Florida Trip Pt. 1: Ft. Myers Beach

Two weeks ago I was given the chance to fly down to Southwest Florida with one of my best friends, Tieka.  She was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to promote the beaches of Ft. Myers and Sanibel Island for their #SavedByTheShell campaign.  Since the boys had a ton of gigs that weekend, we headed on down for an amazing girls weekend.  It couldn't have happened at a better time, either.  With the stresses of work, wedding planning, car troubles and more.. it all was a true blessing.  I'm super grateful to Tieka and cannot thank her enough for getting me out of Michigan for a few days. 

The night and following day were spent in Ft. Myers Beach, where our resort was.  The weather was absolutely perfect the entire time, so we went for a dip in the Gulf of Mexico while the sun went down.  We topped off the night with some drinks at Bongo's poolside bar and then brought a bottle of wine back to the room where we had a hot tub on our own private balcony.  I couldn't help but feel like we were in some sort of honeymoon suite.

Paddleboarding at the resort was complimentary, so of course I had to take them up on that.  We spent some time on the beach before we had our first excursion: a private chartered fishing trip on the Estero Bay!  We met Captain Rob of Soulmate Charters and took off on the water for a really awesome afternoon of catching fish I've never even heard of.  It was Tieka's first time fishing and she was a total pro!

Later in the evening we headed down to Times Square of Ft. Myers Beach.  We did some people-watching, scoped out some live music, and got some ice cream. 

The beginning of the trip was refreshing and just what I needed to get my mind off of things.  The second half of the trip was spent on Sanibel and Captiva Island.  That post is coming up next!

xoxo,
Laura

Laura's Bridal Shower #3 - McKellar/Piszczek Family

Earlier this afternoon, Laura had her third (and final!) bridal shower. The decorations, food, drinks, games and even desserts were so beautifully put together. Myself along with my mom and a few of our Aunts all collaborated, and if I do say so myself, it was executed to perfection. Take a look for yourself. I would like to give a little shout out to Pinterest for a lot of these ideas ;)

There were so many fresh flowers and burlap! It was simply stunning. 
The cutlery was even adorable! For food we decided to go with sliders, baked beans, corn on the cob, fruit & other misc. items. My mom made the most adorable little desserts in small mason jars!
They were so yummy, too!

Add some homemade apple pie moonshine & a flower crown, and it was the perfect shower!
(How freaking adorable did Laura look?!)


Laura's wearing: Dress- LuLu*s // Shoes- Hautelook // Necklace- Forever21 //
Floral Crown- Handmade by my grandma

I couldn't be happier for Laura and Steve! I love that they are so excited for the wedding, but they are more excited for their marriage. Sometimes everyone gets a little caught up in the details of the wedding day, and forget to focus on building a relationship that will last for eternity. You both are such a light in my life and everyone's around you. I love you guys!

xoxo,
Katelyn

Laura's Bridal Shower #2 - Neiser Family

Please excuse the short hiatus.  Between work and wedding planning, I don't have time for much else lately.  Anyway- two weeks ago I had my second bridal shower, hosted by the Neiser family at my aunt's house.  It was perfect weather and the setting was beautiful.  I'm so pleased with how everything turned out and I know how hard my aunts and grandmother worked to make it a perfect day for me and I'm eternally grateful. 

Laura's wearing: Chateau Fontainebleu Embroidered Dress- Ruche // Belt- Marshall's // Wedges- Kohl's
Necklace- Forever21 // Earrings- Francesca's

My two matrons of honor: Stacey and Miranda

My beautiful and supportive friends whom I love so much

My soon to be mother-in-law and my mama

And how good looking is this bridal party? (not pictured: Katelyn)

Unfortunately Katelyn was the only one not there because she was busy helping plan my McKellar/Piszczek bridal party since she's on the other side of my family. ;)

And these women, my grandmother and my aunts, worked so hard to make this day so beautiful. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do. I have the greatest family. 

I have one more bridal shower to share with you all. It's getting down to the wire!

Can't wait to become a MRS. 

xoxo,

Laura

Cherry Limeade Paletas

If you saw the tasty looking popsicles we were snacking on in our last post, you might be wondering what kind they were. Since we haven't posted a recipe in a very long time, we realized we were totally overdue and needed to do a summer-themed recipe. Our result? Cherry Limeade Paletas. 

We used the cherries that Laura freshly picked from Rasch Family Orchards up in Conklin last week and they were perfectly sweet and savory. 

My cherry picking partner: 

Cherry Limeade Paletas

 Ingredients:
Popsicle molds
 2 C. sweet cherries, pitted and chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. lemonade
1/2 C. sugar
Water if needed

Directions:
Pit and chop cherries until you have 1 full cup.
Put cherries in blender with lime juice and lemonade and blend until smooth.
Add sugar and puree the mixture until thinned. Add water if necessary.
Pour mixture into popsicle molds.

Yields: 4 full-sized popsicles

These make for a great summer refreshment on a hot and humid day.
Did anyone else in the Midwest go cherry picking this year? It's my favorite fruit to pick (probably because it's the easiest).

xoxo,
Laura & Katelyn