Heritage Park Engagement Session | Katie & Derek
The day Derek proposed began as a completely normal day - by watching Jurassic Park together. Or as Katie called it - "A day that no girl would think she's getting engaged".
Katie had been looking for a new church home to get involved with, and she just so happened to visit the very church Derek belonged to. My guess is - it didn't take either of them too long to notice each other. The young adult community within the church allowed them to get know one another a little bit better. And before long, they both realized how incredibly blessed they had been, to be in the same place, at the same time.
The day Derek proposed began as a completely normal day - by watching Jurassic Park together. Or as Katie called it - "A day that no girl would think she's getting engaged".
Derek took Katie to Kaw Point later on, maybe here he thought, - but that area was a bit underwhelming. They planned to go down to the River Market for dinner, and had walked out on a bridge to overlook the river. Maybe here he thought! But there was a 5K race in progress. Katie suggested they go to IKEA, since for her - this day was still completely normal, nothing major happening. But to Derek, he knew of a hidden sparkly detail which would make that day, and all the mundane events it held - extra special.
Toward the end of this extra special day, when Katie thought they were on their way back to her apartment, Derek suggested a pit-stop. Heritage Park. A place they go fairly often for walks and such; - though on this day, and at this time in the evening, Katie couldn't understand why. The sun had already begun to set, but Derek led her out near that silo on Blackbob Island that is now so special to them both, and just as the sunset was finishing up its beauty - Derek went to one knee.
Something tells me these two have been laughing and loving together ever since, because that seems to be all they do now! Katie and Derek have something so so so special, something that just can't be explained, but when you're around them - you see it, you practically feel it. Absolutely, head-over-heels, adoring each other, giggle all day long kind of LOVE. That's what these two have. And it's soooo great to be around, and even better to photograph!
Doing their engagement session at Heritage Park - where their proposal happened, was so great to do, and I'm so glad we were able to! The day might have been overcast, and there might not have been a gorgeous sunset like they had the day Katie said YES - But that didn't phase these two, not in the slightest. So much love, so much happy.
K&D - Thank you guys SO much for making me the lucky photographer who gets to document your love! It's incredible, and I'm so blessed to be in the presence of it! I can't wait for your wedding day, and am certain the amount of love it will hold will be bursting at the seams!
A Kansas City, Urban Engagement Session | Cassandra & Taylor
Taylor took Cassandra on a helicopter tour of Kansas City. Cassandra says she was completely terrified of getting into that helicopter (can I get a amen) but she knew, deep down, Taylor was up to something...
A grocery store check-out line. That's where their story truly started. Fate simply does not discriminate on locations!
Cassandra and Taylor went to high school together, though all 4 years they ran in different circles. They knew who each other were, of course, but their paths just never seemed to intersect in that true fate-filled style.
A few years after graduation though, fate landed them both in the same grocery store check-out line and then my friends, then - it was time. They recognized each other, friendly smiles emerged, conversation began....and sparks flew.
More years after that and after a lot more smiles, a lot more great conversation and a whole lot more of flying sparks... Taylor took Cassandra on a helicopter tour of Kansas City. Cassandra says she was completely terrified of getting into that helicopter (can I get a amen!) but she knew, deep down, Taylor was up to something. And that knowing helped squash her fears, get her in that helicopter and high above for what was to come. What came was exactly what you're thinking - a question, a promise, a gorgeous ring, and a big YES!
Cassandra and Taylor's wedding day is coming up in October and after such a fun fun funnn engagement session with these two, I can't wait to see what their wedding day will bring! Here are some of my favorites from their engagement session!
C&T - I'm SO excited for your wedding day, I can't wait to spend more time with you both and document that beautiful love you guys share!
Zion National Park | Utah, Part 3 | B&W travel
Six days of 3 national parks was the plan, and that's exactly what we did.
Last stop was Zion National Park - and oh my goshhhhhhhh.
We arrived to Zion National Park on Wednesday, July 29th, excited for the last part of our trip and for all we would see. I think it's safe to say we both were most looking forward to Zion - we just knew it would be spectacular.
Just driving into Zion proved to be pretty spectacular. One side of the canyon is so wildly different than the other - and we just so happened to drive in on that side. The terrain was unlike anything either of us have ever seen. We knew right away that before we left, we had to revisit this unique side of the canyon.
