a much needed beach day.

Old Mission, Michigan

As the first day of fall arrives, I don’t want to forget about this picture perfect beach day. Last month, my mom and I ventured to the tippy top of the peninsula for a much needed, quiet, refreshing day on Lake Michigan. We had snacks, went hunting for tiny treasures, and attempted to swim in the very shallow rocky waters off shore of the lighthouse. Pure Michigan perfection.

♥

but i brought demo clothes.

Monday, August 22, 2016.

I had a day full of photoshoots at work, very busy. But I was SUPER excited because I had just closed on our house that following Wednesday. You can read the story here. Dustin came home after a couple weeks away at training. We had just helped my parents move into their new home over the weekend. (My parents, my sister & brother-in-law, and Dustin & I all closed on houses within two weeks of each other...!)

But FINALLY Dustin and I were going to put a hole in a wall of our newly purchased fixer upper. Woo!

Dustin called me at work and said he wanted to take "sold" sign photos in front of the house before the dumpster arrived on Tuesday. He made plans with some of our friends to stop by and snap the occasion.

I knew he wanted to take photos in front of the house, he had mentioned he liked when people did that. So that was no surprise to me. Although after a busy Monday, it was not how I thought the evening was going to go... LITTLE DID I KNOW. But it all made sense since he had ordered the dumpster for the next day. So it was basically now or never to get these photos taken.

We changed our clothes after work real quick and met some friends at our new house. We showed them around and started taking pictures. Antsy to get my demo on, after a handful of poses, I said "K! Think that's good?! Are we done?" Dustin said he had one more he wanted to take.

And on that sunny Monday evening, in front of our paparazzi friends, on the lawn of our first house, surrounded by the droning buzz of neighbor's lawnmowers, Dustin got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

Photos will show (not one below), I probably did not have the best immediate facial reaction. Like lots of people, I was totally caught off guard- not expecting it! That moment seemed to stop time and I just couldn't grasp what was going on. And then it's like when the camera zooms in to catch up to real time and you start to hear sounds again. And after my inital, "Are you serious?!" I said, "Yes!"

So once all the photos and pleasantries and "You guys knew?!" and "Aww, you talked to my dad?" (tears) were done, I realized we probably weren't going to start demo tonight. "But I brought demo clothes! And this was the plan all along?!" Dustin nodded and laughed; me still in disbelief at all that had just occurred.

Turns out he had been hanging onto that ring for the perfect moment, just like the card I had been waiting to give him.

That night, we went out for dinner, talked to both of our parents, and had a quiet celebration, just for us, back at our apartment.

And who knew we'd begin demo on our first house, engaged?! Well Dustin... obviously. ☺

keys, please.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016.

We've officially owned our home for TWO YEARS. It's still in a state of disarray but it has also come so far. We love it.

Just a casual stroll down memory lane.

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I surprised Dustin with the bar in the basement. He was actually away being army man when I closed. So it was fun to walk him through the house- OUR house when he got home a couple days later.

Anyway, the bar came with the house, but I told him the sellers had taken it. So he was happy to see it still standing- for his future basement parties. Sitting on the bar was a card that I had purchased the past November at an artist market. I was SO excited I found it and held onto it for so long. It had little keys printed on the cover. I knew someday we'd have a house, and I'd be prepared with the perfect card! Propped up behind the card was a "SOLD" sign. Dustin was bummed the realtors never posted a sold sign out front- like the shows on TV. But this little handmade one came into play five days later...

four hours on the island.

Belle Isle, Michigan

What a hidden gem this is!! Or maybe it's not so hidden? But I had never been until last weekend and was pleasantly surprised! Situated in the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor, it's a lush getaway just a hop, skip, and a jump outside these cities. And it's all free with your parks pass(!).

Dustin had his monthly drill down in the Detroit area, and my friend Collyn happened to have an artist market on Belle Isle that same weekend. It was perfect timing and I'm so glad I was able to see her and as well as explore. You can drive and park around the entire island. The weekend was busy with the artist market, but aside from that there were picnics, reunions, parties a plenty- and a wedding! And yet, I still had no problem pulling off to the side of the road whenever I found a new spot to walk around.

Some photos of my little stint and things I'll want to do next time! Of course there's a billion photos of the conservatory... but I MEANNN how can you not?!

Suggestions for you/things I want to remember for me.

  • Bring a bike. Driving around the island was great. But bikes are more mobile, and the island itself is less than 3 miles long.
  • Wear better walking shoes!
  • Explore more of the inner island.
  • Kayak the canals. 
  • Swim in the river.
  • Golf range.
  • Check out the fancy boats at the yacht club.
  • Visit the other attractions. I made it to the aquarium, conservatory, and fountain. There's also a museum, nature center, boathouse, yacht club, and "casino".
  • Don't forget the Polaroid or Holga next time.
  • Convince a friend to get married here so I can attend.
  • Squirt bottle fan. And lots of water.

I loved walking around by myself for those four hours. It was so beautiful. HOT yet windy- thank goodness. But so beautiful. Until next time Belle Isle!

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progress post: green beer and gray tile.

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Saint Patricks Day 2017.

We went to a friend's house and drank beer, ate delicious food, and played darts. Then we came home and tiled our bathroom floor. Very productive day!

Tile drunk, grout sober. That's how the saying goes, no?

The hexagons lost out to this gray mosaic. Happy to have a stacked neutral / bummed about the hexagons. But those cement tiles were just too inaccessible for us at the time and would have created a height difference from the wood floor.

All in day's work! If only all projects would follow the Friends, Food, and Finished-by-the-end-of-the-night approach.

Stay tuned for the two things we tried/redid in the bathroom. Because who doesn't like doing things all over again...?

follow along with our projects and adventures on instagram.

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