Cabin Shenanigans + 4th of July in Photos

I spent the whole weekend outside as much as possible, and I was in my element. We slept in, made homemade meals, did a lot of cheersing with adult beverages, and held the annual family olympics tradition (go Team Orange!) - which included a triple challenge in bocce ball, soccer, and kayak races.

 A little sunshine and exercise was exactly what I needed, and we had such a great time that I almost didn't come home.  Thankfully I am rounding up some girlfriends for a ladies cabin weekend in a few weeks, otherwise cabin fever might set in (Pun intended? Unintended? I clearly have decision making issues...).

So anyway, here's a sneak peek at all the fun and adventures.

The typical cabin get-up. My favorite hiking sandals, comfy shorts, sunscreen, and sunnies. Had to be ready for some leisurely kayaking, a pick-up soccer game, or to grab a super soaker (and run!) at the drop of a hat.

Of course we ventured into Arlington for a stop at the famous Carolyn's Essenhaus for made-from-scratch home cooking, and of course a slice of one of Carolyn's to-die-for pies.

Slightly blurry, but I couldn't resist posting this one of my sister-in-law, Meredith, with my fur nephew, Ollie, our favorite Russian babushka wearing pup. For the rest of the day we attempted to speak to Oliver in a Russian accent, and as it was pointed out to me... I apparently have no idea how to do that. :)

Everyday we helped plan and cook delicious meals, and nothing beats cooking and good company with friends/family.I absolutely loved the night where Meredith and Kyle made pizza dough and we all made our own pizza pies for the grill. 

Just a little sprinkle of cornmeal on the bottom of the plate and it slid right onto the grill with ease. My toppings of choice - pesto, mushrooms, caramelized onions, goat cheese, a sprinkle of parm and a little sausage... oh baby!

I also checked off "learn how to cook with rhubarb off of my summer bucket list. How on earth did I wait this long to experience this deliciousness? No one can go wrong with a little strawberry rhubarb pie action!

Unbeknownst to us, the Beast is a total water sports fanatic. Although I think she could've grabbed a paddle and helped out a bit. What a freeloader! ;)







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Cabin weekend highlights...

+ catching up with my in-laws during the roadtrip
+ the weather was unreal
+ playing "Heads Up" and laughing so hard I almost peed my pants
+ taking my first ever tequila shot (ole!)
+ extended family party complete with fireworks and great company
+ sour cream raisin pie from the gods
+ spending time with my boo
+ late night conversations in our jammers
+ seeing 5 shooting stars while stargazing on the deck


How was your Freedom weekend?
//  What's your favorite place for a quiet getaway?  //

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Roadtrip Weekend + Favorite View

When I was laying on the couch with hubs last night, I thought it was Friday. So, you can imagine my disappointment when Adam reminded me I had one more day - haha! 

 Needless to say, there is an extra spring in my step today as I know the weekend has arrived. I am already welcoming it with open arms!

Well, I am waiting for 5PM to click by on the clock so we can jump in the car and take in all of the beautiful sunset views that the Flint Hills has to offer. I love that gorgeous Kansas prairie view. Who said Kansas was boring? 

We are heading to Wichita for the weekend to celebrate my cousin's high school graduation (way to go Ethan!) and to spend time with family and friends in my hometown.

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I am just ready to throw on my shades, put my toes up on the dashboard and drive into the sunset. I can only imagine that we will indulge in our usual weird road trip rituals along the way...

+ listen to throw back mixed CDs

+ come up with the most obscure future dog or baby names just for funsies 

(Adam is a champ... 'Phoenix' (for a kid), anyone?)

+ play the alphabet category game - we could play for hours

+ catch up on the most ridiculous stories or Adam will quiz me on current events

+ play "Hey Cow!" 

(a Meg original specialty)

// What's are your favorite road trip rituals? //

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In case you missed it this week...

+ week-long blog link-up

+ my spring cardio playlist

+ the ultimate chocolate chip cookie throwdown

Stay tuned tomorrow for an amazing nutella cinnamon roll recipe! Yum!

Happy weekend, you crazy cats!

Follow along here:  BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest

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Roadtrip Weekend

Well friends, at lunchtime I'm grabbing my man and my pup and hitting the open road.
It's the first time in a long time that my sweet hubby and I have been in the same city  for an extensive amount of time and I'm loving it.

Missed him.

So, we're taking advantage of the beautiful weekend and heading south. We're going to one of our favorite spots, the family cabin (yes, the one where Adam proposed! It's our favorite spot.).

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The game plan is to sit out on the deck, sleep too late, watch the turtles swim leisurely across the pond, maybe do a little kayaking, play fetch with Beast, practice using my camera better, cook some great meals, eat at Carolyn's, play cards, and just enjoy time outside together.

