Life Lately

The past few months have been a whirlwind and flying by!! We are officially heading into fall... which means cooler temps, football, and nesting before Baby W arrives!! I am excited for the new season as we have a lot more free weekends to soak up our last few months as a family of 2. Here are my top 10 highlights from the rest of summer:

1. 30A for the Fourth of July- We traveled to Seacrest Beach for the 4th this year with Shelby, Seth, Bridget, Claire, Michael, Mills, Nikita, Trey, and Charlie. We arrived Wednesday night and enjoyed catching up a bit before heading to bed. Thursday included a beach day (which was so crowded it was almost not even enjoyable), a girls lunch at Pescado, grilling out at the house, and then a 4th celebration at Alys Beach. Friday we tried to have a pool day but it got short thanks to a kid having an accident in the pool. The boys played golf that afternoon, so the girls including Ellie took advantage of a babysitter and went to The Citizen for dinner! Saturday we soaked up our last beach day and then all went to Old Florida Fish House for dinner. We LOVED this spot! Very family-friendly and had such great food, views, and vibes. We had such a great trip with our besties! 

2. Milwaukee Trip- Towards the end of July I headed to Milwaukee for my work annual meeting. Despite some annoying travel delays, we finally arrived later Saturday afternoon and got ready for our office social at Oak Barrel Public House. Sunday was the 5k, brunch at Wicked Hop, and the Summerfest Social. Monday included lots of sessions, lunch with my study group, and UberEats dinner at the hotel. Tuesday was more sessions, the Christian Fellowship Luncheon, and the company concert featuring Priscilla Block, Lainey Wilson, and Eric Church. After a busy and exhausting few days, I headed home early Wednesday morning!

3. Baby showers for Claire and Rachel- We also had so much fun celebrating Claire and Rachel at their baby shower and sprinkle! I hosted Claire's sprinkle and made a brunch spread of hashbrown casserole, fruit, yogurt, and coffee cake. It was such a success, and we can't wait to meet baby Mary Margaret and Avery. 

4. Baby Sadie was born- Another highlight of the summer was our newest NIECE, Sadie Nelle Pittard, being born on July 30, 2024. We were all so shocked and excited a baby GIRL was added to the family, and she is so adorable! The boys are so obsessed with her too, which is so cute. I can't wait for her to have another little cousin to play with in just a few months! 

5. Anatomy Scan- We got to check in on Baby Walker on August 2nd at my 20-week anatomy scan. It was so much fun seeing baby again, especially all of its little features! The heart rate was 146, the weight was around 13 ounces, and the baby was very active! The doctor said the baby's heart was beautiful and all the organs and body parts looked healthy. It's crazy this is the last time we will look at baby until the birth (pending no complications or surprises), and we can't wait to meet our little one!!

6. Oregon Trip- We headed out west in August to visit the Malchows, which I highlighted in a separate post! 

7. Wedding Festivities- Our wedding season for friends is finally slowing down. We had a local wedding for Charles's friend Hunter Hollis and a post-wedding celebration (that was originally the engagement party that had to be rescheduled) in Augusta for Mary Hamilton. I also had a bridal luncheon for Hannah at Canoe! 

8. Bible Study Retreat- The weekend after we got back from Oregon, I headed to Cashiers for my annual bible study retreat. As always, this was such an amazing weekend reconnecting and recharging with our group. 

