Watching the wheels go round and round.

Holy August, where did July go? We've been keeping busy, enjoying the amazing weather -

Beach picnic.

Watching sunsets -

And visiting with friends. Including very exciting visits from home - three cheers for not one visit, but two visits from my dear dear Sara in one week...

And, of course, we've been working on the house. Something about putting a million dollars into the exterior of your house (okay, it was slightly less than that) makes you want to finish all your outdoor projects so the beautiful paint job (and all new windows!) really shines. For me, this meant finishing our front porch. One of my favorite parts about the summer is sitting out front, drinking my morning coffee or reading in the evening or just plain getting some afternoon sun. New light fixture, check. New mailbox, check. And we've wanted to get real porch furniture for the past few summers, but, like rugs, that stuff is hard to pin down. Finally, finally!! we found something online at Home Depot that was just perfect. We ordered Monday night and by the end of the week, we had a giant box on our porch.

Before --

After --

I didn't think the porch looked bad before, but it kind of looks college apartment-like, now that we have mature, adult furniture!

The chairs even rock! Literally! Ha! I just... there aren't even words. My heart is full with love for my front porch. It even looks sweet at night, courtesy of our new light (and Edison bulb) -

To celebrate our cozy new corner, we spent our Saturday night out front, with cocktails and Scrabble.

Clearly explains how Brad actually beat me. By one point. ONE! All vowels, all boozy.