Good morning and a very Happy Friday!
Man, this week flew by. As most of you already know, Scott and I have spent the last four days visiting family in Arkansas and Missouri. We have kept relatively busy for coming down without any plans, and are looking forward to heading out and spending the day in Branson shortly after breakfast.
In true Friday fashion, we are talking favorites today! Every week, I share what I have been loving lately, and I always invite you to join in on the fun by sharing your favorites from the week in the comments section.
I see a ton of new faces pop in on Fridays, so if you are a blogger, make sure to look for the blue Inlinkz button at the bottom and link up your own #FFavorites posts, too!
Friday Favorites #94: Week of 6/19
• waking up to sights like this
There’s something to be said about spending time with the great outdoors.
I have been soaking up every moment of getting outside this week, and it’s hard not to want to spend all day staring at Mother Nature with views like this. It has been about two years since I last visited Scott’s parents’ houses, and this stunning scenery is one of a few gardens at Scott’s dad and step-mom’s.
Although it has been raining the majority of the week, it’s still been nice to soak in the fresh air as much as possible and chat on the patio!
• Thirty-One toiletry bag
I received this zip up bag as a gift ages ago, and I finally put it to good use the last couple of months. It’s from the brand Thirty-One and is the perfect size and material to hold a good amount of toiletries.
I’m having trouble locating the exact style online, but it’s definitely bigger than it looks in the photo above.
I love this brand of personalized bags, and this zip up pouch holds plenty, including my slightly embarrassing night guard. (Thanks, Trish!)
• road tripping with Roadie
This is the longest trip Scott and I have ever driven together (besides moving), so we debated on whether or not to take Roadie with us and along for the ride. At the very last minute, we decided he needed a vacation too!
We packed up his things for the week and set up a bed for him in the backseat before embarking on the over twelve hour drive down to Missouri early Monday morning. He always does great in the car, and he really was smiling any time he wasn’t sleeping.
He’s been in Roadie heaven on this trip. Unless we plan to be gone for hours at a time, he rides along to anywhere we go. He’s been off of his leash for the first time in a long time, and he has become quite familiar with the country life.
I’m so happy we brought him! As nice as it is to get away from any responsibilities, seeing him soak in this vacation right along with us makes my heart melt.
I don’t think he wants to go home!
• avocado & hearts of palm salad
We contributed to dinner last night with a re-make of Scott’s Avocado and Hearts of Palm Salad.
It was just a delicious as I remembered, and his dad and step-mom seemed to love it just as much as we do. Win!
• revisiting Eureka Springs (where we got engaged!)
Anytime Scott and I plan a trip to Missouri/Arkansas, we always try to squeeze in at least a day in one of our favorite cities, Eureka Springs. We absolutely love the sights and sounds of this charming city in the Ozark Mountains.
I plan to share a full recap of our day in Eureka Springs next week, but for now, I’ll tell you my favorite part was retracing the steps of where we got engaged!
Stay tuned for more stories…
• Merona shorts via Target
Coming from Michigan where I can still get away with wearing jeans (when I’m not in leggings) most days of June, I was in desperate need of a couple new pairs of shorts for this trip. I casually walked over to the women’s clothing section on a recent trip into Target last week, and I couldn’t pass up this buy-one-get-one at 50% off deal on all Merona shorts.
( & )
I’m not sure if the sale is still going on in stores (it is online!), but it’s worth a look. I’m digging both pairs I brought home, and I want to go back for (andand )!
• fruit and yogurt bowls
Since I am straying far away from my normal eating pattern (hello regular pasta noodles, homemade ice cream, and lots of desserts!), I have been trying to balance it all out by starting my days off with a healthy breakfast.
Close to every morning, I have been enjoying a bowl of Greek yogurt topped in fresh fruit like berries, grapes, melon, and even cherries. I haven’t gotten sick of them yet, and I truly appreciate the effort Scott’s mom made to ensure I feel at home!
• drinks on-the-go
I rarely ever drink soda these days, but there was a time where it was a challenge for me to ween myself off of Diet Coke. I don’t ever really miss it, and I have found other (healthier) alternatives to drink when I am craving something other than water or need a kick of caffeine on-the-go.
