Thank You

This blog started for me a little over seven years ago as a place to document my growing family. And now the time has come to say goodbye to this slice of internet with one final post. Thank you for cheering on my family through the years, for the thousands of comments, for getting to know me and caring about us. For holding my hand virtually when things are hard and cheering for our victories. This blog launched a photography career and friendships I will have and cherish for a lifetime. 

As most people know, we lost our beloved dog, Finnley - suddenly and unexpectedly on Tuesday evening. The weight on my heart is beyond comprehension and as I struggle to grasp the reality of never hugging him or being with him again it feels like a sign to close my chapter here. As nowhere feels right that he no longer is.

Thank you for loving him alongside of me. Understanding that he was a big part of my life and supporting me through his loss. It feels like I am being carried through a sea of grief by so many people, I feel your hands holding our family. Thank you.

He was the very, very best.

The New Fort

The days are getting warmer and warmer and that means we are logging a lot of time in our backyard. We just planted our summer garden, sold our old patio set and are slowly finishing up the playhouse. Of course I ran out of paint when I literally had one thing left to paint. P absolutely loves the house and I love that I don't have to stress too much (let's be honest) about what a mess it turns into inside.

Thank goodness for Ultra Clean Washable Crayola everything! The final thing I really want to do to the playhouse is make the front door a dutch door. Looks like a need to nag kindly ask David a little harder to make that happen.

I also ordered this fun simple little play kitchen for inside of it - something if she destroys I could care less about. Although knowing me it will get a little DIY facelift. It will be sweet to watch her play pretend and whatever else she dreams up. Some snaps from the past week and apologies in advance that playhouse pics are going to dominate summer!

 hello sign // doormat

 bike // sandals

 swimsuit - bought last season

 top (last season, Crew & Lu), shoes

Room meets ocean

Full Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Minted. 

As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Happily Ever Parker.

David always jokes around with me that I take forever to decorate something. Which is mostly true when it comes to finding pieces of art that I really love. If it's going to hang on my walls for a long time I want to love it. While our bedroom has been neglected for the longest time, it's slowly coming together and feeling more and more like us.

It all started when I found this large wooden circle art at a high end patio store in my city. I know - so weird. But every time I saw it in the window I fell more and more in love. Handcrafted in Bali I loved knowing that I was truly getting a one of a kind piece of art. Once we had that piece in place I knew I wanted to incorporate more art but was having a hard time picking out something that I was equally obsessed with.

It's no secret that we are big fans of Minted over here. From wedding invitations to home decor there selection is always ever expanding. I knew that they would have just what I needed (and a lot of it!). When scrolling through the art selections I was able to narrow it down to what I wanted the most. Which in my case was colors and images that remind me of the ocean - our happy place.

Since I don't have any gallery walls in our house I wasn't too skilled at matching up items at first. In fact it took me almost a week to make my final selections. I would keep adding my items to my cart and seeing how they looked together that way. I am really happy with the pieces I picked for our room!

 Playa Seven Wall Art Print

Golden Sand Wall Art Print

I chose to also have them matted and framed by Minted which made my life a lot easier once we received them in the mail. Exceptionally well packaged might I add! They truly do remind me of the ocean and my goal this year was make my bedroom feel more like a retreat. Goal achieved! 

Minted is turning nine this year and to celebrate they are offering 15% off site wide until April 3rd! It's the perfect time to score on invitations, art or any other item you have had your eye on lately!

So go buy something fun and tell me what you decide on!