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It’s the eve of my birthday and I’ve only had to ask Siri and Alexa how old I’m going to be 498 times in the recent days.
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#birthdayeve #sunsetpics #kansassunset #fallnights #octoberishere #covidbirthday #fallvibes🍁

I love the colors in the fall, don’t you? With all that’s been going on in the news lately, it’s nice to get outside and breathe some of that cool crisp fall air. Happy October, friends! It’s my favorite month of the year!
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#happyfallyall #birthdaymonthbegins #fallsky #autumnvibes #warmcolors #kansasphotos #fallismyfavorite @duewestranch

My wish for you is to have people in your life who love and support you as much as my family and friends do. I’m pretty blessed! 🎉🎉🎉 Why the celebrating? It’s the @rockyourhappy life coaching official business launch day! Make sure to follow along this week for giveaways for free one on one coaching and other awesome goodies!!
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#hustlebelievereceive #lifecoachforwomen #motivationmondays #lifecoach #businesscoaching #entrepreneurlifestyle #entrepreneurlife

Parenting is not for the weak of heart. My friend @howsweeteats recently told me being the mom of a boy is like having your heart broken little by little over their lifetime. It’s so true...in a good heartbroken kind of way because he will thrive, he’s so happy and this is what we’ve prepared him for. But damn we’ll miss him. I already do. (PS I held it together until the very last minute which we all know is probably a record for me). We love you @jacobdoyle02 ❤️Have so much fun!!
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#collegebound #kansasstate #emaw #grownandflown

We’re soaking up the last handful of days before @jacobdoyle02 heads off to college and this unbelievable dreamy August weather. Can someone just freeze today please and keep things as they are for awhile longer (but with a better president & #justiceforbreonna )? Thank you very much 🙏🏻
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And actually be careful what you wish for, right? I want Jacob to be able to go to college and have a great experience. So universe, if you are listening, just freezing the weather like today’s would be fine *if* you can give these college kids a great as can be on campus school year. My heart sometimes get ahead of logic.
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#blueskiesandsunshine #parkpicnic #grownandflown #collegebound #parkday #terrierlove

Meg is quite angry she doesn’t get a spot on the family picture wall. I may need to take her, the cat and the turtle out for a photo shoot of their own. PS photos by the extremely talented @sweetchaiphotography Love her work!!
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#picturewall #rescuedogsofig #terriermix #familyphoto #seniorpicturesunday #interiorideas

2 book US Giveaway (2 separate winners)!!
How far will the human heart go to protect itself and the ones it loves?
This is what’s explored in one of my top ten favorite books from last year, If You Want to Make God Laugh by @biancamarais_author If engaging dramas focusing on strong women characters with heart and grit is your thing, then you’ll definitely want to check out this 5 Star Read! Recently released in paperback, I’m giving 2 lucky readers the chance to each win a copy of this phenomenal read. To enter:
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1) Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite book is that not many people have heard of.
2) follow @biancamarais_author on Instagram and tell her hello! She’s one of the friendliest authors on Instagram & I know would love to connect!
Giveaway ends at midnight CST on July 19th. Winner will be chosen at random and notified July 20th. Thanks for entering and happy reading! Tell your friends because I know they’ll want to read this book too!
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@putnambooks #bookgiveaway #booksilove #readthis #whattoread #kcbookstagram #readeveryday #booksarelife #fictionbooks #strongfemalecharacters
#sunflowers

I’ve decided to add “spend a few nights / days on a sailboat” to my live list. Ever since reading the book Love With a Chance of Drowning a few years ago I’ve been so intrigued and fascinated by sailboats. I really think a little sailing adventure sounds like fun. Actually I’m upping the ante and I’m going to add “in Santorini, Greece”. Dream big!
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Have you spent the night on a sailboat before? Is it worth it?
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#sailboats #coloradoskies #visitcolorado #lakelifeisthebestlife #sailaway #livelist #bucketlistideas

Breathe in. Breathe out. (But wear a mask if you’re breathing around others😷).