I'm literally giddy thinking about it!

Also, if you think about it and want to say a little prayer for my precious grandpa, he's not doing so great. We are planning to stop to spend a lot of time with him on our way to the cabin and again on our way home. Love that sweet man so much - thanks in advance for any phone calls to the Big Man upstairs on his behalf. :) 

God is good.

Life is wonderful.

Time to adventure.

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In case you missed it this week...

+ week long link-up

+ my current obsessions

Have a fantastic weekend - catch you for Mingle Monday!

Omaha Getaway in Photos

As promised, I have tons of photos from our long weekend getaway to Omaha!

I have to say, we had a spectacular time together exploring a new city. It's just so nice to completely detach and spend time with my best friend after crazy weeks, minimal alone time together, and adjusting to new work schedules.

BUT... We had a blast acting like complete little kids at the zoo, and being old fogies when we went to be at 10 p.m. the first night (ha!).


// Friday Afternoon

We stayed at The Magnolia Hotel in Old Market and it was so cozy and chic! We enjoyed the free breakfast spread, happy hour every afternoon, and milk and cookies before bed. :)

Once we got unpacked we explored Old Market's shops and grabbed some lunch and a drink at Upstream Brewery. Then we felt like being spontaneous, so we hopped across the river to catch an afternoon showing of The Internship (so hilarious, and made me want to work at Google).

// Friday Evening

Later that evening we enjoyed Mexican food and fancy margs (Pomegranate Marg was so insanely tasty... dangerous!) at the swanky upscale Roja Mexican Grill + Margarita Bar.

Naturally, since we were in the neighborhood... we just had to go try some of the famous ice cream at Ted & Wally's. I chose the Mexican Fried Ice Cream and it was so cinnamon-y (yes, it's a word) and delicious. It tasted just like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, my fave childhood breakfast cereal.

Well, we walked the few short blocks back to the Magnolia to find the cookies and milk happy hour and full swing. They practically had to twist our arms to get us to participate, but we reluctantly obliged by taking two cookies off their hands.... haha. ;)

And then we fell into a deep sugar coma. At 10 p.m.

This sign completely cracked me up...

 FREE PUPPIES!!

// Saturday Morning + Afternoon

Zoo Day!! We woke up insanely excited. We rolled out of bed extra early so that we could get to the world renown Henry Doorly Zoo while it was still cool and quiet. After 10:30 a.m., the zoo was packed full of crazy kiddos and strollers everywhere!

My real camera was malfunctioning during our trip, so I had to use my cell phone. But I have to say I am stinking impressed to see how great my iPhone captured our fun zoo moments!

 The polar bear swimming was so fun to watch (we stayed for a half hour!), and we loved seeing the newly born lion cubs (which are already 3x bigger than our Bella Beast)

We got a kick out of the gorilla who would walk up to the window and pose for the cameras! What a stud.

Our zoo pass included their awesome aquarium. We must've stayed at the penguin exhibit for a solid hour laughing at them waddling around and swam diving into the icy water. And the jellies. Oh, I loved watching the jellies - so pretty!

Love this guy. What a fun adventuring partner!!

// Saturday Evening

We needed a way to beat the heat after we finished our epic zoo visit, so we decided to cruise around and explore new neighborhoods. We happened to stumble by The French Bulldog eatery while exploring and we're so glad we stopped in!

They had the greatest wine selection and an amazing cheese plate that we devoured. Major yum!

Later in the evening we enjoyed some patio time before lounging around in our room after a long action-packed day.

// Sunday

On our last day, we had an al fresco brunch before heading to the Pedestian Bridge for a nice long walk. We hung out in two states at once, which was pretty sweet. We're total nerds! :)

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we had so much fun telling stories, recapping our trip, and already dreaming about where we want to travel to next.

That man is fun to do life with... blessed.

All together, a fantastic trip! Thanks to the city of Omaha and all of you for the awesome recommendations - we loved your advice!

Stay tuned... amazing cookie recipe coming this afternoon!

And We're Off!

Well, my bags are packed, Bella Beast has been shipped off to hang with Poppy and Juju (aka: her grandparents // aka: my parental units), and my love and I are ready to hit the road.

A Starbucks stop and a bathroom break 45 minutes in is inevitable.

Thank goodness Hubs is an insanely laid back guy!

Yes, Adam and I are off to spend a nice long weekend exploring Omaha! 

We have lots of fun places researched, and we can't wait to adventure (and EAT!) our way through it. Stay tuned via Instagram (social media buttons are in the top right corner) to see the sites.

