happerly ever after

moved!

if you're still following this little blog here, make sure you change all your URLs to the new one! 
happerlyeverafter.com should re-direct you, but juuuust in case, here it is!

http://theentrancecollective.com/this-is-us


hope to see you there!

growing up.

I've been in this place for a while & I've spent many days perusing old pages, reading about the life that I've shared throughout this space, thinking, thinking & thinking..
Some days I come here thinking 'let's do this! I've got tons to say & keep up with!' and others [read: most] I sit down thinking 'what in the world am I doing..this is so not me..'. Or I just don't want to spend my time uploading photos one at a time..it's so time consuming. So I just don't upload any at all.

It's been a lot of back and forth in my head & finally while being in Canada over the last week in June, my sister said to me 'when I open up your blog I like it, but I don't see you.' & it all finally clicked. Everything I'd been feeling was put into words. I sit down to write & think about everyone else & who would read this & what I should show, how much, how little, should this be a series? what is a series? what is any of this.. & of course a million other things... but I never write for me. 



I journal almost every day. It's my place to just unload & regroup, and when I started this blog, that's what I was aiming to do. Post pictures of life [so my family/friends could see], write about day to day things, and just think. I so quickly got caught up in everything I thought this space should be, and left me on the sidelines.

Yes, I have brief moments of 'that post just felt good. It felt like me.' but those are so rare that I can't justify this anymore. I worry about how many days it's been since I've posted & I find myself taking pictures that 'would work for the blog' instead of ones that would 'work for my life.' 

I read other blogs & feel like I know the person writing. I love that.
But I read my blog & feel like I don't even know 'myself'. 



Nate & I have a couple things on the horizon, & I definitely don't want to stop sharing our photos all in one place. But there are just things that are going to change. The first being the destination. This page will be coming from our website instead of standing alone. It will be our story again, [afterall it is called HAPPERlyeverafter..] and it will be filled with our days, our travels & sometimes just photos.
Because that's how we speak.

So everything will change; it will be our story, our life, our inspiration. There won't always be the DIY stuff. We may share what we make & what we are working on, the behind the scenes of our business & our life. It will be more than the clothes we wear & the food we cook. It will be our place to share our life, for you & our clients to see. It will be our place to share who we are as people & to see what makes us tick, what inspires us & show where we are headed.
& it's going to look a lot different. 

You won't have to click anything different as www.happerlyeverafter.com will continue to exist. Visually it will just look less frou-frou frilly. 
Thanks for always reading what I have to say, & thanks for taking this journey with us. 

Hope to see you around.

Hawaii | Big Island | Day Two

I think my favorite thing about the Big Island was the variety of landscape. We drove through desert, swam in the ocean, saw lush green trees & of course observed the volcano. There was so much to see [but it involved a lot of driving...] and I never really got bored looking out the window at the ever-changing scenery. 

Day two was a really great one, & a really lame day too. We went to this outrageously goregous beach [duh. they all are.] and I loved swimming around looking at all the fish & coral. It was so clear! As I began swimming back into shore I kicked what I thought was a rock, only to find out it was a sea urchin. So there I sat on the shore with a throbbing toe & about 15 little sea urchin spines sticking out of my foot. Definitely not my favorite moment of the trip. I spent the rest of the day soaking my foot & trying to get better.
Luckily we had enough time to go meet everyone for dinner & catch a stunning sunset [again..it's because every sunset is perfect..] 








Seriously though, that sunset...
In more current events, we are in Honolulu for two nights & then we head to Canada for a wedding. I'm so refreshed & ready to take on the summer! 

Related articles

Hawaii | Kona

one year since...

a fast paced weekend

Hawaii | Kona

Nate & I flew from LA to Maui for an overnight layover & then took a quick flight to the island of Kona. When I say quick I mean we literally were up in the air for 16 minutes. But man, it was a beautiful 16 minutes. 
We have only one more day here before we move on, but it has been so great being with family & hanging out with all our nephews. The other night I sat on the couch & talked to our oldest nephew about the dinosaurs & volcanos for probably 15 minutes. His imagination is something else & I just love those little moments where I get a sneek into his brain.
We are staying on the big island, which is basically made up of a giant volcano, old volcanic rock & more green than I can even comprehend. Driving on the highway and just seeing black rock for miles & miles is a pretty incredible experience though..


Trying out the famous Kona Mountain Coffee Company

Teva Triplets
Our coconut friend.
The twins drank almost the whole coconut between them!
It's a pretty surreal feeling, driving & not knowing where the ocean meets the sky..


We spent most of the day at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. We had a picnic, walked out onto the rocks & through the Place of Refuge [a self guided tour through some historical points]. It was right beside a rock beach that was full of people swimming & snorkeling!



All together we had a great day full of lots of sun [too much for me...] and some beautiful scenery.

