mix tape, vol. 1: summer road tripping

I went up north for a couple days of beach therapy. My parents were already there, so that meant a mini road trip with the big brother! Of course I made us a nifty CD with some of my favorite songs...

01. What Did You Do // Gabrielle Aplin
02. Dime Store Cowgirl // Kacey Musgraves
03. Sugar // Maroon 5
04. I've Got This Friend // The Civil Wars
05. A Sky Full Of Stars // Coldplay
06. You Make My Dreams Come True // Hall & Oates
07. Collar Full // Panic! At The Disco
08. New Romantics // Taylor Swift
09. Young Dumb And In Love // Mat Kearney
10. Talk // Tori Kelly
11. Uma Thurman // Fall Out Boy
12. Katie Queen Of Tennessee // The Apache Relay
13. My Type // Saint Motel
14. All Night // R5
15. Ready Or Not // Bridgit Mendler
16. Restart // Sam Smith
17. Tenerife Sea// Ed Sheeran
18. The Middle Of Starting Over // Sabrina Carpenter
19. Electric Love // BØRNS

These are the moments that make life lovely.

xoxo,
Kate

life update, midsummer addition

Long time no blog!

1. I had my grad party a couple weeks ago. It was super fun! I even had a surprise visit from a very old friend. Now if I could just finish these thank you notes without my hand falling off...

2. I realized that it's almost August and I've yet to go for a swim. How did that even happen?!

3. Tori Kelly's new album is the bomb. I love her voice so much that i bought the album at Target so that I could get the two exclusive tracks, and I bought the itunes exclusive tracks as well. That woman is a powerhouse. #shesmynewhero

4. I've been spending most of my summer doing nothing--it's been relaxing, but I'm starting to get a bit wanderlusty. Time to plan adventures!

5. I've fallen in love with my University of Oxford tee and cut offs, and I'm not sorry.

6. I've also started planning out my gap year, and though I'm excited, I'm also getting a little scared...Making adult decisions is hard!

7. I cut my hair! The amazing part is that I absolutely love it. I'm so excited to learn how to style my new shorter length, and now it can grow out healthy.

8. I'm going on a class trip this Sunday to Lake Michigan with one of my favorite teachers. I'm hoping that maybe I'll get a tan, but also trying to accept the fact that I'm probably just gonna fry.

9. Ever since I got back from England I've been craving the ham, cheese, and mustard toastie sandwich I had at Pret-a-Manger. I've tried recreating it, but it's just not the same.

10. Turns out house sitting with your friends is a great bonding experience.

xoxo,
Kate

bicycle queen

Summer has officially started at my house...bring on the grad parties, arnold palmers, and swing dancing!

They say a picture's worth a thousand words...this one screams Kate. 

I love living on a dirt road. Yes, my car is never clean and yes, come springtime the potholes are the size of the moon, but come on...I can walk outside my front door and see this? Fahget about it.

I'll definitely be taking Quincy out for a spin more often this Summer :)

|| Shirt, Old Navy / Shorts, Homemade Levi Cutoffs / Shoes, Target / Sunnies, Target ||

England: part two

{Read part one here}

We departed for the Lake District on June 1st. It was a rainy day, perfect for a bus ride. While in the Lake District, we stayed at Boarbank Hall, a guest house/nursing home run by the cutest bunch of nuns. They were wonderful hosts! Our first official day in the area was spent hiking through the country...in the rain.

^Saw this on our hike-I could get used to this view.

^Sheep!!!

Most of the kids decided to climb the mountainside, and a few of the adults stopped for a break. I was part of the six--four kids and two adults--who stayed on the path. We had most of the food anyway ;)

^The chosen few ;)

^ Me talking, and MC pretending to understand what I was saying... ;)

The next day, we were off to London! We saw all the cheesy sights...Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Eye...the list goes on. Big Ben was definitely my favorite!

^Of course it was rainy...

We visited the Tower of London, saw the crown jewels and the armory...and St. Thomas Moore's cell...which is super secret and off limits...but we got a special tour. Can you say once in a lifetime?

^Tired after the Tower

 ^The group in front of Buckingham Palace

Our last day was spent in Canterbury. We saw a beautiful church, shopped a bit, toured the Canterbury Cathedral, and had a legitimate Italian meal. It was a wonderful ending to an amazing trip... :)

^The children had made a bouquet for Mary. So precious.

^The stained glass windows were crazy gorgeous

This is me the morning that we left: 

^Tired and ready to go home, but happy and fulfilled nonetheless!

Despite being incredibly tired, the plane ride home was infinitely easier than the one to London. We landed in Canada and made our connecting flight with ease. When we crossed the border back to the United States, my heart filled with relief-I could finally text without worrying about going over my limit! :D 

My family picked me up at the same place we met before the trip, and I'm pretty sure I didn't shut up the whole way home, haha. 

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my crazy adventure to the UK-I can't wait to go again! I'm coming for ya, Oxford! 

xoxo, 

Kate