Kitchen Changes

When we moved in the sweet old lady whom we bought our house from had chosen bright colors for all the walls. Walking into the home I fell in love with the original, but re-finished wood floors, and the glass doorknobs. The house had a lot of character. Then I walked into the kitchen and was magically transported to a froyo shop. Lime green walls, green counters, green back splash. During the summer we focused on the outside, and once it cooled down we finally got around to updating our kitchen...so here it is! Concrete counter tops, new paint, and new back splash.

Christmas Tree 2013

I'm sad to report that our Christmas tree adventure wasn't much of an adventure at all this year. Kyle didn't want to go up the mountain to find a tree, because it's not quite as simple as in Idaho. We woke up to freezing cold temperatures and the north east wind. This is the wind in the Northwest that literally makes your bones cold. We drove a whopping 15 minutes and found ourselves at the tree farm. We drove down to where the least amount of people were and pulled into our spot. We clearly were pulling into the spot when a blonde bimbo zoomed in behind us and took it. So Kyle did what I would expect him to do...squeezed in nice and tight to her car. She had sun glasses on the size of her whole face and had a look on her face that told me she was a real Georgia peach (dripping with sarcasm). We laughed it off and began our hunt for the perfect tree. This quickly turned into a light jog because it was freezing. Another couple showed joined us at this point. We all decided to head towards the bigger trees on the far end. There were very few to pick from, and the walk would be through a bare field of baby trees...in other words the wind would be hitting us hard. Kyle and I turned half way there and ducked into some trees for cover. We were so cold by this point I would have gladly accepted a charlie brown tree. Kyle spotted a tree and I said "looks good" and before I could snap a picture of him cutting it down it was down!! He cut the tree down in under 1 minute. Apparently he really was as cold as I was because he was ready to get home to the fire too.

So there you have it, our not so adventurous Christmas Tree Adventure of 2013. I'm just grateful to have a home and Christmas tree this year.

Run Like A Girl

Today I checked another item off my bucket list. I started, and finished, a half marathon. Jaylin and I attempted to train for this over the summer, which more often than not ended in us talking about what we wanted to eat after our run, and of course which kind of wine we should buy to go with said food. Rachelle ran with me once, and I died, because she is a beast! We were all determined to finish the race whether we had to run, walk, or crawl. Luckily no crawling was involved, but I may have asked Harvey for a piggy back ride at one point. I ended up running as fast as my body would let me the last three miles. I was afraid if I stopped my knee would give out and then I would really be needing that piggy back ride. I would be lying if I said it was easy. I found myself repeating the quote "You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it." over and over to myself. It was a lot more than 20 seconds left, and I'm not sure that courage or bravery play large roles in running. By definition bravery is courageous behavior or character. After running the half I guess it does take some strong character. Not everyone finishes what they set out to do. We may not have come in first, but we crossed the finish line running. There was a woman who looked to be 80's or 90's hauling bacon across the finish line. It was incredible to see what we all could be capable of when we just pushed ourselves, and she was the best example of this.

Breathe Bag Friend

When I was 17 turning 18 I took a job at Cafe Caffe. I had no idea how much that job would impact my life. One of the incredible girls I worked with was Kristin. I wasn't sure what to think of her at first because she embraced all her quirks (which are all adorable.) I'm not really sure at what point we became friends, but my first memory of knowing that I wanted this girl in my life was the breathe bag day. I gave Kristin a paper bag. Simple and strange, but when life knocks you off your feet sometimes all you need is someone to sit with you...and remind you to breathe. Kristin and I became quite the adventurous duo and she truly brought joy to a time in my life when I needed it most. I don't think I would ever be able to explain how she impacted me, or know where to start in thanking her for how much she has meant to me. My dear friend found her match in Kyle Dungan and her life is forever changed. I feel blessed to have witnessed the best day of Kristin's life so far, and I can't wait to see where this adventure takes them. Cheers to a life of love, laughter, and endless mischief!

Make your own photo slideshow at Animoto.

