We got engaged in March, and since we had been together so long already and planned to keep living overseas, but wanted to celebrate with our families (and a variety of other factors that I won’t bore you with) we decided to have a short engagement. The best option for our short notice and the best location for us ended up being in his parents’ backyard in the town of Olympia, Washington, near Seattle, USA. Their “backyard” is gorgeous and borders on a forest!

It was stressful to have such a short engagement–and to be abroad and unable to plan for a large portion of it–but our wedding ended up nearly perfect and it was one of the best days of my life!

Sometimes I wish we’d had a longer engagement–it’s a special time of your life that only happens once, after all–but now that we’ve been married for six months, I’m so happy to be married and could not have imagined a better wedding day if we had waited (except maybe I would have gotten more sleep in the weeks before…or maybe not because I tend to procrastinate anyway!).

Since it was a backyard wedding, that meant that everything had to be brought in, made, ordered, or borrowed. My extremely talented aunt did our flowers–some of them in pumpkins, that is the dream!–and that helped everything tie together. My childhood friend just happened to be starting her wedding photography business so we snapped her up right away. Two more friends sang us down the aisle (we have a lot of talented friends). A good friend of ours was the DJ. Eric’s cousin married us, his mother (Eric’s aunt) and my mother made the soup, a group of my family helped with the food…it really “took a village” as they say and I’m so grateful for everyone who made our day!

Here are some of the details:

^^In lieu of a guest book, we had everyone sign this globe. It turned out even better than I hoped and I will always treasure it!

^^We had everyone help us make a “bucket list,” too :).

^^The cake had to incorporate travel, too, of course!

^^The flowers in the pumpkins! Also, we made these lanterns out of mason jars, candles, and…you won’t believe it…all-natural cat litter made from walnut shells!

^^E and my sister’s fiancé put up the arbor, and my aunt decorated it.

^^The pumpkin aisle!

^^Taking pictures with our bridal party was one of the highlights–I, at least, had a great time! We also took a shot of Becherovka, a Czech liquor, with the whole party after we were married and had walked back down the aisle. We had to bring a little bit of Prague into our wedding!

^^We had two kegs that E’s dad brought out on a tractor. It was a hit and one of the kegs was Pilsner Urquell, of course!

^^E’s sister and I did chalkboard labels for everything, including the program (no paper for us).

^^I was so nervous before the wedding that I ended up doing other makeup as well as my own.

^^One of my favorite details–E’s dad helped me make these signs to show all of the important places to us, and how far they were from our wedding site. We also used to help guests navigate the venue.

^^E’s dad (a talented carpenter and craftsman, by the way) had these extra wine barrels that we borrowed.

^^A friend of the family happened to have a bunch of lights leftover from his wedding, so we paid him to borrow them and help us set them up. We also found hot-air balloon lights that we hung over the wedding party table.

^^Family photos! We collected photos of us and our lives, as well as photos from our parents’ and grandparents’ weddings. We hung them up with twine and clothespins–easy!

^^We gave out mason jars with the guests’ names for drinks and as favors.

^^We had a grilled cheese bar!!! E’s sister designed our menu and a group of his parents’ friends helped us set up a station and make them. They were delicious! Luckily we also were the taste-testers for the menu…best job ever.

^^Handmade road signs to help our guests find their way.

^^We had a photo booth, too. We set up a Polaroid camera, lent to us by our photographer, and a background, and yet another amazing friend made props. It was a fun addition!

Despite all of the DIY–which I am not a fan of–I loved our wedding and our day and most of all, I’m so happy that many of our favorite people were there to help us celebrate!

All photos by my talented friend, Hannah Traver Photography! 

The post October 3, 2015 appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

I definitely have never enjoyed camping more. The beautiful scenery and the opportunity to visit my favorite place always, the beach, certainly helped this become my favorite camping experience in my life, by far!

We spent the first two nights at Sol Duc, a standard camping site in the forest, drove to the Hoh rainforest, possibly the most famous hikes of the park, and spent our last night on the coast at Kalaloch. Near this campground is a charming inn, the Kalaloch Lodge, with a great restaurant and perfect little cliff side cabins. Staying in one of those cabins is now on my list!

