just a few favorite moments.

happy anniversary boat shoes!

two years ago... today...

we were getting ready for our WEDDING!

tomorrow will mark two years of marriage for boat shoes and I. what fun it is to think back to the happenings of two years ago!

a lovely cocktail party. a super fun bridal lunch by the pool. a funny and memorable rehearsal (with the most precious toasts from friends and family!) a delicious and lovely rehearsal dinner at The Naples Beach and Golf Club followed by cocktails beach side. a day with the girls getting ready to walk down the aisle at Trinity by The Cove Episcopal Church. walking down the aisle, escorted by my big brother with a very special ring on my right hand to my handsome groom, boat shoes.

we said, I DO. we said, I WILL. what a special ceremony and day.

we celebrated the night away at The Port Royal Club ...dancing, smiling, choosing delicious candy from the candy bar and enjoying fabulous food and cake from Mikkelsen's Bakery. and then off we went for a fabulous honeymoon in St. Kitts, BVI.

i love you so much boat shoes...happy almost 2 year anniversary!!!

48 hours with murphy...

dear murphy,

so far we know that you love attention. you enjoy having your ears scratched and your belly rubbed. you dont need to walk on a leash, for when you know who to follow, you follow well. you sit well, you come well, although staying seems to be a little harder. we learned that running free in our beach cottage doesnt work well, but a comfy crate to call home works beautifully! you love tennis balls. when they are bounced you run and bat them with your arms and bring them back quickly. you give kisses only when asked and look for permission to jump on the couch. you seem to really like lilly, although sometimes you want a nap and she is ready to play!

we hope you love your new home as much as we love having you. you are a wonderful companion to our little lilly and a great new reason to always walk together. you are a great addition to our family.

love,
flip flops, boat shoes and a prissy little bean named lilly

meet murphy.

friday

11:00 - arrive in caroline county, va to meet "mom flip flops" and then on to murphy

11:05 - 11:40 - flip flops asked a million and one questions about murphy while boat shoes and mom flip flops play with pups and check the new pup from head to toe!

11:45 - murphy jumps in our car to join lilly for a new life

12:00 - find a church parking lot with a grassy area to take family photos

2:00 - DC for icecream and a visit to PetSmart with "mom and dad boat shoes"

2:05 - show murphy a crate. murphy tucks tail and wont enter crate. flip flops helps murphy enter crate. murphy is sad. flip flops and boat shoes don't purchase crate.

3:00 - begin adventure home.

8:30 - murphy needs a bath. stop by petco and buy spa dog shampoo.

9:30 - arrive home.

9:35 - meet mambo.. the humongous puppy dog neighbor.

9:40 - bathe murphy.

9:50 - bathe murphy again.

11:00 - attempt bed time. lilly in her crate. murphy running circles in our "beach cottage" bedroom. murphy lays down for 10 minutes. murphy is back up.

Continue ...murphy lays down. murphy is up. ALL NIGHT LONG.

4:00 am - flip flops in tears. why did we get another pup?

6:00 am - boat shoes leaves for conference. flip flops again in tears. was this a good idea?

fast forward...

10:00 - flip flops hoping to go to a dear friends bridal shower. murphy is a disaster anywhere when contained. what do I do? call katy aka virginia vines.

Virginia Vines:
"Is he peeing or pooping in your house?" No.
"Is he being aggressive towards lilly?" No.
"Is he being sweet to her?" Yes.
"Is he being sweet to you?" Yes.
"Does he cuddle and seem comfortable?" Yes.
"Is he nice to other dogs?" Yes.

"Flip flops you have a great pup... just give him some time to get used to his new life."

