First day of snow this Winter.

photo via Urban Prankster

Steph here again- sorry, Pete still doesn't know what to post about. Give him some ideas! Sorry for the delay in posts. This past week has been rather crazy and emotional. Needless to say, I took a break from wedding planning, but I'm ready to jump back in. If I took anything away from this week, it's that life is way too short for us to just stand there and let it go by. I am inspired to be as he was: a do-er. I choose to be an optimist, and I choose to see the good in life. I choose love over hate. I choose yes over no. I choose togetherness.

As you can see, Pete and I changed the look of our blog. Pete didn't have a huge problem with the color combination, but I was constantly bothered by the color clash between the colors of the photos I'd post and the blue/green hues of the background of the blog. We opted for more neutral colors that happened to also be our wedding colors: yellow, gray, and white. Just because there's not a lot of yellow on the site, I can tell you now, there will be a lot of yellow the more I post photos (you're welcome, Chi Huong! haha).

Before I get into discussions about honeymoon ideas, you NEED to look at this photo. This has to be one of my all-time favorite wedding photos ever. I think Pete and I need this in our wedding/home/life.

photo via Style Me Pretty

And yet another beautiful black+white photo. I'd be perfectly content if all our wedding photos were in black+white, but our photographer has such a knack for capturing color and lighting, we just can't deny her of it.

photo via Snippet & Ink

Pete and I have most things on our checklist crossed off, and the only other major thing is to agree on a honeymoon location. I think we might stick to staying in the states (especially HAWAII!), but that doesn't stop my travel-loving heart from wandering all around the world.

Take for instance, New Zealand. First of all, it's like an upgraded version of Oregon. The trees are fuller, taller, and somehow greener. The air is ever-so-clean, and the people are (believe it or not) friendlier! One of these days, I want to take Pete to Kaikoura, New Zealand, and stay at the Hapuku Lodge in one of their - ready for this- TREE HOUSES!

photo via Hapuku Lodge

Not only is this one of the most unique getaways I've seen recently, but they're also very eco-conscious- which isn't a necessity, but more a very lovely green plus. My favorite thing is that they ask every guest to plant a tree while staying at the lodge. Isn't that marvelous?

Another thing Pete and I talked about was traveling around to see each of the seven wonders of the world. If you're wondering what the wonders are, there are two lists because many of the Ancient Seven Wonders were destroyed.

Ancient Seven Wonders of the World:

- The Great Pyramid of Giza (Cairo, Egypt)
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Iraq)
- Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Turkey)
- Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Greece)
- Tomb of Maussollos at Halicarnassus (Turkey)
- Colossus at Rhodes (Rhodes, Greece)
- Lighthouse at Alexandria (Egypt)


New Seven Wonders of the World:

- Great Wall of China (China)
- Christ the Redeemer Statue (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- Machu Picchu (Peru)
- Chichen Itza (Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico)
- The Roman Colosseum (Rome, Italy)
- Taj Majal (Agra, India)
- Petra (Jordan)


Anyhow, maybe Pete and I can create our own adventure somewhere. Even a local adventure would be fun. There is so much to see in this world, and to be able to celebrate the beginning of our marriage with an escape from the "real world" would be the best thing ever- doesn't even matter where we are. Just the two of us relishing in the bliss of newlywed-ness is more than we can ask for.

We added a couple photos in the "wedding party" section. I haven't put up photos of the brideswomen yet, but the others are up! Pete and I weren't able to take our engagement photos on Sunday, and so the session has been rescheduled for Sunday, December 5, though we may need to reschedule yet again due to the Charger game. We'll see... I say if it starts raining in the middle of our shoot, we should just run into Powell's and take photos in there. Like this, for example:

photo via Derk's Works

Well, it's getting late, and I have some snow dancing to do. I hope it doesn't complicate travel plans for the rest of Peter's family. David, his youngest brother, is already here, but Mike is coming Tuesday night, and his parents Thursday morning. Luckily, Portland has one of the best public transportation systems ever, and we should be able to still pick them up so long as the airlines don't ruin our plans. Pray pray pray.

Anyway, enjoy your week, and for the fellow Pacific NWers, be safe in the snowy weather! I hear there may be icy patches around town. And lastly, Happy Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for you in our lives.


p.s. :):)