Laura's Month of May via Instagram

Tomorrow is JUNE?! You've gotta be kiddin' me.
Well, here's my May recap via Instagram:

1. I enjoyed my first outdoor lunch hour of the year by sitting in Rosa Parks Circle across the street from my downtown GR office. 

2. Enjoying the Red Wings game on our back porch.  Playoff hockey is the best kind of hockey. 

3. Our view from the condo on our vacation in South Carolina. 

4. Steve had his birthday and I took him to my favorite brewery in Grand Haven to enjoy some craft beers and lunch by the lake.

5. Eleanor, Eric, Tieka and I at Bottom40 "Jungle Love". These are always a crazy fun dance party hosted a different venues in Grand Rapids.

6. Steve played another acoustic set with Kari Lynch at the Log Cabin. 

7. My new Beach Glass Vans came in and I can't stop wearing them!

8. I went to go see New Found Glory play their Sticks and Stones 10-Year Anniversary set at the Intersection. AMAZING. 

9. Steve and I on our way to the Country Music Awards in Ontario. We we're stylin' in our shades. ;]

May was such a fun and exciting month, which is why it seemed to fly on by.  I can't wait to see what June has in store for me!

xoxo, 

Laura

A Canadian Weekend

I'm back in the US of A after one of the most amazing weekends in Canada.  

Before I get to that, let me back track a bit.  Last week was a crazy busy week.  On top of having a heavy workload, I had to pack  up my entire house as I am moving into a new place in a couple weeks.  The most annoying part?  I have to move twice.  Once to Muskegon, and then again in two weeks to  my new apartment in Kentwood.  All complaining aside, Katelyn and I are both happy to be moving out of our not-so-safe neighborhood in the inner city.  Also, I owe a HUGE thanks to two of my best friends, Tieka and Eric, for helping me move.  I have some incredible friends.

Now, back to the good part: the weekend. 

I headed to Ontario, Canada on Saturday morning to visit my boyfriend and his family.  It was a big weekend for him, as he was part of the Tin Pan North festival in Toronto.  I unfortunately didn't get to see him on Friday, but he played a writers round with Michelle Wright and other fantastic Canadian singer/songwriters.  Fortunately for me, I got to see the videos from that evening and he did an AMAZING job. 

 

Saturday night we headed out to Hugh's Room in Toronto, where I witnessed my very first writers round.  It was so inspiring to see these songwriters perform these hit songs that I've heard on the radio from artists like George Strait and more!  Such a cool experience. 

On Sunday we decided on going for a hike at the Milton Falls Trail to check out some waterfalls and get some exercise.

The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. 

 

On Monday night, we attended the Country Music Awards in Ontario. Steve was a nominee for Rising Star and I couldn't be more proud of him. 

Photos courtesy of Steven's mom.

It was so much fun attending the awards and seeing so many incredible performances.  Ontario has so many talented artists. 

My time in Canada was Steven was, as always, too short and quick.  I had such a fantastic time and am already looking forward to more events to come.

Hope you all have a great week!

xoxo, 

Laura

A Lunch Break at the Park

Good evening everyone! Now that I (Katelyn) don't have to wake up at 5am anymore I can stay up later bloggin'! That being said, Laura and I met up this afternoon to take some photos at Riverside Park.   To make our visit even better, these adorable ducks followed us the whole time! Here's how Laura is wearing a maxi skirt this summer.

Side note, I'm in LOVE with Laura's sunglasses from LC by Lauren Conrad! 

Outfit details: Top from Papaya : Skirt from Marshall's : Sandals from Target : Sunglasses from LC by Lauren Conrad

My cousins is so gorgeous you guys! I remember when I was younger and I wanted to be just like her in every way possible. That's probably why it felt like Christmas every time Laura's mom brought over her hand-me-downs for me. 

And this is how I feel about the warm weather that finally decided to show up in Grand Rapids

xoxo, 

K & L & the ducks of Riverside Park

South Carolina

Whew, I'm back! I've been MIA the past week due to work/activities/and vacation, but it feels good to get back into the groove.  Also, I'm moving into a new apartment in a few weeks, so things have been bonkers around here. 

Last week I headed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with my family and Steve for a much needed vacation.  I spend the long weekend drifting in a lazy river next to the ocean while sipping on rum and tequila.  It was terrible. ;]  We stayed at the Compass Cove Oceanfront Resort, which is a family favorite. 

