Stay-Cationing!

Ah, June. Oh, how I've always loved thee. My birthday is a holiday, you know? :o)
Then I married a dude with a June birthday.. so it became even more special! <3
Not to mention one of my best friends, his Grandmother, his Aunt, a couple of my favorite cousins... it's a good month to celebrate!

I was definitely excited about June this year because it meant I was going to get to spend some time with my sister, brother-in-law and niece! They had been planning a trip to Louisiana for many months, and that week couldn't get here fast enough for me! My Instagram and Facebook has lots more photos, but here's a quick glimpse at our June!

Hubby helped me get my business space set up, and then I spent the entire weekend before my family came getting it completely organized. It makes me so much more focused and efficient with the hours I do spend working my business when my space is ready for me. I love it!

He was also a trooper at helping me celebrate a good sale this summer! Ha!

We had such a fun time shooting this. If you haven't used your burst photo option on iPhone, you really need to get on that. Hilarious!

My version of the sale-excitement. :o)

For our birthdays, Damion's parents took us to see Warcraft!

I think most people know, but in case you didn't, that's actually how Damion and I met. :o)

We were in the same (brand new) guild together. After a few months of being gaming friends, that turned into being phone/Facebook friends.. the rest is history. So, for lots of reasons, we were excited for this to come out!

And then it was time to head off to see my family! (Thank you again to my buddies at work for making it possible for me to be off the entire week to spend time with family! <3)

We left out Saturday morning to meet up with them in New Orleans. They had taken an extra day to rest during the drive down from North Carolina. It's a long haul, so I completely understand!

First things first, walking around the French Quarter, checking out the little shops.

And my sister found a friend. Chomp chomp!

For dinner, we headed over to the Garden District, to eat at Joey K's.

Delicious! My sister talked about her Fried Oyster Sandwich for days!

We definitely recommend this place! Great service, great food, cool neighborhood.

After dinner, we walked down the block to try out Sucre.

I could spend days in a place like that. Such beautiful creations!
Dessert like that is definitely an art!

On Sunday, we toured around different parts of the city.

A few graveyards, New Orleans City Park, then the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Incredible! It's an easy walk around, and wasn't overly crowded.

We grabbed a late lunch at Raisin' Canes. :o)

Where we come from, it's all things Bojangles. So, we had to show them the light!

(even though this NC girl would love some Bo's once in a while!)

Dinner was delicious and fun at The Blind Pelican!

And dessert at Cafe du Monde! <3

This was my second time eating here. Going late at night was definitely the best choice.

It's still hot at night in the summer, of course, but the crowd is way smaller, and parking was easy.

A first-timer's MUST for visiting the city.

p.s. - We ended up going with AirBNB for lodging.

The hotels can be pretty expensive, plus paying for parking, so this worked out great for us!

This is a super cute mother-in-law type cottage behind the owner's home.

We were only a short drive from the main part of town, with safe and private parking, as well as plenty of space to enjoy our short weekend away. The hosts were so kind!

We recommend this Cute Place for sure!

We left on Monday, which was my birthday.

Hubby left to go get us some yummy breakfast from Wakin' Bakin'!

If there's one thing you need for a vacation to Louisiana, it's an appetite!

We drove back home after breakfast, with a quick stop at Trader Joe's in Baton Rouge, of course!

My family got checked in to their hotel and we all rested a bit.

For dinner, we met up and headed to L'auberge Casino and Hotel for dinner.

The buffet is crazy big, and of course.. delicious. :o)

No time for photos until dessert.

Creme brulee for days.. and a mini key lime pie. Ha!

My niece stayed the night with us... and made sure to let me know that SnapChat was pretty dumb.

But, she is 12 and thinks everything we do is dumb. Haha... so fun to annoy her. <3

On Tuesday, we loaded up together and headed south.

The Creole Nature Trail was first on our list.

(seriously.. she hates my camera. LOL!)

Hi there, buddy... we just wanted to say hi!

Next up, the Gulf! We let them walk around a bit at Holly Beach.

