My Recap Posts are Back! 4th of July Weekend & More
It’s been a very long time since I’ve written a recap post. After doing it for so many years, I needed a bit of a break. With Grumples passing, the wedding, and traveling, I thought it would be a good time. Now that things have finally slowed down, I’m ready to get back into the swing of things again. We have a whole lot of catching up to do.
I’m sharing today’s recap post a little backward. I’m sharing a few things from before the wedding all the way up until now. I’ll fill in all the gaps with my Scottsdale travel guide and my wedding blogs in the next few weeks. I also have all the Disney blogs to share! 
We’ve been putting a lot of energy into Leo the past few months. We wanted to do everything we could to prevent him from grieving, and keeping him in a routine and keeping him busy has been incredible for him. It has helped us as well. We take him everywhere we can, daily walks, and so much playtime. He really is doing great, and we’re happy he’s his normal silly self.
I will do a full post on this room once we are done, but we ended up painting the piano room black, and I’m obsessed! Actually, we painted it green, but it looked horrendous, so we painted it black the next day! I love sitting in here at night with tea and playing the piano.
Before the wedding, Leo was so sick. He couldn’t keep food down for three weeks, and his stomach was a little inflamed. We had bloodwork, x rays, and every test possible but didn’t have any answers. The good thing is that he’s back to normal now, but that was so stressful and scary to go through, especially after losing Grumples. Having a sick pet is absolutely one of the worst things.
A few days before the wedding, I had brunch with my friends at Queen City Grounds in uptown Charlotte. I used to go there all the time when Kyle lived uptown, and it’s so delicious. I had avocado toast, a mango smoothie, and black coffee.
I had stopped out at my parent’s house later in the afternoon to pick up the stand for the flowers, and I could not get over how tall my mom’s cosmos and lilies were! They were as tall as me, and I’m 5’8. 
Porch time with Leo ♥️ 
My mom and I picked up my brother and his girlfriend from the airport a few days before the rehearsal dinner and took them to Oh My Soul in NoDa. I had wanted to try out this place forever, and I can’t believe I waited so long. It has definitely gone on my list of favorite places in Charlotte to eat at! YUM! 😋 I can’t wait to go and try even more of their dishes.
I did hot yoga three times a week for the entire month of May/early June to help with stress and strength training. I need to start it back up again, but it was amazing. I did it the day before heading up to the wedding and then had breakfast at First Watch!
We had Kyle’s sister staying with us one night before the wedding trip, and it was so fun to have our niece at the house. We love her so much, and so does Leo!
I will be sharing more details on the wedding soon! If you missed the first blog post with details and photos, make sure to check it out! 
Just a cell phone shot on the wedding day, but I love Leo in this one! ♥️ 
Kyles’s mom had a flight out of Charlotte the next day, so she came back with us, and I made meatloaf, and we did some shopping before Kyle, and I headed to Scottsdale (I’m almost done with that travel guide! I cannot wait to share that with you all!) We had the best time!! 
We were happy to be reunited with Leo when we got home.
For fathers day, I took my parents out to Epic Chophouse in Kingsley and made my dad a homemade almond cake (tried to remake our wedding cake)
I am officially entering summer mode. It feels good to have nothing coming up on the schedule and being able to relax at home.
Kyle and I had lunch and coffee in Greenville, SC (the cutest town), on Saturday morning. I want to make a weekend trip there (I went a while back when I took my mom to a musical, but it’s changed so much). There are so many restaurants, coffee shops, and things to do. It’s crazy that it’s only an hour and a half from the house. We had coffee at the Underground Coffee shop and salads at Green Fetish.
Leo and I went shopping together on Sunday morning. Did you know that TjMaxx and Homegoods are pet-friendly??
We had my parents and the neighbors over for the 4th of July. I made my mom’s strawberry dessert and it’s always a delicious go-to. 
We did not feel like grilling and doing a bunch of cooking, so we picked up burgers at Hobos in downtown Fort Mill! We are totally doing this again. It saves the stress of grocery shopping, cooking, and they were not expensive at all. 
My mom was so cute and made matching bandanas for Leo and his little friend Charlee.
I filled my big drink jar with lemonade, frozen berries, and ice. It was so refreshing and the perfect 4th of July beverage!
Our neighbors always put on the most incredible firework show in our backyard. I’m talking Disney World quality. He hooks everything up to a computer system. It is absolutely insane.
Kyle and I did sushi for dinner on Monday night. I had cucumber spicy tuna and the cherry roll. We did a sunset walk with Leo and it was the perfect way to end the long weekend.
I made the most delicious airfried salmon for dinner last night with my sesame green beans 😋
It feels good to be back in the routine of recaps again! ♥️
Questions for you!
- What have you been up to this summer?
- What are some blog topics you’d like me to write about?
- I’m going to make ice cream tonight. What flavor should I make?
