Guest Post: The Ingredients for a Perfect Saturday

Hi guys! While Dave and I are off on vacation I have some amazing girls guest posting. We're going to start off with one of my favorite blog friends turned real friends, Cassie. 

Hello Bound by Love readers, it's me again- Cassie from Sage! I am so happy to be with you guys today while Lauren is off enjoying her vacation. I am a newlywed, west coast transplant living in the Midwest and attending graduate school. I like to think I am pretty interesting, but that could just be my self-serving bias... oops. Anyways, I hope you will stick around!

I'm not going to lie. I have had this post in my own drafts for some time. I can be indecisive, and I have about a million things to talk about so it was difficult to narrow down my thoughts. HOWEVER, I am here to save the day because I have FINALLY put together a list of the ingredients for a perfect Saturday. At least my perfect Saturday!

1. SLEEPING IN. Now, this doesn't always happen, especially because my cats think that the best time to wake up is 5:30am. Also, our idea of sleeping in is like 8am, so if I make it to then I am pretty stoked.

{omg is that even for real? Cassie I want it!!! Makes my heart melt}

2. Breakfast in bed. My husband is amazing, he is always up before me on the weekends cooking breakfast for us. I don't hate it.

3. COFFEE. Literally- it is not a Saturday without coffee and cat cuddles. It's just not. 

6. More coffee and quiet time. 



5. A nice long bike ride. We are big cyclists and love to get out for a long ride on Saturdays together. Sometimes we even venture out of our introvertedness and ride with friends.

6. Netflix & a nap. Because who doesn't love both of these things? And after a long ride this is just about the only thing that sounds appealing.

7.  A homemade dinner. Since we are trying to save money by not eating out, a lot of the time we eat at home, even on the weekends. I don't mind because I really love cooking, especially since it is summer and I can convince my husband to grill!

8. Out early for drinks and sometimes even dessert. 

8. A bonfire in our awesome backyard. Our backyard recently got a facelift so we really love to spend time back there lately.
 

9. Getting to bed early with a good book. Because relaxation, duh.

What are your ingredients for a perfect Saturday?

Thanks so much Cassie! Aren't her cats adorable?

4th with family and friends

This weekend was so.much.fun. It's just what I needed. There's something to be said about being around old friends and family. It's natural, you don't have to try. They can nap on the couch while you do laundry and watch an episode of a show they think is boring. My friend Nicole and her boyfriend flew down last week and stayed with us. It was tons of fun. We ate well, bowled, played tennis, the men folk golfed, and had a lot of pool time at my parents.

For the 4th of July, my parents hosted a pool party/cookout. Everything was delicious and it was a blast to be together. Everyone pitched in with making things and we were all super full by the end of the day.

{me and my momma}

{my sister put this as my iphone wallpaper....it's staying like that}

A lot of us spent most of our time in the pool. We played our own version of horse with the pool basketball hoop. We played USA because it's more patriotic and shorter. Everyone got really creative on how to make their shots. It makes it more difficult that the basketball hoop floats and can go anywhere in the pool.

We were home early enough to shower and relax and take care of Finley. Nicole bought some bottle rockets and sparklers and we had fun setting them off. We saw some fireworks that were set off around our neighborhood but not a massive show of them. It was a great weekend and I'm so thankful for the freedoms we have in our country because of the brave men and women that serve to protect them.

7.4.14

Dear DAD, yay for you being in town!!!! Dear Nicole, I'm so glad you're here! Dear Spaz and Nate, So excited you guys are in town too. Can't wait to hug on ya! Dear Momma, thanks for sitting at our house multiple times this week. You're the best. Dear Best Friend Megan, I'm sad we won't be spending the fourth together this year but I hope you're ready for our tradition of a flag cake. I really brought it this year! Dear Aubrey, I'm so proud of you for starting your personal blog back up. You're amazing and funny and I can't wait to read every day. Dear Friends, you should check out my friend Aubrey's blog The Found Life. She's crazy funny, a talented photographer, and has such a big heart. You'll love her, I swear.Dear friends, I'm doing ok. I still really struggle with our miscarriage and sometimes it hurts so much I don't know what to do. But Dave and I are so strong and so good that I know I can get through this. Just an update that I'm doing much better and the sadness is kept at bay most of the time. I just don't like thinking that people think we're fine and healed, because it's far from the truth, but we're ok. Dear Nicole, I loved sitting in my closet among all my pretty clothes and talking till midnight the other night.

