My Life is a Map of the World

This past weekend I found myself with a lot of solo time on my hands. Times like these are vital to my mental health and balance in life. And more times then none, they lead me to deep thoughts and discovered inner joy.

During a moment of reflection where I was bundled up in a cozy sweater, perfect for fall, and watching the leaves fall from the tree in our backyard, it dawned on me. It dawned on me that I am a small reflection of the world and that so much of what I do is inspired by the world. Let me dig a little deeper.

My birth certificate and current zip code prove my U. S. Citizenship but my ancestors give me the history of England, Scotland, Poland, Lithuania and Native America.

The man I love most is someone who descends from Africa and Europe.

My religion originated in the Middle East.

I own a dog whose breed was made popular by Germany

I like to carry out my skincare routine like the Koreans.

I like to drink coffee like the Italians.

I’m inspired by the natural aesthetic and use of make-up and hair care like the French.

I like to eat like the Japanese.

I dress myself and fill my home with furnishings that you’d find easily in Scandinavia.

These are all just a few of the things I value, love, am drawn to and want to know more about. And it’s in all of those curiosities that I find, that we find, how truly connected we are to the past, the present and the future. It’s in those things where we find connection to others no matter how near or far.

Who or what are you connected to?

-Kriss

Traveling & Closed Borders

Travel is one of the greatest freedoms and privileges in our modern time. We have the ability to dream up a location, consider how we want to get there and then to head out towards the horizon. But what feelings arise whenever we can’t just go? How do we navigate restricted boarders and the red letter “no” travel?

In the past two years I have left the country to visit foreign countries. I felt free, I felt alive but did I feel grateful? Time and time again we find ourselves taking things for granted. I think in this year alone, we can all agree that we learned that taking things for granted turned out to be our secret talent, special language and or way of life.

Travel restriction goes one step further because not only can you not travel to surrounding countries but city to city travel is limited and not encouraged. I found myself frustrated and suffocated for not being able to explore, wander and feed my curiosity.

Frustration, anger, confusion, bitterness and even apathy are all normal things to be feeling in life and in 2020. But the big question that I want to ask you, are you ok with living life through these feelings? Or do you want to stop taking things for granted, putting off plans, staying in bad habits, choosing to put yourself last, delay that one thing another year, or anything else under the sun?

I think we all want to live lives that are well loved, cherished and free even when life throws a criss-crossing moment at you. Please know that at the end of the day, no matter what this year or the next looks like, that you have a choice to start living your ideal adventure today.

This is my challenge to you, find an area in your life that you want to love better, make a plan and walk into that plan today. And because our chances of reaching our goals increases whenever we tell someone else, comment your goal down below or share it with your bestie! Not only do you achieve more goals when you let someone else in on the journey but you can find yourself to be more motivated throughout the process.

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You are loved!

-Kriss

A Journey for Two

Today is the day before Jacob and I celebrate our second wedding anniversary and my thoughts currently are… how has it been two years already and, also, how has it only been two years?? Have you ever felt this about those things most precious to you?

These past two years have been the very definition of an adventure. We’ve traveled to two countries, ten states, woken up before the sun and crawled into bed long after the rise of the moon. We’ve danced barefooted on beaches, on top of mountains and in dirty kitchens. We’ve eaten both the finest cuisine and tasted our tears. We’ve shared in stresses, anxieties and fears.

I knew I loved you when I said “I do” but I never expected it to grow into something 10x more gorgeous, freeing, intimate, wild and true. My heart is bursting for the man who gave me his last name. It’s the greatest honor to carry this flame.

I cannot wait to see what the next year looks like for us in this journey and everyone it involves. We are incredibly thankful to our families, our friends and to you for supporting us, praying for us and being adventurous with us along this journey of lives well loved.

You are loved!

-Kriss

What’s a travel blogger to do during a pandemic?

It is no surprise to anyone that the condition of the world is not ideal for someone who has a travel blog. So many times I have grabbed up my computer to type out my feelings, picked through past travel photo albums for inspiration or dove head first into Pinterest to daydream about the travels to come. But what does it feel like to live in a body meant for travel but has to sit still?