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I'm just thrilled that we can go on our first weekender as a newly married couple. I think I have a vacation addiction problem and will probably be attending Vacationing Anonymous when I get back...

" Hi, my name is Meg, and I'm addicted to the Rocky Mountains, Hawaii, and not being at home."

"Hiiii Meg."

Anywho, I'm sure I'll have a full report for you next week (if I decide to ever come back home!!)

Cheers to the Weekend!

Bring on the Lawn Games + Merriment!

After a long 15 months, the time has finally arrived for my dear best friend to get hitched.

Yup, Adam and I are headed out of town tonight to journey down to tiny Okeene, Oklahoma for a weekend of fun, friends, and celebration. I am excited beyond belief to see Lo and Brian tie the knot! Can you tell?

These two have worked insanely hard to build a gorgeous gazebo in her parents backyard, pave an aisle, and landscape. With that rich in spirit backyard feel, they have handcrafted lawn games for guests to play....

...including a lifesize Jenga set.
Ahhh-mazing.

Meet the soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. Armstrong...




Aren't they such a gorgeous couple? I still can't get over these stunning photos captured by her photography cousin, Annie Nicole.

Let me just tell you, Lo is going to a stunning bride in her amazing vintage accessories and STUNNING dress. Eek! Butterflies in my tummy just thinking about the big day.

Don't you worry, I'll have lots to share {photos!} when I'm back at it next week!

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Today's featured sponsor is Kelli from She Learns As She Goes...

Blog // Twitter // FB // Instagram

:: Five Fun Facts ::

1. I'm super introverted and a bit of a dork.
2. I LOVE playing board games. My husband and I own over 60 games and have weekly game nights with friends.
3. I believe that everything happens for a reason - even the bad stuff can be used for good.
4. My husband and I, along with his brother, run a popular comedy channel on YouTube called Blimey Cow and we release new videos every Monday!
5. I love being captivated by a good story. My favorites are science fiction (the more epic and outer spacey, the better!) and historical/period pieces.

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...and Kaitlyn from Crazy Life of Kaitlyn.

Blog // Twitter // Pinterest

:: Meg Note ::

Kaitlyn wasn't able to share five fun facts, but you should definitely stop by and say hello!


Happy [early] weekend, lovelies!



PS - Don't forget to link-up and gain new readers ALL WEEK with my Mingle Monday Blog Hop link-up!

Time for Vacation Shenanigans!

I just have to say that I am crawling out of my skin with excitement today! How on earth will I make it through a whole work day when my Colorado vacation extravaganza begins at 5 p.m.?!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

Yup, that's right friends! I am beyond excited to roadtrip with future hubs and friends to Colorado for an amazing weekend. We've done it for the last 3 years and it's always a blast. We always go out during the Great American Beer Festival, since Adam is a craft beer snob connoisseur, and it's such a great time!

We're getting smarter over the years, and have learned to make it a true vacation. Both Adam and his best friend Sean went to college in Colorado, so we love staying with Sean's amazing parents (they're complete crack-ups!) and seeing so many of our friends.

Not to mention Colorado is stunning in the fall.

But tonight will be fun! We're getting the heck out of dodge right after work, and I brought lots of car activities per the usual! And the boys may laugh/scoff at my ridiculously oversized suitcase, but hey - a girl has got to look good on vacation - can I get an amen?!

Before we know it, we should arrive around 1 a.m., get some good rest, and then the adventures can commence in the morning!

.:: Weekend Preview in Photos ::.

Can't wait to stop in CO Springs and see some of our favorites....

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...drive up into the mountains to see the gorgeous Aspens and go hiking...

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...head to Denver for beer fest 2012...

(aka: Adam's concept of how heaven will be one day)

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...where shenanigans may or may not occur...

{ GABF Trips 2010 + 2011 }


I vow to actually document our awesome vacation with photos! I WILL get better at remembering. Promise.

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Other fun little highlights I am looking forward to...

+ morning walks with Adam
+ telling stories in the car
+ seeing The Perks of Being a Wallflower
+ going on a brewery tour in Denver with our crazy beer fanatic friends
+ brunching with Adam's cousin
+ wearing the cute outfit combos I packed (thank you Pinterest for your ideas!)
+ relaxing/mellow Saturday with open plans
+ trying new restaurants
+ spending some time at GABF trying to find the brewery
who had the beer last year that tasted like a blueberry muffin (Ha! SO GOOD!)
+ coffee in my PJs while gazing at the gorgeous mountains
+ just simply being on vacation

...so stinking ready for 5 p.m.



Anybody else want to join us?
We can pick you up on our way out of town! ;)