The park was fairly busy in the summer, but it was easy to get away from the crowds with a few extra minutes on a hiking trail. The summer we visited was unfortunately a drought summer, so the rainforest was really dry–the moss wasn’t dripping as I expected. It did make it sunnier for our hikes, though, which is always a plus.

Although it is well off the beaten path, the Olympic National Park is worth the trip! It’s often rainy, the beaches are definitely not sunbathing or swimming types (except without a wetsuit–even in August!) but I could live on the quiet coastline and watch the seals play in the waves every night at sunset. We were blessed with three beautiful days, but just so you know, the three weeks after we left were rainy and stormy! However, I think the rain and the storm would make this area even more exotic and mysterious, although slightly more difficult to explore. But hey, just utilize your inner Scout and come prepared!

{Hiking near Hoh rainforest / a tree-lined trail / a mossy phone booth / the river by the trail / a boy and his dad, navigating the logs / squeezing through the logs to find the trail / we passed through Forks so I had to commemorate that, even though I’m no lover of Twilight /  my man / hiking up to a waterfall near Sol Duc / the creek among the trees / I really need to get better at waterfall photos! / pretty, if still slightly blurry / onto the coast! / two minutes from our campsite / by the Kalaloch Lodge / E and his parents / a coffee on the beach, my new favorite thing / more snapshots of the Lodge / take two / a boy and his dad, this time on the beach / so happy for a sunny beach day! / our campsite in the magical beachside forest / always exploring the woods…so fast it’s blurry, ha / the sunset / I only packed sandals for the beach and regretted it! / my handsome sunset date / still gorgeous after the sun disappeared behind clouds}

The post Olympic National Park {USA} appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Although we planned more time in Friday Harbor, we ended up loving Orcas Island much more, although San Juan Island has it’s own charm (and a camel. Seriously. Look it up!).

It has all the charm of the island life found in Friday Harbor, but it’s smaller, prettier and just cuter (not to mention a wee bit less expensive). If you ever make your way to Washington, go out of your way to see Orcas. We were so lucky in the weather, and it made the views just incredible, but the one day it DID rain was very charming, as well! It IS the Pacific Northwest, after all, so be smart and expect rain :).

Read on for some tips! (And, if I ever have that someday wedding, it might end up being on Orcas…so if you’re a diligent reader, I’ll invite ya, and you might NEED these tips!)

IF YOU VISIT…

Stay at the Rosario Inn and Spa, which has lovely grounds and an amazing pool (see the photo below), not to mention the view. It’s not in the main town of Orcas Island (Eastsound) but you will likely have a car on the ferry, so it’s not hard to get to. We took a ferry from Anacortes, Washington, which run regularly to both Orcas Island and San Juan Island (and a few of the smaller islands, as well) and we were so glad we brought our car to best enjoy the island! We saw several others biking around, too, which also would be a great way to explore! (If you don’t mind hills!)

{the view from our lovely room / the grounds at Rosario / the perfect pool}

Eat at this amazing pie shop. We split a mini chicken pot pie and a piece of lemon pie and both were mouth-watering. This is saying a lot, as I am not a pie girl. I especially am not a crust fan, but I made a delicious exception at Passionate for Pies. For breakfast, visit the Island Skillet, and  make sure to try the shrimp/cream cheese/avocado scramble! To. die. for.

Hike at Moran State Park. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Vancouver, Canada. August is a great time to visit the typically rainy island…just look at the pictures below!

{us at the top of the Park / on the way up / look at that view! / apparently you can see all the way up to Vancouver from here! / the lovely forested road of Orcas / from the little building at the top}

Whale watch from one of the many tour boats available on the island. (We took the tour available at the Rosario, but there are many more).  Whale watching has always been a dream of mine, and after several unsuccessful days on San Juan Island attempting to see them, and a day-long kayak tour, we were FINALLY successful off of Orcas. (We saw an elephant seal and sea lions, as well!) Full disclosure: I cried when I saw the whales. That’s supposed to happen when a dream comes true, am I right?

{sunset from the boat! / a very happy dude / I can’t get enough of these views / sea lions! / can you spot the Orca??}

The post Orcas Island, Washington {USA} appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

But, for today, I will share one of my highlights from Christmas with you (straight from my Christmas Bucket List!):

Our day trip to Leavenworth, Washington (state), high up in the Cascade Mountain Range. (Click the link to get all the information you need if YOU want to visit!)

