a day at Disney

Last month I was able to check off one of my “bucket list” items.

To take my family to Disney World.

When I learned I was being given the opportunity to attend and help present at a nursing leadership conference in Orlando, FL, I immediately got Brian on board to have him and Miller go with me. We spent our second year wedding anniversary in Orlando visiting close friends and walking miles after miles at Disney. It was my third time at Disney and Brian’s first. While I enjoyed it more, he knew I wanted to come back one day with our future family.

our days in London

When we got together, Brian and I talked about all the places we hoped to visit over our lifetime. On my list was the United Kingdom because of the castles BUT, even more so, because two of my dear friends live there. I lived with two beautiful women (Grace and Ellie) in Kenya one summer and promised myself I would see them again one day. Brian knows my heart oh so well and when we talked about where our next “big vacation” would be, he kindly said, “let’s go visit your girls!” He really is too good to me.

texas: friends + food + magnolia

brian and i celebrate our anniversary every year away from home. year two was at Disney World, year four in Kansas City, year three in Africa and year one was in Puerto Vallarta. while on our one-year wedding anniversary (or one-y-moon as i like to call it), we met a couple who were celebrating their one year anniversary, as well. from California, christian and amanda quickly became some of our closest friends!

after only being able to spend two days together at the tiniest resort (the 42 room resort allowed us to recognize faces quickly)–because they were at the end of their vacation while we had just started ours–we made plans to stay in touch and visit one another in our home towns. we have since visited their home in California and they have visited ours. honestly, i like to think of the Arriaga’s as our “marriage soulmates.” 

colorado, we love you

“What state would you live in if we didn’t live in Kansas?”

“Colorado or Oregon.” – Brian

That is always his answer. Brian loves most everything about Colorado and after my first trip to the state in 2012, I would have to say the same. We recently had the opportunity to spend a week in Denver due to Brian’s work schedule and wanted to share a few things with you from our time there!

Welcome to the Masai Mara

For our three year wedding anniversary my husband and I wanted to gift one another with a trip of a lifetime. No physical gifts, no jewelry, and no yummy craft beer. We wanted this anniversary to be a special one in the Masai Mara of Kenya!

Over five years ago I had the opportunity to visit the Masai Mara on a summer long trip to Kenya and fell in love with the culture of the entire country from the town Limuru, to the city of Nairobi, and the wildlife of the Masai Mara. I was so excited to get to experience my husband’s reactions to the safari (for it was his first time on one)!

Meeting Our Sweet Ezra In Kenya

As mentioned in my previous post, Brian and I love being able to monthly sponsor two adorable little guys from Africa who have grown to be a member of our family from afar. We absolutely love getting to write our boys letters and send them yearly gifts, but it’s when we receive their handwritten letters that I find the most the joy in our sponsorship. When we got married, we made a promise to ourselves that we would meet our little guys sooner than later. Three years later, that promise came true.

Visiting Uganda – Meeting Our Brian

Oh goodness how much I have missed you all! Obviously, I have been very absent this last month but it’s been for amazing reasons! During this last month we have made much progress on our home remodel and celebrated our three year wedding anniversary in Africa! October is my favorite month of the year . . . and I cannot believe it’s over in a few short hours. October is full of colors, changing leaves, pumpkin flavored anything, and of course the anniversary of our wedding day.

A Week in D.C.

Brian and I recently spent an entire week in Washington D.C as mentioned in my previous post, DC Eats & Treats. Our time there was part work, part vacation . . . well for Brian. For me, all vacation and over fifty miles of walking! Thousands of steps later, and I still wasn’t ready to leave! 

DC Eats & Treats

For those of you who know our family well, food is a priority to Brian. I like to think his priorities are God, marriage, food, and beer. Okay, maybe not . . . but you get the picture! We recently spent an entire week in Washington D.C. – partially for Brian’s work but mostly for vacation. We both had never been and knew we’d want to try several local restaurants as much as we wanted to walk the National Mall! Honestly, ALL of our money spent on this vacation was on food . . . no joke. Totally worth it!

Hello Colorado

Pikes Peak – view from Garden of the Gods

While dating, Brian and I quickly found out we shared a mutual love for travel. We have spent hours sharing stories of our separate travels to other states and countries, including Africa (me) and the Middle East (him). Traveling quickly became a priority in our relationship resulting in finding us on a vacation every four months or so! Thankfully, my job as a RN allows a very flexible schedule while one of the great features of Brian’s job is how much travel he gets to put on his Delta Skymiles! An even better perk is his wife gets to go too – oh that’s me!