the day before we left out of town, i convinced kevin that we should buy a christmas tree and lights so that when we come back from thanksgiving break, we could decorate it! what really happened is this: he went and worked out and i stayed home and set up the tree, rearranged the furniture a little to accommodate it and listened to christmas music. he was pleasantly surprised when he came home. i left the lights and some ornaments (that my aunt made us for our wedding) to put up with him. i just love the holiday season!

while we were in washington visiting my family for thanksgiving, i made a special trip to target to buy stockings, ornaments, and a few holiday extras to decorate when we got home. i need to check out pinterest for more holiday decorating ideas... have any suggestions?

my heart is in seattle! my home. there's something about this place that is so calming. maybe it's the rain? maybe it's the gorgeous trees and greenery? maybe it's because it's where my home is. when you're home, you're with family! the best thing in the world.

it felt like a horribly long road trip yesterday and we finally made it! i'm so excited to spend the thanksgiving week with my family and it's even better having my husband and my sister's fiance joining us this year.

01| Christopher Ranch Pesto
02| Tilamook Cheddar Cheese
03| Honey Whole Wheat Bread from Great Harvest

since we got our panini press as a wedding gift, my favorite sandwich to make is grilled cheese pesto. i got the brilliant idea from the restaurant Zuppas. have you been there? i tried their grilled cheese pesto sandwich and instantly fell in love. so i tried to recreate it ever since (which wasn't as good as theirs, but enough to satisfy my craving.) one suggestion when making it, load up the cheese- i mean lots of different kinds of cheese, just to make it even more delicious.
what can i say? i love cheese.

we were welcomed to utah with lots of snow! we had a great time visiting friends and family in the area. i love having married friends to visit and go on dates with, especially when they have a cute little baby to cuddle and hold! babies of our own are not to be expected in the near future. we also got to meet our new little nephew for the first time. i'm glad i got to marry into a family with nieces and nephews!

being severely deprived of shopping in this little town we live in, i was itching to buy some new clothes this weekend (i just couldn't wait for black friday)

new favorite article of clothing: my black and white cardigan sweater (sneak peek of it in the photo above) i'm pretty sure i'll be living in this and my black pants all winter... and i'm totally okay with that.

the weather forecast is predicting snow this weekend... remember how much it snowed just a few weeks ago? well it's all melted now and i wouldn't have a problem with it staying that way for a little longer, at least until after thanksgiving when we can officially start listening to christmas songs.

we're heading to utah for a weekend getaway to hang out with college friends and hopefully go shopping (crossing my fingers!)


if it snows, you better believe that i'll be making myself a big cup of hot chocolate and snuggling with my husband. an ideal way to end a long week.

kev and i met last fall semester (2012) up at school. it's been a little over a year now and i can't believe how time has flown by! i was looking at old photos of us together when we just started dating to when we took our engagement photos and how much we have changed. my hair has definitely grown since last thanksgiving when i chopped it all off (for no apparent reason really...)

last year at this time is when i decided to ask kev to come to seattle for thanksgiving and meet my family. we had only been dating for a few weeks since then. for a while, he really didn't want to go (which i found out later) but last minute he came along. he was afraid things would get too serious... and it did. my family fell in love with him and i did too.

we've known each other for 14 months, and in those months we met, fell in love, and got hitched.
the best choice i've ever made in picking my best friend to marry.

funny how things work out the way you least expect it. 

i saw this quote and thought it fit perfectly with this photo i took today. the bright colored leaves are almost all on the ground and winter is just around the corner... and so is thanksgiving (!!!) we're going to seattle to celebrate with my family and friends. can it come any sooner?!

oh and if you haven't already, check out my lovely sponsors for this month! they are all so talented and have adorable blogs, so stop by and say hi to them! 

▲Christa Jae
▲Sea, Field & Tribe
▲Southern Ways and Lazy Heat
▲Earl Grey
▲Thriftary
▲Sincerely, Amanda
▲Tastes Like Love

i tried macro photography for the first time a few weeks ago and had to practice on my wedding ring.
love it.

i am incredibly thankful that we live in such a beautiful world that God has provided us. what a blessing in the ways he shows how much he loves each one of us.
november is a great reminder for us to reflect on all that we are given and to be thankful.

saturday morning i watched the sun rise over the Teton mountains in the distance and although it was a bitter cold morning, it was amazing watching the colors of the sky change and the sun brighten the earth. it's those moments that really make you think about how beautiful this world is and my heart fills with gratitude for all that we are truly blessed with.

one of my dreams is to shoot with a film camera. i want to learn about film and i want to take beautiful images with film. my inspiration for this dream is from the work of Elizabeth Messina. her images captivate me and i just swoon over each of her frames. i've loved reading her book and i always reference it when i need inspiration.



for my birthday, i was surprised with a wonderful gift from my husband. a film camera (!!!) one that actually will work unlike my collection of vintage ones. it was something on the back of my mind, but somehow he remembered this dream of mine and starting making it come true for me.

i don't know how i got so lucky, but he is sooo incredibly thoughtful.

my next step... i need to start learning how to shoot film! any suggestions of where to start? i would love any advice! 

my sister is getting married (!!!) and i'm so excited to have adam join our family. it's so fun seeing our family grow. our weddings will only be 5 months apart!

here are a couple photos from their engagement session the other night. we barely missed the setting sun, but we did catch some kids trick-or-treating! i couldn't stop laughing about the sumo costume. pure genius

  
 p.s. uhh yeah, notice the new change in my design? i couldn't resist... hope you like it as much as i do!