Travel: The British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands

30 people. 3 sailboats. 1 week in paradise.  We just got back from sailing around the British Virgin Islands, y’all!  As you might expect, it was amazing.  One part camping and one part Caribbean vacation, this trip was adventurous, beautiful, and pretty affordable.  We are SO blessed to have incredible friends – Will & Carrie – who grew up sailing and organized the entire trip, including our itinerary, boat rentals, budget, and groceries.  And thank you to more talented friends – Win & Mason – who captained our boat, L’Attitude II.  I know nothing about sailing, and because of these awesome people, the trip was relaxed, carefree, and just about perfect.

I had never been to the Caribbean before and always pictured lounging at some resort, staring into the clear cerulean waves from a white, sandy beach.  And we’ve done the resort thing before (our honeymoon in Costa Rica), and it is everything it’s cracked up to be.  But I have to say – sailing is the way to go.  It was just… gorgeous.  And so fun.  We had 3 boats between all of us friends, so we’d caravan across the waters each morning to our next destination.  We saw giant turtles, flying stingrays (no idea they did that!), and lots of pretty fish.  We snorkeled almost every day, played sand volleyball, hiked around for some amazing views, and drank too many rum cocktails (the rum is amazingly cheap down there!).

It was also our first real ‘friend vacation’ as a married couple.  We’ve done trips by ourselves and trips with our families, but this vacation was entirely different.  Most of the people were Michael’s friends from college, and it was a blast for me to get to know them better and to make some memories as a couple with them.  Vacations with friends are something I hope we do every year.

I could go on and on, but I’ll hold off.  Have you ever been to the BVIs?  What did you do there?!

Treasured: Anne Lamott

people reading

I have some of the most thoughtful, kind friends.  You know those kind that make you want to be more thoughtful and kind?  I keep those kind close.  I know they make my spirit rest.  My friend Molly is the type of friend to whom I look for wisdom.  I’m often humbled by how insightful she is, how she holds the life knowledge of someone years our senior.  Molly lives in Atlanta, so when I received a little letter in the mailbox in her handwriting, I knew there would be something to treasure inside.  I saved it until I had a moment to myself, cup of coffee in hand, to read.  True to her character, Molly did not disappoint.  One quote she had written in her letter (she said it reminded her of me. Thanks, Molls!) has stuck with me, so I’ll share it here.

Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation.  They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul.  When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored.  We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again.  It’s like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea.  You can’t stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship.

Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

I mean, wow. I don’t think I have anything to add to that, so I’ll leave you with Lamott.

Image

how i’ve missed this

y’all, how my heart has missed this! i realized quickly once i had to step away from blogging that i am actually quite passionate about blogging. i love writing. i love beautiful images. i love recording life’s little nuances and happenings. i love the blogging community. i am inspired here.

so. goodness. lots to catch you up on!

1. ArtQuiver closed. sad day.
2. received beautiful painting from ArtQuiver closing. happy day.
3. got a new job at an events planning firm. woo woo!
4. became briefly overwhelmed by new job, new schedule, and soon-to-be new life. boo hoo!
5. got back on the horse and decided to woman-up to the big bad world.
6. our venue accidentally double booked our wedding. (yes, yes less than a month before the big day)
7. crisis ensued. flexed my muscles, waited patiently (sorta) and…
8. got the venue! wedding back on!
9. …. oops forgot i was supposed to be training for a half marathon.
10. had bachelorette party and had way too much fun. perhaps some photos will make it to this here blog.
11. ran ten miles (i’m still alive!). threw up in front lawn… (i’m still alive!)

so i’m headed to philly this weekend with my two best friends to run the half marathon (they’re hoping to make great times. i’m hoping to finish! but hey, i’ll be proud of that accomplishment). anyone have any rockin’ things to do while we’re there?

next up, wedding details to fill you in on! so close, loves!

my sister, m, and i saw sanders in concert a couple of months ago. i love this song. if you have the chance to see him live ever, i highly recommend it. it wasn’t just music; it was an experience.

sweet bridesmaid gifts


one of my favorite parts of the wedding celebration is the bridal party. all of your best girlfriends in one place at one time, dressed fabulously, dancing the night away. and since most of my bridesmaids are far (as in far side of the world! hello, readers in italy and africa!), i am especially excited for my wedding weekend. just the opportunity to share a meal, toast our friendships, and share in the blessing of the wedding ceremony together – i can hardly wait.

each of my friends is a beautiful, trusted lifelong friend. i plan to honor each of them in her own unique way with a small gift. though i can’t reveal what i decided to get each of my maids, i thought i’d share some ideas for you brides!

this fashion print is just so sweet. and this etsy artist will custom draw portraits for you in the image of your dear friends!


i love these sweet clutches that you can fill with fun little accessories. bonus: you can be certain no maid is found without a stylish bag with all her essentials – lip gloss, blotting papers, tissues, mints, etc!


this print is simple but beautiful. i love it!

do any of you brides have any other ideas? i’d love to hear them!

cup of the day


happy thursday! we’ve almost made it to the weekend. i had a fabulous morning meeting with lucy of Lucy O Photography! lucy has been doing a ‘cup of the day’ series of photos in which she photographs local cville folks drinking their morning brew (a mocha in my case! i know… not technically coffee but the whipped cream was irresistible). i met lucy at Mudhouse. i was a little nervous to be in front of a camera so early in the morning but it was actually really fun (look at how beautifully the photo turned out – that’s not me; it’s all lucy’s photog skills!). i can hardly believe lucy and i haven’t met before as we have so many friends and interests in common. i totally spent almost the entire time we were together picking her brain for cville wedding tips – she had a ton!