There have been times of pure boredom with thoughts of helplessness and being disgusted with the mundane. Times of creative bursts to change that mindset into distraction. But ultimately there has been a new found sense of grace for where I find myself and the world finds itself. During a moment on the couch, I found myself thinking back on rests after a long day exploring. During a moment on a walk, I felt a breeze that set me back on European streets. During a curbside pick-up, I remembered that amazing late night corner pizza shop. I know that we will all find ourselves able to do more of what we love in the future but this season is something to be thankful for.

This season is meant to allow us to slow down, to think about others, to be kind, to do what we can and pray for what is to come. I truly hope that you have found a silver lining to this season as well and that whenever we get those green lights at the starting gates, that we are able to rise to that occasion as well.

Virtual Adventures of Nashville, TN

Right now the world feels like it is both in a standstill and out of control. From governments trying to decide what’s best for it’s people, healthcare workers trying to keep their heads above water while caring for the sick, moms and dads juggling work and home schooling their children for the first time and millennial’s loosing their hard-won, multiple part time jobs. Teaming up to stay apart is unnatural at best but it is the secret ingredient to overcoming this chapter.

Something that I have loved from individuals that are choosing to do their part and stay home are those who still give out their talents so freely. From actors reading children’s books to my favorite cello player yo-yo ma playing on Facebook live. Everyone see’s the need to somehow still make this world a better place and in my efforts towards this exact direction, I wanted to keep sharing my adventures with you!

So without any further ado, let’s go on a virtual adventure in Nashville, TN….

Let’s travel!

 

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I don’t know about you but there is just something about heading down south and wanting some feel good food. I’m not sure if its the southern ties or the cravings that come up during a roadtrip, but we were all about making our first stop in Nashville about a plate of chicken and waffles! To help us achieve this we stopped at a restaurant called Sambuca and tucked in.

After filling our bellies we opened our Airbnb app and pulled up the address to our new home away from home. The name of our place was called The Nomad Pad and its interior design definitely highlighted that feeling. To my delight, as well, the home even had its own Instagram page @thenomadpad, and they even featured some of my photography of their place. 

What did I say! ^ stunning place and I highly recommend booking with The Nomad Pad when you go to Nashville! 

And as nice as our new home was, you do not simply come to Nashville to stay inside, you must wander! First we went to one of my favorite coffee shops in the whole city, Crema. I ordered a Spanish latte while Jacob ordered a Mocha and we took a second to sit down at the bar. This coffee shop is a gem from their delicious coffee and merchandise to their lounge areas to work or play. You are guaranteed to see countless creatives and business types hunched over their laptops working away and groups of two or three laughing at someone’s tale.

Thinking about this now, during a time of isolation, warms my heart.

After sipping on our coffee for a short while, we got up to walk around the city. My favorite thing about Nashville is the amount of beautiful murals painted along its walls and walkways. You can just feel the heartbeat of this creative city with each step you take. I personally wish that more cities would follow in Nashville’s footsteps because street art is more than graffiti or tags- it is a culture all in its own. It’s speaks of the real people living and working in the area.

My favorite mural ^

While we walked we would take detours and step inside local shops, had goo goo eyes over delicious looking foods in the windows and talked about what all we would like to see and do during our time there. Walking and talking in general has always been our “thing” as a couple. So to be able to travel together and do our thing in new places has my heart the most happy and, just like that, checks off one of the items on my Nashville to do list.

What’s this list you might now be wondering? We’ll here it is:

Nashville To Do:

• Get coffee from Crema
• Buy a new plant baby
• See the murals around Nashville
• Walk hand in hand with the love of my life
• Try some “made from scratch” pop-tarts from Milk and Honey
• Find the Colosseum (aka what I call Nashville’s Parthenon)
• Eat ramen.

And speaking of ramen, that brings me to where we will have our official first date night in Nashville! Our ramen place of choice is none other than Otaku Ramen. This ramen house is so so good in the ways of giving me both butterflies in my stomach and ruining all other ramen houses for me for the foreseeable future. To put it plainly, Jacob and I got the same amount of food in our bowls and only one of us finished their whole bowl… or should I say, her whole bowl.

