We’ve been back from our family beach trip for a few weeks now. I don’t know what’s gotten into me these days but I’ve been feeling next level nostalgic lately (even more so than usual, ha). I’m sure it’s something to do with the fact that all of the little ones in my life are growing so darn quickly. And because they change so much over such a short period (truly – it is a blink!)… It has made me feel keenly aware of the passing of time.

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I already know that I will look back upon these years as “the golden years” and I find myself bound and determined to soak them in. I read somewhere that you only get four summers with your child before they realize you aren’t their whole world. And though I’d like to refuse to believe it, my three year old was an entirely new person on our family beach trip this year. She was far more independent, played with her cousins happily forever without a second glance… I even finished a whole book and I can’t believe that I’m already in the phase of child rearing where I’m capable of finishing a whole book?! It was such an adjustment! But it gave me more of a reason to slow down and prioritize this time spent with her. And them!

I find it can be a difficult balance of mourning what is sure to be lost (toddlerhood, childhood and beyond…) all while remaining present and enjoying how beautiful and hilarious and special it is in that very moment. As an emotional person I tend to sway drastically between presence and nostalgia. I also find it can feel scary to allow joy when you know it won’t be there forever. But that might be a story for another time.

I already know that I will look back upon these years as “the golden years” and I find myself bound and determined to soak them in.

I’m proud to say that things have felt very aligned lately and this really has been the summer of “yes” – from new exciting projects, to visits from far away friends, to late night ice cream runs, to family beach trips – all 13 of us crammed in a tiny bungalow at one point… Chaos and coziness combined. And though I know we still have weeks left to enjoy what’s left of the season, I’m already feeling glossy eyed around the memories surrounding the summer of 2023. It’s been such a lovely one.

Here’s a little peek at our most recent family trip (and here’s a post inspired by a grown-up version of said trip!)

{I taught her to yell “road tripppp” when we left and it was excellent <3}
top | glasses

{the minute we landed. It was raining, too. Actual magic.}

swimsuit

{signs of summer}
swimsuit | floatie

{dream scenario}

{post-beach naps always hit differently}

romper

{the nostalgia}

{unlocked a phase of parenting where I can *actually* read (parts of) a book or magazine}

swimsuit

{this kids scavenger hunt was a hit – we had a 3, 5 and 7 year old with us}

Thanks for indulging me <3

MORE VACATION POSTS: RIGHT HERE

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The post Our Family Beach Trip appeared first on Lark & Linen Interior Design and Lifestyle Blog.

I’m not sure if you’ve seen my Instagram stories recently (as a note, I’m trying to be more active on that thing lately!), but I was invited to spend some time at the Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin a few weeks ago. It was really and truly the most incredible trip and I thought it’d be fun to give you guys a little behind the scenes peek at what we were up to.

To be totally honest, Madison, in and of itself, deserves an entire dedicated post as it is just the most magnificent town. Positioned smack dab in the middle of two lakes, it’s almost like you’re in the middle of cottage country, right in the city. It is shockingly beautiful and I’m legitimately dying to go back there to do some more exploring on my own.

 {the view – literally steps from downtown}

{apparently even the sunsets are other-worldly in Madison}

The entire experience was flawless from beginning to end. We stayed at The Edgewater, a beautiful, historic hotel, right on Lake Mendota (the view from our hotel room’s balcony was INSANE) and just steps to the city center. I spent the trip surrounded by the most talented bloggers, like Lavin Label (who is such a doll), What’s Gaby Cooking (who’s currently promoting her COOKBOOK – what!?), the beloved The BakerMama and Pure Joy Home. Oh, and not to forget, we were wined and dined from the moment we landed until the moment we departed, which was pretty spectacular as far as I’m concerned.

 {the view from our hotel room} {the lavender-thyme infused signature cocktail}

On our first evening, we were greeted by Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove ’s Head Demonstration Chef Joel Chesebro at ‘Harvest Haven,’ the organic garden and barn located on the company’s campus. Chef Joel and his team treated us to the most incredible farm-to-table dinner heavily sourced right from the garden. Truly had the trip ended right then and there I would have been pleased.

 {Andre, the 800 lb resident pumpkin} {organic tomatoes, growing in the farm’s greenhouse} {potentially the best bread I’ve ever had in the entirety of my life}

The next day, however, we were let loose in their living kitchens to test out all of the incredible products ourselves in an attempt to make our own breakfasts, which was particularly fun (note: I made the most delicious breakfast sandwich I’ve ever made in my entire life and I’m not unconvinced it was because of the appliances I was working with. Those things are NO JOKE).

{breakfast sandwiches in the works} {a chef’s dream}

From there we toured the factory floors in which they make their Sub-Zero refrigeration and Wolf cooking appliances (which felt very How It’s Made) before making our way back to the magical Harvest Haven (seriously – check my Instagram stories – the place feels otherworldly). We were then treated to a bit of an interactive lunch-meets-cooking demonstration, which was a particularly fun way to dine.

 {touring the factory}  {learning how to make custard}{pre-lunch}
{chef Joel, showing off with his 3 equally delicious pie recipes}{one day I’ll have a similar scene in my kitchen <3}

And while we were most definitely spoiled for the entire 48 hours, what I loved most about the experience was learning more about the Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove brands. As a family owned and grown business, they really are salt of the earth folk and it was so inspiring to see how dedicated each and every employee was to their end of the craft. Though it’s no question that their appliances are all top of the line, it was fascinating to learn more about what really sets them apart (like the fact that the air purification system found in Sub-Zero refrigerators will extend the life of your produce, in turn, saving you money and reducing food waste. – WHAT!). I’m actually thinking of doing a blog post on what you get for your money when it comes to appliances (and why there’s such a price discrepancy). If this is something you think you’d be interested please let me know! If there’s enough interest I’ll definitely divulge more.

