// Dreams //

Mason and I have hit such a fun point in our relationship. We are at the point now were we only have one more year of school and after that, we can do anything we want to do. This is fun, scary, exciting, scary, exhilarating, adventurous, oh and did I say scary?? We can go wherever we want to go, do whatever we want to do and be whomever we want to be. 

I had a cray realization the other day. I have always been a dreamer since as long as I can remember. I dreamt big, was going to change the world and create and innovate new things for others. I realized I no longer have to dream, I can do what I have dreamt of forever... right now! 

The Lord has been directing our paths so clearly lately. There are things that are falling into place right before our eyes that literally leave me dumb founded. I find myself saying, "are you kidding me God? I don't deserve that" But then I hear him say, "No, you don't deserve that, but you don't have to deserve it. I died for you because you are not and never will be perfect or deserve this. I love you. You are my daughter and I cherish you."

I know that doors will not always open so easily for me. In fact I know that more doors will probably close than they will open. But I know that God is good, he has a plan and he will continually direct us when we walk with Him. 

Anyways, Mason has decided to pursue graduate school after he graduates from his undergrad. So we went out to celebrate that decision. YAYY! Woot Woot!! 

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God".

1 Corinthians 10:31

Vancouver, BC

My wonderful mother in law booked a hotel for us in Vancouver BC for our spring break. We were able to get away and enjoy our time off with each other. Can we do this every day please? Those dang bills!! 

We fell asleep way to early most nights, took way to many selfies and tried to manage exploring a new country. As soon as we crossed the boarder (which was a breeze) we ran into flashing green lights. What the heck does a flashing green light mean?

This trip was so so fun but I found myself wanting to try new things and see the whole city. We ended up staying busy. Next time we go on a vacation, I am going to need to be reminded to stop, breathe and just do nothing. Because that is the best thing for my soul. 

^^^ On our way ^^^

   

 

       

Board Games

Mason and I love to play board games. One of our favorite things to do is find a cute and cozy coffee shop that we have never been to before and play board games for hours. It's just one of those things that lets us spend quality time together. (Anyone else have quality time for their love language?) It's also a cheap date!!! We are also coffee shop snobs. There are many elements that go into a good coffee shop... but that's another blog post. haha!!

A few of our favorite board games are

• Ticket to Ride
• Monopoly or Monopoly Deal for two people
• Dominoes
• Skipbo (Thanks to Nick & Patricia) 

There are many more, but these are our current favorites. 

Rococo in Kirkland. One of our favorites! 

                              

^^^ Another one of our favorite spots! ^^^

                   

^^ Photo by Patricia // Instagram // @patriciashafto_ ^^

A day of adventures

One thing about me is that I love suprises and I love to adventure. Both mean more to me than most people know. A couple of days ago Mason had a suprise adventure planned for us. It was nothing extravagant or crazy but it was so thoughtful and so much fun. We drove through a rich part of town to admire houses and pieces of land and dream. That lead us down to Duvall where we found a cute little town. We grabbed coffee, went into a book store and some antique shops. Antiquing is one of my favorites! 

 

^^^ Look at the awesome bench made out of books,

 It's actually strong enough to hold people! ^^^ 

Our first anniversary!!

Wow!! One entire year flew by way too fast. It only feels like it has been a couple months but before we knew it we were a year into marriage. For our anniversary, my grandparents and parents blessed us with one night away at the same place we stayed the night of our wedding in the same exact suite. Talk about surreal!! We also were fortunate enough to go back to the place we married as well. We were able to walk through the barn and stand in the exact spot that we said I do. Mason gave me the same smile he gave to me a year ago. It was really special.

We were flooded with memories from our special day. It was incredible to be able to experience this on our anniversary but parts of this day were sad as well. I kept feeling like all the fun of marriage was over since we were done with our first year. Mason had to remind me that we still have the rest of our lives together. Ohh yeah, I forgot. haha!! 

Having a get away together was amazing. All we really wanted to do was lounge around our suite and relax. We played ticket-to-ride about ten times. It was so cozy to sit by the fire with a latte and just hang out with my best friend. 

I am excited to experience year two with this man of mine. I know that it will not be perfect or easy and now that the excitement of being newly married is over it might even be a little bit harder. But I couldn't imagine trying to go through this with anyone other than Mason. Here's to an amazing first year of marriage and an even better year to follow.