Whitney & Ryan: Anniversary #13

You might recall when we celebrated our first anniversary and the *paper* gift that kept on giving all year long. We had a great time on our monthly dates and continued to enjoy our passion for exploring. For year  two, I combined cotton & china into a beautiful Thanksgiving week getaway up in Mont Tremblant, Canada. In year three, a traditional leather gift came in the form of a TUMI travel wallet while the modern crystal gift included a Thanksgiving dinner at The Crystal Hotel in Portland, OR. Year four brought "tropical" fruits & flowers together with a trip to Bermuda followed by an upgraded {appliance} TV for our bedroom. 

Our fifth year was about "wood" and "silver" which included a bamboo sushi set for two, wine cork cuff links with the year 2011, and a trip to the Greenbrier. The sixth year of our marriage included iron & candy meaning bikes to burn off those personalized M&Ms and the trip to Schimpff's Confectionary in Indiana. In year seven, wool & copper were our gifts of choice which included a wool Fedora, a copper pocket watch and an incredible trip to Cuba for the ultimate throwback.

Year eight saw the traditional bronze and pottery via a money clip & homemade pottery while linen & lace came from a personalized pair of boxers & a night staycation at the Omni Louisville. Year nine involved "willow - wicker" coffee mugs for Ryan's daily cup of Joe as well as "leather" weekender bag with his initials that he used on our getaway to the Greenbrier. Year ten brought an aluminum framed sound wave of our first dance song and a getaway to a {subset} of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Chattanooga. Year eleven saw a steel mustache comb, a leather bracelet and a turquoise Lincourt button down with an ode to wear our nuptials took place; our visit to the Kentucky Castle was almost as magical as our beloved Solvang. Year twelve presented silk pajamas for our getaway to Dana Crossing as well as a handmade engraved pearl pocket knife.

This year I wanted to *again* stick with tradition and put a spin on the modern gift. Traditionally lace is the gift of choices for year #13. It is said that lace shows the elegance & beauty of the sanctity of marriage. 

For lace, I had a beautiful blue wine bottle holder handmade of lace. Sewn on the front are our initials along with our wedding anniversary date~ 11-11-11. Paired with a selected bottle of wine from a local winery, we plan to enjoy it during the holiday season.

In terms of *textiles*, which is the modern gift of choice, I ordered a hammock for two. Set up in our backyard for daytime naps or nighttime star gazing. On our honeymoon in Fiji, we had a small hammock outside our Bula that we would swing in each night & listen to the ocean sounds. Textiles are representative of the comfort & warmth that 13 years of marriage brings to each of us.

I truly love following the traditional and modern celebrations of each year. I hope when we look back on all of the years we can enjoy the way we celebrated as well as the special moments of each passing year!  

Celebrating Our Tenth Year

To celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary, Ryan surprised me with a trip to our favorite place. A place that means so much to us in ways that I am not able to adequately explain or share. A place that has countless memories & moments of sheer joy and love. A place that saw our love flourish, our engagement take place, and our wedded bliss occur. A place that we have not visited in far too long, and it has showed.

It was the perfect weekend to mark a milestone that at times has felt unattainable. A weekend of turning the world off and turning back to why we fell in love in the first place. I'll leave you with these pictures that paint a little glimpse into our time together but symbolize so much more for us.

We love you Solvang & Santa Ynez. Thank you for an unforgettable celebration.

Whitney & Ryan: Wedding Anniversary #7

Last weekend Ryan & I celebrated our 7th year of marriage. This year we have navigated through some rough waters and had some really great family time. We took trips to Colorado, Hilton Head, and New Mexico which were incredibly fun and new places to see. We are concluding our 7th year with a big hoorah trip out on the sea. Cheers to lucky #7!

