Beach Time On My Mind

I looked through some of the old photo albums the other night, trying to find some sandcastle inspiration for the upcoming beach trip.  What was funny though, was that all the slots where the sandcastle pics would be were empty, due to many of us using them for school projects and presentations.  I had to widen my search to the old pie safe in the front living room, finding them in a stack right on top of all the other stuff packed in.

While not finding much in the photo albums in terms of sandcastles, I did find these gems.  I had a pretty awesome fashion sense back in the day: supporting the olympics and gay pride, and a mighty fine high waisted short-crop top combo.  Check out the matching shoes!

(photos by e.hunt, and r.hunt)

Talk About Your Joys

Last week two very big items came in the mail!  Very big in terms of the Christmas in Europe trip!!  First, I ordered two pairs of earmuffs so I wouldn't have to wear a big fuzzy hat all the time.  One is white and one is fake rabbit-fur brown.  And the second item is a new, heavy-duty suitcase.  It has a hard shell (after the wear on my duffle-style one on the last trip, we decided this would be best), and four wheels so we can join that exclusive club of people that just walk their suitcases down the airport hall like they're walking a dog.  So excited!!

(photo by r.hunt)

Team Run-Around Buddy

The actual wedding was the following evening.  The girls and I had gotten a hotel room (1. most of them were from out of town and didn't have any other place to stay, 2.  I didn't want to have to drive the thirty minutes back to our house afterwards, and 3.  we were planning on taking advantage of the open bar).  We met up there and took the trolly over to the reception, which was at a beautifully green country club.  As was the case the night before, everything was high class and top dollar.  Waiters were carrying around trays of shrimp and barbecue appetizers, the bartenders were generous in their pouring, and the rest of the guests were dressed impeccably.

The wedding party eventually arrived and we were instructed to sit while they walked in and had the first dance.  This was followed by a three-course meal and the best man/maid of honor speeches.

After a delicious plate or two of cake we headed out to the dance floor to get the party started.  And after a few more cocktails, we were inventing new dance moves and pulling other people up to join the fun.  Kelsey looked lovely and we all had a great time being wild and crazy like the good old days.

(photos by e.hunt, a.baker, and k.jaeger)

Voudriez-Vous Un Verre de Vin?

I'm done with summer classes (never again), I'm done with attending weddings for the season, and I'm done with four weekends in a row of busy-ness (Springfield for Hannah's wedding, family in town, Kelsey's wedding/family in town, and Nashville road trip, whew!).  But, now that I'm done with all of those things, I will be blogging again!

Let's start with last weekend's wedding.  It was for another old sorority friend, Kelsey, and this time I had met the groom, Daniel.  My date, Shelby, was in the wedding, but the idea was that while she was doing bridesmaid duties, I could hang out with the rest of the Zeta attendees.  Kelsey was generous enough to invite me along to the rehearsal dinner, which was at a local, but still an hour drive away, winery.  It could not have been more lovely.  We sat, reminiscing about old happenings and watching the grapes grow.

The tiramisu dessert was to die for.

Despite our after-a-big-dinner lull, I convinced everyone to get up and explore the grounds.  We marched out to the field by the barn and decided that we would definitely need to find a way to get to the vine rows beyond the vegetation line.

After a few pictures of the group and a selfie with the bride, we frolicked along the edge until finding a way through.  It was worth it, because the vineyards were just as beautiful as I imagined, and now we knew why the wine was so delicious!

(photos by e.hunt)

A Half-Hatched Botanical Idea

I think I need a little plant or two up in the loft.  I accumulated a small garden while I was in college; Mom would buy me a new one at the start of each year, but as soon as I moved them out of Drury, they died.  This was strange, as I wasn't taking care of them any differently than before.  Oh well, they are in plant heaven now with all the sunshine and water they can have.  Some green would really spice up the space though, like they did in these rooms below.

(photos collected from somerollingstone, enmiespaciovital, and oldbrandnew)

I Would Wear a Swimsuit Twenty-Four Seven, If It Were Socially Acceptable

Something that comes along with being obsessed with the beach is an equal obsession with swimsuits.  I recently purchased my new one for the year, but I went against the grain of the last few. In accordance with Section Prep, Article Match, the two pieces are in the same pattern!  This is big, considering that I haven't owned a matching bikini since high school.  I love the semi-boho mix and match, but it'll be nice to switch it up.  Of course, though, I can mix and match the pieces with others I already have.  Ahhh, the beauty of the two-piece.  Twenty-two more days!

(photo by e.hunt)

"What Do You Say We Be Independent Together, Huh?"

Happy 4th of July, everyone!  Here's a little preview of what's in store for us tonight.  (Bonus points if you can guess the title quote.)

(photo by e.hunt)

Who Would Do What We Do, If We Wouldn't Do It?

Last night I accomplished one of my many personal style shot goals: middle of the street pose!  Silly, I know, but the reason why it's a big deal is that one, there are usually cars on streets.  Two, if I were by myself and a car came, I would have to awkwardly walk from where I was posing to the tripod, pick it up, then walk to the side, whereas with someone else snapping we could just both run at the sight of a vehicle.  This brings me to number three, if I were by myself, I could only see in one direction.  What happens if a car comes from behind me and I can't see it?!  Oh, logistics.  As you can see, the key to this whole thing was having someone else there.  In last night's case, it was Taylor.  We walked almost all the way home from Dewey's in the middle of backroads, and amazingly, when we got to our fairly busy street, there weren't any cars there either!

(photo by t.hunt)

Front Porch Storm Chasing

The summer storm of the century rolled through the other night, and between the lighting, wind, strange sky colors, and suspicious clouds, it became quite the event.  Our front porch provides a perfect viewing platform, opening to three different directions.  We watched the lightning for a bit, with a representative running back to check the tv for updates every few minutes, before an ominous-looking cloud started to dip downward.  It was moving fast, and in a spiraling pattern; we were definitely watching the beginning formation of a tornado!  It eventually broke up back into the cloud line, but then the wind and rain started.  We could hear this roaring sound slowly getting closer and as we watched the rain wall hit our street, Dad yelled, "Get inside!" and he closed the front door right before the rain slammed against it.  I really wish I would have gotten some video of that scene; it would have been like a movie!  The rain ended almost as soon as it started, and the rest of the night continued without any further excitement, but that first hour was quite beautiful to see, in that 'wow, nature is crazy' kind of way.

(photos by e.hunt)