Oh my goodness...this is such a fun memory.

It was our last morning in Copenhagen with Paul and Brittany. Paul had run out early in the morning to get us the yummy essentials for a real Danish breakfast...it was so so so good. By the time we finished we only had about an hour before Cree and I needed to leave for the airport. We made the last minute decision to go to the harbor (a free swimming area right along the water)...I think it was the only thing on our "go-to" list that we hadn't done. It was so cold the guys literally jumped in and then jumped back out. Brittany and I opted to stay on the dock, bundled in our coats (yes! It was cold enough for coats!). It probably sounds silly, but it was so much fun. Same time next year guys?!

PS. Cree and I are headed to Paris (!!!) for the weekend. A quick, sort of spontaneous trip. We're so so excited. And to make it all sweeter, we get to stay at Rubi and Stanton's beautiful flat. Can't wait!!!

All photographs edited with VSCO Film.

I've had a couple crush on these two ever since I saw their beautiful wedding photos back in 2008 when when it was my wedding planning season. Such beautiful details! Since then, I have had the pleasure of getting to know Tec and Chelsea through their beautiful work for Kinfolk. Chelsea is an artist and blogger (love!) and a photo stylist. Tec is an amazing wedding photographer and a Michigan native (you know I always have to throw Michigan in when I can). He and Chelsea now call Nashville, Tennesee home and just recently celebrated their 4 year anniversary.

Thank you Tec and Chelsea for being a part of My Better Half!



TEC

1. He's as handsome as he is kind.

2. Has no sense of personal space (I've watched him literally back people into corners).

3. Looks for any excuse to party. (He ranked "social life" above "communication" in our pre-marriage counseling. I like to tell myself that he didn't understand the question. 

CHELSEA

1. She's the best listener I know.

2. Keeps fresh flowers in the house year-round.

3. Taught me that sneezes have a smell.

THEIR STORY (as told by Chelsea)

Our love story begins like many great romances of today: with a shirtless myspace photo. Tec was living in Nashville and I was preparing to move there with my sister after I graduated college. My sister was already dating a guy in Nashville so they began operation set Chelsea up with one of our friends. Lo and behold, Tec and his shirtless myspace profile picture reeled me in. We emailed for about a month and then, without talking on the phone or ever hearing each other's voices, Tec drove down to meet me...and my partents and my sister. I knew that a guy with that much confidence and fearlessness was one to hold onto. After we said goodbye to my parents that weekend, my dad told my mom, "She's going to marry that boy." Fast forward two years and we were saying our "I do's" in a Tennessee barn on a hot June day in 2008. We've been learning and loving and laughing ever since. 

Thank you Tec and Chelsea for being a part of My Better Half!

Adorable outtake after the jump!

I'm a bit behind on my travel updates, so I've decided to start a travelouge. This way I can post about our trip in bits and as time permits. :)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. We fell completely head over heels for Copenhagen and our hosts. This set of photos was taken on the grounds of the Rosenborg Castle where the crown jewels are kept. For budgetary reasons, we opted to skip the jewels and just explore the grounds. Oh my goodness. So pretty!

On a side note, I don't know what these flowers are called, but they are everywhere in Copenhagen. I just love them! and Cree really loved hiding in them.

All photographs edited with VSCO Film.

I've only met Naomi and Andy Martin once in my lifetime. It was Halloween, 2008. Cree was dressed as an accountant and I was his frumpy secretary (giant glasses, a dress with a doily collar and a gallon of hairspray). We were attending a late night showing of Vertigo and ran into them as we were leaving the theater. I was so self-conscious about my attire, that's honestly all I remember....well that and the fact that I thought they were both pretty rad.

Cree and Naomi were long time friends from school, so I've had the pleasure of getting to know Naomi through her oh so funny/sweet blog and g-mail. She is such a witty writer—every email exchange and post is a treat. My fingers are crossed the next time we bump into these two, there will be less hairspray involved....for both our sakes.

Please scroll down below to learn more about them, their music, and their life in Philadelphia, and be sure to follow the links! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thank you Naomi and Andy for being a part of My Better Half!

ANDY
1. Sleep-talks regularly and once impersonated Johnny Cash while doing so.
2. Played harmonica for Ben Kweller once during a show when Ben Kweller realized he'd forgotten his harmonica.
3. Can juggle. and unicycle. AT THE SAME TIME.


NAOMI
1. I play violin. I was given credit for playing in the BBC proms orchestra in the late 90's, despite having been absent that night. Still feel bad about it.
2. Still using the same roll of cling film I started using in May 2007.
3. Have an MSc in Psychoanalysis, so I can tell you what all your dreams mean. Not really.


