Weekend Picturebook: Palm Springs
F R I D A Y N I G H T
[delicious steak dinner for Kira’s 30th birthday!]
S A T U R D A Y
[early morning walk + coffee with these balcony views]
[hands down, the best huevos rancheros I’ve ever had
breakfast at Kings Highway + the Amigo Room before pool party at the ACE hotel … ]
[so much fun at ACE pool party! how could we not, with a bubbly bus?!]
[post-pool party burger – the.best.]
[great night at the cougar-town piano bar, where I got asked to be in a “hand dancing” music video ha!!]
S U N D A Y
[more chill pool day, round 2]
[dinner and exploring at The Saguaro – yummy fish tacos + queso]
[love this beautiful friend of mine and so happy I got to spend her 30th birthday with her in California! <3]
xo xo
You might also enjoy my other Summer Weekend Picturebooks: NYC, Chicago
Weekend Picturebook: NYC
F R I D A Y
[late flight in – so, amazing pizza at our hotel restaurant (you can read more about here), and drinks at our rooftop bar with these views || also, how cute is this little hotel room?]
S A T U R D A Y 
[up and at ’em, ready for shopping! husband’s only request in new york was to go to the nintendo store … just like a kid in a candy store]
[more shopping and central park views]
((not pictured: a glass of pinot by the lake and delicious shake shack lunch after a loooong day of walking))
[ready to brave the weather for our sunset sailboat ride]
[despite the drizzle (then eventual downpour), we had an incredible time on the Hudson in our sailboat. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone!]
[post-dinner jazz session in an underground cafe in greenwich village – perfect end to the evening]
S U N D A Y
[sadly, we woke to more rain so it put a damper on some of our plans, but instead led us to eat an incredible brunch in west village]
[bucket list: walk the brooklyn bridge – check! so much fun!]
[explored dumbo, brooklyn heights + another awesome rooftop bar || next time we’re staying in brooklyn!]
M O N D A Y
[late morning risers – I could not get over this comfy bed and these views || did I mention they also had automated blackout shades?!]
[took a 4-mile stroll for none other than our favorite cookies, then enjoyed them with coffee in central park]
[final hours in the city spent at The Met – who knew this rooftop garden was up here?!]
Until we meet again, NYC.
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: Portland
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
Weekend Picturebook: Chicago
S A T U R D A Y
[lunch at portillo’s + catching up with my favorite walmartian-arkansan-chicagoans!]
[contemporary art museum]
[pre-dinner drinks at Pop’s Champagne (not pictured) then pizza at the famous Lou Malnati’s! it was amaaaazing]
[post-dinner walk along the beach with beautiful views of the skyline]
[the drake! my beautiful, old hotel in a perfect location]
S U N D A Y
[early morning walk on the beach – it was cold, but totally worth it]
[after the cold, long walk, I deserved this, right?? vanilla bean + chocolate old fashioned from glazed and infused]
[art institute of chicago was incredible – saw some of my favorites from renoir + monet. I could have spent all day in here!]
[cliche bean picture + walk through millennium park – then more walking, eating, and shopping before …]
[the big event – oscars war room! we were certainly exhausted by the end of it, but very proud of a successful campaign]
If you didn’t see the Oscars and are interested in learning more about how we played a part in the night, check out these videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs6zAwIMDe3MCfYpFAi2PYe9TtUJC3Ig9
xo xo
Weekend Picturebook: Hermann, Missouri
You guys – Hermann, Missouri is ADORABLE. I cannot say enough good things about this quaint little town (pop. 2300!!). As we were driving in, Husband literally said, “Do you have the theme song of Gilmore Girls playing in your head right now?” The weather was perfect, the leaves were gorgeous, the streets were walkable, the people were friendly and the wine was flowing. Okay, enough talking, let’s get to the pictures!
