one year anniversary

that original feeling never went away…

it’s officially been one year since we became mr. & mrs.
we love celebrating our love, and today feels like the biggest celebration yet!
i will always love the twentieth of june for officially making me a wife to the love of my life.
i loved that day so much!
i have spent today looking through all of our wedding photos
it's funny how a single picture can bring back the same feelings you felt in that moment
june 20th will forever be one of the best days of my life!

…we are celebrating by…

 eating the top of our wedding cake,

{thanks to my mom for sending it to us!!!  you are the best.}

doing whatever husband has planned for us, exchanging gifts, and

then getting excited for our dinner date at the top of crystal mountain saturday night!!!!

this past year has had it's challenges with all the changes (mostly moving away from oregon) BUT it has still been the best first year of marriage i could ever ask for. we kicked off our honeymoon with a whole ten days on the beautiful island of maui, moved to seattle, moved into our first apartment, jesse started his job as a manufacturing enngineer at boeing, celebrated our first 4th of july married, explore pikes place market with our family in town, celebrated my 22nd birthday, explored mt. rainier national park, we hiked many trails in the beautiful nearby mountains, went to brice lee & tim mcgraw concerts, wine tasting in leavenworth, started my last year of school, met new friends, took many trips to the dog park, fell in love with all the sushi restaurants in the city, celebrated our engagement date, had lots and lots of date nights, celebrated 6 months of marriage, had our first married christmas, rang in 2016, celebrated husband’s 28th birthday, visited home a multiple times, took a mini road trip through whidbey island and road the ferry home, sister visited, had the perfect valentines day, cousins & baby sister visited, explored seattle lots, went camping on edge of the olympic peninsula, tulip festival, got sushi & bubble tea a million times, made lots of good food, went camping at johnny creek campground with a stunning hike, hiked heather lake, finished school and graduated with my bachelors degree in healthcare management administration, moved into our first house together and mostly we fell even more in love…and i mean that.

life is already such an adventure together, and i can’t wait for so many

more june twentieths!

i love you husband. thanks for marrying me.
xo

j&m date night ideas

• bike rides – around the block or out in the mountains!
• make sushi together – each taking turns with parts of the recipe
• go to the gym together – we don’t always do the same workout, but it's fun to go together
• make a list of places we have been and want to go
• have a cookie bake-off…you each make your own recipe!
• plant a garden – my dream when we have a yard! something to start together, and work on over time!
• go for a long walk
• picnic on the beach or at the park
• play a tennis match
• make a time capsule- i really want to do this!
• cuddle up on the couch for a movie with kettle corn
• start reading a book together – We have always read books to each other on our roadtrips!
• organize photos & relive memories
• sit outside (perferabley on a mountain top) and watch the sunset
• watch home videos
• take a cooking class together
• go get breakfast for dinner
• make a very specific list of things we love about each other
• make a list of potential future baby names
• get ahead of the game and go buy christmas/birthday gifts for family
• plan a dream trip, down to every detail
• go to yoga…or even do it at home with a youtube!
• go to the movies
• find a historic walking tour somewhere where you live
• take your parents out for dinner together
• write a leap list for before kids
• take a photography class together
• take a day trip to a special location nearby
• write letters to our loved ones
• make it a double feature at the movie theater..you each pick one
• take dancing lessons
• head to a baseball game together – major or minor league!
• go bowling! 
• go house hunting…even if it’s just for fun
• go fishing – something my husband LOVES to do
• rent canoes for a little ride
• skype old friends // family
• roller blading or ice skating – this really is so fun and actually a good work out!
• get a couple massage at a local massage school
• volunteer together somewhere special
• head to the beach {something we are lucky to have nearby!}
• play a board game or cards
• recreate your very first date
• dance in the kitchen {we do regularly} 
• go check out a flea market
• try a new work out together
• go camping {an absolute favorite of ours}
• watch the sunset and sunrise
• play frisbee or frisbee golf
• find free movies at a local park near you and take a blanket + treats
• have a fondue night
• make chocolate chip cookies from scratch together
• go try batting cages
• go-cart racing!
• take a boat or ferry ride
• go apple picking 
• go through your wedding photos together
• make a family tree
• spend the night at a local bed & breakfast
• go hiking {LOVE}
• rearrange our furniture
• go to an aquarium
• head to a local museum
• take a new fitness class together
• make ice cream sundaes
• make chocolate-dipped strawberries
• plan a progressive dinner at different restaurants…appetizers one place, salad the next, entree and a third restaurant, and somewhere else for dessert!
• lay in the backyard/balcony and look up at the stars
• go horseback riding
• download new music and make a playlist together
• cook s’mores in the backyard firepit OR on the stove
• go hot tubbing
• plan our dream 5- year anniversary trip
• make treats and drop them off to people who need a pick-me-up
• dress up fancy and go out to dinner downtown
• write down goals and dreams you both have for your lives
• go grocery shop together and plan out meals in advance {weekly for us}
• clean out and organize something in your house/apartment
• make breakfast and eat it in bed
• plant a tree {once we own a house}
• build a fort and watch a movie in it
• go to a planetarium and be nerds
• take a bubble bath together
• create a scavenger hunt for each other of clues that only the 2 of you would know and understand
• go to a water park on a hot summer day
• go to a fun pottery/painting place 
• make a list of books to read/ movies to watch
• find a street fair or county fair
• pick a food truck and hunt it down for dinner
• go to a farmer’s market together
• spin a globe, and wherever it lands-go find a dinner place with that type of food
• go out to brunch! best meal ever.
• go thrift shopping and pick out one crazy item for each other
• make something for our house- projects!
• go star gazing
• go rock climbing
• make 5, 10, and 15 year plans
• go to an antique store.

