happily I do...

I love weddings.  wedding shows.  wedding dresses.  wedding flowers.  all things weddings really.  so when two long-time friends say I-do you are ready to travel to the other side of the state to be part of each happy moment.

earlier this month we experienced the beautiful wedding of our friends colin & jayne.  everly got to be a flower girl for the very first time [something I joked she was just about to age out of, and something I always wanted to do, but just never had the chance].  the mr. was a groomsman, and I was the mother of the flower girl, and un-official videographer.

here's a glimpse into the beautiful details of that day...


music:
"we will become silhouettes" - the shins
"anything" - mae

Yosemite National Park [mini film]

Last weekend we attended a gorgeous wedding in Yosemite. My family had never been before, excluding my nature husband of course, so getting to spend the weekend in this beautiful park was really the icing on the cake for this special day.

A few notes:

Yes, we were some of the first to experience the massive name change currently happening in Yosemite. All I have to say is typically I'm on board with branding and trademarks, but this situation is ridiculous.

Yes, my child is technically 'swearing'. That's what happens when toddler parrots listen to every word spoken by the adults around her. Oops. She never said it again after that moment.

Yes, we saw Bridal Falls. And yes, there was a major drop off on the other side of that little stone ledge. And yes, I was pretty much panic ridden that entire experience, especially when it seemed I was the only mom there thinking that death was a plausible situation at that moment in time. Seriously. It was crazy. I was thankful to have some extra hands to keep hold of my little one.

Yes, the wedding was gorgeous. And no, I do not have any ceremony footage. Cranky barefoot exhausted toddler in the Tula stopped that. But the reception is always my favorite. I think the cake cutting was perfection.

Yes, there were tears in the early dances. I mean, come on. Tears.

Yes, we made it to the valley floor on the last day. And yes, Yosemite is the Disneyland of nature. And yes, I may have made several Disneyland references while we were there, including that the "inside the mountain drive-thru tunnel" smelled like a Disney attraction.  And that the Grand Californian Hotel killed the Ahwahnee for me.  Great.

Hope you enjoy...

Yosemite from Lyndsay Lewis on Vimeo.

19/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2016."

in this moment:

right now, in this moment, I'm in love with your love of weddings and love.  you knew that you wanted to wear a sparkly white dress this past weekend while attending a friend's wedding, and we weren't going to stop you.  when asked who you are going to marry, you always reply, "my daddy".  and I melted, in this moment. 

year seven

Today we celebrate seven years of marriage.  Sure, this number may be small still, but when you're 30, seven years is a pretty long time.  I'm so thankful for my little family, and my husband is a pretty big part of that [obviously].  This year has been a challenging one, mostly because we work opposite schedules to make sure our daughter is always with one of her parents, but it has also been one of most rewarding years of marriage.  We put in the work, and the return is pretty great. Thank you to my husband for putting up with my shenanigans, and I'll keep putting up with yours.  And because I've been liking these lately, here are some of my favorite photos of us, all taken by Sarah Maren of Sarah Maren Photography.

today we are off to san francisco to spend some time just the two of us

looking forward to leaving without 'packing' for a day trip

thanks grammie for watching her today, she's pretty excited for her day with you!

celebrating six years of marriage - Alameda Beach

On Monday the family and I packed our car and headed to the Bay Area to escape the 107 degree day, and also to celebrate our upcoming wedding anniversary together.  A few weeks back I had visited Crown Memorial State Beach with my sister and Everly and had been dying to go back ever sense. Swimsuits, Ike's Sandwiches, and sandcastles made for a pretty great afternoon.

Thanks family, this was a great way to celebrate six years of marriage [tomorrow!].  

barns, babies, and a bride & groom

This past weekend we went back to my husband's home town for a family friend's wedding.  I love weddings, understatement.  I love everything about weddings.  I love how each wedding is such a different experience, and this past wedding was simply perfection.  The Mr. grew up in the Central Valley of California where the heart of our agriculture thrives.  This wedding was such a beautiful reflection of this region.  The venue was a pole barn nestled in the center of orange groves and filled with beautiful country decor.  Everything from the rusted wagon wheels, baby's breath filled milk cans, to the claw foot tubs filled with ice and beverages made this wedding inviting, beautiful, and just a really good time.  And the best part, everything was authentic, pulled straight off the dairy and land the family owns and operates.  [I'm just glad I wasn't on the committee responsible for bringing the two claw foot tubs to the venue, talk about dedication and love for the happy couple]

And yes, Everly did make a new best friend while we were at the wedding.  They were having the best time, and must have danced and played together for a good four hours.  Some highlights of the evening included Macie trying to teach Everly how to slow dance, the girls playing with the wedding favors [Slinkys], a way of remembering the groom's father who had recently passed and was known for always giving small toys to those he loved, and Everly even got to meet her first horse.  She even was lucky enough to go on three carriage rides, because let's face it, there was not a shortage of hands willing to take her!  It was a beautiful celebration and I'm so lucky we were there to experience it all!