Summer Vibes // Poolside Edition

This post has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #ColorMeHydrated #CollectiveBias

This week, I got to soak up some sibling time by the pool. A normal pool day for me and Aiden consists of me mildly stressing that my toddler keeps his head above the water in the baby pool ;) However, having my siblings there yesterday meant that there were extra people to help chase him around, and it was so sweet to see them splashing and playing with him!

We got a chance to talk about Lisa's recent trip to southeast Asia, Dan's most recent tour with his band, my little Etsy shop...and it was glorious, just catching up on each other's lives (while Becky routinely sprayed us with a hose, seen below haha). 
My brother Dan stayed with Aiden in the baby pool so I could eat lunch (he made 2+ impressive saves when not-afraid-of-water Aiden went under), and those minutes of relaxing in the shade were just what I needed. It also gave me a chance to try and rehydrate!

I've been chugging water all summer (pregnant, active, and always sweating will do that to you), but I took a break from plain water yesterday and had some vitaminwater zero by the pool with my siblings. We definitely needed the extra electrolytes after being so active in the hot sun! Am I the only one who can be at a pool and still sweating?! 

Next time you're at Target (be real, that was probably going to happen within the next few days ;) ), take selfie in front on the vitaminwater shelf and then text your image to 89000 to receive the hidden Cartwheel offer link for 15% off a 20oz vitaminwater. (Maybe wait til no one is around for that selfie since the grandmas around me were all like, "WHY IS THAT PREGNANT LADY MAKING A WEIRD FACE BY THE DRINK SHELVES WITH HER PHONE HELD OUT" )

"Uncle Dan" entertaining Aiden, as always! ^^

Last summer I shared my favorite summer essentials for a picnic, and, of course, vitaminwater was on that list (which is a sentimental drink for me since Devin's mom always offered it to us at her house when we were dating in high school!). See other ways to stay hydrated with vitaminwater here. 

So here's to summer, staying hydrated on active pool days, and getting to catch up with the people you love.

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Summer Bucket List

I'm not sure why I called this the adventurer's summer bucket list, because, um, hello, there's an "inside" category here. So clearly not as wild as the graphic above may suggest. 😉  This year I'm choosing to focus on all the fun things there are to do instead of the fact I'm just going to get more and more pregnant and thus sweaty #SweatFest2017. Let's move on.

Things to do this summer...
Inside: 

1. Make greek yogurt strawberry popsicles--I can't wait to try Sam from Elah Tree's recipe (pictured below*)!
2. Girls night DIY cocktail party (I'll be making this and the rest of you can drink this)
3. Try a bright new nail polish & lipstick
4. Plant something new...or plant something new outside!

Outside: 

1. Visit 2+ beaches: Ocean City, NJ & Stone Harbor, NJ are on my list!
2. Watch the sun rise one morning 
3. Outdoor girls only movie night! (Someone you know has to have a projector, right?)
4. Host a last-minute/low-key/for-no-reason  get together and use Beth's tips for pulling it off!
5. Read an easy beach read...lounging in your back yard or by the pool! (Jacqui's got good suggestions here*)
6. Plan a friendcation--I've never gone on one but camping would be an easy, inexpensive getaway! Now who wants to come with?! **Edit Summer 2018: we had a friend-staycation and it was SO fun!!**
7. Bonfire, of course. Do you even know me? Obviously this would be on my list 😉 
8. Hike a new trail (and by "hike" I mean "casually stroll" #hellosecondtrimester)
9. Float in a fun pool floatie (like this donut one!)
10. Low-key picnic with friends or family (check out these summer picnic essentials)

*Images used with permission, of course!

What are you hoping to do this summer? What are some beach reads you're adding to your list?

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Why Hiking Is The Best Vacation Activity

It's no secret that Devin and I like camping (like this 2013 vacation and this trip last summer), though we haven't tried it since having Aiden. Our love of camping is just one outlet for outdoor activities, which also includes hiking!

Last week, we were immensely blessed to spend time with family in Colorado--cooking dinners together, riding quads through trails, talking about faith and relationships on long drives to/from the airport, and, of course, hiking. Staying at my aunt and uncle's amazing house on the side of a mountain was the perfect launch for family hikes. Our group's ages ranged from 6 months old (Aiden was the youngest cousin!) to 70 years old, yet my hospitable aunt & uncle were able to pick out some hikes that would appeal to our diverse group.

