photo by Madeline Barr

I’m baaaaack. A little sunburnt, super sleepy and most importantly… MARRIED.

I did my best to get the blog all scheduled up before leaving but failed to get anything queued for this week. I’m not even worried about it though. It felt really nice to step away from the computer, and work for a week. One whole week spent with my family, friends and HUSBAND. Exploring the desert, eating all the gas station snacks, and making memories. I have so many photos I want to share – both my own and ones from our incredible photographer, Madeline. (She had a sneak peek ready for us the next morning. I can’t stop looking through them!!!)

When I packed for this trip I forgot to include my gratitude journal which means I woke up this morning I had a lot to write down. I have so many thoughts and stories to start writing about as soon as I catch up on sleep but I just wanted to share a little list of good things, random memories, and happy thoughts from the last week in no particular…

▴ Finally crossing Cadillac Ranch off the bucket list!
▴ The lady at the courthouse put ‘Justin’ on the marriage license instead of ‘Jeff’. She was embarrassed but we thought it was hilarious. It’s especially funny because Jeff loves to give fake names. (Obviously she fixed it.)
▴ Found the best coffee shop in Flagstaff, Single Speed Cafe. Had the best lavender latte of my life the day before we were married.
▴ Went into this knowing where we’d get married but not the exact spot. It was a blast hiking around with everyone to find the perfect spot to exchange vows the day before the wedding.  Definitely one of my favorite memories of the trip. There were even puppies involved.
▴ Sunsets in Arizona are seriously top notch.
▴ The Wigwam is heaven on earth + the perfect place to have a mini reception! I just wanna swim forever.
▴ Exploring abandoned buildings with my dad was just as fun as I thought it would be!
▴ You guys, we got married in a ghost town, on top of an old tower complete with a spiraling staircase. Easily the best location EVER.
▴ Three words – complimentary cheese plate.
▴ So many great cemeteries! (Hello, welcome to the only blog where someone will be raving about how fabulous both their wedding and the cemeteries were!)
▴ Second to youngest niece correcting all the other kids – ‘He’s not Jeff anymore! He’s UNCLE Jeff!’
▴ Swimming with my nieces and nephew.
▴ Water slide races, even my dad + brothers got in on the action.
▴ Jeff looked soooo fine on our wedding day, and gosh darn it, I LOVE seeing that ring on his finger.
▴ Another favorite moment – Elycia going into the cave with her youngest, Olive, strapped to her in the carrier. We have zero plans for kids but Elycia is serious #momgoals.
▴ I only cried a little bit during the ceremony! I’m just as shocked as you are. Spent most of the day laughing, and just feeling overjoyed.
▴ Still can’t believe our friends and family came to the desert to watch us get married. I could cry about it now.
▴ Our wedding was legit perfect. PERIOD.

It was the trip of a lifetime!

That’s all for now. I have so much more to share later but we got home at 2 am this morning. Professor was meowing his little kitten head off and since picking Klaus up a little earlier this morning he hasn’t left my side, except to get toys to bring me. I have some cuddling to do!
xoxo