TWO FOR THE ROAD

 

Au Revoir Valentines day ... until next year ♥ ♥   

Well we made it back safe and sound from snowy northern Ohio and it feels oh so good to be home. We are homebodies by nature, slightly introverted, and enjoy the simple pleasures of being in the familiar but sometimes its good for us to venture somewhere new! 

Cleveland had been on our to-go list since we have been married- we were briefly there in 2012 for a Neil Young concert but with little time to explore we knew we wanted to go back and experience the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and city sights together. 

I am super glad I booked this trip- I was hesitant because of the weather we have been experiencing (you never know when a snow storm might trap you in) but I took a leap of faith and booked us an incredible hotel room in the trendy Flats District. We wined and dined and fell asleep to the luxury of cable TV (ha!) and then there is always the fun of long conversations while making a 3+ hour drive. 

One of my favorite things about being married is having the joy of knowing someone so intimately- on a level that no one else knows your partner. Nuances, mannerisms, thought patterns- these are all things you pick up when you live and spend exponential amounts of time with a person. N and I got into a conversation about our Astrological signs, which in turn had him googling descriptions, and then us laughing and pointing out all the characteristics of our signs that rang true to each other. I don't put a lot of stock in signs but I think they hold some truths, so we had fun running through all the parallels! And knowing that few could pin point these things I found in Nate and he in mine was the perfect reminder of how special our relationship is. 

V-Day 2014 is definitely one to remember, we had so much fun I didn't even once pull out my camera- only my phone (for a bathroom mirror selfie, so chic!) But as I am getting older I realize that sometimes it is best to leave the technology bagged and be happy just experiencing.

I hope you all had a beautiful 14th and great start to your weekend- I think the rest of ours will be spent cozy indoors watching movies, making good food, and enjoying home. ♥

Highlights of our trip ...

Hotel: Aloft Cleveland Downtown 

Food: Lago Restaurant and Wine Bar

Drink: Sofia Mini by Francis Ford Coppola Winery (cutest effervescent wine in a can!)

Sights: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Rolling Stones exhibit going on now- so glad we caught this one!)

OH to OK: Pt 3

The last of our trip photos- we visited the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, which was the first refuge Nate and I have ever visited. Before heading to Oklahoma I had no idea what the landscape would look like- but I can assure you that I had no idea it would be this amazing. We saw Prairie Dogs (one even 'yelled' at us, it was pretty awesome), Buffalo, Long Horns, and lots of other critters. We hiked up a small mountain in 102 degrees (NBD!) and then drove up Mt Scott which is 2500ft with amazing views. This was by far the best experience we had on this trip and it really got me itching to take more trips out west!

 So glad we have these memories ♥

OH to OK: Pt 2

This is where our trip gets a little sappy because I cannot even express how proud I am to be this girls sister. I won't deny that I was nervous for her when she signed up for this- we don't come from a military family so it was a new experience for everyone. The transformation Jess went through over the last few months was apparent, she actually acted like an adult part of the time ;) I know I could not have done as well as her and her experience inspires me everyday ♥ We love you Jessie!

 Her Battle Buddy and Bestie- so glad they got to stick through this together!

OH to OK: Part 1

Welcome to part one of our road trip adventures! I promise to keep it (fairly) short, its so much fun going back through all of the photos we took- it already feels like an eternity ago!

Growing up, my family always drove for family vacations so it has pretty much been instilled in my bones that road trips offer more opportunities to see and experience new things. Don't get me wrong, sometimes flying is perfect for immediate gratification, but there is something about the open road that always gets me. We had the opportunity to spend a few hours in St. Louis to explore the arch and have some real southern BBQ, it was the perfect way to split the drive. And I conquered my fear of heights long enough to take in the sites from the top of the arch! Win! ;)

♥

TASTY TUESDAY

Well we made it back from Oklahoma yesterday, a day late but so worth it (more on that later this week)! On our drive home we stayed the night in Springfield, MO which gave us the opportunity to eat breakfast at this dreamy little creperie, Aviary. I had the Nutella and Strawberry crepe while Nate tried a more savory option of egg and sausage. Their tea was pretty amazing too, if you ever find yourself in Springfield I highly recommend!

Street Fair is a magical time that happens twice a year ... crafters, musicians, and hippies share their finest wares and ideas with the masses- and it makes for a pretty interesting time! We met up with my family and walked around town until we had seen it all. The street lined entirely in food trucks was pretty tempting and smelled ah.maz.ing but I've found these to not be so vegetarian/vegan friendly so we peaced out when the hunger pangs were too much.

Last summer seemed to slip by without us really enjoying the season, this year we are making as many 'summer-y' plans to fill the weekends as possible. We have baseball games, a small trip, and pool time for sure, and hopefully some cookouts. Cookouts at my parents are the best.

But for now, its a Wednesday night (happy hump day!) its 90 degrees out, I'm waiting for N to come home and I think a few episodes of Its Always Sunny is in order ♥

On Saturday Nate and I braved the crowds to visit the Zoo and Botanical Garden. It was 100% worth it- there were so many sweet baby animals to see, it made me revisit my 12-year-old self dream to be a zoologist ;)

The real star of the show was the baby gorilla, Gladys. Um, lets just say we turned to absolute puddles watching her explore her habitat!

... You just melted didn't you? ♥

Outfit Details: On Her-Sweater F21 // Denim American Eagle  On Him- Jacket Target // Denim H&M