It was SO HOT... so I stayed in the car. Ha!
(plus, I hate sand.. so unless I'm getting some time in the waves, I'm not down for strolling)

Next, the Cameron Ferry. Which, of course, takes more time to wait for and load than it does to actually ride across the water... ha! But it's free and fun to experience.

We grabbed some drinks.. 

Yep - drive through frozen daiquiri shops, friends. 

You really need to come visit us!

Hello to my new friend, Strawberry Mango Colada! 

And my cutie birthday cake from Jo's!

Wednesday, Hubby had to work.

So, the rest of us slept in and grabbed lunch before heading out to the state park!

It was such a pretty day!

Damion was busy cutting grass when we got there, 

but he was able to join us for the very end of our time out there.

And sweet Maggie came to say hello, too!

Our last day together was very relaxed. We got some donuts together, then they spent some time resting at their hotel and enjoying their pool. For dinner, we ate at our house (cooking happened while the boys went off to enjoy a couple of hours of man-time at Cigar Club), and said our goodbyes! <3

Over the next weekend, Damion and his brother headed off to crab for a few hours.

They came home with a few.. enough for us to enjoy a little bit of their efforts. :o)

After my family left, I was in a super funk for a few days.

I really miss North Carolina. I really miss my family and friends there.
I'm definitely not unhappy here in Louisiana, and I love being married to Damion so much.

It's just a different kind of place than I've known my whole life, so I think I'm still adjusting, I guess.

Thankfully, he's very understanding and promises that we can keep visiting as much as possible. <3

We don't know where we will end up when he's finished with school.. but a part of me always hopes that we travel back toward that familiar stead.

And God was so sweet to me in this.. because just 5 days later, my parents floated through our town again! It was another quick visit, but dinner together is always nice. :o)

June, I'll always love you!

Eventful May!

May as well continue catching everyone up, huh? Get it.. May. Heh. ;o)

It started with a fun, and really sweet (in more ways than one!) week at work where our administration set up a week of Teacher Appreciation. There were lots (and lottttsss) of delicious goodies every day, and many of our parents lavished gifts and sweet notes on us all week long. If you're involved in an education field of work, you know that it often feels unnoticed and unappreciated. The pay is often low, there's lots of tired days, emotional days, and plenty of praying for God to remind you that we work as unto Him and not for the praise of Man... but sweet gestures like this are great reminders that simple "thank yous" go a really long way!

I still think about this delicious strawberry. It was ginormous!
and so super juicy and sweet!

this was hilarious to me!

We have some bounce-type horses in our classroom. 

This little boy's older sister drew this for me!

Such generosity!

~

The week ended with a quick drive over to the next town to see my parents for about 20 minutes.

Always happy to squeeze that into a work day!

~

Next up ~ you guessed it... a weekend away! My cousin and her family were living near us when we moved down here, so I've gotten to see them several times while living in Louisiana. They have just moved back to the east coast, but thankfully were still close (Austin/Round Rock area) enough for us to pop in for their daughter's 1st Birthday! Her BEE Day. Such a cute party!

We started our journey west by stopping in for my first visit to a Buc-Ees.

If you don't know about these stores, please make sure you keep your eyes peeled the next time you're traveling. It's a phenomenon.

Us and Bucee the Beaver. 

It was still to early in the morning for decent selfies, but here we are.

The hotel wasn't ready for us when we got there, so we we ahead to Ikea!
A girl's always got to visit Ikea when there's one available!

Gimme all the thingggsss!

Also. Take me back to this hotel and that big bath tub! <3

And finally! Sunday arrived, and it was time to PARTY!

Happy Bee-Day to this cutie patootie!

She wasn't as much of a fan of the SnapChat filters. :o)

So happy my Aunt Lora (Baby Girl's Nana!) was able to make it from North Carolina!

