Reaching for the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Together

Life in Love  //  6th August 2013

Who knew that those psychology classes that I took in college and that summer of psychology research would come in so handy? As we were talking about the details of The AMAZING Life Escape and trying to put into words what we imagined it to be, I blurted out… “It’s like that pyramid.” Lol. Ryan looked at me like I was crazy- as he often does when I blurt out random things! ;) Then I remembered the pyramid I was referring to was Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

The Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid has a base full of very basic needs: Food, Water, Air. Maslow’s theory basically says that you have to meet your needs from the bottom of the pyramid in order to reach the top, which is Self-Actualization. The steps in between are: Safety, Love, and Self-Esteem.

It has been a dream of ours to help people get closer to their self-actualization together as a couple! In fact, helping people see their true potential is a daily goal of ours. For our AMAZING Life Escape, we have an opportunity to really help people accelerate to the top of the pyramid as a couple!

At the Escape, it is our goal to take care of everything so each couple can have a true getaway! We do not want you to have to think about the daily details that normally pop into our brains every second of the day… like, what are we having for dinner and when are we going to go to the grocery store! ;) Our plan is to take care of as many basic needs as we possibly can so that by the end of the Escape you are in a magical place. We want you to be able to see clearly to the AMAZINGNESS in your life without being masked by basic worries and daily to-dos.

It is so easy to get caught up in just maintaining and just doing what we have to do to complete that routine list of to-dos that fill our lives! But ahhh! That is not what this AMAZING life is all about! Ok- on some days it is just the reality, we get that. But we truly believe that there is so much more to this life than just maintaining! The AMAZING Life Escape is an opportunity to “escape” and get back to the goodness of what makes your life AMAZING! We can’t wait to reach for the top of that pyramid along with the other couples who join us!!

Here is a video clip from the More Time for Love Webinar that we did earlier this year where we talked a little bit more about this idea:

There are currently 2 more openings for couples for the AMAZING Life Escape! Previously the escape had been sold out but we have had two couples who are no longer able to join us due to big life things going on for them! ;) (Exciting life things like a new job and pregnancy!!! WAHOOOO!!)! We are super excited for them and I know they would love it if we would to fill their spots with two couples who are looking forward to an Escape!! Hope you can join us! Sign up before the end of the week, and save $351 (random amount, we know ;)), by using discount code AMZESCAPE.

And Learn More Here: The AMAZING Life Escape

A Ski Lodge to Ourselves

Dreaming, Our Dreams  //  5th August 2013

How much fun is this to think about…

What if we had a ski lodge all to ourselves? What if we brought together some AMAZING people to just take a break? Take a break from all of the craziness that fills our to do lists and just have fun. What if we gathered a group of friends together and took a vacation to a magical place that had everything that we could dream of doing and the comfort of doing nothing at all!

These are just a few of our “what ifs” that went through our brains when dreaming of the AMAZING Life Escape! We dreamed of a getaway where we could gather with new and old friends and just be. We craved an opportunity to escape to an AMAZINGly beautiful location and just soak each other in. We wanted the location to have a little bit of everything without making us feel guilty if we wanted to do a little bit of nothing!

The Glen House isn’t actually a ski lodge- but it pretty much is exactly that! ;) It is located at the base of a ski slope right alongside a golf course. The estate has a 20 seat state of the art movie theatre, 2 hot tubs, 8 spa-inspired bathrooms (all with multiple shower heads and body sprays), 3 kitchens, 4 bars, a pool table, multiple fire places (indoor and outdoor) and so much more… which is already more than we can even imagine!

The reality is, it is not likely that we could afford to take a vacation like this by ourselves, but by including friends (new and old) we all can have a dream getaway together! The thought of having the Glen House all to ourselves to do as much or as little as we want just makes our hearts smile! We are dreaming of what we will do when we arrive in November and this place is our little escape. What would you do if you had a ski lodge all to yourself?

Over the next few days, we will be sharing a little more about our plans for the AMAZING Life Escape! We have two spots open for two additional couples to join us for the Escape! If you share in our dreams for a little getaway- you should definitely join us! We would love to have you. Plus, if you sign up this week you can save $351 by using code AMZESCAPE. We can’t wait for you to Escape with us!!!