12th Man

Lyndsey and I decided to "surprise" Chandler and Kyle with Seahawks tickets. We more or less failed at the element of surprise, but it was still an incredible weekend. Kyle and I had never been, and as you may have guessed (if you know much about us you know we LOVE checking off firsts) we were so excited. Kyle had never been to Pike's place either so that was a must. I always forget how stunning Seattle is until I'm standing in the middle of it on a cobblestone street. If you have never been, go! I promise it's so much more than rain and traffic. It's fresh flowers, flying fish, and cute people everywhere. It was a breath of fresh air, oddly enough coming from someone who is living in the county again. Sometimes I need something busy and buzzing to help me center again regardless of how strange that may seem. 

pike's place

We spent a weekend full of laughter, over priced beer, and wandering on adventures. Sometimes in the middle of life that's really all you need. Until the next adventure...love, us.

Good Luck Piggy

Summer Love

Goodbye party for Colin!

Mal and Kyle

Ferry ride to Haven Lake

brothers

Haven Lake

Two of my favorite people

First Wedding as a Photographer!

sister love

Three.

Today we celebrated three years of marriage. If I'm honest for a moment, our third year was happy/crappy. Kyle and I talked and both came to the conclusion that our third year has been our least favorite of marriage so far. I know I'm probably not suppose to let you all in on that secret, but we like to keep it real. Our first year as husband and wife we were on cloud nine the entire year. The second year we slowly floated down to reality and into study halls at school. Our third year was this strange in between of being graduated but not moved on to the next chapter. We were stuck and trying to figure out how to enjoy that time together...but not successful at it a great deal of the time. Love is tricky sometimes, but the belly laughs and slow dancing make it oh so worth it. To celebrate the end of this year together and the many hard adventures and new paths it brought us along the way, we went to one of our favorite places. White Rock, B.C. was one of our favorite date spots when we were dating as teenagers. Sounds wild now that we have been part of each other's lives that long! Looking at Kyle I felt the butterflies. He is one handsome man, and he is my handsome man. And dang is he lucky to have a catch like me ;) 

Cheers to three years and many more to come

Love.

Playing Catch Up

January: We started settling into our townhouse in Bellingham. We didn't fully unpack, and I never really decorated much. Kyle and I were hoping to be approved for a home loan and start on the hunt for a more permanent place. Kyle was glad to be back at Granite, only as an engineer, not an intern. We went to Maui with my family. We love spending time with them, but it also made us want a vacation just us. It felt like ages ago since we had gone somewhere new together, just us.

 February: This month was fairly uneventful. I started back to work, and Kyle and I had very little time to spend together. We hit six years together, which may seem like a small feet in comparison to others, but for us it was exciting. 

March: This month I opened my e-mail to find that Whatcom Day Academy needed someone to fill in for a teacher on leave. I was so excited to be putting my degree to better use, and get more hours. We celebrated our mom's birthdays and spent more time with family than we were use to.

April: We celebrated lots of birthdays and spent even more time with family and friends. The year is officially flying by now that we are back...

May: This month Kyle got more serious about searching for a home. We are looking for a home that will be a little bit of a fixer, but something we can hopefully sell in 5-7 years. Eventually it is still our goal and dream to build a home together. Kyle looked on craigslist...because he's obsessed with craigslist, and we found the one! We went and viewed it the next day, and made an offer the day after that. She accepted...

June: June marked the end of the school year, and waiting for our big move...

July: We FINALLY moved into our home...I will try my best to get a video tour up soon. WE ARE HOME OWNERS 

We are moving on up in the world...still figuring out life after college, but we are enjoying the adventures along the way.

Here and Now

We've been home now for about a month. It is both strange and exciting to be back where everything is familiar. Strange because it is just that...just familiar, because nothing and no one remains exactly as you left them. We are all moved in to our townhouse and on the fence about how much we want to make it a home. I thought we were in this "in between" time during college, but we are now more than ever before. We finished an absolutely incredible chapter of our lives and are in a prologue to what lies ahead. I have been doing a lot of cleaning and running around town while Kyle works. He loves his new job and it is going so well for him. I am starting a job as a lead teacher next week. I'm trying to look at it as a stepping stone until I find a position in what I feel more called to do. Life just feels very up in the air at the moment. For now we will do our best to soak in the little moments and blessings we have while we pray for what comes next. “For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” -VG