Hannah Morrison

Cute Vacation Pieces

The season of sunshine and vacation has ARRIVED. Kicking it off with a trip to Charleston [read more here!] followed then by a BFF trip to Disney [read my newest guide here!], and officially starting June 1st becoming a silent owner of my company to be a SAHM… I would say my summer vacations have officially commenced. We have coming up a baby moon to our FAVORITE spot, Omni Barton Creek in Austin, and then also a trip with our boys is in the works to Carlton Landing in Oklahoma. This is a spot designed by the same people who built out Seaside in Florida, but it’s on a lake in Oklahoma just a couple hours from us. I can’t believe we didn’t know about this spot until recently! If flying is out of the question or an 11 hour drive with babies sounds miserable *raises hand* this is seriously going to blow your mind when you see what’s waiting just over the border in Oklahoma to all my fellow Texans.

Today, I rounded up some adorable vacation pieces currently in my cart that scream “hello sunshine!” at a wide range of price points. Below I have a few top faves and then see my full round-up underneath.

These are the perfect summer night shoe for dinner on the beach or on the board walk.

And they’re only $42!

Can you believe this is on Amazon?! It looks chic and lovely and is only $69. (wouldn’t it look so beautiful with the shoes above?)

This clutch is a dream. I can see it paired with the dress and shoes above to tie the whole look together.

And, it’s only $54!

Okay, this is the splurge of my favorites… but can you blame me? This dress silhouette is my favorite of all time, and the coloring paired with the intricate detailing is drool-worthy.

This beauty is a $895 designer dress. *However, one you’d keep til you’re old and gray and give to your daughter.

Disney World 6 Months Pregnant (What I ate, schedule!)

Well, I just returned from my second trip ever to WDW and it was as good as my first! This time I went with just one BFF (my first was all 8 of us!) who happens to also be the Disney travel agent among us. We went to explore the Flower and Garden Festival and to create content for her business, and really just have a fun time! When I went to WDW last February for the first time, it was only 20% capacity re-opened which was honestly a dream first experience. Like, honestly, when will that ever happen again? Never. (We can only hope.)

This time was certainly a whole lot fuller even as a “lower crowd” week, and lines were well over 60-90+ minutes for the big attractions. Kristen wanted to really give Genie+ a solid strategic go, so we bought it every morning on the app and I will never ever do Disney ever again without it. I am working on a full dedicated post for Genie+ because it’s worth the time spent on learning it. I am so glad I did it for the first time with her, because I feel like I have down the strategy now and we literally didn’t stand in lines. Like, honestly, we stood in line 20 minutes the longest. We took the parks very slowly, because I am 25 weeks. But, I rode basically everything I would have wanted except for the roller coasters! Disney while pregnant is honestly not a big deal as far as the rides go. It was so hot and I am so pregnant that we took afternoon breaks each day for about 2 hours for coffee, water, snacks, and an outfit change before heading back out for dinner and night time at the parks. This was also when we caught up on the JD/AH trial… hehe. But honestly, having done a mid-day break now… I will always do this. It was so refreshing and I felt rejuvenated for the final hours at the park at the end of the day.

Where we stayed: Port Orleans Riverside, very nice moderate resort, well-themed but not cheesy, and tranquil overall setting

Our Schedule:

M: Flew out 5 AM, checked in/dropped off luggage in room for early check-in, arrived at Animal Kingdom by 10 AM

T: Epcot

W: Magic Kingdom

TH: Disney Springs, explore resorts, flew out 8 PM

**IMPORTANT DAILY NOTE** Every morning, we woke up and purchased Genie+ immediately (book before 7 AM which is when you can start booking your first lightning lane if staying in the parks!) and we booked our food order for the earliest pick up time available, and then were out the door to get our food and be at the bus stops by 8 for early entry to the parks. NO OTHER WAY TO DO IT! If you’re staying at a Disney Resort, the early access to the parks and Genie+ bookings is a game changer.

Day 1: AK/Port Orleans Resort

Okay, so to be honest, I was really sick this day and it’s kind of a blur to me. I have had horrible allergies and they hit me hard the night before which left me getting only 2 hours of sleep before we left at 3 AM for the airport. In addition to THAT, we concluded Baby C HAD to have been sitting on a nerve the first half of the day because I couldn’t walk more than a few minutes at a time before feeling I was about to pass out. It was really miserable and I felt like such a drag for feeling so crappy. There was eventually a very distinct moment I felt baby girl move and I legit could start walking again almost immediately! This changed my whole rest of the afternoon, thank goodness.