Getting to the "heart" of Zion meant driving 1.1 miles through a boulder. Yes. I get slight claustrophobia at times, and this tunnel...at the base of a gigantic boulder...that was pitch black, no lights whatsoever minus a couple "windows" that were blasted out of the boulder - and which was an entire 1.1 miles long...OH and they only allowed one line of traffic through at a time..... - YES. This brought my claustrophobia ALIVE. Haaaa.
We checked into our Bed & Breakfast and decided to take on a lazy hike called Riverside Walk.
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The second day we had done our homework and knew which hikes we wanted to do, for sure. Zion is crowded and popular, with limited parking, so pretty much every hike must be accessed by parking at the visitor's center or in "town" and taking a bus to each hike trail head. Not my favorite part of the trip - I'm much more of a go on our own way type of person. But that first early morning hike meant a bus ride, so off we went.
The bus dropped us at the start of The Grotto Trail. Which we took and connected to Kayenta Trail, and then onward to the Lower Emerald Pool Trail! It sounds like a lot, but this combination of trails wasn't brutal, even though at this point, I was pretty exhausted from hiking every single day!
See the other hikers on the left frame?!
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On this afternoon, we did what we (mostly me!) had been crazy eager to go and do. I just had to survive that scary as heck tunnel again first. We spent the whole afternoon exploring the other side of the canyon!! Remember?! I said it was suchhh a different terrain?! JUST WAIT for this next set of pictures. The following are hands down my favorite shots that I took on the entire trip. ENTIRE TRIP.
I. was. DYING. I mean, howww can this be real life?!?
Not only was the terrain just out-of-this-world INCREDIBLE - but to make it even more amazing, it was JUST US out there. All we did was drive, pull over, hike. Drive, pull over and hike! Parking wasn't always easy, but we managed. And the reward? Well, I mean. Just look at it! Each place we stopped at was completely deserted. We got out of our rental car and just walked, climbed, and stared in complete awe. There were no trails to follow, no paths to take - it was all ours for the creating! I could have spent an entire day doing this! AHH!!
Just look at this place. I can't. I CANT EVEN.
Ughhhh just uploading those images to my blog makes me sooo nostalgic.
This was the one and only day that we stopped hiking before dusk, and I think I needed it. Not really because of exhaustion, though I was spent. I think I needed to because I needed to let this experience soak in. I needed to be still, and let the moments of that idyllic day set up permanent camp in my memory bank.
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This of course wasn't it, we did carry on a third and final day in Zion.. We had been told that the Canyon Overlook Trail was pretty breath-taking, and honestly, we were sold on the name alone! The morning of our last day, we made this trail our starting point. Hands down, this hike, and everything about it, was another one of our absolute favorite parts of the whole entire trip!
Getting to our destination meant this... and this was AWESOME.
WE REACHED THE TOP!
Gotta get at least one shadow shot :)
Did I mention EVERY place we went, Wes just had to find something to climb?! ;)
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The afternoon of our last day was a hike Wes was super pumped about.... Me on the other hand, maybe not so much. Ya see, I really don't like water.
The Narrows - One of Zion's most popular hikes, takes you through The Virgin River - literally. You can hike up to 16 miles, or can go as far out as you want, and come back. Just getting me into the water was a little bit of a feat..
To some, it probably doesn't look deep at all, and it really wasn't I suppose...But there were parts it got above my knees (I'm a short girl and all) and just above my knees means I can't breathe (insert fake, nervous laugh).
In all seriousness - We had to go to the visitor's center multiple times to check the "flash flood threat", - because if you're in The Narrows and a flash flood hits, that's it for ya. It's a no joke kind of place.
Most people were just on foot, stumbling their way across the river rocks; however, our B&B innkeepers gave us ski poles to help with balance. Thank you smart innkeepers.
Oh, and thank you stranger lady whom we asked to take our photo in the river - and who we thought for sure was going to drop my iPhone in the water. :-|
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That's it, folks. Utah vacation is all wrapped up. This place far exceeded our expectations. We knew it would be incredible - but it was even more than that. Unworldly incredible, or something.
