12 ways to wear a sweetnessaboos mini bow

ever wish you knew how to wear a those cute mini bows that are all the rave right now? yeah, me too. well look no more! my sweet friend shio is sharing 12 different ways to style such bows & better yet, she makes bows! say whhhaaat?! yes, shio recently just opened her own etsy shop where you can find bows, headbands & even jewelry. be sure to stop by her blog & say hey! 

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hey, my name is Shio and I blog over at Sweetnessaboos where I share little tid bits of my life, faith, creations, DIY (tutorials), inspiration, and whatever else that interests me :)

One of my favorite things to share on my blog are tutorials, whether it be of food, crafting, or my fave...... beauty (hair)! I am really starting to love sharing tutorials about hair, because that is one of my favorite things, to make my hair PRETTY!! And so, I decided that I would share with you guys '12 ways to Wear a Sweetnessaboos Mini Bow'! I know I probably could've stopped at 5 or 6, but seriously guys, there are a TON more ways than that! And I wanted to share as many as I could think of with you guys (girls) so that you could sport more cute hairdos this summer!

Aaaaaaand......... the 2 CUTE bows I am wearing are from my shop Sweetnessaboos on Etsy at a really great price! And because I know Laurie loves bows, and I adore Laurie so much, I decided I would give her readers a coupon for my shop to 'buy 2 get 1 free' of my mini bows!! Just use the coupon code "buy2onefree"! Hope you enjoy this post!!

messy bun w/ bow in back

messy bun w/ bow on side

                             mini front pompadour w/ bow                                    2 pieces from each side pulled back w/ bow

messy side bun (or pony) w/ bow

high messy pony w/ bow on top

                               bow clipped on side of hair                                              side swept back on one side w/ bow

attach bow to elastic headband (boho look w/ bow)

side messy braid w/ bow

                        attach bow to side of metal headband                                         low/mid pony w/ bow in back

top things to do in southern germany

hello! M & i just got home from our trip. it's weird being back in atlanta. this city can't handle the hype & lifestyle of new york. i love that place so much. today nicole is talking about her travels. her experiences go beyond the borders of north america {something M & i need to start doing more}. she specifically writes about her adventures in bavaria, germany {i had to use a map to find exactly where that was. i'm working on my geography} & lists the top things to do if you happen to visit. i'm so glad nicole shared this with you -- one, because she's awesome & more people should get to know her :) & two, because my knowledge of germany started & ended with the ruben sandwich {yep... food. no surprise there}. i hope y'all enjoy this as much as i did. & don't forget to go say hallo {that's "hello" in german. i looked that up too}  to nicole!
        - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Hey there! I'm Nicole and I blog over at Sunkissed with a Twist. I'm literally sitting in an airport as we speak getting ready to take off on my flight to Germany! I'm going for the entire summer; first to hang out with my mom In Garmisch (she lives and works in Germany) and then I'll be off to Berlin for four weeks to do a study abroad at Humboldt University.

Obviously the best perk about having your parents live in another country means that I always have a reason to travel to Europe! And on the flip side, every time I want to see my parents - I have to travel to Europe. They're not just down the street or a few hours away in another town, which can sometimes be a total bummer when you're craving momma's home cookin' or you need dad to help you work on your car. But no matter what, I always make the best of it by trying to visit as often as possible and for as long as I can manage to stay when I get summer and winter breaks from school.

My parents live in the mountain resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is located in Bavaria (southern Germany). It's the most stunning little alpine town I've ever seen and it's full of charm, flower boxes, cute Bavarian boys, big beers and giant pretzels! It's also home to Germany's tallest mountain, the Zugspitze and sits right on the border of Austria. It only takes about 5-10 minutes to hop across the border!

Since I've been here several times now and have had a chance to explore southern Germany, I thought I would share with you all the best things to do in Bavaria. So get your beer mugs chilled, walking shoes on, bags packed and your plane tickets booked to Germany!


