I wanted to take a day to share some of my favorite blog posts from 2011. It was such a fun year…thanks for being here and following along with my life and little indie business!

We celebrated the 2011 New Year in Asheville, NC. It was a fantastic trip, and we met friends that we visited for a 2012 New Year reunion.

It snowed on my 24th birthday…the biggest snow storm of the year. And my day-job office was closed for two days…pretty exciting for a South Carolina girl.

Yellow Elm was featured in Belle Magazine.

My niece and nephew came to visit in the spring. Love them!

Ben and I accidently hiked 15 miles in one day. We still talk about this. 2011 was the beginning of all of our hiking adventures. We hit up some fantastic local-ish hiking spots (places within 3 hours of us), like Raven Cliff Falls, Rainbow Falls, Congaree National Park, Roan Highlands, and Great Smoky Mountain National Park, to name just a few.

Hiking has been a great way to get active in 2011! This also inspired us to take a camping trip over Memorial Day weekend with Ben’s 4 brothers and their family dog. I had NEVER camped anywhere before this point (unless you count air-conditioned summer camp cabins with full bathrooms). We hiked 2 miles to our campsite, had no access to bathrooms, and stayed for 2 nights. WOW. Here was my survival guide from that epic weekend.

Our hiking hobby also inspired us to see more of our amazing National Parks. We got National Park Passports and have filled them up with quite a few stamps. We took a trip out West in September and saw Rocky Mountain National Park, the Badlands, Wind Cave National Park, and Mount Rushmore. We stayed in an original homestead cabin in South Dakota, where I pretended to be Laura Ingalls Wilder for 2 days.

Speaking of that trip, things were so rushy getting back to real life & routine when we got back I barely blogged about it, which is really sad because we got amazing pictures and it was such a fun adventure! I did make a post about Denver and Boulder. Here’s my facebook album about the trip, if you’d like to see the rest of our pictures.

Also in 2011, we spent a weekend at Hilton Head Island with my family, and a weekend in Savannah for our 2nd anniversary.

I enjoyed a lot of fun times with my Greenville friends.

I learned how to make cake plates for an October bridal shower that I helped throw for my new sister-in-law.

I got a studio for Yellow Elm in July that I share with my friend Julia from Sew Sew Lovely.

Ruche now carries Yellow Elm, which is such an absolute honor! I had so much fun putting their order together.

And my favorite outfit/editorial post of the year? Life Without Television.

2011 was grand. And that makes me all the more excited about what 2012 will bring for Yellow Elm! xx

my list? strawberries, sweet tea, lemonade, fireflies, carolina peaches, fresh garden tomatoes, long breezy dresses, ice cream, and long days when it stays light until 9 pm.

I’m not in love with the heat wave, but I’m glad to enjoy so many wonderful summer treats. What are your summer favorites?

Our hikes around this area just seem to get more and more beautiful…Recently, Ben and I went to Max Patch mountain in North Carolina. 360 degree views from the top and beautiful hiking along the Appalachian Trail, combined with the cooler temperatures found in the higher elevations (60s & 70s) made for a perfect day. Isn’t the scenery breathtaking?

While I’m still not an “outdoor girl” by any stretch I’m starting to feel much more comfortable in the outdoors. I am getting addicted to not fixing my hair for a day, going without makeup, and getting away from my computer and phone for awhile. Plus if I wasn’t going on these hikes I’d be missing out on some pretty awesome scenery. I always feel inspired and refreshed after spending the day outside.

We celebrated Cambodian New Year at church on Sunday morning with a big feast. (I talk more about Cambodian church here, if you’re curious.) We had noodles, rice, egg rolls, and the like. It was yum!

And then I saw this truck on the road with a huge confederate flag on the back. Yes, I’ve seen lots of rebel flag bumper stickers here in South Carolina, but this… well, it’s photo-worthy. Don’t even ask me what it means. And don’t stereotype. ha!

wishing you a fun-filled, sunshiney weekend!

Quack Happy by bomobob

Tonight I am watching Godfather Part 2 with some girl friends (because apparently it is appalling that none of us have seen The Godfather, and so we decided to have a marathon).

Tomorrow I am going hiking again (with NEW BOOTS. I didn’t know I would be so excited about hiking boots but I kind of am). My husband is now ready to climb mountains….he’s been researching. I’m still working up to the idea of camping overnight. In a tent. In the outdoors. I have never done that before. Apparently that’s appalling too.

And my sister and brother-in-law are coming for a visit with their 2 sweet babies. yaaay!

My friend Ashley over at That is all. has a really fabulous giveaway going on to celebrate 2 years of blogging: a diana mini camera, nailpolish, and a domo. Head over to her blog to enter (although I reallllly want to win myself so should I be encouraging competition??)

This also might be a good time to remind you about the Yellow Elm giveaway that is still going on…another week left…if you have a little baby girl or toddler in your life stop by the Wife Mom and More blog and leave a comment to enter.