I often turn to flavored waters like Dasani Flavors. If I feel like I need something more, I grab a tea (I’ve been loving Gold Peak Green Tea lately). If I’m really wanting to treat myself with an extra punch of bubbly caffeine, I grab any flavor of a Starbucks Refreshers drink. They’re all so good, and just like the name suggests… refreshing!
• favorite LIL posts
» Photos That Never Made The Blog (Photo Dump)
» Healthy To-Go Snacks For Road Trips
» Bass Pro Shops Headquarters & Downtown Springfield
• Friday funnies
How I feel every morning (even on vacation)…
It’s Friday!! (But really… my strategy for years.)
True story.
Hehe!
Your Turn
Have a great weekend!
Disclaimer: Friday Favorites is a series of posts that features items I genuinely want to share with you. While #FFavorites isn’t sponsored, affiliate links may appear from time to time. As always, any support is much appreciated! <3
![[in our elementary school era] 🚌😭
Skyler did great walking into KINDERGARTEN with a big smile on his face this morning. I, however, was a bit of a mess on our walk home. 🥹
It’s wild how fast these 5 years with him have gone … 7 since we moved to NYC and into our apartment, dreaming of the day our kids would someday go to the *awesome* school right down our block. 🏫
That day is today, and I still don’t believe it — feeling allll of the emotions and thanking God for placing us here and for being able to trust His timing through the journey. 🫶🏼 #hbshinnyc
SO proud of you, SK - you are going to rock your first year at your “big boy school” - WE LOVE YOU !! 🩵👑](https://lifeinleggings.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
I am loving the outdoors lately too, and the fruit bowla!
I have been ALL about fruit lately. Happy Friday!
Your outdoor pictures are beautiful, there is something about fresh air that makes the soul happy! I have both pairs of those shorts from Target. You can’t go wrong with that brand half of my tanks and t’s are from there.
Yes! I haven’t worn the black and white pair yet… but I just might today! I got some tanks too 😉 Enjoy your weekend!
Something tells me that Scott has used the interpretive dance card before… and like Renee said, your pictures are gorgeous. There is just something almost mystical about nature in that area! So lush and otherworldly. Have a great rest of your time!
Haha, Scott? NEVER! Kidding, obviously. It’s a good day when he doesn’t use something random like interpretive dance! 😉 Happy Weekend!
Your vacation pictures are beautiful! And your funnies are always fantastic – those are all so accurate. Have a lovely weekend!
Haha, I’m glad you appreciate them. Thanks for reading, Ellen!
Those gardens are amazing, Healther! Can’t wait to take my dog on vaca soon as we usually have to leave her! It will make it that much more fun. Thanks so much for doing the link up each week. Appreciate it so much. Have a great weekend.
We always fly everywhere, so we figured we might as well take advantage of being in the car and take him! Thanks so much for stopping by and linking up! Happy Weekend 🙂
Your views are so pretty! I’ve never spent any time in that part of the country, but it look gorgeous. I love how much Roadie is loving his vacay. Our dog is an old lady and riding in a car is super stressful for her, so we have to keep the trips super short.
The last thing I need is more shorts, but that sale is making me want to buy some anyway!
Aw, poor girl. I’m sure she gets lots of love at home!
The site where you got engaged is just beautiful. Looks like you are having fun. Enjoy the rest of your time!
Thanks Lauren, I’ll be sure to share more pictures and stories next week! 🙂
What a beautiful back yard! Love it. My dog is horrible on car rides and always gets really anxious. I have to sit in the back seat with her or she gets sick. It’s not ideal, but we do crazy things to make our furbabies happy 🙂
Aw, Roadie has always been great in the car, but my dogs growing up weren’t as mobile. I did, however, lay down with him in the back for a few hours 😉
Hi Heather! You guys were definitely due for a trip to Scott’s home. I’m so glad you are having fun. And I am in terrible need of some new shorts, because it’s warmer where we live now outside the City. Love that you brought Roadie. We’ve never had to worry about having a pet when going away, but we do now. Yay for Favorites Day!! 🙂 Thanks for hosting!
You should definitely check out Target! They had tons of shorts for great prices 🙂 Aw, I hope you’re little fur baby is doing well! Thanks for linking up!
