Less than 24 Hours in Portland, Oregon | Seize the Day

Celebrating the Everyday, Travel  //  10th April 2013

With less than 24 hours in Portland, Oregon, a city that has been on a our must see list for quite a few years, we were so determined to seize the day! We could not wait to take it all in!

Knowing we only had a limited amount of time in the city this trip, we wanted to make sure we hit up the best of the best. We are firm believers when traveling that the only way to make sure you hit up the best spots is to ask the experts (the locals and/or anyone else who has spent some time in the city before!) Both Ryan and I put a message out on Facebook seeking recommendations for the best of the best… and within just a few hours, we had enough suggestions that we could have spent 5 days in Portland and would never have been bored… or gone hungry! ;) I think that says something about the city! ;) It is definitely a MUST SEE!

We embraced the AMAZING suggestions of the “experts,” and decided to seize the very limited time we had in the city! Our 24 hours went a little like this: 

Arriving into Portland around 9:30 p.m., we picked up our rental car and made our way directly to a brewery! We found ourselves surrounded by other traveling friends and locals at Rogue enjoying a flight of beer around 10:00 p.m. on Monday! (As soon as we sat down at the “cell phone free” bar, we heard someone behind us say, “Go Orioles!” We met a few new friends who were also visiting from the Baltimore and Central PA areas!! Small world, for sure!) After some beer and a few tasty snacks, we decided to embrace the late night with non other than VooDoo Doughnuts… by far the most highly recommended location to visit! ;) At 12:00 a.m…. who doesn’t want a doughnut to go along with the beer? This place was CRAZY… seriously, I never could have imagined a doughnut with so many different toppings! They all looked AMAZING… but we decided to go with one that had oreos and peanut butter on top and another with chocolate and rice crispys! Yes… they absolutely met the hype! ;) So so so tasty and the perfect way to end our first evening in Portland!… and start off the next morning too!

As mentioned in our post on Monday, we have decided to make “happiness is a journey, not a destination,” our theme for the month! (or, well, every day of our lives!!) As we started our stroll through Portland, we took some time to just soak in the beauty! The luscious green grass and the beautiful old trees within the city! Seriously, who knew that green grass and old trees could leave such a lasting impression on our hearts?!! They definitely did in Portland!

 

 

 

Next stop… Stumptown Coffee and the Ace Hotel! Ohh my goodness! Yes, the coffee is AMAZING! However, hanging out in the lobby of the Ace Hotel was pretty darn awesome too! ;) As we got the work done that we needed for the day, we were surrounded by locals who were having business meetings or just decided to make the Ace Hotel lobby their place to work for the day! The hotel had so much character and charm that made us feel right at home!

 

Ok, Portland DOES Food Trucks! ;) (Or Food Carts as they call them!) Literally, 2 city blocks dedicated to these carts that represent any type of ethnic food you could possibly imagine! As the lines started to back up, we knew that this was definitely our stop for lunch! The many options were a little overwhelming…. ;)… but that just means we have another reason to go back and visit another time!! ;)

 

We wandered through the streets of Portland and made our way down to the waterfront area! So gorgeous! And again… that green grass!!

Just before checking out the new home of Stillmotion and meeting up with our friend Amina for a SUPER fun meeting that set our hearts on fire (I am sure we will share more on this fun in another post!!), we found ourselves with just enough time to try out another brewery! ;) Why not!?! ;) The first one we came across… Cascade, which just so happens to specialize in sour beer. I don’t know much about beer, let alone sour beer, so that was every reason to check it out and learn more!! Definitely not something I could drink a full glass of because of their crazy bold flavors, but the sour beers we tried in the sampler glasses were pretty tasty!

We had our super fun meeting with Amina and then made our way up to the Nob Hill area of Portland. This was a neighborhood that everyone was recommending we had to check out for the cute shops and the AMAZING food! (people know us pretty well, huh!?) As soon as we turned the corner onto NW 23rd Ave, we knew this was going to be our favorite! ;) The little shops are adorable and the food was seriously some of the best we have ever had!!!!

We went to Papa Haydns’s for some desserts to bring to our friends Karen and Isaac and then made our way to Salt and Straw for THE BEST ice cream and ice cream experience we have ever had! We definitely like our ice cream and have found ourselves at quite a few creameries along our travels, however there was nothing quite like this experience! I am not sure I can even describe it! But, if you are in the Portland area… this is our definitely do not go home without visiting place!!! After sampling about 6 different ice creams with our friend Ada, who had so much excitement for introducing the favorites to us, she recommended we try the Ice Cream flight so that we could have a more substantial tasting of a few others! YES, please!!! The flavors in these ice creams were inspired and sourced locally (LOVE THAT) and were seriously put together like a piece of art! So so so good! Definitely go check it out!

Salt and Straw was like the icing on the cake… Papa Haydn’s AMAZING cake! ;) It was the perfect way to finish up our less than 24 hours in Portland!