9. Kentucky Trip for Labor Day- Charles and I headed to Kentucky for Labor Day with my parents. Ever since we started dating, I have been wanting to take Charles up there, especially since he's never been! We arrived really late on Friday night and checked in to The Brown Hotel. He went to a local Crossfit class on Saturday morning while mom, dad, and I grabbed coffee at a local Yemen coffee shop. Then, we all headed towards Shelbyville and grabbed lunch with Paul and Brookie at Gander. Then, we stopped by Gallrein Farms for old-time sake on the way to Bulleit for a bourbon tour and tasting. After that, we went by Aunt Beth and Uncle Vic's house before all meeting Tory and Mallori at Captain's Quarters for happy hour. Then, we enjoyed a yummy dinner at The Fat Lamb. On Sunday, we enjoyed a delicious brunch at our hotel before packing up and heading towards Lexington for the last leg of our trip. We stopped by Bulleit again so dad could get some more goodies from the gift shop and then visited the cemetery to see Mammer Jane and Bumpa. Our next stop was the gift shop of Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve, where we purchased some more goodies. Then, we met up with Uncle Stevie to get a horse farm tour at Diamond A which had such amazing views. That evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner with Uncle Stevie and Aunt Sherry at Carson's Food and Drink. Everyone loved their dinner at this spot so we will return! Charles and I left early Monday morning and had the most amazing bagel and coffee at K Brew in Knoxville. 

10. September Supper Club- I wanted to make sure I could host another Supper Club before baby W arrives, so I took September! We had a "Fall Fiesta" theme, which included a taco bar, Mexican train, and domino brownies! It was fun teaching some of the group how to play and we loved changing our dinner days to Sundays!! 

Now it is officially time for fall, and I am most excited for football Saturdays, starting back our soup Sundays, baby showers for Baby Walker, and the holidays!!

Oregon Trip 2024

This August, Charles and I finally made a trip out to Oregon to visit his sister's family. After a frustrating travel day out there, we finally arrived late Wednesday evening. We tried to rally and stay up to catch up with the fam and to try to adjust to the time difference. On Thursday, we slept in and then grabbed lunch at Broadway after the kids finished camp. From there, we headed to the football facilities to get a tour from Marshall! It was pretty remarkable seeing the grounds (and endless Nike gear!). That evening Greyson had dinner plans so we took the kids to Sunriver Brewing Company, which I loved because of all the vegetarian options!

Friday was the day Charles and I made our own plans. I woke up with the most terrible back pain and could barely move, but we made the most of it and enjoyed a spa day and lunch at The Allison. Then, we also got to stop by the Nike Employee store, where everything was 40% off! We took advantage and got a few pairs of shoes and some clothes. Since we canceled our waterfall sunset tour due to my back, we stopped by a brewery in Salem on the way home and then enjoyed a casual charcuterie dinner with everyone at the house. 

We went on a family walk around the neighborhood Saturday morning and then the Walkers, Charles, and I took the kids to the orchard in Coburg. We absolutely loved this little farmer's market and enjoyed picking our own peaches! After that, we got ready for the Oregon football team scrimmage for the coaches' families. Greyson and Marshall had a party that night so Charles and I had a dinner date at Marche.

Sunday morning, Charles and I picked up breakfast for everyone from Provisions. Their coffee and pastries were so delicious! Then, we took a "hike" in their neighborhood to the top of the hill, which was a great view of the city. That afternoon, Keith and Sereita arrived, and we all stopped by Greyson's neighborhood picnic. That evening Marshall met up with us at Eugene Country Club for dinner!

Monday morning was another coffee and breakfast run to Coffee Plant Roasters, which had a delicious bagel. That afternoon, we all went to tour the track and field facilities, which were so impressive. Our guide also gave us lots of trivia about Phil Knight and the start of Nike which was cool to hear. While we were on that side of town, we picked up ice cream at the well-known Prince Puckler's. They had a wonderful mint chocolate chip! Later that afternoon the adults went to King Estate for some wine tasting and charcuterie. We took it easy that night and just snacked for dinner.

Tuesday was our last full day (so we thought), so we all took a walk around the neighborhood again. Then, we grabbed a fun lunch at Elizabeth's. We rested up that evening and then grilled out steaks with baked potatoes and salad! It was a great last evening with everyone and we topped it off by watching Hustle with Marshall. 

Charles and I were supposed to fly out on Wednesday morning but ended up getting offered $1200 EACH to give up our seats due to an overbooked flight. We headed back to Greyson's to hang out for a bit and then had a final dinner at Coburg Pizza Company. This pizza was so good and hit the spot! We went to bed early since we had an early flight on Thursday morning. It was such a great trip filled with family time but it was also very nice to get back home!