Mike's Farm

Mike's Farm is a southern, family-style restaurant on acres of property where you can lounge, feed animals, and enjoy the country! Recently, we went on a family adventure for Mike's Farm's tractor show.

Huffman Vineyards

Huffman Vineyards is located in Richlands, just under an hour from our house. One day, Mark and I had some time to make the drive and decided to go for it! It's a locally-owned, small vineyard that is far from the hustle and bustle. It was delightful.

Minor House Updates Make a Difference

Sorry for the poor quality - it's the AMCC stock photo & this is as clear as I could get it.

When we moved to Camp Lejeune, we decided to live on base for the first time. I was pregnant with Caroline and we were looking for something easy and safe, which made the decision easy! Little did we know, we were blessed to be given a house in the cutest little neighborhood.

The houses are two story and, for the most part, all look the same. At first, I was all, "Eh, it's fine. No changes necessary!" Now, about a year and a half later, I was feeling like our house was closing in on me. We'd put every item we own into the house and "made it work." It was time for a change.

Marbles Kids Museum

Mark recently had a three day weekend so we packed up our bags and headed to Raleigh to visit some friends. While we were there, I really wanted to take Caroline to a children's museum because we don't have anything like that around us. Enter: Marbles Kids Museum.

Swansboro's Salty Air Open Market

Recently, Mark and I have had a few days where our sitter is coming, but he has the day off. Instead of cancelling the babysitter, we use it as an opportunity to go on a day date! Just last week, we decided to head out Swansboro for breakfast, but that morphed into checking out the Salty Air Open Market.

Central Indiana Soaring Society

My dad recently hit an anniversary milestone at work and, instead of some cliche gift, my sister and I decided to buy him a guest ride on a glider plane at the Central Indiana Soaring Society! It was a fun experience, even as a spectator!

Swansboro's Slide the City

A few weekends ago, Swansboro had a small Slide the City event and we were there for the fun! The slide was small, but we were still able to cool off and have a great time. I hope that Swansboro does this again with a little bit of improvements - everything improves better with time!

Midway Park Splash Pad

Caroline and I ventured out to the Midway Park Splash Pad on Camp Lejeune recently and I'm so glad that we did! The two times that we have been, it hasn't been busy and that's exactly how I like it. If you're looking for somewhere to take your little kiddo to cool off, I think this is the spot!

Shadowmont Peak | Short Stories & Utter Nonsense

Not everyone loves Shadowmont Peak. Some, actually, hate it and it's no secret. Sherri was one of those people and she couldn't wait to disappear without a trace, never to be seen again.

Okay, that's a little way over the freakin' top dramatic.. but, for real, where did she and her family go?!

Building a Bar with my BFF

Back in April, Kacey came to visit and help me prep for Caroline's first birthday party. Her party was farmer's market themed and I wanted a little fruit stand for her.

Then, we went to an auction and there was the most beautiful, handmade bar up for bid. I started bidding and had some alcohol bravery. Luckily, after Kacey basically held my face while begging me to stop bidding and telling me that we could build it, I lost out on the amazing bar.

The next day, when we could totally back out of the idea of actually going through with the plan, we decided that instead of a little girl's fruit stand, we were going to make a bar! A big bar! In a very short period of time.

She Swank | Too

She Swank | Too is a cute shop in Jacksonville that I love to pop into just in case Caroline "needs" something new and cute. Actually, I went into the shop before Caroline was big enough to get anything from here and I was eager for her to grow just so I could start buying clothing from here!

Lynnwood Park Zoo

On a sunny day a few weeks ago, Mark asked if we could do something as a family. Specifically, he asked if we could do something Caroline would like and he wanted me to make sure I took lots of pictures. The man just wanted to make some daddy/daughter memories and... be still my heart... we made it happen!

Water Baby

A few weeks ago, we were playing outside and Caroline got pretty dirty! We'd never played in the sink before and I had no idea that it was going to be so magical. This girl loves the water and could not get over just how fascinating the faucet water was! She makes everything just a little bit more magical, doesn't she.

Shadowmont Peak | Short Stories & Utter Nonsense

Quiet days in Shadowmont Peak are hard to come by. Just kidding... every day is a quiet day. The time is filled with do-it-yourself projects, home cooked meals, and lots of wine.

Happy 5th Anniversary to Us!

Much like a lot of military couples, our wedding anniversary was during a federal holiday. Although, it's technically tomorrow, I wanted to give a huge shout out to My Love!

It's been a whirlwind of adventure throughout these last 5 years and, if you follow my blog at all, you know that it's been a fun one, too! As cliche as it is, I married my best friend and I'm thrilled to do "life" with him!

Who's Who | A Military Spouse Appreciation Day Link-Up

At the suggestion of my friend, Casey, I'm participating in a Military Spouse Appreciation Day Link-Up hosted by Jen (Marathons & Dog Tags) and Amanda (Somewhere Over the Camo). This is my first link up with them and I hope, now that I'm getting back into the swing of blogging, that I'll make some new blogging buddies!

Lets get started! First of all, Happy MSAD! << I totally made up that acronym, but this relates to the military and what better way to kick it off than to make up a new one to add to the, already lengthy, alphabet soup catalog!

The Butcher Board

So far, within our 5 years of military life together, we've been blessed enough to meet so many talented artists from all over the place! Whether it was Manami, Kacey's Kitchen, or Fun Flying Four... we keep making friends with some serious skill.

Chad, the craftsman behind The Butcher Board, is no exception!

Happy Easter!

Caroline's Farmer's Market First Birthday

This weekend, we were able to get together with our closest friends and family to celebrate our baby girl! Because Miss Caroline loves her food, her party was Farmer's Market themed!

Our One Year Old

Caroline is one! What?! How did that happen? I'm not totally sure, but I know that she's growing into a beautiful little toddler and it's been fun to watch.