What I ate:

Satu’li Canteen: Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl with rice and beans, $15

Ice cream by Everest , $4

Sassagoula (at Port Orleans French Quarter): GF chicken tenders & fries + full add-on entreew salad, $20

Scat Cat’s Cafe (at Port Orleans French Quarter): GF beignets with strawberry and chocolate sauce *O M G y’all these were so good and if you’re not staying at Port Orleans, it’s worth the resort hop over, $7

Day 2: Epcot (Flower and Garden Festival day!)

We paid the $11 to walk onto the new Ratatouille ride at Epcot with the Genie Individual Lightning Lane … it was incredible and I would seriously do it again. If there’s a super long line for a ride not available on Genie+ that you purchased for $15 at the start of the day (not many aren’t available – just a couple really big ones), this allows you the opportunity to buy a walk-on and you do not have to purchase the $15 Genie+ to use it. It’s basically a la carte for booking a lightning lane.

What I ate:

Breakfast mobile order at resort food court (Kids GF waffles, bacon and add a side of eggs for protein), $13

Flower and Garden Booths for hours…. I was highly impressed by the clearly marked menus in front of every single booth with allergen markings. I would say I could eat at like 50+% of the booths if I wanted to, but there were many along the way that didn’t have any GF options at all. When you order from these, they’re slightly smaller portions to be able to eat around the world and are typically $4-$6 an entree!

Seasons: GF Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry + Powerade (very good!), $17

L’artisan des Glaces: Seasonal raspberry and vanilla macaron ice cream sandwich (WOW, so yummy), $7

Day 3: Magic Kingdom

We got to MK so early that we were able to stand at the ropes into the rides for the early entry access for resort guests. We basically walked onto Peter Pan!

What I ate:

Breakfast mobile order at resort food court (Kids GF waffles, bacon and add a side of eggs for protein), $13

Pecos Bill’s: Kid’s Chicken and Rice bowl with guac, $10

Aloha Isle: Raspberry Dole Whip twist, $7

Columbia Harbour House: Grilled shrimp skewers with fries and green beans + extra side of green beans, $20 **We sat here a long time while it rained hard and we were very impressed with this quick service spot!**

Scat Cat’s Cafe: GF Beignets… ooops, we did it again, $7

**I seriously didn’t even get good pictures of these because it was always super late at night after the parks closed and I devoured them.

Day 4: Disney Springs and Fly Home

We booked a late evening flight home to utilize our 4th day as much as possible! I am so glad we did, because we ended up wrapping up our shopping adventures at Disney Springs around 2 and took the bus to The Riviera for lunch and to explore it because I have been wanting to book a stay there with my family. It was more than I even dreamt it would be and 1000000% where I wanna stay when we bring the kids!

Boma Buffet: Y’all, I shared about this the most of my whole trip while there. Boma is a hot spot for breakfast at Animal Kingdom Lodge and now we get why. As far as allergies go, honestly 80% of the menu as-is was gluten free. It’s a buffet set up with stations, majority of which are African flavors and fare. When we were sat, our waiter gave us a guide to the entire buffet that let us know which foods at every single station were gluten free. I was truly blown away by the entire experience. We couldn’t stop flipping out over the food. Our favorites (though we genuinely had a hard time deciding) were the Goat Cheese and Chive Eggs, Oak Grilled Asparagus and Tomatoes, and the grits with the stewed tomatoes on top. But again… I honestly didn’t want to have to decide what was my favorite when Kristen asked me. I also ate salmon deviled eggs, sausage, mint pistachio watermelon, grapefruit and papaya with avocado, bacon…. muffins, donuts… haha. I ate real good. We ordered a coffee carafe for the table and they bring out a tray of pastries to every table as part of the buffet. They delivered an incredible GF only tray for us that included muffins, Mickey waffles, and donuts. 10/10 say DO THIS spot for a special breakfast. I love that we did it our final, slower day because we definitely felt full and a little sleepy from it the rest of the day, $37 (after generous tip and add on for coffee carafe and juice)

The Riviera’s Primi Piatto: GF Grilled Chicken Sandwich with salad and Romano Herbed Fries, $16

