Honeymoon: Niagara Falls

Instead of doing the typical honeymoon in a warm, tourist-y destination, we opted for staying in upstate New York and seeing the sights it had to offer. Because a) this was Steven's first time to N.Y. and there truly are a lot of neat places to go, b) this is technically our "busy season" at work so we wanted to needed to come back from our honeymoon a little early to recoup and prepare for the intense work load ahead, c) funds are skimpy at the moment due to wedding expenses, and d) we wanted to be able to take a second honeymoon in the near future; hence, we are calling this trip our mini-moon and we hope to take a MEGA-moon this winter. 

Sorry for the list. For some reason I felt it was necessary to defend our little honeymoon. Not sure why. Moving on...

Of course, being in NY we had to and I mean HAD TO go see Niagara Falls. Really, when one of the seven wonders of the world is only a three hour drive away how could you not go? I've been to Niagara Falls once before, but I was young so this time was just as, if not more so, exhilarating than the previous visit. 

Ready for a photo dump? My camera could not even come close to capturing how amazing the Falls is, but we tried.

At first, while walking along the water you can hardly see that there's a huge waterfall ahead. It just looks like the water continues all the way to those buildings (which are in Canada).

 And then BAM!

The waterfall to the left in the photo is the American Falls. You can begin to see the Canadian Falls (called Horseshoe Falls) though in this picture as well. Can I just say, the Americans got gypped on the Falls. Horseshoe Falls is MASSIVE! Just as a reference consider this, the water cascading down the American Falls hits the base of the Falls with 280 tons of force compared to the Canadian Falls hitting the base with 2,509 tons of force!

The Maid of the Mist is a boat ride that goes right underneath Horseshoe Falls. It really is an incredible experience. It's so beautiful you want to keep your eyes open the entire time but it's impossible! You come out completely drenched! It feels as if you've been transported into the frightening scenes of that movie The Perfect Storm with George Clooney. Remember that?? Okay, maybe not quite like that. But close.

Riding the Maid of the Mist was probably my favorite outing for the honeymoon. I am so glad Steven and I were able to experience it together! Actually, not just the Falls, but the entire Niagara Falls State Park area is beautiful. We spent two days exploring all the region had to offer before heading a little more South to check out Buffalo, NY. 

More on our honeymoon adventures to come! But if you are interested in checking out more amazing facts on Niagara Falls check out this website! 

I'm Back!!!

...and married.

I don't even know where to begin! There are so many moments I want to remember and capture here on this blog but I feel slightly overwhelmed! Things will just have to come in stages. I still need to look through all my photos of the pre-wedding festivities and the honeymoon --folks, there are  a lot of photos. But after I sort through all the pictures hopefully I'll get my bearings and start giving you a coherent account of all that took place. 

But just to give you a taste of the MOST PERFECT WEDDING DAY IN THE HISTORY OF FOREVER, here are a few photos taken by my awesome photographer and old college roomie :)

 If you want to see more photos check out Bridget's Facebook page! :)

My Photographer Rocks!

As evidenced in these photos.

Such fun photos! Love the candidness of the last one!

Kelsey Lynn Photography

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Engagement Photo Session: Sneak Peek

This weekend Steven and I met with our cute, bubbly photographer, Kelsey Blome, for our engagement session photo shoot. We went to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, WA and I was absolutely thrilled with the location --beautiful rose gardens, ducks ponds, numerous wooded settings, and just a few steps from the Puget Sound! Needless to say, our photos have a lot of variety and I couldn't be happier! The best part about the day was definitely Kelsey though. She was hilarious and kept Steven and I laughing the entire time! We spent about two hours taking photos but when we were heading back towards our car, I felt like it had only been 20 minutes and didn't want the day to end. Here are a few photos from the session. I can't wait to share more with you!

Make sure to check out Kelsey's blog and Facebook page!

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At the Lake House

This past weekend was a dreary one. It rained, snowed, or hailed pretty much all weekend! Everyday was dark. Yet I managed to make the best of things whilst drinking hot coco, watching the Walking Dead season finale, trying out a new recipe, and doing some serious tidying up around mi casa! 

 Nothing better than a good book and a rainy day.

 I love this canvas painting above my bed. Unfortunately it's not mine, it came with the rental.