After Jacob rolled me out of our hot date, we had a chilly walk, drove around the city, got stopped in traffic that was leaving the Grand Ol Opry House and found ourselves back to laying on our new bed counting our blessings.

Saturday, Day 2

With the dawning of a new day it was now time for my favorite time of day, Brunch! While out and about the day before you might have caught on to me saying that I had a crush on some tasty looking. Well it was now time for me to get my hands on them. 

Taking a short drive over to the gulch area in Nashville, we found our seats at Milk & Honey. Everything we ordered was both delicious and gorgeous from various eggy concoctions, coffee drinks and, finally, two flavors of handmade poptarts! One had a strawberry jam filling and the other had chocolate and hazelnut whip. 

After brunch we wanted to go find one more mural and that’s the iconic “I believe in Nashville” mural and to stop at one of my favorite florist and gifts shop Bloom Flowers. Little did I know that Jacob was about to become an influencer….

Please tell me you got a little laugh out of this selfie central!!

Next we were on to Bloom Flowers gift shop! This shop has so many different indoor plants you can buy, they can make you a flower arrangement in house or you can pick up various stationary. While I looked around the shop I found and bought myself a cactus!

As luck would have it, I married a man who supports my love of plants and he married a woman who supports his love of local BBQ! We got my cactus wrapped up and ready to go, jumped in the jeep and headed over to Mission BBQ. We ordered something smokey and smothered in amber goodness and had ourselves a little picnic in the Centennial Park.

The rad part about being in this park was the gorgeous backdrop of the Parthenon. Such an odd, classic beauty resting on a green lawn near the heart of the city. But I enjoyed it because it drew runners, cute couples and families to its steps and grounds. Or maybe because it was such a gorgeous day, I’ll let you decide.

Thank you beautiful Nashville for having us! And thank you for coming along with me! I hope I have encouraged you, made you laugh, scratched your travel itch or inspired you to make some delicious food while on your staycation. Please stay happy, healthy and hydrated!

-Kriss

 

I just turned 28, Let’s Celebrate!

It’s official I’m 28 years old and there is no going back! But good news is that I don’t want to! I love the process of getting older, wiser, more sure of the life that I am so grateful to live. So this year I decided to stay put and enjoy my life exactly where it’s at and its in our new home in Indianapolis, IN.

Let Her Eat Cake

This year my birthday fell on Saturday aka the day birthdays should always fall on! So here I was in bed waking up to sunshine and the cuddles of my… dog! Haha! He was curled up on my guys side of the bed and ready to love me and give me all of his attention. But where was my guy?

No sooner had I wondered that exact question did I hear a creak of a step on our stairs and the glow of candles. Jacob had prepared a breakfast in bed moment for me complete with egg and avocado toast, fruit, coffee AND my slice of birthday cheesecake from my girls night the night before. The glow of candlelight came from a gifted apple scented candle and two letter candles that spelled out “28.” Good start of the day? Naw, more like a great start of a great day.

This the the Celebration Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

Fountain Square

Earlier in the week when I had first started to think about my new age, I thought about past birthdays. In past years I had put effort forward to have big birthdays, birthdays filled with high expectations (always a recipe for disaster), birthdays while traveling or just not wanting to acknowledge that years birthday at all. But this year felt wonderfully different, a sense of peace that I’ve never had before about turning a new age made me up for whatever the day had to offer. But I definitely still knew some suggestions.

So we got ready for the day, gave Tyson some more kisses and belly rubs and then got in the Jeep to go to downtown Indy. I knew the minute we stepped out of the house that it was going to be wonderful. This was because of the clear, blue skies and 50 degree weather allowing us to wear a light jacket for the first time in weeks. So once in the area and parked, I knew I wanted to keep outdoors and walk along the city.

Within five minutes onsite, my world got a lot more comical because of this rad biker.

Our walked paused whenever we came to the Upland Brewing Co. We popped in for J to grab a beer and to split some appetizers to keep the hangry away. I always look forward to these moments with him because it never really matters where we are but whenever we have intentional time together, it is always the best and warms my heart. It is also something I wish I could have had in past birthdays without him. So really he is the gift that keeps on giving.