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#visitcolorado #kayakingadventures #lakedillon #friscocolorado #justbreathe #relaxmood #waterreflection #travelcolorado

Our uphill hike to Mayflower Gulch was definitely worth alllllll the complaining we heard beforehand. Gotta love family vacations 😂.
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#familyvacay #coloradohikes #beautifulcolors #naturephotography #visitcolorado #socialdistancing2020

The best kind of social distancing.
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#visitcolorado #socialdistance #mountainviews #familyadventures #coloradogram #mountainadventures

A couple months ago we received an issue of @kansascitymagazine that listed 16 fun Day Trips to check out. We don’t explore the Midwest nearly enough so have decided to try all 16. We started off today with a trip to Weston, MO to take a hike on the Westridge Trail. Westridge trail is within West Bend State Park and gives you cliff side views of the lovely (ugh 🤨) Missouri River. It was a nice, mostly shaded way to spend a couple hours today! We can’t wait to try out the next recommendation!
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#midwestblogger #midwestliving #hikingtrails #missouriadventure #daytrips #kansascitymagazine #westonmo

It’s almost the end of June and this was the first day it’s actually felt like summer fun. Our summer is usually packed with fun summer activities so it was awesome to get out and feel summery with friends. Who knew this cool little wake boarding place was just a short drive out of town? Check out @kcwatersports if you are local and looking for something fun for you or the kids!
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#visitkc #summerdays🌞 #wakeboarding #feelslikesummer #summertimevibes #friendsnight #sunshineandsummertime

Anyone else obsessed with live cams of public places? I’ve kept a close eye on some of my favorite cams in NYC and Santa Monica since quarantine first started (2 of my favorite places) and it’s been so surreal to see how desolate things have been. Things have definitely picked up tremendously In both locations recently but still not even close to what they would be in a normal June. .
The other live cam I’m obsessed with is the bald eagle nest in Decora Iowa. Those babies have grown so much in the past several weeks and it’s been amazing to watch! Another fun one is a Jackson Hole Wyoming Main Street cam. Technology can be annoying, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to get away to dream whenever I want to with the click of a live cam button!
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(Picture is from our trip introducing my kids to California last summer. Best vacation.) Take me back forever.
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#santamonicabeach #santamonicapier #californialoving #beachvacation #takemebacktocali #coastallife #coastalvibes #visitcali #visitcalifornia #summervibe

If I could spend my life anywhere, I would choose to be by water. A home by the ocean, a brook, a beautiful lake, etc. I don’t need to be in the water necessarily, but by the water or on the water is when I’m happiest. I love the sounds of waves crashing the shore or water flowing over rocks and pebbles. .
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I’m still over here living vicariously through old vacation photos. We had such an incredible family vacation to California last year. I’m so thankful we took that trip when we did considering how 2020 has turned out. Did you have summer vacation plans that got cancelled this year? Where were you headed?
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#vacationphotos #santamonicapier #californiasky #beachvacation #dreamingoftravel #travelphotography

Cheers to the weekend, all my pre-COVID library holds coming in at the same time 🤦‍♀️ and canned @avagracevineyards wine! Which one of these great books should I crack open first?
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#weekendvibes✌️ #cheerstothegoodlife #librarybookhaul #bookstack #somanybookssolittletime #summerreading

I just booked us a mini 5 day family vacation for next month. I’ve been obsessively looking through old vacation photos like this one and have been so sad to not have any trips to look forward to this summer. It just feels weird. So I said screw it...and booked a little mountain house in Colorado we can drive to to spend time hiking and breathing in the fresh mountain air. Social distance style. I cannot wait!.
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#travelobsessed #dreamingoftravel #tugboat #wanderlust #gottagetaway #traveldreams

“When I think about racism in America, I imagine a broad forest filled densely with tall trees, trees as old as this country itself, trees that were planted with racist seeds. Trees that grew prejudice branches and oppressive leaves and mangled roots that buried and entrenched themselves deep within the soil, forming a web so well-developed and so entangled that pushes back when we try to look clearly at how it really works. This forest is where we live, it's who we are. It's the morals and values systems that we as a society have upheld and emboldened for centuries. I make this analogy between racism and nature in this country, because it's as pervasive and as real as nature. It is some part of everything the light touches. But in this moment, all of us are being invited to challenge that system and think about how to affect real change.” - Lady Gaga, Dear Class of 2020 Commencement Address. Watch it if you haven’t! .
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Last year while on vacation in California we visited Muir Woods. I remember feeling so tiny and swallowed up by the giant Redwoods. Those trees have been there hundreds to thousands of years. When you think about trying to change something that’s that deeply rooted, it can be daunting, however if you look closely, new growth is happening all over Muir Woods. Tiny trees are fighting for the light and are branching out and growing all on their own. Someday those tiny trees will be the ones we all look up to. And thanks to the youth of today, I believe those trees are the trees that will take over the forest...the trees from seeds of hope and change. 🙏🏻🖤.
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#dearclassof2020 #seedsofchange #redwoodtrees #muirwoods #systematicracism #antiracist #visitcalifornia

Do any of you go to bed at night thinking / dreaming about your coffee the next morning? Except with Nick working from home too we’ve doubled our espresso consumption and are sadly out of espresso beans for my morning coffee tomorrow 😭 My @mistoboxcoffee delivery won’t be here for a few days. It might be worth it to just stay in bed all day tomorrow, considering this travesty, don’t you think? 😄
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#screenedinporch #miraclemorning #bulletjournalcommunity #morningcoffeetime #nocoffee

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FOOD

My love of how food connects people together runs deep. Explore a decade worth of Dine & Dish recipes, from sweets to savory as well as classic family favorites. Food lovers will want to check this out. Bon Appétit!

