Lucky Arrow: The Cutest Getaway in the Hill Country

You know that feeling when you’ve just been grinding away? You feel depleted. Tired. And desperately need time to get away with your SO, unplug and reconnect. That’s exactly how Cameron and I were feeling a few weeks. I mean both of us working full time and planning a wedding made us really need a vacation-some time to just get away with our two tiny pups and just have fun.

That’s when we found Lucky Arrow.

Nestled in the heart of the Hill Country in Dripping Springs lies the cutest hill country getaway you could imagine. And the best part is, it is less than 40 minutes away from Austin. So you can get away without going too far.

The Accommodations

Lucky Arrow is known for their unique yurts that are decorated to perfection. Since Cameron and I had the pups (did I mention they’re pet friendly?!) we stayed in one of their porch cabins. Which were absolutely so chic and incredibly comfortable. Plus they came with a vintage record player and albums! We were so thrilled to flip through all the records and go back in time for a few days. The room even came equipped with fun board games too and s’mores kits (which we definitely utilized)! And at night we played jenga and made s’mores snuggled up by the bonfire.

The Activities

Cameron and I love to hike, so every morning, we’d grab our coffee and hike around the Lucky Arrow property. The morning air was so refreshing and we’d grab a complimentary breakfast taco at the end of our hike!

One thing we absolutely loved about Lucky Arrow was all the activities they had planned.

The staff had provided a weekend of fun for all their guests with complimentary breakfast, beer garden, and live music in the evening. Not even to mention all the fun breweries and wineries they have nearby! Bell Springs Winery is walking distance and we had a wonderful time grabbing flights there! And 12 Fox Brewing was also very nearby and we had a great time ax throwing and hanging out there as well. We also grabbed a flat bread at the delicious Texas Hill Country Olive Co. There are also some incredible swimming holes nearby too-like the famous Hamilton Pool Preserve, Pedernales State Park, Reimers Ranch Park, and Krause Springs! Just make sure to plan ahead and book reservations as they fill up quite fast these days.

Lucky Arrow was the perfect getaway for the weekend. It was so fun to chat with their super friendly staff, watch Gizmo and Bowser make friends with the other pups on site, and just unplug for the weekend. Sometimes all you need to do is head out of town and get in the country to feel that crisp morning air with your person to feel completely rejuvenated and refreshed!

Lylas,

Rach

How We Found Our Dream Wedding Venue in Austin with Wedding Scout

Where it all began

7 months ago, the love of my life got on one knee and asked me to spend forever with him. Before he could even get the words out, I exclaimed, “YES!” Just so things wouldn’t get too awkward and he knew my answer and wouldn’t have to wait (lol). Over the next month, I was on cloud nine (and still am-I mean have you seen the ring?!). I have been just floating through life with my brand-new fiancé eager to begin our lives together.

Then the planning started… 

Once we started planning the wedding, we had no idea where to start first. Neither Cameron nor I had any concept of just how much money goes into a wedding. I started randomly googling, “best wedding venues in Austin” and “average cost of a wedding.” The problem is, a wedding in Austin, Texas is going to have a very different price tag than a wedding in Shiner, Texas. And we even went to visit a couple venues, but nothing had that spark we were looking for.

And then one day, I stumbled upon an Instagram account that would change our entire wedding planning journey. 

I found My Wedding Scout

I remember being so excited and grabbing my Mac Book and running to show Cameron. Wedding Scout has all the best, most beautiful wedding venues of Austin listed right there on their site. But the best thing is they have a sample budget listed out for every venue. So, we knew right off the bat what we were getting into moneywise! 

And it gets better. 

Each venue has a video-walk through, so you really get the vibe and feeling for each venue!

My Wedding Scout is run by Ren Newey, a ten-year veteran wedding planner. The best in the industry, she provides detailed, insider knowledge for the overwhelmed bride on Wedding Scout. Once Cameron and I sat down and looked through all the venues, we knew we found our dream venue. We also compared our budget and knew it was within our price range!

The next week, Cameron and I visited in person and immediately felt that spark.

 The Italian architecture. 

Serene Lake Austin (where we had spent our high school years) surrounding it.

The eclectic, unique art scattered throughout the property. 

The towering oak trees shading the property. 

The romantic festoon lights casting an iridescent glow after sunset.

We stepped on this property and knew.

We immediately started tearing up because we knew this was the most special place we had ever set foot in.

We immediately saw the place filled with our closest friends and family: everyone busting a move on the dance floor, Cameron and I shoving cake into each other’s mouths, my dad crying as he walked me down the aisle, our first dance as husband and wife.

