two and a half years // August 19th

circa January 2011, a month before we started dating

There is this boy.

He puts life and light into my world.
His very presence turns my bad day around.
His ridiculous characters are endearing.
His conversations are enlightening.
His smile is comforting.

There is no such thing as a lazy day with him,
because even if we just sit and talk,
every moment with him is a grand adventure.

He pushes me to be better, go farther, and do better.
He inspires me daily to become a better person, a more daring person, a more confident person.
He teaches me about love and about overcoming.
He teaches me about friendship and trust and companionship.

He shows me the world through a different lens,
and he encourages me to defend my own with everything I have.

He is my best friend, my partner in crime, and the love of my life.
I love you, Matt.

adventures with Matt // to the mountaintop

A couple weekends ago while I was driving home, I saw fog rolling over the mountains. For some reason, I got an incredible urge to drive to the top and make some photos, so Matt kindly agreed to come along with me. Our results were nothing short of fantastic. We felt like we had been transported to another world while looking at the fog and clouds completely engulfing the city. We could have been miles above everything, the clouds were so thick. It was slightly chilly and we were the only ones there, and I felt like we were the only humans left on the planet. I'm truly at a loss for words in trying to describe it.




And the photos I took don't do it justice either. We produced two images that day, the first being this one:



with Matt being my handsome model, and the second being this one:



which you really have to view here in full screen.



Look at that handsome guy! I'm really lucky to have someone so supportive of what I do, someone who is willing to drive me through dense fog and model in the cold, who actually enjoys going on adventures like this with me!




Have a great day!

a weekend with Matt

(my week in instagram)


airport in Alaska // flying over the mountains // in the darkroom making magic // favorite Oregon scene/on the way to pick up Matt // holding hands for the first time since January // copying Matt's instagram picture // coffee and breakfast with the most handsome guy

Surprise surprise! Matt came to visit me at college this weekend! He is considering transferring, so he came down during his spring break to check out the school and see me. On Wednesday his dad and brother came down for the day to tour the college with him, and we all got to walk around the campus, looking at art from the student art show as well as a lot of the buildings and dorms. Afterwards we all went for coffee and just hung out around town. I'm not really the most outgoing person in the world, so I'm really glad I feel comfortable around Matt's family and don't worry about what I'm going to say around them. They are pretty great people.

On Thursday Matt and I spent our time roaming around the trails, watching birds bathe in the river, talking for hours and hours, and just enjoying each other's company. It's great to be so comfortable, feel so completely yourself with another person. I guess that's what being in love feels like, companionship and laughter and wholeness. Friday we dressed up all fancy, he carrying an umbrella and me locking onto his arm, and we headed out for a night on the town. We went to a Mexican restaurant and talked for more hours and ate yummy food and told stories to each other and conspired about life and possibilities and the future. We talked about how we started dating, and the whole way we became a couple was completely by accident. It's really funny because when I first met Matt, I thought I would never be cool enough to date him, and when he first met me, he thought he could never see himself dating me. Oh how the tables turned, and I'm so so thankful I have him in my life. I know he would say the same thing. After dinner, we walked around town to various art galleries for the Art Walk, looking at beautiful art and pretending we had all the money in the world. After that we hunkered down and had a huge New Girl marathon. Finally I got to introduce him to a show instead of the other way around! The marathon was pretty extensive--over the course of the weekend we watched the entire first season. Yeah, it was intense.




Saturday we both woke up, walked to coffee in the rain, where we watched a customer flirt with the barista (so cute) and stood around looking for a seat before coming back to campus to sip on our hot chocolate and mocha. We ate a yummy breakfast, talked for more hours--I don't think I'll ever get tired of talking during meals with Matt--and then watched more New Girl until we accidentally fell asleep. It was a nice afternoon nap with the rain falling outside. Eventually people started returning home from weekend excursions (some of my friends had left for an overnight trip) and we got to hang out with them for a little bit, until Matt had to leave. The rain certainly added to the dismal mood of that walk we had to take to the car that was picking him up. I was being super melodramatic (But then again, I always am. I can't help myself.), but it's always really had to say goodbye to your best friend and be separated yet again. So now we are back to Age of Empire competitions and skype dates and texting and snapchats for the next two months. Is it too early to count down the days until the semester ends? I think not. At any rate, he is more than worth the stinkiness of a long distance relationship, and I was incredibly thankful we were able to be together for a little bit of time. I love you, Matt. I'll see you soon.



my partner in crime.