college graduation

GRADUATION WEEKEND :)

i am still trying to figure out how this day came up on me so fast!

i say that now, but i giggle at the same time because

one month ago i was saying "this is never going to end!" haha

college was the best five year adventure i have been on yet!

the people i met, the experiences i had, the memories i made and the person i became 

through it all; i wouldn't trade for the world!

i met my husband

i met some of my best friends

i became the director of the outdoor program which provided me with a job & a way to do the things i love and grow more in the outdoors!

i went skydiving for the first and fourth time

i went white water rafting

i went mountain biking down mountains i never would have imagined

i went rock climbing

i visited smith rock multiple times

i road tripped to moab, utah with amazing people for an epic mountain biking excursion

i went canoeing

i can't even count how many camping trips i went on

or hikes i did

i experienced backpacking for the first time

i learned to snowboard and went so many times

i crawled through very big and small caves

i went horseback riding

i learned to surf.. kinda ;)

i went on many roadtrips

i lived in alaska for a summer and road tripped through canada to get there

on my roadtrips i traveled to:

idaho

colorado

wyominng

montana

washington

utah

california

brittish columbia, canada

yukon, canada

alaska

it would take forever to list all the cities we traveled through and saw

(though now i am going to try... in another blog post)

and even better, i got to experience most all of it with my husband♥

my heart hurts and is excited at the same time knowing that 

this chapter is officially closed in my life

all good things must come to an end

so here's to even better things in my future!

living away from oit my last year was hard and i missed it so much so getting to go back one last time (for college) made me incredibly happy!

Highway 58

i wrote a facebook post last december about this road and i still think

it is a perfect description of this road to me: 

december 29th, 2015:

"about this time 5 years ago i was crying hysterically while driving back to klamath falls from mom and dad's house to go back to school for my second term of college. i hated the town, the school, the dorms etc. at that point in my life, i never in my wildest imagination would have thought 5 years later i would be crying driving there again but this time because it's not my home anymore; crying because i can't stay there.this road is the one i took the first and only time i moved out of my parents house, it marks the transition between being a kid under my parents roof to moving out on my own, starting college, paying my own bills, getting a job, beginning my adventure in the outdoors on my own, going skydiving, moving from the dorms into my own house, meeting my husband, getting engaged, becoming the director at the outdoor program, meeting friends that helped make my college years what they were, some that turned into lifelong friends, and so much more. now in a short 6 months, two terms, it will mark the road that i drove to become a college graduate ♡ while it makes my heart sad to think these days are over, it also excites me to know what those days became. 5 years ago i couldn't even imagine i would have experienced what I did and love the town the way i do. it just shows and reminds me that God has bigger plans for our lives than what we can see. so instead of being sad that these days are over, i am thankful that i got those days at all and i can't wait to see what God has planned for my future."

collier Park just 25 or so miles out of klamath falls. 

we always used to stop here to let buddy play on our way to eugene or home from eugene.

