Write Me Away From Here

i seriously have the best family and friends who threw me the most amazingly thoughtful wedding shower. i went home after and couldn’t stop talking about all the details, couldn’t stop feeling overwhelmed with love. it was absolutely perfect.  since ben and i are doing a destination wedding in the dominican republic, the shower theme was beachy/caribbean which was perfect for a hot july day. my mom’s house is ideal for hosting parties and, when i arrived, i just wandered from room to room in awe of every detail. every mantle was decorated with strands of pictures, every table top was covered with starfish, seashells and flowers, each cocktail was complete with an umbrella, even the toothpick tops were little seashells.  but, by far, the best part of all was being surrounded by the most amazing ladies i know.. so many who have influenced and shaped the person i am today, so many i’ve looked up to, so many who have been by my side in good times and in bad, so many who have pushe

"at the end of the day your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling." this is exactly how i'm trying to live this summer and i think we're doing a pretty darn good job at succeeding. i've completely neglected cleaning the house. i do laundry only when the basket overflows. i make the simplest meals (if i even end up cooking). and ben and i are having the best summer filled with so many adventures. making so many memories we'll remember for a lifetime. laughing. exploring. eating ice cream. drinking wine. playing with our puppies. it's been so amazing.  i have no idea how i discovered that on thursdays the local botanical garden has a "free after three" event (which basically means that non-members don't have to pay a $15 entrance fee) and a beer garden but i'm so happy i did! we had nothing else planned last thursday and decided to see what the place was about.  it was so beautiful with amazing views and

riding the motorcycles up to laconia, new hampshire's bike week every june has quickly become a tradition ben, my brother and myself have started to take part in together. last year i road up on the bike with ben which was a rough 2+ hours.. all highway and about one million degrees. and probably the worst part was trying to pack both of our clothes for 3 days in a tiny bag. this year i smartened up, packed a much larger bag and followed them up in my car.. it also worked out since this year felt like winter on the highway. then when we arrived in new hampshire, i ditched the jeep and hopped on the bike with ben. much better.  so we go up during bike week but usually only spend a couple hours wandering around the craziness. then we leave the downtown and spend most of our time in meredith which has cute restaurants, ice cream, a winery, a candy store and lovely lake views.. much better than looking at trashy t-shirts and motorcycles.  our first day i convinced ben and d