6.27.14

 

Dear Dave, I love when you're home and we're back in our routine together. Although absence does make the heart grow fonder. And I'm more appreciative of all you do when you come back home, so that's the silver lining I guess. Dear work, thanks for being understanding about me taking my name out of consideration for the full-time job. I'm really excited to travel with Dave for his work and figure out this whole "what I want to do with my life" thing when we're done. Dear hair, I like my new cut. Perfect for summer and for a girl that hates spending any time on doing my hair.

Dear Nicole, we will be back together in just a few days! I'm really looking forward to your visit!!!! Dear Sister Friend, I can't wait for you to be back in the states, I miss you so much. Dear Dave, you work so hard and I'm so proud of you. Congrats on your promotion at work. You're an amazing provider and I feel so safe with you. Yesterday morning as I was pulling out of our driveway and you were getting settled in your car, I just looked at you and went, "God, I love that man, I'm so lucky." Dear Tera, thanks for your guest post. Can't wait for a follow up. I need to start meal prepping, so this is helpful advice. Dear Youtube, I'm ashamed to say I've been sucked down the rabbit hole a time or two. It stars with one funny video and before you know it it's midnight and I've watched hours of videos. But thanks for keeping me entertained when Dave was gone. Dear Finley, thanks for getting so much better about going into the crate. It's making life so much easier. Dear Friday, I woke up thinking you were Saturday. Fail. Thank Goodness Dave knows his days and made me get up for work. He's a keeper. Dear Friends, enjoy your weekend! See ya back here on Monday!

pansy

Saturday I was supposed to drive to a blogger meet up, but I chickened out. Even with encouragement from my sweet friend Katie (because she knows me so well) I still stayed home. I'm bummed I did because I think I missed out on a great opportunity to meet fellow bloggers and form new friendships. I tried to make excuses by saying that I needed to stay home and catch up on sleep. Which is partly true because I was exhausted from work and taking care of Finley on my own all week. But it was just a poor excuse to not go.

I don't know what it is that takes over sometimes and immobilizes me with fear, but I don't like it. People tend to think I'm this outgoing person, and I can be, but usually I am shaking with fear when it comes to putting myself in new situations with people I don't know. I'm hoping that I will learn from this and next time I have the opportunity to do something outside of my comfort zone that I will.

sandy paws

{me and dave and finley somewhere back there swimming}

This past weekend while Janet was in town, we took Finley to his first dog beach. I was a little hesitant because I'm a worrier and I didn't know how he would do. I worried for nothing, per usual, because Finley did AWESOME. He got right in the water, he retrieved tennis balls we threw, and he played well with all the other dogs. Finley swam so much and loved every minute. Dave made him take a couple breaks because he was breathing so hard after so much constant swimming. It made my heart so happy to see how much fun he was having. He was a good boy and listened when it was time to go and let Dave and I hose him off and dry him before we went back to the car. It was a really cool dog beach and I know that we'll be back, next time with shampoo for bathing with the hose afterwards. We're rookies.

 

I'm so glad we went but my car still smells like wet dog. blah.

Beach Week: beach day

 

For Memorial Day weekend we of course went to the beach (it wouldn't be complete without a beach trip). We went to Longboat Key to our favorite beach-it's also the one Dave used to go to with his family when he was younger. This place holds a lot of memories for him and is starting to for me as well, since we've been going there ever since we moved here. This time though, we finally made it to the infamous (if only with his family) Omas Pizza. Dave has been talking about this place ever since I've known him, so I was excited to finally go there with him. After our bellies were satisfied we laid out and enjoyed being together in the sun. On the way home we stopped and I got my after the beach traditional Slurpee. I have the most patient husband, because I had to go to two 7 eleven's as the cherry Slurpee machine wasn't working at the first place. It was a great day and I'm looking forward to all the visitors that are coming to visit soon so that we can take them to our favorite beach and explore the town a little more.

Memorial Day

I hope you're enjoying your day off and spending time with friends and family doing fun things. But amidst all that, I hope you take a few moments to remember those that have sacrificed their lives for our freedom, so we can do the things we enjoy. I hope you realize what an amazing country we live in. We have so many freedoms we take for granted each and every day. Today I am thankful, so thankful for the sacrifices these men and women have made for our country. If we only stand united in one thing, I hope it's that these sacrifices are appreciated and will never be forgotten.

