our second anniversary! :]

 

Engaged. Married. Anniversary 1. Anniversary 2.

 Burton & I celebrated our wedding anniversary a few weeks ago in Bend, OR & it was absolutely magical. I just can't get over the fact that we've been married two years already! It still feels like we're newlyweds & I wonder if it will always be like that :]

   

 Burton & I were happy to spend our anniversary trip exploring more of our new state. While driving out to Bend, we were able to see the five tallest mountains in the state from a single vantage point! It was breathtaking. Bend itself was gorgeous, especially because there was some unexpected snow the week we were there. The bungalow we rented had a fireplace & hot tub that got a lot of use :]

Bend has plenty of good breweries, so of course we visited a few.
There were even a bunch of deer that visited  Deschutes Brewery with us :]

Hiking up Pilot Butte, where we had a good view of the city.
 

Tumalo Falls. Wow! This was my favorite part of our trip.
 

We spent a day hiking around Deschutes National Forest. It was total eye candy!
 

The top of Tumalo Falls.
 

Speaking of eye candy...
 

Myla had A BLAST in the snow! It was her first time seeing it & I loved watching her prance around & eat it. Although, when we were at the bungalow, she kept whimpering to go back outside. Then it became less cute.

I loved the droopy tree branches :]
 

I'm so happy to be married to this man :] I told Burton that it was one of the best & easiest decisions of my life. I'm looking forward to at least 65 more anniversaries with him!

The Deschutes River.

Thank you for the memories, Bend. You're absolutely beautiful! I'm sure we'll be back again soon!

pickens ivey

I'm sure you know a handful of people (or more) who are in a band or dabbled in one before. I know at least a dozen people who've been bitten by the music bug, but I wanted to tell you about my friends who make up the band Pickens Ivey. They have serious TALENT. They would be one of my top ten favorite bands, even if I didn't know them personally. I listen to their CD frequently when I'm driving around or prepping in my classroom before the school day starts. I love their twangy style so much that I even asked them to provide the music at our wedding! Definitely check them out & watch them play "As Dead As It Gets" (my favorite song of theirs!!) below :]

Honeymoon in Costa Rica!

FINALLY, here are some of my favorite photos from our 8-day honeymoon trip to Costa Rica!

We spent our first two nights in the capital, San Jose. We saw ruins, a botanical garden, and went to the national museum. Driving around was slightly terrifying because addresses don't exist in Costa Rica, many drivers don't follow the rules of the road, and pedestrians will cross the street right in front of you even if you have a green light. We were excited to leave and head to La Fortuna.

In La Fortuna, we were right next to Arenal Volcano for three luxurious nights at Mountain Paradise Hotel. While here, we ate the most incredible food, went zip lining, visited some hot springs, hiked up the volcano, relaxed in our private jacuzzi, and shared a New Years kiss :] My favorite part of this trip by far was waterfall rappelling! It was beyond thrilling and the sights were astounding. Anyone going to Costa Rica has to give it a shot.

We spent two more relaxing nights at Vista Las Islas in Paquera. We swam at the beach, hung out at the pool, and went sea kayaking. Our guide, Thomas, took us on an hour long kayak ride to an uninhabited island to snorkel and hand feed wild spider monkeys!! This might be ranked as the best part of our whole trip. Afterwards we took a ferry across the gulf and spent our last night, exhausted and sunburnt, at a swanky San Jose hotel.

Needless to say, our trip to Costa Rica is probably going to be one of the best trips we'll ever take anywhere. It is a truly beautiful country with the perfect mix of adventurous & relaxing activities. You can see many more honeymoonin' pictures over at my flickr :]

BFFs!

I love love LOVE this picture! My friend just posted this picture to facebook, of my three bridesmaids & I at our rehearsal dinner picnic. I'm so lucky to have such genuine & inspiring girls in my life :] Ashley, Kelly, Cheryl, you ladies are the best!!

our big day!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of our wedding day, but you can see very many more on my flickr. It was such a perfect, laid back day, & everything we wanted it to be. It was just simple, fun, and happy :] Here are some fun facts:

• Our photographers were the BEST. We couldn't have picked anyone cooler.
• After our rehearsal dinner picnic, the bridesmaids & I made our own bouquets with some real & some silk flowers.
• Ashley, my maid of honor, did a reading from The History of Love. My favorite book ever. 
• My mom's best friend from high school, Norma, married us.
• My dad made a box to include in our ceremony. Burton & I wrote love letters to each other to put in it, plus a bottle of beer & wine, to be opened on our 10th anniversary. We also threw in the reception speeches & Burton's boutonniere.
• 4Rivers catered their fantastic BBQ. When I first had their pulled pork sandwich a few years ago I exclaimed, "They'll cater my wedding!" & they did :]
• Our friends in Pickens Ivey provided the lovely twangy music at our reception :]
• Our first dance was "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert.
• I danced to "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young with my dad.
• Burton danced to "In My Life" by The Beatles with his mama.
• Ashley & I made all of the desserts at the wedding, including the cake, mini pumpkin & pecan pies, and caramel dipped apples.
• Burton made all of the beer :]
• Isaac, the best man, made us cornhole boards for the reception.
• There was also a photobooth.
• Then we went on the most amazing honeymoon ever, in Costa Rica. Details on that are coming soon, I promise :]