Hey everyone! I'm officially back in NYC after some fun summer trips and this week I'm going to give you a little look into my trips!

If you caught my last post, you already know I headed back home for Little Duck's high school graduation! I'm so glad I got to be there for her graduation and I'm so excited for her next chapter!

It was the last trip I was going to be home for before she goes away to college so I really tried to get in some quality girl time -- Anna and Faithy style. 

Our adventures usually involve some delicious food (insert Red Robin here), jamming out in the car, and definitely a Target trip or two. ;-) One of our big adventures this time around was focused around something totally awesome too... DORM SHOPPING! Shopping for my dorm brings back so many fun memories and I was so excited to help Faithy get ready for hers. Plus, after living in NYC for awhile, I've gotten pretty good at decorating a small space and learning all sorts of storage hacks!

In between shopping, we also checked out a couple of really fun places! One being Sub Zero Ice Cream. I had never been before but it's totally awesome if you have any near you!

You start by picking out the flavors you want and they mix the ingredients into a bowl and then....

Poof! They use liquid nitrogen to freeze your ice cream right in front of your face. It's just like magic (or a little science!). So cool and it was really tasty too!

We also stopped into a spot I've been wanting to check out since Christmas.. The Root Beer Store. I absolutely love root beer and I found out about this shop up in Puyallup that sells over 100+ brands of just that! How cool!?

They also have some fun other options like bottled shirley temples, birch beer and other flavored pops. Basically if you're a fan of root beer you are in for a treat with this spot!

Along with some really awesome time with Little Duck.. I also got to go to Happy Hour for a mini Napa reunion with some of the ladies from my trip in September! 

I also squeezed in a trip to spend some time with my grandma which was really nice. She had a rough start to the year so it was really wonderful to catch up and see that she's doing much better now. 

To celebrate Father's Day, we went up to Seattle for the Fremont Solstice Fair. I was a little surprised when my dad suggested it because it's a little wild and well, not really his cup of tea, but I guess he was feeling a little adventurous this year.

It ended up being a lot of fun and I even got to spend a little time with one of my good friends who moved up there this year!

And just as soon as I arrived it was time to head back east.. We ended my trip on a pretty exciting note by checking out my mom's new house! I just missed the move by a week when I was home but I did get to watch the house go through some pretty dramatic changes over a week which was pretty neat. SUPER excited for my mom and my sister.

Another wonderful trip in the books! Missing home and the lovely non-humid weather already!

Today is a big day... My Little Duck is graduating from high school! Ahh! I can't even believe it! My little nugget is all grown up! Totally having a big sis moment...

I feel so lucky that I've been able to watch her grow up over the last 10 years and cannot wait to see all of the awesome things she's going to accomplish in the next 10, and trust me, she's going to accomplish some big things. :)

In true sentimental fashion here's some of my favorite pics of our memories along the way!

Congrats Little Duck! I'm so proud of you!

Well hello everyone! I'm so excited about today's post! Now that the sunshine is here to stay (it's been in the high 80's all week) it's officially balcony season. I moved into my apartment at the end of last summer in August so this is going to be my first full season with outdoor space and I'm so pumped about it!

If you've followed any of my home decor posts in the past you probably know that I LOVE color -- bright, fabulous, bold colors! I'm also a big fan of patterns and definitely not afraid to layer. So it probably won't surprise you when I tell you that my goal for my outdoor decor was to have one of the brightest balconies in the city. And while I haven't seen every patio and balcony in the city, I'm going to go on a limb and say I think I nailed the color part ;-)

Something I had been looking forward to all winter was the second the weather turned for the better so I could pick out new flowers for my planters. So as soon as it warmed up I headed to the farmer's market as fast as I could!

I've always loved Gerbera Daisies so I decided they were a great choice for my planters! I've never had much of a green thumb but I also decided to give my go at a little garden this year too. I picked up romaine lettuce, strawberries, basil, mint, a mini tomato plant, and some lilac! 

I had to plant things a little closer because I was tight on space but I got a really great deal on plants so I decided it wasn't too bad of a spend if I ended up killing everything. I mean I've killed succulents before.. so I wasn't setting the bar too high.

Without further ado, onto the decor! I switched things up a little this year to make the space a little more functional for the way I like to use it.  

That included buying a couple of lounge chairs to make the space a little more comfy! I love coming home and just relaxing outside and these chairs are perfect for that. Plus I can easily fold them up and slide them aside when I want a little more open space.

Right now I have 3 distinct little areas. My lounge chairs, my bench and then my table. Also not pictured are my BBQ and fire pit in the far left corner.

Here's both chairs in action when Chris is out on the balcony with me! Good news too! My plants are killing it!

And guess what! My first strawberries came in and I cut some of my lettuce and have used it for a couple of dinners! Just call me urban farmer Anna ;-)

I can't wait for many more nights out here this summer! Hope you guys enjoyed my space!