the best money I've ever spent! If you're a glasses only wearer, I'd highly suggest a pair of Rx'd sunglasses from your optometrist - you will love and cherish them!

I am all about the sunscreen to protect my fair skin, but I'd like a little summer glow too! My favorite sunless tan is Tanwise Foaming Mouse. It applies well, doesn't have an orange tint, and it doesn't have that typical fake tan smell. You'll want a mitt to apply it, and work fast!

Okay, this last one is a bit much, but Jesse recently got us this inflatable kayak and it's been a blast! He's had his eye on one of these for quite a while now, researching as usual. Neither of our cars are capable of transporting a "real" kayak, so this works great for us. It fits in the trunk, then we spend a few minutes pumping it up, and we're good to go! It paddles more like a canoe, but we did push the limits by putting 4 people in it while on the lake at Oak Mountain. We will try it again just the two of us before taking it down the river.

Hats Off - We're Grads!

You already know, but guys, we did it! Jesse and I both graduated this month, which means we are finished with school forever! (I know, never say never, but I can say this one with full confidence.) One Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, one Bachelor of Nutrition Science, one Masters in Business Administration, and one Doctor of Optometry later, we. are. done.

We are so incredibly thankful all of the encouragement and support we've had over the past... oh,... 23 years. Which basically means that we don't know how to not be students, so we may have a little trouble figuring out life beyond school. (How do you live on a calendar year of January to December, not August to July; and months, not semesters?!)

It's a pretty sentimental time, as we part ways with many of our friends. For me, I've been through the trenches of optometry school with these people. They've understood the struggle, and celebrated together in each victory along the way. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little scared to do life without them, but I can't wait to see their successes in the future!

School has consumed a lot of our life, especially over the past four years. It has been a real challenge, and our marriage has suffered on some levels because of our commitments to our education. I know the "real world" is not going to be a piece of cake, and that life is full of stressors. We've learned to love through this phase of life, but we are looking forward to time together without having to redirect our attention to our studies. I definitely couldn't have made it this far without Jesse leading and supporting me (and telling me to suck it up a few times).

Jesse says, "Whew! We made it through!"

San Luis Obispo, CA

In March, Jesse and I spent my final Spring Break week back in California!  Jesse's brother, Matt, and wife Heidi, moved there several months ago, and we were excited to visit their new town.  Most of you already know that we are actually considering San Luis Obispo (SLO) as a possible place to move after my graduation. We haven't made any final decisions yet, but I wanted to share our trip with you in the meantime.

We flew from ATL to LA, then took the Surfliner Amtrak train up the coast. I have always wanted to travel by train, and this experience did not let me down. It was a beautiful ride, right along the coastline. It was so nice to just store our luggage, then relax after a long flight.

We had a full week in SLO, and Matt and Heidi were eager to show us around. We walked around Pismo Beach, took in the amazing view at the pier, and grabbed a snack at ChipWrecked.

Did a little kayaking in Morro Bay, around Morro Rock:

There were lots of great restaurants to try in downtown SLO. Here's a sampling of some of the tasty dishes we had:

(Batch: Snickerdoodle cookie w/ coffee ice cream sandwich)

(Luna Red: Fried Brussels w/ Bacon dust; Bacon wrapped blue cheese dates; Olive oil cake; not pictured- Lamb sausage pizzetta)

(My new all-time favorite restaurant - The Spoon Trade: Rosemary Chicken and Waffles w/ kimchi; Sourdough bread; Halibut sushimi w/ avocado puree; Burrata toast; Sweetbreads with Homemade Fettuccine)

(The central coast's version of BBQ - the famous SLO Tri-tip Sandwich)

We visited the Mission and also hiked Bishop's Peak - one of the mountains that surrounds SLO (which you see in the background below).

Every Thursday the main street of SLO is shut down for the Farmer's Market. I was in heaven surrounded by fresh produce, and I of course helped support the locals by trying some of the foods available.  :)

On one of our last days there, we went tide pooling. We didn't see very many fish, but it's just incredible to stand that close to the ocean and soak up the nature.

And because we couldn't get enough of the outdoors, we walked through Montana de Oro State Park which has trails that line the bluffs. The views here were the most incredible of all! The cliffs are so high and steep, and the ocean is constantly crashing beneath you.

We even got to celebrate Easter while we were there with an awesome worship and church service. We cleaned up a little bit and snapped this fancy photo:

It was so wonderful to visit with family and see how happy they are in their new location. We can't wait to go back! Until next time, Cali....

Charlotte, NC // Gadsden, AL

In January I took my last part of my board exams. This one required traveling to Charlotte to spend 2 hours showing observers and cameras that I can, indeed, perform an eye exam. It was a quick trip, but we tried to make the most of it. After my exam I picked a restaurant for us to enjoy: Futobuta - a homemade Ramen and Sake bar. It was one of my favorite meals to date. We has the Miso Ramen, Pork Belly Steam Buns, and Sesame ice cream for dessert. (I am excited to find a similar concept restaurant closer to home in Montgomery. We haven't tried it yet, but definitely will in the near future!)

