Road Trip 2013 : No Internet, Long Recap

Well, I should have realized that when you are driving through the desert, internet service isn't going to be as strong as I am used to. This is the reason why I have been MIA with the updates the past few nights. We also have been doing a lot more hiking than I was expecting. The past 2 days we have hiked more than 14 miles. Its been amazing and such a good workout, also allowing us to see so many things. But, by the time we get to our hotel at night... I am WIPED OUT and do not have a ton of energy! 

For all of you reading this that live out in the west near these places... I am officially jealous of you. I am SO in love with everything out here. As if I was meant to live out here and somehow just didn't get the memo!! Maybe someday... :) 

The Grand Canyon. We took a 7 mile hike around the South part of the Grand Canyon. 

It was perfect weather and truly just so amazing. 

There weren't a ton of people on the trail that we were on, which made it really peaceful and more real. However, that meant we were not able to get a ton of pictures of both of us. This photo above was at the very end...we finally got someone to help us out!

Our next destination was Lower Antelope Canyon! Absolutely stunning! The walls of the canyon glow with the light and it seriously was unlike anything I have ever seen... I mean... LOOK AT THE PICTURES!!! 

Isn't it just AMAZING??! God's creation is just unexplainable! I couldn't get enough.

Next stop was Zion National Park. 

We ended up hiking up to Angel's Landing, which had me face some fears of heights and being close to the edge of cliffs. We then did a bunch of other little hikes. 

We ended up hiking to the top of that rock mountain!!! 

and made it up and back down in one piece!!

After hiking all day, we stopped for a quick lunch and then jumped in the car and headed 

to Bryce Canyon National Park.

The ride and views just blow me away... literally, I feel like my photos look fake! And they aren't!!

Gorgeous views!!

thats Andrew walking down there to give some perspective. 

The sun began to set on our day and we headed to our hotel...where I am now finishing up this post and will be shutting off the light. We are getting up at 7:30am tomorrow and heading on our 5 hour drive to Arches National Park. 

Have any of you visited these places? Share your stories in the comments!! 

Road Trip 2013: Sedona

Ahhhh... VACATION!!! We woke up yesterday and made our 6:15am flight to Phoenix and arrived at 6:20am! Only missed 5 minutes of time because of the timezone difference!! Though, I was exhausted due to the fact I had finished packing up final orders at 11:57pm the night before and then packed up my suitcase and did not go to sleep until about 2am(to then wake up at 4am!!) All to say, I was running on fumes!! 

But, I am loving being on vacation and being free to just sit and not think about anything!! I am debating taking a few extra days off when I get back, just to make sure I am geared up and ready to go for the summer months, as we have another break for a dear friends wedding back home at the end of August!

The views around here are amazing! I am in constant awe of the creation around me. This morning, I was able to wake up at 7:30am and went for a nice long run soaking in the views! I came back to the room after and made Andrew do some extra workouts with me...pushups, crunches, jumping jacks, and squats. He was a trooper and joined me. Even though, I was pretty determined and he, hesitant to what I was going to make him do. Below is what we did after my run...

50 jumping jacks

50 crunches

45 jumping jacks

45 pushups

40 jumping jacks

40 squats

35 jumping jacks

35 crunches

30 jumping jacks

30 pushups

and on and on and on until we had only 5 of each left!! 

One of my favorite things about the trip so far is that we have a 2013 Convertible Camaro that we are driving around. We have had the top down EVERYWHERE we go. I am just hoping I do not get addicted to it and feel the need to beg Andrew to buy my one for my birthday next month! ....though, we could never afford that!!

Today was filled with some good food at The Wildflower Bread Company and then an Indian restaurant, along with a great hike to the Devils Bridge and a few other spots that we found. I am looking forward to staying active on this trip, as its been my goal since March 5th to EAT CLEAN and put in more effort for working out... less ice cream and thinking I can eat whatever I want! So far, so good!

I am pretty tired tonight... from the run, the hike, and all the sun we are getting being outdoors and in the car (since the top is always down!!!). So - this post is going to be ending now with some pictures to give you some visuals and then we are going to probably take a little walk down the street to unwind & enjoy our last night here in Sedona!! Next stop.... GRAND CANYON and a 6 mile hike tomorrow! See you in the next post!! 

Now I can cross "get picture with a Convertible Camaro" off my bucket list.

Its gonna be a windblown hair kind of trip.... and I am LOVING it!!

Gorgeous view from my early morning run!!!

I love just sitting and looking around... I can't believe these views are actually REAL!! 

Yup... thats me...looking over the edge!!