 

Always Expanding Comfort Zones

Dream Big, Dreaming  //  31st July 2013

Just before leaving the house at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday morning, I did a double take. I had walked past the book I was in the middle of reading and at the last minute decided I should bring it along! I typically always bring books on our travels… however, most of the time I never even pull them out of my bag! Our flights are usually the perfect opportunity for me to cuddle into Ryan’s arm and just let my mind wander!

Saturday morning was a bit different. I was more awake than normal and I was so ready to be in Portland. I was definitely a bit anxious… or maybe excited is the better word? ;)! Let’s just say, letting my mind wander would have just resulted in a very antsy flight!

I pulled out Kevin Hall’s Aspire and opened it to the chapter titled Ollin. Ever since hearing Kevin speak at Showit United earlier this year, I have been looking forward to exploring this word a bit more. I had never heard “ollin” used… but I certainly liked the way it sounded (“all in”)! It pretty much means exactly that… but on Saturday it meant even more. The words on page 195 stood out to me in a way that I never wanted to forget. “…much of what we want and seek in life that is meaningful and significant is just beyond the edge of our comfort zone. If we’re not willing to venture ‘out there,’ we will never find and have all that we truly desire. We will never fulfill our complete purpose.”

As you may have already discovered, Ryan and I are dreamers! ;) We are the kind of people who blurt out “crazy” ideas when they come to our minds and then we find a way to make them happen! Sometimes that is a good thing… well, actually all the time that is a good thing! ;) It doesn’t necessarily make this life easy or without challenges along the way! In fact, very recently we had a life chat… and we found ourselves craving simplicity… as soon as the words came out of our mouths, we knew immediately that we likely would not be as happy or fulfilled if we didn’t do the “crazy” things in our lives.

Our trip to Portland was a long time coming. We had a few months to pull our thoughts together on this “crazy” project and get our minds around what was to come. However, with the extra time to think came extra time to fear and doubt and second guess. Every time those doubts came to mind, we ALWAYS came back to the feeling in our hearts of knowing we are on a mission to fulfill a greater purpose! We have a passion to live this life in a meaningful way. “To reach our goals and dreams, to experience life in full color, to soar to dreamed-of and hoped-for heights, we have to expand our comfort zone.” Reading Kevin Hall’s words reminded me of just how grateful we are to be on an adventure of always expanding comfort zones! ;)

 

AMAZING Marriage Project Documentary

Dreaming, Our Dreams  //  26th July 2013

As I think about what I want to write in this post, I am truly at a loss for words. I went to Pinterest in search of some inspiration for a quote or two on following your dreams. I found many… of course! ;) (Thank you Pinterest!) But with each one, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with everything that I would want to say.

A few months ago, Ryan and I had this crazy idea… The AMAZING Marriage Project. The goal was to photograph 15-25 married couples and learn as much as possible from them about what makes their marriages AMAZING! As the nominations rolled in, we quickly realized that our crazy dream just wasn’t crazy enough. There was more to it, for sure! The stories that many of you shared with us blew us away! They touched our hearts in a special way and we knew they had to be shared with more than “just” photographs! Our passion quickly grew and our dream exploded into something that we see as a mission to touch the hearts of others and hopefully make a big difference in people’s lives! From that very moment where the crazy idea popped into our minds, our dream evolved into a plan to create an AMAZING Marriage Project Documentary.

Ahhhh! CRAZY! ;) We have been talking about it among family and friends over the past few months, but I do not believe we have said it out loud on the Internet! ;) Eeek! That is a big deal, friends! ;) This is a crazy dream for us because we really do not know much about cinematography- let alone the world of documentaries! ;) We have so much to learn and over the last few months we have dove right in! The one thing we do have right off the bat is an amazing amount of passion to make a difference in the lives of others! This dream to touch people’s lives through this documentary is one that we pretty much have not stopped thinking about from day one! And every time the thought goes through our minds, a huge smile fills our hearts!

Along with the excitement, the past few months have reminded us that with crazy dreams also comes crazy fears! Believe me, the fears are incredibly present and it has already not been easy! ;)… and likely will only get harder! lol. One day we have no doubts and then the next, every single possible fear is being thrown at us like ping pong balls in a really bad game of ping pong! (Believe me, without hand-eye coordination, I have been on the receiving end of many of those bad games! ;) lol!) Here’s the exciting thing though… the beauty of dreams is that there is ALWAYS a way! Through every fear and every challenge we face, we can make it happen! (I say this as a reminder to ourselves to always follow that happiness in our hearts and the drive from above.)

