Hop picking with Twisted Pine Brewery  and friends at Niwot Hop Farm

Hiking Table Mountain in Golden, Colorado 
<scenic views, flowers, friends, and yoga poses>
"Wenes-date!"

Some pictures of a July trip to see our friends in Austin, TX. 

So excited to see all these awesome people again in January! 

It's easy to miss the beach and the always-warm-weather of Florida in these recent snow storms. It's also to easy to miss seafood in a land locked state during, well, all times of the year...

Kay and I got to take a break from our mild* winter and put on our flip flops! At the end of February we traveled to FL for our friend Amber and Jared's gorgeous beach wedding. The wedding was located in my hometown, so it was a perfect excuse for a much needed vacation.

I took advantage of the eating all the Cuban, seafood, and Italian Publix subs I could get my hands on. Frolicked on the beach. Relaxed outside in the sunshine. Danced our butts off at wedding! Caught up with old friends. Drank FL beer (Cigar City, I miss you!). And spent quality time with my family and pup.

It was wonderful and I wish I could have stayed longer to see more of my friends (and eat more fish, dang it!)

*everyone keeps saying that this has been a "mild winter" ...I wish they'd stop saying that. It's enough wintery for me.

On January 1st, while having friends in town for the New Year, we went on our first obligatory hike in Chautauqua and little did I know we were there to scout out a place for Kay to propose the next day! 
We took the short hike, I snapped some pictures of our friends, and we talked about how it would be great to grab some food and find a place that we could have brunch with a view the next day. (Blog post of that day here)
The next morning, January 2nd,  I got up early to catch a yoga class with the ladies (which I wound up missing because I was not fast enough to get ready, so I went back to bed) and Kay went to meet up with the boys to get food (and call my family for permission to marry me) while I continued to sleep in. 
We eventually rounded up everyone and met up at the Chautauqua trail head, where I was still clueless about what was going to happen. We hiked up and Kay got a phone call that he had to answer, Kay urged us to leave him behind and that he would catch up to us, later saying it was his uncle Klaus in Germany, "…wishing us a Happy New Year." 
We could not find the picnic table that we thought would be on the trail so we settled for an off-the-trail open space under some trees and a beautiful view of Boulder. We opened our Snarf subs and chowed down as we popped champagne and poured the bubbly into throwaway plastic flutes. And with nowhere to sit in the snow, and only one blanket, we gathered into a circle and finally made a toast. Kay led the toast talking about how he was happy that all of his best friends could be together again. He talked about how these friends were family to him, especially because his family is so far away in Germany. I have to be honest, at this point I remember thinking maybe Kay had been drinking too much because I was confused to why he was making such a long speech and he hadn't even mentioned me being there! haha. WELL… he then said "…which brings me to you… I love you and you are the most important person in my life…" --gets down on one knee-- "…WILL YOU MARRY ME?" I don't think I remember the whole speech because I was in such shock. 
With my hands full (and probably a mouth full of Snarf) I had to throw everything on the ground and finally say YES (after a few mins of complete shock and hysterical laughing/crying). 
He then tells me that he had been trying to get ahold of my dad for permission to marry me. My dad of course was in Pennsylvania, in the mountains, with no cell service. So Kay asked my mom for permission first and she happily gave him permission and some phone numbers to try and reach my dad. Well, that phone call while heading up the mountain was actually my dad finally getting back to Kay. It was definitely perfect timing. And it really meant so much to me that he talked to my parents first. 

Kay and I could not be happier. We are overjoyed by the love that our friends and family have been sending our way. And man, I cannot stop staring at this sparkly thing on my finger. Can this fuzzy feeling please never wear off?

6 years & 10 months to the day, we are engaged!

If you are wondering about a wedding date? We are thinking possibly Fall 2016. 

I had such a fun New Years with new friends and old. We rung in 2015 by wandering Pearl Street, dancing at Shine, and singing along to John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Road with a pretty talented street performer. 


January 1st has been beautiful. Today we went on a short hike to the Flat Irons with friends and the view was absolutely breathtaking. I think I really love photographing the snow… and I think I really don't love driving in it! ;)