1. Visit Garmisch-Partenkirchen

I'm obviosuly super biased on this one because it's my European hometown, but trust me - once you do visit, you'll never want to leave. This place is just incredible. Words and pictures will never do it justice. Garmisch-Partenkirchen used to be two separate and distinctly different towns. Even thought the two towns merged together for the 1936 Winter Olympics, they still each maintain their own identities. Since it's located in the Bavarian Alps, it's Germany's number one destination for winter sports and it offers some of the best hiking and mountain climbing in the area.

2. Try Local Bavarian Beer

Throughout the summer months, there's always some kind of festival taking place celebrating a certain town and what else, beer! Oktoberfest in Munich is the most famous festival, but if you're looking for something a little more low-key and not so crazy, then smaller towns or villages would be your best bet. Regardless of which beer garden festival you choose to visit, you're guaranteed to have a great time! Pretzels as big as your head, lederhosen, dirndls, Bavarian music and beer out the wazoo... what's not to love?!

3. Trek to the top of the Zugspitze

Germany's tallest mountain, the Zugspitze, sits 9,718 ft above sea level and is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountain range in the northern limestone Alps. It's flanked by three glaciers, two of which are the largest in Germany. You can take a cable car all the way to the top, where there's panoramic views of four countries: Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.


4. Take a Train to Munich

Munich is the capital of the state of Bavaria and is the third largest city behind Berlin and Hamburg. It's located on the River Isar, north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is frequently the top-ranked German destination and was also ranked as the world's most livable city. It has a inspiring mix of historic buildings and impressive architecture. And while you're there, make sure to check out the Nymphenburg Palace!

5. Walk Along the Trail at Lake Eibsee & Go For a Bike Ride

Lake Eibsee is near the town of Grainau and sits at the foot of the Zugspitze. The crystal clear, deep blue and turquoise water is breathtakingly beautiful and there's a trail that wraps around the entire lake. Walking it takes a couple of hours, especially if you're like me and you make frequent stops to take a gazillion pictures!

Bike riding is one of my absolute favorite things to do in Bavaria because not only is it great exercise, but you get to enjoy the fresh alpine air and see much more of the cities you visit. This picture was taken in Partenkirchen (which originated as  the Roman town of Partanum on the trade route from Venice to Augsburg) on Ludwigstraße (which follows the original Roman road).


6. Hike Through the Partnachklamm & the Höllentalklamm

The Partnachklamm and the Höllentalklamm are two gorges that feature narrow rock walls, rapids, waterfalls, and tranquil water basins. The Partnach Gorge is fed by the Schneeferner glacier on the Zugspitzplatt plateau. The trail runs right next to the river and what's even cooler is that you can visit during both the summer and winter months, and even take a guided torchlit hike through the gorge!


7. Visit the Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein is one of three lavish castles that "Mad" King Ludwig II built for himself, and was also the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. King Ludwig II died before he could see his dream castle completed and it was opened to the public immediately after his death in 1886.


So, there you have it. Seven great things to do if you ever plan a trip to Bavaria! And of course, there's many more spectacular things in and around Bavaria... I may have to do another "things to do" post in the very near future. I've got all summer to do more exploring and sight-seeing, so I'll have lots of good stuff to share! I hope you enjoyed reading about Germany and thank you for having me Laurie! 

Be sure to stop by the blog and say hello. I'd love to meet you! :) And keep an eye out for more Germany posts!

a list of pros & cons...

happy saturday! M & i are still in the big apple. probably still eating our weight in whatever we can find. incase you're new around here, we have this amazing relationship with food -- we simply love it. but there are cons to loving food too much -- somewhere after the third shake & second helping of fries, you begin to form a noticeable food baby. but, with everything there's pros, & unfortunately, cons. so today amanda will be sharing her own list of pros & cons, but for living abroad. so all you expats & aspiring travels {like myself} be sure to read this & go say hey to amanda!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Hello, I'm Amanda and I blog over at Living in Another Language. I am super jealous of Laurie's trip to New York and am with her in spirit! I was elated when she asked me to take over her blog for today.

Ok, first a little about me. My husband and I currently live in South Korea teaching ESL. We've been here for a year and a half now and love it. However, if you would have asked me two- three years ago where I saw myself in the next few years, you wouldn't have heard Korea or teaching come out of my mouth. God has a funny way of changing things. 