So many cute photos of Leo <3
Your wedding dress was really pretty Taralynn and the photo of you, your husband and Leo came out perfect!
Can you share the almond cake recipe? It looked really good.
Thank you, Valerie!! ♥️
Yes!!! I used https://chelsweets.com/wasc-cake/ this recipe!
This summer has been super busy! I’ve been working & interning. My best friend is also getting married in the fall on Lake Superior so I’ve had a couple bridal showers and her bach party in Chicago! Also 4th of July weekend up at her cabin. Nothing left on the schedule for the summer except 1 shower this weekend and interning/working which feels AMAZING!
I still love home projects posts 😊 our house will be done in September! 🤞🏻
Peach or Pistachio 😍
That is so exciting!! Such a fun summer for you! I bet you’re so excited about your new house!! eeek
What about a peachy-pistachio!!?
I seriously missed your recaps! I am excited to see more flower pics and Leo (the piano room looks amazing)! You have definitely been through a roller coaster the past couple months, I hope the universe allows you to enjoy the rest of your summer! I am so sorry about Mr. Grumples, And congratulations on being a Mrs!
Thank you, Victoria!
♥️
Beautiful wedding dress ❤️🤍 Did you mention that you didn’t eat gluten free anymore earlier? Why?:)
I had a doctor tell me not to do it for period cramps/endo but after years of eating that way, I didn’t feel better at all. I didn’t want to give up gluten/dairy if it wasn’t helping.
Congratulations on your wedding! You looked beautiful. I noticed in the photos from this post, that you’re teeth are different. It looks incredible! Was it bonding?? Wow, great smile!
Thanks, Jane!
It’s called resin which is the same stuff used if your tooth gets chipped. Much cheaper and quicker than the veneer route! 😉
Well, they look wonderful!! Congrats again on your wedding! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you!
For an ice cream flavor – butter pecan is my favorite! But I also love pistachio!
Your Fourth of July spread looked amazing! That is such a good idea to pick up food where you can. Grilling can be a lot! How does Leo do with the fireworks?? Hopefully okay! Anyways thanks for the recap post! I love reading these <3 Hope you have a great weekend!
I’ve never been able to get behind butter pecan 😆 I feel like it’s one of those flavors you either love or don’t. PISTACHIO however is my favorite!!!
Yes, it’s better and it supports local restaurants! Leo actually does pretty well with fireworks. We keep him inside with the T.V. on and I give him calming chews that evening. It’s too loud for him to be outside but the funny thing is I walked in after the firework show and he was next to the kitchen table licking the hamburger buns so it’s safe to say it didn’t phase him. But he was a bad boy 😆
Have a great week!
Great to read one of your recaps again! 🙂 I love how colorful and real your posts are. Congrats on the wedding! 🙂
Thank you, Emily! ♥️
I noticed the South African flags in one of your photos – which is where I live! So happy your recap posts are back – I’ve missed your blog!
Thank you, Shelby!!
Hi Taralynn! I’m so happy to see a recap post :). You look so beautiful in the wedding picture. Also, I’m envious of that piano room, very classic. I’m in-between my Bachelor’s and Master’s so am conducting a research internship for the summer!
I would love to see a blog post about books you are reading and your thoughts on them! Also I would love to read a post about advice to your younger self, or advice for people in their 20s, something to that effect. Finally, I know you are really into wellness and seem to have a solid routine down but it would be cool to see something like mini challenges/ goals e.g. 30 days of yoga, how you felt etc.
Also, hazlenut ice cream is sooo good, I would highly recommend.
Hi 😊
Feels good to be back! Sounds like you have a busy summer but rewarding! Keep pushing forward 😊
I need to get back into my books! I haven’t been able to sit down and read for a while, but have been eyeing some books!
Thanks for all the blog suggestions!!
♥️ ohhhh hazelnut is one of my fave flavors.
Loved reading this post! You are glowing, girl 😉 Great pics and I’m 100% OBSESSED with the piano room!
Thank you, Amanda!!!
Love that the recaps are back! For me I’ve mostly been working we’ve unfortunately picked back up at the hospital I work at. But on my off days I love hanging out in Seal Beach, going to our fav tiki bar (the food is amazing) and I’m so happy its grilling season!
You know I love your recipes, and I can’t wait to see more about the wedding and your scottsdale trip! Also the almond cake you made looked delicious!
I vote for coffee, nutella or pistachio ice cream (which are all my favorite macaron flavors!)
Have a fun relaxing weekend! Also thanks for telling me I can take my dog to Homegoods! We only ever take her too Home Depot or Hobby Lobby lol
Hi, Ashton!
Thank you so much 😊 Feels good to be back writing and in the swing of things. & Yay for grilling season!
OHHHH MY GOSH I love all three of those ice creams.
lol yes, I take Leo everywhere I can now!!
the video for the little pies went so fast I couldn’t catch it all. please share the recipe. Just started noom and this looks delightful!
Thanks!