F R I D A Y
{welcome to Höehn Haus – our amazing little cottage for the weekend!}
hotel: inn at hermannhof
{how about this bathroom?! with a fireplace! of course I took advantage of it … I took not one, but TWO baths this weekend}
{we got in town just in time to watch the sunset on our patio with incredible views and of course, wine}
{dinner at tin mill brewery – a short walk from our cottage}
S A T U R D A Y
{big breakfast before all of the wineries … have I mentioned yet how amazing our B&B was?!}
{our ride for the day – the wine trolley!}
{first stop: adam puchta – not our favorite, but we got a $5 wine tasting of 8 wines (sips, really) so I’d say it was a win}
{2nd stop: stone hill winery – our favorite!}
{and where we got our best pic of the weekend}
{3rd stop: oak glenn – gorgeous views of missouri river}
{4th stop: dierberg and star lane – this is where we had a very serious discussion about … our first born son’s name. ask us about it.}
{final stop: hermannhof winery – our B&B’s winery, which we loved. luckily it was only steps away from our cottage …}
{though not easy steps … it may not look like it here, but these were treacherous even when you haven’t been drinking wine! and that’s not even our cottage you can see!}
{after a little nap and a little Mean Girls on TV, we walked back in to town for the best post-wine food ever – mac and cheese. and oh my gosh was this mac and cheese amaaaazing. husband got bbq steak and I got bacon and mushroom in truffle oil (mine won)}
S U N D A Y
{a little walk with more beautiful views before the 4 hr. drive back home}
{stopped in at the hermann wurst deli and picked up some brats to take home to cook – who’s coming over this weekend?!}
{and of course, a road trip would not be complete without jack-in-the-box tacos}
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: New York, New York; Weekend Picturebook: Denver
Weekend Picturebook: New York, New York
New York City – the city that never sleeps, and is perfect for work AND play.
W E D N E S D A Y
[Highly recommend the Circle Line Harbor Lights Cruise. You get to see so much of the city, and it was amazing. Thanks, Sister E for the recommendation!]
T H U R S D A Y
[Great day full of meetings, then an adventure out with the team in East Village!]
[Awesome restaurant Gnocco – I tried about 5 pizzas that night and mine was the best: prosciutto, arugula + parmesan. The salads were also delicious.]
[After dinner we walked “right around the corner” to the famous Odd Fellows Ice Cream. I had banana pudding ice cream with salted caramel sauce – yummmmm! photo from oddfellowsnyc.com]
[Later that night Mom arrived – yay!]
F R I D A Y
[Morning of meetings, then took the afternoon off to start our girls weekend!]
[We felt so fancy staying in the gorgeous St. Regis on 5th Avenue]
[Afternoon at the MoMa (Modern Museum of Art) browsing Van Gogh, Rothko, Matisse, Warhol and so much more. Ended with a rosé + the best onion dip ever in the statue garden]
[Dinner at Don Antonio’s in Hells Kitchen – more salad and pizza, that was just as amazing as the night before … maybe even a little better. Thanks for the recommendation Erin!]
[Tonight’s show: The Humans – 2016 Tony Award Winner for Best Play. Enjoyable, but not my favorite]
[My favorite part of staying at St. Regis – after coming back from a long day of walking, there would be slippers at the ready, water on the bedside table + classical music playing in the room. Can this be real life??]
S A T U R D A Y
[What a wake-up call – french-press coffee + NY Times hand-delivered. Okay maybe this was the best part!]
[Breakfast and goodies at Chelsea Market]
[Quick stroll on the High Line (which was incredible) before …]
Greenwich Village Food and Culture Walking Tour!
A 3-hour tour where we learned about the history, culture and architecture of the area and ate so.much.good.food. Seriously, this was amazing, and I can’t wait to do another one next time I’m in the city! The following photos are from the tour:
[First Stop: Joe’s Pizza aka the perfect, quintessential NYC pizza]
[Our favorite spot, that was so adorable – Palma. Will definitely come back here.]
[The Cornelia Street Cafe – where SJP and Matthew Broderick had their first date, where Eric Clapton randomly shows up the play the piano, and where you might run in to Taylor Swift because … ]
[she lives right next door!!! I almost died and went to heaven. This is her $40k/month rental while her home in Tribeca is being remodeled, in case you were wondering.]
[Rafele’s Ristorante with amazing eggplant + ricotta!]
