oh, the beautiful the red rock canyon...

as much as i am a sconnie girl at heart and love the 4 seasons here in wisconsin, after a trip out west... i think i could be a desert girl too! mother nature has yet ceased to amaze me. same feeling of wholeness, different landscape... but nonetheless, still definitely my kind of wanderful! :) divide, conquer, exhale. repeat. i continue to look forward to the rest of my life!

"sometimes
you find yourself in the
middle of nowhere.
sometimes
it's in the middle of nowhere
you find yourself."

camping with my favorite people!

with 4 brothers and 4 sisters, it's not an exaggeration when i say i have a huge family! throw in all the nieces and nephews (nancy, cassandra, elyjah, annabella, kassie, jadeleen, dominic, madison, aviana, nalana and hazel) and it makes for... very expensive christmases, to say the least! haha, jk. :)

as each and every one of us is growing up, moving away and starting new chapters in our lives... we still try our best to make it a point and get together for our annual family camping trip (as well as all major holidays). this year's destination was high cliff state park - on the northshore of wisconsin's largest inland lake, lake winnebago. we spent 3 days and 2 nights out there and, like always, the trip mirrored my family's personality exactly; great times, serious eats and lots of laughs! i'm blessed.

during our family nature hike, my niece maddie and i started collecting a "rainbow'quet" for her scrapbook! the goal was to put together a bouquet consisting of elements of each color of the rainbow representative of wisconsin foliage - and what an accomplishment it was! <3 i love that it's these little experiences i can have with her that her big heart will always remember!

...we even spotted a leaf bug, whoa! such a neat little creature! ;D

happy july 4th!

what an awesome holiday weekend spent on the lake. the weather was absolutely perfect to spend outdoors and enjoyed under the sun in westcentral wisconsin. not to mention, it was definitely a great bonding experience with my niece and i was glad i could expose her to a little of my world... and i have the amazing judd who hosted "the best weekend ever," to thank for it all. :)

the icing on the cake, though? my 16 year old niece caught her first fish - and even had the opportunity to enjoy more off the dock during down time. although nothing substantial, this auntie is still proud and hoping another fishergirl was born! yep.

from fishing to tubing, waterskiing to cliff jumping and kneeboarding to kayaking - we had an absolute blast! thanks again, judd, i do wholeheartedly appreciate your patience and time in having us over and keeping us more than entertained the entire stay... even amidst your already very busy weekend hosting other guests, preparing for the pontoon parade, and throwing your j4th party! good times with good people :) there's nothing better. well, maybe catching big toothy creatures too! haha, jk.

summer weddings...

congratulations to the newlyweds... desirae and garrett! <3  it was the perfect day to have an outdoor wedding in central wisconsin against the big eau pleine resevoir as your backdrop! i loved everything about it and had a great time reconnecting with old friends and making new ones! wishing you both and the girls nothing, but the absolute best! thank you for including me in on your special day. it was beautiful!

...welcome baby zaya! she's finally here!

it's official; all my friends are now married with child(ren)! ;D earlier in february, a wonderful group of us hosted a babyshower for my best friend... and at 11:24pm on march 7th we welcomed our beautiful little girl into the world! how incredibly exciting for the next chapters in each of our lives. <3

a heinritz-starr wedding!

what an eventful holiday weekend! first and foremost, big congratulations to n&j on their holy matrimony and letting me celebrate this very special occasion with you and your families. the welch center on the stlawrence campus is a stunning venue boasting some incredible views of appleton and the wolf river that runs through it... overall, it was a beautiful winter wedding and i had so much fun! 

as if that weren't enough, this christmas was also definitely one to remember! i must've been a very good girl because i was spoiled rotten, surrounded by so much love! i've been fortunate enough to meet many great people in this last year... and hearts have been opened that i'm so grateful to be welcomed in. so from the bottom of my heart, thank you and know i am truly appreciative for the crossing of our paths. seasons greetings and happy holidays to you and yours... and always remember to count your blessings!

that said, and in light of the new year quickly approaching, remember that the wrapping up of this year is not an ending nor new year's day a beginning... but a going on to making new advances with the wisdom we've acquired regardless of mistakes! let's continue to "be the change we wish to see in the world" and "write it on our hearts that every day is the best day in the year!" cheers!