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Summer Essentials: Picnic Edition

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #tastehydration #CollectiveBias

This week, I got to enjoy precious time with my best friend who now lives half a world away. Grace flew from Jordan for a visit, and I loved getting to see her over the past few weeks that she was here. In our last time together, we mixed it up and decided to have a picnic with another friend, too. 

It was a breezy, calming afternoon of girl time, us chatting and my getting to see Grace be a sweet auntie to Aiden. Friends who love your baby and have been praying for him since day 1 are such a blessing, especially when they come halfway across the world to visit!!! Here's what I'd recommend so you, too, can have a relaxing summer picnic:

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Get Outside This Summer

The other day I decided I wanted to try and find a new park, and my adventuring sidekick didn't protest ;) It's summer, so why not? Aiden and I sat by a pond with a fountain, walked a few trails, and snapped some pictures...so relaxing! I have to take advantage of the sunshine or I feel like I'm wasting this season. I used to feel that way on the first warm days of spring when I was teaching in downtown Philadelphia, so I used to take papers to grade to the local park by the school so I could not be "wasting" the sunshine.

I guess that line of thinking is a symptom of a deeper line of reasoning, that we need to take advantage of the season God has us in--being a stay at home mom, moving to a new state, starting a new job, etc. (Where has God placed you? Are you taking advantage of the season you're in?)

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I Would Rather...

It's like the game "would you rather" where someone makes you pick the lesser of two evils, but the reverse...summer edition, since it's July which is summer's February.

I would rather roll around in a dumpster full of raccoons than spend another day in 90% humidity in Philadelphia. (Jk, raccoons are the devil.)

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Tips for Beach Trips with a Baby

I shared some pictures of Aiden's first beach trip last week, and since that first beach trip we've taken another day trip down the shore. (I know, it's a weird Philly thing to say "going down the shore" to mean "headed for the beach," haha!). Here's what worked for us in those two times we went:

1. Bring something for shade. In our case, we borrowed the world's first pop-up tent that my parents used to use for my younger siblings at my outdoor soccer games when I was a kid! Whatever you bring should be lightweight and easy to fold up. On the second trip, I stuck the flattened tent in my folded up beach chair so it was one less thing to carry! This one is similar to what I had.

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Aiden's First Beach Trip

If you're doing a day trip to the beach, it's worth it to go on a random weekday. No shore traffic, more parking spots, less crowded beaches...

And that's exactly when we went for Aiden's first beach trip! I met up with my best friend Moriah at her beachfront beach house and we headed onto the sandy beach. (How many times can I use beach in one sentence, you may ask? Don't speak to me in that tone.)

Just like Aiden loving the chilly pool water, he also loved the ocean, despite the pretty freaking cold temperatures. And by "loved" I mean that his facial expression never changed when going in the water. (Kind of like how he looked SO BORED when Devin took him in the pool, and he nearly fell asleep in Devin's arms.)

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Apple & PB Sandwich

Summer is for sticky fingers and messy snacks, can I get an amen? It's also for trying to eat protein and fruit. (As always.) I'm as eager to eat 12 donuts as the next girl (jk, I'm way more eager than her), but sometimes you just need something healthy before a hike. Or on a hike. Or at a day at the lake.

You've probably tried apples with peanut butter before. (If you haven't, what have you been doing with your life?!) This is that snack, but better.

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Summer Essentials: Poolside Edition

Affiliate links marked with an asterisk and awkward spacing. Maybe one day I'll have the spacing issued resolved ;)

This post could also be entitled, How I Plan On Surviving the 90-Degree Humidity of Philadelphia's Summer: Overusing the Community Pool. Also, in this post I presumptuously assume that you have access to some body of water: kiddie pool in your neighbor's back yard, lake, community pool, ocean, bathtub, etc. If somewhere you made a wrong turn in life and don't have access to such a place, come visit me and I will hook you up.

Here's what you need:

1. Enormous water bottle because who likes getting up from a poolside lounge chair to refill your water bottle for the 7th time. No one does. Get one that holds a lot (like my industrial-strength Nalgene*).