Next on our exploring is stopping into a local Vinyl shop. The one we chose was called Square Cat Vinyl and boy did they have some tempting records for us. Jacob was looking at some Red Hot Chili Pepper albums while I was busy in the jazz section looking at Billie Holiday or in the Soundtracks looking for a Breakfast at Tiffany’s album.

Because no day of exploring with me if ever complete without coffee, we went to a much awaited location. This coffee shop is directly across from the building that states that “You are Beautiful” and is called Bovaconti Coffee. It’s the kind of coffee shop that when you go inside you kinda squeal internally because of its obvious beauty and aesthetic. Jacob ordered his usual mocha and I went with a Spanish latte (it’s made with condensed milk, espresso and cinnamon- a must try if you like those ingredients).

My only complaint was the lack of seating because of the time of day and my unfulfilled desire to sit in a coffee shop for awhile and chat. But there is always another day for that! So we switched up our order and got them to go.

Newfields or No Fields

Phase two of the day was to find ourselves surrounded by plants and flowers. However as the day would have it, it turned out to be another edit to the plans. We were informed that the greenhouse wasn’t going to be opened for another two weeks or so. We accepted the news and as we walked back to the car we stopped in the lobby to explore and to wonder at this kinetic art installation by Studio Drift. Funny thing is that we still ended up around flowers.

Birthday Surprise

At 5 pm all of my plans for the day were completed and mostly accomplished! But the fun part is this is exactly where Jacob’s plans pick up pace. He had been telling me all week that he had plans for us the evening of my birthday sometime after 6 pm. In my mind I was super stoked because I figured that it would be an occasion to dress up and eat some awesome food but… I was wrong.

Right before leaving the house for the surprise I ask Jacob what I should wear and he said something usual and also comfy. Still confused as what to wear I throw out the question “is there a chance that I will get dirty or messing there?” He seemed unsure but responded that he thinks its possible but that they will have stuff there to help keep me clean.

So…. yeah this girls mind was racing at what the heck we were about to do. So with some faith and keeping my eyes shut, he drove us to our mystery location. Surprise! We were going to a wine and canvas night! I was deeply touched by this gesture because that previous week I had said that I really wanted to get back into that love and here we were, about to start it up again but this time- together.

As you can see, 28 is off to such a wonderful start. I was able to see so many of my friends, family, artistic and inspirational places that have left my heart and mind refreshed and reminded of the amazing life that I get to live. Wishing you all only the best and I cannot wait until next time!

-Kriss

New Year, New Zip Code

Last new year’s as Jacob and I were resting together and reflecting on the year of 2018 and all of our moments together (aka marriage) we decided that 2019 was going to be another huge year for us, God willing.

The home where our love grew, where Jacob proposed and where our first year of marriage was written in the books.

The master plan was that I was going to complete my internship and undergraduate degree while Jacob was going to start the process of applying to new police departments. In March, he had applied to four or five different departments in Indiana and one in Colorado while I was halfway through the busiest semester of my life. But we were determined to come out on the other side with check marks by our goals.

The “Super Mover” is a game changer!

Then flash-forward to July and I’m an official college graduate completely unsure of what’s next while Jacob found out that he was selected by a department in Indianapolis. Aka we were elated and I think that following weekend I packed up everything I could get my hands on.

The calm before the storm.

But the kicker was that there were two different start dates. One date was at the beginning of September 2019 and the other was at the beginning of 2020. Naturally we wanted it to be the soonest date but, as God would have it, he was selected to start at the later date.

We were crazy gross, tired and sore but oh so joyful!

And like I said above, I was in this weird season of finding direction so to be hit with feelings of annoyance, relief and determination- we decided to make the best of our time left in Terre Haute, IN. We were going to book an international trip to Belgium, take full advantage of more time to pack and find our next home, travel for the holidays to see his family and to enjoy one last Christmas season living in the place where it all started.

Did I mention that we were tired?

When moving weekend arrived we were able to get our truck early and pack a full day ahead of schedule. On our last night in the house, we made the classic decision of ordering pizza and sleeping on the floor. I will admit that it was not as comfortable as my romantic side figured that it would be but we got a good laugh out of it and found that we wanted to get up earlier than usual the next the day. So with that we grabbed the last bits of stuff and things, locked the door behind us and took off onto our next adventure!