To the men and women of THE UNITED STATES MILITARY, thank you for giving your all. And to those families affected, your loss is not forgotten.

summer flex

I'm so excited for this weekend. It's the unofficial start of summer and with that it means beach trips, friend visits, and lots of Slurpees after a long day in the sun. My job has an awesome thing for summer-flex schedules. Basically I work 4 longer days and can have a day off, as long as there is coverage in the office. I'm starting my flex schedule today and will have tomorrow off so I can be home for the window repair guys. It give me a nice long 4 day weekend with Dave to play.

Don't you think ALL jobs should do this for summer?

I win.

Friday evening, Dave and I hosted our first game night. We invited a few couples we know to come and play. This was a good way to meet people's significant others without an awkward and stressful dinner party. No cooking for me to worry over and having games to focus on is a great way to initiate interaction.

We started with some snacks and drinks and small talk to catch up and introduce those that didn't know each other. Then we went straight to Cards Against Humanity. If you haven't played this game, you're really missing out. Although, you should probably play this for the first time with people that love and know you since it's a disturbing and inappropriate game (but so.much.fun!). To end the night, and to cleanse our minds, we played Catchphrase. We teamed up guys against girls and had a lot of fun trying to get our new friends to say the phrase on the machine.

As for food we kept it really simple with homemade guacamole (recipe coming soon), chips and salsa, tater tots, and chicken tenders. They girls also brought dips and cheese and crackers. It was enough to fill us up but not have me worry about a set meal for everyone. The night was a lot of fun and I hope we have more game nights in our future.

*For the record, we will never play monopoly as it's a terrible game that can last several days and bring fits of rage and tears.

Visiting

Paperless Post

I'm obsessed with Paperless Post (I'm waiting to be their official spokeswoman.....). I wrote a post  here a while ago and am still loving their cards/invitations etc. Having friends that live so far away sometimes you have to plan things way in advance. That's why I sent out and e-mail in April to see if anyone wanted to come and stay for the 4th of July weekend this summer. I'm excited at the thought of having a house full of friends- I love it just being me and Dave, but I also like having a house buzzing with close friends. Since sending out the invite to host everyone, only one friend has booked a flight! And since it's first come first serve at Homeward Bounds I decided to send the cute couple an official reservation. I'm hoping by then we'll have finished the second guest room and whoever else decides to come will be able to sleep comfortably in a bed. But now that we have our wrap around couch upstairs  there are 3 more spots for people to sleep, plus an air mattress. And if we need to my parents house a few miles away.

 I'm going to try to pack in all the friends we can for the weekend because we don't see them enough (especially Dave's best friends) and it'd be fun to be all together for a little while.

wedding fun

 I'm back from Arizona for my friend Tera's wedding. While I'm sucking down caffeine to keep me awake it was totally worth it. It was such a fun weekend and I'm so honored to have been a part of their big day. My iphone pictures don't do this beautiful bride justice, she looked so breathtaking in her dress that more people than just me got teary eyed.

I was glad for the group of girls I shared the weekend with too-these silly bridesmaids. We all meshed really well together and knew the main reason we were together-to love on and support Tera!

 I'm glad to be home with my boys (and Bella pup for a few days) though. Arizona was beautiful and I'm hoping Dave and I can go back there to visit sometime.

How was your weekend? Do you like our poses?

March for Babies-we walked!

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon or very sick. We walked with March for Babies and raised awareness of premature birth and funds for research to find the answers and develop preventions. It was amazing to see the emails come in that people were contributing, especially since I only had 3 days notice of the walk, so thank you to everyone that donated.

card

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the worst

{Oh I love Jean-Ralphio (from Parks and Rec).}

This weekend was pretty much the woooooooorst. Although Dave and I had Friday off together, we had to take poor Finley to the vet to get neutered. He was pretty pathetic when we brought him home, and it broke our hearts as he whined all night. We even took turns sleeping with him in the living room Friday night. Saturday he was back to himself and stopped whining so hopefully that means he's not in pain anymore. I feel really bad that he has to wear a cone for the next two weeks, but it's better for him to heal. All weekend Dave and I were both sick with colds, but he wins since he's home from work today with a slight fever and chills. We didn't even make it to church on Easter-pretty bad right?

I'm hoping the Bounds family will all be back to normal next weekend, because we were a pretty pathetic sight. I have pics of our cone headed fur ball but my iphone is acting up, so I'll post those later.

