the beginning of my summer diary.

I just downloaded this really fun app called "Unfold" and it's meant to be used as a story teller. I figured I would take advantage of this app and create a summer diary! You might have seen some of these "pages" in my Instagram story already, but I'm sharing here again to show the nice little e-book I've  got going.

My goal is to upload as many photos and quick snippets as I can to remember the summer by. Hopefully this is something that I'll be able to maintain - wish me luck! 

the best may yet.

I'm currently having a May to remember... So you won't hear any complaints about life from me. NO WAY! From the weather warming up, to the time spent with family and the flowers/trees giving extra color to my every day... I live for this time of year and it's been extra special lately.

When I post here, it's to share bits + pieces of my life with family and friends but it also acts as a diary of sorts for me. I love looking back through the years and reminiscing of good times. Especially when I kinda, maybe, sorta forgot about those particular times. Forget seems like such a harsh word to use, though. Maybe because the optimist in me says that I would never forget those best moments. 

Regardless, it's May 21st and as I'm sitting here looking back on my month I think about how I don't want to forget this. Not a single moment... I want to remember this when I'm scrolling through social media, slightly envious of people going on vacation... I want to remember this on a quiet weeknight when I feel like the work week won't end. I want to remember these moments when I need it. In those moments, I can come here to my little corner and be reminded of everything I have. 

This photo doesn't look like much, but it was a Saturday morning where I woke up with the sun and sat in the dining room and painted while listening to the best songs. I just had a moment where I looked around and thought "dang! I'm here. I'm happy. It's incredible."

I confess... lately when I'm with family I'm focused on one person (cough) LILAH (cough) and sometimes forget to sit down and have an adult conversation with my parents or siblings... My mom snapped this picture and I've just gotta say - I'm a lucky sister. Beyond that, actually.

As a gal who is rarely in front of the camera, it's nice to be reminded when someone sees you happy and thinks to snap a picture. Cade did just that this past weekend and I feel like I can see that genuine smile on my face here. He's a great husband and he brings that happiness out so much. I truly think I am a better person because of him.

I don't know what it is, but we somehow manage to have the art museum to ourself when we visit. Do you remember this post where we visited and I mentioned feeling like we had the place to ourself? Yeah, same thing here! It's nice. We can take our time OR we can rush right to our favorite exhibits.

It also just so happened to be the last day of the museum's "Eye Witness" gallery. Wow! This work was truly breathtaking and we definitely took our time reading all of the descriptions and paying attention to all of the detail. Cade even managed to joined into the conversation ^^up there and get word out about his own work :P 

MONET. I know exactly where this is in the museum. I could probably walk there with my eyes closed. I know where the bench is... right in front of it. There's something about sitting there, with his work, and feeling peace. Have I said it before? This, right here, is my favorite place in Cleveland. Just me, alone with Monet.

Saturday night snippet of good friends having a good time. I don't know if it's obvious here, but we all had a very fun night full of laughter, games and a Cav's win (FINALLY!). These kinds of summer nights are the best! 

Contrary to what I said up there about adult conversations, this sunday was all about the babies. I was in my own personal heaven where the sun was shining, the food was good, the dog was swimming and I had my Lilah girl. 

So, there you go, future Renee. You have a lot and you are immensely rich with family, friends and love. I can't wait (but I can) to see what this summer has in store for me. Judging by just the last few weeks, I'm going to say that there will be more "the best" posts to come.

Let's go, summer 2018! 

life lately [spring + mothers day]

Hello, hello! I don't know if it's because time hasn't been on my side lately, or maybe the motivation just hasn't been there... but my blog has certainly been collecting dust and that is a bummer! 

In the mean time, here are some snapshots from my life lately.

Lately I've been trying to use my time a little more wisely (painting/reading) instead of lounging around... It's been a lot of fun and actually a bit of a bonding experience for Cade and I. I don't know if you know this (sarcasm!) but Cade dabbles in "art stuff" now and then... I love his openness to help me, but even more so, he's so supportive and always compliments my work. What a guy, I've got. What a guy! Oh, also - we no longer have a dining room... It's a studio/plant nursery (DREAMY).

A couple Saturday's ago we got an early start on our day and went to get coffee, then stopped by Brookside Reservation to see the cherry blossoms. What a park, guys! On such a beautiful day too... You could get lost in peace here, I swear it! I think I could've stayed forever. 