Days after the move, Tyson is still exhausted.

Now we are officially moved in and things are starting to feel like home again. Yes, there are still plenty of boxes left unopened with nooks and crannies here and there that I have no clue how to utilize but God’s timing is everything. I have felt it this whole process from the lack of patience to the mysterious future to the tears of joy shed during the quiet drive to our new home, God truly is in the details. And with this focus on the One who brought it all together I can proudly say that 2020 is going to be an amazing new chapter!

Next week on the blog we are traveling again! Can I get an Amen? So please sign up for email notifications and join me for some fun in the Florida sun!

-Kriss

Boulder, Colorado

Finally on Our Way

The Colorado talk started at the very beginning of Jacob and I’s relationship. It was on our first date, at a coffee shop no less, where he told me about how he lived there and how that time changed him and his life. And as we became more serious in our relationship, I knew that one day I would visit this awesome state. Now here we are nearly two and a half years later!

The fact that I had yet to visit Colorado was kinda surprising to me. I have been very lucky to be able to travel a lot so far in my life but Colorado was a state that I can’t say I’ve visited until now. There is no reason for that other than lack of time or resources, because I’ve been very captivated by the state and the grand scale of nature that it provides in abundance. And if you read my previous blog, Plant Lady, you’d know that I’m a bit of a nut about nature.

So on the morning of May 25th, I was a excited heap of my a girl. Our flight wasn’t until that evening so I made myself busy in hopes that time would fly by. I packed my bag, shout out to all of the last minute packers, with everything I would need, double checked my just packed luggage, deep cleaned the house, snuggled our dog as much as he would allow, yoga sequence, googled locations to visit and once everything was done- I waited.

Traveling is always a bit of a multi-step process, am I right? So for us it looks like driving an hour to the airport, the usual airport steps of checking in, plane ticket, security and more waiting, sometimes flight delays, hoping your flight neighbor isn’t too nosey about your life or a loud sleeper, getting off the flight, finding your rental car company and if you’re really lucky- driving another hour plus to get to your end location. And that right there was our day!

After everything worked out so well, I made a friend in my flight neighbor Drew, we got our subaru rental and by dinner time we made the hour and a half drive to our cabin location in the mountains near Boulder, Colorado- the last to arrive to the party. And boy was it a party!

Staying at the cabin that weekend was all of my in-laws. On one branch of the tree was four generations while on the branch of the tree that I married into, I was one happy leaf to be there. It’s hard for all of us to come together at one time because the family all lives between roughly six different states from one side of the country to the other. The weekend was going to be a great time just because everyone was there.

Waking Up to the Mountains

Sunday morning was our first morning of the trip and the slower morning of our time with the family. Jacob and I were put up in an East facing bedroom where I had a front row seat to seeing a Colorado mountain for the first time.

We slept with the window open so at around 4 in the morning some far off noise woke me up and from that moment on I was awake for the day. I dug out my journal and got set up for the sunrise. And when it came, the room blazed alive with the rays of the sun and my heart felt every bit of it. The view awoke my memories of Tolkien novels with quotes about mountains and adventure while my soul felt the hope and strength of Jesus Christ.

I was humbled by the size of the mountains because of the beautiful symbolism of life, journey, hurdles and victories that they represent. And in that moment where I was under fluffy, down blankets feeling the cool breeze of the morning while my husband was fast asleep next to me, it’s as if everything fell into place. Surely this moment was the confirmation that this trip was going to mean something to me and to everyone in that house.

Adventure Awaits, but coffee first.

Around ten that morning, the ball started rolling. With most everyone awake, the house was quickly filling up with activity. Coffee was made to help fuel breakfast prep and early conversations about the days plans. Half of the group would walk down to the town called Nederland, just ten minutes away, while half would go into Boulder.

I was all over both ideas but with only having time for one, I chose Boulder with the boys. Jacob, his older brother Jeremy and two cousins Michael and Jon plus myself got into the subaru and took the winding road down to Boulder.