THEIR STORY (as told by Naomi)
We met by chance, fell into dating shortly thereafter, and have been together ever since. The first time we hung out, we played music together. The second time, we ate a dozen doughnuts and a wealth of fast-food. Both things are indicative of our stellar relationship, forged on a solid foundation of doughnuts and cheesburgers. Thankfully our current location (Philadelphia) has an abundance of both so we'll be together for at least another few years. I jest; you can't just walk away from a marriage founded on trans fats.

Contrary to an elementary school project given me by his mum (title: WHEN I AM OLDER, subtitle: I want to be a professional skateboarder), Andy is actually in dental school, which is what brought us to Philadelphia. To keep from going science-class crazy, Andy hangs out with our two little boys, Julian (2) and Robin (new). To keep from going kid-crazy, he reads, wanders our current locale, and plays music. He writes and records his own stuff, along side messing around with some covers we've done together. I like good music too. And reading. I also like to draw, go on roller coasters, and travel, and although those last two aren't super compatible with small children, they're on hold for the time being. I also have school on the back-burner, hoping to go on to a PhD programme in clinical psych once my boys are older. I should also add that I'm from England, in case you were reading this in an American accent.

We're a good team. We look fondly on what's passed, and look forward to most everything.

Thank you Naomi and Andy for being a part of My Better Half!

Jennifer is the lovely lady behind the blog I Art U, a really wonderful website full of beautiful inspiration and photographs. Jennifer is also a talented lifestyle photographer. She and her husband Joshua live in San Luis Obispo—"a small and charming town on the coast." You can get glimpses of this lovely place and their life together via Jennifer's instagram (@iartu_jennifer).

Thanks Joshua and Jennifer for being a part of My Better Half!

JOSHUA
1. Master storyteller...he'll have you on your toes!
2. Works as a commercial salmon fisherman in Alaska during the summer.
3. Loves the city, craves the earth.

JENNIFER
1. Has her Master's in Clarinet Performance.
2. Can sleep in until noon.
3. Loves the earth, craves the city.


THEIR STORY (as told by Joshua)
We met January 1, 2005. It was a brief conversation—maybe two or three minutes, but when it was finished, I transferred to the university Jenn attended 1100 miles away. Fortunately, she couldn't resist a man who knows what he wants. We were married January 1, 2009.

Thanks Joshua and Jennifer for being a part of My Better Half!

I'm on a Michigander kick! Bryan and Mae are based out of Grand Rapids, MI. They are the team behind bryan and mae wedding photography. Their philosophy "is that photography should tell the story of people, just as they are at that time in their lives. " You can see more of their lives and work through their blog.

Thank you Bryan and Mae for being a part of My Better Half! Let's grab lunch when we're back in Michigan. :)

BRYAN

1. Is a minimalist.

2. Studied classical music & philosophy in college.

3. Has a fondness for 19th century Russian literature.

MAE

1. Hot yoga is her drug of choice.

2. She makes the best pancakes around.

3. Loves giving and receiving hand-written letters. 

THEIR STORY (as told by Mae)

Bryan and I met through a mutual friend when we were in college in Grand Rapids, MI. The first night we hung out, Bryan made a delicious feast for us and impressed me with his cooking skills. We were quickly inseparable (and no, not just because he is a great chef). We shared a love of photography and adventure from the start, and after being together for six months, we decided to chase our dreams and start a wedding photography business together. Slightly a crazy venture for two folks who hadn't known each other for very long, but we wouldn't trade it for the world. Two and a half years later, we ourselves got married, and we've spent much of the first six months of our marriage traveling and continuing to do what we love together.

Thank you Bryan and Mae for being a part of My Better Half!

I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen. — Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
—
Goodness gracious...isn't Switzerland beautiful? On the way back home from the Matterhorn, we took a quick detour in Montreux to visit the Chateau de Chillon. Unfortunately we arrived too late to go inside, but just exploring the grounds felt like a dreamy/fairy tale adventure.

PS. Thanks iGNANT for the feature!

All photographs edited with VSCO Film.

Michiganders! I love featuring couples from my state. ;) Megan is a blogger and a graphic designer and one of the founders of Blog Brunch. Mike is an interactive art director. They live in Traverse City, Michigan. (one of my favorite places on earth! truly!) Here is what they say about their life in Michigan: We love the woods, the lake, and the quite life style here. It is a place you have to deliberately go to. When we are not working and dreaming up ideas, we go sailing, hike, garden, and get fancy in the kitchen always trying new recipes.

Thank you Megan and Mike for being a part of My Better Half!