I hope you all had a great weekend, rain or shine!

Mt. Rainier

Washington may not have many sunny days to boast of, but it sure is pretty. Sometimes, you just have to get above the clouds in order to see it's beauty.

Also, it's hard to take pictures on an airplane.

Happy Thursday, folks! The weekend is almost here!

Whidbey Island

Steven and I went to Whidbey Island this weekend.

That's where we're getting married. I know, I already told you that.

Sorry for the redundancy. 

But I had never been to Whidbey Island, and neither of us had seen the venue other than online.

So we went to take a gander at it...

...and we were very pleased with what we saw.

 Even with the dead of winter, I really loved the grounds and could easily image it with the fall foliage.

 Cute, little playhouse for the kiddos.

 That building is the groomsmen's dressing room.

 Outdoor, makeshift bar. 

 Their gardens. All the food is organic and fresh picked from their property or other local farms.

 The barn. 

I love the modern light fixtures. Even with those, the barn doesn't lose its rustic feel.

Adorable lighthouse at Mukilteo before you get on the ferry to Whidbey.

I'm very excited about the facility! The barn is exactly the sort of venue I was looking for and I just had a great feeling about my choice after meeting with the owner and his wife.

I think it's going to be a beautiful wedding.

TGIF

Seriously, THANK GOD it's Friday. This week has been rough. You know, the whole sick thing with me and that darn pup. I think I need to bleach my floors --and every other thing that Huck and I came in contact with this past week. 

But I am very excited for my weekend plans! Tomorrow afternoon I am meeting with the lady who's taking our engagement and wedding photos! We're having a cup of coffee and discussing my vision for the engagement shoot along with the current packages she has to offer. I am SO EXCITED to get some wedding things accomplished and mark them off my ever growing to-do list!

And then comes Sunday... Really, you don't even need to get me started. It's. The. Superbowl. And my GIANTS are playing! {FYI, my entire family is originally from New York and I grew up with a father and 2 older brothers who are football fanatics} Steven tried all season to convert me into a Seahawks fan, but really? The Seahawks? That's just silly...

PLUS, if I liked any other team than the Giants my family might disown me...

Just saying.

And, just because I feel like I need to spruce up this post a bit, I'm going to leave you with some cute photos of when Steven and I went to his grandparents cabin. Huck {okay, and me} saw elk for the very first time and it was pretty exciting! They got SO close!

Happy Weekend!

Puppy Blues

Not only have I been sick this week, but poor Huckleberry hasn't been feeling very well either. This means me on my hands and knees scrubbing diarrhea out of the carpet while I try not to gag {yeah, go ahead. be jealous of my life.} I'll leave the rest of the details out, just know it wasn't pretty.

But sick or not --no wet pups are allowed on my carpet!

 And this obviously makes Huck very sad...

 So he just looks at me like this...

And then, of course, he gets to go lay on the carpet. 

Yep, right in front of the fireplace so he can be all snuggly and warm while drying off. I know, I know...my dog has me trained.

But thankfully, there is one rule I'm determined to keep, and that is that absolutely no WET pups are allowed to be cuddled!

{yeah, I broke that one too....}

Snow Day.

I woke up this morning to this!

Lovely, isn't it? Technically, this is my first adult snow day. No work for me. Okay, I actually still have to work..but from home! Which means I can edit away in my bright red bathrobe with my puppy laying at my feet. Huckleberry is overjoyed to say the least.

To top it off, Steven came over this morning before I was out of bed to start a fire for me in my little lake home! {Awww!} It's not that I CAN'T start a fire on my own, it's just that...

...well I can't. I quit girl scouts in 1st grade because my brothers teased me so much and fire starting is simply just not one of my skills. I'm inept. But I still survive.

As far as wedding planning goes, I'm still venue hunting. I could always just get married in a swanky hotel in Seattle this November. That's just not what I always pictured my wedding day to be like though. My mom is now searching for affordable venues in the WV/VA area as well. It would be hard to get married back on the east coast. I don't think I would like not feeling in control of my wedding, ya know? But it is still really pretty in VA that time of year, so who knows, if the perfect place presents itself, it is definitely an option.

But today, I am going to read, edit, sip coffee, and enjoyed the lovely view from my "office" window!

Huck thinks he's such a stud.