It seems fitting to wrap these posts up with a random photo Wes took of me one evening in Zion. We spent about 15 mins playing around the river by a campsite, just before going to dinner. My shirt says it all.
Location | Zion National Park, Utah
Photo Gear Used - Canon 6D | Canon 50mm 1.2L | Canon 17-40 4.0L | iPhone 5
Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah, Part 2 | B&W travel
Six days of 3 national parks was the plan, and that's exactly what we did.
Second stop was Bryce Canyon National Park - and oh mylanta.
Part two of our Utah vacation was Bryce Canyon. Fortunately, Arches to Bryce was only a little over 4 hours. Thank goodness we didn't have to drive 6+ hours again in less than a 48-hour period!!
We came into Bryce on the 27th, Monday. My first impression was that it's a lot more commercialized. Arches had a wild feel, Bryce felt more organized. Lots of buses bringing hoards of people to and from the visitors center - and when I say hoards of people, I mean that! The good news though, that I learned quickly once we began hiking - is that the park is massive, and the people fan out, spread out etc.. and before long, it was just us and nature.
Since we arrived around lunch, we hit up the visitors center and then went to find some food. We decided to drive up to Bryce Lookout Point since by then it was already early afternoon. Once there though, the plan to just "look around" turned into a full hike.
From Bryce Point we hiked the rim out to Inspiration Point. Totally worth it. Even if it was a much later start than we would have preferred. The commercialized feeling fell away the further we hiked, and honestly, this was one of my fave hikes of Bryce. The fact that it was pretty much just us out there definitely was a strong factor. But the views were awesome and the hike itself felt so legit.
Bryce is all about Hoodoo's.... What are Hoodoo's you ask? Some kind of rock formation, you'll see them in upcoming pics. If you want to know some technical info, don't ask me, click here instead!
It was somewhere along this hike that we both were lost in the view. The sounds of the wind in the trees. The sound of our shoes against the dirt and gravel. When suddenly. I heard it. That familiar sound that I've never once heard in real life but familiar all the same. The sound of a rattle. The second I heard it I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes going directly to the location of a curled up rattlesnake shaking his shaker!! This is the part in the story where my version and Wes's version do not match. He says I was at least 5 feet from that sucker. I swear to bob I was no more than 2 feet, tops. How would he know anyway, he was lolly gagging behind me!
Speaking of Wes... He taught me something along this hike. What "squinnies" are. Or, as I kept calling them "chinnies" . Am I the only person in the world who had never heard of squinny? That's a ground squirrel, people.
On our drive out of the park that first evening, we noticed so many cars ahead coming to an awkward stop and people jumping out to look at something. It didn't take long before we too were an awkward park job ourselves. Deer. Sooo close to humans. This part of Bryce was equally amazing and sad to me - how incredible to get so close to such a unique animal in the "wild". But also, kind of sad that these guys are so accustomed to humans, they aren't really in the wild anymore.
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Day 2 at Bryce was a much earlier start! We tackled Navajo Loop Trail. Pretty amazing hike. It took us down into the hoodoos! The trail map says we went down into Bryce Amphitheater through a slot canyon where a whole lot of Douglas-Fir trees stretch toward the sunlight. Sounds pretty incredible, huh? It was!
Wes found it funny to take multiple Snapchats with him looking bored and me in the background, clicking away with my camera. Each labeled "This is how most of the hike is going" Ha.......ha.
Now comes a part of our hike where I couldn't believe it was really happening!
This guy... He popped up on the trail to say hello and posed for forever! WHAT! I loved him!
I'm sure he was just hoping I'd love his posing skills so much that I'd share a snack. But still.
We hiked a little further and there was another one!
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After finishing up Navajo and getting some lunch, we headed back into the park to tackle a trail called Bristlecone Loop. This was a peaceful one! Amazing views, cool winds blowing through the trees. And the smell of pineeeeee, so good.
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Toward the end of our second and last day at Bryce, we did a hike called Mossy Cave - as recommended by our cabin owners. A short, easy hike they said, to a waterfall. After all the hiking that had been done - "short and easy" wasn't exactly as it sounds for myself!
But we made it, and I have one lowly photo from that hike -
Oh Bryce Canyon, you are awesome.
