10 Loves>>>>> DC.Boston.NY

1. Shopping.  I went shopping in Forever 21 around midnight, and crazy enough, it was even busier then than it was during the day! I didn't buy a thing, though. Weird. I guess I do my best shopping when my sisters can give me feedback on what to buy/what not to buy.

Oh, and that huge "billboard" above the F21 store front is a flat screen TV! Times Square kind of looked like a vertical outdoor ad cinema with all the movies climbing the sky. I didn't know where to look with my eyes being pulled in so many directions. It was all definitely fun to see!

2. The Metro. We took it everywhere! While Hubs was in meetings the first day, I even bucked up and figured it out by myself. For some of you, that might not sound like much, but you sisters know, this is HUGE for me, especially considering I didn't even get lost. And you better believe I showed Hubs the ropes the next day, like I was some expert. (In reality, the people in Boston were so sweet to me. All I had to do was have my map in hand, and people would offer to help me left and right. I love you, Boston.)

Yes, public transportation is a beautiful thing. Minus the part where it's usually too crowded to get a seat, let alone a seat next to your guy.

Oh, and the metro stations in DC were particularly photogenic.

3. Les Fleurs. We got to tour Winston Flower's enormous design center in Boston. It was so fragrant and beautiful, and we got lots of inspiration for our flower shops.

4. American flags. I've never seen so many! Here they are patriotically surrounding the Washington Memorial, but I saw them everywhere, especially in New York. It was awesome.

5. Aurelie. This is a totally washed out picture of us, but I love it just the same. She was one of my best friends in high school and it was fabulous to catch up with my adorable French friend! She spoiled us with a delicious dinner at her new apartment. I also got to meet her husband for the first time, and he is a sweetheart! So happy to see my friend so happy. I want to go back already. Alexandria, Virginia is the cutest place ever.

6. Skyscrapers. I've never taken so many pictures of buildings in my life...gotta say, I much prefer people, but I also gotta say, I enjoyed photographing all the architecture more than I thought I would. I could insert 500 more pictures here of buildings and sites, but I won't.

7. Cherry blossoms! There weren't many out yet, but there happened to be a few trees in bloom around the capitol!

8. Our brother! We walked around DC, got lunch together, and caught up! I love this guy!

9. Arlington National Cemetery. We came here on our very last day; it was our final stop before heading to the airport. We we were super tired and hungry, but I'm so glad we made this detour. It was such a reverent place and you couldn't help but feel really, really grateful.

10. My guy. I got a getaway with my favorite person in the world. Too bad strangers have a hard time maneuvering my monster camera, leaving us with a blurry shot. But hey, sometimes those are the best kind, right?

Alright, well that scratches the surface, anyway! It was a sweet trip!

XOXO, Marie

A Good, Good Day

Having just got home from our trip late last night, there simply wasn't time to go through all my pictures and do our east coast escapade any justice today, so I thought I'd just share a favorite picture I got of our brother Matthew in DC on Saturday! He was sweet enough to accommodate a tiny photoshoot, even though I could tell it wasn't his cup of tea. What can I say? He loves me. :)

And man, it was so good to see him! I hate how growing up often means miles and states and oceans separate you from the ones you love most. It stinks bad. But I'm grateful for the day we spent together. I feel like I have an extra close bond to Matthew, simply because we're just two years apart. Of all seven of us siblings, I have the most childhood memories with him. And I pretty much love him to pieces. Always have, always will. Isn't he handsome??? Seriously, I'm still jealous of those eyes of his!

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot today about how family is everything. Having almost a week alone with just Hubs was pretty dreamy, and yet I could hardly sleep last night because I was so excited to see my little munchkins after nearly a week of being apart. I spent today mostly just playing with the three most amazing kiddos on planet earth, even though Mondays are crAzY, and my to-do list is trying to eat me.  But who cares. Today was a good, good day. Coming home always is.

 XOXO, Marie

Top 10 of our Baby Bro

Hey, so I want you all to meet our baby bro, Christian! He is a SENIOR this year and I was lucky enough to take some senior pictures of him over Christmas break. I'm sure this is just what he wants, me debuting his pictures on our girly blog, but what can I say? I knew the ladies would want to see! And I did spare him my girly watermark, so that's good, right? 

Which one is your favorite? I absolutely can't pick a fave. He's just too handsome and photogenic.

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Anyway, I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was somewhat terrifying. I was asked to head up a skit at a church party Friday night and something possessed me to write a rap song and then convince the others that it was a good idea for us to get our gangsta on in front of crowd. I still can't believe I did that! Luckily, I had some skilled rappers at my side. :) Betcha wish you could've seen that number, huh? Yeah, sorry. There are no pictures. No videos. Nada. Bwahahaha.

XOXO, Marie