Living abroad: It sounds so exotic, so foreign, so full of life. Don't get me wrong, it is all those things, but it is a little bit more as well. Today I'll be discussing some pro's and (believe it or not) con's of living overseas.

Pro- Living abroad is a constant learning experience. Whether it's offending an entire restaurant for blowing my nose (quietly) at my table, or trying to decipher the cryptic code some would call the Korean language, I can't help but learn something new every day. Even after being here for more than a year, I'm amazed at how much I feel like a 'newbie.'

Con-It's sacrificial. I've sacrificed the time I could have had with my family to come here. I've sacrificed seeing friends get married, babies coming into this world, and funerals. Sometimes I wonder, 'why am I even here?' But then I'm reminded of the opportunity that was given to us in a time we needed it most. 

Pro- I get to meet and make friends with people from all over the world I wouldn't normally meet on a daily basis in America. I now have really good friends in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, France, and the UK because of living in Korea. :) I couldn't think of a more wonderful thing.  

Con- 70% of what I say gets lost in the language barrier. I'm finding this annoyance more and more prevalent as the months go by. The first year I was more than happy to live in my little bubble, content with not having a clue as to what was going on around me. Then I started to recognize words. Now I can clearly distinguish when someone is talking about me, and it drives me NUTS! I'd love to know what was being said. Or maybe it's best that I don't know?

Pro- Everywhere we go is  a place we've never been before. Whether it's restaurants, market places, festivals, towns, cities, or countries, we find SO MUCH 'new' here! The way of life is so different even between two regions. The people may love foreigners in one and flat out hate us in another. Yikes! I still often walk around like a little girl in wide eyed wonder as I live in a land so unfamiliar to my own.

Con- It's a lot harder to find the necessary items like clothing or makeup. Being 5'8' tall with a husband of 6'4" we might as well forget finding clothes. Luckily I have a smaller frame so I can find plenty of shirts that fit. Pants, most skirts, and dresses are out of the question. Shoes? I'm pretty sure Korean sizes pretty much stop at a size 8 (American). My size 9 feet have never felt more gigantic. It would be like trying to find a size 13 or 14 in the States. They have them but not everywhere. 

Makeup is also an issue. I don't know about you but I'm not all for the skin bleaching process. I'm a genuine American girl who loves the sun and a good tan. Yet somehow my skin appears to be getting whiter since being in Korea than it was in sun-deprived Portland, Oregon. What's up with that?!? I'd love to save any ounce of tan I have instead of bleaching the crap out of it. That can't be good. 

Pro- Instead of traveling states, I get to travel countries! Pretty much the biggest reason people live abroad? Travel!  It's so cheap, and sometimes cheaper to travel to other countries than it would be to travel halfway across the Continental US! It blows my mind. So far in the last year my husband and I have traveled to Korea (obviously), Bali, Vietnam, and Japan. I've even stepped foot in North Korea (thank you DMZ)! We've got a few epic trips lined up for the next year, but all I can say right now is that Borneo, Malaysia is coming in August. 

Although there are many good things and bad things to living your life abroad, I am 100% in love with it. I am thankful to have a husband who loves adventure just as much as I do. If you ever get a chance to go somewhere unfamiliar and live for a while? I highly recommend you do. 

Happy traveling!

want a new instant bff?

well meet katie.

yes, katie from katie did what! 

M & i are probably skipping along on some street in nyc right now. eating ungodly amounts of carbs & taking even more ungodly amounts of pictures. but while we're away, katie stopped by to say wassup, show of your killer dream bod, & share with you five things you may already, or may not, know about her. she's pretty amazing & could talk about sugar peas & make you laugh. so don't be shy & go say hi {HA that rhymed!} 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hey guys! I’m Katie and I blog about life, fashion, love and anything else that comes into my mind over at Katie Did What. While Laurie is off having adventures in New York City (I’m slightly jealous) she asked me to keep you entertained! So. I thought it’d be fun to share 5 random facts about me. Maybe you can relate to some of these and we can be BFF’s? Yes, I think I’d like that. Let’s get to it!