11:00 - adventure to bow wow meow for crate purchase with murphy for bonding time. murphy sits perfectly in car. murphy enters store perfectly. murphy greets store personnel beautifully. children come to murphy and he lays down to be pet. comments about murphy, "what a sweet dog." "what a well trained dog." "he is adorable." (enter flip flops feeling very bad about thinking, WHY DID WE ADOPT HIM? disclaimer... flip flops slept about 2 hours TOTAL the night before!)

spend about an hour and a half at bow wow meow. our favorite groomer, Missy, came to meet Murphy. Took him to clean his ears, trim his tail and feet :) Missy was a godsend. Another store employee asked if I needed help. YES. I need help. I need a crate and my husband is out of town and I might cry if I have to put that thing together (approximately 25 pieces in one large box), any way you could help me? Yes maam of course!

murphy and I left bow wow meow liking one another a bit more and excited for an afternoon of crate training.

fast forward through crate training...

9:00 pm - boat shoes able to slide away from non mandatory dinner at conference to come home. (flip flops was thrilled!!!!) puppy play time. long walk. running on the tennis courts.

10:00 - bedtime. murphy in crate. lilly in crate.

10:05 - everyone is asleep.

2:00 am - boat shoes to flip flops, "he isnt awake!" Thank goodness for a crate!

8:00 am - everyone is awake. walk time! a happy, well rested family.

flip flops. boat shoes. a prissy little bean named Lilly & an easy going pup named Murphy.

an adventure.

is this mister rogers trolley?

nope.

It is the septa 100 line.

Kara and I decided we should take an adventure to get to the city. The 100 line to the El. Well let me tell you it was an adventure! The etiquette seems similar to our typical regional rail train however it is a completely different feel. My typical train has 4 cars with roomy seats and a conductor that walks through the train (imagine... Polar Express without the hot cocoa). This was one car with one driver sitting at the front. You swipe your pass when you enter the trolley car (so dont be like us fiddling in your purse to find your pass!)

So all in all the 100 line felt a little like Disney world and alot like Mister Rogers Trolley. We then switched to the El. Now this was a harder experience. The strong smell of "city" in the hot summer was a bit of a wake up call. We went underground and hopped on the El. Now again, a totally different feel. Fine... but not anything to write home about. So we walked along to Starbucks, got a treat and on to work.

Now fast forward to the end of the day. This adventure was a bit tougher. We barely missed the El so had to wait for the next one (not sure how we figure out timing ) and then finally made it to the 100 where we were floundering to find the train we needed. After finding it we entered a hot car to wait for 15 minutes. Then the trip began... and then the trip was halted. The trolley stopped for about 20 minutes for no reason and then we continued. We noticed some long yellow strips by the window. Yes. Those are what you push to get off the trolley. thankfully we figured that out!

All in all... one word... ADVENTURE.

kinda glad we did it... ready to get back to our other train.... until the next day when ALL REGIONAL RAIL LINES WERE CANCELED and WE KNEW HOW TO GET HOME!!!!

SO an adventure... that turned into a great blessing!

cape may, nj

Cape May

Julie's Bachelorette Weekend June 201o

What a lovely weekend filled with...

*funny stories

*cute sundresses

*flip flops

*yummy food

*sparkling champagne

*dear friends

*sleepovers

*a cute beach house

*outside showers

*walks on the beach

*good books

*pink and green drinks

*family

*beach time

*shopping

*dancing

what could be better?

I really have to think...

LILLY SHOPPING FUN!

What a wonderful Lilly experience!!!!

so after waiting in line all day for our tickets, sam and I were very pleased with numbers 62 and 63. We were also able to get susan and andy their numbers which were 325 and 326! We woke up at 330 am... were in teh car at 4 am and ready by 430. sam was a peach and brought bagels again... and I was in charge of water and snacks. We have this process down pat!

It was tough that the samples and seconds baxes were empty by the time we were in the doors... at 505. So clearly numbers 1 - 61 ran straight to the boxes and poured them into their large pink bags. We were however pleased with the shoe selection, dresses, and Murfee scarves!!!! They were a fabulous find! In the end we ended up with some fabulous samples that were well worth the hunt!