~

*blip in the days to come... another quick visit (this time, long enough for dinner!) with Mama and Daddy. We got some recommendations for where to eat in Lafayette, and ended up at Don's Seafood. It was quaint, very quiet, and we enjoyed our food!*

~

Next up - Grease! Damion's cousin Dylan was part of a performing arts group doing Grease in town! I'm SO glad we were able to make it. I wish we could have see the performance several times. They all did such a great job, and I so enjoyed seeing Dylan on stage! He's such a detailed performer! 

I tried not to take a billion photos, even though I wanted to!
Dylan is the second person from the far left. :o)

~

And then... we became parents. For a day. :o( :o( :o(
I almost didn't include this story, but when I was organizing my photos for May, there were just so many of this sweet boy that I couldn't not tell you.
As you know, Damion works for the state park here in town. One morning, he found this sweet guy abandoned in the brush by a boat launch. We've since learned lots more info about this situation, but he was for sure abandoned... and deaf! He texted me, and of course, my heart wanted to be stern and unloving and remind him that we aren't ready for a pet right now. But then he sent me a photo, and I wanted to die a million times from the cuteness! I should also tell you that I had already picked out the name Moses for a boy doggie if we ever get to have one, so knowing that this baby was found by the water in the brush just about nearly did.me.in. So, while we decided what we were going to do, I told him it was okay to bring him home for the night. 

Of course, his foster daddy ran right out and got him a small bag of food, a couple of toys, a cheap leash and collar, and cleaned out an old dog kennel he had found at work in the past.

