Discover NWA: Staycation at 21c + Chihuly
For our 6th anniversary, we decided to do a staycation at 21c. Since we’re going to Italy very soon, we didn’t want to travel far or spend too much. We’ve also talked about staying at 21c since it opened, so we decided to go for it. And I am SO glad we did. It was exactly what we needed for a little one-night getaway. Luckily, we also got invited to the special opening of the new Chihuly exhibit at Crystal Bridges and it was absolutely incredible. (Thank you, Denise!)
[beautiful, super cozy room – and my sweet coworkers surprised us with champagne!]
[a few photos from the night below – though I HIGHLY encourage you to check it out yourself!]
[chihuly in the forest – there was even a wine tent out there!
wonderful night with these fun friends]
[chihuly in the gallery – and husband’s favorite picture of the night]
[late night snack back at our hotel – sweet + spicy fries that are just amaaaazing]
[sunday brunch at the hive – that buttermilk fried chicken was out of this world]
[post-brunch stroll on the trails – a perfect end to a perfect anniversary getaway]
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Discover NWA: Mod, Modern Ozark Dining
Weekend Picturebook: A Little Rock Wedding
S A T U R D A Y
[a beautiful day for margaritas, guac + tacos at The Fold]
[and for sunning with a few beers at Rebel Kettle Brewing]
[wedding time! gorgeous wedding for cousin Olivia + Sam at Trapnall Hall]
[love my handsome dates!]
[and the southern food was ridiculously on point – fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, crawfish + mashed potatoes and a mini mason jar layered with collard greens, beans + corn bread]
[the only pic with the bride + other cousin Blair at the end of the night, which reminded me of another pic 10 years earlier …]
[girls trip to NYC – can’t believe this was 10 YEARS AGO!]
S U N D A Y B R U N C H
Before we headed home, we had one more stop – brunch + beer.
Y’all. Lost Forty Brunch was the best brunch we have ever had in our entire lives. I can’t even begin to describe how incredible every single thing was. I’ll let the pictures do the talking, and let you do the drooling.
[our brunch “appetizer” – fried green tomatoes (yes, again) with jalapeño pimento cheese + skillet cinnamon roll. I’m not a huge cinnamon roll fan, but this was out of this world]
[my dish – biscuits + gravy, which again, were the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever had. next time I will get a dozen of these biscuits and bring them home with me]
[husband’s dish – a skillet with all kinds of delicious goodness inside]
[WE LOVE YOU LOST FORTY! and yes, of course we got a growler to take home]
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: Chicago, Weekend Picturebook: Hermann, Missouri
Picturebook: Weir Wedding
B R I D A L S H O W E R
B A C H E L O R E T T E P A R T Y
{amazing cookies from sweet little sugar}
{burlesque chair dancing}
R E H E A R S A L D I N N E R
W E D D I N G D A Y !
{mimosas + hairdos at luxe beauty fayetteville}
{seriously obsessed with my hair! hairdresser called it “Vera Wang in the woods” – LOVE}
{the guys getting ready aka drinking beer}
{love these two!}
{hilarious photo of the bride calming her pre-wedding nerves. also shoutout to marcus for an amazing snapchat filter!}
{how gorgeous is this picture?! photographer: megan hampel}
{and we’re pretty cute too}
{my handsome date and brother of the bride}
{and this is practically the only picture I have from the after-party – on the fayetteville square at 3am. we’ll just leave it at that}
xo xo
A Valentine Wedding
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:13
Four years ago, my mom was engrossed in my wedding – where should we have the rehearsal dinner? what’s my something blue? how can we get taylor swift to come sing at the wedding?
And four years later, it’s the exact opposite. What an amazing feeling to get to watch a parent get married. I could literally feel the presence of God in the sanctuary and feel the joy radiating from my mom, excited for a new life ahead of her – falling upward.
I’ve shared in a blog previously my path to getting here [the only constant is change]. It hasn’t been easy, and honestly, it’s still not close to being complete. I’m still struggling. I’ve had a roller coaster of emotions the past few weeks you could hardly imagine, with sleepless nights and tearful days.
But let me tell you, He blesses the faithful. He may take away, but He also certainly gives, and what He has given me has been so valuable already – an amazing, loving, beautiful bonus family of sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and more.
I will never forget my dad and the love he and my mom shared, but I also will not let myself grieve instead of opening up to love. “But the greatest of these is love.”
Enjoy some pictures below from our Valentine Wedding weekend.
S A T U R D A Y N I G H T
“Rehearsal” Dinner
Hosts: Spencer + Kristin, Bret + Erika
[beautiful mama]
[from ohio and okc – what great friends to make the trip!]
[two of the wonderful hosts: kristin + spence]
[surprise acapella group serenaded us all – they were amazing!]
[meanwhile, husband and I are in the pantry pouring whiskey shots for a surprise toast]
S U N D A Y
Wedding: United Lutheran Church, Bella Vista
Post-Wedding Brunch: Alderman Home
Hosts: Kyle + Mille
[congrats to the beautiful bride + groom, mr. and mrs. nelson]
[didn’t get any pictures of the actual wedding, but here is mom + fred giving valentine’s candy to the kids after their song “joy, joy, joy”]
[the boys (my new nephews) – bruce, nelson, henry + jack]
[fred ❤ robin]
[champagne bar was a huge success]
[head over heels for macaroons + the newlyweds]
[my beautiful servers! they were amazing helping prep for the brunch]
[sister, sister!]