1. I watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette with my husband and he provides hilarious commentary. I do recommend if you have a significant other to watch the show with them. It’s pretty much the most entertaining thing ever.

2. Shopping is my favorite cardio, and I would absolutely choose it over most other activities any day. Luckily, I married a man who won’t let me do it every single day. Because that could get very dangerous! ;)

3. I hate tomatoes but I love all food that is made out of or includes tomatoes. I love bruschetta, salsa, ketchup, marinara sauce, I even love eating tomatoes on Panini and Caprese salad, but I will gag if I have to just eat a straight tomato. I am a conundrum.

4. My favorite food is kettle corn. I could eat it every day, and I practically do.

5. I used to hate cats. HATE them. Well, mostly I was afraid of them, and their claws, and thought they were mean. And then I met Zack, and he had two cats, and now they are my children and I love them more than most things.

Thanks for having me, Laurie, and thanks for reading! I do hope you’ll come say hey to me at my blog for even more randomness and fun! :)

xo

twitter
instagram
pinterest
facebook

interesting stories while living abroad

right now M & i are on our way to manhattan, getting ready to take over the city. we may never come back ;) today, chelsea is taking over my blog once again. it's no secret that her blog is one of my favorites, so i might be biased when i say -- if you haven't met chelsea, you must be living under a rock -- kidding, but seriously, make sure you head over to her blog & say hey! today she's sharing some interesting {& hilarious!} stories from her years of living in korea. be prepared to laugh & become instant friends with chelsea, like i did :)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hey there! I’m Chelsea and I blog over at Lost in Travels. While Laurie is off exploring NYC with her man (I admit I'm a tad bitter she's not on a plane to see me in Korea right now!), I thought that I would share a little bit about myself and some of my most...interesting stories from living abroad. First things first. A backstory. After my man and I got hitched two years ago we started getting cold sweats every time we thought about ‘settling down’. You know, buy a car, a house, start making mini me’s. The things that I always thought that I would be chomping at the bit to do. So what did we do instead? Sold all of our belongings that wouldn’t fit in two 50-pound bags and took the first flight to South Korea to teach English to snot nosed adorable little kids. So as you can imagine, living and traveling abroad can be a good source for lots of interesting stories and experiences. Some of my favorites have been:

That time we went Geisha hunting-We had heard that in the area of Gion, in the city of Kyoto, Japan, a hard looking tourist could see geishas roaming the streets. Well, with plenty of time to kill we decided to try our luck…every night. With the old streets of Kyoto lined with lanterns and crowded with camera carrying tourists, and still no site of a Geisha, I was starting to think that this ‘geisha’ character was just a mythical creature created by Japan to boost tourism. We never were able to find any but I did manage to freak out some innocent ladies as I tracked them down, waiting for them to turn around so I could confirm whether or not we had accomplished our goal.

That time when my student tried to cop a feel- I’ve come to learn that the Korean culture is a little...blunt (I’ve learned this the hard way by students telling me I look pregnant or bosses telling me I’m wearing too much makeup). So I shouldn’t have been surprised when the following scene took place: One day in my 6 year old kindergarten class, we were playing a simple game of 'find that shape,'  I was yelling out triangle, square, rectangle and they were all doing really well at finding that particular shape in the room.  When it came time for 'circle' one little boy, John, ran up to me and grabbed my boobs.  Later when a Korean teacher asked him why he would do that his answer was simple.  'They're bigger than my mom's.'

That time when we were awoken by soldiers- We decided to take a road trip up the east coast of Korea, stopping to camp along the way and end up at our final destination:the DMZ, which is the separation between North and South Korea. Well, when you drive towards the northern part of the country, barbed wire starts to surround the beach front for protection against the North. This made finding a camping area more difficult but after much searching, we finally found a gem complete with a pristine beach and sunset views. We decided not to go to the main area of the beach and instead found a side road leading to a more secluded spot. Little did we know, we were nestled right in the middle of two military outposts. Our first encounter with the soldiers was when I saw two shadows walking down the beach...and then realized they had huge military rifles slung over their shoulders. Even if they were part of the military, it's still not the most settling sight. Later that night as we were getting ready for bed we hear a 'Shilehamnida' (excuse me). Once they saw hubs head peak out of the tent and realized we were foreigners, I could hear the soldiers start laughing and give him the go ahead to sleep there.

