Engaged!

Saturday, August 23

This post is veeeery past over-due. My blog has been left in a dusty corner of the internet for awhile. With so many things going on in life, it's been a chore just to open up Simple Grounds and write. With that being said, a LOT of things have been going on that I haven't posted about lately. But I'm ready to get back into it.

Three weeks ago, Tony and I got engaged! It was incredible, beautiful, lovely, and so surprising! Without going into a loooong story and speal, I will tell our story with photos



Our weekend started with Tony surprising me early from my shift, all the while planning for my boss to let me off early. My bags were packed, the car was packed, and we were off. (He even had a bag of M&M's waiting for me, hehe!) He didn't tell me where we were going, what we were doing, or how long we'd be gone. We just started our drive.


Our first stop was the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas. Tony has been wanting to take a trip to this spot forever. So we finally did. He drank some free beer, and I snapped away at the beautiful historic building. It smelled like malt, but hey it was fun! After the brewery we hopped back into the car, anticipating another 2.5 hour drive. We arrived in the West Hills of Austin, Texas. One thing I've been wanting to do for quite awhile is stay in a vintage airstreamer. Waalaa! Tony worked out a night in a lovely vintage airstreamer through Airbnb. Thanks, Paul for being our host for the night and feeding us delicious banana bread and home-squeezed orange juice!


That night we headed over for a walk around Mayfield Park to hang out with some wild Peacocks. The cute little fellas let us feed them. If you're ever in Austin, you need to check this park out!




After a long day of driving, Saturday morning we headed out to the Longhorn Caverns State Park. Tony and I have a little mission to visit all the Texas state parks, so this was a beautiful one to add to the list. We took a tour through the caverns and enjoyed some fudge pops!



After a morning of hiking through some under ground caves, we headed to our next location. After a near 3 hour drive, Tony surprised me by pulling up to Enchanted Rock Natural Area. This has been a location we've been wanting to visit for awhile, and it was beautiful! When we arrived to Enchanted Rock, we had to hike out 2 miles through the hills to get to our primitive camping spot. (Next time we will definitely bring less stuff.) The heat, a back full of gear, and 2 miles is not a good combo. Thankfully, we met a really nice fella and his sweet daughter who talked with us during our hike. Camping out in the hills was absolutely serene and peaceful. Unfortunately, I fell asleep at 8 and missed the beautiful stars. 


I should've mentioned that we had to eat cold beans from a can that night... At least they were some delicious black beans from Trader Joe's!



 Sunday morning we woke up early, packed up, and decided to hike up to the summit of Enchanted Rock. An early foggy morning, it wasn't too hot and the landscape was just breathtaking. Prepped with a camera, cliff bars, and our CamelBak, we headed up to the top. After sitting atop the summit for some time, in awe of the view, Tony popped the question. He called me over from some place I was standing and showed me a wooden type box, and said, "Look what I found!" Laughing, I replied, "You didn't find that, silly!" "Yes, I did! Open it!" At this point, I knew what was coming, and tears started to fill my eyes. That's when he got down on one knee, told me I was the love of his life, and asked if I'd spend the rest of my life as his wife. Of course I said yes!








I couldn't have dreamed of a more wonderful engagement! We have already started the wedding planning process... a little stressful, but it is so much fun! We already have a venue picked out! Woohoo! I can't wait to be this handsome fella's wife!

Jones Forest

Monday, September 16






 This past week a friend of mine showed Tony and I a beautiful Texas state forest very close to our house. Today we finally got to go explore this wonderful place, and take in all the Maker's Beauty. I'm not quite sure there's anything that could beat the captivating beauty of nature. If there's one way I know there is a creator, it's because of places like this.

Today was refreshing. For the past three weeks Tony and I have had to majorly adjust to a school schedule that gets on my nerves. For the past year, we've spent almost every second together, and now we're stuck behind books for hours on end and completely occupied by our busy work/school schedules. Today was the first time, since the middle of August, that I have felt somewhat relieved and refreshed. We got to just be together, explore, hold hands, and talk about critters and things. This may just possibly be our new favorite spot to escape to.

The weeks seem to be dragging on, but there is so much to look forward to and so much in the here + now to be thankful for, to find hope in, to find beauty in, to love God, and to love others. I'm thankful for busyness and for God using me, pushing me, and sanctifying me, but I'm already counting down the days till this semester is over... and possibly till Christmas ;)

Inspiration: vol.3

Monday, August 19



As always, I find myself inspired by the beautiful outdoors. I just can't get enough. Loving the bedroom in the top picture and the hair piece in the bottom picture. Lately I've been inspired by polka-dots! Who would've thought.

All photos taken from Pinterest

More Green For The Soul

Wednesday, May 1


There's nothing better for the soul than this... and maybe a little love added in.

Nature is the Best Blog Post

Tuesday, April 9

I know, I know. I really just love to blog pictures and small stories, but hey that's me! And that's all I can give on this blog. If I don't do enough giveaways or project posts or recipe posts or whatever, that's fine. Blogs are meant for the blogger; the freedom of expression is so valuable. I have new stories everyday, and I love to share my creations with the world. I love to show the beauty that I see from a day to day basis, as simple as it may be. Well.. today I'm writing about something I love: nature. Like I've said before, the Earth is beyond beautiful. Although this isn't the Kingdom, the Lord sure did make it beautiful for our eyes. Each day I am astounded at the world around me, especially nature. The greens and browns make my heart melt. (I almost feel like I'm writing a love letter... but I kind of am!) Seriously, trees could be my only best friend, if they had to be.

Yesterday Tony and I visited one of our favorite (secret) places. This is where we go to just feel serene, in the beautiful outdoors. This is where we simply enjoy each other and the beauty around us. It really doesn't need any words to make it any more beautiful than it already is, so here...







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