We just knew. 

We went down where we were going to say our forever vows and prayed over our marriage.

And we couldn’t have found this gem without My Wedding Scout. When we first found the venue on their website, we thought it was too good to be true. But then we sat down with My Wedding Scout’s budget checklist and knew we could swing it. It was also such a special time watching the virtual walkthrough on Wedding Scout with all my aunts and grandparents could see our venue when we went to visit! September cannot come soon enough.

How to Whiten Your Teeth with ARC Smile

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of ARC. All opinions are 100% mine.

A beautiful smile has the ability to brighten any room and draw others in. A smile can make others feel at ease, welcomed, and loved. It can create an atmosphere of warmth and kindness. One thing I’ve always tried to do is take good care of my smile-from regular brushing, flossing, and dentist visits-but also keeping my smile white no matter how much black coffee or red wine I drink (because we all know I love wine and coffee!).

Never having had my teeth professionally whitened, I knew I wanted to find a solution that actually works. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been using my ARC Smile Whitening Pen from Target and it’s been so convenient and easy to use!

Ingredients that work

The scientists behind ARC Smile wanted to create a product that stood for confidence without the nonsense of products that claimed to whiten teeth-but didn’t actually work. That’s why they only use ingredients that are clinically proven to whiten teeth and remove surface stains.

How I’ve been Using it

I have been using the ARC Smile Whitening Pen twice a day-once in the morning and then again in the evening. It is so simple because you just easily brush it on your teeth, let it dry for 60 seconds, and then avoid eating or drinking for just one hour afterward. It is easy to just incorporate into your daily brushing routine and see your smile transformed. Furthermore, it hasn’t hurt or irritated my teeth at all-just brightened up my smile!

ARC Smile also has white strips that are easily applied for thirty minutes. The last five minutes you use the ARC Blue Light and then remove the white strips to reveal your whiter smile!

Every smile has a story- and ARC Smile has created a product that is building confidence in others by brightening smiles everywhere. A smile has the ability to transform a day. So share your smile with others! One of my favorite quotes is that if you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours. I would love to know-what is the story behind your smile? Tell me in the comments! You can get ARC at Target and begin transforming your smile now!

How I Pray

How I Pray
A feeling of dread gripped her as her small group began “popcorn style” prayer. Everyone’s prayers seemed so much more inspired than hers.

She didn’t really know how to pray. Whenever she prayed, it would usually just trail off into nothing or she would become distracted by the whistle of her iPhone. She waited for a lull to interject a prayer she had been mulling over for the last 15 minutes. But then the worst thing happened—the awkward two-voices-beginning-a-prayer-in-unison, and then the even more uncomfortable, “No, no, you go.” She let the other guy pray his prayer. Feelings of shame and frustration welled up inside her as she wondered, how do you even pray?

I don’t know if any of you have had a similar experience to the one above, but I know I have. Growing up in the church and going to a private high school, I learned the “Christian lingo” pretty rapidly. I figured out what phrases would get the most “mmms” or “amens.” I would throw those bad boys into my prayer to get a little spiritual ego boost, not because I genuinely felt or believed them.

But then I experienced the power of the gospel, and I realized prayer is our way of communicating with our Father.

And He wants to hear us.

He wants to hear genuine prayers.

He wants us to talk to Him. And because we are His children, we can boldly approach His throne (Hebrews 4:16). Once I figured that out, I realized I had been going about this whole prayer thing completely wrong. Let’s examine exactly how Jesus says to pray and His example of prayerfulness throughout His life.


PRAY SIMPLY


When teaching His disciples how to pray, Jesus gives several prescriptions on how to pray and how not to pray. The first thing He says not to do is, “Do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7). So often, we dress up our prayers to look more spiritual to those around us. God knows what is on our hearts (Matthew 6:8).

He just wants us to bring it to Him in honest, humble, and simple prayers.

There is no need to impress. God has already determined your worth by defeating death to make you His own. You already have the best approval of all—the approval of the Creator of the universe—and you are His child.


UPWARD, INWARD, AND OUTWARD


Throughout the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6, Jesus gives a pattern we can imitate. Jesus uses direction to focus His prayers in a few different ways.
The first is an upward focus:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus focuses on God’s character, His holiness, His kingdom, and His will. He begins with worship. He acknowledges a submission to the Father’s will above His own.

Then He shifts His focus inward:

Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts…

He asks the Father for sustenance. He isn’t afraid to boldly ask. This demonstrates a humility and dependence on the Father and total deference to Him. This inward focus includes reflecting on our own hearts—where do we need forgiveness? Where do we need to seek forgiveness?