Everyday is a new challenge, a new adventure, and a new story to be told. We can't wait to see what happens next!

Thanks so much for having me Laurie! And I hope you'll stop by my blog where I talk about our daily lives as expats in the land of kimchi, along with documenting our world travels. Be sure to say hi, I would love to hear from you!
(you can also check out Laurie's guest post on my blog HERE and my previous guest post on Laurie's blog HERE)

what's in your camera bag?

i'm over at chelsea's blog, life unpublished, talking about what's in my camera bag & sharing photography tips from my personal experiences. check it out & give chelsea some love!

i'm always learning, so if you have any tips or wise information PLEASE share. you all are my favorite sources of knowledge & reviews, so don't hesitate to give advice. i honestly need it & appreciate it all :)

xoxo

-L

i'm also over at shio's blog, along with four along rockstar bloggers, sharing five facts about myself. 

i totally sound like a crazy rebel compared to the other classy ladies.

meet the bradley's

hey guys. i'm so excited to introduce elizabeth & her beautiful family to you. she's living the life M & i are actually talking about doing ourselves -- being an expat. packing up & moving to another country requires lots of strength & courage that i'm trying to figure out if i have. her hubby is also from alabama, where part of me is too {my mama was born & raised there} so i know what she means when she speaks of fired pickles or basically fried anything -- mmmm! be sure to stop by her blog & say hello.

Hello everyone! I am so grateful laurie invited me to guest post! She kindly wrote over on my blog yesterday.

I'm a happily married 30 year old Mom and wanderer, currently living with my family in Thailand. Wow, has it been hot lately, although I know I am not allowed to complain as I sit by the pool and relish the wifi that is everywhere on the island. Yesterday was Super Soaker day btw, and  no I am not kidding. Here in Thailand there is a nation wide festival known as songkran where everyone has the goal of throws, splashing, or shooting water at pedestrians and even motorcyclists. Seriously it is epic! Albeit dangerous. It's known as the 'world's biggest water fight'. And I have yet to participate in it; the idea of getting splashed by strangers scares my daughter so for the third time in a row we have missed out, only to drive around the island and watch everyone else get hit.

I had an old high school friend come to visit several years back. He had no idea it was songkran and his entire family were scared of him getting hurt or kidnapped in Thailand ( thanks to the media people don't know much about what it's really like here, ie it's safe). It made him nervous, but once he saw how easy it is to make friends and the fact that there was a huge water fight, he left a very happy camper and I had won over yet another person who now loves the country. Heck yes!

We love living in Asia, from the food to the architecture, it's our thing. But I can't wait to visit my husband's family in Alabama some time this year. The mean fried pickles I had there 5 years back left a permanent impression in my stomach driven mind and I have been thinking about them recently, as well as how friendly Southerners are!

Thank you Laurie and all you lovely ladies out there reading this!

Have a fantastic week!

blog // Pinterest // instagram // bloglovin

all in favor of making weekends longer

i'm suffering from weekend deprivation right now. 

they should make weekends more than two days. 

two just isn't enough time to you know, sleep, veg, watch tv & be lazy.

i need moooore weekend.

maybe it's not a lack of weekend i'm suffering from. 

maybe it's the monday blues...

either way, weekends need to be longer.

xoxo

-L

i'm over at the bradley's talking about marriage today.

what does love mean to you: chelsea style

i promised you guys a treat today & here it is! meet chelsea & jeremy. they are a gorgeous couple who packed up their lives & moved to korea. koreeeea! {maybe i'm more blown away by that than you}. chelsea's also the one that does those Travel Tuesdays posts with beautiful pictures, along with some of the most inspirational quotes, that are supposed to "cure" my wanderlust but in reality it fuels it! for example, these are some of my favorites: 1 // 2 // 3

the fact that they live abroad is one of the many reasons why i asked her to be a part of this months series on love. moving can be a taxing thing on any relationship, but moving to an entirely new country as newlyweds -- i can't imagine the emotions. chelsea talks about how living abroad has shaped all forms of love in her life -- her love for jeremy, her Creator, family, & friends. 

enjoy!