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Location | Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Photo Gear Used - Canon 6D | Canon 50mm 1.2L | Canon 17-40 4.0L | iPhone 5
Arches National Park | Utah, Part 1 | B&W travel
Six days of 3 national parks was the plan, and that's exactly what we did.
First up, was Arches National Park - and oh my goodness.
UTAH!!! Vacation time!!!! We had originally planned to go back to Playa Del Carmen this year, for our 3-year anniversary in October. But, we changed our minds somewhere along the way, and opted for a vacation unlike any vacation we've ever had! It really worked out for the best, as October will be my busiest wedding month to date! AHH!!
While relaxing on the sandy beaches of Mexico, sipping something fruity and reading book after book would've been amazing again... The breathtaking beauty of Utah was quite the perfect alternative. The endless hiking day after day was pretty exhausting, but well worth the amazingness we saw - and definitely worth the photos I snapped!!
Six days of 3 national parks was the plan, and that's exactly what we did. Day one was July 26, my birthday! We spent that day in Arches National Park, and I have to say, none of my birthdays past, while all wonderful, were ever spent in such a magical place as this!!
Getting to Arches on our trip meant a 6 hour one-way drive on the first day. But there was one hike in particular that led us there, one we had to do, regardless of the long drive. The hike to get us to the famous, Delicate Arch. If you don't know the name, trust me, you'll recognize it in photos. Our trail map rated the hike to Delicate Arch as "Strenuous" - can I just say how true that was. Definitely worth it! But I can assure you, there were a lot of breaks, a lot of holding my knees, and a lot of sucking air.
Aside from the glorious views - the people! The overall park wasn't really all that crowded, but the people we met along the trail to Delicate Arch were wonderful. So many different walks of life, so much kindness, so many accents! A British lady encouraged me on our way up that if she could survive that hike at double my age and half my muscle - then I could definitely make it! The people we encouraged on our way back down (which was A LOT easier, btw) were all sooo appreciative of the fellow support. It was a strong reminder that in life, we're all in it together!! It was a great feeling! I love nice people!!!
Here is a shot of the hardest part of the hike to Delicate Arch. This photo does no justice. But this was a straight uphill boulder/rock/slick-disaster. Ha. It was brutal.
Obviously we made it to the top - and after quite a big longer, we arrived...
The long-awaited photo of SUCCESS I so desperately wanted!! :)
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After we conquered the Delicate Arch we headed back into Moab for some lunch. Definitely needed refueling! We easily made the executive decision that since we only had that one day, instead of tackling another longish hike - we'd instead hit as many short hikes as possible until dark! The nice part, in addition to seeing as much as possible, was that every other hike was practically deserted!!
We started with Balanced Rock. This hike was super easy - and super awesome. Equally interesting as well as peaceful. We felt and acted like kids again. Wes climbed, took selfies on the side of a boulder. Yep. You read that right. I explored and let myself smile at the simplest of things. We saw a wild hare! I found a penny!
Yep. That's my husband. Taking a selfie on the side of a boulder.
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We scooted on to Double Arch - another easy, short hike that led to the base of this magnificent arch!
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A couple random spots we stopped at -
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Sand Dune Arch - this place was hands down my second favorite after Delicate in the entire Arches National Park. And honestly, one of my favorite hikes of the entire trip. Soooo unexpected. When we first pulled up, the sunlight was getting into that golden phase that makes every photographers heart go into double thumps. And that golden sun lit up those rocks like nothing I had ever seen. This shot was taken as soon as I stepped out of our car rental car...
That's me down there, in the bottom left - taking a photo I can't even believe is real life.
We walked in between that amazingness above, to find this....
Once inside, I couldn't believe how peaceful it was - how perfectly still. You couldn't even hear your own footsteps because the sand was so soft. And that sand?! Everywhere. The glow of it.
Something in this arch felt magical, and I can still completely recall that feeling when I look at the photos.
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One of our last stops was called Skyline Arch. Easy and flat hike - which was great, because by this point, this old girl was getting pretty tired! :)
Oh Arches - I love you.
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Location | Arches National Park, Utah
Photo Gear Used - Canon 6D | Canon 50mm 1.2 L | Canon 17-40 4.0L | iPhone 5