One Year Anniversary Photos

On April 25th, 2015 I married my best friend. This weekend we are celebrating the one year anniversary of the greatest party we have ever thrown. And although I have no idea what he has planned for us - I cannot wait for our adventure.

Adventure.

Adventure is the perfect word to encapsulate our first year of marriage. We both got to see and experience each other's highs and lows on very real level. [More to come on that soon]  I never realized marriage wouldn't just be about merging two lives but about actually creating a completely different one. We have gotten to create this whole new life together with new habits and routines and hobbies, many of which I hope to share on this blog. Amongst all the newness also came incredible new friends. We have been surrounded by people who share our love of exploring the city and capturing life.

Last weekend our incredibly talented friend Caleb Thal photographed us at the Exposition Park Rose Gardens, the place where we got engaged. Caleb is the best. He not only captures amazing moments but he has also taught us so much about photography and film. Please go check him out.

We could not be more grateful for this past year, the crazy parts and the joyous parts and for everyone who has been a part it. Here's to years two to infinity...

All photos by Caleb Thal Visual

xoxo

~ A ~

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Recreate: Waffles and Dock Jumping

We awoke on Sunday morning to another perfectly clear day in Arrowhead. After a long relaxing breakfast (at which point we realized 8 crescent sausage rolls had been consumed) we sluggishly went about packing up the house. I was sad to be leaving such an incredible place. And even though only 36 hours had passed, it felt like we had spent a whole week in our wood paneled home.

I packed mine and Jeff's bags and set out to take a walk around the property before we headed out to lunch (admittingly still stuffed from breakfast). It was so nice to be out in the sun, just me and my camera hiking up and down the winding drives trying to capture the essence of where we spent our weekend. Capturing the beauty of wherever I am is a form of true worship for me and takes me back to my childhood days of stealing our camcorder to record everything. I find it a peaceful habit, filming outside and gazing out over rocks and hillsides. Every time I looked back up at the house, I felt joy. How lucky were we to call this place ours and spend time together in this beautiful town? We took some group house shots and squeezed into our fully packed cars. 

We set off around noon towards the city center and found ourselves in the Village Bay loop right on the Lake's central south point. I wanted to experience a local attraction while we were up there (and not just the serene landscape). We parked in the large lot and walked towards the docks towards a literal postcard view of the Lake. We snapped some sunny shots and made our way towards lunch.







I did some research and found Belgian Waffle Works to be amongst Lake Arrowheads #1 rated food destinations.  A restaurant whose signature dish is piled high waffles can't be bad choice. And it most definitely wasn't.







I made a reservation (which I highly suggest for a Sunday) and they seated us at a long table on the outdoor patio. Even though it was a bit breezy, the space heaters helped us settle into our lengthy menus. Our group got an array of choices from Patty melts to Reubens, Express Lunch specials and Bloody Mary'. I would say we sampled the menu in it's entirety. Shockingly enough, I was the only one to choose one of the sweet waffle concoctions available for lunch. I opted for the Caramel Apple Belgium which came chock-full of Salted Caramel Ice cream, warm spiced apples and whip cream. Apples are fruits and so it was the obvious healthy pick...right? Jeff got the chicken and waffles which were just as delicious. I have to say - these were some of the best waffles I have ever had and portioned perfectly to not be wasted nor make you feel like a complete gluten. Dessert lunch for the win.





We spent the remaining afternoon walking off our waffles and drinks on the Lake's southern docks. It was the most picturesque way to end our perfect weekend. We laughed and posed, having our own little photoshoot on the water's edge - which we all got very into.

I think it's safe to say our friendship grew by leaps and bounds that weekend (SEE WHAT I DID THERE). I could not be more grateful for the presence of these people in my life. Never could I have imagined what God would do with our new MC last summer. He has brought so many incredible, creative and like-minded believers into out home and I could not be more grateful. To experience this weekend with our group was a true true gift. 







We gathered our cameras and made our way to the cars - departing back towards the city we all call home. A little ways into our drive down the mountain, we pulled off on the 18 to get a better view of the San Bernadino Mountains. For 5 minutes we just stood and stared at creation. The sky was a perfect blue and the light shown bright on the mountains all around us. What I loved most was watching Jeff and my friends take in their surroundings, capturing their moment of peace looking out over the landscape. There is something about standing and staring at the world and recognizing that only a good and creative God could make something so marvelous just for us. It was definitely a highlight in our weekend, even though it came right at the end. 

Stay tuned for a full house review of our amazing Air BnB!

xoxo

~ A ~

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