I have been daydreaming about my future home.

I go through phases of decorating styles. My current obsessions are pastels, anything white, and antique furniture.

Driving through Marion and seeing some of the beautiful old homes really gets me thinking about where I want to live and what I want my house to look like. I would take antique style over modern any day. A house without character is sad to me, and I could never live in a house that looked like all the others in the neighborhood. A few important details would have to be a a big front porch and a fireplace.






These photos are just an example of the kind of place I want to live in. It looks so inviting and bright. Oh someday I will be able to go crazy with decorating.

Climbing the walls

Tom, Levi, Beth, Jordan and I went to Climb Time in Indy for a day. We climbed until our hands were sore and calloused. The belays were easy to use, so we could climb at our own pace. Rock climbing is a great workout, and I was exhausted after two hours. But I felt so accomplished at the end of the day.














Everything I have been doing this summer has been great. I haven't had a day where I am not enjoying myself. I am happy to be right where I am. This is the first summer in a long time where I actually feel like I have a life.


Yesterday Gabby, Devon, and I went to get pedicures. The best part was the comfy massage chairs we got to sit in. loved being pampered for a few hours.








The water park in Marion is one of the best places to visit in the summer. Dawn got the boys and I summer passes so that we can go as much as we want. We took advantage of that yesterday and spent about five hours soaking up the sun. Dalton and Griffin were very excited to swim in the new wave pool, so they were constantly going in after every buzzer. I tried it once and I felt like I was going to drown. It was pretty sad. I learned that the lazy river is the place for me.






Jordan and I have decided we are going to cook one meal a week together. We both love cooking, and we have so much fun picking out a healthy meal to make. One of the best parts is going on an adventure to the grocery store for all our ingredients. I am determined to be a good cook by the time we get married.

This meal was whole wheat pasta with an olive oil base.
We sauteed green peppers, snow peas, and cilantro into the pasta, then added Parmesan cheese. Our sides were asparagus and cut up nectarines and pineapple. It was all so delicious!







I have lived in Marion for two years and I had never been to the famous ice cream shop Ivanhoes until last week. Tim and Gabby, Devon and her boyfriend Matt, and Jordan and I packed in Gabby's car and sang to Mosquito Fleet on our way there.

Ivanhoes is known for having a ton of flavors to choose from. It was hard for me to make a decision on what to order. I finally chose the whopper and heath sundae with cookies and cream.

It was a night filled with laughter.

The Brown boys.

My job this summer is babysitting the coolest kids. Dalton is ten years old, and he will be turning 11 on July 9th. He is a confident and outgoing boy with a lot of energy. Griffin is thirteen years old, and he is probably the most mature thirteen year old I have ever met. They get along super well, and they are always well-behaved. I love hanging out with them everyday.

We went on a bike ride to Sophies ice cream shop last week. It was perfect for the hot summer day.

All things honey

Honey is one of my favorite foods. I am fascinated with bees and honey in general. I put it in my tea, on my bread, or I just eat it plain. My birthday is coming up, and I am thinking of getting some New Zealand artisan honey.

I've had my eye on this particular flavor from J.Friend and Co. The description lures me right in.

"Clarence Valley Vipers Bugloss Honey is a rich buttery colour. It is a very sweet delicate honey with a distinctive vanilla taste, light pollen and floral notes. It is a good all-round honey. Mild enough for most cooking it will add delicate honey flavours to any dish, sweet or savoury. A good match for strongly flavoured cheeses such as blues, hard cheese such as aged Cheddar or Parmesan or even pungent washed rind cheese."

YUMMMM.




I can just imagine the taste of one large spoonful of Vipers Bugloss honey. But imagining isn't good enough.

I think purchasing bee accessories along with my honey would be fun. Maybe I will get this cute print to match.

I entertain with coffee and tea.

Without cable television and internet access, I have come to enjoy good conversation with a freshly steeped cup of tea, or brewed cup of joe. A few of my closest friends have already paid a visit to the new house.

It's nice that one of my best friends is also dating my roommate. Jordan and I have loved hanging out with Gabby and Tim. Even though Tim lives in Ft. Wayne, he still takes frequent trips down to Marion. I am glad he has found a beautiful and wonderful woman of God who will hopefully turn into a good friend of my own.









This weekend was spent in good company. Beth came to visit! She is one of my closest friends that I don't get to see enough. I am so thankful for her and all she has done for me in the last two years. We were attached to the hip freshman year of college, and now we are so busy that we have to work to find time to catch up. It was such a relief to spend two whole days with her.


Beth and I hung out one night with our friends Tom and Levi. We all took a trip to Meijer for dinner supplies, and headed back to my house to cook. The house immediately smoked up and we all started to boil. We were sweating bullets. It was tough to make the meal peacefully but we eventually got it done. Burgers, salad, corn on the cob, and sauteed mushrooms & onions. It was surprisingly delicious.












One thing I did learn about myself is that I thoroughly enjoy doing dishes.

My other roommate Devon helped me get them all dried, but I felt accomplished once dinner was finished and the kitchen was sparkling clean.

Later in the night Beth and I went back to buy some International Delight coffee creamers, sugar, paper towels, and salt. It was expensive! The cheapest paper towels were basically $2.00 a roll. Thankfully we could find cheap salt and sugar, but I am not looking forward to spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on groceries for the rest of my life.

I have noticed that since then, I have been super protective of the paper towels. I wouldn't even let Jordan use one to dry his hands.

I finally feel like our house has become a home.

It is cleaned and stocked with food. I decorated and didn't forget to add candles and incense. After living here for only a few weeks, I already feel comfortable.





My favorite things about the living room are:

1. The beautiful globe I found at the Marion flea market
2. My Urban Outfitter throw pillows.



Thanks to Liz for letting us borrow her record player! We love it. And we use it daily.



The kitchen is adorable. Tons of cupboard space.
There is also a hidden wooden cutting board that slides out of the counter.



I'm especially proud of my baby owls. I have six of them that sit right above the sink. They are the closest thing we have to a pet.



My room is painted a pretty green color. It gives the space some character.


What I love most about the house overall:
1. Wood floors
2. Ceiling fans
3. The big tree in the backyard


I consider a house with limited air conditioning abilities to be a plus. Summer for me means freezing my butt off 80% of the time. Air conditioning is everywhere, and I never get to enjoy the heat and the sun. But in my house, I am content and warm all the time. Sometimes a little too warm, but I would rather have that than wearing my sweaters and boots all summer long.

I enjoy pretty things like this shirt found on Etsy

Time for tea!

Aunt Sues is my new favorite place in Marion. We had a ladies tea time lunch there and it happened to be a perfect meal. We ordered the Queens tea which began with a small soup and salad. We each got our own individual tea pot filled with our choice of tea. The meal was three tiers of bite sized goodies like cucumber sandwiches, scones, and mini muffins. Everything tasted delicious! I couldn't get enough.

I think the best part was the quaint and feminine decor. I am now inspired to open my own tea shop.










We finished the afternoon with a trip to the Hostess House Resale Shop. And my oh my did we come across some great steals. I found an owl pendant, tennis shoes, a brand new sun dress, a scarf, and a makeup bag. I think we spent a few hours in there just exploring all of the vintage items.





I will be revisiting both the tea place and the resale shop regularly.
How did I manage to miss out on this for the last two years?