Sorry for making this post so sappy, but sometimes I just have to make a girly diary entry, especially since this weekend was so fantastic. I hope your weekend was really good as well!

two years with my best friend

pictures from January 2011 to January 2013

I never knew my heart could be filled with so much joy and adoration for one person. My love for him grows every single day and he constantly inspires me, pushes me, makes me laugh, and fills me with overwhelming happiness. I love you so much, Matt. Thank you for the best, most incredible two years ever. You are amazing.

I'm thinking it's a sign

day 234



Tomorrow the love of my life is going to hop on a plane on a grand ol' adventure. I am so so incredibly excited for you, Matt, and I am thankful we will be able to go through this new chapter in our life together, even if we will be just a couple hundred miles apart.




Thank you so much for being my best friend and my partner in crime. I would say we make a pretty good team. You are the most amazing, talented, genuine person I know and I'm so glad I am a part of your life. Thank you for being my biggest fan and my shoulder to cry on, my cab driver and my arcade buddy, my rock and my everything.





Words cannot express how much I adore you and love you, but you already know how much I do. I know these next four months (and four years) will be hard, but there is no one else in the entire world I would rather face them with than you. You are more than worth it, Matt, and I would do anything for you.





I am going to miss you so much, but I love you even more. My love for you grows every day, baby, and I am so excited to stand by you. Thank you for all you do for me. I love you.

(On our one and a half year anniversary (August 19th), we got each other these rings. Don't worry, they're not engagement rings, but they do show that we are committed to each other.(p.s. I made the dress! I'll do a full outfit post on it once I get to college for you guys.))

to the ends of the earth

day 216









I got to spend the majority of my day with Matt, watching Doctor Who, eating a yummy dinner with his family, and then finally canoeing on the lake. He took me to "Africa," the other side of the lake given the name when he and his siblings were younger. It's so awesome to be able to explore his childhood places, and hearing stories from when he was a kid just makes me love him even more.

lazy day

day 203






Today seriously was an incredibly lazy day and I don't have much to show for it photo-wise. I'm somewhat aching to get back into the normal take-a-conceptual-photo-everyday thing but I am more than fine with taking a little break from spending hours glued to photoshop. It's good to take a break every once in a while. But this was a very fun day. The girls here at home sat around and watched P.S. I Love You (and I may or may not have cried every five minutes), then Megan and I decided to brave the wind and rain to go to coffee. Matt joined us after a little while, and eventually we all headed back home to eat yummy salmon patties. (My favorite!) Then I made a pie. Then we ate it. Then we played a card game that was so frustrating we all quit and decided to play a different frustrating game. Only Matt won that one. (Sssh don't tell him but I let him win. Okay, just kidding ... or am I?)

this is the future

+ photos from the day



day 182





We built a new firepit in our backyard today and decided to try it out. The weather was perfect too. After nearly every day being rainy, the sun came out and so did the shorts and sunglasses.



(This was before I knew how hot it actually was outside.)







Matt got to come over for dinner, which I was super excited about. We ate freshly caught salmon and garlic mashed potatoes and watched funny youtube videos at the supper table.





(Kenai the dog got caught in the act of licking crumbs off the chair.)




(This is Matt's "Lauren quit taking photos of me" face. I can't help it though--he's just so cute!)




Afterwards we headed outside to jump on the trampoline and roast marshmallows.






I love Matt so much. He's my favorite person in the whole world and my best friend. And these photos make me super happy and smiley because we don't get too many photos together. So thank you Mommy for snapping these for us!






(This would have been my 365 photo for today if it weren't for the doggie in the background.)





It was a very awesome day and the perfect ending to a not-too-great week. I definitely needed this day.

Hope your weekend is going fantastically!