[my wedding gift: “a new road together” via etsy]
[love my mother and so overjoyed to be part of this special day!]
And now the newlyweds are off on their honeymoon, two weeks in Hawaii by way of San Francisco – oh how jealous I am as we are having our first snow of the year!
xo xo
Vacation Picturebook: Aldermans in Alabama
{first stop – after 12 hours of driving, who doesn’t want a cold beer and HUGE nachos at a bar with the coolest name ever}
{before there was the beach, there was the pool … well, in this case there was, and it was just so peaceful}
{after-dinner bushwackers at LuLu’s – Jimmy Buffett’s sister’s restaurant}
{the best breakfast everrrr – bananas in pajamas + mimosa flight}
{day at the beach with these cuties – isn’t he going to make the best dad??}
{view from our balcony and view of our beach towels}
{LOVED this restaurant in Orange Beach; also LOVED meeting up with some beautiful girls I haven’t seen in 3 years!}
{final meal – shrimp and grits perfectly peppery shrimp and amazingly cheesy grits}
{let the wedding festivities begin!}
{stunning wedding, venue and bride – what more do you need?}
{yep, we did the sprinklr down the aisle}
{love this lady so much and was so excited to be part of this special day – can’t wait to visit them in Austin!}
{what an amazing week with delicious food, quality time with husband, beautiful beaches and … }
{… the perfect car ride home with this guy. yep, we stole him from his mother}
xo xo
An Open Letter to my Husband on our 3rd Anniversary
Dear Husband,
I love you. Do you know how much I love you, day in and day out?
On our last anniversary, we spent an evening at dinner discussing what the next year would hold for us. It was such an exciting, joyous thing to dream about the future.
Well, the future came, and it wasn’t quite what we expected, in good ways and in bad. We bought a house. We lost a parent. We got promotions. We dealt with an illness of a close friend.
We couldn’t anticipate what the next year held, but I could anticipate one thing. There’s no one else I would rather go through any of it with than you.
That’s what makes a marriage. Not just enjoying the good times, loving each other and laughing with each other. But holding each other in the hurt and pain. Reassuring each other. Listening to each other. Praying for each other. Not necessarily understanding each other, but being there no matter what.
I watch our wedding video below, for surely the thousandth time, and I can remember our day so well. What I remember most is not how perfect the day was, but how excited I was to bind myself to you for life. To start our life together.
Well, we’re three years in, love, and I think we’re doing just fine.
Always and forever,
M
life lately {shareholders edition}
Oh, brother. These past two weeks have been quite a doozy.
As most of you (who live in nwa) know, the beginning of June means Walmart’s Annual Shareholders Meeting aka tens of thousands of people envelop the area, celebs walking the streets (Tom Cruise was on the Bentonville Square !!!) and just all around very very busy. As some of you know, I had a very interesting part in Shareholders this year. I currently manage our Walmart Mom Blogger program. We invite these bloggers to Shareholders every year to experience the event, meet with marketers, merchants, suppliers and get inspired to blog about Walmart. I managed their entire trip (and was with them) from breakfast to dinner, 4 days and 3 nights.
It was the most physically and mentally exhausted I’ve probably ever been in my life, but it was also fabulous. I loved the event planning aspect and loved getting to know these Moms I’ve been corresponding with for the past 7 months. Overall it was an amazing week, but it left me pooped! Hence, why I’m just now getting around to blogging. Anyway, enjoy a few photos from my life lately.
{Pre-Shareholders I got to enjoy a BEAUTIFUL wedding of two dear friends. It always makes me so happy to see a wedding full of so much love, joy and inspiration. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. DeMoss! We love you!
Psst, check out the bride’s blog about her big day with some beautiful photos & enough love to make you tear.}
{Walmart Moms}
{Couldn’t have made it without this wonderful lady!}
{Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Hugh Jackman – it’s really a concert with a few business items!
Photo credit: MommyBrainReports.com}
{Much needed sunshine, beer + relaxation with husband after the event}
{Friday night at a Naturals Game}
{Oh, and puppy got shaved for the Summer}
xo xo
You’ve Got the Love I Need to See Me Through
Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying “Lord I just don’t care”
But you’ve got the love I need to see me throughSometimes it seems the going is just too rough
And things go wrong no matter what I do
Now and then it seems that life is just too much
But you’ve got the love I need to see me throughTime after time I think “Oh Lord what’s the use?”
Time after time I think it’s just no good
‘Cause sooner or later in life, the things you love you lose
But you got the love I need to see me through
* * *
Happy second anniversary!
I love you, husband. Always & forever. xo
You can see a snapshot of our wedding in my post 5.28.11.
life lately
Day 7: I’m thankful for a busy August and a quiet September.
* * *
{remembering this} a fantastic vacation
{loving this} with mom and bff
{eating this} crepes at Arsaga’s on Dickson
{enjoying this} one of my best friend’s getting married
{too excited for this} PSL + Razorbacks
{watching this} White Collar ❤
{having fun with this} at Crystal Bridges
{drinking this} great happy hour, great coasters
m.davis xoxo 