This is a screenshot from a Snapchat I received... but how perfect is that big sister holding her little brother? Lilah is just too sweet and I can already tell that Leland is following in those same footsteps. He's so precious and it's hard not to squeeze them when I'm around. 

First book of the book club was a success! The story developed a little slow in some places where there were maybe over-exaggerated conversations, but overall, a great suspense leading up to the ending! Can't wait to chat about it in our Facebook group! 

Bonus: Reading in the park during my lunch break feels like so much more than a mid-day escape. The sun warming my skin and the water flowing in the background... a good story to keep my mind busy. I'm so glad I work so close to such a perfect spot.

Mother's Day shenanigans! First of all, I am overly blessed with the ladies who've come before me as the moms in this family. I know it's not a competition in any sort of the way, but if I am even an ounce as great as them then I'll feel lucky. These ladies have, without a doubt, made the world better place and it makes my heart flutter just knowing that I know them and that I get to share a life with them. Not to mention that my beautiful sister made me an aunt and for that, well... you can't possibly put that feeling into words or repay in any way. SO.IN.LOVE.

Lastly, another picture of a lilac (insert jazz hands). This spring, as every spring that's came before, is giving me life. The colors and scents are filling me with happiness and the warmth from the sun feels ever so comforting. Welcome, spring! I've been looking forward to you for so long. 

Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I can get my butt in gear and finish some of these posts that I've been sitting on. In the meantime, enjoy the upcoming weekend! 

are you linking what i'm linking?

I don't know why I do this to myself, but the other night I looked all through our previous vacation pictures and now I've got the worst travel fever. Cade and I are planning out some potential trips and it's really got me looking forward to this summer!

First and foremost (and so very exciting) ~ I finally was able to start a book club with friends who also enjoy reading! I am so excited and giddy. Our first suggested book is Lies That Bind Us and it sounds incredible! Feel free to join - I'd encourage it! Search for "The "Let's Keep it Casual" Book Club" group on Facebook. The more, the merrier! 

Do you love Jeff Goldblum as much as I do? (First of all, it's not even a competition). If so, check out this interview he did with GQ. 

Did you hear about this situation going on with Blake Lively's instagram? It's all leading up to her new movie, A Simple Favor coming out soon and boy, oh boy, am I excited! The trailer looks like it's going to be a good one! 

I've yet to find a cajun restaurant in Cleveland (or anywhere other than Louisiana, actually) that I genuinely enjoy for it's authentic taste... I hope Battiste and Dupree can change my mind once I make my way there! 

After a lot of hesitation, I recently checked out Audible and I'm not too proud to say that I was very impressed. It's a pretty good deal for someone to who enjoys reading a few books a month and would spend the money anyway on a book or two.

Since I know a few of my friends listen to the "My Favorite Murder" (MFM) podcast, I don't feel like such a strangeling anymore! :) I can never get enough of their episodes, and I've even made some new friends through it! It's a great community for such a taboo subject. 

Speaking of true crime... Did you see that a couple of old cases were recently solved?

Golden State Killer
Missing Welch, OK girls

Have you ever made a "vision board"? Now that I am slowly, but surely making my way out of debt, I have been dreaming of the day that I can finally own a vehicle "of my dreams". Here are some of my top contenders so far: 

Volvo XC40 2018 
Chevy Traverse
BMW X3

I really like the Volvo the most, but it's all about finding a deal, and availability... So stay tuned! ;) 

Speaking of making my way out of debt, have you heard of the digit app? I've been using it for a month now and absolutely love it! It's taken anywhere from $0.62 to $15.00+ in a day and I really haven't noticed it. I've got a nice little savings accruing and it feels good.


I think that's all for today! At some point I want to share a link post purely dedicated to older blog posts... I've had this thing for 4 years now and even still I find myself not remembering the older stuff. That's why I love this blog of mine, it's my own little memory bank! 

april book recap [100 words or less]

April was a very exciting month for reading! On top of the few physical books that I read, I also included a couple of children's books and even tried out Audible. 

In April, I read/listened to: 

The Woman in the Window
How to Stop Time
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Then She Was Gone

The Woman in the Window

Anna Fox is (essentially) a stay-at-home wine drinker with a terrible fear of going outside. She's found a way to have everything done for her in order to avoid society, and keeps in the best contact that she can with family, friends, acquaintances, and doctors. One of her favorite hobbies is spying on her neighbors through her window and keeping up with them. It was all going well until one day, she sees something that she shouldn't have... Or did she? She does drink a lot of wine, and take a lot of prescription pills. Can she even trust herself to figure this one out?