**After a very late lunch, we grabbed a coffee from their adorable coffee shop at The Riviera and rode the sky liner for a mini rest before heading to our resort to check out and head to the airport!**

I will for sure be doing a full review of the Genie+ strategy Kristen nailed for our trip, because it truly is the only way to do it. When you weren’t headed to your next lightning lane, you could just stroll, shop, drink coffee or grab a snack and make your way to wherever your next lightning lane was. Kristen mapped it out for us well to also avoid, for the most part, having to run clear across the park from one thing to the next. Aside from the general pains of walking 20k steps in a day, particularly at 6 months pregnant, I was so relaxed this entire trip at every park. It was just so chill and mostly because of the Genie+ strategy. And with that said, if you’re ever looking to take a trip to Disney, BOOK KRISTEN OMILION. So many of you have booked your trips with her since my first Disney World trip recap and it makes us both giddy. She truly is like a fairy God Mother and is the most intentional travel agent you could ever ask for. She knows the parks like the back of her hand and takes her job so seriously. Also… her services are free to use her. She is contracted through her agency to be paid by the park itself. You don’t pay a dime extra for her amazing services. IG: itskristenrenae

Outdoor Family Fun

Despite the regular spring time thunderstorms here in North Texas, the sunshine is peeping through and the temperatures are rising. One of my top projects for the summer is to make our backyard over for all things outdoor fun! With the baby on the way and due late August/early September, I won’t be able to get out much or take the boys to the pool by myself as the summer goes on, so I want to make our backyard a wonderland for the babies to enjoy. First up: fixing all the holes Dolly has created… and the water drip line she ripped out of the ground. And sending her to training camp, Sweet Baby Jesus. 😉 Then, the fun stuff! I hope to put in 24″ square cement pavers for an extended patio with pretty gravel or grass in between. This is also strategy to cover the parts of our yard the dogs run across the most that seem to die the fastest.

I can’t wait to get the babies a picnic table for them to play games on and do crafts at (and I don’t have to worry about it getting on my floor or table inside anymore!) + the play gym from Costco I have mentioned before! I also see the bounce house we bought last summer is back in stock and for about $100 less than we purchased it for. I linked it along with outdoor games and cute little odds and ends I found to make your backyard a dream oasis. I have gone back and forth on patio furniture for us for months but really love these below that I found for such good prices, and I would put the umbrella over the chair with ottoman on the extended pavers by the boys’ picnic table.

Charleston Trip Guide

I am home from Charleston and WOW, what a trip. This city was everything I ever wanted it to be and more. It was beautiful, elegant, chic, full of good food, rich in history, and full of beautiful homes to look at. We went on this trip partly as a baby moon and partly for a conference with our church planting network. We got the opportunity to attend so we combined our funds for a baby moon with it and I am so glad we did. This trip brought up some genuine trauma in me having lost Blakely on our last trip that also happened to be for an ARC gathering. I was convinced I was losing this baby during the first night of conference and kept having to check my dress. PTSD sucks. But the Lord met me in my trauma and he really ministered to my heart. I just want to give a quick encouragement to all you women who have carried and lost a baby. I am months and months out from my loss, closing in quick on a year, and I still am struggling and grieving that loss. It sucks. Take it as it comes.

With that… We went to so many amazing spots around the city this trip, many of which you suggested to me, and I have the full round up below. I hope it helps you as you navigate a trip to Charleston, SC!

Day 1:

We arrived at Charleston Airport around noon and it was the easiest travel experience ever. We ran down to get our rental truck and drove just about 20 minutes to our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Bennett and it’s INCREDIBLE. I give it a 10/10 rating for everything. The staff, the food, the vibe, the cleanliness – everything.

Late lunch: Playa Bowls across the street from our hotel – we ordered açaí bowls here daily.

Explored downtown Charleston: We drove around ALL the streets. We drove south on Meeting St. past Rainbow Row and all the historic streets packed full of stunning homes that took me back in time 200 years. We drove around The Battery and gawked over the Civil War ship out on the water, and then we drove west of downtown to continue looking at the different areas of homes. We drove literally on every possible east-west tiny street in between Meeting and King St. and all around!

