YEAR IN REVIEW

JAN – APRIL

I don’t normally do an extensive year-in-review, but I decided this year was simply too incredible to not be documented in a special way.

We started 2019 with no idea where we would be (literally) when Dec 31 hit. Geographically & mentally speaking, it was all pretty up in the air. At the turn of 2019 we were brand spankin new at fulltime traveling. Only one month into our new living situation – our family of 3 in a 21 foot travel trailer – and settling down in the Southwest for the coming winter.

A few moments I will remember forever:

• Arriving into our first destination: Palm Springs, California. With all its palm trees that greeted us into our first long-term stay while living on wheels. And the feeling like we were homeless within this magical Hollywood getaway destination (Kris Jenner one of many that has a home here). Nonetheless it was the first and only place that made us feel home while away from home. The wind turbines, the joshua trees, the hazy purple mountains. The late night desert hot spring soaks and the cackling coyotes. Something about this place fascinated us and to this day is a place we often talk about visiting again. Also it had all the malls and restaurants and hiking I could ever dream.
• It snowing as we drove into Santa Fe, and later on the whole desert?!?! It seemed we were bringing the snow with us from Wisconsin everywhere we went. But it was actually really beautiful seeing the snow contrast with the red rocks and covering the palm and cactus landscapes. A different type of scene that was for sure.
• Breaking down Christmas Eve in LA and scrambling to find any available car mechanics, also breaking down Valentines Day in Vegas (why did we always break down in major cities and on romantic holidays?) Also our car being broken into and my laptop stolen while parked at Venice Beach. Good times had by all.
• Walking up to the Grand Canyon at sunset to get our first peek of it. We were so giddy to finally see it & I’m happy I got Alex’s reaction on video. His face as he looked back at me said it all.
• Conquering the climb up  to the top of Cathedral Rock. This was the first real attempt I made at conquering my phobia of heights  (which afterwards, created a whole new thrill for me in taking on more dangerous hikes)
• Driving through Joshua Tree National Park, the Doors album through the speakers, feeling like I was a 70’s California flower child
• Soaking in natural hot springs in the redrock mountains after climbing/descending chutes and ladders and ropes (by far the quirkiest hike we’ve done! We also had to dodge some naked men!)
• Driving through Slab City & seeing how the real deal hippies live. Being mind-boggled by the Salton Sea
• Stepping outside the camper at night and instantly being in awe. We were staying in the middle of nowhere near the Salton Sea and the stars were so bright they were actually twinkling and even seemed to be dancing. Alex spends many nights looking up at the stars, but this night he could see Orien in full for the first time. He pointed it out to me star by star, point by point, line by line, all the while as the stars twinkled and danced there way before my eyes until its figure was so evidently there. One of the most beautiful memories of my life.
• The old man who welcomed himself into our camper at 10:00 at night
• Camping alone in the red rocks just outside Zion National Park, and realizing the giant sheer mountain face just a few steps past the little river stream by our camper was the park’s iconic Watchman mountain (it took us going all the way in the park to realize we were camped right on top of it! Surreal)
• Taking a night swim in Desert Hot Springs and hearing a pack of cayotes howling/chanting/cackling – the most startling sound I’ve ever experienced.
• Celebrity spottings in LA – Chris Kattan literally running his face into Alex’s Belly as he exited a Rite Aid, not paying attention where he was going. Also seeing the Property Brothers casually leaving brunch across the street on Christmas Eve in Larchmont Village.
• Overall just everyone in California looking so chic and with perfect brows meanwhile I’m a dirty homeless hippy in need of a tweezers.
• Cash’s excitement to get into the SUV anytime we were packing up the trailer to go some place knew, also Cash’s excitement to get out of the trailer anytime we arrived some place new. Just like me, he never got tired of it.
• Anytime I realized we were living in a camper and traveling the country with my two boys. For the first time in my life there was simply nothing more I was searching for.

 

There are so many lessons and so many memories I will take from this experience that made me feel I was truly *alive.*  Full body, life changing experiences. They are also the hardest to put into words. Living on wheels is a challenge for sure, but no matter what happens this way of life for me anyway is **10 times more rewarding** because it creates deeper experiences and really creates a special bonds within yourself and the people who shared in the experience with you. I now get to share so many of them with Alex.

