...a wet dog...

if sampson could do one thing every day for the rest of his little life, he would swim.

scratch that. he would swim after & retrieve tennis balls. all day.

lakes, rivers, ponds, swimming pools...anywhere.

sampson waaiiiting to go in the lake this past summer

wouldn't it be lovely to be so content? to be so happy doing such a lighthearted task.
i think about that often.
doing something i love and being in the moment.
taking in the unabashed joy that sampson would have during the 438th jump in the water to get that ball.
it's time to focus on more of that.

also, sampson wants to know if it's spring/summer yet. please?

...back in 2013 - washington dc....

in 2012 my mom & i ventured to nyc over mother's day weekend.
we had a blast {although our feet, legs & backs needed months to recuperate}.

this year it was off to somewhere new. the requirements were:
1) a fun city 2) somewhere my mom could travel by train overnight and get to easily
believe it or not i had never been to washington dc and had always wanted to go.
i knew it was a cool city, had plenty of sights to see and satisfied requirements 1 &2.
so, off we went.

picture from an exhibit from the smithsonian american art museum

we took the typical bus tour where we saw the monuments and memorials at night.
the frankin d. roosevelt was our favorite monument. the korean war memorial was breathtaking.
arlington cemetary was so vast and the tomb of the unknown was sad and beautiful at the same time.

we perused the smithsonian museums & stopped by the white house.
we wandered around williamsburg & georgetown & found the perfect space to enjoy a few cupcakes.

the trip was a success, unless you count my mom throwing her back out on the ride home.
the memories that we made from this touristy trip are ones i hold dear.
already looking forward to 2014's trip back to nyc!

...well hello there...

that's my little sampson looking out of his window & waiting for me to come home. 

look at that face!

i feel like this blog has been waiting for me to come "home" for over a year now.
i've missed this little space & it's time to spend some time back here.
so, hello again!

...back in 2012 - nyc...

back in may of 2012 my mom & i took our first "big" mother/daughter trip together.
it was over mother's day weekend & we went to a city that we both have fond memories of.
the big apple. the concrete jungle. the city that never sleeps. new york city!

my mom & dad honeymooned there together in 1983 & we visited as a family in 1996.
i've since been there for work, but it was fun to explore the city with my mom!

we met up at penn station and stayed in the heart of midtown.

we took a trip on a double decker {above} around town
& over the brooklyn bridge where we saw the NYC skyline lit up at night {below}.

we toured the central park conservatory & the central park zoo. lounged in bryant park.
vowed to come back and shop in greenwich village. ate cupcakes from magnolia bakery.
shared drinks overlooking broadway at night. saw the 911 memorial & walked the highline {below}.
went to the moma & took in the jersey boys broadway show {mom's fave part of the trip}.

our trip to NYC together is one that we will always remember. so many memories.
i am so lucky to have the opportunity to go on a trip like this & spend time with my mom.

this coming may we will embark on our second annual mother daughter trip. our destination?
washington d.c.!

...happenings...

it's been a while since i've visited this corner of the internet.

no excuses, really. just a feeling that we've been busy but not sure with what.

but i do know that i missed it. 

i have a feeling that we should start slow. and with something that's current.

last weekend we:

found a fantastic cocktail at bonefish grill & went to bed before 10:30 on friday.

had our typical dunkin donuts coffee on saturday & sunday mornings.

slept in. worked around the house.

celebrated a friend's 29th birthday & a butler basketball win on saturday.

& we took sampson to lowe's for his first ever visit on sunday.

he loved it. obviously.

this weekend's plans are on par.

being in bed early, celebrating a friend's birthday & shopping around town.

to be honest, low key weekends like that tend to be some of my favorites.

...happy halloween & happy anniversary...

seven years ago today chris & i started dating.
two years later he proposed.

so, i'm sure you understand why i'm so fond of halloween.
it's a lucky little day for me.

i love you chris.
happy anniversary! xoxo

photo from our trip to napa this past summer.

sampson turns one

my baby bear turned one this past may.
one. tear.
he only wanted two things for his birthday:
a bow tie and a frost paw treat.
so, got him both {not pictured: frosty paw}. 

sampson is the best dog. 

totally a momma's boy but prefers to snuggle with his dad at night. 

that being said, sleeps in the bed with us. 

will do anything for green beans or turkey. 

loves to play with anything that squeaks. 

loves swimming. going on walks & sitting on our new patio couch. 

can find any black sock within a 10 foot radius. 

still has the puppy cray cray in him. but we love it. 

i love you boo boo. happy belated birthday!

{picture: sampson on his 1st birthday}