Here we go again.... 

my happies from day 51-60!

51// tasty margarita in Kansas City

52// my forever wedding date

53// beautiful weekend in Missouri

54// this book, gaaaah

55// homemade guacamole

56// unplanned happy hour with Mom

57// juicy, yummy cherries

58// meeting a new, sweet little girl

59// the last wedding in June on our nine month anniversary

60// planning for the week ahead

pt.1 // pt.2 // pt.3 // pt.4 // pt.5

Nine Month Littles.

After nine months of marriage I now know one thing to be true. Marriage is work. But that doesn't mean that it isn't the most rewarding work I've ever done. I constantly think about how I can become more selfless so that I can love Peter better. I try and make sure that I am helping him daily, and I always want to be available for him. I notice the little things that he does for me and I treasure them. I make sure he knows they are appreciated. This thing called marriage is such an amazing gift & it is something that I have grown to love more than I ever thought I could. I didn't think it was possible to love Peter more than I did on our wedding day, but I somehow love him more every day. Living life and spending my days with my favorite person is something I never want to under appreciate. It is good, he is great, and all of these little things make me extremely thankful.

the way Peter knows that I want a long hug if I take my glasses off before the hug begins and he kindly counts to ten inside his head before letting go // the weekend morning routine, he makes coffee and breakfast while I sleep, then he wakes me up when it is almost finished // how the distance during his work weeks away turns two non-phone talkers into those weird chatty phone people // the way he calls me babe, and the fact that he didn't start doing it until our Honeymoon  // our nightly talks before going to sleep in bed, probably my favorite part of every day // having this guy as my forever dance partner

& just for fun, take a look back 

at our 1 Month Littles HERE.

Goals // 7.14

The month of June is almost over (and tomorrow is the 28th which offically means I've been a wife for nine months now!!) and I have to say that it has been a month full of so much happiness and love. Weddings, friends, family, babies... all of it has been so wonderful and I really hate to see this summer month leave already. This week has been one for the books and the name of that book would be "IS IT OVER YET!?!". Wow, after last week only being a two day work week and traveling two weekends in a row, I feel exhausted. I'm looking forward to the last wedding for the month tomorrow (yes, on our nine month, how fun is that?!?) and a lot of relaxation so we can welcome July with open arms!

June Goals

1// edit my 101 in 1001 list
I shared my edits HERE and updated my main list HERE. I am so excited to tackle these new goals and work on completing the rest of the 101 that I haven't finished yet!

2// share my first fashion post (and hopefully keep it up!)
Well, I kept them up for one whole month and I've really loved them. You can see all the outfits so far HERE and I'm looking forward to continuing these type of posts.

3// have a cookout for Father's Day
Because of our last minute trip to NJ on Father's Day weekend, my Dad was kind enough to change the cookout to a dinner instead. Peter grilled some delicious steaks on a Thursday night and I made all the sides. It was super yummy!

4// travel to Kansas City, MO for Cassie's wedding weekend
Woohoo!!! It was such a fun weekend, see all the highlights HERE.

5// make it 1/2 way through my 100 Days of Happy
Check! I only missed one day but I made up for it and I gladly use that sweet baby in NJ as an excuse.

6// get serious about my vitamins
Oops, another month that I failed at this. I'm going shopping for a Multi Vitamin this weekend so I can take one a day and be done!

7// complete both of the #SheReadsTruth study books
Titus was amazing but I've had a rough start with Ruth thanks to all the traveling but it is also a wonderful study. I'm just a little bit behind but slowly catching up!

8// complete the #1000in30 fitness challenge with Living in Yellow
Because of said travel I wasn't able to complete the full 1000 hours in 30 days but I am happy to say that I completed over 800 hours which is a lot more than the previous months! I can take that as a win. 

and on to the next.....

July Goals

1// REST - the month of June was a crazy one so I am ready to relax a little more in July.

2// keep up with the style posts - they are so fun and I love them!

3// enjoy 4th of July with a day off of work - for the past several years my employer did not give the 4th of July as an automatic vacation day but this year they do! I can't wait to relax and do something fun.