Lastly, I discovered that traveling fulltime is both a beautiful blessing and curse. When you’re going at it fulltime, you don’t always have the mental capacity to pause and reflect and truly appreciate these experiences the way they deserve. You’re too focused on the schedule ahead and the next experience. As incredible as it was to be traveling months on end, I am now a firm believer in doing everything in moderation. Even when it’s a good thing, you need to take mental breaks, and every once in a while you just need to come home 😉

MAY – AUGUST

After spending our share of time in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, back to Arizona, then New Mexico – it was April and time to head back to Wisconsin for wedding season <333! We were fortunate to work with 15 lovely couples + meet many more 2020 couples.

We kept our “home on wheels” travelin’ life still going strong back home in Wisconsin,  using each week’s wedding location as our home base for that week or two until the next came along.

Although I likely won’t do it again because it required tons of extra planning and coordination during an already busy wedding season, I am glad that we gave one summer on wheels a go. We were able to check off so much on our bucket list: Apostle Islands, Upper Michigan, the charm of Lake Geneva, +  finally got to check out Duluth where Alex used to live (pics of our Superior trip later down in this post!) We were able to see so much of our home state of Wisconsin + Midwest that we never saw before and might have never had the proper chance.

SOO without further adieux, here are 2019’s loveliest **newlyweds!**

KIM + NICK | CATHEDRAL ROCK | SEDONA, ARIZONA (FROM MARCH 30, 2019 )

MEGAN + DEREK | BLACK SWAN | MILWAUKEE WI | MAY 4 2019

KELSIE + JASON | THE LAGERET | STOUGHTON WI | MAY 24 2019

ALI + FATIMA | SHORES OF LAKE MICHIGAN | WHITEFISH BAY WI | MAY 30 2019

AMBER + RYAN | THE LAGERET | STOUGHTON WI | JUNE 7 2019

LEXIE + JASON | ST JAMES FARM FOREST PRESERVE | WARRENVILLE IL | JUNE 13 2019

LAKE SUPERIOR TRIP

This was the summer of work hard / play hard. During the off-weekends we made the most of it by checking off some long overdue bucket list items. We took a two week trip dedicated to Lake Superior, and involving three different spots: 1) Duluth, MN 2) Apostle Islands, WI and 3) Porcupine Mountains, MI.

Favorite memory: Chasing all the cargo ships coming into Duluth + biking Madeline Island after one two many drinks…but we stumbled upon the quintessential Apostle Island view!♡

 

We then got ourselves stationed at Neshonoc RV Resort near La Crosse – our favorite of all the WI Thousand Trails membership locations (pssst, if you’re going to be doing some fulltime RV traveling I highly recommend looking into a yearly membership through them) We enjoyed the view of the lake and got ourselves ready to photograph wedding #1 of 3 at Burlap and Bells this season. So many of our couples chose the forest to say “I do” and we could NOT have been more on board!

CAITLIN + ROBERT | BURLAP & BELLS | BLACK RIVER FALLS WI | JULY 27 2019

DANIELLE + ANDREW | WHITE OAK CHAPEL | BRILLION WI | AUGUST 3, 2019

GLACIER & BANFF

August marked 3 years of marriage & 10 years of Alex and I being together. I forced myself a year ago to block off this whole entire month so we could set aside time to take a major trip. We went with Alex’s location of choice and lifelong bucket list item — Glacier National Park. I won’t get too much into our time here because I wrote ALLLL about our trip in this blog post here. But basically, this place was insane. Definitely the highlight trip of the year and our new favorite place on EARTHHH. We’ve seen a lot of cool shizz this past year but if I could recommend just ONE place you see, it’s Glacier. HOLY LIFECHANGING.

 

SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER

We came back from our Glacier trip refreshed & ready for a fully packed fall season. 6 weddings in the month of September alone + meeting soo many of my new 2020 couples! I still need to get these lovely weddings on my blog so stay tuned this off season while I play catchup!