When I first discovered Leavenworth (via a friend’s summer stop and the subsequent Facebook photos), I was enchanted with the idea of a Bavarian mountain village in the United States. While maybe it’s not the same as an ACTUAL Bavarian village, it’s still a fun idea that’s stuck with me since.

As I was spending Christmas in Olympia with E’s family, so it seemed like the opportune time…and when they all wanted to join, so much the better! December is an ideal time (besides the weather) because, like any good Bavarian town, Leavenworth goes all out for the Christmas season.

It ended up being a three-hour drive from Olympia (it’s a bit closer to Seattle, if you’re in the area), which is retrospect is a bit long for a day trip, but I thought it was worth it anyway. (You’d have to ask E and his family if they agree!)

One thing I WOULD be prepared for? It. was. FREEZING. I’m not sure I’ve ever been that cold–and I grew up in Montana, where we would never have snow/cold days, but we’d just stay in at recess when it hit 20 below.

It was around 26 degrees in Leavenworth, but it felt way, way colder. I was definitely freezing all day and for about two days after, so be prepared! I also wasn’t dressed as warmly as I should have been, which I regretted.

Luckily, there was an abundance of eggnog lattes, mulled wine (DELICIOUS!), hot cider, and hot cocoa to keep us warm.

We wandered the adorable town all day, before seeing the Lighting Festival at around 4:30 p.m. After that, we grabbed a cup of soup and hit the road because we were frozen down to our bones.

If you go, they have several weekends in December with the Lighting Festival, which I highly recommend. It’s also very crowded though, so be prepared, and if you can, spend the night so you can wake up to the adorable village! Looking at their website, there is also a Bavarian Icefest in January, and I know they have a Oktoberfest celebration–so there are  reasons to visit year-round! Plus, you can ski in the winter, hike in the summer, and watch what looks like a fabulous 4th of July.

I’m starting to sound like I work for Visit Leavenworth (which I don’t) so here are some of my favorite pictures from the day!

{daytime scenes from the main walking street in town / check out those mountains! / E and his family / the lights after the Ceremony / the two of us, freezing our butts off and wearing mismatched anything to keep us warm!}

<a href=”http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11172111/?claim=gmwyjfzt4cv”>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

The post Leavenworth, Washington: A “Bavarian” Town in {USA} appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

But, I’ve enjoyed our time here in the Pacific Northwest. While it wasn’t as foggy and gloomy as I hoped (I’m probably the only person up here who would ever complain about seeing sun…but when I can’t have a snowy Christmas a little precipitation would be nice!) it’s still been a little rainy and cloudy. We did see fog tonight!

Christmas Eve was spent wrapping presents and making sugar cookies, followed by an evening of authentic Italian at a favored hole-in-the-wall in downtown Olympia (Washington state) and an evening Christmas candlelight service at a local church.

the prettiest hollies!

A reindeer that turned old beyond his years after a failed frosting experiment.

No matter what I believe at any time of my life, there’s nothing that says “Christmas” to me more than lighting a candle in a dark church singing carols.

(I didn’t get any pictures of that…maybe a blogger fail, but I can’t make myself be that person who pulls out her cell phone in church while also holding a candle. although the teenager in front of us was playing Candy Crush the whole service, so…)

Christmas Day we woke up early and unwrapped presents with cinnamon toast and coffee.

my gorgeous cuz from Portland came up to join in the festivities! she clearly stole the show.

everything is blurry when i’m excited.

After the unwrapping extravaganza, we ate a delicious brunch complete with pull-apart monkey bread, which I’ve only ever had at my boyfriend’s but is apparently a thing?

We took a walk around the neighborhood,

played games by the fire, indulged in another great meal, played with our new toys, and just chilled!

his favorite…a GoPro camera!

(E and I did start watching Christmas Vacation and we watched Love Actually today…two traditions I can’t miss ).

It was a great day!

Now, off to pack for the next leg of our trip. I can’t believe our week in Washington is already over!

How was your Christmas? Hope it was wonderful for you and yours!

XOXO.

The post Christmas in Olympia {USA} appeared first on Amy and the Great World.