THIS FACE. I cannot. I miss that sweet thing so much!
Like I said, he is a deaf dog. We began to research how to care for him (not knowing if it would be one day, one week, or what might happen), and figured out what would be the best way for him to sleep that night. It's super strange when a deaf dog goes to sleep because it's not like things startle him, you know? In order to keep him from waking up in fear, for example, we learned that you need to begin stomping the ground a few times to help send him vibrations.. that way, you don't reach your hand to touch him and get snapped back at! Night time was a little rough because covering his crate scared him since that made him deaf and blind! So, we took him in our room (in the crate), and let him watch us 'wind down.' Lights off, lay across the bed with just the tv going, being still, etc. He finally got tired and went to sleep. Damion was a trooper and got up with him every few hours to make him potty outside. Around 4-5 a.m., he was done with that crate, though, and cried so much that Damion gave in and took him to sleep on the couch until it was time to go to work. Ha! He said that was his least favorite part of all this experience. I reminded him that this is why he needs to be really nice to Mothers. :o) When they were leaving for the park that morning, Damion kissed me goodbye and I laid back in bed. As they were about to go out the door, Moses broke away from him and beelined to the back of the house where I was. He jumped onto the side of the bed and licked my face from top to bottom, then ran back to Damion who had come looking for him. Oh, my heart is breaking all over again telling you. :o( So, off they went to work and his co-worker and his girlfriend (who rescue dogs regularly and helps find them homes) agreed to take Moses and find him a better situation than we could give him at this time. I cried so much at work that day after Damion texted to fill me in. It will be fun to have a dog together some day. <3

~~~~

Here are a couple of other random photos for you from our May. :o)

Thanks for reading!

We were finally able to make it over to Sulphur Community Church, a church plant I had been following through social media that ended up being only a mile or two from our house. Damion ran into a friend from school who invited us, not knowing I had been wanting to visit for a little while now. His friend wasn't there that day, but we enjoyed meeting several folks and worshiping there! 

We look forward to learning more about the church soon! 

We covet your prayers as we continue to seek the place God would have us serve!

Also... I finally joined a gym.
And this is me hating life on the treadmill, like always. Ha!
Where my girls at?!?! I need you!!

(That means YOU Kristin, Alicia, Heather, Julie, Casey, Hallie, Dawn... 

gotta get that 2009 body back!)

More on this later.

And then, Spring Sprang!

And we were ready!

We started out March with some impromptu plans.. First up, a concert here in town to see Jewel! Damion happened to hear a radio commercial for the event, so we checked on tickets, and they weren't too expensive at all! So, we ordered them, and a couple of days later, we were off for a date at the Golden Nugget casino to hear some of the swoony magic of her songs and lyrics. ;o)

pretty good view for last minute tickets

she really was excellent as a live show!

As my oily business continues to grow, I got to enjoy seeing a new goal reached for myself! I'm really proud of this. February marked one year in the business of essential oils with Young Living, and while many have grown leaps and bounds more quickly than me, I'm thankful to have a supportive team with generous and caring leadership who have helped me build a strong foundation along the way! Such a fun group, and I'm thankful we're in this together!

Since Damion works every other weekend, we try to make sure we take some of the time we're both off to do things together. We woke up one pretty Saturday morning and decided we would take off to Lafayette for the day. It's about 80 miles from our house, so not a terrible trip by any means. We started by going by the school that he's hoping to transfer to sometime next year. UL-Lafayette has a pretty campus! It's not extremely big, but it does offer some cool things like married housing/apartments. We'd hope to get into something like that, if we're able!

go Ragin' Cajuns! :o)

We ended March with a small crawfish boil with the Conley family, as usual.
Didn't snap many photos that afternoon, but I got an important one. ;o)

~ onto April ~

Lake Charles is the nearest city to us from our smaller town, and it continues to grow all the time. One exciting thing (to me!), was that Newk's opened its 100th location there! The staff came by my job and offered some preview meal vouchers where we could go and try food from a smaller menu while they took that time to train their staff. We grabbed Dustin and Dylan (Damion's brother and cousin), and headed off for our free food! I really love this place. If you find one near you sometime, I definitely recommend it. This is my third location, and the quality and deliciousness of the food is consistent every time! Yum-O!

I definitely recommending "up sizing" to get the mac & cheese as your side item!

...

And on April 5th, we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary!
So exciting that it's been two years already!
We both had to work, and that's okay.. I'm so happy to be Mrs. Conley!
(and it's finally not super weird to say things like "my husband" to other people) ha!

this is still one of my favorite photos from our day!

the get-away!

Speaking of get-away... we did just that only a couple of weeks later!
When the new year began, one thing that Damion and I talked about was how I really wanted to take my oil business serious this year. I wanted to take risks, push myself, grow in my skills and knowledge, and do fun things! So, when my leadership decided to put on a big team business meeting/training in Raleigh, I wanted IN! Not only would I get to see my smaller business team (and meet some of them for the first time), but I would get a quick visit with some of my best friends. Winner Winner! YAY!! So thankful Damion was able to take a couple of days off to come with me. He was such a servant to me the whole weekend, including driving every minute of the trip there (through the night!) and back to Louisiana just a few days later. Best hubby! <3

If you haven't tried sleep phones, I recommend them!
They're like a headband/eye mask, but with flat earphones so that you can fall asleep listening to music (or watching/listening to YouTube videos like me!). I love them!

My beautiful friend Hallie opened her home to us...

we were blown away by her hospitality and how beautiful her apartment was!

On to the show...

Do you know Paige? She's amazing.
Not only is she a smart and strong leader, but she's generous, humble, and super hilarious!

(I'm not sure why my phone fogged up for this photo.. boo, me!)

Oh.. yeah, that's right... that's Andi. No big deal, huh?
I completely inner-fangirled every time I saw her around the meeting!

TONS of creative wisdom from this one!

More from the incredible leadership I have!

YAY TEAM! <3

The upper photo is a small group of my work team - #WorkIt.
Smart, Beautiful, And FUN!
And of course, the amazing Kate and Julie.. my main girlies!

I finished out my weekend by having some friends over to play around with some oils and make some goodies. I was SO SAD AND MAD that I didn't take photos of my friends who came!!! I'm proud of myself for ignoring my phone and enjoying every second I had with them, but seriously? How do I do things like that?! I could have at least snapped ONE photo! Ugh!

On the way out of town/out of state, we stopped for a quick few minutes in Charlotte to see this gem, though... and I didn't forget the photo this time. <3 Known and loved this girl since about the 2nd grade! Love that we can pick back up at a moment's notice! I loved getting to see her new house!

It was a long drive home, but we made it!

and we waited for summer to come...