10 on 10 - May 2016

Spring time is always busy. Working like a fool, traveling, and multiple family birthdays. This year was my sister's first birthday while living in Oregon, so we celebrated Oregon style at the tulip festival followed by a family barbecue. Before we get to that though, make sure to check out the other 10 on 10ers.

 

ANYA ELISE PHOTOGRAPHY | AMY STRAKA PHOTOGRAPHY

BUTTON MEDIA | LELIA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY | POGO PHOTO

SATIN SKY PHOTO | TWINTY PHOTOGRAPHY

 

This was actually the first year and I have been to Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest as well. I'm a sucker for some beautiful flowers.

I had no idea there were so many different kinds of tulips. And later that day, we had a few of those types of tulips all over our house.

 I love the awesome activities that there is to do in Oregon throughout the year. Something fun in each season gives us a reason to get out the door. On top of that, I'm so glad that the sister is finally here so we can take the whole day (and other days) to enjoy one another's company and #exploreoregon together.

Cheers to more great days this spring and summer. Until next time...

10 on 10 -December 2015

So... All week I had it in my head that tomorrow (Friday) is the 10th. As it turns out, the 10th is today, so for the first time in about 2.5 years, I'm late in my monthly post. Oops. Sorry fans. Before we get going on some snowy trails though, take a hike over to the other 10 on 10ers and see what they had going on this last month.

ANYA ELISE PHOTOGRAPHY | AMY STRAKA PHOTOGRAPHY

BUTTON MEDIA | CASEY BRODLEY | LELIA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY

LISA HIBBERT | POGO PHOTO | SHAW PHOTOGRAPHY | TWINTY PHOTOGRAPHY

Our tradition for the day after Thanksgiving has long been to go snowshoeing on Mt. Hood. ...and when I say snowshoeing, I actually mean we walk a pretty slow, 2-ish mile hike and stop to take lots of photos while we have rented snowshoes on our boots. Technically it counts as snowshoeing, but probably on the lower end of the spectrum.

This year we had just barely enough snow on the mountain, so we made tried to make it count.

Hopefully you all had a great turkey day and did something fun to #optout the day after as well. I'm glad we got out when we did because the sun hasn't been seen here in Portland since. Holy raining, batman!

I promise I'll be on time in 2016. 2016!! Can you believe it?!

Until next time...

10 on 10 - September 2015

Here we are at another 10 on 10. And yet again it's been a whirl wind month of weddings, catching up on some house projects, and travel. Somehow I randomly ended up on the other side of the country, in Miami for a few days. I took the opportunity to see a place that I haven't yet but has always peeked my interest: the Florida Keys, please!

Before we get to some beautiful, sunny, sea air, take a peek at the other 10 on 10ers (links below). If you've been following the project for a few years, you may notice that our list of names keeps growing. I'm excited to have Lelia Marie Photography joining our group starting this month! Visit her site and give everyone a little love. As always, they're sure to have some good eye candy for your viewing pleasure.

Anne Almasy | Anya Elise Photography | Amy Straka Photography

Button Media | Casey Broadley | Lelia Marie Photography

Lisa Hibbert | Pogo Photo | Shaw Photography | Twinty Photography

Okay, back to FL. This was my first trip traveling solo and while it was a bit awkward at times, it was fun to have the time to do solely what I wanted to do. Scootering, snorkeling, dolphin watching; the world is my oyster.

But really, I had a great time in Key West. 1.5 days actually ended up being a great amount of time. I felt like I saw the sites and experienced some touristy things, but didn't run out of things to do. ...but on a side note, I had fish tacos for 90% of my meals (obviously) and was left disappointed. Come on KW, what does it take to get some good sea food on an island surrounded by fish?! At least the sunsets made up for a sad tummy.

You may notice that my hair has a mind of it's own in the humidity. Just let it go, man.

Another month has come and gone, but we'll be back with more 10 on 10 in October. Until next time...

10 on 10 - August 2015

This past couple months has no joke, been a whirl wind. We've gone from a week on the Florida gulf (see last month's 10 on 10 post) to the most northern beach in Oregon in three days. We've had a sick puppy dog, two cases of mono (us, not the dog), and just moved sister Sydney up to Portland (yay!). ...and did I mention trying to fit work in there somehow? In the midst of all that, we also tried to fit in a week-long trip to our homeland, Wyoming.

Before we get to that though, make sure to check out the other 10 on 10ers and get their monthly dose of life around the country.

Anne Almasy, Anya Elise Photography, Button Media, Lisa Hibbert, 

Pogo Photo, Shaw Photography, Twinty Photography

So back to Wyo. Nabil and I both grew up in central Wyoming. We love Oregon, but there is something about going back to visit the Wild West; a little tinge of nostalgia that stays in your gut whenever the word "Wyoming" is uttered. It's a place that gets in your soul and refuses to leave. When we go back to visit, we like to check some things off the list that we haven't done since we were younger or that we miss seeing/doing/being.

One of those things was hiking up to Medicine Bow Peak. There is a pass in south-central Wyoming that is one of the prettiest drives in the state, and when I was younger, my dad and I made a 9-mile trek across the top of the mountain. This visit I wanted to hike up to the top again with my dad and newly with the hubby. We took a shorter (but steeper) path up to the top. Nabil and I were more than a tad out of breath at the 12,000ft peak, as my 62-year old dad was all but running in circles around us. We had to make him stop again and again to grab the water bottles from his 20lb backpack. We carried nothing but ourselves. I like to blame the altitude, but at that point, the tinge of nostalgia was pushed aside by my thought of "how the hell did I do this when I was 9?!"

Nonetheless, we were very happy to reconnect with the mountains and with the past. There is something so grounding about being outside and finding something that not many choose to seek.

Thanks for the memories Wyo! As usual your scenery did not disappoint. If we missed seeing you this time, we hope to meet up with you next trip. :) 

Until next time...