My Life :: Instagram Snaps

{Drinks outside under a glorious sunset}

These past few weeks have been insanely busy, but in the best way possible!  Tomorrow is my birthday and this weekend we have all sorts of fun planned.  My bestie is flying in tonight from North Carolina and we plan to eat at my favorite restaurants {Bluebeard & Delicia being two of them}, bike the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, and have a party at our house on Saturday night.  Here are a few snaps of what I have been up to lately...follow along on Instagram!

{My first one-piece since the days of high school swimming...definitely an improvement!}

{Love the early morning light in our bedroom}

{There's not much better than those few weeks that peonies are in bloom!}

{Enjoying a delicious Blackberry Basil Fizz Cocktail via Coco & Mingo}

{Yoda loving his little squirrel}

{Before one of the 11 weddings we have this year!}

{Seared Cilantro Shrimp Salad with Mango, Avocado, Corn, and Homemade Tortilla Strips}

{Sometimes late night soft serve is just what you need}

{Ginger-Mango Popsicle from our new neighborhood popsicle shop}

{Lingerie inspired swimwear from JCrew}

{A perfect summer night at the Italian Street Festival}

My Life: Yoda Bird

Hello lovelies!  I hope you are all having a relaxing Saturday morning.  Ryan has been out of town quite a bit lately and I am happy as a clam to have him back home.  Everything feels right in the world when our little family of three is together.  Speaking of the third member of our family, today I wanted to share with you a bit more about our dog Yoda {or we call him, "Yoda Bird"}.  I volunteer at a few local animal rescue organizations including the Humane Society and Every Dog Counts Rescue {EDCR}, and this past August we received an urgent email from EDCR saying the local Care & Control was overflowing with adoptable dogs and if they couldn't find short-term fosters there would be no choice but to euthanize the dogs.  Clearly this was not something I would sit by and allow to happen, so I quickly called EDCR and opened up our house to a foster.

The next morning a woman dropped off a little 8.5 pound long-haired Chihuahua mix named Yoda off at our house.  When they found him wandering along the side of the road he had almost no fur due to horrible malnutrition.  He had mange, multiple skin infections, an infected toe, and just about every other ailment you can imagine.  The poor thing was so scared he cried for the first three hours he was at our house.  When Ryan came home from work to meet him he whimpered and shook, afraid to let Ryan get within arms distance of him.  However, he quickly came out of his shell, literally falling asleep in our hands every time we gave him any kind of affection.  I remember about 24 hours into it laying on the couch to take a nap and little Yoda sneaking ever so cautiously into my nook and falling asleep with me...and it was at that moment I decided that he would never be leaving us :) It took Ryan about another 36 hours, but by the end of the weekend we had decided to officially adopt Yoda.

Slowly but surely, thanks to an organic diet, fish oil, about a dozen appointments at the vet, exercise, and a lot of love his health returned and so has most of his fur!  You can see his before and after picture here {to be honest, every time I look at the 'before' I cry}.  This little guy has made me happier than I could have ever imagined.  Last year was a pretty downright rotten year for me.  My mom was diagnosed with cancer {thankfully she is now in remission!}  My grandpa passed away.  I couldn't find a job, and when I found one {which I thought was the perfect job at my dream company} it turned out to be one of the most terrible experiences of my life.  I spent a lot of time questioning what I wanted to do with my life, doubting my self-worth, and being bogged down with constant anxiety and stress.   My friends, family, and Ryan were there for me 110%, supporting me and lifting me up when I was at my lowest...but it just seemed like no matter what I did I was stuck in a perpetual funk and no matter how hard I tried I wasn't able to get out.  Getting Yoda somehow managed to lift a huge weight off my shoulders knock me on a different trajectory, one of positivity, optimism, and {dare I say it} contentment.  I was so stuck inside my head and overwhelmed with my fears and anxieties, that getting a dog was just what I needed to bring me back out to the real world and realize that life is actually pretty darn awesome!  Apparently the bumper sticker was right all along...my rescue dog rescued me.

My Life :: The Liebster Award

I'm sure you all have been seeing The Liebster Award around for quite some time.  For those of you who are not familiar, it's a great way to get to know your favorite bloggers a little better and to be introduced to some lovely new blogs in the process.  I was recently tagged by Rebecca and Maru {thanks ladies!}, and because I had already been thinking about including a little more about myself here on the blog decided to give it a go.  So if you want to learn about the scary decision I made that led me to starting this blog, plus my questionable decision to get a Beatle cut in the fourth grade...read away :) I will be tagging Ana, Julie, Sarah, Kristina, and Brandyn {simply answer the questions above}, but anyone is welcome to join!

Images via {1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8} {9}

Giving Back for the Holidays

I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend!  With all of the sparkle of the holiday season, it is easy to get caught up in the dresses, parties, and gifts.  However, to me it is also a great time to remember how blessed I am and a wonderful opportunity to give back to those less fortunate.  