4// sushi date for our Six Year Dating Anniversary - can't wait to have a special date night full of sushi!

5// work on our budget - we've had one ever since we said I DO but we haven't followed it that well, its time to revisit and see what we need to change.

6// finish decorating my quiet time corner - I want to work on framing some photos and finding a more comfortable chair.
7// hang the living room curtains - yup, I'm doing it!! If you have been checking out these goals so far this year, you should know that these curtains have become my biggest nightmare but luckily I have found a solution. I think. We'll see!


Any fun goals for you!?! What is your July looking like?

Wedge of Fun.

I've always been a fan of wedges but these take the cake. It also didn't hurt that they were on clearance! I’m a big fan of the black and white trend that is buzzing lately, so when I saw these I knew I had to have them. These shoes have been my go to for everything lately… work, date nights, vacations, pretty much anything except walking in the back yard. Seriously, how terrible would grass stains be on these gems? They are so versatile and I wear them with almost anything. And what's the best part about wedges....? So comfortable!!!

wedges: Payless, shirt: Forever 21, jeans: Old Navy,

earrings: gift from Mom, necklace: Forever 21, bracelet: Charlotte Russe,
nais: Revlon Brilliant Strength Nail Enamel in Dazzle , lips: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Ibiza

liking up with Living in Color Style & Stylin in St. Louis

for the weekly trend, Favorite Wedges!

Thanks ladies!! 

I Married a Green Thumb.

I honestly can't take credit for most of this wonderfulness in our back yard. I mean, yes... when Peter is out of town for work I water the garden and take care of the chicks, but when he comes home on the weekend he is the one cleaning the coop and weeding the garden. I don't do the hard stuff. I guess it's a good thing that he enjoys it. It really is so gratifying to see the growth in our back yard recently.

All of the dreams that we discussed when we bought our house are coming true and that is the most exciting feeling. I know that God created everything that grows and He also created us to grow it. It is so much fun to be a part of that, thanks to Peter of course.

Anything that is harmed by animals or bugs from the garden instantly goes to the chicks and they always appreciate it!  

the cutest baby watermelon ever!

I know that if I were a single lady in a house of my own I would not have all of this. I wouldn't care to have chickens or grow THAT MUCH produce on my own. A few plants, yea... but the poor things would probably die quickly, so I'm thankful for that man. I'm thankful for his green thumb and I am so incredibly thankful that he chose to share it with me!

In The Word // Ephesians 1:18

Before we get started today, I wanted to share a little change to our In the Word Tuesday link-up. The link-up will now be called "In the Word Link-up." This will allow you to link up with any of your posts from that week! As before, the content is totally up to you- no prompts. Cassie & I just want to hear how God is working in your heart! The change will take place July 1st!

Spread the word on social media using the tag #inthewordlinkup.

With the busy schedule lately I have been feeling a little drained. I feared it would happen but it wasn't in the way I expected. I have had so much happiness surrounding me in the past couple weeks that I feel like I am coming down from this excitement high. No crashing, but slowly drifting down. Realizing how blessed I am and wanting to acknowledge these blessings.

Whenever I start to feel this way in life I always feel the Lord pulling me. I hear Him saying something like... 

yo, over here. I'm right here. Come to me, I will comfort you.

Isn't that the truth. Sometimes I just want to crawl up in His lap and rest. Sit with Him and turn everything off. 

In those moments I always close my eyes and envision what His peace looks like. Like, the full form of peace in a perfect picture. It always looks like a meadow with a cool breeze blowing through the flowers and those perfect cotton candy painted clouds off in the distance. Quiet and calm, just me and Him.What does it look like to you? Do you ever close your eyes and imagine it? I always tend to do this when I am so tired but it's impossible to sleep like it was on Sunday night when we returned from traveling.

On Monday I was doing some reading and I cam across the bible verse up above. When I read it I felt peace within. Those words are full of light and warmth. It is such a powerful verse. I am His rich and glorious inheritance. ME? This tired human being that's feeling these heavy eyelids and achy back, no way. But I am. I am HIS and that gives me power. That makes this tired soul feel life within. From Him alone. 

