the sunshine state

We're escaping the cold + snow and flying south to visit my family in Florida for a nice, warm, loooong weekend. GIMME SUNSHINE. We might even get a skydive or two in at my favorite dropzone, Skydive Sebastian. The views of the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway are breathtaking.

Have a great weekend!

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::snapshots of maui::

It's going on two and a half weeks ago, but my mind is obviously still on island time...

Nearing the end of The Road to Hana we came across a shack-like convenience store with rows of shelves on each wall FILLED with antiques. Sadly, none for sale.

Too many beautiful beaches to count.

A picturesque seaside church.

A rewarding sunset from above the clouds after our 12-mile hike through Haleakalā National Park.

Congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Hutton!

::maui // the video::

We jumped off waterfalls, swam with sea turtles, explored black sand beaches and hiked a volcano. Take me back! It's still sorta unbelievable that we made the trip and frolicked around such a beautiful place, and really, we saw most of the island! What makes Jay and I a great pair is that he's the planner and I'm the spontaneous one. He created an itinerary for 5 of our days, we had the wedding and those festivities, and the rest he let me meander and stumble into different events and locations.

I give all the video credit to Jay. He's found a new hobby in video editing and he uses his GoPros to document lots of our outdoor activities: camping, hiking, snorkeling, skydiving, snowboarding...the list goes on. I think he did a wonderful job. When people ask why he films this stuff he says, "I want my kids to see how much fun Mom and Dad had." 

::a grand adventure // hawaii::

A friend from college is doing the whole destination wedding thing in Maui next week. Our friend from Kentucky. When we got the invite I said, "when's the next chance we'll get to go to Hawaii?" Luckily, that was all it took to convince Jay to book the tickets. We leave today for a nice long trip. 

I'll be turning twenty-seven while we're there. Not too shabby. Most days I plan on having no plans and answering the tough questions: pina colada or strawberry daiquiri? 

I'll see you guys in a little while, hopefully with a tan. 

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::fourth::

It was a hot Independence Day (and sadly, I didn't have a bathing suit to jump in that water). Yorktown is very small with a cute downtown area of historic buildings, private residences and a couple local eateries. I love how it isn't filled with commercial shops and restaurants. Although there was a super long line for Ben & Jerry's. Our view from the rocks watching the fireworks was pretty spectacular. And now, it feels like Monday again.

::richmond (and outskirts) adventure::

Last weekend, we visited another couple in Richmond to see their new place and go camping. They live on the second floor of a building from the 1800's. Their little neighborhood, just outside of the city, has tons of character. We walked over to a park across the street that overlooked the Lucky Strike cigarette factory. 

It's such a pretty drive from Richmond to Staunton. There's old rustic farmhouses, quaint towns on winding roads and scenic mountain views. We hiked to a watering hole and jumped off fallen trees into cool, crisp water. Our campsite was right next to the river, so when dusk came we roasted marshmallows over the fire pit.

Our last stop was a beautiful winery called Veritas. I'd get married here...

::kentucky boat life::

The month of June has been a lot of running around with a handful of events on the calendar, and making an appearance in a few different cities and states. We've been looking forward to this month for a while, but now it all seems to go by so fast.

Two weekends ago we settled on a houseboat in Kentucky. A college friend rallied a fine group and it made for his long birthday celebration on Lake Cumberland just outside his hometown of Louisville. I wouldn't say we were roughin' it with beds, refrigerator and air conditioning, but it was perfection waking up to chirping birds, sparkling blue-green water and not another boat as far as the eye could see.



Days were filled with wakeboarding, wake surfing, cliff jumping and sun bathing. After dinners off the grill, the guys would venture down the bank to shoot off fireworks. It was nice to have no obligations and no reason to bother looking at a clock.

::west asheville::

My tad-bit-country friend, Nicole, got married in Asheville, NC earlier this month (yes, she says y'all). Before the wedding we ventured down to quaint West Asheville for a good breakfast spot.

Somehow, I completely missed getting any photos of her rustic, farm venue. But it was so perfect for her and her hubby; complete with horses, shotgun shell place card holders, mixed-matched vintage table settings and she even sported cowboy boots for a bit. When I was still in Florida, we'd meet up during our lunch breaks to hunt for vintage wooden picture frames and milk glass. She also used the design we created for her save the date on water bottles. It was so fun to see it all come together. 

Congratulations to the Roe's!


P.S. I'm going to wait until Monday to go live on the new 6 petals site. I need to update a few links and make sure it's perfect. Can't wait to share it with ya. Happy weekend!