We shopped for over 8 hours going through our bags over and over, trying adorable dresses on and selecting just the right items for many family members and friends!!! It was a marathon... not a sprint!

ps. lilly bean LOVES her new leash!!!!

Now I am waiting the arrival of my dear friend and bride to be, Julie and her fabulous MOH, little sister Sarah for another trip to the Lilly sale before our road trip to CAPE MAY for her bachelorette weekend!!!! A beach house... 8 girls...4 days...its sure to be FUN TIMES!!!!

LIlly Ticket Day Part 1

The day of waiting continues...

But we have had a few adventures and highlights so far.. and I LOVE my new beach chair with the lilly beach towel!

Surprise 1: we are waiting outside for tickets

Surprise 2: we get internet outside

Surprise 3: a bird pooped on me and then on Sam

Adventure 1: MOVE over the trash truck is coming

Adventure 2: Megan and baby Connor came to visit

Adventure 3: Megan brought ChickfilA

We are now inside... waiting in a large room with lots of pink and green! More to come later

The Devon Horse Show

many adorable boutiques. pretty horses. nice hats. beautiful flowers. lemon sticks.

Lemon sticks...

what an interesting phenomenon at the Devon Horse Show! They are juicy lemon with this odd sugary candy stick in the middle. You might think.. "hmm is it like a straw?" That my friends is what we thought! However, as you can see form Boat Shoes photo above... it looks like astraw but is not a straw! Basically you simply hold the lemon, eat the candy until you are close to the lemon and then it is a delicious treat! The candy sweetens the juice as you drink it! What a lovely concept. We will be serving these at our fourth annual flip flop fun party that may be happening on July 17... the date is still up for debate but that is a finalist! So who wants a lemon stick at the flip flops and boat shoes famous annual party!?!

a day for waiting...

patiently... for a LILLY PULITZER WAREHOUSE SALE TICKET!!!

We are packed and ready for a day of line sitting...

-cooler with drinks
-lots of snacks
-magazines
-sunglasses and sunscreen (word on facebook is that the doors wont open until 3:00)
-bananagrams
-scrabble slam
-The Help
-air mattress
-Lilly Pulitzer beach towel
-new fabulous beach chair from my fabulous "boat shoes"
-camera
-computer
-good friends

we are ready...

lilly lover days

what will YOUR lilly lover days photo be?

boat shoes and i are hoping for another successful year!

the moving adventure

lilly learns her new yard. lilly is not sure about the new floors. new home. our first visitors susan & andy... and their new sailboat. a treat for lilly bean - frosty paws.

how much can you carry upstairs. flip flops side of the dressing room. the dressing room coming together. sewing machine buds. kate and mom... the sewing ladies. we heart navy adorable bags... longchamp and dooney & bourke. time for some curtains!

boat shoes helping with change of address cards. mom and boat shoes. me...ready to relax at a yummy dinner. our new home. mom and the pup. ohhh moving truck. impromptu packing party.

crazy, fun packers. still packing. dear friends help friends pack boxes quickly. floor picnic number 1. floor picnic with margaritas and mexican food for cinco de mayo. lilly chooses paint colors.

drum roll...

the flower bed before flowers.

the puppy observing me get the flowers ready to plant.

flip flops. boat shoes. puppy.

the beginnings of our "beach house" bedroom (maroon turned khaki!)

our porch and front yard with flowers.

our home.

so... when will you come and visit?

worth the wait!

A few before photos...

Start on the left and move to the right for descriptions...

top left.. adorable spiral staircase to the third floor

atrocious deep burgundy for our "beach cottage" (not so much!)

pentagon shaped room...bedroom made dressing room... because remember... no closets!

far right...our new navy and pink sitting room

bottom left... love the arch from the den to the kitchen

another view of the room made dressing room

stairs that lilly has learned to climb

horrific "grape" colored barthoom (again not the vision we had!)