1-Year Anniversary Trip

For those of you who don't know, Jon and I will be moving out of Enid by September, possibly even as early as July depending on his next job. With moving and relocation costs less than 6 months away, we thought it would be best to scale back our original plan of an extravagant 1-year anniversary trip, for one that will be more practical for us at the moment.

Aside from our upcoming move being a factor, we also wanted to finally capitalize on our surroundings. We always talk about how we should take advantage of the places that are within driving distance of us while we're here. So after doing a fair amount of research, we've decided to spend our 1-year anniversary in (drumroll please.....)
Kansas City, MO!

At first, you might only think of barbecue, but let me tell you, this place has way more to offer than just that! With more boulevards than any other city in the world besides Paris, it has been deemed the "Paris of the Plains." Kansas City is also known as the City of Fountains, boasting over 200 fountains, the second most in the world, just behind Rome.
We'll be staying at the Intercontinental Hotel in the Country Club Plaza, the center of many cultural events, shopping and dining.

Intercontinental Hotel

Established in 1922, the Country Club Plaza was architecturally designed after Seville, Spain. The Plaza reflects classic European influences with more than 30 statues, murals and tile mosaics on display in the area.

Kansas City is also the home to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, housing one of the best collections of impressionist (my favorite!) and Chinese art in the Midwest.

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

After visiting one of the many museums, you can grab a bite to eat at Cafe Europa (known for their yummy desserts!) before heading down to the river for a romantic gondola ride.

Cafe Europa

Aside from its beauty and many entertainment opportunities, Kansas City is also perfect because it goes all out to celebrate the holiday our anniversary lands on--Easter. The Easter bunnies in the Plaza is a tradition that was started in the 1930s and is still thriving today. Each year, larger-than-life Easter bunnies are scattered all over the Country Club Plaza for locals and tourists to find--they even have a map pinpointing their locations. Pretty cute.

I've also heard great things about Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates. This chocolate lover will definitely have to check it out.

So much to do. So much to see. So much to celebrate!

In closing, I'll leave you with a quote from a write-up Elle Decor did on the city. "You can’t anticipate Kansas City’s charms by looking at a map. It has all the elements that create a rich urban experience, coupled with a gracious, small-town intimacy that ensures an easy stay—for a weekend or a lifetime."

That's just what we want, and we can't wait to see it for ourselves!

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Guest Room Before and After-Healing Aloe

Here is a shot of the room in all of its coral glory. Great for a teenager, not for a soothing guest room. And here is the Healing Aloe after. Healing Aloe is a color by Benjamin Moore. It was hard to get a good shot of the true color, but it is more of a seafoam than gray. Aside from painting the walls and buying a new white quilt for the bed, everything else in the space we already had--most of which are hand-me-downs (bed and dresser) or thrift store finds (lamp and side table). It will all be sufficient for now, and hopefully a space that our guests will love. I'm very happy with the outcome and the progress of one more room in the house coming closer to completion. One down, three to go (at least in the painting department!)

Our Living Room Mood Board

Our living room is slowly but surely coming together. The biggest To Do's are ordering a new media console, painting the room (which is unfortunately open to the dining room, kitchen, office and breakfast area which means lots of painting to be done!), order a few lamps and a console for the long wall behind the couch. I realize I haven't shared any pictures of our "new" house (we moved in at the end of last October) with you guys. So here's a glimpse of the living room before we moved in. This is what you see when you walk in the front door. The dining room is on the left, the living room is straight ahead and the office on the right. A closer look at the living room. Florida loves their plant ledges...I do not. You win some. You lose some. I also want to replace the tile around the fireplace. A view from the back of the living room looking toward the front corner of the house. The room behind the half green wall is the o...

Canopy Stripes

As I mentioned in a previous post, black and white canopy striped fabric is one of my current obsessions. It's classic, clean and oh so elegant. Not to mention that it can make a bold statement in a room without being too flashy. I normally favor a very neutral color palette with accents of greens and robin's egg blues, and this pattern could be put in any such setting and be beautiful. Here a few of my favorite examples: Is this room spectacular or what? It's modern, classic and sophisticated! There is a large amount of stripes in this room, yet it's not overbearing. And the symmetry and clean lines displayed throughout give the room great balance. I could just plop this room right into my house! This is another example (as shown in a previous entry). If you don't have the money to invest in a rug, buy a few pillows and get the same look in your room for a fraction of the price. Whoever said black and brown don't go together was seriously mistaken. Lo...

House of Hydrangeas

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