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summer highlights

it's august. more precisely, it's late august. since last year was my first year teaching, this was my first summer off...which means it's the first august (since graduation) where i've known what exactly i'll be doing in the fall!

although i'm so excited to start the school year (and i've been getting back into the swing of things, thanks to events like my school's staff retreat), i'm a little sad to see summer go.

this was our last summer without a baby!! isn't that crazy to think about?! (i'm still hoping for a fall camping trip and/or maybe last-minute beach day.)

here are some of my summer highlights:

1// creation, which meant time with my sister and lots of great music!

2// camping where we saw lots of waterfalls.

3// pool time, especially when i got to bring my youngest sister, becky.

4// family reunion adventures, including exploring post falls idaho.

5// ordinary moments, like... seeing a phillies game with devin's siblings, a beach day with my sister and long-time bestie from church, lots of lunch and dinner dates with another old friend, chopping off my hair, etc.

[today i'm joining the circle linkup!]

what have some of your summer highlights been? 

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a chicken-themed reunion

you may have noticed the abundance of lake pics over on my instagram (specifically this and this), and here's why: my dad's family is from the west coast, and we're the only rebels living on the opposite side of the country. every 5 years we get together for a family reunion--and it's chicken-themed, thanks to my dad's dad's family who were chicken ranchers in....colorado? idaho?....so, assuming your family reunions are not chicken-themed, here's what you're missing out on.

// a chicken-gift exchange (like a white elephant but all the gifts are chicken-related. pot holders with a rooster on them, a hen ornament, hard-boiled egg slicers...you get the idea.) it's a really fun time to see what everyone has picked out!

// a talent show (where anything goes. my dad did a headstand, a little cousin did the cup song, a few of us told a silly story in spanish that no one understood...)

// the chicken olympics. this was new this year, and i can see it being added to every reunion after this. think egg toss, egg relay races...etc.

despite the reunion being held on a super-green, algae-infested lake, we did get to take the canoes out, and we explored post falls, idaho! which is where most of my pictures were taken. :)

my adorable sister and devin 

do you have family reunions? what are they like?! what fun trips have you gone on this summer?

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guest post // even more date ideas!

last week i posted my top 4 free date ideas for the summer, and today i'm sharing even more free/inexpensive date ideas over at simply liv. have you read olivia's blog? she's a thoughtful, fun blogger with an adorable toddler and a brand new baby girl! go check out her blog for a full run-down of summer date nights (and then go read her honest, refreshing posts about life and relationships!).

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10 shirts you may see at christian events

when i went to that christian music festival, lisa and i started to notice a few funny/ridiculous christian t-shirts. while not all had that christian-culture-got-this-at-a-Christian-bookstore theme going, we decided to keep a list of the humorous/ridiculous ones we saw. and, in case you're like "but christian tshirts are my main fashion choice!", let me admit that i own (owned?) a "lifeguard: mine walks on water" shirt that i rocked at many a VBS in my day.

//1// free (side) hugs.

//2// i'm in shape (round is a shape). worn by an especially big guy, but it could be funny on a super pregnant lady, too. 

//3// D.A.D.D.: dads against daughters dating

//4// JESUS the level of witty is astounding. 

//5// virginity rocks. does it though? because i thought that's why God said sex (within marriage) was a good thing........

//6// statistics say 5 out of 5 people die.

//7// i was cool before you were born. worn by an old guy. 

//8// porn kills love

//9// i love my wife. ummmm, good for you? isn't that what rings are for? or should we all get shirts...

//10// make lunch not war. the appropriate alternative to "make love not war," i'm assuming.

really, i should have been tweeting these to christian hipster because i'm sure he'd understand my "wait, what?? that's really on a shirt????" reaction to these (especially #1, 4, and 8.) but again, let me throw out the disclaimer that if you own one of these i'm in no way judging you. you rock your "abreadcrumb and fish" shirt #christiantshirtsforthewin # conversationstartercopout

you're right. too many hashtags at the end of a blog post is weird. ;)

what are some of your favorite/least favorite christian tshirt slogans?

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top 4 {free} summer date ideas

i'm the "thrifty" (devin would say cheap) one who prefers not to spend money, so when it comes to date night ideas, i've got to be ready with suggestions. while mini-golf, getting ice cream, and day trips to the beach are also some of my favorite summer activities, if you can have fun for free....why not, amiright?

so, in no particular order....

