lauren elledge

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

charleston

this last weekend kenneth and i roadtriped to charleston, south carolina.

okay... people. THIS IS MY FAVORITE CITY.

how come this place isn't talked about more? how did i not know? i mean, it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but i fell in love.

between kenneth & i, i'm the one that gets excited about the little things...

"kenneth, i got a new candle and it smells soooo good!" 10 minutes later... "kenneth, do you smell how good our room smells right now?!" 10 minutes later... "seriously this is the best thing ever, i love it!" 5 minutes later... "aren't you excited about it?!" 1 minute later... "i mean really it's just the best!!" 30 seconds later.... "how come you're not more excited about this!? it's awesome!"

i just get excited about the most random things i guess. and i am all about the holidays. kenneth, supports it and enjoys it, but he doesn't quite share my same enthusiasm for all of it. which is okay because i think i make up for it.

but kenneth was stoked on charleston. which is how you know it was really that good and not just me being overly excited.

we left bright and early friday morning (and kenneth almost killed us driving twice). that afternoon we attended a tour/department meeting at the grad school he is looking at, musc. and we really loved the university so that just started the mood off for charleston on a high note. the whole tour lasted a really long time (like 4 hours) yeah do i win best wife award yet for attending all these grad school tours with him? by that point we were starving and headed to the famous king street. so many people recommended restaurants to us, but we were starvingggg because we hadn't eaten since breakfast. so we just found the closest place. nacho royale. best. decision. ever. seriously such a perfect hole in the wall restaurant. if you want a LOT of food for a cheap price, this is the place. i ordered nachos that could have easily been shared by 4 people. that's not an exaggeration. sorry for the blurry picture, but just look!

after we ate we walked the street and i fell in love because i felt like they had all the stores that i love in one place and on the cutest strip. kenneth was set on the idea that we needed to go on a ghost tour. i mean i'm down to get scared, but i was a little skeptical about the whole thing. we decided to go on a ghost tour of an abandoned jail. it was pretty cool to learn about it and explore through it, but we both agreed it wasn't worth the money. we were told 1 ghost story that we could have googled. oh well, what do ya do. some of the other people on the tour with us were pretty funny though. i believe one of the guys standing next to me said something along the lines of...

"did you feel that?! what the heck!!! i swear i just felt this huge drafty breeze right by me! ohhh no.. ohhhh noo... i am freaked out. this is not okay. guys, i swear. that if freaky. it went right by me."

(we were standing next to an open window.....)

after some much needed frozen yogurt we headed back to my aunt and uncles house, who were gone until saturday but let us crash there. bless them.

so we pull up around 10:30pm to my aunts house. (side note, my phone had died and i didn't know my aunt's address, but luckily remembered it from my somewhat photographic memory). exhausted, we pull up and see about 10 firetrucks surrounding my aunt's house.

PANIC.

i thought my aunt's house was on fire and my phone was dead so if anyone wanted to reach me, they couldn't have.

turns out, a few houses down, the house was on fire. the fire hydrant is in my aunt's yard so that's why they were all around there. i literally cried after we realized it wasn't our house. i felt so awful too for their neighbors, their house was basically gone. counting my blessings.

the next day we woke up and headed to folly beach, which we've been told has waves.. yes, like actual surfing waves! kenneth rented a board for $7/hour and went out. definitely not hawaii waves, but he was happy nonetheless. i think folly beach is so pretty. i loved the broken shells everywhere and the black sand. we ate lunch on the pier and then headed back to meet up with my aunt and uncle.

black sand?? reminded me of the big island :)

we found a dead horseshoe crab, which is kenneth's second time seeing one... the first time his reaction in tybee was more of a really confused... "uhh... what is that... it looks like a... dinosour?" haha

my aunt took us on a little driving tour of charleston and showed us the battery. um... amazing. kenneth says one day we will live in one of those houses. (haha yeah right). it just amazed me how gorgeous everything was. i love the south and all it's southern charm.