The trip was just what the doctor ordered.  I feel motivated and ready to jump back into things, full speed ahead! 

I did so something really bad, though.  I left my DSLR Canon Rebel t2i on the airplane on the way back home.  After calling the airline and Detroit airport several times, they FOUND IT.  It was in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and is on it's way back home to me right now.  Praise the Lord!

I'll have a better update on the trip later, but for now, here are some photos I took on my stupid iPhone--

 

Stay tuned for hi-res photos as soon as my camera is back in my arms again!

Hope you all have a great weekend. 

xoxo,
Laura

It's crunch time!

As most of you know, I'm getting married in less then 2 months! Wahoo! I thought I would share a few of my easy health tips with everyone. So in high school and the beginning of college I was really active and athletic and could eat whatever I wanted, but then I grew up and my body slowed down. Laura and I (and Alex) have all been dedicating ourselves to a more healthy lifestyle lately. So those of you who are stuck in a funk, here are some tips:

1. Sign up for a gym and grab a workout buddy. I love working out with someone else otherwise I don't really push myself enough. Personally, I love taking the classes that our gym offers. 

What Laura and I look like in Zumba. Jk, I took this video while at Hard Rock Cafe in Washington, D.C. 

2. Set attainable goals for yourself. And no, losing 10 pounds in one week without exercising is not an example. The other weekend I went to Washington, D.C. with my mom and stepdad to run a 5k for brain tumor research. I'm so proud that my mom stuck with me the entire time! Even when she wanted to slow down and I "couldn't hear her" ;)

3. Get a good amount of sleep each night! This is so important for me personally. It makes my workouts better and I just feel better in general the whole day. And if I am a little tired in the morning I drink either green tea, or black coffee. If you have a good tea or coffee, you shouldn't need sugar! Eventually your body won't even crave it anymore either.

(Did I mention I'm notorious for falling asleep on road trips too?)

4. You are what you eat. Don't eat junk! Okay this is harder then it sounds for those of you (ahem, me) with a sweet tooth.  I realized though the more I work out, the healthier the foods I want to eat. I use to hate anything green when I was a kid, but I love them lately! Spinach, Kale, Asparagus, Green Beans etc. are all super great for you, so I don't feel bad indulging in a ton of them.

What are your own tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle? I can use all the advice I can get!

I'll leave you with a view of my run while the Grand River was flooding. So terrible and beautiful at the same time.

xoxo, K

Follow my travels through our nation's capital!

Good morning everyone! Just a friendly reminder that I'm in Washington, D.C. Make sure to follow my Instagram to see a ton of photos from yesterday, today and tomorrow as I share my travels with everyone! Here's the link to my Instagram: http://instagram.com/petekate08 Feel free to follow me on Twitter (@petekate08) and Vine as I tweet and post funny videos from my trip!

 

Here's what you've missed so far!

 

D.C. Cupcakes! I managed to only eat two, how weird?

 

 

xoxo, K

 

 

 

 

 

My Best Friend's Wedding

I know, I know, the title is particularly commonplace, but the day itself? One-of-a-kind.

Imagine the following:

You're born in 1987 into a small family of (now) 4.  You live in a close-knit neighborhood of friendly people and your best-friend-to-be is just a few houses down the road. You grow up together and spend countless hours designing your own fashion magazines, dancing to your favorite songs, watching chick flicks, and soaking up life's simple pleasures in the Sherman Manor of Norton Shores. 

Fast forward 26 years--  that same best friend you've spent your entire youth with is getting married.  You're now a mature (okay, I'm exaggerating here) woman who has moved out of your small town but still would do anything for said best friend, because some things never change.

That said best friend is Stacey, and that maid of honor is me.

Words really cannot express the amount of joy in my heart as I write this post.  Words alone cannot clearly enough paint the picture of my friendship with Stacey.  How many people can say they've known their best friend since birth?  I'm assuming not very many.  I'm fortunate enough to say that I have.  Stacey and I were destined to be best friends since the day I was born, 26 years ago. 

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of standing with the utmost honor and adoration for Stacey.  The Michelle to my Romy, the Ashley to my Mary Kate, the Fish Stix to my Tater Tots.  My best friend.

So, let's take a quick trip down memory lane. ...Shall we? 

 

I think it's about time I wrap up the sap. I have shed enough tears over these last couple of weeks.

Now I just want to reflect on the perpetual bliss that was Ted and Stacey's wedding day. 

Cheers to love, laughter

and happily ever after.

xoxo, 

Laura