mckevin ties the knot! // NASHVILLE, TN

just a little throwback because my posterity needs to know this! this needs to be on the internet! this was the wedding of the year + the south will rise again!

it was no secret that i was so excited for nashville. not only do i love weddings but two of my favorite people were getting married AND i got to see the south + pretend to be connie britton a la rayna james for like, a week straight. i. was. pumped.

we flew in on monday night + stayed at a house outside of nashville. there was a walking trail that ran alongside the cumberland river + it made for the most beautiful morning walks. actually i am making this sound too romantic. it was beautiful but i partially feared for my life a few times + got lost like, every day. also there was a turtle! that was cool. 

jeff + i explored nashville the next day. i texted me friend alaina (hi alaina!) who goes to belmont(!!!!) for a list of things i needed to see + we tried to hit everything up. we went to music row + honky tonk central + the country music hall of fame + some park. the parthenon? in nashville? that feels right. at one point it started pouring rain + it was all so very 'sweet home alabama' (also known as the most underrated movie ever).

the kofords were the best hosts. they took us to the grand ole opry (!!!!!!) where we watched thomas rhett play + i almost cried out of sheer excitement. it was amazing. nashville is so cool. they danced + clapped + totally put up with my squeals. the next day we went to pizza + the yummiest ice cream place with their family again. they were so, so nice + so, so cool. kenna! your family! the best! also they're not in this picture because they were being super nice people + grabbing our tickets while i insisted on this photo opp. i am the actual worst.

my calendar is all messed up but there was also a welcome party? and the yummiest cake i have ever tasted? and at one point we went to a museum + painted + an aquarium? also we had a dance lesson? this is all a blur.

and then the wedding!!!!!!

i don't care that this is lengthy because the wedding!

it was the most gorgeous day + mckenna looked so pretty + all the flowers were so good + the food was amazing + they had the best band ever + it was just. so. fun. like, not kidding. we danced all night long + everyone was majorly sweating from all the partying + i could talk about it all day long. wedding of the freakin' year. also the ring ceremony! in my mind there was a harpist? is this true? it was like, angelic + the pictures are so good. fifteen thousand thumbs up.

three months later but congratulations to kenna + kevin + THANK YOU for the best time in nashville! ...nashville, nashville, nashville. i could talk about it all day.

also thank you to the stapletons for housing me + feeding me + putting up with the fact that i was unexplainably soooooo tired all. the. time. (...i could actually be on i didn't know i was pregnant. more on this later)

I LOVE YOU LIKE THE 4th of JULY //

the fourth of july is seriously one of my favorite holidays.
summer + BBQ + fireworks = gold.

this year we celebrated at home in utah. i seriously love utah for the fourth. so many parades + fireworks + activities. ALL THE ACTIVITIES! ALL THE BBQ! GOD BLESS AMERICA!

on the third, we went to an outdoor concert + carnival on center street in provo. we stayed for like, thirty minutes because my stomach was hurting (story. of. my. life.) but! it was a great thirty minutes. hahah. when we went to bed that night, i told jeff that we had to live it up the next day because we were so lame all day.
(like. seriously. so lame. my sister came over + we thought about organizing my closet then just watched four episodes of pretty little liars instead)

so the fourth! we woke up early to go on a morning walk/jog/...walk + scope out the parade. we ended up staying uncomfortably long just watching the parade participants trying not to die from heat stroke. WHY don't the band kids have a summer uniform? give those kids some shorts! poor tuba maestro.

 

(jeff's new shirt he bought at the carnival, ha!)

i entitle this series : brooke slowly dies from heat stroke / too many pictures / feigned enthusiasm. 

THEN we went home, napped, ate fistfuls of cherries + headed off to the beloved bentley's home. 

jeff went golfing with the guys while the ladies (+ matt) stayed back + chatted. also i chopped some lettuce so, there's that. when they got back we ate the most d e l i s h dinner of homemade potato salad, burgers, hot dogs, homemade salsa + corn. HEAVEN. thank you, kk!

we ended the night with some charades/heads-up, fireworks + ice cream treats. we just sat on the driveway + oogled the neighbor's firework show. 

THAT BEARD THOUGH.

THANKS SO MUCH for having us, bentley family! 

and a happy fifth of july to y'all! 

little snippets // june

- - - - - - -
just a little catch up from june :
jeff is currently mostly unemployed + taking online classes + i shoot engagements in the evening/weddings on the weekend so we have had l o t s of time together this summer. we are very aware that our situation right now is totally unrealistic but when else will we get to be bums together? riiiiiiight?
right. sure. who's hiring?
onwards!

we have been living at the spanish fork reservoir this summer. it's this teensy man-made lake? pond? pool? up spanish fork canyon + we have made it there at least twice a week this summer. bonus points : there is a sonic on the way(!!!). 

paige moved here! she is going to byu for summer term then transferring to byu idaho so i am soaking up all the time i can get with her. also my mama came to town + we shopped + ikea'd + had the inaugural hokulia of the summer. extra li hing mui, please! with mama time comes lots of grandma time which is my favorite time. i love that spunky lady! i also love that her apartment is fifteen minutes from the SLC temple so i can pop in on a wedding break + watch hgtv/eat all her food/wear her muumuu/nap. hehehe.