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Hey there! I'm Chelsea and I blog over at Lost in Travels. After my man and I got hitched two years ago, we started getting cold sweats every time we even thought about ‘settling down’ in our hometown. We wanted to do something out of the ordinary, something adventurous. We wanted to spend our lives traveling the globe. So what did we do? Sold all of our belongings that wouldn’t fit in two 50-pound bags and took the first flight to South Korea to teach English to snot nosed adorable little kids and never looked back!

As you can imagine, living abroad can either be a blessing or a curse for a couple. In my eyes, it's the exact opposite of long distance dating. Before we were married, we spent the first ten months of our relationship long distance, on opposite ends of the country. We hardly saw each other, only talked on the phone, and heavily relied on the presence of family and friends for support and advice.

Once we moved overseas, it was quite the opposite. Starting out we were working at the same school which meant seeing each other 24/7 in the most literal way possible. Knowing very few people, we were our own support system. In addition to that, the time difference of being 15 hours ahead of our home town made it difficult to just pick up the phone and call people closest to us. We were told by friends who had paved the way for us in Korea that living abroad was the best thing they ever did for their marriage, they had grown closer together than they had ever imagined. I wish I could say that as soon as we touched Korean soil, it was marital bliss. But that would be far from the truth. The first few months were hard; in addition to trying to get used to everything new in our lives (new career path, new language, new food, the list is endless) we were also still adjusting to married life since we moved just four short months after tying the knot. I remember thinking at one point 'I thought living abroad was supposed to be easier!' Thankfully, after a few months of being in Korea, it clicked. We grew accustomed to the new culture around us and more importantly, we grew together, worked together and began reaping the benefits of living abroad as a married couple.

As hard as it can be living away from family, friends and virtually anything familiar, we have found the benefits far outweigh the hardships that we have encountered from living abroad. Here's how I've personally experience love overseas:

Marriage: While becoming our only friends overnight, in a strange land, were we lived, worked, ate and socialized together 24/7 was a challenge at first, it has turned into one of the biggest blessings I've ever had. Not only did we have more time to spend with each other than we ever did in the states but we were also our only support system for the first part of living overseas. Back in the states I had the bad habit of calling a friend or my sister when we had a fight. In Korea, I didn't have that option. It forced us to sit down and figure it out completely on our own, and quickly. Because who wants to be mad at their only friend for too long? We learned quickly how to rely completely on each other and I don't know of any situation where that would have happened for us if we lived stateside. Living abroad has taught us to love in a completely different way than I ever thought possible and I am eternally grateful for that.

God: We went to a large church back in the states and I never even thought of ever going to a smaller one. That is until we walked through the door of a local foreign church in Korea, made up of about 30 members, and felt right at home. I can honestly say that I have never been so challenged, motivated or inspired by a group of individuals before. Who knew that it would take a move to Korea for me to feel the closest to God?

Traveling: It's no secret that we have had the 'travel bug' from early on in our marriage. But the love for traveling, experiencing new cultures and meeting new people has never been stronger than it has been living overseas. We're constantly scheming on where to go next and how we can go to more places. More than that though, it's a love for people that has grown from living here. Experiencing different cultures has made us think more about the people around us, has made us understand the world better and has opened our hearts and minds to this big world around us that we so desperately want to see all of.

Thanks so much for having me Laurie! Be sure to stop by the blog or twitter (lost_in_travels) and say hi! I would love to meet you!