We returned to our hotel to get ready for our dinner reservation at 82 Queen. This spot was a top rated one online/by y’all and is next to Poogan’s Porch and Husk. A lot of restaurants are closed on Mondays in downtown, so 82 Queen was one of our only options that we could eat at with our allergies that was open. It was okay to be honest. The pork chop Paul got was delicious. My duck was okay, but not fantastic. The vibe of the space was not intimate or romantic like I had hoped, but we also went at 6:30 when the sun was full exposure. There was basically no music on, and it was a little disappointing. But, we still had a great time and a good table to ourselves!

After dinner, we went to The Dewberry for drinks on the rooftop! SUCH a good spot. It’s a beautiful rooftop scenery with lovely outdoor seating overlooking the city and pink accents everywhere. They had a pink booth inside! This is certainly only a drinks and bar food kind of place, but a perfect night cap spot. It’s a block from Hotel Bennett so we had a quick stroll back to the hotel and slept for TEN HOURS. Mom and dad were tired… lol.

**The Dewberry was another hotel option we looked at- it’s beautiful and I would have been happy staying there too. It depends on your style as to which I would suggest. We stand by staying at Hotel Bennett for our style of vacation. The Dewberry is very very nice and “boujie” but a bit trendier while Bennett is highly elegant.

Day 2:

Woke up, got coffee downstairs at La Patisserie (coffee shop at Hotel Bennett) and walked across the street for Acai bowls for breakfast. Once fueled, we hit the road to Old Village. This is an area on the other side of the bay from downtown and ended up being both of our favorites. The history is rich and the homes are stunning. While downtown is the classic, thin rowhome style from 200 years ago decked out in colorful paint, Old Village in Mt. Pleasant is larger colonial/plantation style homes on the water with huge wraparound porches begging to be sat on with a sweet tea in hand.

After exploring a couple hours, I went back to Hotel Bennett for a prenatal massage at the spa. Their spa is the top rated one in Charleston and for a good reason. It’s intimate and beautiful. My prenatal massage was spectacular!

After my massage, we hopped in the car and drove to Sullivan’s Island. I had no intention of skipping lunch this day, but I sorta missed it. Paul went to Basic Kitchen for sweet potato fries and we then returned twice more for those fries over our trip, because they were SO GOOD. We walked the beach at Sullivan’s Island and strolled around a bit. It was lovely and the weather was perfect.

We returned to the hotel to wash up and get ready for night 1 of the conference we came for at Seacoast Church (Mt. Pleasant) and went to an early dinner at Basic Kitchen. This place was DELICIOUS. They close in the afternoon and re-open at 5 pm for dinner and people were literally standing outside waiting to come in. They are very allergy-friendly if you need that like us. I ordered their bowl with chicken and Paul ordered… Corn Ribs. He thought this meant some kind of yummy meat rib. But they were literally corn on the cob ribs shaped like ribs. We got such a good laugh. But, he also ordered two more orders of his sweet potato fries so he left a happy camper. 😉

We went to our conference and stayed talking with people until 11:30 PM and I was about dead by the time we made it to our hotel room hehe. DO THE VALET.

Day 3:

Woke up, coffee La Patisserie, left and ordered Playa Bowls in a different location next to the church… haha. I am telling y’all, we went there daily and multiple times a day. I ordered a green smoothie this time! This whole day was mostly conference! We LOVE our ARC partner and are so beyond thankful for them and they way they’ve poured into us and Cadence. They’re truly the best. For lunch, we walked across the street to Verde for salads.

We returned for an afternoon nap at our hotel because I seriously couldn’t keep my eyes open. After naps, we went for smoothies at, yep, Playa Bowls across the street from Hotel Bennett and then jumped back in the car for night sessions at conference.

After session, we snuck out to a special dinner at Post House Inn… FAVORITE SPOT THE WHOLE TRIP. Best dinner, best experience, best waiter… everything. It was all perfect. I ordered the steak and the brassica salad (YUMMMM) and Paul got the pork chop which was also freaking bomb. This was another possible spot we considered staying in, and now having seen it I would 10000% stay there if just me and Paul ever come back again. It’s an intimate old Inn full of rich history with an amazing restaurant downstairs and 7 bedrooms upstairs for guests to stay. If you follow Julia Bolzerheimer, she reviewed this place which is how I knew about it and it’s evidently near her home… which makes sense because this area is picture book perfect.

Day 4: We leave this day, but knew we wanted some more time exploring so we booked an afternoon flight!

