2011 Review

Of all the years of my life, each one seems to get progressively better. 2011 was an amazing year. I have so many wonderful people in my life, as shown by the tremendous support I've received for my wedding, my blog, and all of life's other activities. I cannot wait to see what 2012 will bring. Here are my top 11 memories of 2011 (in no particular order).

1. Our 2-week fall road trip through Colorado in October. Seeing the beautiful colors that covered the state instilled a sense of awe at Mother Nature and renewed (like it was ever gone) my love for the mountains and fall colors. I got to see Aspen and hike the Maroon Bells, go to Crested Butte for the first time and stay in my first hostel, and visit Palisade and the Colorado National Monument.

2. Experiencing the births of many of our friends' first children. It has been amazing to watch (from afar) the little ones grow and learn.

3. Camping trips with two great groups of people, my coworkers and our annual camping trip friends, and getting to tour Tonto Natural Bridge and enjoy all of Payson's natural beauty, namely tall trees and the Rim.

4. Getting 8 ski days in last winter, with the best snow Colorado had seen for years. I skied Winter Park, Copper, and Steamboat with family and friends.

5. Running in the City Search Challenge in Phoenix, a sort of "Amazing Race" for the locals. It was more work than I anticipated, but a memorable and fun experience. 

6. Getting to go to Chicago not once, but twice, for 2 conferences for work. Common Core left some things to be desired, but NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) was well worth my time.

7. On that note, getting ENGAGED in Chicago on June 26/27 and feeling more loved than ever before while enjoying each minute of our engagement thus far.

8. Christmas with both families, 3 in 24 hours to be exact, and making it work out so that we could be with everyone and see their faces while they opened all the gifts. 

9. Wedding planning, when it was not too stressful, meeting our photographer and planner and getting excited about the final product (our wedding) with everyone's creative input.

10. Sedona, AZ engagement photo session, from climbing in the freezing cold Oak Creek to get that "perfect shot" to changing outside the Chapel on the Rock to get pictures in my favorite outfit before the sun set altogether.

11. Going to Tucson for Kyle's birthday in January and touring the Mission San Xavier, Colossal Cave, and horseback riding through the desert.

Of course, there were many more memorable nights with friends and family, too many to count, and I have realized how lucky we really are to have the life we have. Aside from the events mentioned, successfully reaching over 5000 views on my blog has made me feel even more blessed and has been more rewarding than I ever imagined. Continue on! See you in 2012.

Maroon Bells October 2011

Kyle lounging with Maroon Bells

Fall Color!

My first family bar outing (the youngest is finally 21) in Denver October 2011

"The Bean"- Chicago, IL

City Search Challenge Starting Line

Christmas #3 in Minnesota

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Moment You've Been Waiting For...

Engagement Pictures are HERE!!!!!!

Thank you to Renee Clancy Photography (my coworker who is also amazingly talented) for this great adventure and these beautiful results. Here is a video link to some of the best ones!  Video Preview

And the photos I love follow.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY RENEE CLANCY PHOTOGRAPHY

Engagement Photo Shoot

When I first told my mom that Kyle and I had scheduled engagement photos, she expressed her surprise that this is a common occurrence in modern wedding planning. Granted, like all holidays nowadays, the commercial aspects of weddings have seemed to increase, despite this I have been really excited to get some professional photos taken. I believe that having a memento of our relationship at this moment will be something we find we cherish in the future.

I am so glad that this is a trend, because I truly enjoyed every minute of our engagement photo session with Renee Clancy. First, we somehow convinced her to accompany us to Sedona so we'd have a unique and beautiful Southwest backdrop. Second, she agreed to climb down rocky embankments to get our photo in the middle of Oak Creek. Third, the 2-hour drive there and back flew by with our endless storytelling. It was a perfect day, sunny and calm, full of laughter.

We chose multiple backdrops, from the river with fall colored trees in the background, to the red rock walls of Sedona, to the setting sun. Ironically, my parents had traveled to Sedona years ago, when I was in high school, and found the Church of the Holy Cross. They came home and told me that they found the place where I should get married. Even though the 12-person capacity won't be enough for our guest list, we took our shots overlooking the red rocks from this location. It is crazy that time and fate have led to me moving to Arizona and meeting Kyle, and now getting our engagement pictures in the exact location my parents found over ten years ago.

We were a bit rushed to take pictures with the setting sun having hit traffic coming into the city. Renee was calm, creative, and positive throughout the entire experience, helping me to keep calm and enjoy the day. I simply cannot wait until I can get the pictures and share them with everyone!

from www.azjerome.com