All in all it was an incredible trip, and I’m so grateful to the folks at Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove for inviting me to experience their philosophy first-hand.

Thank you to Wolf, Sub-Zero & Cove for sponsoring this post, and sending us on this incredible trip! And thank you, my loyal and dedicated readers for supporting my sponsors.

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OTHER POSTS FROM THIS TRIP:
BUBUBU | STONE TOWN 
DAR ES SALAAM | THE SERENGETTI 

When planning our honeymoon in Tanzania, we were fairly confident that the Serengeti was going to be the highlight of the whole shebang (note: we were not wrong), which is why we saved it for last. But we also knew that we’d likely want a day or two to really slow down and do virtually nothing before heading back to real life. 

 {on the Arusha airstrip} {en route to our hotel}

We ended up spending two nights in Arusha before heading home, and while we originally had big plans to check out Mount Kilimanjaro, maybe take a day trip to the Ngorongoro crater or the Kikuletwa hot springs, after almost three weeks touring around Africa, we were ready to do a whole lot of nothing.

  {in my happy place}  {this little guy joined us for breakfast each morning}  {the lodge was surrounded by a coffee plantation}

We ultimately spent the last two nights hanging out in our hotel, drinking champagne, and lounging by the pool. And while a former version of myself would have been devastated by the idea of missing the aforementioned activities, the last two days were pretty special in their own right. Plus, I know with certainty that we’re not done with Tanzania, and we will absolutely be back to re-explore. 

{our beautiful hotel room}
 {the tip of Mount Kilimanjaro, from the plane ride home}

Thank you so much for following along on my honeymoon diaries! I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed recapturing everything. 

ps: If you missed it, and are interested, I did save all of my Tanzainia stories under an instagram highlight (which you can check out here). 

To read past travel posts, head over here!  | To read part I of our honeymoon diaries, head over here!, for part II, head over here!, for part III you can find it right here, and part IV is here!

The post Our Honeymoon: Arusha, Tanzania appeared first on Lark & Linen Interior Design and Lifestyle Blog.

OTHER POSTS FROM THIS TRIP: 
BUBUBU | STONE TOWN | 
DAR ES SALAAM | ARUSHA

From Dar Es Salaam, we hopped on a quick flight to Arusha, where we headed off on Safari. This was my second time on safari (you can read about the first time, here, for my mother’s 60th birthday), but it was Justin’s first, and watching him experience the magic was arguably better than anything else. If you ever have the chance to head out on safari, please (please!) do it. It’s a life changing experience – very likely my favourite travel experience yet. I truly can’t recommend it highly enough.

We stayed in the southern part of the Serengeti at a place called Camp Kusini, which we booked through Sanctuary Retreats, and the whole experience from beginning to end was flawless. It’s one of the only permanent camps in this region of the Serengeti, and it somehow manages to feel quiet and rustic, yet infinitely luxurious all at once. 

When we landed on the airstrip, we were greeted with the most wonderful team of guides and rangers, and an incredible spread. Biltong, champagne, hot tea, dried mango… the way to my heart is through food (and champagne), so needless to say they had me hooked from the start. 

While driving to camp, we were informed that we were actually the only guests at the camp for three out of four of the nights we had booked. At first this made us both a little nervous. We started wondering if there was something we had missed – was there a reason nobody else wanted to stay at this particular camp? We very quickly learned, however, that the universe simply works in mysterious ways, and having the entire camp to ourselves for a few nights was definitely not normal, and ended up being pretty special. 

We were treated like absolute kings from the moment our eyes opened (typically to a hot tea & coffee delivery to our tent each morning), to the minute our mosquito nets were tucked around us before bed. Fabulous three-course meals were abundant. Late nights by the campfire, Amarula on ice in hand, was a daily specialty. And having the entire car to ourselves for each game drive, which was stocked to the brim with our favourite beer and wine, was amazing. 

And while the actual camp itself was perfect, the game drives were even better. We were lucky enough to spot everything from cheetahs, lions (both lion cubs, and their full-grown counterparts), and leopards, to jackals and lilac-breasted rollers, to hoards of elephants, an infinite number of giraffes, zebras, and beyond.

On our second day morning game drive, we managed to see a kill – and you guys, I can’t even begin to describe the experience. We watched a mama cheetah and her five cubs stalk, chase, catch, and devour a male gazelle from begining to end. The hunt was about an hour and a half long, but once they took the animal down he was gone in 10 minutes flat. It was like real life national geographic, and we were all legitimately shaking from the adrenaline once it was over.

I will admit that I had very mixed feelings about the whole thing (I swear I asked our guide, Joshua, a solid eight times if the gazelle suffered – I was promised he did not). I kept flip flopping between wanting the hungry cheetahs to eat, and wanting the poor gazelle to live out his days. The fact that not a single morsel goes to waste (once the cheetahs are done the hyenas swing by to eat everything leftover – bones and brains included), and the fact that it’s simply the circle of life calmed my hesitations. It was still conflicting to see in person, but apparently it’s super rare to see something of this nature, and it is an experience I feel honoured to have had. 

Stay tuned next week for the last portion of our honeymoon!

ps: If you missed it, and are interested, I did save all of my Tanzainia stories under an instagram highlight (which you can check out here). 

To read past travel posts, head over here!  | To read part I of our honeymoon diaries, head over here! and for part II, head over here! and for part III you can find it right here!

The post Our Honeymoon: The Serengeti appeared first on Lark & Linen Interior Design and Lifestyle Blog.