year one.

There’s no way I could do this all in one post. I tried and wrote a novel- one that has been in the works for months. It’s hard to sum up, or want to sum up for that matter, your wedding day. So for now, here are are few photos, and more will soon follow… with said novel. It is the best gift to have this documentation to look back on and trigger all the memories.

Happy first anniversary, Dustin! This year has FLOWN by. I can’t believe we said our I do’s 365 days ago. I have loved the trips, projects, and everything in between this first year has brought. To all the years to come; I love you so much. ♥

I can’t wait to post more! Oh- and our video… ♥

Venue: Michillinda Lodge
Photographer: Justine Montigny
Videographer: Gabby Hulst

but i brought demo clothes.

Monday, August 22, 2016.

I had a day full of photoshoots at work, very busy. But I was SUPER excited because I had just closed on our house that following Wednesday. You can read the story here. Dustin came home after a couple weeks away at training. We had just helped my parents move into their new home over the weekend. (My parents, my sister & brother-in-law, and Dustin & I all closed on houses within two weeks of each other...!)

Bye old home! ♥

But FINALLY Dustin and I were going to put a hole in a wall of our newly purchased fixer upper. Woo!

Dustin called me at work and said he wanted to take "sold" sign photos in front of the house before the dumpster arrived on Tuesday. He made plans with some of our friends to stop by and snap the occasion.

I knew he wanted to take photos in front of the house, he had mentioned he liked when people did that. So that was no surprise to me. Although after a busy Monday, it was not how I thought the evening was going to go... LITTLE DID I KNOW. But it all made sense since he had ordered the dumpster for the next day. So it was basically now or never to get these photos taken.

We changed our clothes after work real quick and met some friends at our new house. We showed them around and started taking pictures. Antsy to get my demo on, after a handful of poses, I said "K! Think that's good?! Are we done?" Dustin said he had one more he wanted to take.

And on that sunny Monday evening, in front of our paparazzi friends, on the lawn of our first house, surrounded by the droning buzz of neighbor's lawnmowers, Dustin got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

Photos will show (not one below), I probably did not have the best immediate facial reaction. Like lots of people, I was totally caught off guard- not expecting it! That moment seemed to stop time and I just couldn't grasp what was going on. And then it's like when the camera zooms in to catch up to real time and you start to hear sounds again. And after my inital, "Are you serious?!" I said, "Yes!"

bought a house, bellies out

So once all the photos and pleasantries and "You guys knew?!" and "Aww, you talked to my dad?" (tears) were done, I realized we probably weren't going to start demo tonight. "But I brought demo clothes! And this was the plan all along?!" Dustin nodded and laughed; me still in disbelief at all that had just occurred.

Turns out he had been hanging onto that ring for the perfect moment, just like the card I had been waiting to give him.

That night, we went out for dinner, talked to both of our parents, and had a quiet celebration, just for us, back at our apartment.

And who knew we'd begin demo on our first house, engaged?! Well Dustin... obviously. ☺

six months and a video.

In lieu of six months of marriage, and because we received it not that long ago, take a peek at our wedding video! I loved Gabby's style and watched all her videos. I'm soooo happy to have one of our own now. I love reminiscing. Happy half year hubby; I love you.

See the rest of Gabby's work here.

the day we found our house.

Wabaningo, Michigan

This started out as my wedding post, but I wrote too much and oopsie there goes a tangent.

I was explaining why we chose our wedding venue and it’s very easy to get long winded about that sort of thing. There were so many occurrences in the summer of 2016. Everything connected itself to something else. So this is the story of one such occurrence- the day we found our house.

We love exploring little lakeshore towns around Michigan. Dustin zooms in on maps to find random roads that lead to the beach and surprises me with new places to visit. Some work, some fall short with a dead end. But we always enjoy the drive. SO on July 5, 2016, our extra Independence Day, Dustin took us to Wabaningo- a teeny tiny “unincorporated community” as Wikipedia describes it. I was feeling a little guilty taking an additional day off work after an already four-day weekend. But it ended up being the best day!

Wabaningo is basically a road, peppered with beach rentals, that turns into the entrance of a light house museum that leads to a small beach and pier. It is where White Lake flows into Lake Michigan. This day was a perfect summer day in Michigan. PERFECT. There were only a few other people in the area which surprised me being the day after a holiday. We weren't there long, but the walk along the pier was stunning. Heart eyes for days. I MEAN...

Pure Michigan indeed.

We had emailed our realtor earlier that morning about a new listing that popped up in our system. We didn’t think much about it and went on with our day of exploration. On the drive home, we had received an email back that they were showing the house to a handful of people tonight. So we decided to go. The low profile roofline, floor to ceiling windows, and ginormous garage were features we immediately liked. It was definitely a fixer upper. We ended up meeting family out for pizza on a patio and talked about the house’s potential, realizing how many things it checked off our list.

Fast forward through a couple VERY serious and emotional conversations, we decided to place an offer on the house. HASHTAG ADULTING The process moved pretty quickly, the buyers wanted to sell it within days of listing it. That has been pretty standard for the local market lately. We offered to pay closing costs and $10,000 over asking price. Our realtor reminded us that, while houses may appraise and be financially worth a certain amount, homes are valued differently for different people. You might like McMansions or be drawn to a bungalow style and be willing to shell out a bit more moolah, because that house is worth it to you. Might not be worth extra for someone else, but for you- yes.

This house fit us. Finding an enclosed four car garage for Dustin within the city would have been near impossible. It was the midcentury style I so wanted. This house was meant to be ours. I know people say that sometimes, and you never believe them, until it happens to you. We included a short and sweet, not cheesy, note to the sellers. It was honest and heartfelt. The next day, our realtor called me at work and asked if I was ready to be a homeowner? ☺ The shock was real. I imagine they love making those calls. Then I got to make the rest of the calls- so exciting! 

That one morning we ate bagels in our car in front of our soon to be house- dreaming about the potential. (No one was living there during the closing process.) Not total creeps.

The closing process had just started, but luckily for us, everything went pretty smoothly. Our realtor and mortgage agent were great. The sellers were the sweetest. And about a month and a half later, the house was ours.

So that day, in Waganingo, down the road from Michillinda Lodge will always be a favorite in my book. It marked such an exciting time for us. And that was a big factor, among other reasons, in choosing to get married in Whitehall, at the lodge. More on allllllllllll that to come.