We definitely will find ourselves back here sooner rather than later! Honestly, even just for the Salt and Straw experience! ;) Everyone that we ran into throughout the day was so excited to welcome us to their city and learn why we came all the way from Baltimore to visit! ;)

This trip was such the perfect reminder to Seize the Day and embrace the happiness that comes along with it! I have a feeling we will be planning ore trips like this… last minute and leaving it up to the “experts” in our lives to guide us to the best of the best! They definitely did not lead us astray this time!! Thanks so much to everyone who offered their suggestions and gave us the perfect tour of Portland, OR! We can’t wait to come back soon!

Making Time for Date Nights

Date Nights, Life in Love  //  8th April 2013

Last week I wrote on our “BIG To Do List” that Saturday was going to be a Day OFF for us. A day off rarely happens. Very rarely! But when we actually write “Day OFF,” that means we have no excuse not to make that happen!

We had a crazy list of activities on our schedule for the week, but we were determined to make sure we took a day for ourselves. In fact, we decided to kick that day off right a night early with a Date Night on Friday night! We are celebrating life, my friends! ;) We got all dressed up and went out for a fun dinner together! We chatted about life and our dreams… and although “work” is heavily intertwined with our lives, we found ourselves smiling and laughing and enjoying every moment of this journey!

Earlier in the week I had an AMAZING conversation with my friend, Jenna, where we referenced one of my favorite quotes: “happiness is a journey, not a destination” – Souza. It was the perfect reminder to soak every single moment in and remember that happiness isn’t somewhere someday… happiness is today, living in this moment and celebrating this special life together!

We continued the weekend with that quote in our minds! ;) As we put the finishing touches on the Date Night Guide and Breakfast in Bed Guide that will be included as a special giveaway to everyone who purchases the AMAZING Life Together Webinar Recordings, we made sure to enjoy the journey! ;) We had a blast creating the Guides and we can’t wait to share them with others!

Learn how to make this AMAZING Banana Nutella Stuffed French Toast in our Breakfast in Bed Guide.

Learn how to make these surprisingly easy but extremely decadent Chocolate-Strawberry Soufflés in our Date Night Guide.

This weekend, mixed with work, fun, a day OFF, date nights, and AMAZING life conversations, was the perfect way for us to prepare for an adventurous couple of weeks ahead! We are getting ready to travel to each Love Inspirer’s home to interview them for the Webinar! As we pack our suitcase, we are so excited and passionate about enjoying this journey! We are so inspired to think that this journey and the messages the Love Inspirers are about to share have the AMAZING opportunity to touch the lives of so many couples!

The best part about it is that you also have the opportunity to touch the lives of special couples in your life just by encouraging them to take some time out of their busy schedule to tune into the webinar! Encourage them to mark Date Night and Breakfast in Bed on their calendar for April 26-27th and make it a priority to spend More Time for Love! We are firm believers that we all have a little something that we can learn from other couples… but at the very least, the webinar is a perfect excuse for couples to take a few hours out of their day to spend together… that is pretty much AMAZING!

We would love for you to help us spread the word about the webinar! It is super easy to sign up at http://www.amazinglifetogether.com. Each week leading up to the Live webinar, we are giving away a recording… complete with the special giveaways of the Date Night Guide, Breakfast in Bed Guide, and the Amazing Life Together eBook… to someone who shares the details of the webinar with their friends! The details for this chance to win will be sent to you directly after signing up for the webinar! The first winner of the recording and all of the goodies is Alison Mish! Wahooo! Thanks Alison for helping us spread the word and for making a difference in the lives of other couples in your life! LOVE THAT!

Have an AMAZING week, friends! And definitely don’t forget that happiness is a journey, not a destination!

 

Cheers to true friends

Celebrating the Everyday  //  5th April 2013

It’s Friday! WAHOOO! Actually it’s ORANGE Friday because the Orioles have their home opener today! That definitely means that the warm weather is coming and it is time to celebrate!! ;) As we celebrate the start to what we hope is an AMAZING weekend for everyone, we want to also celebrate true friendships! ;)

True friends are the ones that will accept you no matter what.
True friends are the ones that will defend your honor.
True friends are the ones that send you boxes of chocolate covered strawberry roses when things get tough.
True friends are the ones that will drop everything and be at your doorstep in moments of need (and with your favorite cupcakes in hand… whoa! ;) AMAZING!).
True friends are the ones that pick up the phone and call you just to say they love you.
True friends are the ones that just know exactly when to send that text message.
True friends are the ones that you laugh with until your cheeks hurt and have happy tears coming out of your eyes.
True friends are the ones that make life worthwhile.
True friends are the ones that love you no matter what.

We are so grateful to have so many true friends. Thank you for always encouraging, always pushing, and always believing.

Cheers to an AMAZING weekend and true friendships.

We’d love to hear what true friendships mean to you! Leave us a comment that starts with “True friends are the ones that ….” Then, go tell those true friends how important they are to you!

