A weekend getaway to Monterey, Virginia.

We recently spent two incredible days enjoying the simple life in Highland County, Virginia. With no cell service or bustling town for entertainment, we were able to truly reset and enjoy each other's company. We woke up both mornings for sunrise and stayed up to watch the stars. There was a full moon one evening and I'll never forget how peaceful it was to see it rise over the mountain.

We spent the majority of the time on the front porch, and loved having so much space to frolic and relax. Definitely one of the best parts were ALL THE ANIMALS! I wouldn't even call myself an animal lover, but it turns out chickens and alpacas are hilarious! I'm sure Hazel's antics and excitement made it that much funnier, but it was still more entertaining than I had anticipated. While these pictures don't show some of the stressful parts of the trip (hello ER the night before we left, Hazel getting car sick, and general life with a toddler), I know we'll look back so fondly on this little family getaway.

Sunflowers!

You can always count on an annual sunflower blog post from me! Peak sunflower day is right up there with Christmas morning, and we were lucky enough to have them all to ourselves this year. These are the perks of peak bloom falling on a weekday (versus last year when it was insanely crowded)! As always, I'm already looking forward to next summer's bloom!

A Saturday in Middleburg, Virginia.

There is something about the sweet Virginia town of Middleburg that draws me in every summer. Maybe it's because I can finally see how one would choose to live this far out when everything is green and the rolling hills go on for miles. While I don't see us ever doing so, it's always a treat to make the hour-long journey to enjoy it for an afternoon. This time we walked down Main Street, picked up a scoop of ice cream, and eventually made our way to the adorable Brassica's for lunch - just down the road in Aldie. All very much a picture perfect way to spend a summer Saturday!

Wild and wonderful West Virginia.

I'm still thinking about the amazing West Virginia getaway we had with my college BFF, Natalie, and her cute little family. Since we live so far apart, we've made it a point to see each other at a minimum once a year and it's always such a treat. We're so fortunate to be able to pick right up where we left off, and even more so to have husbands who like each other a lot, too! To mix things up this time, we met halfway in Elkins, West Virgina for a weekend in the woods. It's unfortunate that WV has an interesting reputation, because as it turns out, it's GORGEOUS. We were all pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the landscapes were - and ultimately, how friendly everyone was! This weekend was full of so many great memories - from getting caught in the pouring rain, to seeing Nora take her first steps! I'm also still laughing about all the evening hot tub conversations we had. Such good times with some of our favorite people! Can't wait to see where we meet next :)