::a trip::

I couldn't help but become a tourist and take pictures of everything on our trip to Washington DC. It's such a vibrant city. My friend works for a Congressman and lives right in the heart of DC. I have a whole new appreciation for the Capitol Building. It's so cool inside-- lots of detailed paintings and indicate details.

Every weekend, the Eastern Market comes alive with artists, vintage sellers and farmers market. Jay picked up some records to add to our collection. 

We biked all over the city and accomplished so much in our weekend trip. Huge success. {and HUGE thanks to Katie for opening up your house and wine.}

::elizabeth city, nc::

A few weeks ago was a true pickers experience. I met a fellow vintage junkie at a market in town and she said she had tons more in her home...so I invited myself over. Her amazing 2-story historic home was filled wall-to-wall with antique furniture, vintage hardware, painted wood pieces, old frames...heaven?


The town is very old and pretty small too. We drove down a little early to hit up some garage sales where we found a box filled with classic vinyl records. This has become a new Sunday tradition-- just sitting around listening to the record player.

::shop update // travel in style::

The end of summer is approaching...fast! What better way to end it than a nice vacation. But, you gotta have cool travel gear. Here's what's new in the shop.

I'm also planning an early birthday getaway for the long weekend. I was gonna venture home, but plane tickets are pricy right now. It's not until the 6th, but I gotta take advantage of Labor Day. We're talking about heading north, maybe to DC + northern Virginia. Of course, stopping at antique shops along the way. 

Hey Northern Virginians + DCers...any suggestions/recommendations?

::itching::

It's been an interesting couple weeks. Beginning to settle in here in Virginia and found a great gym to let out some daily tensions + stresses. I'd love to go on a picking adventure to the Junk Bonanza, but it's a 22 hour drive to Minnesota. Probably worth it though-- anyone wanna drive?

Here's to finding new adventures.

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::all natural::

Seriously, I'm still amazed by how beautiful it is here. Mountains, wild flowers, mushrooms, rocky streams, bright green frogs, and, best of all, lightning bugs. We spent an hour last night laying on our backs watching shooting stars and listening to thousands of cicadas.

::holy mountains::

We're on our way north, and our destination is Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a week before settling in Virginia. It's been difficult not stopping at every unique/side-of-the-road-sale/flea market-- there are plenty on I-75 between Georgia and South Carolina! I've already picked up a few items: a vintage recipe card holder + a copper rose (which I'll probably use as a book end).

Oh, and the Smoky Mountains are really somethin' -- Florida girls aren't used to seeing anything but flat land.

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::outta town + a moving sale::

Remember when I said I had some exciting news? It's true, if you think moving to Virginia is exciting.

I do!

I've been hinting about it on Twitter and doing what I can to prepare. We're filling up J's covered trailer and packing our cars to head north-ish the end of this month. June is absolutely flying by. We've been spending most of this month having some lots of fun skydiving, exploring, camping and visiting family and friends all over Florida. Most of my family is here, which means we'll be back often.

Here are some shots of our most recent adventure to Melbourne:

The thought of moving out of state away from my family is rough, but I'm also eager to set out on this new adventure {I'll always be a Floridian at heart}. Of course, the actually move is never fun. So, we'll be making a stop at the cabin in Gatlinburg, TN for the 4th of July to spend some time in the Smoky Mountains. 

Any Virginia bloggers out there?

With exciting news come MORE exciting news. 6 petals {the shop} is having a MOVING SALE. Now's the time to get your hands on the vintage goodies you've been eyeing. It doesn't hurt to look.

just enter the coupon code MOVING2VA during checkout to get 30% off any item in the shop.

::weekend review // getaway recap::

Back home after a wonderful little getaway to Hilton Head. A very large rooster, toes in the sand, sunset bike rides on the beach and yummy martinis from Daniel's Restaurant.

Shop updates, ReStyles and a giveaway this week!

::getaway::

I've been updating Twitter about my adventures in Hilton Head Island the past couple days: cucumber bloody mary's, antique shopping, bicycle riding, golf and sunshine. Just a little getaway...

happy weekend!

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::give me sunshine::

Not that these really exist anymore in the "real world." I'll be participating in Spring Break-esque activities this weekend. Sun, pool, skydiving, bbq, camping and a few alcoholic beverages. I'll be wearing those Ray-Bans up there and my fav lip gloss.

Take a "break", too.

1 / sandals - Anthropologie
2 / sunglasses - Ray-Ban
3 / lip gloss - Kiehl's
4 / floral suitcase - 6 petals