[Where they filmed the opening of Friends!!]
Seriously, if you’re going to NYC you have to do one of these Food Walking Tours!!
[Drinks before dinner and a show at The Roof, Viceroy Hotel – how about those views of Central Park?!]
[Yay Matilda! Loved this movie growing up and the show was so so cute!]
S U N D A Y
[Officially obsessed with Levain, and will always make a stop here before heading home.]
[Brunch at Central Park Boathouse – this mac and cheese was everything.]
[Such an amazing trip with Mom I will never forget!]
xo xo
You might also enjoy photos from my last mother-daughter trip to NYC here.
Weekend Picturebook: Sistahs in Vegas
F R I D A Y
{ready for Vegas!}
{view from our room}
S A T U R D A Y
{adorable mom drinking coffee getting ready for the day}
{mid-day shopping break – margaritas, chips + guac, El Segundo}
{beautiful sisters ready for an evening out!}
{one of the best dinners (and most expensive) I’ve ever had, Nobu}
S U N D A Y
{shopping + lunch at The Venetian}
{pancetta + goat cheese pizza, Mario Batali’s Otto}
{the best show ever – Michael Jackson ONE!!!}
{drinks after the show at Mix, Mandalay Bay – incredible view!}
M O N D A Y
{Eiffel Tower selfie}
{amazing brunch at Mon Ami Gabi – cheers to a terrific weekend!}
xo xo
[Other Vegas weekend picturebooks: January 2013, Vegas Throwback 2010-2012]
Weekend Picturebook: Mini Getaway to KC
{First things first: BBQ. These were literally some of the best ribs I’ve ever eaten in my life. I’m drooling right now just thinking about it. – Fiorella’s Jack Stack BBQ}
{We loved our boutique Hotel Sorella on the Plaza – from the artwork to the adorable breakfast nook to the unfortunately unusable rooftop pool.}
{After a long day of shopping we enjoyed an amazing meal at Zocalo’s, including margs, tacos, guac + discussing our 2015 resolutions.}
{After dinner we walked outside to find it snowing … HARD. We were not prepared, but loved it. We walked around the beautifully lit Plaza like a giddy young couple, then raced back to our hotel for warmth.}
{And warmth we received – drinking coffee + baileys at the rooftop bar.}
{Before heading home the next day we made a stop at our new favorite coffee shop, Kaldi’s. Cappucinos + Mochas TDF!}
{And of course had to make one final (long and expensive) stop – ikea! Photo: loading up the mini to the brim in 12 degree weather!}
xo xo
[We like Kansas City quite a lot – check out our other weekend picturebooks: August 2011, May 2013]
Weekend Picturebook: Cabin Getaway
It’s amazing what one weekend away (even less than an hour from your home) can do for your soul. This was one of the most relaxing weekends I’ve ever had, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
This weekend a year ago we had our first cabin getaway with our community group and had so much fun. You can see last year’s blog post with photos here. We decided to make it an annual tradition and fortunately followed through with our plans a year later.
There were significant differences this year versus last year.
Last year: It was freezing outside – snowing and icing on our drive in.
This year: It was 60 degrees and raining the WHOLE time.Last year: Despite the cold, we got out and explored, hiked, caved.
This year: We literally didn’t get out of our pajamas all day. Literally.Last year: We played Scrabble and watched Gremlins.
This year: We did a puzzle and watched Catch Me If You Can AND Top Gun AND Caught on Camera AND the Razorbacks. (We were stuck inside all day, remember?!)Last year: We were positive there was a ghost in the cabin.
This year: We were positive someone was pranking us hiding boxers in the cabin.Last year: We spent an evening desperately praying for our Campbells that they would get pregnant as they so wished.
This year: We spent a weekend joyously discussing baby plans, celebrating their pregnancy!
That’s what makes an annual get together so fun – it changes every year (we deeply missed our Hotarys who couldn’t make it this year!), but no matter what, when you’re with the right people it’s always a time to remember.
I pray we will continue this annual tradition for so many years to come. Until then, I’ll enjoy the memories we’ve made thus far!
