Lucy Crazy Eyes from stephanie howell on Vimeo.
USA vs. Scotland
Last night we got to go watch polo for the very first time. It was such a cool experience.
We have the most incredible neighbors here. They are helpful and kind and generous…and their kids are our kids best friends. We just adore them.
So when they invited us to watch USA vs. Scotland at the Newport International Polo Series we said “of course!”.
What a way to experience our last weekend in New England. I felt so sophisticated and British. So pretty woman-esque! Haha!
I thought I’d share some photos from the match. It was a beautiful night.
stomping the divots at half time:
miss harper and her crazy poses:
sweet sadie bug:
cate looking at our neighbor carolyn. can you tell how much she loves her?
yep. she is going to miss them so much.
giving the players high fives after the game…they were going pretty fast and the girls thought it was scary but awesome!
some cutie scottish polo players:
this is minnie. she plays for the USA. what a cool,cool thing for my girls to meet her. i always tell them they can do anything they want to do and be anything they want to be…and she was living proof.
a pink helmet in a sea of boys!
I loved every moment of the night. Good friends, good food and wine, happy kids, and a new sport to learn.
The best.
xo
S
conflicted.
photo taken with my iPhone and enhanced with pic tap go
my emotions are so very conflicted right now.
on one hand, i am overjoyed and full of anticipation. we are moving to ITALY!
on the other hand, i am sad and full of trepidation. we are leaving a place where we saw each other every.single.day.
we had dinner as a family every night. jimmy could come to school events and we could go on plenty of date nights.
he was here. the whole year.
photo taken with my iPhone and enhanced with pic tap go
newport isn’t our forever place. but it was magical while we were here. and it’s familiar.
and we are leaving it and that’s a little bit scary.
and let’s be honest…it’s hard to watch your children leave the friends and teachers they love.
but i know, as always, that bigger,better,and more beautiful things are ahead. things we could have never imagined.
but it’s hard to let go.
so as i begin the next two weeks of packing, sorting, donating and letting go…i will let myself be a little bit sad. a little bit nervous.
i will miss the togetherness we had here. but i’ll always have the sweet memories. and i will revisit them time and time again. this blog has given me the avenue to ensure i never forget the time we had here.
reason 2000 i love blogging.
well, off to work. thanks for letting me share what’s on my heart today.
xoxo
S
exploring newport- our favorites.
hey y’all! so i know i’ve been pretty absent lately…
life’s just really full and crazy right now. in a great way. 🙂
lots of company and getting ready for italy. i cannot BELIEVE that june is our last month in this house. i’m equal parts terrified and exhilarated.
i was sitting here drinking my coffee and thinking about how i really wanted to blog. but I couldn’t figure out what to blog about.
looking back through my photos from the past few months, i realized i haven’t talked much about our favorite places in newport.
so that’s what i’m talking about today. is anyone interested in reading this? i have no idea. HA! but i thought it might be fun.
here are some of our favorite places to visit in and around newport.
1. The Cliff Walk – we almost always take visitors here. the ocean, 40 steps, walking by the most gorgeous houses in newport…you just can’t beat it.
2. Ocean Drive.– breathtakingly beautiful. the beaches are lovely, the homes are amazing. it never gets old.
3.Easton’s Beach- ride the carousel, drink some del’s.
4. Anthony’s– best seafood in town. hands down. i have had their lobster rolls 2918302840238 and i NEVER get tired of them. so so SO good.
5. Bowen’s Wharf– sit and watch the boats, shop in the super cute boutiques, and eat at 22 bowen’s
6. Purgatory Chasm– the best place to have a picnic.
7.Newport Creamery- i don’t even want to begin to try to count the number of Awful Awfuls we’ve consumed this past year.
8.Fort Wetherill– can’t even put this place into words. creepy, beautiful, decayed, amazing.
9. Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge– peaceful and beautiful.
10. Favorite Restaurants
Best Seafood/Best Chowder- Anthony’s (see above)
Best Bakery- The French Confection
Best Pad Thai- Siam Square
Best Date Night/Best Tacos- Tallulah on Thames . hint- you can find the food truck at the Farmer’s Market!
Best New Restaurant- Muse by Jonathan Cartwright
Best Creme Brulee/Steak Frites: White Horse Tavern
Best Margarita (Blood Orange)- Diego’s
Best Nachos- Brick Alley Pub
Best Burger- Boss Man
Whew!! There you have it. All of our favorites. We have LOVED living here. It was like a year long vacation and it has been an absolute New England dream!
Happy Monday, y’all!
xo
Snowed In
It started like this (on Friday)…
And snowed all day and all night and all day the next day. At first it was magical and beautiful and soft.
But soon the soft snow became great, billowing gusts that caused the house to creak and the power to flicker off and on incessantly.
Snow was blowing sideways and up…it was crazy.
Snow covered the windows and we couldn’t see out.It was LOUD! I peeked out the front window and saw this:
It was actually all very fun and cozy until the power went out. Then it got cold pretty fast.
We all bundled up for the night and woke up to this:
I couldn’t open the doors to take photos because with no power we were trying desperately to keep things warm.
Our house has so many windows..it honestly got very cold very quickly. Luckily we have a master fire maker in the house.
The Howell girls spent the day like this:
The babies had to take a nap like this:
Have you ever tried to get two 2 year olds to keep hats on their heads? It’s a losing battle.
Meanwhile, J spent the day like this,bless his heart:
We had dinner by candlelight and witnessed one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
I started to get really worried about the babies because it was so cold.
I prayed a little prayer, tucked the babies in, and went to the basement to find the Christmas footsies for the big girls.
And…just like that…the lights came on! We totally had a dance party. HA!
It was 40 degrees upstairs and it would have gotten so much colder. I was so grateful.
I woke up early the next morning (yesterday), put on my winter gear, and went out and took some photographs.
Pretty, huh?
We are still snowed in today. Roads are pretty bad and there’s no parking. Schools are closed so looks like it’s another pajama day.
I have to say that I am so so dang grateful that Jimmy was here for this. I mean…I know I can do anything myself, but it’s so nice to have him here.
He makes me feel safe. And that’s something I don’t ever want to take for granted.
And I have to tell you…now that we have electricity I’m really loving it.
I actually really loved it when the power was off (minus the being really cold part). We spent all day together with no electronic diversions and it was lovely.
And being in a cozy and warm home with beautiful snow outside? TOGETHER? That is the loveliest thing I can imagine.
Happy Monday!
See y’all soon. xoxo