With it being Memorial Day weekend the streets were buzzing. From a carnival to live music to vendors and their tents set up around the shopping areas, there was a lot to see.

We first opted for walking around the shopping areas to wander around quirky finds and relax in roof top bars. Goodness knows that I wanted to buy all of the things but I carried on with the group knowing that I’d find some awesome souvenirs later.

After a full day on the town, we all drove back to the cabin and tucked into a night of snacks, card games, old SNL episodes and rest.

Memorial Day

This year on Memorial Day it wasn’t just different because we were in another state, it was different because half of the day was spent celebrating the stars and stripes by being at the Boulder Boulder 10k race and cheering on all of the runners in the family. For months Jacob and various family members trained for this run. At a point I too was training for it but because life was full with finishing up my degree, I had to put off my race day for some other time in the future.

I didn’t get that many pictures that day because it was was a bit of a mad dash for everyone involved. We woke up at 5 a.m., got ready for the day, everyone had to pack up because we wouldn’t be coming back later and head out before 6 so the runners could get dropped off and warmed up for their start times.

I felt incredibly and hysterically out of my element with all of the different types of stretches and strategies, energy supplements and wardrobes surrounding me- I mean I also was wearing jeans and a sweater while everyone else seemed to be head to toe spandex. But I, also, couldn’t have imagined being anywhere else. I was beaming with pride for Jacob. When he finally made his last stretch of the 10k, I just saw it all on his face, determination yet exhaustion. It yet again made me sure of the man I chose to do this adventure called “Life” with.

After the race, we all joined together one last time for a family lunch, rounds of hugs and promise’s of “see you soon”‘s.

Next on the blog is the part two to our Colorado trip! This leg of the trip will be lived out in Colorado Springs, Colorado with lots of ideas for hiking, eats, drinks and shopping. Stay tuned and if you haven’t already, sign up below for future email notifications for new posts and updates on my blog.

-KrissCross

Our Story: How it all Started

I can’t believe that we are finally here at our wedding weekend! It feels like only yesterday that I met my sweet Jacob and now I will always know that he will be with me and I with him! And to better celebrate here on the Blog this week, here is our love story!

Around 2017’s new years weekend, Jacob moved from Colorado to Indiana while Kristen was currently living in Indiana. He was moving back to Indiana to start a new job while she was pretty settled into her life there. She just so happened to work at the same library where he worked security while he was at University.

It was an afternoon on a chilly January Monday, when Jacob and Kristen first saw each other. She was busy at work at the library when Jacob stopped by. He was only there to stay Hello to a few of his ex coworkers before going home for the day.

Whenever she first saw him, something in the air changed. She felt a pull to him and a spark that she had never felt before. He wasn’t what she expected but every piece of her was telling her that he needed to be in her life for whatever reason. The only way she could sum up that feeling was by remembering all of the past prayers in her lifetime for a sign of her “one”.

While he was in the library, he noticed her but was more so focused on why he had come to the library in the first place. He made his rounds, laughed and caught up with some of the old friends he knew and then was on his way.

What he didn’t realize was that while he was talking to patrons and employees of the library, she was at work learning more about him. Everyone who knew him from before had nothing but the best things to say about his character, spirit, heart and work ethic. These truths made her learn things about him that others didn’t realize. There was something about him that set him apart, that made him the sweet and genuine person that he is. And she knew right away that he loved the same unchangeable, never shifting Jesus Christ.

At this point in time he wasn’t fully moved back to Terre Haute. He was living about 35 minutes away. So on his drive back home from the haute, he gets a FaceBook message and it ends up being from the girl he saw working at the library. So what does he do? He writes back but still in complete confusion.

Before she sent the message to him, she had two questions to answer:

1. Did he love the Lord like she could feel on him?

2. Was he even single?

And the answers came back yes and yes. Sooner than she realized it, he messaged her back.

Two days later the two of them met for coffee. Both just trying this out to see what it would be like. She was dressed all in black with stoic body language while he was in athletic wear with bubbling energetic energy to match. They couldn’t be more opposite so no one could blame them for what came next- the friendzone.

They both friend-zoned each other but for whatever reason, maybe it was her first heart pull to him or his deep curiosity in what she was really about, they kept hanging out together.