The following day we went to the Billy Graham Library. We are senior citizens at heart. It was a really interesting place, though. Our generation did not grow up hearing much of Billy Graham, but he is truly an amazing man who lived to tell the true Gospel of God. It's incredible how many people he reached through his crusades, and he was so humble he never took credit for anything.

We had to catch one more hot restaurant on the way out of Charlotte. We chose Luna's Living Kitchen for lunch - a vegan restaurant and juice bar that serves mostly raw ingredient foods. Their dishes are so creative and delicious. I love when simple, fresh ingredients are used in non-traditional ways to get the most flavor out of each product. Luna's does this very well. I had the lasagna (zucchini noodles, topped with a pesto, cashew nut "cheese") and a side salad with hemp seed dressing. Jesse had a quinoa burger with a beet salad side. Everything was beautiful and amazingly delicious!

We took the long route home and stopped to visit with one of Jesse's coworkers. They have a lovely secluded cabin that has been featured in Country Living magazine. They were kind enough to invite us to stay and gave us the tour of the property the following morning. Look how charming!

On the drive back to Birmingham we drove through Little River Canyon, starting at the top and stopping to take a peek at the falls. LRC is on of the deepest and longest canyons in the southeast. It starts at Lookout Mountain near the triad of Georgia-Tennessee-Alabama and eventually empties into the Coosa River near Leesburg, AL. There is an 11 mile parkway that follows the canyon with lookout spots along the way. We started at the top, at Little River Canyon Falls.

We wound down, down, down - the end of the drive getting a little scary with steep hills and rocky roads.  We stopped in Gadsden to see Noccallula Falls at sunset.

There are so many beautiful places to explore in Alabama. We are looking forward to finding more gems like these now that Spring is finally here!

New Year, New Post, New Hampshire

Welcome back everyone (and myself)! I've really let things slide around here. I could give you some excuses, but really it boils down to my lack of motivation. I've had more time on my hands in the past 6 months than I have in the past 3 years. Somewhere along the way I decided no one really cared what I put out on this blog, but to my surprise a few of you have expressed that you actually miss it! So I thought I'd get back at it.

For now, let's catch up!

Way back when, over Christmas break, we spent some time at home with family and got to see a few friends as well. We then headed to New Hampshire to visit Mike, Kelsey, and Addy at their new home. Even (Brother) Mike was also there for a few days!  Since we've gained quite the reputation for long road trips, I will clarify that we flew this time.  :)

I did not plan a single thing for this trip. Not one. My only goal was to soak up quality time with these friends. I was giddy with excitement just to be in the same place for an entire week. This excitement even held us through a plane delay, midnight flight, and arrival time of 3:00 am.

We did lots of things Northerners do, while there. Two days in, we received their first snow fall of the year, which greatly enhanced the experience.

Addy was excited to go out into the snow. Not to play, but to eat a "snow clump." She did want to follow this up by drinking hot cocoa. (Told you she was smart.)

Mike plowed the driveway, like Northern gentlemen do.

We ventured out on the roads- all plowed. And I admired, as all the people went about their daily lives. I thought about rolling down the window and yelling, "It's snowing! Go home!" But, alas, schools and businesses still run, people still go to work. It's hocus pocus up their. (Insert non-so-faint memories of Birmingham's Snowpocalypse 2014.)

I took my first toboggan ride. Exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. Thankfully two local kids tested it out first to make sure we wouldn't die in the brush at the bottom.

We drove to Newburyport and ate true New England clam chowder, and were also introduced to maple candies. Jesse went snow-shoeing, and we played a game of candle-pin bowling (which is like normal bowling except with tall skinny pins, and you don't have to wait for the pins to be reset; however New England people think this is normal bowling.)

We flew out of Boston, so we spent our last day exploring there. Boston is a beautiful place that holds so much history, and you can tell the friendly people are proud of their city. We took a hop-on, hop-off trolley tour, which was a great way to see the highlights. Our tour guide had the ultimate Boston accent, which made the tour extra exciting! The Old State House was built in 1713, and in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read to the people of Massachusetts from the front balcony. Today it is towered by skyscrapers. The upper levels can be toured, and the basement is now a city subway entrance.

We toured Paul Revere's home.

And the Old North Church where Paul Revere hung the lanterns and began his journey to warn that the British were coming. 

We ended our tour at the Boston Harbor, then warmed up with a cup of tea.

And in case you were wondering....while in Boston we had more clam chowder, a lobster roll, and a lobster tail pastry and cannoli. (The best cannoli of my life.)