if you’re a bride in need of a photographer, check out lucy. she is incredibly warm and will certainly put you at ease (bonus: she was just a bride herself a few months ago! congrats, lucy!).

some love


happy valentine’s day! here’s to hoping your day, whether romantic or not, is a bit brighter. it’s 65 and sunny in charlottesville, and that fact alone is enough to make me feel loved.

have you written any valentines? as much as i love receiving them, i think i love writing them even more. this year, i bought some cards from rifle paper co. and last night i set to work writing small notes of love and gratitude to some key people in my life: sisters, mom, soon to be mom-in-law, co-worker, friend, and of course m. it’s good to remember how blessed i am.

have any fun v-day plans?

pretty books + sweet friends


(sparkles and pretending)
i’m getting married on the 11th of june. i have the most amazing friends and sisters (and, therefore, bridesmaids). so, on the 11th of every month, i receive a sweet surprise in the mail: a small gift and a very thoughtful note from one of the women i most love in the world. if you are one of those women, take note: i love you! whichever one of you came up with this grand scheme to make me feel like the luckiest bride: you’ve done it. i am the luckiest bride.

they know me too well. so far, there has been somewhat of a trend: books. and not just any books but the newly covered, gorgeously gorgeous penguin classics. just look at them. i love them. i can’t wait to read pride & prejudice recovered. or the odyssey (or at least parts of it…) recovered. or a christmas carol recovered. they are going to look so pretty on my bookshelf (once i get a bookshelf that is).

of course, what means more to me than the gifts are the notes. handwritten notes are the best, y’all. and, typed notes are a close second – especially if your bridesmaid is in Africa or Italy currently. whenever i get them, they totally make my day. even if it’s just a simple hello.

if you’re feeling writerly today, i implore you: do it. write a note. they’re the best.

thank you!

i can’t tell you all how much this little blog has come to mean to me. after college, i craved a creative outlet, and i’ve been so thankful for a place to store ideas and process life. what’s more – i’ve been incredibly thankful for all of you. i have been really encouraged and inspired by all of you readers. though i have not met many of you, i have cherished sharing a connection, however small, with each of you. and i do hope to meet many more of you if our paths should cross someday! so thank you for stopping by and making my day. your comments are always such a pleasure to read. you can keep up with all future posts by becoming a follower at right. thank you for being here, friends!

if you haven’t introduced yourself, i’d love to hear from you! what would you like to hear more about? i really appreciate that you’re here as i continue to discover my voice and what exactly this blog is about.

happy one year, t & f


have you been over to tulips & flightsuits yet? today is the one year anniversary for mary’s blog. congrats, mary! i follow numerous blogs, but t & f is one of my daily must-reads. mary curates a fabulous blog about the home, being a navy wife, travel, and newlywed life. but what really makes mary’s blog one of my favorites is the fact that her writing is so personal; it’s as if you were sitting across from mary at your favorite coffeeshop, chatting over a mocha and a croissant.

so head over to t & f and tell mary hi!

poms and stamps


last weekend, i invited some girls over for brunch, mimosas, and crafting! now that the wedding is just five months away (!), it seemed high time to put some action into all those diy plans i’d made. the craft party was a wonderful success, and i couldn’t have asked to share it with more lovely friends!

i spent the friday before the party preparing. my sister (and fabulous MOH) and i headed out to get all the essentials: ingredients for brunch, champagne, orange juice, fabric, a movie, and chocolate (ok, the chocolate and the movie were for us).

we set out all the crafting supplies:
1. tissue paper (i had bought the paper in bulk from this paper mart)
2. pipe cleaners, scissors, tape, pencils
3. cards (in one of our wedding colors! a total score from the Michael’s sale bins)
4. thank you stamp (i splurged! thank you, ampersandity!) and ink pads
5. fabric (in various prints and textures, all in our wedding colors, from JoAnn’s)

and then we turned on some music and went to work in the kitchen. we made this delicious egg strata (though we used 8 eggs, tore all the bread into bite size chunks and sauteed all the veggies beforehand). we made it the night before, so the next day all i had to do was pop it in the oven (along with some cinnamon rolls!). and finally collapsed on the couch to watch this movie (which was actually pretty good!). i LOVE time with my sister. we had a blast.


(that picture wasn’t taken while we were making egg strata… though we have been known to strut around the kitchen in the dead of winter in our bathing suits. i love our matching freckles!)

the crafting party turned out beautifully! i had made poms earlier in the year for a party (pre-engagement), so i did a quick tutorial on pom-making since we’ll be using a lot of them at the wedding. all the girls quickly became pom-making pros and set to work. my good friend natalie, known for her wordsmith skills, added stamping to her skill set and stamped ALL of my thank you notes. and maureen began to craft our fabric wedding banner.

the egg strata was a big hit, the mimosas were delicious, and the conversation was sweet. i’m so excited to see all of the diy decor coming together. i’ve had this vision growing in my mind since september, and it’s going to be all the more beautiful knowing so many friends contributed to the finished product! i feel very loved.



thank you so much to all my beautiful friends who helped! i’m so sorry i didn’t get photos of all of you but your presence was much appreciated. i wish i could post all of the finished products, but some things will have to be left until the wedding.