Thanks for stopping in and following our trip! 

Guest | Erin of Dusty Daylight

I am beyond excited today to be introducing you to a girl who started off as one of my customers and now I consider to be a friend! Though we have never met, she has quickly become someone that I admire and think the world of. 

This is one of my favorite things about owning an online business. I get to meet some of the greatest people. Someday, I swear I am going to throw a big party and invite EVERYONE I have met! And of course, I will have Katy Moran of KATHERYN MORAN PHOTOGRAPHY to take all the pictures because she is just amazing! 

Erin is the owner and creator of Dusty Daylight. Through talking with her, she had told me that she opened up her shop a while back, but really as of late, was inspired to really take it to the next level. She sent me her link and I fell in love with her Elizabeth Lace Journal. So, naturally...I had to have it!! Not long after, it arrived in the mail and I opened up the mailing envelope to find this...

Aren't you in love??? Her attentional to detail is amazing. The journal is such a piece of art. Now the question is, what will be deemed worthy enough to mark the pages of this with! I might be mulling this one over for several weeks before I touch my pen to the pages. This journal is worthy of some professional calligrapher out there! 

I asked Erin to answer a few questions so that you could all get to know her a little better!

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The most darling little shop ever: Dusty Daylight

What inspires you?

In terms of design, I tend to gravitate towards things that are clean, pretty, and have great detail. Floral fabrics, textured linens, and delicate laces are a few of my favorites to work with. Hand bound books have become somewhat of a lost art and I love creating something new with a nod to the past. There is something so lovely and personal about a handmade book and I love mixing that with a slightly old-fashioned, dainty design.

What are some plans you have for your business in the future?

My plan for now is to continue expanding on journal designs. I'd also love to begin working with brides to create customized journals as bridesmaid gifts.

What types of things do you do in your free time when not working?

Hang out with my husband, coffee dates with friends, read, eat dark chocolate, play violin, watch White Collar (the best show!).

When did you start creating?

I don't know if I can pinpoint a specific time that it began, growing up I was always making something. When I was 7, I was selling painted rocks (yes.. rocks.. and people really did buy them!). When I was 9, I was selling beaded hair clips and head bands at a consignment shop down the road. The desire to create things with my hands started long before these 2 business endeavors, and hasn't stopped since. I suppose it's in my blood! As for book binding, I tried it for the first time in October 2011. It didn't turn out very pretty, but I loved the entire process and the potential there was for a lovely end product. I kept at it, and I still love it.

Tea or Coffee? I like both!

Favorite meal? Artichokes. Or white pizza.

Favorite dessert? Rhubarb pie! Also, anything involving dark chocolate.

When did you get married? Our wedding was October 21, 2012! So we'll have been 

married 6 months in a few weeks 

What is the best quality about your husband? 

I know this is going to sound cheesy but I'm sitting here trying to choose just one and it's really hard! He has a lot of great qualities. Can we go with top 3? or 4? Okay. 1) He loves God. 2) He is incredibly patient (which comes in SO handy when we're driving somewhere and I'm in charge of directions.. and forget) 3) He hardly EVER has anything negative to say about anyone. If he has a negative impression of a person, I know to pay attention. 4) When he commits to do something, he truly commits to it. He's a man of his word. Added bonus: Sometimes he makes wonderful, fresh mozzarella cheese. Right in our kitchen. It's fantastic.

What is the biggest thing you're learning right now?

That no matter what, pleasing God trumps pleasing people in every situation in my life. If I live my life and make my decisions to please people, I'm ruled by their opinion. If I live my life and make my decisions to please God, I'm ruled by his opinion. Honestly, people don't always have your best interests at heart, but God always does. "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for" Jeremiah 29:11 (the message).

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Erin wants to give one lucky person a chance to win a journal of choosing from her darling little shop! Yes, I KNOW!!! Exciting!! 

Go ahead...do a little happy dance! 

The giveaway will run from today 4/8 until Monday 4/15 at 12:00am.

Winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter (below). The winner will be notified by email and the name will be displayed on the widget below. 

Good Luck! And make sure to give Dusty Daylight lots of love for being so awesome!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Simple Recipe, Simply Amazing

I have had several people ask me for the recipe for the salad that I posted on Friday(which was a recreation of the salad I had for our Anniversary dinner last week!

Below is the picture that I took before I indulged.

MMmm.. My mouth is watering just looking at it!

So - In an effort to get this goodness in my mouth again. I decided to go to the store and pick up the SIMPLE ingredients to recreate it. Of course - the grocery store was out of pomegranates so I had to go without. TRUST ME... you will want them. It adds such a pop of flavor!

