My Birthday Wish List



lace back sweater / lace tunic / plaid dress / peach sweater / lipstick / candle / book / booties /

The fact that I'm turning 26 next week on the 1st is UNREAL to me. How? When?! I'm hoping to go to Chicago and hit up my favorite store, Nordstrom of course, since we don't have one here in Michigan. Shopping + spending the day with my husband sounds like the best way to spend a birthday. Am I right?! ;) 

A few new sweaters (because winter is coming...sadly), a new lipstick for a new season (MAC is my fave) and a new pair of boots (here are some other cute ones) are the top things on my list. Oh, I also found these socks for 50% off and they are so cute. I love J.Crew socks. So I guess I'm adding those to my list!

That's my list, even though I feel like I'm getting too old to continue making birthday wish lists...ha :)

Have a great Wednesday!
xoxo

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Things We've Learned in the 1st Month of Marriage








These special pictures are the first moments we saw each other on our wedding day, captured by our amazing photographer, Danielle Poff Photography. Seeing these images brings back allll the feels of our wedding day, they seemed so appropriate to post today since we are sharing a few things we've learned in the first month of our marriage.

1. Marriage is FUN! There's just no other way to say it. It's the best thing ever :)

2. Marriage means time, effort, communication. It's only been 4 weeks and we have learned that work needs to go into our relationship. Just because we're married doesn't mean it's smooth sailing and we automatically know each other perfectly. We've learned not to overlook little things that need to be discussed. A major thing I have learned is that we need to over-communicate. We both want to feel included in each other's days even when we're working, we need to tell each other how we can best serve one another that day, we need to remember to tell each other if we have appointments or are hanging out with friends ahead of time (ahem...this one goes out to my husband...!) and need to make TIME for one another; to really invest in our relationship.

It's easy, especially after a long day, to want to sit on the couch and watch a show (we're loving Designated Survivor right now), but if we aren't careful, that can become the norm. What grows from a relationship of two people watching TV together all the time?! Not much, if it becomes a lazy habit. So we are remembering to put time and effort into our marriage. Spontaneous trips to the grocery store late at night (guess who's idea this was?! ;)), buying tickets for a concert 5 minutes before it started and enjoying one of our favorite bands, reading together, going to the apple orchard or going out to eat and sharing our hearts. This is where the good stuff happens.

3. We, in our human nature, are selfish. This is being revealed to me on a larger level than even when we were dating, because when we were at the altar on our wedding day, I vowed to put McCann before myself. I promised to serve him and love him sacrificially. So often I'm thinking of myself first, so I am trying to catch those habits and remember my vows. We are married, we are a unit. Our selfish nature and wants can keep us from that sweet covenant relationship, so laying that down and asking God to help us put each other first is a big thing we are learning. We are both thankful for His kindness in convicting us of our selfish ways. Remembering Philippians 2:3!

4. Sleeping with someone else in your bed is HARD to get used to. Especially when said someone is always hot and snores a little bit. Sorry husband ;) I was so thankful I had a cold last week and was taking cold medicine with stuff in it to make me drowsy...best sleep of the month!! Ha. Please tell me this gets better...or maybe we just need to buy a King bed?!

5. Sleeping with someone else in your bed is also HILARIOUS if they sleep talk. Oh man, I need to keep a notebook on my nightstand. Perhaps this is why I'm not sleeping very well ;) He tells me I sleep in the fetal position and barely move, nor make noise. I'm glad to have that confirmed. (However, I did shoot out of bed and scream last weekend when woken by the loudest crash of thunder I've ever heard. I, not the thunder, definitely woke him up!)

6.  Companionship is such a joy. The moment my husband walks in the door from work is the best part of my day. I work from home, so I'm alone a lot. When he gets home, I finally have him to talk to and snuggle with. We have each other around all the time. No more saying bye to him at night, when he had to go to his separate house before we were married. I always have someone to share my feelings, struggles and joys with. He shares his with me. Being married to him feels so safe. I'm so grateful.

7. Everyone lives differently! Since we didn't live together before we were married, we're still learning about our living styles. Thankfully he is super clean, just like me, so we don't have many issues there. There are certain things that make us laugh about each other. For example, he runs his toothbrush under water BEFORE he puts the toothpaste on. I've always put the toothpaste on, THEN run it under water before brushing. Insignificant and yet so fun to catch those things.

I could go on and on, but I will leave you with this one last thing:

8. Those photos up there? They melt my heart and show me the deep love not only my husband has for me, but that our God has for us. When McCann turned around to see me, his bride on our wedding day, he looked at me -- my flaws and all -- and was in awe. He saw me as spotless and beautiful. This is how Jesus looks at his children. This is the type of love God has for us. Being married points us to Jesus and that's really the best thing.

I'm sure we'll be learning a lot more in the next few months, so maybe I'll share some more!
xoxo

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Fall Essentials: Boots & Booties


Toms booties (20% off) / short gray bootie / cognac booties / peep toe bootie / over the knee boots / black knee boot / stone color with buckle boot / hunter boot / gray suede boots /

In my mind, Fall = boots and I'm completely okay with that! Because of that I've rounded up my favorite boots and booties. My birthday is next week and I'm hoping to add a new pair of boots to my closet from this list, during a little day trip to Chicago :)  I'm especially hoping to try these booties on because they have such great reviews! I also ADORE these two toned gray boots.

