25 Items of Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, people! My fam has a longstanding tradition of going to a family friend's house for Turkey Day. It's been going on for 30+ years; this group is o.g. Friendsgiving advocates. Needless to say, it's my favorite holiday. And it's not just for the potatoes au gratin. There's something uniquely sacred about friendships that become family.

Gratitude is one of those amazing things like chocolate or wine that *sometimes* your doctor recommends you add in, y'know, for your health, and that sounds like a pretty good recommendation. It's scientifically proven that giving thanks makes you more thankful. So, here's a little peek at my gratitude list. Some are big, some are small, and I think it's worth taking time to acknowledge both. In no particular order...

- my husband, who married me last October, and made my world a little bigger
- the inspiration I gain from traveling to other places and taking in their sights, sounds and colors
- clean water
- internet access
- the fact that pulling your socks up over your pants makes you WAY warmer, and that it is kind of trendy now. (p.s. I will 100% do this when it's not trendy too, stay tuned)
- my family and a home I am always welcome in
- living in Missouri, which gives me the ability to experience all four seasons. (sometimes all in one day!)
- prayer
- education
- friends who sit with me, laugh with me, listen to me, love me
- THANKSGIVING FOODS. personal favorites: potatoes au gratin, pumpkin pie, bacon-wrapped dates
- viral tweets and internet memes
- seeing many of my friends become moms and love their little ones
- friendsgiving dinners, and really anytime I get to share a meal with friends
- the fact that your only limit to creativity is your own mind
- regular foods. personal favorites: anything Mexican but not too spicy, brie cheese, pickles
- the amount of people in my hometown who inspire me in their careers, work and values
- learning both the challenging parts and the exciting parts of self-employment
- pajama sets. I bought my first PJ set since I was a lil one this year, and there's no going back.
- adults and mentors who have invested in me
- the ability to read a book and have access to them. (libraries!)
- coffee, and all of the many ways I enjoy it. (anywhere from black to latte-level cream)
- the privilege of being able to earn an income doing things I love
- cats IRL, but videos of dogs online
- anytime I receive snail mail that's not a bill

I'd keep going, but it's time to bake a pie, and I think you get the point! There's a lot to be grateful for even in a world that knocks ya down from time to time. Photos in this post are by my sweet pal Beth Solano.

Thankful for Beth! Thankful for photography! Thankful for pie! Thankful for you! xo.

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Our Honeymoon: Croatia

Croatia was the final place we went on our honeymoon, and if it weren't for some good pals of ours, we wouldn't have even had it on our radar. Austin and I both have friends who had been to Croatia and said we had to go. They were right.

Since tickets are less expensive to hop around once you've crossed the ocean, we took advantage of that (and being able to take time away from work) and spent a few days in Croatia at the end of our trip. It was the perfect low-key way to end the most eventful month of our lives!

Part of the reason Croatia was a little slower paced was due to the time of year we went. If we had gone even a month earlier, that certainly wouldn't have been the case. But the weather was so beautiful even as they were beginning to enter the off-season in Split.

AirBnBs were super affordable in Split, so we stayed in a gorgeous space that overlooked the old town. Above was the view from our bedroom. Split has been around since the 2nd or 3rd century BC, and it was so fun to see how all of the rich history mixed in with a modern way of living.

We spent time exploring the city and ate our weight in seafood. (Can you blame us?!)

One afternoon we climbed an old bell tower and the views were incredible. Best $3 we've ever spent.

You can also tell we take ourselves very seriously. 😜

We spent a lot of our time in Split just being present and admiring the views and the scenery. It did get pretty chilly after dark, though, so we typically retreated to our AirBnB at that point. One day (photos below) we explored the Fortress of Klis thanks to a recommendation from my friends Jenn and Michelle. It was overwhelming how large it was and to consider its ancient history! Fun fact for today's time: quite a bit of Game of Thrones was filmed here, so they had some photos showing how the set designer transformed what we were seeing in real life to what appeared on-screen. It was really fascinating for us especially considering Austin's job!

This final photo was actually snapped in Chicago on our way home (we had a bit of a layover and were able to see Austin's sister while we were there!), but I loved it too much to not include it. 

Thanks for letting me reflect on our honeymoon this week on the blog! It's full of a lot of sweet memories for us, so I'm feeling very nostalgic and sappy as we head toward our first anniversary. We're heading to NYC tomorrow to celebrate, and I'm really looking forward to making some new cherished memories together.

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Our Honeymoon: Paris

In case you missed it, yesterday I posted about the first part of our honeymoon which was a quick, 3-day stopover in Iceland. You can see it here if you haven't already!

Funnily enough, Austin and I planned our honeymoon around Paris and just kind of hung out once we got there. If you're considering international travel after a big life event (like getting married!), know that a bigger city will present different challenges than a more remote area. I had spent some time in Paris before and Austin had been, but hadn't really been acquainted with it to the same level. There were times we felt pressure (from nobody but ourselves!) to do all the things and see every single spots. After all, certain places are called "must-see" for a reason, right?!

What we ended up doing was taking it pretty easy and doing a bit of a deeper dive in Montmartre, which is the neighborhood we stayed in, than trying to see everything. Looking back, I wouldn't change how we did Paris. And I would absolutely do it again (like, tomorrow, if you're reading this fairy godmother).

C'est tout. P.S. Did you know I have a minor in French from college? Don't ask me to speak French with you because I'm rusty and I've forgotten so much. 😂 Paris is a dreamy place and I'm feeling so nostalgic looking back on these photos! I'll be back tomorrow to share the final leg of our honeymoon trip — Croatia! xo.

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