Parsley and Pom Poms

This past week my Father had some business down in Miami. Of course my Mom came along for the trip from NJ (where my parents live) so that we could all spend some time together - mini vacay!

A friend of my father's has a beautiful beach home in Ocean Ridge, FL, about 1 hour north of us in Miami Beach. When he heard our family was all going to be in the area he generously offered for my parents, Zach, Ethel (our mini dachshund) and I to come stay for a long weekend.

It was a water filled weekend. The ocean was crystal clear mimicking the reflection of the beautiful sky. We began the trip off with a stroll down the sandy beach searching for ocean treasures. Even the smallest of shells fascinate me. They are all perfect additions to the many succulent gardens and pots I love planting, adds character.

Back at the house I Immediately put on my one piece from "Show Me Your Mumu" okay, totally obsessed! The serape stripe print pattern matches my favorite beach blanket from our honeymoon in Mexico. Needless to say it gives me happy vibes. We spent a lot of time throughout the next few days just chilling; reading books, watching football, having some cold drinks, and taking a nice drive along the coast through Palm Beach. The weekend would not have been complete without paddle boarding or some surfing, something both my husband and I love to do. We took out the long board and paddle board just in time for shark feeding. Being from Jersey we don't think about sharks as much as maybe a Floridian does. Maybe next time we will plan our timing better, but we made it through! I will definitely make a point to long weekend again in Palm Beach County.

xo RCN

Zach, my handsome husband, has a large loving family. 99% of which all live in MN, where Zach was born. That makes us, our immediate Nord family, the ones that live away. We do our best to make the trip up north for visits when we can.

This past weekend we headed to MN for cousin Makenzie's wedding. One of the duties as a cousin upon arrival (along with the aunties) was to help make the reception space look fab...and we sure did! We had a blast decorating the bar and event space, City Limits Bar and Grill. It took a few days to pull everything together, all hands on deck, but it turned out spectacular. We laughed our butts off while making tissue pom poms until late at night, not long after cutting hundreds of fresh hydrangeas for the table center pieces. The morning of, we snacked on jerky from the local meat market whilst gathering Auntie Deb's fresh cut lavender. Yes, Auntie Deb drove an entire truck of lavender from her Wyoming ranch just for the décor. My last duty of decorating was hanging twinkle lights from the rooftop tent. It sounds like a nuisance, but it wasn't so bad with a Bloody Mary in tow and a million cousins and aunts to laugh with while doing it.

Once the pasrty started, my Jimmy Choo heels (pictured above) allowed me to dance well into the night. Honestly, Jimmy Choo is one of my favorite designer brands for heels because they just don't hurt like some others. I can last hours in them. So worth the splurge! My strapless plaid and bow trimmed taffeta Eva Franco dress made a splash as the last of my summer wedding dresses for this season. Most importantly, the cool 65-70 degree evening air allowed me to let my hair loose. No buns needed on the dance floor! It was a truly special weekend with family...and well, another 400 people. What a big and fun family family wedding! Everything was pretty and perfect, I hope Makenzie felt the same.

xo RCN