My boyfriend and I sponsor an eight-year old Haitian girl through his church and are hoping to one day plan a trip down to Haiti to volunteer at her school.  I am passionate about the arts, which is why I volunteer at my local art museum every week, assisting with the youth programs.  Many of you know that I am a huge animal lover {no fur for me, thank you very much!} so in addition to volunteering every week at my local Humane Society and with various rescue organizations {my favorite being Every Dog Counts Rescue}, I always give a donation around the holidays to help these angels fulfill their goal of finding forever homes for every animal in need.  This is especially near and dear to my heart as Every Dog Counts was the rescue who found my beloved Yoda at the pound, nursed him back to health, and brought him to me to foster {and eventually adopt}.  Some years I can donate a few hundred dollars, others just $50...but to me it is so important to give both my time and money to help keep these amazing organizations running.

My point is, there are so many wonderful charities who rely on our time and support to continue their mission.  If everyone gives a little, just imagine how much better we can make the world.  For as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Image via

Weekend :: Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, and first day of November!  Today I will leave you with a few photos from when my mom and I took my new dog, Yoda, to the pumpkin patch at Young's Dairy.  He is doing so so much better than he was when he was first dropped off at our house two and a half months ago, and I couldn't be more head over heels for the little guy {and as you can see from this picture, Ryan feels the same}.  

PS - Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here.

Travel :: Camping

Last week I told you about one of my favorite fall traditions, and this week I will be telling you about another - camping.  I have been camping since I can remember and has always been one of my favorite weekend getaways.  There is something about sleeping in under the stars, cooking your food over an open fire, breathing in the crisp, clean air, and being surrounded by nature in all its glory that seems to hit the refresh button on my life.  Being outside is the best way for me to clear my head and reenergize my spirit.  

A few weeks ago Ryan, Yoda, and I headed east to Versailles State Park to meet my mom and stepdad.  It was a perfect fall weekend - cool and breezy in the evening and warm during the day.  The leaves had just started to change and floated gracefully down to the ground like rain.  Friday night we cooked pasta, vegetables, and chicken over the fire for dinner {with a drizzle of Truffle Oil I had brought them back from Tuscany - yum!}.  Afterwards we sat by the fire and roasted marshmallows, ate smores, and gazed up at the stars.  Saturday the boys went mountain biking and my mom and I went on a long hike with our dogs.  We had a simple dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup and spent the last few hours of the night talking around the fire.  Sunday morning we gathered our belongings and headed back to the hustle and bustle of the city.

PS - Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here.

So Much Love

Well hello friends!  Long time no speak!  Sorry for my absence, these past couple of weeks have been extremely busy in the best way possible.  A lot of exciting changes, but first and foremost I want to introduce you to the newest member of our family....Yoda.  Backstory:

I volunteer at a few local animal rescue organizations including the Humane Society and Every Dog Counts Rescue {EDCR}, and two and a half weeks ago received an urgent email from EDCR saying that Indianapolis Care & Control was overflowing with dogs and if they couldn't find short-term fosters there would be no choice but to euthanize the dogs.  Clearly this was not something I would sit by and allow to happen, so I quickly called EDCR and opened up our house to a foster.  Ryan and I have always had family pets growing up but neither of us had ever had a pet of our own, so we were a bit apprehensive about letting a dog we had never even met into our house.  What if it was mean?  Aggressive?  Destroyed our belongings?  We weren't sure what to expect, but both decided it was the right thing to do.

The next morning a woman dropped off a little 8.5 pound long-haired Chihuahua mix named Yoda off at our house.  When they found him he had almost no fur due to horrible malnutrition.  His fur has grown back, but he still has patches on his neck, ears, chest, and legs where the skin is furless and damaged from a bad skin infection.  The poor thing was so nervous he cried for the first three hours at my house.  However, he quickly came out of his shell, literally falling asleep in our hands every time we gave him any kind of affection.

Initially we had said we would foster him for the required two days {they had a spot open up for him at a "halfway house" for dogs}, however it was going so well we figured why not let him stay a few more days.  We could see how well he was doing, and wanted to give him a little more time to continue to improve his health and happiness.  The first week he walked around with his tail between his legs.  Now he lifts his tail high into the air, proud and happy, wagging it like all pampered pets should.  By the end of the first week we had absolutely fallen in love with him and both knew that little Yoda boy would not be leaving us again.

Since then it has been an absolute joy to have this little sweetie in our home.  I give him antibacterial baths twice a week, take him hiking and swimming, let him meet my parents two 70+ pound dogs {who he absolutely loved}, and let him sleep in our bed.  I get excited every time I come home, knowing I get to see him.  It amazes me how much happiness he has given me in the short 2.5 weeks we have had him in our home.  My heart literally overflows with love for this little guy, and I can't wait to officially adopt him this week and make him a permanent part of our family!

XOXOXOXOXO

PS - Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here!