//1// home-run derby: all you need are some softballs, a glove, and a bat, and chances are someone you know has some that you can borrow if you don't already have some old gear laying around collecting dust. [we got a pack of 4 baseballs softballs (are you crazy?! i'm not letting devin hit baseballs anywhere NEAR me!) from wal-mart for like, $5.] then, you find a local park where the boy scouts and t-ball leagues aren't dominating all the space, and you take turns hitting the balls as far as possible. or, if you're feelin social, invite along some friends and do couple versus couple! 

//2// bonfires: this will be our all-time favorite. we gather sticks from our yard, lint from the dryer and old newspapers, and we head out to the backyard for drinks and a fire. it's so relaxing after a busy day to sit back and watch old kitchen cabinets (or sticks, because maybe you're traditional with your firewood) burn away while chatting with your friend/bf/spouse/dog/houseplant. 

//3// hiking: while pennsylvania doesn't have amazing trails or 14,000-foot mountains to climb (all you colorado people out there better know how lucky you are!), devin and i still love finding a good trail and bringing lunch along (if we're planning ahead. don't start out on a long hike with just 1 granola bar unless it's for a premarital counseling exercise and there's some deep lesson at the end about sacrificing the small snack for the sake of the other person. really, bring food.) and not only is hiking free, it's good for you! and it's even more fun when it's sunny! duh! but who doesn't get excited about sunshine! 

//4// yard games: this has been a fun evening activity because devin and i get real competitive with yard games, all of which people have given us for free. if, however, you don't look pathetic enough to have been given yard games/you don't own any, again--ask a friend. or check out the thrift store! our favorite yard games are ring toss, ladder ball, horse shoes, and badminton. hopefully this summer we'll make our own corn hole (or kanjam!). 

and, just as an added bonus, here's proof we have fun on our cheap thrifty date nights that also sometimes involve a hammock :)

what are some of your favorite date ideas? have you ever done any of these with friends? 

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muddy feet and live music // creation 2015

last year, my sister lisa convinced me to go to creation with her, and despite the fact i felt like being a senior in college was too old to go to a christian music festival, i went--and had a blast! this year, we bought tickets early were so excited. 

i can't wait to share with you my favorite new bands that i saw at creation, but that'll come in stages (ha! punny! stages, ya get it?). i'm thinking every monday in july will be a new music monday kinda thing. :)

anyway, we went on wednesday and set up our tent in the lovely sunshine...then it rained on thursday...sunny on friday...pouring on friday. it was a weird mix of "grab the sunscreen! no, trade it for trenchfoot and an umbrella!" but we survived, despite our tent's best attempt to drown us. literally, the rainfly on the tent did NOTHING. i woke up saturday morning and put our plastic ponchos over our sleeping bags, as the water dripped straight from the top of the tent onto us.

we saw switchfoot and rend collective in the rain, we met lecrae before his show, and we walked about 8 miles a day from our campsite to the different stage areas. (the best exercise is by accident, right??) it was GLORIOUS.

my favorite part of the music festival--besides spending time with my amazing sister--was getting to hear new bands, especially the ones that did acoustic performances at this 1 acoustic stage (as opposed to the main stage, and a small nearby stage "the fringe stage.")

have you ever been to creation or a music festival? what's your newest favorite band? 

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creation, or a bunch of hot and sweaty kids who love Jesus

on wednesday, my sister lisa and i leave for creation, a 4-day christian music festival where you get to camp out and go nuts for some of the best Jesus-crazed musicians out there (like hillsong young and free, switchfoot, and those aged newsboys!)


this sisters trip will be my second time at creation. the first? my best friends from youth group went to creation '09 (OH NINE, FOLKS. LOOK HOW LITTLE I AM IN THESE PICS). i drove the three hours to and from no-wheres-ville (mount union) PA, and looking at that picture of me behind the wheel really freaks me out. i look like a 12-year-old pretending to drive her mom's minivan.

also notice the glow our faces have? that's from the pumped-up enthusiasm of watching relient k and stellar kart play live! (or it's from the 97% humidity that was paired with 85 degrees...)

i'm so happy to go with my sister this year, but her excitement far outweighs my own. she has time to keep up with all the new christian music, and she wants to major in music business in college, and she plays like 4 instruments, and she's 16 (like i was last time)....but now i'm 22 and i feel tired and achy just looking at those sweaty crowds of teens. 

i'm getting old, guys.  

but i'll let you know how it goes. 