CARLY + DAN | MAXWELL MANSION | LAKE GENEVA WI | SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

BEKKA + NATE | BUBOLZ NATURE PRESERVE | APPLETON WI | SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

SARA + ADAM | BURLAP & BELLS | BLACK RIVER FALLS WI | SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

CHRISTINE + MYKAL | HARTMAN CREEK STATE PARK | WAUPACA WI | SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

AUBREE + ELLIOT | BURLAP & BELLS | BLACK RIVER FALLS WI | SEPTEMBER 21, 2019

JORDAN + ZACH | CASTLE FARMS | CHARLEVOIX MI | SEPTEMBER 29, 2019

During this trip to Charlevoix for Jordan & Zach’s wedding we also made a few stops along the way to Mackinac Island and Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes (but don’t go all the way down to the water, unless you want to spend two hours getting back up or pay to be helicoptered out!)

 

We had a month to play catch up on all the editing, and then last not but least we celebrated:

EMILY + DUSTIN | BRIGHTON ACRES | OSHKOSH WI | OCTOBER 26, 2019

+ SHOT MANY ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS AT SOME RAD PLACES

 

+ SHOT AN ANNIVERSARY SESSION WITH AMANDA + JOE BACK WHILE WE WERE IN BANFF

 

+ DAPPLED WITH A FEW FAMILY SESSIONS

 

NOVEMBER – DECEMBER

With the cold weather moving in Alex and I started discussions on what to do next. Another adventure down south, or put the travel trailer in storage and find an apartment around here to bunker down for the winter. For months we weren’t seeing eye to eye and it was so difficult to know what to do. I didn’t want all good things to end. I could have seriously lived on wheels forever. I didn’t know it a couple months ago, but now I know for sure that pauses are good and breaks are necessary. All good things must end– at least temporarily.

Alex has been simply amazing, always. He has encouraged me try out a lot of the things I wanted to do this past few years — like start up a biz and join me in my travel lifestyle, and now it was my turn to ask him what he needed – which was some serious structure and routine. In October we signed a year long lease to an apartment and although I went through a little identity crisis and may have cried a little (read: actually began SOBBING in a Best Buy parking lot on our way to get our cable router LOL), my anxieties quickly subsided when we began actually living in our new space and I realized how NICE it was to have things like a washer/dryer, full size fridge, stove, oven, SHOWER, couch to spread out our legs and hallways to move our feet from one room to the other. The finer things in life 🙂 Boy, looking back at this past year we were REALLY slumming it.

The first few days in our apartment (of course had to add in all the adventure decor/feels as possible).

 

SPONTANEOUS TRIP TO ARIZONA

My newfound love of bunkering down in Wisconsin for the winter was put to the test when our nephew Daniel asked us to join him in a road trip to AZ for a week. Part of me was worried I wouldn’t come back haha. But I am SO happy that we decided to do it. We stayed at the cutest hotel in Scottsdale for the weekend and checked off the Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks on our way back home in Santa Fe (we happened to miss this gem while traveling through last year)! After Santa Fe I was actually missing home and just so anxious to get back and start decorating our new home for Christmas + get into the holiday spirit.  And just to simply enjoy a season of REST.

 

Right before we left for our trip to AZ we celebrated Alex’s 32nd bday at Lambeau Field (our first time seeing actual STARTERS play!) & ended up being a high scoring and *winning* game vs the Raiders. My sister and I also took a day trip to Madison to see Lana Del Rey, which is now about the only music I listen to while editing. After we got back from Arizona we celebrated my Grandma’s 80th birthday at the casino (and she won big!) and enjoyed the perfect Thanksgiving meal, plus Black Friday + Small Biz Saturday with the girls.

 

We started this Christmas season with a new tradition, Alex and I went to get us our first real tree. We spent a wonderful holiday with family and friends and it felt TWICE as merry as usual (to make up for our last doozy of a Christmas :P)

 

2010-2020, WOAH you were a crazy decade in the best way possible. I met the love of my life, graduated college, adopted our fur child, had multiple career changes, married the love of my life, started a business, took a chance living on wheels, and saw more places in this beautiful country of ours I never knew I’d see in my lifetime. People always ask older people “what were the best year’s of your life?” Well…my 20’s were simply the best + most rewarding years of my life thus far. But I’m hoping (and have a good feeling) there’s still more to this story 😉

Thank you so much to all the friends, fam, couples and vendors that I have worked with this past year and decade! You are all so loved and appreciated! Cheers to the NEW 2020 DECADE!

