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A Love Letter to my Hubby

June 8, 2017

Our wedding has come and gone! That’s hard to believe. It felt like we were counting down the months – 6 months, 5 months, 4 months, and then all of a sudden that Sunday was there! It was such a special day for us. Some of my favorite moments were:

  • Our first look. Aaron cried when he saw me, and of course I cried too.
  • The little white Bible I carried that was also carried by my mom and grandma at their weddings.
  • The vintage blue garter I wore that was also worn by my mom and grandma at their weddings.
  • The stacks of old books on the reception tables.
  • The fun folk band – I loved them!
  • The cold bottles of San Pellegrino – it was toasty that day!
  • The love of friends and family who came from near and far to celebrate with us.

I’m so happy to be able to call Aaron my hubby now. He is truly the man of my dreams – so kind and thoughtful, so non-judgmental and open-hearted. God knew I needed someone just like him – he was worth waiting for.

We had a wonderful honeymoon to Ireland. We were so tired by the time we got there, we slept most of Tuesday and then started out on our driving adventure around the southern and western halves for the next few days. The best part of the trip was our one-night stay at a gorgeous castle – fancier than any hotel I’ve ever been in!

Our other big news is that we bought a bus that we’re planning on living in for the next year while we fix up the farm. Being out at the farm will make it so much easier for us to get things done. It’s been a challenge to drive 45 minutes each way for many, many appointments to which other people often show up hours late!

We are off to weddings in other parts of the U.S. for the next several weekends – I will post some photos of our bus-home progress as we get going on it! Our inspiration is the couple behind “fernthebus” on Instagram.

Happy Thursday to you!

Family, Farm

Photos by Bethany

April 29, 2017

Our sweet friend Bethany drove down from Seattle (braving Friday traffic – with her two month old, Ireland!) yesterday evening to take some pictures of Aaron and me at the farm! Bethany is one of the most creative, talented people I know – do you know anyone else who is piecing together a new quilt two weeks after having a baby? She throws floral arranging classes, does all kinds of sewing projects for her kiddos, bakes fancy things, photographs people, etc. – all while having a three year old and an infant! She is amazing.

For any of you looking for a florist or photographer for your wedding or special event, feel free to contact me for Bethany’s contact info!

Here are some of the beautiful photographs she took – ones we will love forever. Thank you, Bethany!

Family

Spring Break

April 18, 2017

Aaron’s nephew, “little” Aaron (named after him), came to visit us during his spring break! We had a great time taking him to the dog park, up to Seattle to see the space needle, and to our neighborhood treat spot – Ice Cream Social.

I’m also including a few photos from the work Dave did in our bathroom while he and Connie were visiting. Thank you, Dave, for all of your help! We bought some paint samples yesterday and are trying to decide between “sawgrass” and “campfire smoke.” We want something light and bright since the bathroom is tiny. I will post more pictures once we finish everything up!

Family

Dog Park Days

April 18, 2017

After many, many days of rainy, grey weather, we are enjoying a few sunny days! You know you’re in the PNW when it hits 55 degrees and you see people out on the streets in shorts and tube tops. We took Fen to the dog park and she had a fun time running around through the mud puddles.

Family, Farm

Yard Work

April 18, 2017

Last weekend, Aaron and I went out to the farm to trim all the brush and brambles from around the electrical cables. We are working to get electricity back on, and the company said they would be happy to come do the yard work for us – for $2500 extra dollars! We said no thanks – we can do it ourselves. 🙂 So we spent most of Sunday trying out our new buzzsaw on the end of a big stick (I’m sure there’s a more technical name for this tool). It worked great! Aaron worked hard cutting down limbs and branches, and I was the “hauler-away” person. He was impressed by my brute strength and said I am like Paul Bunyan. He is my Babe the Big Blue Ox. 🙂 Fen was “helping” by playing tug-of-war on the branches as I was trying to haul them to the pile. She LOVES life on the farm. I can’t wait to have her there full time.

Family, Farm

Connie’s Photos

April 18, 2017

Connie and Dave came up to visit us several weeks ago, and were helpful with things at our house (next steps in repairing the bathroom ceiling that fell through during the winter storms) and at the farm (trimming back branches around electrical cables). Connie took these beautiful macro photos around the property and I thought we had to share them!

Family, Farm

Books, Books, Books

March 18, 2017

One of the things I’m learning about Aaron is that once his interest in something is piqued, he goes 110% into research mode! In our efforts to get things going with the farm, he ordered about 40 used books on all aspects of home renovation and “green” living. He dreams of living completely off the land, wearing home-sewn clothes, canning, dehydrating pickling, and having as close to a zero impact footprint as possible! He now has a host of Excel documents detailing things like “planning out raised beds for gardening and researching companion planting techniques to maximize yield and repel pests and disease as naturally as possible.” (I just asked him to summarize this for me). 🙂

He surprised me with some books he picked out just for me as well – most on farmhouse style. He knows me well! One of my favorites is a book called “A Touch of Farmhouse Charm” by Liz Fourez – author of the blog Love Grows Wild. With all of the decor books out there, this one stands out to me because of the fun DIY projects inside! She has a whole list of things to make – from farmhouse signs, to pillow covers, to cake stands. Most of the projects are fairly simple, which I like – they can be done in a few hours! And the instructions are clear and easy to follow. Between work, farm, and wedding planning, there isn’t much time for additional things, so I’m looking forward to summer when life will be lighter and we can do some fun projects together.

Family

One Magical November Day

December 26, 2016

As I sit looking out at the gentle rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean preparing to have Christmas with Lindsey’s family, I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the magical and life altering events of the past year and a half. When friends introduced me to Lindsey, I was hopeful that we would have a fun date and maybe it would blossom into a relationship, but I never could have imagined that a year and a half later I would be asking her to marry me. Every date, every moment, seemed to draw us closer together and it just fit. I knew she was the one. While we did talk about marriage prior to November and started working on our Fettig Farm together, there was still one step remaining… the proposal.

Earlier in the year, my family was kind enough to give me a break from the B&B and unbeknownst to Lindsey, I snuck down to Seal Rock, Oregon to have a chat with her parents. We discussed our relationship and our dreams for the future. It was simultaneously one of the most nerve racking and exciting moments of my life. I am so thankful for my future in-laws and their continuing love and support. In addition to our little talk, there was another element to my visit. Lindsey has always wanted to wear her great grandma’s wedding ring, a beautiful vintage platinum ring from 1895. With the help of Lindsey’s mom, I had the ring cleaned, repaired, and resized.

And then one magical November day I proposed. My original plan changed a few times but I finally settled on proposing at Pittock Mansion in Portland, a Renaissance-style château built in 1909. I liked the vintage sitting which matched the ring as well as Lindsey’s style and likes. I was beyond nervous and was shaking like crazy, but got down on one knee in front of the grand staircase, Christmas piano music softly playing in the background, and asked the love of my life to marry me. And after a second that felt like an eternity, Lindsey said yes. The remainder of the day was a blur. We had a quick lunch with my parents before heading down to Lindsey’s parents for Thanksgiving. And along the way we called friends and family and chatted about wedding ideas.

We are now in the process of planing our dream wedding for May 28th, 2017 and are so excited to share this next step of our life with our friends, family, and loved ones.