It was our last weekend at the lake We actually made it down three times this year. With everyone being so busy {mostly Logan} I was surprised we got down there that much. It is always nice to get away for a weekend.

With the last little bit of the tropical storm working its way up north I wasn’t sure how much sunshine we’d see. We woke up early on Saturday to check out the weather, things looked clear so after a quick stop to Starbucks we headed down to my cousins house.

We rode down with my cousin, Adam, and his 3 1/2 year old daughter, Ava. Riding in the car with a little one made the ride go faster. We had to point out every cow or horse we saw on the way down.

As soon as we got down there, around 10, we started getting the boats ready. We packed the lunches, grabbed the life jackets and headed out to the water.

As soon as we got settled on the Cumberland River we ate some lunch and let the kids swim. It was fun to tie up and just relax. A nice, easy weekend is just what I wanted for the end of summer. I enjoyed my last few Summer Shandy’s of the season {I’m so ready for some fall beers now-any recc’s?) .

David and Lauren took Adam and Ava out on the tube and from what I heard they had a great time!

We stayed out til about 7pm and decided to actually go out to dinner. We headed to Lee’s Ford Marina. It was fun to try somewhere new! Of course, we had to get our fill of Twisted Pineapple and get our favorite cupcakes in Somerset!

I always love our weekends at the lake. I am already looking forward to our summer of 2013 trips!

PS- Do you love Starbucks as much as I do? Head over to Living Social and grab a $10 gift card for only $5. I would love it if you used my link to help me get mine free (Only 1 person away!) Thank you! Buy it here!

I don’t know how we got so lucky with the weather these past two weekends. Sunny &  upper 70′s?! Unbelievable for August! We took advantage of the gorgeous weather with a motorcycle ride.

We were going to a restaurant located in downtown Cincinnati. We tend to avoid highways while riding the bike so it was fun to ride through the back streets to get downtown. {A lot of which was the route we ran for the Flying Pig marathon, it brought back lots of fun memories}.

Lauren has a running list of places to go visit on her iPhone, and one of them happened to be Tom & Chee. I had been once before but was excited to grab lunch there again. This time I was brave and ordered the grilled donut. Everyone else just got the normal grilled cheese. Andy suggested we take our lunches to the newly revamped Washington Park.

This park was the perfect place to enjoy lunch. We sat right by the dog park, which was fun to watch them run and play.

The grilled donut-oh my! It was so delicious. It was crispy, sweet, and even a little bit salty from the cheddar cheese. I can only imagine the calorie count of this little sandwich {which I don’t care to know }! It is something I would get again but at Tom & Chee they have so many others I want to try that it might be a while before I get it again!

We were so close to Findlay Market that we decided to go check it out. I have always wanted to check it out. LOVE this place! If we were in a car I would have bought so much. I saw lots of fresh veggies, breads, and treats! I told Andy we will have to make a date day and head there for lunch and shopping.

After the market we went back out on the bikes. We went through many beautiful spots to get back home. Being on the bike you see so many more things than you do while in the car. We went through old parts of the city that have these huge, historic homes. It was a great afternoon ride.

Hopefully we have more weekends like this past one to get out on the bike. I enjoy discovering  new places in my own city. There are so many local restaurants, shops, and parks that we still have to visit!

Last summer I bought white linen pants, and sadly they have been hanging in my closet for far too long. The weather here has been extremely hot so the thought of wearing pants, even light weight material,never even crossed my mind.

Last Sunday I was asked to go to a bridal show with my brother in law’s fiance. I was one of those crazy people who loved planning my wedding. I was happy to go help her check out all the vendors. Plus, we got to watch a wedding dress fashion show. It was a fun day!

I decided since we were inside all afternoon that it was the perfect time to pull those white linen pants out of the closet:

Top: Target

Pants: JCrew

Shoes: Hollister

Jewelry: Lia Sophia

This guy kept trying to make a guest appearance so I took a photo with him:

One of my favorite things about summer is the cookouts. I love any excuse to get together with friends and eat some good food!

 While I was down in Nashville, we spent an afternoon at the Opry Mills Mall. The only thing I ended up buying was a skirt from Charlotte Russe. I thought it would be perfect to wear to Andy’s birthday cookout.

I am still on the hunt for a tank that is the same mint/teal color that is in the skirt (suggestions??)

My current favorite cookout food to bring is something I saw on Pinterest, foil desserts! You take a cone and fill it with all kinds of goodies. The fixings I bought were mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, chopped up caramel Milkyways,   peanut butter M&M’s,  & Twix.

 They are super easy to make too! Fill your cone, wrap in foil, put in the coals for a few-just to melt everything, unwrap (carefully!), and enjoy!

What is your favorite food to take to a cookout??

I have been totally slacking on my blogging. Since my last post my handsome husband turned 28, I went to an interpreters workshop in Columbus, worked a few freelance jobs, and wasted days away at the pool. This is the life!

If you follow me on Instagram you have been keeping up with me {if not follow me! @allie_0906}

I’ve also been reading while at the pool. I am almost finished with Nicholas Spark’s book, Best of Me. I have pre-ordered Emily Giffin’s newest book for my Nook and I CAN NOT wait to read it!

I haven’t been running due to knee pain. I did get it checked out and it turns out my quads and glutes are super tight which is causing the pain. Its nothing that a few adjustments and stretches won’t fix! I am only off running for 2 weeks (except for the race I’ve already registered for on Saturday). I’ve been keeping myself busy with cross training but I have missed running, especially on days like today when the humidity is low. I know these next few weeks will fly by!

Overall, summer has started off great! I only hope the trend keeps up for the next few months!