Clear Glass Bowl with Instant Pot Ristotto, Shrimp and Veggies

TRAVEL

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list." I've always had a serious case of wanderlust, and traveling and exploring new places continues to be one of my favorite things. Come explore my favorite places with me!

5 Great Ways to Maximize Your Time at Walt Disney World Parks

LIFE

More than just a food blog, Dine & Dish has always been a place where I've shared what's happening in our life. These life posts tend to be my absolute favorite blog posts. Come get a taste of life as it happens in our house!

broken plant pot on the floor with dirt

HAPPINESS

I believe that in order to live a happy life, you have to make happiness happen through implementing simple things that make you happy into every day. Here are a few of the things that bring me happiness - I hope they do you too.

EXPLORE HAPPINESS

It’s the eve of my birthday and I’ve only had to ask Siri and Alexa how old I’m going to be 498 times in the recent days.
.
.
#birthdayeve #sunsetpics #kansassunset #fallnights #octoberishere #covidbirthday #fallvibes🍁

I love the colors in the fall, don’t you? With all that’s been going on in the news lately, it’s nice to get outside and breathe some of that cool crisp fall air. Happy October, friends! It’s my favorite month of the year!
.
.
#happyfallyall #birthdaymonthbegins #fallsky #autumnvibes #warmcolors #kansasphotos #fallismyfavorite @duewestranch

My wish for you is to have people in your life who love and support you as much as my family and friends do. I’m pretty blessed! 🎉🎉🎉 Why the celebrating? It’s the @rockyourhappy life coaching official business launch day! Make sure to follow along this week for giveaways for free one on one coaching and other awesome goodies!!
.
#hustlebelievereceive #lifecoachforwomen #motivationmondays #lifecoach #businesscoaching #entrepreneurlifestyle #entrepreneurlife

Parenting is not for the weak of heart. My friend @howsweeteats recently told me being the mom of a boy is like having your heart broken little by little over their lifetime. It’s so true...in a good heartbroken kind of way because he will thrive, he’s so happy and this is what we’ve prepared him for. But damn we’ll miss him. I already do. (PS I held it together until the very last minute which we all know is probably a record for me). We love you @jacobdoyle02 ❤️Have so much fun!!
.
.
#collegebound #kansasstate #emaw #grownandflown

We’re soaking up the last handful of days before @jacobdoyle02 heads off to college and this unbelievable dreamy August weather. Can someone just freeze today please and keep things as they are for awhile longer (but with a better president & #justiceforbreonna )? Thank you very much 🙏🏻
.
And actually be careful what you wish for, right? I want Jacob to be able to go to college and have a great experience. So universe, if you are listening, just freezing the weather like today’s would be fine *if* you can give these college kids a great as can be on campus school year. My heart sometimes get ahead of logic.
.
.
#blueskiesandsunshine #parkpicnic #grownandflown #collegebound #parkday #terrierlove

Meg is quite angry she doesn’t get a spot on the family picture wall. I may need to take her, the cat and the turtle out for a photo shoot of their own. PS photos by the extremely talented @sweetchaiphotography Love her work!!
.
.
#picturewall #rescuedogsofig #terriermix #familyphoto #seniorpicturesunday #interiorideas

2 book US Giveaway (2 separate winners)!!
How far will the human heart go to protect itself and the ones it loves?
This is what’s explored in one of my top ten favorite books from last year, If You Want to Make God Laugh by @biancamarais_author If engaging dramas focusing on strong women characters with heart and grit is your thing, then you’ll definitely want to check out this 5 Star Read! Recently released in paperback, I’m giving 2 lucky readers the chance to each win a copy of this phenomenal read. To enter:
.
1) Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite book is that not many people have heard of.
2) follow @biancamarais_author on Instagram and tell her hello! She’s one of the friendliest authors on Instagram & I know would love to connect!
Giveaway ends at midnight CST on July 19th. Winner will be chosen at random and notified July 20th. Thanks for entering and happy reading! Tell your friends because I know they’ll want to read this book too!
.
.
@putnambooks #bookgiveaway #booksilove #readthis #whattoread #kcbookstagram #readeveryday #booksarelife #fictionbooks #strongfemalecharacters
#sunflowers

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