Nashville Wife

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Oregon Coast

Solar-Powered Chicken Coop

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Recently, I was looking back at photos from our 2016 trip down the Oregon Coast and our 20-hour adventure in San Francisco, and I realized that I never told you about the chicken coop that we came across. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary chicken coop, but it’s not…it’s  solar powered and self-operating!

While in San Francisco, we had dinner with Mr. Handsome’s distant cousin over the bridge in Sausalito. She lived in a very suburban area and had a small backyard, but she had chickens. She traveled a fair amount for work and had coyotes in her area, so she installed a coop that would keep the chickens safe while she was gone….

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World Travel

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New Orleans, 2016

In response to my most recent Ask Ellie post, one of my readers asked where I would most like to travel to. I am a homebody at heart, and I can honestly say that there’s no place like home. That being said, Mr. Handsome and I have done a decent amount of traveling during our first three years of marriage, and we have enjoyed experiencing new places.

Oregon Coast, 2016

We hope to start a family soon, so we have been taking advantage of our time as a couple, knowing that once we have kiddos, travel will be much more complicated.

If you could pick two places to visit, one within your country or continent and one further away, where would you go?

Closer to home, I would visit the Boston area. I love experiencing history, which is something Boston is very rich in. If I could travel to another country, I think I would pick the British Isles. From the photos I have seen, that part of the world looks absolutely gorgeous.

What about you?

Mr. Handsome’s Great-Grandmother

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Mr. Handsome and I spent Easter weekend with family. We saw both our immediate families, as well as both sides of Mr. Handsome’s extended family. All the ladies attended a bridal shower for my almost-21-year-old sister-in-law, who is getting married in early summer. (Remember when I posted pictures of her engagement party?)

Last week, my mother-in-law called and informed us that her grandmother (Mr. Handsome’s great-grandmother) would be at the shower and suggested we bring one of Mr. Handsome’s paintings for her.

Almost 102 years old, Great-Grandma lives alone, and she is a spitfire. She and Mr. Handsome have a special bond because they both have a dry sense of humor and enjoy poking fun at each other. When I handed Great-Grandma the wrapped painting, one of the great-aunts, who has a similar sense of humor, exclaimed, “I think it’s a baseball!” As she was leaving, Great-Grandma reminded me to be sure to thank my husband for the baseball.

Amidst all the joking, Great-Grandma truly was touched to receive such a heartfelt gift. She has a dozen grandchildren and a few dozen
great-grandchildren, and she gives all of them (plus their spouses) presents  at Christmas, but very few of them acknowledge her. We’re not sure how much longer she will be with us, but we want to make her feel special while she’s here.

*Have you been down the Oregon Coast? The scene pictured in the painting is Heceta Head Lighthouse, located in Florence, Oregon. It is based on the photos we took of the lighthouse when we visited last October.

An Oregon Coast Wedding

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 Mr. Handsome and me on the Oregon coast
(a super windy day, as you can tell by our hair!)

Happy Friday! Sorry for the delay in posting over the past week. Mr. Handsome and I were on a jam-packed vacation, which included my brother’s wedding at a seaside chapel in Lincoln City, Oregon; a three-day drive through the Redwood Forest and along the California coast; and 24 hours in San Francisco. (If you follow my Facebook page, you have probably seen a few pictures that I posted during our trip.)

We had a blast! Those of you who live on the West Coast are truly blessed to be surround by such breathtaking beauty. I have tons of photos to share, so I’ll start from the beginning. Here are my snapshots from my brother’s wedding. (Hopefully when we receive pictures from the photographer, I will have even more to post.)

The bride’s mother was in charge of the reception hall decorations, and she did a fabulous job. I was totally impressed to hear that she came up with all the arrangements without looking at Pinterest.

 

 

 

 

After the rehearsal dinner at the church, we all headed over to the reception hall to help add the finishing touches to the decorations. Mr. Handsome was quite proud of the pillar that he and a few other groomsmen decorated:

The wedding cake was definitely the most unique I had ever seen. Half the layers were chocolate, and the other half were vanilla. I just love the vibrancy of the flowers!

My brother and his new wife sat at this newlywed table during our delicious dinner (salad, salmon or chicken, veggies, and rolls).

The reception hall was also on the ocean, so we enjoyed taking family photos with the sea as our backdrop. Most were taken by the wedding photographer, but I had someone take this shot of Mr. Handsome, my parents, and me with my iPhone:

Most of my aunts, uncles, and cousins were able to make the trek from Canada. Mr. Handsome’s parents, grandparents, and two youngest sisters also came to the wedding and drove with us down the coast. It was wonderful to have both our families together.

2 Weddings and a Baby

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Mr. Handsome and I are bracing ourselves for what is shaping up to be a very busy fall…

First off, my brother (my only sibling) will be getting married on the Oregon Coast. He and his fiancé were engaged last spring, so we’ve known about this event for a while. We’re planning to drive down to the Redwood Forest after the wedding. Any other suggestions of what we should see while we’re there?

Three months ago, Mr. Handsome’s youngest brother (he has two brothers and four sisters) proposed to his girlfriend of seven months. The two will tie the knot on the East Coast. Due to Mr. Handsome’s work schedule, it’s going to be a quick three-day trip, so we won’t have time for sight-seeing.

Between those two weddings, my oldest sister-in-law, Anne, is expecting her second child. (Remember my post about the gender reveal party?) We’re counting down the days until her due date and are excited to meeting our new nephew!

Needless to say, fall is going to be a whirlwind, but we’re looking forward to reuniting with family and friends and participating in all the festivities.