Goodbye Mac

Well Mac, it's been fun. You've been a good little computer over the years, but it's time you go [out in style].

Happy 5th Birthday, Bosco

Can't believe he's another year older.

Feeding the Ducks

'Let's go feed the ducks' he said.

'It'll be fun' he said.

-_-

What he failed to mention as we drove into the seemingly harmless park was how evil these ducks truly were AND how many of them there were... I might have nightmares...

Elopement in the Woods

If I had wanted a destination wedding, a swanky wedding, a country wedding, a homemade wedding, a grand wedding or any other type of wedding, Brian would have given it to me. However, what I've always wanted is to elope.

When I say elope I'm not talking about running off to Vegas with someone. No, for me it meant the two of us, alone in a beautiful setting, focusing on what a wedding day is really meant to be about and not being distracted from one another by the pressures of a more traditional wedding.

So Brian gave me my dream wedding.

On March 26, 2014 we met at the Apgar Amphitheater at an altar made of snow on the shore of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. Our dear friend Rev. Lydia officiated our simple ceremony. She gave a beautiful ceremony with many wonderful things to take with us into our future.

The wonderful Britta Marti captured our moments so that all of our friends & family could eventually be able to share in our day.

Bosco's Bowtie

He's such a handsome devil.

Glacier Scouting Trip

Took a little scouting trip today through Glacier. On my around the park from one entrance to another (the Going to the Sun Road won't be open for another few months) I drove over an avalanche chute that is worth sharing some photos. Note the train in the top right hand corner of one of the bottom photo for scale reference.

The Missing Piece

I've been waiting to tell the missing piece of my trip to Hawaii.

A few days before leaving on my trip I confided in a friend that I was in love. A friend from long ago had walked into my life and much without my knowledge had swept me off my feet.

We'd spent more than a year re-developing a  friendship, which meant his having to hear all the complaints of a single gal in her mid 20's trying to make it on her own. He was 'friend zoned' a long, long time ago and I had no intention of taking him off that list. He often heard about my [mis]adventures in the dating world, financial struggles, career aspirations, hopes, dreams and all that other crazy mumbo jumbo that comes along w/ being friends. I never caught the flinch in his reaction every time I'd tell him about another date I'd went on, or when I finally went on several with one whom I thought had 'potential,' but it was there. Typically being oblivious to most signals from men, I found it completely absurd when Brian & I hung up the phone one night and I sat down on my bedroom floor, put my face in the palms of my hands, and admitted to myself that I was completely in love w/ that guy.

Fast forward through all the letters to Afghanistan, e-mails, phone calls, Facebook messages and visits and I am standing on a moonlight beach in Hawaii. Brian had long before acknowledged his feelings for me, but I am, well, a little slower moving than most. Before I knew it, the words were out of my mouth. There was no turning back, not that I would even want to at that point.

Brian had other plans with those three little words.

A horseback trip on the beach at sunset was so much more than just an ordinary horseback trip on the beach at sunset (I mean really, as if that weren't awesome enough?). It was the stage being set to the grand finale - a proposal.

Of course I said yes.

Happy March

Sometimes it sucks having to use an outhouse in Montana