Lastly, His focus is outward:

…as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Consider the pronouns Jesus uses during this outward shift. He uses we, our, and us. Jesus is praying for others.

Does your prayer life follow this pattern? As I was considering this, I realized my prayer life is extremely self-centered. I needed to spend more time praising God for His character and praying for those around me.


PRAY SCRIPTURE


One of the most enriching and transformative things we can do is actively pray through Scripture.

Go line by line. Just read it, and then pray that you would be able to apply it and it would transform your heart.

Martin Luther used to do this. He said that when you read the Scriptures, “your first duty is to begin to pray.” Here is a practical example of how you can walk through the Lord’s prayer, praying through each line:

“Our Father in heaven”
Thank you for being my Father. Thank you for calling me your own. Help me remember that identity when the world is telling me my identity is in appearance, approval, grades, or achievement.

“Hallowed be your name”
God, your name is holy—you are set apart. You are worthy of all glory, honor, and praise because you are perfect. Teach my heart to remember you are holy.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done”
God, I pray that I would desire your kingdom to come. Help me desire your will over my own.

Oftentimes, I set my alarm for a set amount of time, flip my phone over, and just start praying through a particular passage until my timer goes off. You will be amazed how much God can teach through that time of prayer and being immersed in His Word.

God has made us His own.

Because we are His children, we have direct access to our Father anytime we want.

Prayer is an open line of communication—He wants to hear from us.

Prayer helps us actively live out our identity as sons and daughters of the King. As we pray to our Father, our delight in Him increases and we experience a deeper, more joyful intimacy with Him. It’s my hope and prayer we become people of prayer-women who are utterly dependent on Christ. Drop me a DM or comment if you have other helpful tips on how we should pray!

Love ya like a sister-

Rach

Waterl<ss: My Secret to Going a Week Without Washing My Hair

Waterl<ss: My Secret to Going a Week Without Washing My Hair

This post is sponsored by Waterl<ss.

If you are anything like me, then you dread washing your hair because you know a long, damaging session with the blow dryer looms before you.

I’ve tried many a hair product to maximize the time between washes, but I haven’t found one that compares to Waterl<ss. If you’re not familiar with Waterl<ss, it’s a hair care company based out of Cape Town, South Africa created by a small group of scientists who wanted to create non-wash products that actually work. They put the products to the test during the water crisis in early 2018! I love partnering with brands that have awesome principals, and Waterl<ss celebrates diversity with lines for all different hair types. They are also passionate about water conservation! Their three-step system to maximizing the time between washes is so effective because it makes your hair look, feel, and even smell fresh-like you washed your hair that day. They want your hair to look just as good on day three as it does on day one. You know me, I go 4, sometimes even a full week without washing my hair. I do it using Waterl<ss’ full regimen of products. Also-think about this-the less you wash your hair, the less damaging heat you put on it. I am convinced this has helped my hair grow so long and healthy.

Making your hair look clean

Waterl<ss’ first step is their dry shampoo. Their No Residue dry shampoo stands out above the rest because there is no residue. You know how some dry shampoos leave your hair looking grey or chalky? Waterl<ss has absolutely zero of that. My roots are a light brown/dark blonde and so I am always cognizant of that-I mean who wants to walk around with grey roots?! Waterl<ss has solved this problem and simply leaves your roots looking clean.

Making your hair feel clean

You know that feeling after you deep condition your hair? The ends are soft and smooth. It’s hard to get that feeling without actually deep conditioning your hair. I know usually around day 2-3 of me forgoing washing my hair the ends begin to get a little brittle. But Waterl<ss has developed such a great solution to that! Their Weightless Smooth dry conditioner leaves your hair shiny, smooth, and soft-feeling like you just deep conditioned it. I always apply the dry conditioner to the mid shaft of the hair down to the ends, avoiding my roots or places near the top of my scalp.

Making your hair smell clean

Your girl loves to work out. I work out every single day. I also love hiking and pretty much doing anything active. But I don’t want to have to wash my hair every single time I work out-if I did that I would be spending an hour a day blow drying-nobody’s got time for that! Waterl<ss’ third and final step is their hair fragrance. This makes your hair smell fresh and clean without being overly “perfumey.”

Waterl<ss’ system has completely transformed how much heat I use on my hair and how often I need to wash it. Their products are so effective and thoughtful. I love being able to go hiking or work out knowing I can go without having to wash my hair afterwards. Their three-step system has perfected making your hair look, feel, and smell so fresh and clean!

The Waterl<ss Collection is available online at Target!