I love bringing my dog along for road trips — he’s such a good travel buddy! The only downside is if it’s warm out you can’t really leave them in the car to go do something.
I know… it really does limit what you can do out of the car on the way there and back… the things we do for furkids, right?
Being outdoors is one of life’s simple pleasures that just makes you feel good inside and out. Fruit and yogurt and anything avocado are on that same list of pleasures.
Have a fantastic Friday Heather!
Exactly! I don’t want to leave! 😉 I’m LOVING avos right now, too! Thanks for linking up and I hope you have a great weekend!
Beautiful natures shots! Looks like a fabulous time away! 🙂
Thanks Sabrina, enjoy your weekend!
This is so fun! My hubby and I live in Kansas City, MO and we love it. Glad to see you were enjoying Missouri too! And your Roadie looks like he was having the time of his life. I bet our puppy would be jealous because we don’t take her on our vacations! Have a great weekend!
Scott used to live in Kansas City, too! He’s lived a little bit of everywhere it seems. Happy Weekend!
Wow, so many pretty views!!
I will start answering in interpretive dance from now on….I like it! 😉
Haha, I say go for it! I bet you’ll hardly ever get bothered 😉
Ahh happy puppy! I wish my cat would like car rides! He acts like we’re trying to kill him when we take him to the vet. 🙁 Happy Friday!
Ours do the same thing! Aspen, in particular, cries to get outside, but if we take her for a ride she’ll cry even more the whole way.
O I love the shorts! Which I am SO in need of….I think I have one good pair of shorts…
Looks like you guys are having a great time! How fun that you took Roadie. I bet he’s loving life!
Mmm, I’ve been all about the fruit + yogurt bowl lately too. So tasty and refreshing!!
He’s definitely getting spoiled, that’s for sure!
That garden is amazing! If only I had the space and time to have a garden like that… 🙂 Glad all of you are having a wonderful vacation! Safe travels on your trip back home!
I love the funnies you post every week! YES to all of them! Especially the one about going out on weeknights. I am an In my pj’s by 7 every night if possible kind of girl!
So happy to have found you through the link ups 🙂 That is so sweet that you revisit where you got engaged, I love that!
Glad you brought Roadie along, looks like he really enjoyed himself too!
Happy Friday!
That scenery at your in laws place is lovely! I’m glad you had such a nice time! I too am enjoying these long lazy days! 🙂
Wow it looks gorgeous there!! Glad you were able to bring your pup! We bring our cat on trips back to visit our family if we’re gone for awhile, but it’s kind of a pain sometimes haha.
Love those Starbucks refreshers!
I’m loving everything about this post! I love that toiletry bag, the avocado salad looks delicious and your shirt in the Euraka Springs photo is adorable! I’m on the hunt for some shorts for the summer, so I’m definitely hitting up Target to see if those ones are still in stock. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, I got it from either TJMaxx or Marshall’s when I was in Houston. Gotta love bargains!
I want to visit just for Eureka Springs alone.. It’s beautiful!! Would be a great spot for engagement pics!! And I love those shorts- hoping they have them at my Target on my weekly shopping trip! Have a great weekend.
So glad you’ve been having so much fun in MO and AR! I love, love, LOVE seeing some appreciation for my home state. More people need to know how awesome Arkansas is. Or maybe not…there’s already way too many people moving to my hometown area of Northwest Arkansas right now. I like to keep it secret. Shhhh!! 😉 Love those shorts from Target as well! Have fun at Silver Dollar City! Ah! Talk about a huge point of my childhood–the Summer trips to SDC
Arkansas is a great mix of pure beauty and country living. We love getting over to Fayetville and NWA during our trips home, but sadly, we didn’t get to spend any time there this trip. I hope to see more next time!
Hi! Fellow night guard wearer here! ha! I live close to Branson and can you believe all this rain!?! Crazy!!
Your pictures are beautiful and so glad you are having a great time! And I think that ThirtyOne bag is called a Zipper Pouch?!? I have one and sooo much stuff fits inside!! Handy!
I love taking my pup with me on car rides. It is so fun to have your dog with you, and they sure do seem so happy to be there too!