Kim & Nick got engaged early winter and began planning a wedding day that was equally as beautiful as it was simple. When brainstorming places to serve as backdrop for their most important day, their hearts kept coming back to Arizona where her and Nick had visited just a year prior. Kim recalls how during their Sedona travels, they imagined how incredible it would be to get married in a place such as this. Red rocks. Lush greens. Rock formations that blow your mind they are so breathtaking. When I got the inquiry from Kim it felt like the stars were aligned. Alex and I were already planning on visiting Sedona in March during our 5 month road trip. It was too perfect!

Although they were choosing an elopement / destination wedding, Kim & Nick felt it so important to have the closest people in their lives present. The day prior to their wedding, 30 of their guests flew in and joined up for a night of relaxation and fun at the hotel patio with epic Sedona views. Many of their guests were able to make an extended vacation out of this, and the atmosphere was filled full with joy & excitement – it was the best! I walked into the bridal suite the next morning to meet Kim – the most calm bride. Being a wedding photographer herself, throughout the day she kept saying how surreal it felt for her being on the other side of it all. Seeing wedding after wedding, she already knew how fast the day goes and how easy it is to be consumed by all the little details. From the get-go she made the present moment her only focus, and never lost sight of what really mattered. I was actually taken back during our planning because I must have sent her like 15 different trails/backdrop options/ideas while scoping out spots for their photos – expecting her to want to take control of that aspect. But every time she would respond “Whatever you think is best – I trust you!” This couple was truly a joy to work with, the wedding day and all the days leading up and beyond.

I gathered all her details, and just ADORED how she included vintage Arizona-themed postcards and stamps. So fitting!

Nick looked classy in Black while Kim slipped into her stunning embellished gown with the flowiest, most magical skirt! Sedona Fine Art of Flowers crafted a romantic overflowing bouquet for Kim, with pops of blush and ivory to match her vision. As they continued to get ready, I watched the love pour through while Kim’s mother helped her into her dress, all the way through her and her father’s sweet First Look. She took the time to gift her parents with mementos, creating another special shared moment between them. The anticipation was building as the two prepared for their First look, taking a moment to privately exchanged their own written letters and wedding gifts to one another.

With the ceremony not taking place until sunset, we had time to play around and explore Sedona. I came across Cathedral Rock Trail during my research and after scoping it out I knew it was the PERFECT location for Kim & Nick’s romantic portraits. We were able to get right up close – in a short amount of time – without requiring a jeep rental or having to actually CLIMB on all fours! (More on climbing to the top of Cathedral Rock later, we did it the next day and it was CRAZY!) If you’re traveling through or if you’re getting married in Sedona, Cathedral Rock is a must stop!

As the sun was starting to set we made our way to the ceremony location, a remote picnic site with walking trails along the river and the iconic Cathedral Rock as the backdrop. It was a completely raw set up, “aisles” were decorated with nothing except loved ones and the beauty of the surrounds. It was so different than any wedding I’ve seen or been a part of, and the simplicity and understated beauty of this moment is one that I’ll always take with me.

With 15 minutes left before dark we quick finished up at the ceremony site before heading to this nearby overlook. Pro tip to brides – always squeeze in sunset photos, even if it’s just 10 short minutes. You’d be SO surprised how much we can accomplish in little time and the extra variety it offers to your gallery! These turned out to be some of my favorite photos. How beautiful and glowing are these two? It’s like they just got married or somethin!

Congratulations on ONE MONTH marriage, Mr. & Mrs. Iossi! It was truly an honor to be a part of your day.

VENDOR LOVE:

Photography: Meghan Lee Harris // Videography: Character D Films // Event Planner: Weddings in Sedona // Dress: // White Dress Bridal Boutique // Hair/Makeup: Sedona Beauty Team // Florals: Sedona Fine Art of Flowers // Guitarist: Brian David