ted nugent called

{shirt: thrifted (target), jeans: nordstrom, shoes: downeast outfitters}

I have a dear friend from college who still lives in Utah.  During our university days, we would go to the opera together, movies, galleries, lectures, museums.  You name it, we did it together! We were culture buddies.  Well, this friend of mine also happens to be one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met with an uncanny knack to look put together and still have her hair perfectly placed after a full day of work.  I can hardly manage to shower in the morning, so whenever we would get together, I'd bring my A game and really up the anty with my appearance.  During one of our outings, I jokingly mentioned my extra efforts to look presentable and my dear friend burst out in laughter.  "I do the same thing for you!" she howled.  We laughed together over our respective vanities and the joke has stuck.  When I thereby had the chance to see her during my month-long hiatus, I pulled out a new shirt real shoes, and even curled my hair.  I don't even put this much effort into date night!  We teased each other mercilessly before settling into a favored evening of dinner, wonderful conversation, and a deliciously silly movie.  So grateful for my dear friend and our ridiculous traditions.

going to the temple...

Weddings are always special, but seeing your younger sibling so deliriously happy with his chosen spouse is a bajillion times awesomer.  The Stud and his wife The Co-pilot are just an amazing pair.  The month leading up to their wedding was tumultuous, at best.  Most couples have their struggles in the days and weeks before the big day but these two had some major obstacles to overcome.  A month before, our dear, sweet Co-pilot was in a near fatal car accident which she miraculously came out of with scrapes, aches, and a few scars.  It totaled her car and put her on disability until two days before her wedding.  TWO DAYS!  Most brides are taking off work, not going back to it!  Two weeks later, her grandfather died.  A week before the wedding, our great uncle died (who happened to be a pilot also).  A few days before the wedding, The Stud's flight instructor was killed in a plane crash.  The day of the wedding, The Stud and Co-pilot refused to let each other out sight.  

The Stud picked up his bride early on a Friday morning and together they went to the Manti Temple.  The ceremony was beautiful, the room packed, and the bride and groom deliriously happy.  The sun shined (a far cry from the frozen tundra that was our wedding day in the same spot!), the hoardfs of friends and family cheered, and then we ate donuts.  Gobs and gobs of donuts while the bride and groom did their thing.

That night we partied hearty, catching up with scores of loved ones who travelled great distances to celebrate.  It was an incredible day, full of sun and ever so much laughter.  A perfect respite to the preceding month of sorrow.  A perfect example of joy and gratitude and unconditional love.

southern utah

My absolute favorite color is the darkest blue in the sky of the second photo.  Something about the thin air of Utah makes the blues so much bluer than anywhere else I have ever been.  I have so many memories of laying on my back and staring straight up into the Southern Utah sky, soaking in the cloudless blue.

As much as I love the ocean and the river here in Florida, there is something about the open desert that refreshes my soul.  I find myself longing for it a little more daily as we wait to see what is happening with our lives.  In the middle of nowhere, I contemplate life as a rancher, vagabond, or even a wisp of wind tickling sage brush.

I took these photos on my birthday when Kitty and I drove through the greater portion of the state.  We drove an hour south to greet the Worthington Gallery, gliding through the beginning of Zion National Park.  That's where these photos are from.  The terrain changes from vast desert to red rock mesas dotted with brush.  That time of year, the ground is still wet, and the brush is green and vibrant. A few months later and the color is reserved for the rock.  With our new pots in hand and a couple of fresh Cokes, we hopped back on the highway, met up with I-15, picked up my brother, slid onto highway 189 up Provo Canyon to have a family "lunch" at Sundance.  That birthday will go down in the record books as one of the best ever thanks to that long ride and the people I was with.   And Sundance.  But even at the end of such an amazing day, I already ached for the vastness of southern Utah and the long roads that take me there.

cousins gettin' marriaged

In our extended family, I'm the oldest cousin..by a lot.  The closest in age to me is The Stud who is four years younger.  Growing up, it seemed like I would have a "first" and then the others would catch up about a decade later.  Now that many of them are college aged, it seems like life is catching up with all of us.  Two cousins are on missions, two more got married over the summer, The Stud in a week, and yet another cousin in January will tie the knot.

In May I was able to join one of my cousins on her wedding day, a last-minute surprise for both of us.  She has been more of a kid sister to me and it was such a treat to be there on her special day. I was gone for a week packed solidly with family time and, as Kitty would say, making memories.  At my cousin's wedding, we, her unruly family, planted ourselves on the lawn outside the venue and basked in the beginning of summer sun.  I can remember just a handful of times in my life where I have laughed as solidly as I did that week,

Now it's time for The Stud to get married and I can. Not. WAIT!  I'm en route to meet up with him and Kitty to get the wedding prep underway.  I will be out of commission for a few weeks but have some really amazing posts lined up in my absence.  (Think an entire week of DIY projects!)  Let the laughter, bonding, and memory making commence!

inexpensive statement art

My parents instilled in me a severe love of art and a habit for collecting pieces.  As we travelled the U.S. on extensive summer road trips, our van would be loaded with pottery, prints, and various thrift store finds.  I have very distinct memories of watching my parents scrutinize watercolors from local artists at the Oregon Coast and selecting earthy plates to bring home for our pottery collection.  I cherish those holidays and get such a thrill seeing the pieces in daily use at my parents' house.

