Our End-of-Summer Mini Getaway

 For the past five years Nick and I have gone to Cincinnati to the Western & Southern Open and to spend time with friends. Although the tennis tournament still happened, it moved to New York City and no spectators were allowed. I still felt like me needed an end-of-summer getaway!



We took a short, 2ish hour trip to Indiana and the Oakwood Resort on Lake Wawasee. We enjoyed two days of sunshine and relaxation! The resort was right on the water with small sand beach section. The best part about the Oakwood Resort is that it's dog friendly!








There was plenty of outdoor space and Oakwood had an awesome restaurant, The Pier and Back Porch.













We stayed on a Sunday and Monday nights so the place was pretty quiet which was great for reading and relaxing!



We had the best waiter this day. His name was Chuck.






The second evening we went to a local place called The Channel Marker which is situated on a canal and also had a patio so we could take Scout!






Talk about yummy food!


After, we went back to the resort to relax before checking out the next morning.




I convinced Nick to stop at the Shipsawana Flea Market on the way home. Shopping and/or walking around checking out stalls of goods, antiques, and crafts is really not his thing, but I got him to stay positive with a promise of a homemade soft pretzel. He perked up even more when I bought him some homemade strawberry rhubarb jam and homemade snickerdoodles! And Scout was allowed to walk around with us!




I really wanted this silver tea set, but used my good judgement and decided I didn't need it. But isn't it so pretty?!



We had a great two days, but I think it might have been too much excitement for our 11 year old pooch!






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Summer Scoops: Pineapple Dole Whip

Sadly, today's recipe finishes out my Summer Scoop series. This is a special one for all my Disney-crazy family and friends who absolutely love Dole Whip! Pineapple Dole Whip made it's debut at the Disney parks in 1986 and since has become widely available at zoos and theme parks throughout the country. You won't believe how easy it is to make! 



What You'll Need

1 big scoop of vanilla ice cream 

4 ounces of pineapple juice

2 cups of frozen pineapple


What You'll Need to Do

Place all ingredients in a food processor or powerful blender.

Blend until the mixture becomes smooth.

If you're super fancy, top with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry, serve in a hulled out pineapple, or pipe into a dish using a piping bag with a star shaped tip for the classic Disney Dole Whip swirl.

ENJOY this soft-serve right away!

If your blended Dole Whip comes out too runny, place in the freezer until it's the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.




Check out the rest of the recipes in the series:

Homemade Lemon Italian Ice

No Churn Strawberry Ice Cream

Watermelon Mojito Popsicles

Blueberry Lemon Mini Cheesecakes

Frozen Sangria Fruit Cups




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Book Recommendations Based on Your Enneagram Type

My sister and cousin have gotten super in to The Enneagram, but I still struggle to figure out my type! The Ennegram is rooted in the theory that all people belong to one of nine major personality groups. It's  purpose is not to but you in a box, but help you identify both the strength and limitations and provide guidance for self-improvement and growth. Not only does The Ennegram help you better understand yourself, but can also help you understand others, match us with the people we'll have the most successful relationships with, and even recommend books, movies, and TV shows we may enjoy the best - all because of our Enneagram types! What's your enneagram number?

                                 1 THE REFORMER

The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic



2 THE HELPER

The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive



3 THE ACHIEVER
The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious


Becoming by Michelle Obama (memoir/inspiration)
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (historical fiction)

4 THE INDIVIDUALIST
The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental


The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (historical fiction)
Univitied by Lysa TerKeurst (Christian self-help)

5 THE INVESTIGATOR
The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated



6 THE LOYALIST
The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious


The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (historical fiction)

7 THE ENTHUSIAST
The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered



8 THE CHALLENGER
The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational


Untamed by Glennon Doyle (non-fiction) 

9 THE PEACEMAKER
The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent

The Year of Yes by Shonda Rimes (memoir/inspiration)



Recommended Enneagram books:





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Affordable Fashion Worn by The Royals


In September 2016, Kate wore GAP's Bi-Stretch Skinny ankle pants in an inkat blue print when visiting the Eden Project in Cornwall, England. The pants retailed for $69.95 at the time.


In 2018 Meghan arrived in Wellington, New Zealand wearing a $56 Asos dress. It's also available in maternity!


Princess Eugenie wowed in a green faux leather dress from Topshop during a reception at the Queen's Gallery in London in December 2018. She first debuted the dress in 2015 at the Frieze Art Fair. The shift dress went for around $60 at the time.


Princess Beatrice debuted an afford blue Zara trench coat at Easter services in 2016. She was seen re-wearing it at the wedding of Prince Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte in October 2019.


The Duchess of Cambridge wore an affordable, blue Zara sundress. She wore this sundress in June 2018 to watch Prince William in the Maserati Royal Charity Polo Trophy at the Beaufort Polo Club. The dress is to have said to cost $70.


Princess Eugenie sported a black, tweed, plaid Zara coat to a dinner at Arts Club in London with her sister Beatrice in February 2018. Eugenie was snapped in the coat again while speaking at a We Day UK event in May 2018 and a third time in Chelsea, London in September 2018 and again. She paid $119 for the piece of outerwear.


Kate's Topshop Contrast Shift Dress she wore to the Child Bereavement UK headquarters in March 2013 was a steal for $60!


Recently, in March 2020, The Duchess of Sussex wore Topshop's Ivory Organza Sleeve Button Through Blouse for a visit to the Immersive Storytelling Studio in London. The top costs $55, but is currently sold out.



Most recently, Princess Beatrice wore two affordable Zara items during virtual appearances during quarantine. She wore a monochromatic, puff sleeve top retailing at $19.90 in a video for the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity and a black, balloon sleeve shirt dress on her mother's YouTube channel reading The Worrysaurus. 








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