Category Archives: the hubs

B A H A M A S

February 11, 2016

Bahamas-19

Vacation. Ahhhh. I relax just saying the word. And this vacation was perfect. Relaxing and fun in the most gorgeous setting I’ve ever seen. The BAHAMAS.

John and I booked this trip about three weeks ago after talking about it for months! We usually do a ski trip but this time we wanted HOT weather! I couldn’t wait to see some turquoise water and white sandy beaches. I’ve only ever been to Tulum Mexico so I am a tad sheltered!

(Abundance of pictures coming up. Sorry! I loved them all! It’s just so beautiful there!)

Bahamas-5 Bahamas-20

BikiniBahamas-36Bahamas-7

Bikini Top // Bikini Bottom // Cover-up Bahamas-1


We stayed at the Sandals Royal Bahamian right in Nassau, Bahamas. It was a reaaaaally pretty all-inclusive with ten restaurants and seven pools, and even it’s own separate island! THAT was the best part! Absolutely gorgeous. I love all-inclusives. You don’t even have to THINK! And I am a fan of trying foods so I order just about everything on the menu! ;) I ate a lot of seafood. YUM.

Pools

The best restaurant was Gordon’s on the Pier. It was FABULOUS. We ate there our last night and definitely savored the romantic setting with a few glasses of wine and a delicious grouper dinner.

Bahamas-12 Bahamas-15


Two of the days we spent time on the island. You took a boat over there and it was very private and so gorgeous. We got to snorkel in the water and we saw sea turtles and tons of fish around the coral reef! I LOVE to snorkel!

Bahamas-14

Here are some more pictures from the island

Bahamas-33 Bahamas-39 Bahamas-47 Bahamas-52

Fruity frozen cocktail #101 ;)Bahamas-53 Island

And not to mention those sunsets tho… WHOA.

Bahamas-54


One of the days was not too great of weather, so we headed to downtown Nassau and the Fish Fry to see the town. I got my coconut drink and the best piña colada I’ve ever had with REAL coconut that I scooped out myself! That was cool :) Downtown Bahamas has a TON of jewelry stores and a neat market with lots of homemade gifts and decor. People are really talented down there!

Bahamas-43 dtbahamas

Overall it was AMAZING. Difficult to leave the kids, but very very nice to have a little getaway and some alone time with the hubs. That was much needed! Plus the SUN!! Hallelujah!

I missed Ivy and Leo so much! But the grandparents sure had some quality time with the kids. I was so happy to see them and get them in my arms again! Leo didn’t take the bottle the whole time we were gone (YIKES!!) Even though he took it for John the whole weekend two weekends ago, what the heck! So that was nerve-racking, but thank goodness he’s good at feeding himself with baby-led weaning, so he survived! He was certainly ravenous for the boob when I got home though! ;)

Ivy even got to go to a Princess Ball with my friend Shannon. She LOVED to see all of the Princesses and gave lots of hugs! SWOON! I was kind of jealous I didn’t get to be there to see her all giddy!! : /

Princess Ball

Until we meet again, Bahamas. XOXO

Bahamas-48


2 Years Married

July 20, 2014

IMG_5701

July 20, 2014. Our 2 year anniversary. Seems like just yesterday I was feeling the obnoxious butterflies in my stomach, gazing up at my ultra handsome husband to-be at the altar, arm in arm with my loving Dad, on my way to becoming Mrs. John Koch. So much has happened over these two wonderful years! But what’s best, is still feeling the same love I had for him that special day 2 years ago. Over the 5 years of knowing each other, our love has developed into something extraordinary. I am pretty dang lucky to have him. Reliable, supportive, loving, kind, compassionate, charming, considerate, dependable, trustworthy, and so totally handsome are just some of the words to describe my man! (I have to admit, I googled “adjectives to describe your husband,” lol). I am so extremely happy to be his wife and cheers to many more! Happy Anniversary to my husband! This one’s for you :) xo. Thanks for all of the memories… so far…

Happy 2nd Anniversary

10400309_549958227554_7682553_n

Our first ever picture together. This was the picture I sent out to my family and friends to show them the “new guy I’m dating.” Ha :)

17577_557814613294_2725159_n

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

DSC_0275 36985_570904017024_1161467_n 314300_677524618484_1194954389_n

182221_593249162174_1119604_n

28383_567661534984_5586777_n

35692_569492066584_6647172_n

378167_682549773034_1209264603_n

295982_670067617374_1027255990_n color-5720

IMG_5756 576927_796713128754_1785644911_n

563148_796713552904_1481745560_n 734643_837689925924_586507996_n

IMG_0129

525234_863203137244_1030769852_n

903502_876144592464_769304972_o

459867_887159718064_663165934_o

IMG_0047

FV2_0447Happy 2 year Anniversary, xxoo

Memorial Day Weekend

May 27, 2014

I always look forward to Memorial Day. It’s the kickoff to summer with a weekend full of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the country’s armed forces, while soaking up some sunshine, boating, grilling, drinks, and friends… the perfect combo to start the summer off right. We always head down to our cabin in Yankton, Cedar Ridge Hideaway, to enjoy the best of Yankton, the Lewis and Clark lake. This time, we got to take the new Jeep! I sat in back with Ivy, the wind blowing through our hair (her little baby hair wispies were so funny), the sun shining through the spider shade cover, and the all-around sensational feeling of ahhhh, summer’s here :) We even had the hot weather to top it off! FINALLY.

We spent the holiday weekend with friends and were quite busy enjoying the sunshine! John completed some maintenance to the cabin and Ivy and I and our friends took walks to sit at the beach to soak in some rays. The best part of all, we got to take the boat out! Ivy LOVED her first boat ride! She just staaaared at the waves! I am anxious for the water to heat up so we can go swimming. And babies in swimsuits, come on… :)  I anticipate a lot of fun and happy memories with her on the boat and at the beaches around the lake. What a lucky girl.

