Love Your Hometown

Little towns are amazing in that they hold unique, one-of-a-kind shops that locals often take for granted. When I travel, I often venture out to the outskirts of a big city to find those old, run down antique and thrift stores that nobody really goes to unless they're locals. And often times we forget the magic that our hometown possesses. So here's a little reminder to love your hometown, no matter how much you want to get out of it sometimes.

Home Sweet Midwest

Pants: H&M | Tank + Hat: Thrifted | Shirt: Glassons | Boots: Macy's | Bag: Marshalls | Jewelry: c/o Rings & Tings

The other night we took an evening stroll to get some fresh air. Tim works from home most days, so having an evening walk together is a nice excuse to get out of the house, catch up, and spend some quality time together. We took photos on this little road that reminded me of the English countryside, probably because I've been reading a novel based in England, Never Let Me Go. Not that I've ever been, but I imagine most of the roads and driveways there are long, narrow gravel roads leading to lovely cottages in the countryside. One day we'll get to travel there and see it for ourselves. For now, I'll settle for these fake-English-countryside driveways that really lead to homes filled with barking dogs and families watching American Idol. Even though sometimes this Indiana town doesn't feel like a spectacular place to live, I am so grateful for the life we have in our little American Midwest town.

A Special New Couch

Timothy and I received a beautiful new addition to our living room this week. My sister and her little family are unfortunately making a big move next month and aren't able to take the couch along. So we moved it up a flight of stairs to our cozy second-floor apartment. I absolutely love it. It used to belong to my grandparents who lived in Kansas. My Grandfather was a professional photographer and ran his business out of their home and this couch lived downstairs in his office area. I remember sitting there while my Grandfather showed my sister and I all of his old cameras after we fell in love with photography. I feel so lucky to have a little piece of my family's history in my home.

Our Sweet Home

After our recent trip to Ikea, Tim and I have been finding places for our new little things.

We've been in our apartment for nearly three years now so it's nice to change things up a bit 

and bring new decorative pieces in.
My favorite new addition is this black and white print that we hung above our couch.
I shot this photo while we were in New Zealand this past November.
It was on the drive down to Milford Sound, which quickly became our favorite place in the world.
I will never forget the feeling when we saw this view for the first time.
We were both speechless at the sight.
It was like driving into Neverland or Jurassic Park or something.
It was such a special moment, so it makes this print so meaningful for us.

We're also super excited about this back patio set.
We haven't had a proper table & chair set out here since we moved in.
 Unless you count the broken rocking chair I rescued from someone's trash...
But anyway, we had our first meal out there the other night and it was magical!
I can't wait for countless summer meals sitting and chatting under the big oak tree next to our deck.


Black & White Pillow: Ikea | Coral Pillows: Target (sold out, unfortunatly) | Patio Set: Ikea

I love all these special things that add joy to our daily lives.
And guess what? Tomorrow is our 3 year anniversary!
We'll probably head into Chicago for some food and shopping, then watch our wedding video for the 1,000 time ;)

Happy Tuesday!

Days Like These

Have I mentioned how great it feels to be back in our apartment?
Yep. I think I may have mentioned it once or twice before.
 Here are some shots from around our place on this cozy, rainy day.









Timothy & I are enjoying a relaxing day together.
We had a friend over for brunch today and now we're drinking coffee and watching silly tv.
There is nothing better than days like today.

Feels Like Home

I'm learning to appreciate the special little things about our place.
It's finally sinking in that we'll be leaving here in a few shorts months.
We've lived in this apartment ever since we got married over 2 years ago.
There's something so sweet and sentimental about your first place together as husband & wife.

I remember when we first found this place.
We walked in to a dirty little place with smoke-stained walls, stained carpet,
and a stench coming from the freezer from Lord only knows what!
The first thing I said when I saw this place was, "I am NOT living here!"
We had a few friends in the building who had done their place up really cute,
but I was convinced that this particular apartment was beyond repair.

But being the trusting then-fiance that I was, I agreed to the move.
Next thing I knew we were ripping up the carpet and seeing the freshly painted walls.
As for the stinky ol' fridge...my friend was gracious enough to clean it out like crazy until it was like new!
We moved in a few weeks later, and it was like a completely different place.
And when we started putting our things in their rightful place, it started to feel like home.



Painting by my husband,  wooden frames from UO, homemade 'Love Never Fails' map was inspired by the lovely Skye Teal's room!


As excited as I am about our trip to New Zealand, I know our time here in Indiana will go by too fast.
So for the next couple months I'll be learning to slow down
and appreciate all the little details we've created to make this place our home.

A Little Room Tour

Ok. So when I say "little" room tour, I really mean little!
I recently organized all my favorite photos and trinkets on my new dresser and I thought I'd share some photos.
I love having a little space where I can look at photos of people I love and pretty little things that make me smile.




I also have my hat collection, a container with my favorite scarves, my lipsticks,
a wooden box full of Bible verses (Tim made it for me when we first started dating!), and a few fancy bracelets on display.


It feels so nice to organize a lovely "me" space in our room.
Does anybody else get a bit giddy over pretty spaces?