Within the first few chapters, I decided this was 100% going to be a typical, semi-mediocre thriller. Very predictable and I truly thought I'd had it figured out. While some of my predictions rang true, this story threw a fun amount of twists and turns my way. I did thoroughly enjoy the book and not at any point did I want to put it down. I will say that some parts were so obvious as to where it was going that it got to the point where I wish they'd just speed up that specific story-line. The ending though, was worth it all! Very exciting read with a few good surprises. 

How to Stop Time

Tom Hazard lives in London... currently. He's lived all over the globe and has had many lives. Literally. He's centuries old thanks to a "disease" where his body ages much slower than the average human. Roughly, a ratio of 15:1 (for everyone fifteen years a human ages, he ages just one). He's sipped the finest ale with William Shakespeare, sailed across the seas with Captain Cook, and tried one of the very first Bloody Mary's in existence with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. For such the impressive, and long life that he's lived, it's all in secrecy. For years he's wanted to give it up... Just go away, but late in the 1500's he promised his one true love something... He'd find their daughter. 

EEK! This is in my "Top 2" favorite books of 2018 so far. I have put so much thought into making sure I'm doing this book justice when I share my reviews... It absolutely deserves ALL the praise. 

It's transcending and absolutely timeless. I had to actively remind myself that it was fiction because the elegant and extraordinary writing was so believable that I found myself exactly where the author was placing the story. When I was done reading this, I spoke about the stories as if they were true. This book gave me a feeling that no book has ever given me before. I will always remember this novel.











Fantastic Mr. Fox

Mr and Mrs Fox live a lavish life for a family of foxes. They eat very well thanks to the mischievous, stealing efforts by Mr Fox. The three farmers he steals from, however, would like to put a stop to that. So they huff and they pu... just kidding. They team up and create a plan to get the fox and finally put an end to his stealing ways. There's just one problem, though... Mr. Fox is very clever. Can he outsmart these three farmers to protect his family and continue eating the finest (stolen) foods?

Ok, Ok, I know what you're thinking - this is a child's book. BUT, it's a children's book that I never read and always wanted to. I almost didn't post it, but I couldn't think of any good reason not to. I quickly read it within an hour after dinner one evening and I loved it so much. The writing is fun and for a children's book, it had an innocent way of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat and of course it came with a great underlying message. I'll be keeping this book for future use ;) 












The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Christopher is a 15 year old boy with autism, who lives with his father in a quaint neighborhood just outside of London. Going against his fathers many requests not too, Christopher likes to walk the streets in the middle of the night. He does it nearly every night and always enjoys them. But one night, during his walk, he finds a dog, Wellington, dead. Christopher then decides that he's going to write a murder mystery novel to find out who the suspect is. 

My opinions for this book are complicated... I loved Christopher's "writing", and the way the author really captured his story. It told a tantalizing and sometimes frustrating story of the journey that Christopher took which I can only assume is many people's reality. At the same time, I felt as though there were story-lines left out, or just dropped and never returned to.  I get that it's from the POV of a 15 year boy, but a part of me was left with many questions when I finished the book which I would've liked to have seen covered in the story. Overall though,it's a fascinating read with a fun dialogue.













Then She Was Gone

Laurel Mack lost her daughter 10 years ago. The police claimed that she, Ellie, ran away and was met with unfortunate circumstances. After finding Ellie's remains, Laurel tries to move on by rebuilding broken relationships, finding love, and trying to focus on getting her life back in order... Strangely enough, she meets a man who's daughter reminds her so much of Ellie that she just can't let it go. Is she going crazy thinking there's something there? Or... is there something there?

OK, I'm going to say something huge, and if you know me, then you'll truly understand the greatness of this statement... I enjoyed this book more than I did "Girl on the Train". Yep, I said it! I never thought I'd say that! This book was so incredibly fascinating and just when I thought it was slightly predictable, there would be a major twist that blew my mind. The writing was so perfectly imaginable which made it that much easier to follow along. There were a few instances where I wanted to grab Laurel by the collar and scream the obvious signs to her, but I remained patient... She is a clever woman and this is a clever book! If you're asking me... this is a must read.












WOW! I can't believe it's May already!! I am SO ready to sit on my front porch on those early weekend mornings and read with the sun. In the book, "Then She Was Gone", the mother explains the month of May like "the Friday night before summer" and I just thought that was an absolutely perfect way to describe it! So, TGIF, friends! 

Take care, and as always - let me know if you read, or have read anything worth while!