NIKKI WENT THROUGH THE TEMPLE!! it was such an awesome experience. 

i am so proud of this lifelong buddy of mine + am continually impressed by how she just. keeps. progressing. mushy gushy. the end. 

we also got a little more lake time in idaho! if you know me, you know the lake is my happiest place so i was in heaven. also i can't stop buying hats...particularly hats from walmart with dumb sayings. sue me.

bye, june! 

balloon fest with paigey //

yesterday morning we woke up at the wee hour of six a.m. to go watch the balloon launch.

to be perfectly honest, we mostly just went in hopes michelle money would be there. ha. 

she said she was going on her snapchat + alarms were set immediately following.

twins!!!! also that lady remained looking into my camera the. whole. time. 

hi lady! 

anyways, she wasn't there. cody wasn't either. it's fine. we're fine.
balloons were there though! and mcdonalds was right next door. small victories.

utah in the summer is the knees, you guys!
(the knees? i don't know? let's roll with it?)

summer highlights : PAIGE in CA.

Sometimes I kick myself for not keeping a better record of my life. Like, seriously. I fear that my great great grandchildren will only have an exhausting amount of selfies and thirteen poor journal attempts to remember me by. And maybe my bikini modeling legacy. It's fine. Anyways, happy things that I haven't made record of : ready, go!

My sister came to California for the month of July. She came at the perfect time. My lone quests to the beach were becoming slightly lonely + the workers at McDonalds started to know my name + order (large Diet Dr. Pepper in a styrofoam cup + a small ice cream, please!). In other words, Paige saved the day! 

highlights // to be remembered : 
+ s'mores every. single. night.
+ night swims in the pool + attempts at cheerleading. GO CATS.
+ hiking lido trail.
+ far too many banzai bowls.
+ dinner at strands. though it was gross. pick up stix is not my favers.
+ blueberry cake donuts at the beach.
+ trip to beverly hills // l.a. temple // runyon canyon.
+ fourth of july.
+ diet cokes + almond joy creamer.
+ irvine spectrum.
+ wood ranch sister wife date with jeff.
+ caffeine.
+ sugar.
+ food comas.
+ hiking saddleback with avery + blake.
+ sister time(!!!!!).

seaYEAH!ttle.

- - - - - -

going way back in time...

when our josh and rachel friends threw around the idea of seattle? in august? we jumped and clung on to it like a cat? do cats jump and cling on to things? we invited ourselves + plopped down our money for a hotel + you can't get out of this nooooow! 

and nearly a whole month later, i am still so glad that we clung on to that idea. it was so much fun! and also, that hotel was probably non-refundable? and can anyone think of a better metaphor for our unrelenting ways?

now here's seattle in pictures. lots of 'em!

// on the left, we have our fearless tour guide josh. we love our josh! he put up with my high maintenance travel requests like 'moderately healthy dinners' + a treat to follow (it's all about counterbalance, people) + a required nap time. because traveling is tiring. 

// wrong crowd? 

// sad panda man. kind of breaks your heart, no? 

// oooooh! the colors of the market...and that's all my commentary. but also, there were these really delicious mini donuts that jeff devoured both mornings that we were in the whereabouts of pike's place. they were overpriced. but jeff who is normally temperate in all that he does requested them twice for breakfast! that is something, no?!

// dudes, baseball is a long game. but ball-park food, despite its large price tag, ain't too shabby. also, yes. i am the child that whines for a mariners' shirt. mostly rachel (josh's wife + one of my favorite people. ever. every one need's a rachel) + walked laps around the stadium and stuffed our faces. ...go mariners?!

// kerry park! what a view. or something.

(by this time, i am sure most of you have given up on this post and scrolling so...phone picture time!)

// we met up with my jack + caitlyn friend from high school. they took us to dinner at bizzarro's (which was on diner's, drive-in's, and dives. rubbing elbows with guy fieri, and that's every one's dream!). and they paid for our bill. i feel like i must include that factoid because it was so, so kind. like, we ain't a cheap date! then we went to jack's place of work, molly moon's, and got free ice cream and watched all of jack's coworkers fawn over him. it was very endearing. then we sat by the lake and drifted off into the magical sunset of a successful double date (rare to come by!). 

// bellevue! 

// we attended the prettiest wedding at a house on lake tapps. it was amazing. amazing, i tell you. the couple jet skiied off into the dark abyss + we all cheered + then i poked and prodded to figure out what the heck the owner of this house does and how the heck can i join?! 

// and finally, on our last day there, i met up with brittany for breakfast. oh, brittany! she's actually the coolest + leaves you with the biggest gust of life from trying to keep up with her. ...also we gossiped about high school for about two whole hours. much needed.

// and the biggest thank you ever ever ever to josh and rachel. we had so much fun + will gladly travel sixteen hours in a car just to jam out to one direction + eat taco bell.