summer spectacular...

Our weekend in New Roads was like a sun drenched dream. We spent more time on the water and dock than on land. Just the way I like it. :)

Thursday night pleasure cruise:

{Evangeline hated the life jacket her dad bought her- doesn't she look scared?! Bless her little heart}

{It was fun waking up with all the kiddos in one house! You gotta love a slumber party.}

Friday: Red, White, and Blue Day!

{Our gracious host, Captain Coco!}

{the three cousins with life vests on = adorable!}

{Every time we got on the boat, E would fall asleep instantly and stay knocked out until the boat stopped! So funny.}

{The sand pit idea was kind of a bust- they were either throwing it in the water or throwing it in each others faces, but don't they know how to turn it on for the camera?}

{Lots of special Daddy-Daughter time was had.}

On the 4th of July evening, Fr./Brother-in-Law Andrew cooked burgers and we watched from the dock fireworks all up and down False River. Hudson was having a ball- he kept jumping and screaming, "SPECTACULAR!!!" We have no idea where he got that from, but I was cracking up.

On Saturday morning, I woke up early to watch the sunrise. The morning was filled with a million different shades of pastels. I just love what God does with his paintbrush in the sky.

{Some more morning cousin play time before we got ready for some coasting on False River...}

{This is our attempt at a group photo - Hudson wasn't having it. Poor guy just got sunscreen in his eyes.}

{See! I told you- falls asleep every time!}

{Hudson had fun driving for a second, but Andrew - our little dare devil- took this job seriously! Trouble ;)}

A quick jump in the river-lake and we were back on the road to Shreveport. The thing I liked best about our little road trip was the lack of clocks and structure. Since Evangeline was born I have been on such a schedule that when I realized I could just go with the flow this weekend- I took full advantage. (Y'all- I even took a nap!!) It felt like a real vacation!

On Sunday we had lunch with Russell and the Raleys at Oyster Bar. Yum. Also- I love my friends.

Then we had dinner with DeeDee and Pops.

What a wonderful 4th of July holiday!

and I'm Proud to be an American...

It appears I skipped a 4th of July post last year, so I scrounged up some photos we took in the backyard of the Dudley at this time last year on Instagram. We grilled and had friends over for gin and tonics. I was pretend drinking them in front of friends because we were secretly pregnant with baby E :)

This year we are heading down to New Roads, La. with Aunt Laur and cousins to spend some time on the water and maybe sneak in a snow cone or two. I hope you all have a relaxing weekend and have some time to put your feet up and remember how lucky we are to live in this country. xoxo

Happy Red, White, and Blue!

{previous Independence Day posts here}

happy birthday america!

 The 3rd:

To begin the odd middle of the week holiday, Tison and I tried a new restaurant called Sabores. It is traditional Dominican cuisine. I ordered the Parcha, a passion fruit drink, to start and also ordered one to go. I really I liked it! I could be wrong, but I don't think they serve alcohol here. Our appetizer was the pastelito de pollo that comes with a green sauce. This reminded me of a chicken meat pie. The waitress warned me that the sauce was spicy, but I didn't think so. It was a good dipper.

For our entrees we ordered:

Tison really enjoyed the ox tail and I ate about half of my pepper steak with bell peppers and plantains. We enjoyed the newness, but I wouldn't call it our new favorite restaurant. 

 The 4th:

Well, sometimes you can make a plan, but it doesn't mean said plan will go accordingly. With no alarm set, I slept until 11:00 am, lazily drank coffee on the couch writing a list of museums I wanted to go to. When we finally left the house towards Norton Art Gallery we were in for a surprise.

It was closed! Duh, Lindsey- it's a national holiday. Probably all the museums I wanted to visit were closed. So instead we went to visit Tison's parents and drove Sonic for a hey batter batter blast. yummy! Then we went to see Lauren, David, and Hudson.

Cutest-kid-ever! He just amazes me. Every time I get to see him he has learned something new. I love watching his personality emerge from baby to toddler. After pool and slide time, we went to visit our friends Cory and Shelley for some hot dogs, beer, and fireworks - all American classics.

{see previous year's 4th of July activities here.}

An Ode to Summer...

Step 1: Craving that calm summer feeling? 
watch this video.
 
An Ode to Summer from Kinfolk on Vimeo.

"summer just opens the door and let's you out"

as seen on andrew+carissa

This is a beautiful reminder for me that even without a designated "summer vacation," moments can be taken to appreciate the freedom of summer.

I am in love with Kinfolk Magazine.This video was made in honor of the recently released Vol. 4.  The quality of the paper is incredible with exquisite photography and design capturing the beauty of small gatherings and shared experiences. You should check it out.

Step 2: Plan your day of freedom

 I plan on packing a picnic and seeking out that fresh grass scent, finding a body of water even if it means having to purchase a sprinkler. This is how I will celebrate this middle of the week independence day.

Step 3: Enjoy your 4th of July, dreamers!

baseball & brewskies...

When I arrived in the Houston airport at the end of my trip, my friends were awaiting me with posters saying "We missed you!" I was overwhelmed :) Emily and Richard recently moved to Houston and I have been anxious to visit their new city! Fourth of July weekend was perfect. In great American style, we went to the Astros vs. Red Sox game...

happy 4th of july

One of my favorite independence day's was spent at a vineyard in Texas with my family in 2008. It not only was a beautiful setting, but the food and wine were incredible as well. How ever you spend this day today, I hope you are with the ones you love :)