Related articles

one year since...

dates in the city.

where all my dreams came true.

it's the freakin' weekend

Explore : DTLA | Hollywood Hills

Day two we started off by going to Downtown LA. We walked around & saw some really cool areas.
The Walt Disney Concert Hall was definitely a stunning building & next time I'd love to go inside. We walked around, got some incredibly delicious egg sandwhices, went into a giant bookstore, and then headed down to the arts district. Out of all the places we visited in LA, this was the area I felt most comfortable, and could see myself living there [not that it's something I plan on doing...] We finished the day by heading up to the hills & driving through the windy streets was really fun. They are tiny, and curvy, and full of cars & humans. 

[Walt Disney Concert Hall]

[Grand Central Market || Eggslut] the BEST Egg Sandwhich I've ever had. Legit.

[Handsome Coffee Roasters]   Very different coffee from any other place I've been, but still very great. Also in a really really great area & it has sweet vibes.

[The Pie Hole] I mean. It's pie. I had the earl grey, but I suggest the mac & cheese for savory & the nectarine for sweet!

[Alchemy Works] Great shop. Great employees. Warby Paker section. 

[LA Arts District] Just a great place to wander, so many great locals, shops to pop into & great food.

[BlackTop Coffee]



Being in the Hollywood Hills was so much fun, but it's a reoccuring theme in my life to go to places I see in the movies & be a little bit disappointed. Moral of the story, the movies are full of lies. & the Hollywood sign is cool, but..it's just a sign :)


Our friends also got new kitties just before we arrived & they are so tiny & cute. So obvs we had to take some family photos! Meet Sonic & Boom. 

In more recent news, we made it to Hawaii & are loving. life.
Hope you have a great Monday! 

Explore : Venice Beach | Santa Monica

Nate & I are in LOVE with the West Coast! It's so beautiful, the weather is pretty close to perfect [other than the sunburn I currently have...] and there is so much to do! Our great friends Shawn & Jes have taken us in & showed us the sights. The first day we explored Venice Beach & Santa Monica. I just cannot believe how much I love it here & I'm so thankful we have friends that take us out to explore this beautiful city!


[Venice Beach Skate Park]
[This was a random & really great find!]

Deus---


Santa Monica was probably the highlight of my day. It was so dreamy & going on the ferris wheel was so stunning. Nothing like getting up in the air to look over the ocean. For $6 it was a great purchase & it was a very long ride! I highly suggest it! We also went into the arcade on the pier & had so much fun. I'm not much of a game player, but I played some [us girls won the foosball game! holla!!] & we just has a blast.
Of course after being out in the sun for a ridiculous amount of time we all got a bit crispy, but it was such a good day! 
Check out my vsco grid for some more iphone snaps & cool places we checked out!

p.s. Lemonade is a freakin legit place. They let you taste test everything & the macarons are ridiculous. I suggest the Truffle Mac & Cheese, Blood Orange Lemonade & finishing off by sharing a macaron!

Sunsets & Shadows

On Sunday night Nate & I were shooting some engagment photos.
We arrived a bit early and the lighting & location was too perfect to pass up. 

Hope you had a great Wednesday! We have one more day in LA, but we are loving it so far! Follow along on our journey on instagram!

Finding Inspiration & Supporting Each Other.

Well, tomorrow we're off on a three week trip. I posted our travel schedule here, just in case you missed it. 
I'm so excited to go and take some amazing photos & hang out with some great friends. I'm sad to leave for three weeks, but it's good to know we'll come back & summer will be in full swing. 

We've had a pretty consistant work schedule for the last two weeks of being home, which is pretty great. I'm so thankful for all the work we've gotten & the people we've met along the way. I love the community of creatives we've found here in Kansas City. When we go out to take photos around the city, we see various photographers, studios & creative agencies working hard & it's so freeing to be able to cheer them on. This Friday our friend opened up a new studio and just hanging out there, seeing their business growing & changing, is so inspiring.





All of this got me thinking about the people in my life that I choose to support. & more importantly, the ones who have chosen to support me. No matter what someone is doing & where they are going, make the choice to support them in their ventures. To cheer them on & truly believe in what they are doing. Being around friends & people you support [or being on skype with them] can be one of the most inspiring things. I love talking & dreaming about the future. I choose to have those conversations with people who say 'go for it.' It's one of the things Nate has taught me to do so well. Think beyond tomorrow. Dream bigger for the future.
Focus on building relationships with people. Focus on caring about them & what's happening in their life. Encourage them, do the journey with them, help them when they need it & always remind them why they started in the first place. 

That's where I find my inspiration. 
Where do you find yours?

Travel Schedule

If you or anyone you know needs photos, holla & we will hook you up!! 
Check out our business website here!

A Day in Miami

When we were back in Florida last week to see my good friends' baby boy, we had a day to go downtown to some of our favorite spots! For us, a trip to Miami automatically means a stop in Wynwood. We love the art culture down there & the variety of people. 



jugo fresh. it's a commitment, but it's delicious. & i suggest asking for their taste tests :)

wynwood walls. art & grafitti. on walls. 

finished up with an old fave.