And with all good recipes. Of course, you need a good hand stamped utensil to accompany it. This is a salad recipe I hope to ALWAYS be friends with... (I know, lame joke). 

Recipe:

-Bibb Lettuce 

(I used a Spring Mix because the grocery store didn't have it, but it's better with the Bibb Lettuce. It is much softer and has a smooth taste. Really good!)

- Red Ruby Grapefruit

- Avocado

- Poppy Seed Dressing

(the one shown in the picture was good. I might try to make my own soon. The one at the restaurant was out of this world!)

- Sprinkle with Pomegranate seeds

And thats it!! I used half of a grapefruit and half an avocado, but you could totally use more than that depending on if you are having it for lunch or dinner. ENJOY!!

Let me know if you try it! Feel free to share pictures on my facebook page.

with love,

Aly

Memory Lane

Memories. They carry us. They define us. They change us. 

Today marks 2 years of marriage. Just two. Though, a lot can happen in two years. For us, 2 years has included 4 moves, 1 move to a new state, a few vacations, a dog, a new car, and the list goes on. 

Marriage can be hard. It can be a joy. It's real. It's in your face. It's fun. It's exciting. It's a challenge. Some days you want to be selfish. Some days all you want to do is love on your spouse. And if you let it, it can help you grow and mature in ways you never thought possible. 

But today, I want to push aside all of that and bring you back to early days. The smiles and giggles. The butterflies in your stomach. The hopeful wishing "if this is it". The memories from the beginning of us. Along with the engagement and the wedding day.

Here is a little walk down Aly + Andrews memory lane.

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The puppy love stage. 

This darling photo above... fuzzy, dark and totally taken with a flip phone, is the first picture of us. 

I remember it so vividly. We went out for Chinese food with my family and had just arrived back to my house in my car. I asked for a picture. He agreed. 

I think I stared at it all. night. long.

August 1, 2009 was our very first "date". We both thought we were just going to a music festival together. All of Andrews friends were busy and I was a last resort. I guess I was a pretty good last resort!!

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To the left is the journal entry from that night. 

I love to document, in prayer form, what goes on in my day. It makes me feel like God and I are sitting down for coffee and He is completely uninformed about my day. Though He knows every detail... I love the friendship feel of it all. 

I remember writing...

 "I got to see a glimpse into the life of the kind of man I could have a future with." 

Little did I know... He would become my husband! 

Above is the Jones Soda bottle that I had at Panera Bread with my dinner from that first date. The night was so special, I ripped off a piece of the Panera Bread bag that our shortbread cookies had been in,

 wrote a note on it for memories sake and put it in the bottle. 

I love unraveling it and thinking back to how it was all "meant to be".

Above is one of the most beautiful letters I have ever received. This was sent to me in a postal priority mailing box with my favorite snacks and the movie "Life Is Beautiful". This was his way of "asking me out" as we began our relationship long distance. I, in Colorado, and him, in Virginia. 

Can you hear my squeals? Feel my stomach butterflies? My roommate Jill rejoiced with me as I hung up the phone now the GIRLFRIEND of Andrew Nickerson. 

Our relationship was so easy. He was my best friend and I was his. We would fall asleep on the phone together...waking up 8 hours later to find that we never hung up. He treated me like I was the best thing that ever happened to him. I was pursued. I was cherished. I was adored. 

No other man on this earth made me feel the way he did. 

On October 20th, 2010, Andrew asked me to marry him. You can read the proposal story HERE.

Tea light candles covered the stairs with music echoing from within the Old Stone Church. 

I gladly said YES!

We were only engaged for a short 5 1/2 months. Before we were married on April 3rd, 2011.

On April 1st, just two days before our wedding day. I woke up to snow covering the earth.

 It was a funny little April Fools Joke... 

It ended up melting, but the day before the wedding we went out and bought all the girls rain boots & scarfs, as the ground was still a bit wet. I love the added pop of color. 

Our friends were such great sports, as it was a bit chilly outside the day of our wedding.

Our wedding day was a beautiful day that I will never, ever, forget.

I heard a quote recently though, that I absolutely adore. 

"I want a marriage more beautiful than my wedding day"

And this is true. I want my marriage with Andrew to be even better than our wedding day. And I am committed to spending a lifetime perfecting this relationship. 

I am so in love with my husband. Through thick and thin, there is no one else that

I would rather do life with. 

Thanks for walking down memory lane & celebrating our 2nd Anniversary with us!