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

be sure to stop by & say hello to chelsea, the inspiring traveler/teacher/beauty queen/sweet friend.

blog // twitter

the other posts in the love series can be found here, here, & here. thank you to all the wonderful ladies who were a part of this series. it's funny how similar, yet very different love is for from one person to the next. y'alls perspectives were greatly enjoyed. i loved having you all!

now, hello march!

what does love mean to you: kellene style

meet kellene! she's a crafty chick that can cook & has an awesome sense of style. & you'll notice her red hair. i mean, can it get anymore more gorgeous?! she blogs over at this lovely little day. her blog focuses on the things she loves. & speaking of love, she's been asked to be a part of this month's series on love. kellene has a different perspective of love that probably many of you share with her, but also several of you don't. so, meet kellene & enjoy what she has to say about love.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

When Laurie asked me to write a post for her series of guest bloggers on 'love' I was really surprised at first. Anyone who reads my blog knows that romantic relationships are rarely something that come up... Actually, I don't think I have ever written anything about my romantic life on my blog. Don't get me wrong, I adore romance and love in all of its many forms, but I am in a very "transitional" point in my life right now and although I have kissed a boy or two this year, a relationship just isn't on my "to-do" list.

That doesn't mean I don't have love to share though, and I think that is exactly what Laurie thought too when she contacted me! In fact, I spend a great deal of my days thinking about love, just not the romantic love that we all have on our minds this time of year. {Side note: **Don't be fooled, I do a fair share of daydreaming about being swept off my feet by some European dreamboat or sensitive soul who loves the great outdoors... but that is not the point of this post. ;) }

This is me, Kellene Elise, from This Lovely Little Day :)

Being single gives me time to focus my love on the people that are around me all the time, the people that may get forgotten come Valentine's Day. First of all, my family. I have a Mom who believes in everything I do no matter how off the wall it may be, and a Dad that would give anything to make sure his little girl is happy, and a brother who I can easily call one of my best friends. How could I not be thankful for a crowd like that to come home to?! My brother will take my call anytime of day {usually after 1am} just to listen to me talk about boy problems, work stress, or about how I don't fit in in Kansas...

Amelia looking out the window on our way home from Wichita,.

Speaking of my brief adventure in Wichita, that was when I adopted my little baby girl, sweet Amelia. My parents had rescued our greyhounds Tucker and Parker shortly before I left and I was feeling quite lonely in my apartment down there. And I was constantly thinking about how I missed the pups at home! I knew I needed a pet, so to the Kansas Humane Society I went! I only went to look but as soon as I saw Amelia and held her I knew that I couldn't leave that day without her. And we've been inseparable every day since.

Cuddling with Amelia

Wynnie and I getting sushi in the summer... One of our favorite things!

Maybe the most powerful kind of love I experience everyday is the love of my friends though. When I think of my best friends, my college roommates Abby and Wynnie are the first to come to mind. When Wynnie graduated she moved to China with her boyfriend and taught preschool for a year. Every time we video chatted it was like she was right there and everything was the same! And Abby is amazing. When I decided to move back to Michigan, Abby took a half day at work, got on a plane, flew 1000 miles down to Wichita, and helped Amelia and I pack up our life, and drive 19 hours home. If that isn't love than I don't know what is! I literally cried in the airport when I saw her!

Abby and I in our roomie days!

I will admit that I can't wait for the day when I find someone to share my life with. We'll be parents to lovable dogs {and Amelia!} and there will always be someone around to eat all of the sweets I am constantly baking! But for now I am loving my friends, my pets, my family... and leaving cupcakes in the kitchen every week for my 3 male roommates. Not a bad life. And certainly overflowing with love. :)

Wishing you all a lovely little day!
xoKellene

Kellene's favorite quote.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

after she emailed me her post, i immediately replied back telling her it was perfect & i love it! i knew her perspective would be appreciated. you always hear about "love" in its most romantic forms, but her forms of love are the easiest for people to obtain, yet we rarely hear about it. i guess it's because those forms of love are thought as being "boring" & romantic love as more exciting. true true. but i love how kellene shows that she doesn't need romantic love right now. that she has all the love in the world right next to & all around her. thank you so much for sharing, my hot red-headed friend.

be sure to get to know & follow along with kellene:

blog // instagram // pinterest // twitter // facebook // shop