Friday Favorites, East Texas family edition

This weekend, Nathan and I are visiting my family in East Texas. It's always wonderful to visit everyone out here, where the pace is slow and the agenda includes eating at the little pizzeria that's two blocks from the house, playing games, grilling, chatting and laughing. Here are a few other things related to our trips out here:

1. thrift stores


My mom is the queen of thrifting, so I learned from the best.
Besides being able to find unique things at affordable prices, thrifting also supports charity and is good for the environment (because it's like recycling).
There are some incredible thrift shops in and around my parents' town, so my mom, my sister and I always hit the shops.





2. hammocks
My parents have a hammock in their yard under the trees. There's nothing better than lazing in the hammock with a good book, or your sweetie to cuddle with. (The hammock does accommodate two.)





3. Apples to Apples
My current favorite board game, which we JUST played tonight. This game is easy to learn and hilarious to play.



4. bocce
One of the best outdoor games-- and trust me, you don't have to be athletic to play. It's also somewhat luck-based, because it's a moving target.



And look, even the Pope plays.


5. family!
A couple family members I don't normally get to see are my amazing sister (who has been teaching for the past year in Istanbul!),


my fabulous grandma (who lives all the way up in Illinois), my talented brother and wonderful sis-in-law and their new little baby, Mikayla, who is our one and only niece. Mikayla's not only completely beautiful, she's the most serious little baby, always taking everything in with her big, blue eyes.

Here she is, during dinner. I don't know if you can tell from her eyes, but they are saying, "You all get pizza and I get strained carrots? what gives?"


We of course brought our cammies, so I promise more (non-Hipstamatic) photos very soon.

Happy weekend!