there’s a place that i go…
that nobody knows…
…and i call it home.
take me away…a secret place…
a sweet escape…take me away.
i got a pocket full of sunshine.
~natasha bedingfield
to the beach we girls gathered thursday night. for no particular reason but to remind us that we seriously live on the edge of the ocean. the edge we can gather every single night, if we so wish, to watch our big golden orb sink slowly under sea. we smoothed blankets over white sand and ate cold subs and pickles, sipped wine (or, in my case, my perfectly deceiving o.j. and club soda on ice)…listened to john legend and jack johnson crooning along with the calm rhythm of little whitecaps lapping. and when the sun sank low, so did we…into the hollows of our beach chairs where we contemplated life. we lit candles around our beach blankets, dipped in the gulf just to say we did…and it was divine.
(yes, we have matching suits. unintentional.)
when my own little isn’t there, i get to focus on the other lovies in my life….like a.j.
i love this shot. because i’m so not the get-your-hands-off-my-belly girl. the girls in my life are always touching that baby…and it makes me smile. like rubbing a buddha, right?
out of all the vast land that fills the middles of our country, i always feel lucky to be one to live on the edge of the sea after spending an evening in its splendor. ahh.
and in photography land…
budoir shots this week for this gorgeous mama, sarah.
and bro/sis shots of my ob nurse’s kids. brett & i both feel we landed the dreamiest duo when it comes to our ob and nurse…we feel like nothing less than family when we walk into the office, and appt. days are like lunch-with-a-friend days to me. i look forward to them. i’m constantly thinking of ways to thank these people that are such a huge part of our memories for baby-brewing. (dot, what kind of cookies do you like?)
and finally…sweet little home.
where i made my grandma’s sweet pickles this week for the first time since she passed away…
and lainey is picking up her mama’s hobbies…
three major activities in our home right now:
art.
books.
(’tis my favoritest thing ever to find her on her tummy, legs all a kicked in the air and swingin’, reading her little treasures on her own. and, for the record, there’s been a lot of beatrix potter this week. oh, yay.)
and dogs.
(so, sorry…lainey’s a diggin’ here, and sophie’s mid-yawn…what a ferocios duo. bwah ha ha ha.)
she crazy…and i love it.
whipped-creaming this post sundae with major happies on my brain right now.
*hello…the fall decorations are unveiling at a store near you, and a little birdie told me yankee released its autumn scents. still a little while, but sneaking into those aisles makes me very, very happy.
*lainey’s halloween costume is all done. please tell me i’m not the only one who looks forward to halloween like a six-year-old. her costume this year makes me laugh…hard.
*one week ’till we land in my-kind-of-town, (chicago is)…and i completed lainey’s cubs outfit yesterday for her first game ever. we are so excited to be with brett’s family and enjoying a dreamy week of northern fun…but mostly family. i love them like they’re mine. i smell lots of photos to come.
and what’s a sundae post without a cherry on top?
my sweet little cherry.
bon appetit.
What a magical evening you enjoyed…I still want your life! What beautiful friends…golden! And those photos…your grandfather would be amazed and proud of you. Exposing your little to art and literature, sunsets and loud gatherings of laughing friends will make her a bright spot in her world. I always hope the fact we had an open and spontaneous home made you children who you are. Loving you. Raining here…all day!
I am melted by the Lainey smiles.
So glad you go to the beach like that…I have memories of playing in the sand (when I was wee, living in St. Pete) while my mom and her friend lay motionless in the sand, just listening to the waves go in and out. Therapy.
Kelle,
Love the photos – as always. Especially your beach shots. I have a special kind of love for those beach shots. 🙂
I had a favor to ask. I know you live in Naples. We have a 2nd home in Bonita Springs (Bonita Bay) that we visit about once a month throughout the year. We have contemplated moving to the Naples area full time in the future. My one worry is the schools. I’d love to talk to you about the area and the private schools vs. the community schools there. I know your “littles” is still young but I thought you might have friends who already have school age children that you could give me some advice with. We reside in Indiana full time currently so this would be a big step for us to move south full time. We love the Naples area but don’t really know anything about the BEST area of Naples to live in so to speak. Beings that we are always in Bonita, we are clueless to the best “family” spots within Naples in regard to living there permanently/full time.
If you have the time, could you maybe email me with some insight, advice, or tid bits regarding Naples, the schools, the neighborhoods, and so forth? I’d love to get your opinion. My email address is:
Angie@AngelicaGraceDesigns.com
Thanks Kelle. Your help is greatly appreciated. Keep enjoying that beach girl! It’s such a gift from God – such a blessing.
Hugs, Angie Seaman
http://www.angieseamanphotography.blogspot.com
http://www.angieseamanphotography.com
http://www.angelicagracedesigns.com/blog/
http://www.angelicagracedesigns.com
what lovely-ness those beach times with friends are. here we tend to sit huddled around a campfire late into the night with pine trees and oak trees soaring above our heads. but i know that deep inside me there is a beach girl. so glad i can enjoy bits and pieces through your blog. thanks for that.
and a baby-doc that you love is so priceless, no? mine is my midwife who routinely hugs me in congratulations. and we schedule appts right before lunch so that we can have lunch dates. it’s very special to have those people in your life.
What a great time this was; I love our impromptu beach trips. I just wish I could’ve been more involved with the blanket conversations, but as you know Alan would’ve been in the middle of the Gulf if I wasn’t hot on his trail. These pictures are heaven (especially of Alan) and perfectly captured the essence of the night. And what a perfect picture to end the post, with that beautiful smile.
P.S. We’ve also decided on Alan’s Halloween costume. I get just as excited. xoxo
BEAUTIFUL beach with friends photos.
makes me miss home and you girls even more than i do. your words are amazing. love this post!!!
she looks SO grown up to me in this post! love that smile! having an OB team you love makes such a difference. you know how to embrace it all!!!
Kelle, I am loving your curves in those beach pictures. You wear pregnancy damn well girlfriend! Love it!! So sad I missed the beach outing. Ken left for the Keys that day and I’m trying not to abuse my “babysitters” a.k.a. mom and dad. 🙂 Hope to make it next time!
OMG GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I just read this post AFTER I sent that text today about the pocketful of sunshine tomorrow! wow, get out now!! (pushing u out of my head)
Crazy!
aww what a sweet little digger. i hope she found some gold. lol, did you check the wall after she was done for some surprises?
your girl loves life, embraces it just like her mama.
🙂 xoxo!
Hi Kelle,
My name is Jane and I’m with Dwellable.
I was looking for blog posts about Bonita Bay to share on our site and I came across your post…If you’re open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you 🙂
Jane