(let's hope my torn up ankle doesn't keep me from dancing like a fool next to lisa at the nightly raves. that's right. there are nightly dance parties that my old self kinda wants to go to.)

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be spontaneous

this week, devin got some pretty exciting news about his job (in a few weeks when it's made official i'll spill the beans with specifics).so, to celebrate, we decided we'd head to the beach!

he's been working 10 hour days (6am to 4:30 pm!) recently, so to take a day off to celebrate was especially amazing. we drove 2 hours to ocean city, new jersey, and then spent 4 hours laying out, throwing a football around, "reading" (devin read an unsolved crime book and i pretended to read huck finn for my summer class)...and it was heavenly. except the part where devin overthrew the football by like 10 miles and, like a gold retriever, i trotted to go get it and bring it back, only to have devin do the same thing again. and again. he takes after my exercise-imposing father, as they both will do anything to get their wives/families to do a little extra exercise. (seriously tho, my dad has parked really far away from our destination just so we can walk further. because it's "good for us." BUT ANYWAY.)

like any thrifty couple, we packed a cooler full of snacks and drinks and only spent $10 on wawa hoagies. that's right. we didn't spend a dime on the boardwalk, even though all that kohr's bros, mack n manco's, and funnel cake was pretty tempting. :) 

and can i just say that even if the weather is only 72 degrees you should still apply, reapply, and re-reapply sunscreen? i came back friiiiiiiiied, no thanks to my spf 30.

i've started making "second year of marriage" jokes...like pretend-refusing to do fun stuff because we're in our second year of marriage and thus everything must go drastically downhill (obviously that's not true, i'm sure tons of you folks did fun stuff after your one year anniversary was long passed, but the movies/jokes of devin's middle-aged co-workers  make just the first year of marriage sound fun.) so, this unplanned, spur-of-the-moment beach trip is really just a drop in the bucket, since we will absolutely continue the pattern of going on adventures. and, it's part of the commitment i've made (to myself and devin and Jesus)--this relationship means doing awesome stuff together for the rest of your lives, because marriage isn't what the world makes it look like! it's not boring and a power-struggle and daily fights. it's spending time together, being best friends, and serving God as a team. 

so....the moral of this story is be spontaneous :)

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welcome to the safari

i never got those pictures from the fiance of our hiking a 14-er (mount sherman), so i'll just have to move on with my life and document my most recent adventure:

VBS SAFARI.

my church isn't one of those mega-churches that buys a curriculum for their vacation Bible school. and in fact, our youth group runs the vbs by first putting together their own curriculum for the week. this year, instead of our youth pastor overseeing the youth-led vbs, my best friend josh and i led the youth in 1 week of prep and then 1 week of an extreme, awesome, EPIC vbs :)

the whole group.

two counselors and some adorable kids.

my sister and her silliest jungly jaguar

me and one of my favorite kids

the 3-4 year old group:

the jungly jaguars.

craft time. which means feathers and glue will be stuck to the table for years to come.

the 6-8 year old group:

the leaping lemurs.

(and the treasure boxes they made before the safari scavenger hunt.)

the 8-9 year old group:

the happenin' hippos.

they're making their masks for the Noah skit later on.

josh and me, in our safari shirts that we decorated

(he obviously got a little more creative than i did with the whole color-your-shirt thing...)

for friday's teaching, we did an interactive skit where the kids helped "Noah" build his "ark."  

 

then, the kids put on the animal masks they made and entered the ark 2-by-2 before the "waters" rose up.

as you may (or may not) be able to tell, it was a great week of AMAZING fun (even when i was tired of telling kids to put their shoes back on...seriously? is no one else worried about foot/toe injuries but me?!) we sang alot of new worship songs, like "counting on God" by the desperation band, "happy day" by lincoln brewster, and "the happy song" which technically isn't a NEW song...but it was new to the kids. let me tell you, by the way, that 30 minutes of vbs worship is better than any field hockey workout, and i have the sweaty shirts to prove it.

each day's theme verse went alot with the story-of-the-day's main message...and none of us counselors ever had them memorized in time for the next day. ohhhhhh well.

even though i was completely exhausted at the end of each day, spending time with the youth and spunky little kids was completely ideal and makes me want to be a youth pastor's wife even more. (f that was possible.)

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