Their time started with a couple of coffee shop hangouts, then grew to 4 hour long phone conversations, to long walks in parks, taking pictures together, holding hands, first kisses in parking lots, professions of love on marble bridges then like a turn of the page to a new chapter that starts with a man on his knee just wanting to love that girl with everything he has for as long as he breathes.

She may have made the first move and felt the first skip of heartbeat but he was the first to tell her how one day he would marry her. She knew and he knew somehow all along that they were meant to be. And as they say, the rest is history!

-XOKriss

Eastown Grand Rapids, MI

A couple of months ago and a couple of blog posts way ago, I visited my best friend in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In that post I mentioned how she is pregnant! Guess what? Her sweet Clementine June was finally born four weeks ago. And with that amazing news, Jacob and I found a sitter for Tyson, packed the Jeep up and drove the 5 hours north to nuzzle a bundle.

The rad bit about traveling with your love is that even the in-between moments are fun. We talk so much about life, travel, what God is up to and about where we see Him taking our future. There are a whole lot of different topics we have yet to understand or even face, but because of the heart of gold that lives within my guy and the hope that he has in the Lord- I know that we will find our way.

But for this journey! The stopping point was Marie Catrib’s in Grand Rapids, Michigan for lunch! They specialize in Mediterranean cuisine but have a long list of other loves, baked goods and treats! For me this was my second time back to this restaurant, and that was on purpose! The last time I went with Ashley and it was a huge moment for our relationship but it was also a stopping point along the journey to see another guy.

Ugh! What Kriss? You’re going to talk about an ex? Yeahhh, it happens. But really for where I stand now, that trip and what unfolded during it set the stage for my life to calm down, to focus on Jesus and to be ready for what love really is. So of course now that we are 50 days away from “I Do, forever and ever” it felt right to end that chapter in that way.

So, we order a pot of Turkish coffee to split, one falafel for me and one Shoarma for Jacob. It was his first time trying Turkish coffee and we can both agree that it went so well! And as we settled in for the grub, we had fun people watching and talking about our other approaching trips like… um our honeymoon!

(don’t worry, a full honeymoon reveal post is in the making!)

After lunch we walked about a mile down the road and found ourselves at Rebel Reclaimed, the coolest gift shop you could ever find! From stationary from Rifle Paper Co, gorgeous houseplants for the buying and quirky/crude jokes written on colorful mugs-they had it all! But one thing they did not have was a beer for Jacob.

We popped out of that shop and crossed the street to Harmony Brewing. He tried a couple of sour-ey beers while I sipped on a glass of ice water. Sometimes I wish that I liked beer and could enjoy bar hopping with Jacob but I’m not down with the flavors. My go to drink will always be coffee, hot coffee.

But don’t you worry, I got a treat! I got one scoop of delicious blueberry ice cream from Furniture City Creamery! I usually go for chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, never anything close to a fruit flavor but that ice cream was the cutest pair of bees knees! It was so delightful and perfect for the warmth of the day!

I think I can hear some of your thoughts, where is this amazingly, perfect baby that you traveled to see? Well since baby is so fresh, Ashley and Jake had a doctors appointment that started around the time that Jacob and I would be pulling into the GR. So this is why our day quickly turned into a day date! But not for long!

As I was finishing my last crunches of waffle cone, my phone beeped from Ashley texting me that they were home. So with walking hand in hand, Jacob and I got back in the Jeep and drove the massive 11 minute drive to the ripest clem I ever would meet!

Clementine was perfection. She really was even in her fragile state, she was incredibly strong. As I watched my best friend be a mom, and an amazing one at that, I was thinking about what this little girls life could be like. I’m so happy that Jesus chose to give her the parents that she has because if I know anything about them, they will love her, cherish her and fight for her!

For the rest of the evening in Grand Rapids we would continue to experience this beautiful balance of life, of slow moments, of treats and the feeling of summer time, of new friends and relationship milestones and one happy girl who I’m lucky enough to call me.

-XOKriss

Also one last thing! Before you roadtrip, you must brunch and wow did we need some brunch aka coffee for me! Look at that legit ” I woke up like this” face!