Browsing Category

Life

Rehoboth Beach Day and a Stormy Weather

Hanna’s home! My sister is only home for a few weeks before she leaves for summer camp but I’m trying to steal as much time with her as I can. So far we’ve been working on my house and I helped her finally – after 6 years!!! – get her driver’s license. Hallelujah! The weather this week is looking less than pleasant with mostly rain expected but last week was gorgeous and we enjoyed my homemade stir fry out in our back yard with some homemade pineapple whips.

We’ve been living here for 6 weeks now and we’re still exploring the streets of our neighborhood on our walks. Brady and I found a new area that has some great paths just around the corner and I could help but pose with these beautiful flowers. It wasn’t too hot outside but by the time we got back from this walk I was so hot I felt really sick and I needed water badly. Shame on me for forgetting a water bottle.

May 14, 2018 by meaganleanne

Life

8 Years Together (!!!) | DC in Bloom

Spring has finally arrived! The weather hasn’t fully caught up yet and it’s not fully feeling like spring yet, but the blooms all around are really cheering things up. Over Easter weekend, Brady and I went down to DC to check out the new Bible Museum and the Magnolias in bloom behind the Smithsonian Castle. We went back a few days later on our 8 year (dating) anniversary to see the cherry blossoms around the tidal basin which was the day before the official “peak bloom”. Seeing the blossoms is one of the top perks of living near DC for me because it’s just so beautiful! Last year’s cherry blossoms post.

We started our Saturday morning at the Museum of the Bible not having taken into consideration that it was the day before Easter and that it would be packed! We ended up spending almost 2 hours on the 4th floor going through the history of the Bible exhibit and we probably could have spent even longer in just that section! There was so much to take in and it was all presented so well! There were interactive elements, lots of incorporated media, timelines, artifacts… so much history covering thousands of years! There is so much more to the museum but we decided it was best to come back on another day so we started our walk down to the Smithsonian Castle.

April 9, 2018 by meaganleanne

Life

Thanksgiving Snapshots

Thanksgiving was almost a week ago and it feels like the time has passed by in a heartbeat! I love the holidays because of the special family time and I wanted to make soak in all the moments. With that being said, I took very few photos myself and anything I do have is basically a quick snapshot of the moment. These moments are still special and should be documented to look back on so here’s a glimpse of my Thanksgiving weekend.

I have a fairly large extended family and we had over 30 people gathered for our family’s Thanksgiving! I feel so blessed to have an amazing Grandma (who happens to be a fantastic cook) as the matriarch of the family to orchestrate everything. There were no turkeys for this vegetarian family but we served 15 of the best homemade pies. Would you believe I only ended up eating 3 slices myself? I had to have the classic pumpkin pie, my grandmas to-die-for vegan lemon cheesecake pie, and a chocolate-mint pudding pie. You’ll have to believe me when I say they were the best pies ever.

November 29, 2017 by meaganleanne

Biking, Fall, Life

A Weekend of Fall Colors in Maryland

This year has been flying by and it’s hard to believe we’re sitting just about 2 months away from Christmas and the beginning of a new year! Brady and I have been trying to soak in all the great weather and fall colors while it lasts. A month ago we hiked the Billy Goat Trail, we were at the beach in Delaware a few weekends ago, then we went backpacking, then hiking with my family, and this past weekend we went out to Western Maryland to ride the rail trail and enjoy some fall colors!

The specific trail we rode on has 2 parts: the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) that runs from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD and then it continues on to Washington D.C. via the C&O Towpath for a total of 335 miles. We started at the Eastern Continental Divide and rode the last 25 miles of the GAP trail down into Cumberland on Saturday afternoon. The best thing about this section of the trail is that it’s all downhill (1800 ft elevation drop <- I wouldn’t want to be going the other way!) So it’s not like you can just sit there and coast but even with breaks and minimal effort, you can make the trip in 3-4 hours. The only thing that’ll be sore after this trip is your tailbone if you don’t ride often.

It was a 2 hour drive to get out to Western Maryland and the weather Saturday morning was abysmal. Dreary, misty, foggy, damp and overcast yucky weather. As soon as we started driving up the mountain to our start point, we left the clouds hanging on the mountains behind us and we were in instant sunshine! By the time we rode our bikes into Cumberland a few hours later, it was if it had never been overcast at all. The weather for our ride couldn’t have been more perfect. It was 70 degrees with just enough cool in the breeze to keep you from overheating while riding in the sun.

October 17, 2017 by meaganleanne

Goals, Life, Weight loss

My 4 Steps to a Healthier Life

About a month ago, I had my first surgical procedure and while there’s nothing I could have done to avoid that outcome, it’s still made me seriously consider how I need to improve my health. Improving my overall health has been a goal for a long time, but the last three months have given me extra motivation. This summer took a huge toll on my emotional and physical health so I’ve been brainstorming ideas to rebuild my overall health and I’ve created my own 4 steps to a healthier life.

When you’re trying to overhaul how you live your life, everything can feel overwhelming. To make everything more manageable without losing motivation, I’ve condensed my goals into 4 areas I would like to improve on for overall health.

My 4 Steps to a Healthier Life

Minimize harmful chemicals in personal care and home cleaning.
Eat Healthy Portions of Wholesome Home Cooked Food.
Improve Physical Fitness.
Declutter and Organize.

Minimize harmful chemicals in personal care and home cleaning.

Reducing harmful chemicals in my home has been on my mind for a long time and I have already begun making adjustments. I’m very concerned with the amount of chemicals I’m putting on my body and using to clean my home with on a daily basis. The problem is that even “natural products” are full of unhealthy chemicals so it won’t be a quick transition and I know that it will probably take more time to accomplish than anything else on this list.

September 26, 2017 by meaganleanne

Disney World, Vacation

Rope Drop at Animal Kingdom and an evening at Magic Kingdom!

Tuesday at Disney World was full of animals and Disney magic! We were at Animal Kingdom before rope drop which was pretty easy since our hotel was less than a 5 minute drive away! While we were waiting to be let in, I was complimented a few times on my dress and tiara which made me feel pretty princess-like. Pro tip: you can get away with things like tiaras at Disney World so make the most of your princess days!

The only park opening we missed was on Thursday at the Magic Kingdom (stupid monorail) but of all the other parks, the opening at Animal Kingdom was the most spectacular. We were told that the Macaws were going to fly over our heads and not to duck or they’ll just fly lower. It was a really cool thing to see and experience – you can get an idea of what happens here.

They allowed us to go free into the parks at the stroke of 9 and we headed directly for Expedition Everest in Asia by going through Discovery Island instead of Dino Land. We were able to walk straight onto the ride twice in a row which was great since it’s one of my top two favorite rides in the park (Pandora wasn’t open yet)! However, since we did it twice in a row, it gave Brady a bit of motion sickness so I did some shopping in Africa while he took a break. We were also trying to kill time before the 10 am train left for Rafiki’s Planet Watch because I was hoping to catch an animal surgery.

June 9, 2017 by meaganleanne

Older Posts

Newer Posts