Wednesday, May 28, 2014

yosemite video

our memorial day was so great this year.
we spent it in yosemite national park
and climbed half dome. i am still
speechless from the beauty!
we are so glad we went
with our favorite
friends. they
made it so
fun.
it's kind of becoming a tradition to spend
memorial day with these friends -- both years
we've done pretty amazing things...like
the coast...and this year was just as great!
here is a fun little video of our weekend:
xo

ps...the camera we use in this video 
is our GOPRO, it is the best. we also
used iPhone and our canon t4i to film
some shots. see another favorite video
using the GOPRO right here.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

HALF DOME

^^^^ so, this picture speaks 1000000 words.^^^^
can you spy us up there on the edge? :)
i don't know what more i can say about it!
i can never do this experience or hike justice.
it was so incredible and amazing! even when i
look at this picture i can't believe we were
standing up there. it was the hardest thing 
we've ever done together, and next to climbing
the grand teton the hardest thing i've ever done.
it was definitely tougher than a marathon.
it was also terrifying up on those cables, but
such a rush and once in a lifetime adventure.
here are some pictures of our 18 mile, 12-
hour, long, amazing, scary, fun half dome hike.
^^ yay for friends who were willing to do this
hike with us! best crew to hike half dome with.
we got a permit to do this 2 days before after
entering in the lottery system. it's so lucky that
we got it on memorial day weekend when thousands
were applying! (at mile 16 we were wondering 
if that really was "luck" though .... :)
^^ look closely and you can see people
climbing STRAIGHT up to the summit
of half dome. this is after 5 hours of hiking
straight uphill and conquering sub dome..
then you get to the base of this and your
stomach drops as you realize you have to
scale vertically up to the top on these
cables. eeeek! luckily i am not afraid of
heights, but after 25 minutes up there
your wrists start to get tired and you
see other people freaking out and it can
start to get to you...but it is quite the rush!
^^ on the cables holding on for dear life!
you can't see the 2000 foot drop on each side.
^^ this gives you a sense of
how steep it really is.

^^ this guy made me feel safe by going 
right behind me...but there are some moments
when people are coming down and pass 
you that get scary! there's nothing more 
romantic than doing something adventurous
with your love...and it made me appreciate
that we made it safely! phewww!


^^ straight up
^^ almost there...

^^ and, the sweet summit

^^ a kiss on top of course!
it kind of looks like he is
pushing me off but promise
he isn't!! haha. i had
to swear to be very 
careful so that chase would 
let us go out to the edge :)
^^ on top of the world with
this friend who i adore!
^^ one of my favorite pictures 
of the day. love this boy who will 
go on any adventure with me!
^^ the thing about a summit is you have
to remember you still have 50% of the
hike still to go...so, down we started!
(scary to be facing forward)

^^ the descent is a little terrifying
since you're looking straight down!

^^ kisses for finishing the cables
^^ victory!
^^ we look tough, but we were tiiired.
still 8 miles to go down after all that.

^^ the two best guys. dusty and chase
kept us laughing the entire way down,
singing, joking, throwing pine cones at
us, and making new friends. they even
helped a few people down who were
having trouble on the cables...they eased
their fears. good men we married!

^^ thank goodness for
waterfalls to cool us 
off on the way down..

^^ just some of the views that 
made this hike worth it.

^^ the light on the mountains as
we came down off the trail after
12 hours was too pretty for words.
^^ and that tall peak with the sun
on it is what we were standing on 
top of. best feeling in the world 
to see something like that 
and know you stood on top!

see more of our time in yosemite 

ps there might be a little video coming..!
xo

Monday, May 26, 2014

memorial day weekend

i've always loved a good memorial day weekend.
there is no better way to celebrate our country
and the brave people who have fought for our 
freedom than celebrating life and the amazing
blessings we have. i love this kick-off to summer
and always stop to think how lucky & blessed
we are to live in this country. we discovered
yet another beautiful part of the u.s.a. this
weekend, Y O S E M I T E. hello, it's so
beautiful that i can't handle it. i have no
idea how we've never been, but so glad
we have now! we went with our bffs
and they have been lots of times so
they showed us the ropes. we camped 
out under the stars, sat around the
fire, ate lots, and did the CRAZIEST
but best hike: half dome. pictures
from that crazy hike coming at you
this week, but here are a few from
the weekend. (the major part was
half dome, so more on that later!)
^^ as we drive into the park, this casually 
comes into view. it was love at first sight.
^^ we set up camp, and the smell of 
burning wood and pine trees and dirt
put the biggest smile on my face. i love
the city but i have missed this!
^^ horsey love
^^ love these two
^^ mirror lake
^^ these two...i'm surprised they 
didn't end up in the water!
^^ waterfall mist
^^ cutest camper, i would sleep
next to him in a tent any night.
 ^^ morning light at our campground
^^ seriously, that morning light?
mother nature showing off.
^^ these friends make everything a party
happy memorial day! 
more from half dome to come.
xo