our first anniversary

My one-year-husband and I just got back from spending an amazing week in Washington DC. There will be much more to come on DC, but I want to give you some time to mentally prepare yourselves for the overwhelming amount of pictures I will be posting.
It is a bit out of order, but here is how we spent our first anniversary:
We drove north of Seattle to a quaint little Bed & Breakfast in La Conner, WA. Just think Anne of Green Gables and an explosion of pastels and ceramic bunnies and you will have a pretty good visual. But as a small-town-girl at heart, I was loving it. And the Wild Iris Inn didn't win awards for best northwest B&B for nothing! The rooms were very luxurious and the breakfast was incredible. We had such a fun and relaxing time (which was much needed after gallivanting all over the East Coast). I almost felt like I was on my honeymoon again...minus the rainy weather and lack of anyone under the age of 70. But it was perfect.

We found these giants in our room when we arrived. I finagled the recipe from the owner before we left.

We had dinner at this delicious little bistro.

The Rainbow Bridge.

As I look back over this past year I am amazed by how much we have both grown into our roles as husband and wife. Marriage definitely takes work and is challenging at times. It is getting excited about his fantasy football team. It is comforting her while she cries for no apparent reason. It is grilling him a piece of chicken whenever we have fish for dinner. It is paying all the bills so she doesn't have to worry about it. It is smelling his dirty clothes to see if they can pass as "clean". It is trusting each other completely and putting each other's needs first.
It is joy.
It is fun.
It is the best thing we have ever done.

one year ago today...

a hike and a prayer

Henryk Goldszmit was a Polish-Jewish pediatrician and children's author who ran an orphanage in Warsaw, Poland during World War II. When Germany invaded Warsaw, Henryk's orphanage was forced into the ghetto. Although Henryk had many opportunities to seek sanctuary for himself, he refused to leave the children behind. He used to recite little prayers to give them hope and comfort. This is my favorite:

"Thank you merciful Lord for having arranged to provide flowers with fragrance, glow worms with their glow and to make the stars in the sky sparkle."

Trevor and I hiked Mt. Si this weekend and it was so refreshing to get out of the city and be completely surrounded by God's beautiful creation. It amazes me to think of all that God has provided simply for our enjoyment.

Thank you Lord for mountains to climb, breathtaking views to see and a husband to enjoy it all with.

Also, I think this proves that I can be outdoorsy.

irrational fears

This past weekend Trevor and his friends left their women folk at home for some quality guy time. They stayed in a cabin up in Snoqualmie. They hiked, went rafting, golfed, played games and most importantly, had their fantasy football draft.

It was the first time, since we have been married, that we have spent a night apart. I wasn't prepared for how his lack of presence at night would affect me. 

I do not like it.

I tossed.

I turned.

I slept with the bathroom light on.

I was completely paranoid that a murderer or worse, a spider, would break in and I wouldn't be able to get a hold of him because he didn't have cell phone service!

Not to mention what could be happening to him....

impalement.

loss of limbs.

you know normal stuff that could happen while playing a game of Risk.

By night two I was doing a little better...but I'm happy my husband is home.

cleaning out our closet

I am a pack rat.

I have all my notebooks from college, 1 million bottles of hair products, I even have month old grocery lists in my purse (you never know when someone will ask you what vegetables you bought in April). Luckily, when I moved out of my parent's house, I was able to leave a lot of junk behind for my sister to deal with. Your welcome, Holly.

Now, on the pack rat scale I am probably about a 7, but my husband is at least a 4. So combined we are about 2 steps away from the TLC show Hoarders. I thought getting married would help me start fresh and become a new woman. A woman who didn't need to keep every card she ever got or articles of clothing from 1999.
I'm working on it.

Trevor and I are going shopping this weekend. we decided that before we go and add more clothes to the madness that is our closet, we needed to weed out all the stuff we don't use. For some reason, this is so hard for me. But I need a little more simplicity in my life and that skirt from Jr. High is the only thing standing in my way. That and my VHS copy of Ever After.
Wish me luck.

Cannon Beach

Alright everyone, you can rest easy now. I know all 7 of my fans have been holding their breath, wondering where on earth I have been for most of July. Well, it has been one busy month! And after a fun 4th in Spokane, an amazing vacation in Cannon Beach and whirlwind trip to California for my cousin's wedding, I have caught up on sleep and returned to you...my fans.

Here are the high quality shots from our time in Cannon Beach...tell my husband I need a new camera. I have been hinting (a more appropriate word might be begging) for awhile. My mediocre photography doesn't just affect me anymore. It affects you...my fans.

Rain or shine...I love this view.

Pizza a' Fetta!

A day in CB does not got by without a latte from Bella's.

Sisters...

Does it surprise you at all that my husband found a soccer game to play in.

S'mores!

the girls...

the boys...

More lattes at Bella's

Love you, CB.
Love you too, fans.

The Birthday Boy

This guy turns 26 today.

He has since grown out of his stripy red tank top and it takes more than Chucky E Cheese to impress him.

In honor of the birthday boy and his 26 years here on earth, I have put together a little list:

26 reasons why I love Trevor Daniel Osborne.

1. 
   
   He makes me laugh...all the time.
2. 
   
   He fully supports all my crazy ideas and goals.
3. 
   
   He loves to snuggle with me...or at least that's what he tells me.
4. 
   
   He would do absolutely anything for me.
5. 
   
   He lets me have the last of everything...the last bite of dessert or the last of the milk.
6. 
   
   He is strong when I am not.
7. 
   
   He loves God with all his heart and lives life for Him.
8. 
   
   He makes everything we do so much fun.
9. 
   
   He can handle my emotional breakdowns.
10. 
    
    He shares my love of Disneyland.
11. 
    
    He makes me laugh...Did I already say that?
12. 
    
    He makes me feel beautiful even after I haven't washed my hair or plucked my eyebrows in 5 days.
13. 
    
    He appreciates all of my cooking attempts and eats anything I make him.
14. 
    
    He preps my toothbrush for me.
15. 
    
    He doesn't make fun of me when I trip or run into things...which happens quite often.
16. 
    
    He is always encouraging me.
17. 
    
    He keeps me grounded...I tend to get carried away.
18. 
    
    He always drives and lets me sleep on car trips.
19. 
    
    He is dedicated to everything he does.
20. 
    
    He understands the importance of Nordstrom in my life.
21. 
    
    He holds me when I cry.
22. 
    
    He protects me from all spiders.
23. 
    
    He challenges me and makes me a better person.
24. 
    
    He cares about his friends.
25. 
    
    He loves his family.
26. 
    
    He picked me to spend the rest of his birthday's with.

Love you, Birthday Boy!