back on campus :)

my mini me ♥

on our way to graduation! 

on our way to jesse's graduation for his masters 2015 :)

healthcare management administration graduates :)

I DID IT :) 

ashley & papa♥

i had it in my head that i would see all my friends while at graduation but really

it was pure chaos and i didn't see as many people as i would have liked to

so when i turned around and saw aj standing there i freaked haha :) 

one of my many awesome friends i met while at oit!

one of my favorite oit professors, kristy weidman

i don't even have words to show my appreciation for my parents

without them i know for a fact i probably would not have made it through college

there were so many times it would have been way easier to quit 

than to push forward.

they were always- no matter what- there for me

my constant

my words of encouragement

my cheerleaders

my biggest fans!

i would be no where close to where i am today without them♥

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!thank you mom & dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

grandma buster♥

baby sister♥

unfortunately my sisters boss is... well.. never mind.

kalee had to work saturday so she wasn't able to be at graduation

we got a family photo at my party that night :) 

2016 top picture

2011 bottom picture

nae nae♥

i had no idea she was coming until i got a text that morning saying 

"where are you? i'm coming around the lake!" 

i thought she had to work so i was so surprised!

it made my morning!! :)

my love

as i sit here in our living room to write this, i just keep staring at the keyboard

i can't find the perfect words to write

you always hear of people meeting their husbands and wives in college

but when i began my college adventure

i had no idea it would be me saying that someday.

you helped me step out of my comfort zone and try new things

you pushed me to figure out who i was and why

you challenged me to become the best version of myself

you were there for me when i felt like my world was crashing

you helped me get back up on my feet and figure out what i wanted in life

for myself and no one else

you were my rock in college even before i realized it

and you continue to be my rock throughout my whole book of life.

i love you to the moon and back

i will never be able to make you understand my love and appreciation for you! ♥

i am so blessed with such amazing in-laws!

papa and ashley drove down to klamath falls early saturday morning just to watch me walk

i love you guys so much. 

you'll never know how much it means to me that you guys were there♥

♥family is everything♥

i don't even remember what was going on in this picture 

but i absolutely love the laughs on all our faces! :)

part one of my favorite bible verses ♥

after graduation, we got lunch in klamath 

and then drove back to springfield for my party that night

full family photo ♥

marion family photo (just missing sarah) ♥

jamieson & mistie

friends forever :)

my constant bestfriend

some may say "he's just a dog" but if you do, you just don't get it.

i was never alone because of him

he was my collage co-pilot

he cheered me on by being my faithful friend throughout the ups and downs

of my college years!

he was always right by my side, 

from all night study sessions, cuddles at night and

cramming on top of all our stuff in my honda to make it home 

to all our outdoor adventures;

watching you run the beach, surf  (literally catch a wave), 

chase us down the mountain on our bikes, 

hike up mountains with me, 

make long roadtrips with me,

and so much more!

deciding to get you was one of the best decision i have made in my whole life

and i wouldn't get rid of you for a trillion dollars!

my buddy fur baby♥

uncle david

dallas♥ 

this sweet puppy is jamieson and misties

grandma & grandma (hemmerich) in the woods♥

officially oregon tech alumni :)

AND drumroll please....... ;)

my extraordinary husband, parents & sisters surprised me with

the professional camera i had been saving for.

i have always had a love and appreciation for photos.

before i went into college i wanted to be a photographer

after lots of thought, when deciding what road to take out of high school,

i chose to go to college and make photography on hobby

throughout college, i got more and more into photography

and began occasionally doing photo shoots for people

sometimes for fun, sometimes to make some extra cash and not be a broke college student ;) 

i really enjoyed it but didn't have a ton of time to learn all there is to know

while taking classes full time & working

now with some free time,

in between job searching

i plan to teach myself all there is to know about my new baby- my nikon d750

i have a few shoots lined up already and i'm having a BLAST playing with it

i can't wait to learn more!

on another note, i can't even say thank you enough to my family! 

you all have always believed in me even when i didn't believe in myself!

thank you- thank you- thank you- thank you- thank you!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

five years ago i graduated high school and

made it my goal to finish college next

i now stand here today and can proudly say, i accomplished that goal!

i truly couldn't have done it without my giant army, 

my support system!

if you are in my life at all, thank you!

you probably within the last five years helped me get through 

my adventure

even if you don't know it 

♥