The lovely ladies over at Modern Ink Magazine have put out yet another beautiful collection of images and articles meant to inspire! I was honored to be asked to share my top ten must haves with you in their Feb/March issue.
Head on over to see what I've had my eye on lately and then enjoy getting lost in the rest of the eye candy!
Thanks for including me, ladies!
-Rachel
We're here! We landed in Colorado Springs on Tuesday evening and spent all of Wednesday driving around town getting a feel for the layout of things and figuring out what neighborhoods feel like home to us. The kids have impressed me so much with how well they've managed the trip and I was reminded again at how lucky I am to have a husband sweet enough to let me stop at a few flea markets along the way!
You won't believe what I managed to fit into the back of both of our cars. I'll share both of my favorite finds once we have a place to unload them. I didn't bring that lovely quilt shown above home with me but isn't it darling!
I'll be in and out the next week with a few giveaways from some lovely sponsors and more catch up posts. Thanks for all of the outfit love in the last post!
-Rachel
Brett and I didn't spend much time in Columbia, South Carolina as we had two days of driving ahead of us but we did manage to sneak in dinner with our new friends, Ruthie and Brian, and then hit up Five Points for lunch and some shopping. If ever you're in Columbia and need a place to dine Takosushi will not dissapoint. It's some of the best sushi I've ever had and a great wait staff. Brett ate there often enough that they all came out to say how much they'd miss him and even treated us all to dessert!
After his graduation ceremony we had lunch at Pawley's and I discovered my newest food weakness - fried pickles. Yeah, baby! We walked that off wandering through Five Points where we visited Brett's favorite record shop, browsed Sid and Nancy's racks, and ended things with coffee and a quick trip through another vintage/costume rental shop.
I'm wearing: Vintage dress, Small Earth Vintage. Jacket, Target. Belt, thrifted. Tights, H&M. T-Straps c/o ModCloth. Mi Vida bag c/o ELF.
I am in love with these shoes and the extra few inches they afford me! They're a lovely shade of blue that works well with almost everything in my closet so they'll be getting plenty of attention.
It was a lovely first half of our mini-getaway/coming home trip sans kids with gorgeous weather and those good conversations that road trips without children lend themselves to. I told Brett I felt like we were in college again. Want to feel ten years younger? Take a child-free road trip and be sure to thank your MIL more than a few times when you get back.
Do you like to dress up for road trips or bust out the old favorite worn out jeans?
We're headed out to Colorado but hope to find a hotel that has wifi in the rooms so I'll be back soon!
-Rachel
That was the longest stretch of blog silence this space has ever seen! We've spent the last week enjoying the company of our friends and family, organizing our belongings, helping the movers pack them, cleaning out our rental, and hitting the road. We're currently visiting my side of the family in Oklahoma before we arrive in our new town in CO and find ourselves a house!
We had a great send off party at Red Velvet with so many of our favorite Springfield (and an adorable out of town set) of friends which has made this last week more sweet than bittersweet. I have so many good memories from our three and a half years there and wish I could take everyone with us.
I've got a bit of catching up to do from my trip to bring Brett back and will keep sharing moments on Instagram under @smileandwave. Wasn't it so sweet of Elsie to hack my blog while I was away and leave me a message!
-Rachel
Hi there. It's Elsie. I'm hacking into Smile And Wave today to get a little bit sentimental with y'all! I can't believe that next week Rachel and her beautiful family are going to be packing up and leaving Springfield. Here are a few of our most treasured memories and photos from the past four years...
Red Velvet photo shoots galore. We opened our first local shop the year after Rachel moved here and we shopped for matching silky dresses and heels for the grand opening together! Two years later, we did it all over again!
We taught classes, had craft nights and had lots of coffee dates. We shared secrets, made plans and invented sugary cocktails together.
We shared many milestones in both work and family. Rachel gave birth to her daughter, Ruby. I got married. We opened two stores. Together we celebrated life's special moments, both large and small!
Rachel looks amazing in a beehive, no?
Dear Rachel,
We started out long distance pals with long phone calls and traveling art journals. We always dreamed of a day when we would live in the same town and own a shop for our little dream called Red Velvet. We were naive, but what do you know.... all our wishes came true!
When you moved to Springfield we had talks of matching baby bumps and being next door neighbors. You've always been the best secret keeper and a true friend through every rough spot. I loved taking Ruby's newborn photos, chatting over vanilla lattes, making videos and trading back and forth dresses. You inspire me to be a family person and I love that.
Next week we'll have a big party and then say goodbye for a little bit. I've been through all the stages of grief and now it's mostly looking sunny. I look forward to visiting and seeing a new city. I definitely look forward to seeing your next amazing home tour! (who's with me?) And I know this is sounding a little bit like a yearbook note, but I know we'll be friends forever. I'm excited to start this new chapter! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find a tissue...
With all my love, Elsie