{sugar ridge resort outside of eureka springs – we loved our cabin!}
{rain, rain don’t go away || what a perfect cabin relaxation day}
{extreme puzzling, for like, 5 hours}
{grilled cheese bar for lunch – oh my GOSH delicious}
{husband in his element}
{saturday night photo shoot followed by cards against humanity and telephone pictionary}
{the rain finally cleared for early morning eagle watching}
{what a great weekend!}
xo xo
Weekend Picturebook: Hot Springs
{started the weekend off right with margaritas!}
{then back to the house for pool and beer … among other things}
{love this pic – as someone said, it either looks like a rom-com or a psa for underage drinking}
{beautiful home we were so fortunate to stay in}
{day at the races!}
{dinner at backporch grill}
{downtown hot springs – superior bathouse and brewery}
{sunday morning mimosas}
{brunch at fisherman’s wharf before heading home}
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: Cabin in the Woods, Weekend Picturebook: Little Rock
Weekend Picturebook: Cabin in the Woods
One of the things I’m most thankful for this year is our Community Group. After we got married, husband and I started looking for a couples bible study to join. We searched on our own and couldn’t find one we thought would be just right. Of course, God already had a plan for the perfect group for us to join. We got a text message from a co-worker from my previous job asking to prayerfully consider joining their group. God clearly led them to ask us and clearly led us to say yes, because it has been the best decision we’ve made all year.
These are some of the most loving, generous, inspirational people we know and we are so so grateful to call them our friends. It has become so much more than just a group we go to on Thursday nights, but people we share life with.
I wrote this post yesterday, and this morning at church they happened to be talking about community. They shared a great passage about what it means to be in community (Acts 2:42-47) describing biblical community as studying God’s word together, praying together and breaking bread together “with glad and sincere hearts.”
Last weekend we rented a cabin on the Buffalo River together and had an amazing weekend of true community. See below some highlights from the weekend.
{Friday night Newlywed Game – where husband correctly guessed the two things that would be in my “wild night”. We also won the game.}
{Saturday morning mimosas and scrabble. It’s a rough life.}
{It was FREEZING, but we went hiking anyway}
{and relaxed with a brew…}
{and did some caving…}
{and celebrated a birthday…}
{then relaxed by the fire.}
{What a great group of people – and a random little girl who jumped in our picture!}
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: Halloween, Birthdays & Football, Weekend Picturebook: Little Rock
Weekend Picturebook: Halloween, Birthdays & Football
This weekend was a BUSY one, rolling right off of a busy week for Halloween. (Fun fact: Walmart Home Office does Halloween like you’ve never seen. #amazing) I’m pretty sure every weekend will be busy until 2014, but this one was special in that we had 5 guests in town none of which had never been to a Razorback game. My parents invited some of their friends they’ve been working with in Ohio to Northwest Arkansas for the weekend – coming in from Ohio, West Virginia and Texas. It was a great weekend with lots of laughs, good food and beautiful weather. (We won’t mention the Hogs’ loss.)
As our guests were coming in town Friday, we also had another commitment that night – my mother-in-law’s surprise 50th birthday party that turned out just perfect. Enjoy some photos below from the weekend!
* * * * *
{Started the weekend off with a bang for Halloween – at work and home}
{SURPRISE! What a beautiful birthday party for my beautiful mother-in-law!}
{Saturday am: had to take our guests to Crystal Bridges, 21c and Downtown Bentonville}
{The girls ready for the game!}
{Second surprise of the weekend – our “bus” to Fayetteville was a limo!}
{LOVE this photo of my parents! Happy to have them home for a few days}
Hope you had a great fall weekend! Our next weekend adventure features a 1-year-old birthday party and a wedding!
xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: Little Rock, Weekend Picturebook: St. Louis
Weekend Picturebook: Little Rock
{T-Dub, aka Theo Wiley, is the cutest}
{lunch + shopping at The Promenade at Chenal}
{lounging with family + pups}
{sushi at RJ Tao}
{SO glad we got to spend time with this guy}
{had to stop by for a whatta-burger on the way home}
xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: Kansas City, Weekend Picturebook: Las Vegas
m.davis xoxo 