Snowy Upstate New York Cabin Engagement Photo Session

Engagement, Love, Stories Documented  //  4th April 2013

Before we even started this snowy upstate New York cabin engagement photo session, Tom promised us this was going to be the most fun we have ever had. To be honest, I had no doubt; we were in for a treat!

Tom & Laura and Ryan & I actually go “way back” to my first year at Bucknell. Tom and I lived on the same hall and Laura was on the next hall over. Within just a few hours of being on campus, we all pretty much were inseparable! For the longest time, we knew Tom and Laura had a “thing” going on, but it wasn’t until the start of the second semester that it “secretly” became the real deal. ;) They did a pretty good job of hiding it for awhile! In fact, fast-forward 9 years and I just found out last week that they “almost” shared their first kiss in my backyard! ;)

Spending the weekend with Tom and Laura at Laura’s family’s cabin in upstate NY for their engagement session took us right back to the days of hanging out in Smith 2C & 2D. We reminisced about the good ole’ days, but in the strangest ways we felt like we were right back in our dorm rooms having the time of our lives! Between the snowball fight, the grocery store run (buying way too much food- typical for us), and building a fire in the CRAZY cold, we laughed until our cheeks hurt! ;)

Tom and Laura… this was, in fact, SO MUCH FUN! We had a blast celebrating your love and capturing your AMAZINGly FUN relationship! We love you guys and are so incredibly honored and excited to be a part of your wedding! Thank you for introducing us to mountain pies and taking us right back to those days on 2C & 2D and loving every minute of it!

Live Everyday and Do Everything with Love

Dream Big, Dreaming  //  3rd April 2013

What if we could end the divorce rate? What if we were able to help couples live a more amazing life together? What if we could help couples have the same joy they had on their wedding day, every single day in their marriage?

At first these all seem like crazy ideas and dreams that we couldn’t possibly hope to accomplish. People have told us, “you’ve only be married 5 years, what do you know about the struggles of marriage” or “What makes you an expert on marriage?” The truth is nothing makes us an expert on marriage. And sure, our first 5 years of marriage have been pretty darn AMAZING. But the fact is, no matter what other people say about us, or our “lack of experience” none of it can affect our passion to help couples have a more amazing life together!

What is the chance that we can end the divorce rate? Absolutely zero if we don’t do anything!

In the wedding photography industry, and within the larger wedding industry in general, people are so excited and eager to give advice for an amazing wedding. There are countless blogs and magazines that share ideas from how to pick the perfect photographer to how to decorate your reception tables. Unfortunately, the thing that is not always at the forefront is how to actually prepare to be married to each other. It is actually difficult to find resources or inspiration for couples to help them stay in love as much as they are when they say, “I do.”

In business, people are quick to sign up for workshops, conferences and seminars. But in life, we often don’t see the need to commit to the same sort of investment. As Kid President would say, “This is your life, people!”

With all of these thoughts in our mind, we decided to do something. We decided that even if we can help one couple have a better marriage or one couple take time out of their busy week for a date night, then all our efforts would be worthwhile.

We sat together and talked about our passions. We talked about our business and our life together. We asked ourselves if there was one thing in our life that we could do that was truly worthwhile, one thing that we would be willing to give up everything for, one thing we would be willing to take criticism on, what would it be and would we still do it? The answer to this question was yes! That one thing we would do was to help couples live a more amazing life together.

As photographers, we have the amazing opportunity to work with couples that are in love, to capture that love in photos for generations to see 50 years from now. Each time we pick up our camera and photograph our couples, our goal is to create images that let their love shine through. But, in addition to photographing weddings and love, we have the opportunity to do so much more.

For the past month, these thoughts have been at the forefront of our mind. So we decided to take action. We decided to create a webinar for couples that gives them an excuse to take time to focus on each other, a time to have a date night, or cuddle together and enjoy breakfast in bed. We decided to create a webinar that focused on couples, love and marriage. But, we knew we shouldn’t do it alone. We knew that if we included other couples, other love inspirers with similar hearts, that we would be able to reach the lives of so many more! And it is for those reasons that we decided to create the AMAZING Life Together More Time for Love Webinar.

If you are a couple in love, planning your wedding, married for 6 months or 60 years, we would love to have you join us for free on April 26th – 27th.

Every couple has a story to be shared; every couple can learn from others experiences even if it is a simple reminder of how great their own marriage is already!

Since we launched our site http://www.amazinglifetogether.com we have received some amazing feedback on what we are doing! But, we have also seen criticism and been ridiculed as well. When I started writing this post today, my original thought was to address these criticisms, but then I realized, no matter what, “haters are gonna hate.” So, instead of worrying about people trying to bring us down, we are going to focus on lifting others up. Each day we have the opportunity to choose our own actions. Today and everyday, no matter what it is that we do, we are going to live everyday and do everything with love. How will you spend your day today?