Woke up, coffee La Patisserie and Acai Bowls. We stayed here quite a while taking it slow and watching people. It’s quite a hot spot and feels like you’re truly in a French bakery! We cleaned up the room and packed up to leave the hotel! CANNOT say enough about them. It was a perfect babymoon stay. TIP: 1000% do the hotel valet for $40 a day. I genuinely don’t even know where you park if you don’t do the valet. We came in and out multiple times a day and just had to call the desk 10 minutes ahead to have our car pulled around. Don’t do it any other way! It would have been such a hassle to walk to a garage and re-pay/park multiple times a day.

We went back over to around Post House Inn to drive around and explore more pretty homes in the sunlight since we went in the dark the night before. We tried to find somewhere new to eat but ended up just going to lunch at Post House Inn and sat in the sun on the lounger patio tables. I ordered the onion dip and crudite and shrimp wraps. Paul got the chicken salad and it was also so yummy! They were great with food allergies as well.

Left for the airport and had the best trip. Even with a slight flight delay, we truly had the easiest trip experience from start to finish.

HIGHLIGHTS

Places to See:

Meeting Street/King Street downtown (French Quarter, The Battery, and everything around – there’s historic markers everywhere to learn about the people who once called Charleston home and made it great!) This is like a 1.5 mile rectangle radius of must-see history and homes. Just drive in and out of every street and go back in time.

Old Village, Mt. Pleasant

Sullivan’s Island

Places to Eat:

Playa Bowls

Basic Kitchen

Post House Inn

The Dewberry Rooftop

La Patisserie

Hall’s Chophouse (We had reservations here but ended up having to cancel because of time, but based off of reviews and location, I would 1000% suggest!)

Church and Union (We didn’t go here, but the valet told us to definitely go if we can and so many of you suggested to as well!)

Husk (We didn’t eat here because the menu changes daily and it would be too hard for us with our food restrictions – but having seen it, I get the hype! It’s a great spot!)

Poogan’s Porch (Y’all said this one so much and it’s right next door to Husk and 82 Queen. It was packed and the food looked good!)

Where to Stay:

Hotel Bennett **AMAZING, worth the money. So elegant and top notch kind of an experience.

The Dewberry (We didn’t stay here but did walk around and it was beautiful. It was our top other choice and we actually went with Bennett officially because of room availability. It’s lovely and equally as nice as Hotel Bennett but a little on the more trendy side.)

Post House Inn (We didn’t stay here, but would now having been twice to eat. It’s beautiful, charming, and intimate.)

Mother’s Day Gifts

Happy [almost] Mother’s Day! If you’re a mommy looking for ideas to treat yourself to or send to your hubby, I hope this post helps you out. If you’re a man who was sent this blog post for a hint… hey, glad you’re here. 😉 Every year on Mother’s Day, I have a few hopes: Good food, kid-free time, spa. Without a doubt, my favorite spa experience locally is still Four Seasons Dallas in Las Colinas. Whether a facial or massage, just go for it. They can do no wrong! And then hang out for hours in the pool and sauna space with a book in hand, sparkling water, coffee or tea, and the soft chimes of spa music around you. Ahhh, sigh. I can hear it now. I am going to Charleston next week and am doing the spa at Hotel Bennett for an early Mother’s Day/Babymoon treat. I am so excited!

Being a mom has truly been the best surprise of my life. I never knew if being a mom was going to be part of my story. I just genuinely feared everything to do with it. Pregnancy, raising babies, the fatigue… all of it. But wow, what a joy my life is because of these babies. My two sons, my daughter in heaven, and my daughter dancing in my belly as I write this have each taught me something so special that have marked my life forever and made me more like Jesus through their lives. I have never been more tired but more sure of who I am and what I am called to in life than I do as a mommy.

Below, you’ll find items on my Mother’s Day wishlist that also carry over to my 30th birthday wishlist that is also fast approaching. (WHAT?!… genuinely still can’t believe I am about to be 30 when I feel 16 still most days.) I had envisioned a huge hoorah in Mexico for my 30th birthday with friends… however, my growing bump has changed plans a bit hehe. You are doing the best work there is, mommies. It’s exhausting. But we are changing the world as we raise kind, generous, patient children. Keep putting in the work, sis. It’s all worth it. And… treat yourself. 😉

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