On Sunday we have a crazy important meeting that we have been looking forward to for months! ;) We are making our way out to Portland (again) to meet with our AMAZINGly talented friends from Stillmotion! We are praying that this meeting leaves us with even more clarity in our pre-production plan to make this documentary happen!! We will definitely be sharing more details in the near future!!! (especially with all of the AMAZING couples who have been nominated!) We will definitely be seeking your help and encouragement along the way too!! If you are praying friends, we would so appreciate your prayers for safe travels and clarity in knowing our next steps towards making this crazy AMAZING dream a reality! And if prayers are not your thing… maybe you could send positive vibes?!?! ;) Please! ;) We would so appreciate it!

Here’s to making dreams a reality and saying really scary things out loud! ;)

P.S. This is another perfect opportunity to just say Thank You! I know this post has been a little bit all over the place… because honestly, our minds are a little bit all over the place right now! ;) We are excited and scared, but we know you all will be by our sides to help along the way! THANK YOU for always being that support for us! We are so grateful for you!

 

Oaks Waterfront Inn Wedding | Amanda and Bobby’s Love Story

Love, Stories Documented, Wedding  //  25th July 2013

The countdown to their wedding began the very first day they set their date. With 374 days till their wedding day, Amanda and Bobby sat on our couch enjoying some wine and chatting about their love story! We remember hearing about the fun pink and orange details they had planned for their Oaks Waterfront Inn Wedding, but what we remembered most was how clear their love shined through from that very first minute we met them. They have this gentle way of enjoying every single moment of this AMAZING life together… and that was so evident from the very beginning!

Just less than 100 days later, we spent some time with Amanda and Bobby at Veritas Vineyards for their engagement session. Amanda and Bobby share a love for wine and they just happen to have the most AMAZING taste for fun dates. ;) They planned a picnic among the gorgeous vines in the rolling hills of Charlottesville for their engagement session! They introduced us to Veritas and we will forever be grateful! ;) But, here’s the thing… we could have been anywhere… in the middle of nowhere… and Amanda and Bobby’s love would have shined through and made for some pretty awesome engagement photos!!! (Veritas was just the icing on the cake!) We remember driving home from their AMAZING engagement session feeling so incredibly blessed by their love and their presence in our lives!

Fast forward almost 279 days later and I turned to Ryan and said… “I cannot wait for Amanda and Bobby’s wedding.” Seriously, I almost started a countdown just for us! ;) We knew this day meant so much to them and it was such an honor to know that we were the lucky ones to be able to capture it! From the emotional First Look, to the private moment they took for prayer, Amanda and Bobby’s day was certainly one we will never forget!

Amanda and Bobby- you are such an incredibly special blessing in our lives. We are so grateful for the opportunity to celebrate your love and marriage alongside your AMAZING family and friends! What a treat! Thank you for being YOU and being a beautiful reminder to us of the AMAZING gift that marriage is! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs.!

HUGE thanks to all who were there to help make Amanda and Bobby’s wedding day so special! Amanda and Bobby wrapped up our 3-week stretch of weddings at the Oaks Waterfront Inn! ;) We are totally grateful for the opportunity to photograph at such a beautiful venue with a staff that certainly knows how to serve up a great wedding day! ;)

Stationery & All things paper!: Allison Barnhill Designs | Hair & Makeup: Serendipity Salon & Spa | Florist: Seasonal Flowers | Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Oaks Waterfront Inn | Officiant: Reverend Peter Myers, Frederick Church of the Brethren | Ceremony Music & DJ: Hesson Entertainment | Cupcakes: Patisserie Patrice | Bride’s Attire: Brandi Berkheimer, Posh Bridal | Groom & Groomsmen’s Attire: Irv Katz, Jos. A. Bank, http://www.josbank.com/ | Bridesmaid’s Attire: Alfred Angelo |  Wedding Bands: Sergio Rojas, Dominion Jewelers | Bride’s earrings: YOUarewhatyouDREAM, Etsy | Bridesmaids’ necklace: AvaHopeDesigns, Etsy | LOVE banner: LazyCaterpillar, Etsy | Table decorations: VermontBranchCompany and MarvsCars, Etsy | Photography: Liz and Ryan | Photobooth: Liz and Ryan