Notice Anything Different?

Before:After:

No, i'm not pointing out that our grass isn't as green as the day we bought our house...

If you didn't notice on your own, we had a HUGE (mostly dead) tree removed from our yard- to the left of the house. It was being consumed by vines and the brittle branches hung precariously over our roof. I'm glad it's gone so I don't have to worry about bad storms anymore, but I'm not used to that wide open space yet. Now that the tree is gone, we can have our new patio installed. Can't wait for that!

On another note, our front porch has gotten a little attention lately.

Before:

After:

Much better, I think!

Some of My Favorites...

I know my own wedding is over...but that doesn't mean that I don't still love all things wedding! The husband rolls his eyes whenever I watch "Say Yes to the Dress". He can't understand why I would want to watch girls pick out their wedding dresses since I already have mine. But weddings are just so...pretty! This blog shows all the lovely details of a wedding. Rachael, you'd love this site! It's called Style Me Pretty.

There are a few blogs that I check out for ideas around the house. My faves are Design Sponge, which feature lots of before & after pictures, Decor8, and Young House Love, which features lots of DIY projects. Young House Love makes me wish that I was more inclined to try some projects around the house rather than just buying things. However, my skills are limited when it comes to using any kind of tool, sewing, or planning ahead. Maybe that will be a resolution for next year? Haha...probably not!

15 Weeks

Laila is growing everyday. This puppy has some long legs on her! It's so fun seeing her turn into a big Newfie! Last weekend Laila went to the beach for the first time. She swam a little, but the waves were really big & intimidated her a bit. Can't wait to try again soon.

She even got to go to Butch's Beach Burrito where she met a few new friends. I have to say, Newfies seem to get a lot of attention on the street. Everyone loves to comment on how big she'll get and what sweet dogs they are. The woman in the booth at Grand Haven State Park even had some doggy treats for her!

Day 4: Leelanau Peninsula

One of my favorite vacation days included a lot of driving. We decided to drive up the Leelanau Peninsula and then over to Leland. It was gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Along the way, we stopped at one more vineyard that we happened across called Gill's Pier Vineyard & Winery. We bought a bottle of the Icebox Apple Wine...made with Michigan apples, of course!

After more driving, we headed over to Leland which is so cute. How have I never heard about the Historic Fishtown in Leland? It was darling. A couple of people had suggested eating at the Cheese Shanty in Leland so we made our way there for lunch. It's a tiny little deli located in Fishtown. I wasn't sure I'd be a fan of the pretzel bread when I ordered my sandwich, but it was sooo good.

Since we were playing things by ear, we decided to find a beach where we could spend the rest of the day. We headed South towards Sleeping Bear Dunes knowing that we'd find a great beach along the way. We ended up at North Bar Lake, which was such a perfect little spot to stumble upon. It's a cute little inland lake that sits right next to Lake Michigan. We took a short walk over the dunes to spend the day at Lake Michigan. The weather was perfect and the water was warm. I wish I had taken a picture at the beach! Swimming and laying on the beach = A perfect day!

Day 3: Old Mission Peninsula Vineyards

Last Tuesday, we spent the day exploring the vineyards of Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City. I had never been wine tasting before and it was so fun!

We started out the day at 2 Lads winery, which had a modern look & an amazing view. We got a glass of the Pinot Grigio, crackers and cheese and enjoyed the view while we ate. We got a bottle of the Cab Franc. Yummy.

For the record, I'm not having a baby...apparently we just pose for pictures like this. :)

Next it was on to Chateau Chantal. After a fun tasting, we bought a bottle of the Sparkling Cherry Wine. Delish. We also did a cellar tour, which was a bit long winded so we skipped out early. It was cool going down to see inside the cellar, but I was bored within about 30 seconds! Chateau Chantal was under construction while we were there because they are currently expanding their tasting room and the cellars below.

Next we made a quick stop to Bowers Harbor Vineyards. They had a cute little tasting room and I really liked the feel of it. They are famous for their resident Bernese Mountain Dogs. I got a picture of Cooper laying around the Tasting Room. He's a biiiig boy. This made me miss Laila!

Next we went to Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery. We got a bottle of the Cab Merlot. Somewhere along the way, we stopped for lunch at the Bad Dog Deli. Yummy sandwiches, connected to the Peninsula Grill.

Chateau Grand Traverse was next and we picked up a bottle of the Late Harvest Chardonnay. I didn't know until this trip that I actually really like chardonnay.

One of my favorite stops of the day was to Old Peninsula Cellars tasting room which was set up in an old school house from the late 1800s. How fun is that? Unfortunately I had stopped taking pictures at this point. Wish I had gotten a picture of this place! Some of their wines had a school theme and we picked up a bottle of the unfiltered "Dentention" and a bottle of the "Homework". They were really yummy, sweeter wines.

The last winery of the day was Black Star Farms. We splurged and bought a bottle of the DELICIOUS Sirius Raspberry Dessert Wine. It tastes like jam. You should get it!

Wine tasting was definitely a fun day and a great way to experience lots of different types of wines. It's a great way to find out what you like and what you don't like, while enjoying awesome vineyard views.

Day 2: Sleeping Bear Dunes

On Monday we spent the day at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. It was Gorgeous! We started out the day by driving the Scenic Road and stopping to take pictures along the way. There were some amazing lookouts along the way. It was soo windy- as evidenced by my hairdo.

The water was sooo blue. The views were unbelievable.
















I was worried that we were going to have a couple of rainy days but the weather was amazing the whole week.

We hiked the Alligator Hill Trail all day and then went to a cute beach in Glen Haven.

The water was crystal clear. Our friends Matt and Erin were with us at the beach and there was a small mishap when Matt's wedding ring slipped off in the water. Luckily because the water was so clear that he was able to find it.

For dinner, we went to the North Peak Brewing Company in TC. Check it out if you like local breweries like we do!

Need A Vacation Idea?

We just got back last night from our Northern Michigan vacation. I can't believe I've lived in Michigan for so long and have never been to Traverse City before! Let me tell you, it was fun! I now want to move up North and buy a house on the Lake. Surprise, surprise I think we'll be working for a few more years before we can afford that! ;)

Our first night in Traverse City, we headed out to Old Mission Peninsula for dinner. We thought about going to Mission Table for dinner but ended up at the neighboring Jolly Pumpkin. I've eaten at the Jolly Pumpkin in Ann Arbor, but the menu was slightly different at this location. It was super yummy.

We took a few pictures outside the restaurant with an awesome sunset in the background. We only stayed a few minutes because we were being eaten up by mosquitoes.

The Mission Table was set up for a wedding outside, so I made Gil renew our vows. Haha.

Our first night in TC was fun and relaxing...