From their example, I likewise accumulate artwork.  In Cyprus, I stocked up on handmade baskets, pots, and paintings.  I can't wait to unpack them all!  When I went to Utah a few weeks ago, I visited one of my favorite galleries with my mom.  Once again, I was making memories and deciding to bring some of them home with me in the form of handmade craftwork.  While the space is stuffed to capacity with pottery, the walls are adorned with some of the most breathtaking paintings of the southern Utah landscape.  I fell in love with the epic vistas and warm colors.  Knowing full well that I a) didn't have space for a giant painting in my carry-on, and b) that I couldn't justify the cost of such a glorious piece, I opted for a travel and pocket friendly alternative.  The gallery had a lovely selection of 5x7 notecards with some of the images I loved the most for $2 each.  I selected three that I thought worked well together and brought them home with me.  (Easy fit for that carry-on!)  The frames were a steal from Walmart, costing a measly $3 a piece, including the mats.  So for less than $20, I have a lovely triptych to fill the walls of our future House of Dreams.

Art doesn't have to be scary, expensive, or inaccessible.  It can be as simple as a pretty card framed in a cheap frame.  It can fill your home with memories and deepen your appreciation of all the places you have been.  Art can be for the everyday, not just the gallery.

kolob

If ever you're driving through southern Utah, take the New Harmony exit off of I-15 and drive west for about a mile.  Then pull over on the side of the road and look behind you.  This is what you'll see.  Kolob Canyon is one of the most breathtaking and painfully unacknowledged sights part of the U.S. National Park system.  It's tied in with Zion National Park, but we usually just stare at the red rocks from the valley community of New Harmony.  Plus, the view facing west isn't so bad either...

Man, alive do I love views like that!  I have seen this a million times in my life and am still not sick of it.  If anything, it grows more dear to me with each glance.

new pottery from old places

As the car meandered the twists and turns of the highway between Hurricane (pronounced hur-reh-kehn) and Springdale, I finally realized why I love pottery so much.  For as long as I can remember, part of our annual trek to Utah as a family was a trip to the Worthington Gallery in Springdale.  There, my parents painstakingly picked new pieces from a local potter to take home that would eventually make up the body of our everyday dishes.  No basic starter sets for us..nope.  We ate off of art.  I never knew this to be unusual until later in life, when none of my friends searched out local artisans to add spice to their day to day life.  Nope, this was purely a family thing.

My last minute trip to Utah also coincided with my birthday, a blissfully wonderful happenstance that gave me the opportunity to celebrate with my mom  for the first time in who knows how long.   Once it dawned on both of us how close we were to Springdale, a birthday plan was set.  We would drive the hour south from Cedar City to greet the little gallery as it opened so we could be in Sundance up north by lunch with my brother.   It was a long day of driving but so worth it.

I walked up to the craftsman home that is the gallery and remembered picking out a handcrafted wind chime as a girl.  (Driftwood with pink handblown chimes dangling off of it.)  I marveled at pieces of art that my younger eyes never appreciated and reverently picked out a bowl in the same pattern as my parents had collected years ago.  The early morning sun danced on the red rock canyon, beckoning us to enter Zion National Park mere moments away.  New and old coincided that morning and it was so, so wonderful.  Same artists, new artists, same Engquist, new Engquist.  My mom and I had the time of our lives, explaining to the gallery attendant that we had been shopping there longer than she had been on the earth.  This was our little piece of home and we got to share in it again together.

my favorites

I got back yesterday from my trip west and am spending the day catching up on life.  I have so many thoughts and stories to share from my the last week but can't possibly to put everything into one post.  For now, I at least wanted to share a few of my favorite instagrams, because really, the images so much more than I could anyway.

westward ho

The Stud and Mr. F sent me to Utah over the weekend for the best birthday present ever...much needed time with family. My mom and I are now living out of suitcases and a rental car, driving all over the state to catch up with loved ones, reconnecting with each other, and making some really good memories.  The only things missing are the Tall Guy and Mr. F...

for ingrid

and myself.

