Love, Summer

Hello again & happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend celebrating your father's. I had a lovely weekend myself. On Friday, I spent the day with my younger sister. We went to see A Fault in Our Stars together. It's safe to say we were both wiping tears. It definitely lived up to the hype. Although I am still questioning the ending... Comment below your thoughts if you have seen it! On Saturday, I spent my morning baking up a storm for Sundays family festivities. My parents had their 25th wedding anniversary earlier in the week, so a celebration cake was necessary. I chose a lemon layered cake with a raspberry compote filling. And because I was really feeling the whole baking mood, I also assembled a fresh strawberry trifle. All I have is 3 words: homemade whipped cream. Not to toot my own horn, but it was fantastic! Following my marathon of baking, I met up with my boyfriends future sister-in-law. We joined our sig o's after they finished a fun day of golf at the Dallas Clark tournament. On Sunday, we headed to my parents condo at the lake where both sets of my grandparents and my aunt and uncle joined us for lunch and an afternoon on the boat. Good company and beautiful weather is what summer is all about, right? :)

Because I am taking a break from the city this summer, I often am finding myself with a much smaller selection of things to do. (I guess this is a good thing for my pocket book, huh? I'm going through serious withdrawals from Sephora right now.) However, it is a bit of fresh breath of air to be able to completely manage my online classes and enjoy a laid back summer to its full potential. So far I have spent time gardening, dug into a great book (Fall of Giants by Ken Follett), soaked up some sun on the back patio & at the lake, and enjoyed quality time with family & hometown friends. 

The rest of my summer is filled with fun events. 5K's, theme parks, 4th of July at the lake, bachelorette parties, bridal showers, Ragbrai festivities, and a handful of weddings. I guess according to my calendar, the fun has only just begun! ;)

What have all of you been up to thus far?

XO, Carrie

Summer Planning

This coming weekend is the first weekend that is starting to feel like a "summer weekend". With a busy few days ahead, I took a look into my planner only to find out I have just about every weekend booked up this summer...or so it seems. Luckily, my weekends are filled with lovely events that I am very much looking forward to. Bridal showers, lingerie parties, bachelorette parties, and all things wedding! [My boyfriend's two brothers are engaged, both with beautiful weddings planned for the end of the summer.] I also have a few fun trips planned with family and friends, as well as spending a significant amount of time at my family's lake house. And because I opted to take only a few summer classes online, I really don't have much to complain about. :) I'm coining this summer "my last hurrah", due to the fact I will most likely be swamped with clinical next summer. 

But in the midst of all the traveling and busy weekends, I am hoping to find myself doing some things I love back in Des Moines. When I think of summer, I think of the farmers markets, especially the fresh produce & flowers. I am looking forward to some fun nights at the Valley Junction farmers market, followed by sangria sippin' at Jasper Winery. (If you are DM native, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. If not, I encourage you to find some fun events in your city!) 

This summer, I am vowing to continue to be active, if not even more than I have been the last 3 months. My goal is to branch out and do some things I haven't done before. For my birthday (last week) I received a new set of golf clubs. In the next few months, I plan to play every week and really learn the game. I love that golf is something you can play your whole life. Another outdoorsy things I am taking up is paddle boarding at the lake. Not only is it an excellent workout, but it's a calming and relaxing sport. 

What fun things do you have planned for the summer? Also, what are your favorite things to buy at the farmers market?

XO, Carrie

image via BHG