His peace. His comfort. All Him in me. That is glorious!

 

<br /><a href="http://livingoncloud9ine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll67/prom08mhs/bible-page-1.png"/></a> 

A Trip to Missouri. (and a LOT of photos and words)

The past few days in Missouri were so much fun!! The food, drinks, wedding celebrations for two sweet friends, meeting new friends and enjoying the beautiful city - all of it was just so wonderful. Over the past two weekends of visiting family and friends I've realized I have a torn heart when it comes to traveling. I love nothing more than jumping on a plane and landing in a city with the sole purpose of seeing people that you love dearly, but at the same time I love the flight home and that moment that I lay my head on my pillow in our big king size bed at night just as much. It seems that my heart can be in two places at once sometimes. After the weekend of celebrations for Cassie and Matt, I know I left a little piece of my heart in Missouri but I don't mind one bit. I love those two people a lot and I'm so thankful for the friendship that we have created in such a short time. I'm so looking forward to the future adventures that we will have together.

When the plane landed in Kansas City (after taking an excited photo and texting it to Cassie, of course) we started searching for a fun area to visit for the night before driving to our hotel. We visited the beautiful Country Club Plaza near downtown Kansas City which was full of shops and street corner music. We went to dinner at the delicious Gram & Dun and enjoyed some outside seating. It's safe to say that Kansas City welcomed us very well!!

Strawberry and Balsamic Ice Cream. MAN.

 

On Saturday morning I was itching for some history and we found the adorable Missouri Town 1855 which was a Living-History Museum. Despite the hot, HOT weather and the many buzzing bees I absolutely loved it. It was the perfect way to enjoy the morning and also walk off the food and drinks from the night before ;) it also didn't hurt that we passed a field full of buffalo along the way. 

it was definitely a day full of animals... buffalo, sheep, chickens and a horse!

Then it was finally time for the wedding. I had so many butterflies in my stomach as I waited to see Cassie walk down the isle. I think it is so wonderful that we have only seen each other, face to face, on our wedding days. She looked stunning and elegant and I was so excited to finally meet the man that made her a bride. After hearing so many wonderful things about Matt I didn't think it was possible to be surprised by his thoughtfulness but he simply amazed me with the way he welcomed us. It was such a perfect evening and I couldn't be happier for them. 

that dress.... right?!? I mean. 

And the dancing photos below are the BEST! A little snapping, clapping and hands in the air. Wave them around like you just don't care.

The whole weekend was just a big ball of happy. It also made me happy when several people said those crazy words that make me so giddy inside..... "I love your blog!". I swear, I really love to meet people for the first time and connect instantly with them because they already, kind of feel like they know me because of this space. It is so bizar and wonderful at the same time. It makes every word I type here even more special. A lot of happy guys... so, so much happy!

100 Days of Happy // pt.5

Half way finished...

my happies from days 41-50!

41// lunch with a friend

42// the amazing So You Think You Can Dance is back 

43// truly enjoying cooking dinner every night for my hubby

44// game night with friends

45// last minute flight to NJ to meet a sweet nephew

46// little hands playing with big hands

47// tasty burger by the Hudson River

48// home sweet home

49// a girls night with Chonda Pierce

50// the first egg from the coop 

pt.1 // pt.2 // pt.3 // pt.4

Friday Five

This week has been a whirlwind of traveling to NJ, then back home, squeezing in some work for two days and then flying off to Kansas City today for a wedding celebration! It has been a wonderful week all around, busy but wonderful. Here are a few things that kept my heart happy this week....

1// cuddles with this sweet baby that I miss so much now!

three days of cuddles was not enough.

2// the vacation time with this guy is always fun but traveling together as husband and wife is so exciting. Seeing the letters MRS before my name on my flight ticket made me super giddy!

trying to get some of NYC in the backgroud of this photo, ha!

3// laughing so hard at the Chonda Pierce show on Wednesday night!
It was the perfect midweek pick me up. 

4// sharing some love for these shorts yesterday! 

5// celebrating a late Father's Day dinner last night with my dad and brother! 

Potatoes, steaks and grilled veggies!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!!