I have slew of art projects waiting for me, but I feel like I can't get to them until I share some more about my wedding.

we were married in Manti, Utah on one day and partied like it was 1999 the next day. I really wanted to have our wedding day be about the temple and our sealing. I wanted to focus on family and get lost in the tiny moments before letting myself totally let go and mingle and dance.

though it was the end of March, it snowed on our wedding day. not just snowed. blizzarded. white out. could barely drive more than twenty-five miles-an-hour down the backroad Utah highways. it was the first time that day I really freaked out. I thought I was going to be late! it was one of the very rare occasions that Mr. F showed up somewhere before I did.

our reception and ring ceremony were held at the sundance resort. my wonderful family did all of the decorating. the vases (an assortment of canning jars) and vintage books were all contributed by my sweet grandmother, who also made the skirt of my wedding gown. it was such fun to watch family members read through the books and find scribbles written by aunts and uncles who once owned the volumes.

I really loved our two-day extravaganza because it allowed us the leisure to really enjoy our guests, and ourselves! Mr. F and I wandered through the tables greeting everyone as dinner dwindled down. I think we talked to nearly everyone! (to those we didn't, my sincerest apologies.)

because we were married in the temple, not all of our family members could join us for the sealing ceremony. one of my absolute favorite memories is making my way out of the dressing room and hearing all of my family in the waiting room. because of the snow, the temple workers invited everyone inside to wait in the dry warmth. I had to wait behind a wall until everyone went outside so we could take pictures. (picture taking is not allowed within the temple so as to preserve the sacred nature of the building.)

this is my mor mor and me moments after Mr. F and I made our big reveal. it meant the world to me to have her and all of my family drive to the middle of nowhere just to take pictures with us in the middle of a snowstorm.

because of the ring ceremony, we had a formal sit down dinner so as to have everyone in place. our escort cards were printed on library cards. there was a definite book theme to our celebrations. in fact, our save the date cards were also printed on library cards. the card was inside the sleeve with the words "check it out!" peeking at the viewer where the book title would customarily be found. for the escort cards, the guests' names were at the top and the table letter (not number) was one the body of the card when it was pulled out of the sleeve.

okay, this cake, was absolute embodiment of the cake I had been dreaming of. I am not a big sweet person, so the wedding cake was never really high on my priority list. (I am now living with Mr. Fs family and we eat cake and cupcakes on a nearly daily basis...I'm adjusting...) well, my wonderfully talented aunt inherited all (and I do mean ALL) of the domestic arts for our family. while the rest of us women can iron and clean from here till doomsday, none of us can cook, and absolutely can compete with auntie L's baking genius.

she flew in from Chicago toting half a dozen different kinds of cookies for our family dinner after the sealing. she then baked up a storm and produced this beautiful, beautiful cake! not only that, she made two of them! they looked stunning on the rustic wooden table in the mountain lodge.

confession: I never actually tasted this cake. we cut the cake, but were unable to get the piece out...so we fed each other berries.

my brother, the Stud. his hips don't lie. pretty sure the DJ wants to hire him to get the party going. Studly McStudlypants was on the dance floor the entire night.

my Liver went around the temple, the town, and the entire valley taking pictures of everything long after the crowds had departed. these flowers were lovingly supporting the base of the temple, even though snow threatened their very existence.

I got a sister! she's the best. and now we're even roommates for a short while. Sista Bear and Mr. F are close like the Stud and me. they were actually the extent of our bridal party.

during the ring ceremony, Stud and Sista walked up the rings so we could exchange them. now it just feels like the four of us are siblings. when one is missing from an outing, the cosmos seem horribly out of whack.

remember how I said table letters? well, here ya go! I found these papier mache letters for not a whole lotta money at jo-ann fabric and absolutely loved the overall aesthetic they provided. we used them again three weeks later for our shindig in Columbus.

chicken legs meets "what do I do with this sheet again?" a hilarious candid from our photos at Sundance. it was absolutely freezing when we got out of the temple so we didn't spend a tremendous amount of time taking photos. the next day my Liver showed up early and did the entire photo shoot all over again. he was absolutely amazing and turned out some incredible images.

why did we get married in Manti? because. because I like to do things differently. but mainly because that's where my grandparents were sealed. I learned from my Nana that our family helped build this temple. when we walked inside, we knew we had made the right choice. we were one of two sealings that day and the other couple were already leaving. the entire decor was unlike any other temple I have ever visited. a victorian parlor, tastefully adorned with embroideries, florals, and the most exquisite carpets. Mr. F and I were able to sit together in the Celestial room for a short period of time before the ceremony. we were coddled by the elderly temple workers and taught of the historical legacy of the structure as well as the spiritual.

lastly, these are my siblings. I mean cousins. when I started university in Provo, Clutsy on the left was ten years-old. she graduates from high school next week! they were my home away from home, and still are. my family and I stayed with them the week of the wedding and it just seemed fitting. it was like I was being sent off from my own childhood home.

and now.... go check out my Liver's website. he is one crazy talented photographer.

I'm going for a walk on the beach with my husband now.