IMG_5031-2 IMG_5030-2 DSC_0085-2 DSC_0075-2

DSC_0093-2

Enjoying our Friday night boat cruise together

DSC_0064-2

Justin and Emily tagged along while Ivy is helping Daddy captain the boat. Aye aye, mate

DSC_0128-2

Shannon and Ivy

DSC_0123-2

 John finally got his Yeti cooler! Grab a bev, Shannon. Livin’ la vida chillaxin’

DSC_0113-2 DSC_0111-2 DSC_0118-2

Smooches for Daddy. Thighs <3

IMG_5027-2 IMG_5038-2 DSC_0108-2

Breakfast on the deck

DSC_0095-2

IMG_5016-2 IMG_5003-2 IMG_5001-2

Embracing our inner Miley

IMG_5020-2

Toesies in the sand

IMG_5023-2

 

Dear Portland, let me count the ways…

May 3, 2014

Portland, Oregon has always been on my bucket list. The lush green forests, the divine food, the craft brews, the hip culture, this city certainly was a city I HAD to visit sometime. My sister Catheryn and her new husband Michael moved out there last year from D.C. and needless to say, I WAS PUMPED. Even more reasons to visit now! Being it was Easter, they just eloped, and it was her birthday = a perfect time to visit. My other sister Jillian and her husband Brian also booked some tickets from Indianapolis to make it a family affair. Catheryn hadn’t met Ivy yet, so we HAD to bring her! Plus, I was excited for her to have her 2nd airplane ride (1st was to Scottsdale, AZ) and to see some new sights.

IMG_0412_2

DAY 1

We started our journey hitting the town and ate at Tasty N Alder. DELICIOUS. We had a bloody mary and shared a bunch of brunch items. This was the best meal we had ALL weekend! As we chowed down, I got used to nursing in public, which is never the easiest, but Ivy took a little snooze as I was inhaling a fab meal.

Next, we dashed to some breweries – Rogue and Deschutes. We did a sampling of beer flights, and they were all so so good. We ended the night at a rooftop bar called Departure to soak in some views of the city.

IMG_0416_2

IMG_0417_2

 

DAY 2

The next day was our WINE TOUR of Willamette Valley. Jillian, AKA Master Planner, put together a list of wineries to go to and John and I were THRILLED. Ivy napped on the drive there so she was all rested and ready to have her “cracker tasting” at each winery :)

First up, was WillaKenzie. Pulling into the driveway of this winery was like a dream. The views were just majestic with lush green everywhere. So beautiful. This is a larger winery and I looooooved every wine we sampled. I took advantage of a firepit overlooking the vineyard and nursed Ivy. It was quite amazing. Usually nursing in public is in a corner of a bathroom or something, but this, this was a spot I could get used to. That fire, the trees, the vines, the grapes… take me baaaaaaack.

DSC_0025

DSC_0028

DSC_0046

 

DSC_0042

Proud Uncle Brian and Auntie Jillian! Lookin’ like naturals.

DSC_0047

2nd stop, we hit Lenne, a beautiful building and scenery. Very intimate setting.

DSC_0050 DSC_0052 DSC_0054

3rd stop was Saffron Fields. This place had architecture that was just incredible!

DSC_0064

Ivy enjoying her cracker tasting
DSC_0057

4th stop was the BEST stop. Atticus Winery. This was a very unique experience because it was not a business location, we actually got to go to their home for a private tasting. Their home was SO neat. Rustic country with a view that was to die for. Vineyards in your back yard?! Yes please! I’ll take 2. The woman was so nice and we pretty much took over her house. We brought our lunch – meats, cheeses, crackers, dips – all from Trader Joe’s, paired with some delicious wine samples, and this was the best hour we had.

DSC_0074 DSC_0075DSC_0083Ivy finally got some playing time

After the wine tasting, we went outside to see the vineyard and it was just dreamy outside. We took advantage of the setting for some stunning family photos

IMG_0425_2 DSC_0105

The Keating Girls

DSC_0094

Umb, could this be ANY more perfect. Eyes open, everybody’s looking, and everybody’s smiling, EVEN IVY.

DSC_0088

Newly eloped!! Michael and Catheryn

DAY 3

The 3rd day we went to Irving Street Kitchen for lunch, then went for a stroll through Washington Park. The food was delectable and the sights were delightful. The park was extraordinary! Abundant trees and green, walking paths, and a rose garden (this would have been GORGEOUS if they had been in bloom) made for a sweet cruise through the park.

IMG_0442_2

Only gourmet for baby ;)

DSC_0114

Hey guys

IMG_0443_2 DSC_0109

Daddy slingin’ it

DSC_0112
And that made the end of our trip, wine, beer, food, and family. Until next time Portland, xoxo.

6 month family photos

April 17, 2014

My baby girl turned 6 months old on April 1st. We had the delight of working with Marie at Finished Vision to take our family photos. She did Ivy’s newborn photos too and I swear this woman has some sort of magical gift to get these babies to lay in certain positions and still be sound asleep. She’s amaaaazing. We took these at the Outdoor Campus. Thankfully it was a lovely day. I am so happy with the way these photos turned out! We were due for some fam photos.

FV2_2510

 

FV2_2523

 Love those red pants on my hubs

FV2_2543

Big pretty eyes on that babe

FV2_2613

FV2_2598

FV2_2596

FV2_2606

FV2_2560

 

FV2_2659

FV2_2662

Smilin’ at mama

FV2_2646

Gosh, I love that little squirt

FV2_2635

FV2_2705