Monday Morning Wrap Up

Good morning. Coming to you from a very hot and steamy Tennessee! Our temps went up this week and it’s toasty, that’s for sure. But I am still on a high from my birthday week. We managed to sneak away and had the best time. More on that later. Here is a bit of life lately with our Monday Morning Wrap Up.

GREAT WORKOUT

If you haven’t heard of Fit with Coco, she is worth checking out. I absolutely love her workouts. They are typically around 40 minutes but it flies by. Really great strength training workouts. I also love using this walking pad when it’s so warm outside. In fact, I haven’t missed a day in probably 5 months (walking outside or in).

SAN CLEMENTE

I turned 50 this past week and my husband treated me to a trip to Orange County so I could see all of my dear friends. I wish there had been more time to see everyone, but it really was the best gift ever. I am very much a one on one type of person so each night we got together with a different couple. We have all been friends for years and it brought so much joy to spend time with them. I’ll share more about the trip soon.

INCREDIBLE HOME

We stayed the first two nights with my sister. They recently built their home from the ground up. She designed every single inch of the build and the design. It’s truly incredible. I love this sitting area (very comfy chairs). Every window in the house has a beautiful view of the ocean. This was the first time I had seen the house completed so it was such a treat. She is extraordinarily talented.

THE RITZ CARLTON

For my birthday night, Ryan surprised me with a stay at the Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel. This spot holds so many memories for us and we couldn’t have been more fortunate with the beautiful blue skies.

Hands down, my favorite sneaker for travel. A friend of mine just went to Italy, and said the same thing. I’ve had these quite a while and they still look great. They are so comfortable and the best for sight seeing and flying. Highly recommend. I always wear them on the plane (so they take up less room in luggage) and then I have a great pair of sneakers for doing all the walking. Plus they are adorable.

GOOD TO BE HOME

Like with any special trip, it’s also always lovely to return home. I’ll never get over the green of Tennessee.

THE BEST WELCOME HOME

My son loves to cook and he offered to make us appetizers. Umm?! Hello! This was so pretty . . . and delicious. Prosciutto wrapped melon with basil and a balsamic reduction. It was scrumptious. He loves the process of cooking and the presentation. . . his wife will be very lucky one day.

FACTORY AT FRANKLIN

If you are visiting, be sure to check out the Factory at Franklin. It’s come so far in the last year. It’s a wonderful spot filled with shops, coffee spots, ice cream, live music venues and restaurants. It’s especially great when it’s warm outside.

TRULY BEAUTIFUL

This Carousel of Dreams is absolutely incredible. This describes it best . . .

“Ken Means’ first foray into carving began with a rocking horse for his daughters as a Christmas present. That one beautiful piece of art was the springboard for a lifetime love of wood crafting, and a 30-year journey of creating a menagerie of animals that would one day become a carousel.
Now, the Carousel of Dreams by Ken Means is coming alive at The Factory at Franklin, Tennessee.”

These animals took a total of 30 years and it is so very special. A must no matter your age.

COLLEGE PLANNING

I grabbed a set of these for Riley to use under her bed next year. Her bed won’t be lofted so these are ideal. If the bed is lofted, we love the plastic drawer set (linked here). But truly, these are great for anyone who might be a tad short on storage space or wanting to tuck away out of season clothing. Love that they have castors. They are currently 29% off (2 for $30).

CRAVING THE BEACH?

Being near the ocean this past week made me even more excited to get back to our favorite spot in Florida. There is one week open in July. If you book, be sure to send me a message so I can connect with some of our favorite spots. There is also a complimentary bonfire/s’mores night you’ll be invited to.

If you missed it, Saturday Shopping was a fun one (with many of the things I took on our trip).

Here’s to a great start to your week. I have the organizing bug so stay tuned for some tips/tricks. Maybe we can motivate each other to make some progress.