 


MIKE 
1. Spent a year of his young life demanding he wear a cape.
2. Rocks some serious dance moves. Has been known to defend the pride of Texas (his homeland) in dance offs and winning.
3. Has a Texas accent only after having dental work or too many glasses of scotch.

MEGAN
1. Could live on wine and cheese.
2. Believes a blazer can make any outfit business attire.
3. Has mini dance parties to embarrassing pop songs at least once a week. (clearly we both enjoy dancing)

THEIR STORY
We first met at a visitor's weekend at college. I was working for the admissions office and gave him and his friend a tour. They ended up transerring and the next Fall I ended up as his TA for a design class. He had been at art school in Texas previously and was a little stuck up about not needing the class. He did the minimal amount of work and I did what I could to make sure he didn't get an A instead of a B+.

It was not till our senior year we began dating. We ended up as art directors on two different projects for an upper level studio course. Instead of being competitive, we ended up collaborating and bouncing ideas off each other late into the night in the lab. Not even a few months later we were heading to art museums and hockey games every weekend and soon could not deny we were head over heels in love.

Ending up married to someone who understands you creatively can alter your path in so many ways. We think all the time how different life would have been if not for those late nights in that lab.

Thank you Megan and Mike for being a part of My Better Half!

Cute outtakes and credits after the jump!

I met Elle this past winter at Alt Summit. She was so kind and genuine, I knew she and her husband would be a perfect fit for a My Better Half feature. She is the owner of Solly Baby and a blogger at ellekeepsmoving.com where she writes about her life with her husband and two adorable little ones.

Thank you Elle and Jared for being a part of My Better Half! (PS. I love your yellow wall!)



JARED
1. Sponsored snowboarder turned political philosopher.
2. Repeats cliches horribly, hilariously wrong.
3. Our 3 year old girl owns him. I mean owns.

ELLE
1. Makes our lives beautiful, even on less than a shoestring budget.
2. Has a secret identity, known as Great Aunt Margie, which she only shares with Lucy and Solomon.
3. Obsessed with lists. Wrote a runaway letter as an 8 year old with a detailed list of survival essentials, including a stuffed gorilla.

THEIR STORY
We fell madly in love on the set of a low-budget, Disney film. Elle was a vampire. Jared was a goblin. (We're still waiting for our check, Stephanie Meyer.) Four months later we were married. Now our days are full of playing dress-up with Lucy, kissing Solomon's many bruises, preparing for law school, running a business during naptime, planning our next move, eating cookies and milk while talking into the wee hours of the morning about politics, bad reality television, and how we are going to change the world. We are blessed.

Thank you Elle and Jared for being a part of My Better Half!

Cute outtakes after the jump!

What are men compared to rocks and mountains? —Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

I love a good adventure. My dear friend Alpha May was in town this week. On a whim we took a quick 4th of July trip to Zermatt (Happy Birthday America!). The three hour drive through the Alps was breathtaking and humbling.  At moments, I've never felt so small.

Quick Tip: Don't watch North Face before climbing a mountain...especially in the Alps.  Might have been one of the worst ideas I've ever had. I think I scarred Alpha for life.

All photographs edited with VSCO Film.

More photos after the jump -->

Kjrsten Madsen is such a delightful person. So fun, so sweet, so talented, and one of the cutest moms I've ever met. Cree and I just had the pleasure of spending a week with her and her three beautiful girls in London, and they were without a doubt the highlight of our trip. They were always doing something fun...going on a museum outing, painting, making crafts, cooking together, laughing together...only peaceful and happy feelings in their home.

Kjrsten and Peter have been married for 15 years and have three little girls. Peter is a Global director of Sales and Marketing and Kjrsten is a Mum and works for kjrstenmadsen.com. You can read more about their lovely life in London on her blog.

Thank you Kjrsten and Peter for being a part of My Better Half!

KJRSTEN

1. Wants to retire on the beach

2. Doesn't regret Birks with wool socks phase

3. Goes straight to dessert

PETER

1. Wants to retire in the mountains

2. Deadliest catch survivor

3. Breakdance alias: Flexi-freeze

THEIR STORY

Her side of the story: I first saw him on a midnight plane from NYC to Moscow, but fell head over heals in love with him 6 months later at the Black Sea. We went for a walk down by the shore during a warm summer downpour, it was then that I knew my fate was sealed.

His side of the story: She didn't know, not even after I bought her the apple. I knew but couldn't be sure, until we went swimming in the moscow River. I had to convince her, and her father. By the end of the same year we were together forever.

Thank you Kjrsten and Peter for being a part of My Better Half!