Tall boots with dresses, booties with cuffed jeans...casual, cute and easy to wear. Have you found your go-to boots for fall?

ALSO! Had to add that I got these leggings last week and I'm in love with them. Cute, unique, soft...all the things. Grab yourself a pair here, too! (They come in 3 colors!)

Happy Friday!
xoxo
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Our Fall Decor

gather sign

I'm excited to finally be sharing a few fall touches we have up in our home (#thebeelabode on instagram!) Last week I added this adorable wood sign to the entry way of our apartment, as this is the heart of our home. We always want it to be a place to Gather.

Here's our front porch, just a little bit dressed up for the season!
hello there doormat



When you enter our apartment, you go up a flight of stairs right away to get to the main living space. We have this nice ledge on the wall of stairs for my decor (kinda fun!) so I decorated it for Autumn with thanks to a few pumpkins from Trader Joes, candlesticks, and a little chalkboard sign.


 candle sticks


Our bookcase didn't change much-- just the addition of a mercury glass pumpkin and a new copper candle.


On the top of the shelf I put two dried roses my husband gave me while we were dating and one of our engagement pictures!
 bookends

While mums aren't my favorite flower, they sure are "fall" and cheap ;)


Cozy throws in our reading corner. Oh, and a new floor lamp for under $45!
 floor lamp


Gold leafed pumpkins on our dining buffet. You can learn how I made them here!


Just a little pumpkin on the coffee table + a yummy apple cider candle.

Our balcony is feeling the fall love, too!




That's all for now! Have you decorated for fall this year? I'm hoping to add some Thanksgiving touches soon enough as well. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday
xoxo

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Maui Honeymoon: Part 3



Alright readers, this is the last honeymoon recap! I'm sure you're ready for it to be over ;) Don't you worry, these recaps will soon be replaced with wedding recaps...hooray! I can't wait to share all the pictures. 

For the last half of our trip, we stayed at the Sheraton on Kaanapali. The first half was spent at the Westin. Both were beautiful-- we made a little pros and cons list of both incase anyone is planning a trip...

Westin Pros:
Beautiful, newly renovated rooms, super cozy sheets!
Resort-like feel with many pools 
Many restaurants 

Westin Cons:
A lot more people than the Sheraton
The pools were freezing!
Smaller room

Sheraton Pros:
Large room, amazing ocean view (we upgraded to an ocean view when we got there)
Gorgeous landscape and resort feel
Less people, more relaxing!
Right by Black Rock, so you get to see someone jump off the rock every night at sunset.

Sheraton Cons:
Not quite as nice furnishings in the rooms
Only 2 pools
Fewer restaurants


Anyways! Here are some more pictures from the trip:

I loved this adorable dress coverup (it's a rash guard too!) It's the cutest bright color, perfect for Hawaii. It comes in a few other colors and prints as well!



One of the things many people told us to do on Maui was the Road to Hana. Because I get car sick, we didn't do the whole road :( BUT we did do the first 30 minutes. It was beautiful view after beautiful view! We arrived at Twin Falls and did about a 30-45 minute hike up to this gorgeous waterfall. I will say, I got a TON of bug bites (they just love me...of course my husband didn't get any!) but the view was worth it.

McCann floating in the water...


After our short hike, we quickly changed clothes and went to Mama's fish house. It was absolutely amazing! So so expensive (sheesh!) but honestly, worth it. My husband got a mahi stuffed with crab and said it was the best thing he ever ate! I don't eat fish (I know, it's crazy) so my options were very limited ;) I had a steak stir fry, served inside a papaya, with veggies and a side of rice. Also exceptional, but spicy!

We took some pictures outside the restaurant, because it was so beautiful and covered in palm trees.

Our last night in Hawaii was spent watching the sunset at the resort, taking a few pictures on the beach, then going to one of my favorite restaurants on the island called Fridas. It was a Mexican restaurant and it was delicious. We can ALWAYS go for Mexican food, so it was a great last night.


I got this dress to take on our honeymoon, and I'm SO glad I got it. It's light weight and so flowy. It's sold out in blue, but it's available in pink and it's on sale for half the cost! Get it here!


Aww...I just love this guy.


Our last Maui sunset for a while...

As we celebrated 1 month of being married -- so cheesy, we know -- we are both so, so thankful for this first month of marriage. We are being refined, learning about each other and ourselves. God has been so gracious to us. We love being married!

If you missed past honeymoon posts, here they are:
Part 1
Part 2

xoxo

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Fall Essentials: Plaid Fashion



My fall uniform, right there! I wasn't much of a plaid girl, but turns out my husband loves it, so I'm venturing out and now I kinda love it too. I love this particular button up because it's long enough in the back to wear with leggings. Throw on a jacket + booties = my go to look! Keep scrolling for a bunch of my favorite plaid items.





booties- similar, similar / jeans- similar / necklace 

PLAID FAVORITES:




Are you into plaid?!
xoxo

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