You might recall when we celebrated our first anniversary and the gift that kept on giving all year long. We had a great time on our monthly dates and continued to enjoy our passion for exploring. For year two, I combined cotton & china into a beautiful Thanksgiving week getaway up in Mont Tremblant, Canada. In year three, a traditional leather gift came in the form of a TUMI travel wallet while the modern crystal gift included a Thanksgiving dinner at The Crystal Hotel in Portland, OR. Year four brought "tropical" fruits & flowers together with a trip to Bermuda followed by an upgraded {appliance} TV for our bedroom. Our fifth year was about "wood" and "silver which included a bamboo sushi set for two, wine cork cuff links with the year 2011, and a trip to the Greenbrier. The sixth year of our marriage included iron & candy meaning bikes to burn off those personalized M&Ms and the trip to Schimpff's Confectionary in Indiana.

This year I wanted to *again* stick with tradition and put a spin on the modern gift. Traditionally wool is the gift of choice for year #7. Wool is thought to represent warmth & renewal. Copper is the modern gift indicating beauty & durability.

Ryan loves hats. He has a whole slew of them and basically hangs them on showcase in our closet. A few years ago on a trip up to Boston, we stopped in the Goorin Bros Hat Shop. It has the neatest store front and is nestled in a side street. Decorated in chic fashion, Ryan bought a hat and keeps it safe in his special hat box.  What better way to incorporate "wool" into a gift than buy adding to his collection with a wool fedora. 

For copper, I had a pocket watch made & engraved for him. One side says, Happy 7th Anniversary Ryan, and the other side reads: 11-11-11. It is a bit old fashioned and something that I felt went along nicely with the wool fedora. Two throwback gifts that represent the meaning of our 7th wedding anniversary with grace & style!

 I truly love following the traditional and modern celebrations of each year. I hope when we look back on all of the years we can enjoy the way we celebrated as well as the special moments of each passing year! 

Celebrating Our Fifth Year

The day of our wedding, one of our best men brought over my wedding gift from Ryan. It was a gorgeous wooden box with an etched picture of Lincourt {the winery where we were getting married}. Inside there were 5 bottles of wine with 5 special dates for the future. The first being for our one year anniversary. The second being for our five year anniversary. 

It has been a long 5 years of marriage with many ups and downs. The last few months particularly trying causing a lot of strain on us. We have had to fight very hard to get to where we are in the present day.

To really celebrate, relish in all of our accomplishments & challenges, and reconnect through rejuvenation & relaxation, we had a weekend getaway to one of the most amazing places that we have ever been.

We spent a day in Scottsdale at the spa complete with a couples massage, mineral bath, and steam room. We wandered around and had a leisurely lunch poolside. We had no timetable. No plans. No rush. We talked. We relaxed. We enjoyed a 4 course dinner and drinks over the moonlight. We shared memories from the past. All of the fun things that we had experienced over the past 7 years of our relationship. We spent 11.11.16 in the best way possible. The two of us and only positivity. 

The next morning we drove two hours up to Sedona. Gorgeous doesn't even do the drive justice. An impromptu stop at Page Springs Vineyards for some wine tasting was the perfect mid-afternoon setting. It reminded us of Lincourt in so many ways and was a hidden gem from God.

Once we arrived in Sedona, we hiked to Cathedral Rock as the sun was setting. Magnificent. On so many levels. Breathtaking views and a sense of peace.

The next day we continued our relaxation and had the privilege of visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It is a church wedged between two rocks and the architect set out to make the outside resemble a cross. The church sits on top of the rocks and is surrounded by all of the amazing red rocks around. As I walked in, I knelt to pray. The candles lit all around me with prayer intentions. I was moved to tears immediately. The words of prayer could barely be pieced together. 

They say Sedona is a healing place, and I feel like healing was felt. For myself and the burdens I have carried as of late. For our marriage and the strains that it has faced over the last 5 years and especially the last 2 years. Coming back, we definitely have a renewed sense of "us" and the foundation of our relationship.

CHEERS TO 5 YEARS OF WEDDED BLISS AND MANY MORE TO COME!