family vacay :: round 2

Well, it's the middle of summer and I'm loving it. Right now life is full of sweet corn, road trips, the hum of lawn mowers, 9:00pm sunsets, early morning coffee in the sunroom, and smelling like dirt and grass after an evening of working outside. Mmm... I am trying to soak in every moment of the summer goodness because I know there's not much left.

This past weekend, we made the 10 hour journey out west to the Black Hills of SD for a mini family reunion. Growing up, Mandy, our cousin Jaci, and I used to spend a week every summer out there with Grandpa and Grandma, so going out there is always a little trip down memory lane. And this time was no different - we even stopped Storybook Island (a childhood favorite) and got ring pops. We all love putting on our tourist hats when out in the Hills, so each day was jam packed with activities and site-seeing, all the while surrounded by sunshine and the warm scent of pine trees that will forever be one of the best smells of life.

The Activities:
Wall Drug
Harney Peak
Lunch and naps by Sylvan Lake
Mini golf and Pirates Cove
Breakfast on the deck each morning
Mt. Rushmore
Salt water taffy and trinkets at Keystone
Rushmore Cave
Storybook Island
Boat show on Canyon Lake
Late night ice cream

Yep, we know how to vacation.

blog crush

Yes, apparently this week is my week to "crush" on things - songs, blogs... Anyway, I just discovered Eva Black's blog and am totally loving her "homey" aesthetic. Her designs and posts are so inspirational, beautiful, and clean. I could look at her portfolio all day.

(images via)

song crush

Thank you, NoiseTrade, for yet another fantastic discovery. I will be listening to this on repeat as we roll out to South Dakota this weekend.

and it was good

this is how we spent our weekend:

Zach's wine and cheese (birthday) party
chatting with Anna
staying up way past my bedtime
exploring the Minneapolis farmer's market (see photos below)
grabbing an afternoon snack on St. Anthony Main
learning new Swedish lawn games
enjoying the blessing of good friends and family
making Evie smile, which she did about 200 times a day

it was a great summer weekend...the kind that makes you not want to go to work on Monday morning, but so thankful that small things like good food and good company have that affect on you.

neighbors

I spent most of my formative years growing up in the country - gravel road, miles from town, no neighbors. And while I miss aspects of that setting and one day hope to "return to my roots", I am LOVING having a community of neighbors. I guess it helps that all our neighbors are crazy nice and do things like bring us hostas to plant and fresh baked bread. Yeah, I could get used to this neighborhood thing.