And Life Keeps Moving

We say it all the time like it's some surprise that time keeps marching on but seriously, time has flown. 

Since my last post in March, M and I have take trips to the cabin, hiking trips, visited family out of town, celebrated a family wedding, got news of a pregnancy in the family, and a slew of other life events. There has been a lot of laughter, a lot of tears, and a lot of donuts and hugs (come to think of it, I want a donut right now!). 

Lately, we've been enjoying some gorgeous weather around here. I have always considered myself a die-hard fan of fall weather, but I feel ready for warmer weather. I really hope I'm not eating my words later when it's 90+ degrees outside and we're melting in our A/C-less apartment! The plus side to warm weather is our proximity to the beach. We pretty much always have a breeze, and it's a short drive to the beach, if we really need to cool down. 

CRAZY to hear myself say I'm happy we're close to the beach! I'm still a mountain-lover through and through, but what can I say? This is where we are right now, this is where we know God has us at the moment, so I'm going to be content in my situation. M and I still have dreams of owning property in the mountains somewhere, but life is too short to be unhappy about a situation that really isn't that bad. Sure, the traffic is awful near us, and it's pretty much always crowded wherever you go around here, but M gets home from work in about 10 minutes, and we're learning to make-do. I've also met some great girls I've been getting together with about once a week and we're all within about 2-3 miles of each other.

I've got some great makeup posts lined up for you that I've been planning for a while now, so I'm excited to finally get them up soon! Let me know if there are any posts or questions you want to see or have answered! 

Our Trip to Illinois

a few weeks ago Michael and I took a trip out to Illinois to visit his family. it was my first time to the midwest and I really enjoyed it. it was definitely nice to escape to a slower pace of life, few buildings, more cornfields. :)

while we were in Illinois, we got to visit Springfield. for those of you who aren't history buffs, Springfield is the town where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family as an adult. he practiced law at the court building there and ran for a number of governmental positions while living there.

the picture of me standing in front of the house with the green shutters (looking really awkward, lol)was his home! it was so great to see where a president who was so admired, lived. we even got the opportunity to walk through the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. it was just so amazing to see what a tragic and yet successful, life he led.

my favorite part of the whole experience was learning how many times Lincoln ran for government office and lost, but ran again during the next election. he tried and tried until he won. Michael's grandpa put it perfectly, "He never let failure define him". and neither should I.

Traveling North

This weekend Michael and I traveled up to northern California for a wedding. Two very good friends of ours were getting married in the Redwood National Forest. It was a gorgeous and really heartwarming wedding. I was definitely in tears at one point!

In the days leading up to the ceremony, we did a bit of exploring around the forest and the surrounding area. I don't have many pictures of our time in the forest since I really wanted to enjoy the scenery, and just take it all in.

When I have my camera I tend to constantly be scanning my surroundings trying to see what my next shot will be. Not to mention, my current camera bag isn't the most comfortable--it tends to pull my hair--so it gets a bit annoying to carry around. I really want to save up for something like this. I would prefer something that looks more like a purse, and not a backpack. Gotta save up for that one, though!

It was such a beautiful trip with just amazing views. The last few photos are from our day trip to Shelter Cove. This is a magnificent area that remains fairly undisturbed. If you're familiar with California beaches, you know that it is pretty difficult to find a beach that is empty, not full of shops, restaurants, or other businesses.

Shelter Cove is actually known as the Lost Coast. Instead of running along the edge of the coast, the Pacific Coast Highway came inland at this point since the terrain along this beach was so difficult to build on.

It was really peaceful and breathtaking. We had a blast on our trip, but it's definitely nice to be home.

The Night I Almost Barfed In Baggage Claim

Yup. I almost threw up in the middle of baggage claim last night. Michael and I just returned from visiting my family in Texas (which I will post about very soon). I was feeling so nauseous when we got off the plane I didn't even want to open my mouth, for fear the contents of my stomach would burst out. I wasn't sure if I actually needed to throw up or my stomach just felt funny. As Michael and I walked towards the baggage claim area, I kept scanning the terminal for the nearest trash can. I kept picturing myself barfing into one of them and people staring and pointing and small children being frightened. I REALLY didn't want to be sick in the airport.

While Michael waited for our bag to come down the chute, I found a nearby bathroom and locked myself in the stall to see if I actually was going to be sick. I stood in the stall and just stared at the toilet hoping the sight of a dirty toilet would make me sick. The toilet was spotless, of course. It looked cleaner than my kitchen counter (which I obsessively wipe down). I actually wanted to throw up since I figured it'd make me feel better to get whatever was making me sick, out of my body.

I stared at the toilet a while longer trying to imagine it a disgusting petrie dish, full of all the worst kinds of bacteria. Nothing. Nada. Eventually, I went out to join Michael again and wait for our bag. Ugh, I felt awful!!! There were a TON of people near us and I couldn't find a trash can away from where everyone was gathered.

On top of my upset stomach, my body ACHED. On our flight out to Texas, I wasn't chilly in the plane, at all. Granted, we were flying in the middle of the day, but I didn't get cold once. On our way home, I was wearing the same pants and light jacket I had worn on our flight out. Let me tell you, I think it was probably 40 degrees in our plane from Colorado to California. I was shivering the ENTIRE time. I walked off that plane a shivering, nauseous, exhausted mess.

Eventually, we were in the car (with the heater blasting) driving the 30+ miles to get home. I tried thinking of puppies, candy, my favorite movies, anything but what might be about to burst out of my belly. Suddenly I was yelling "GET OFF THE FREEWAY, I'M GONNA HURL!" Michael got off as quickly as possible and thanks to his car door locks (who would but a Rubik's cube as a car door lock?? I'm exaggerating but that's what it felt like), I almost barfed all over myself. Luckily, I managed to get the door open and threw up in a gutter with cars zipping by behind me. Gross. I despise throwing up. I literally feel like I'm going to die when I have to throw up.

 Sighhh... What a night.

With that being said, I definitely will be sharing our trip out to Texas and all the photos I took with ya'll. I will just be spending today resting a bit and recovering (did I mention we had turbulence the entire flight??).

Thanks for stopping by!!