Hope your weekend was much better than ours.

tanked

I ordered the bridal party matching tank tops for the cruise and they were a hit! My obsession with Etsy is never ending-I can always find a print, a necklace, or a card that I just have to have. So I knew that I'd find something amazing for Tera's bachelorette cruise. We saved the shirts for our full day at sea and had a blast taking pictures all day long in them.

 I shopped Eventees on Etsy and was extremely happy with the product and service. She worked with me on a tight turn around, and even added an anchor to the back at my request. The tanks are American Apparel and were extremely comfortable to wear. I'm excited to have a little souvenir from our trip together and I know that I'll wear this tank top to the beach or around the house. The other girls can wear it working out and running and since I'm the lazy one I won't be participating in those ridiculous things.

{cute butts}

chillin

 

Paperless post card

4.11.14

Dear Dave, I miss you, I love you, and I miss you. I don't care if it makes me lame because I've been gone a day and I'm missing you. I think it means our relationship is healthy and YOU make me happy. Dear Tera, yay for bachelorette cruise weekend! I can't believe your wedding is almost here. Yay for celebrating you and Nathan-but mostly you and your last days a unmarried woman! Dear skin, I'm hoping you'll be less white when we return. Don't worry I'm protecting you with sunscreen but it doesn't mean I can't get a little color. Dear open sea, there's nothing like relaxing on a cruise, with nothing to stress me out. This couldn't have come at a better time. Dear pirates, if you come for us, my only hope is its an identical twin of Johnny Depp.

 

 

Dear Dave, did you find all my hidden love notes? I hope you love finding them as much as I love leaving them for you. And I hope you love all the Paperless Post cards you're getting on the daily! My crime is loving you too much. Dear Paperless Post, I'm available to be your sponsor. Get in touch! Dear Finley, I miss your fuzzy face. When I get home maybe we'll try you sleeping in bed with me while daddy is gone for work? shhh.

Weekend-bucket list

{the guys that went before us}

I was a little surprised when Dave agreed to go para sailing with me. He's afraid of heights, as am I, but I'm a little more adventurous and willing to do things that scare me (hello skydiving!), so I was elated when he told me he'd try it.

{our boat.....wayyyyyyy down there}

It was so much fun and a little unnerving at the same time. You sit on the back of this boat speeding along and then you basically get released and start floating up in the air as they let out the rope. We were up for about 10-15 minutes and really enjoyed the view.

{beautiful view}

{me and dave  way up high}

 This seemed to be the weekend of crossing Tampa To Do things off our list as Dave starts his new job next week. We finally went out and ate at the Taco Bus, which we had seen in an Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives episode, and man was it good. I'm excited  because they're opening one in the town where we're building and I'm sure we'll be frequent customers.

AND

We visited a couple breeders this weekend and found one we really liked. We will be bringing home our very own little bundle of fur in mid September. Dave and I are really excited and will probably be really annoying about our puppy for a good while.

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Weekend

This weekend we met up with one of Dave's friends from growing up and his family for dinner. It's nice to know at least someone down here and I can see us hanging out with them in the future.

Yesterday we met up with my cousin Abby and her boyfriend at John's Pass Boardwalk where we grabbed a delicious lunch and perused the shops. It's nice to be able to see family while they're visiting on vacation. From the boardwalk Dave and I went to the beach for a while but then decided to head home a little early as we have a big day ahead of us since we're going to DISNEYWORLD today.

{hottie with a body // fish tacos}

{cousins //relaxation}

Hope you all had a great weekend and are having a good start to your work week.

Family fun

It was a fun past few days having my family in town. It's been great getting to know my future brother-in-law and spending quality time with my sister who I never get to see. It's always interesting how even though we're adults we can revert back to teenagers when we're together at times. Dave is amazing at reminding me to be kind to her (I'm kind of bossy and can get short with her) and love her. For the most part I think we truly really enjoy being together and I feel so blessed to be close to her and have such a great relationship.

{my family}

We spent the past couple of days taking it easy; we went to the beach, walked, talked wedding talk!!!, took family photos, and made delicious dinners together. I'm hoping it was an easy transition for Nate to meet our family. Our family went to the Tampa Aquarium on Friday and had a pretty good time. It wasn't the best aquarium I've ever been too and I probably won't suggest it for friends that come to visit but I'm happy we went to see it. My favorite part was how excited my dad got at the penguin promenade show-he got so close to the penguin that the lady brought around back-it was pretty cool!

It was fun to see how in love my sister and Nate are and how well he compliments her. I'm excited for their future and I know he's going to make a great husband for her.

Happy Monday friends!