that night we headed back to king street to eat dinner at prohibition. my uncle jamie is awesome and he's a musician so he was playing at that restuarant. it was so fun to get to see him play and chat with him between sets. i love my uncle jamie and aunt christine so much. it's nice being around them because it makes me feel a little bit of my dad (christine is my dad's sister). it's nice too because they laugh and make jokes about him. most people just avoid talking about my dad because they probably don't know what to say and feel awkward about it. but it's actually really nice to talk about him because he's something i'm constantly thinking about. my aunt and uncle used to live in ireland so i never saw them much growing up. i'm happy to have them much closer to home now. family really is everything.

sunday morning we went to church and the couple that sat behind us went to byu-hawaii and kenneth had a class with one of them, such a small world! after church we headed back home. such a short trip and i wish we could have spent more time there. i also wish i took more pictures so i could swoon over them. all in all, charleston was just amazing. who knows where we will end up next year, but kenneth and i have decided that one day in our long lives together, we will live in charleston. i hope that day is sooner rather than later though.

happy last day of september

Thursday, September 25, 2014

North Georgia State Fair

guys.... IT'S FALL! seriously i am stoked. kenneth makes fun of me all the time because i'm so obsessed with the holiday season, but i can't help it, i just love it all! fall has always been my favorite season. clearly i love summer and the beach. i just belong by the ocean, but fall has my heart. my best friend grace and i have always called fall 'our season'. sorry kenneth. because we both love everything about it. every year we text each other as the temperature starts to drop and say, "it's our season!"

so what better way to kick off the first day of fall then go to the north georgia state fair?!

i told kenneth i didn't want to bring my camera because i wanted to just live in the moment and enjoy it all. and then what do i end up doing? snapping photos left and right with my iphone haha. it's always a struggle for me because my memory is getting so bad that the only way i remember now is through lots of photos. but at the same time, i don't want to always be taking photos and focusing on that. anyone seen the secret life of walter mitty? yeah.. oh well, i guess i'll figure out the balance one day.

living in hawaii for the last 4 years means i haven't experienced fall in 4 years.... i know. so this year i will probably be going overboard on everything and anything to make up for the last 4 years that i missed the leaves changing and the smell of pumpkin cookies baking. i mean don't get me wrong, we still baked and tried to make the best of fall in hawaii, but when it's already 85 degrees out... you're not exactly dying to drink hot chocolate.

i haven't been to the state fair in so long, so i was set on the fact that "kenneth, i need to get cotton candy on a stick and ride the ferris wheel." so let's talk about this cotton candy. 1. it was bigger than both of our faces combined. 2. it was actually pretty gross haha. i guess as a kid, you remember this huge amount of sugar and only have good memories. i was a little disappointed. but hey, the ferris wheel was still a hit. actually, as we got on, the workers got in this huge fight and the ferris wheel was stopped and we were awkwardly sitting 1 foot away from them as they were screaming and cussing, until one of them finally stormed off because the boss fired them. haha i wish we recorded it, it was pretty entertaining.

and can we talk about this fall weather!? kenneth and i were actually cold by the end of the night. we ran to the car and turned on the heater. whatttt. together, kenneth and i are going to freeze. because neither of us have many winter clothes from living in hawaii so this year should be interesting. i hate the cold but love fall and winter and snow. it's quite the dilemma.

lots of selfies.

i was really impressed and surprised by how big the fair was. they had tons of rides and shows. we saw tigers, bears and sea lions. since going to africa, i have such a contradicting feeling about animals being displayed in shows. i remember taking the kids i used to nanny to the zoo right after i got back and i wanted to cry when we left. i've seen these amazing animals in the wild and then to see them contained to this small area... it breaks my heart. but i also know that they can do a lot of good too with research and they're fed well and kept healthy.. i don't know.. it's a conflicting issue for me. i just can't imagine what it would be like if i was only allowed to stay locked in my house for the rest of my life. yikes.

goodness... i wish i had the same tolerance for rides as i used to. but i get so sick now. when i go on roller coasters, i black out. that's not normal right? it used to only happen when we did flips, but now it just happens because of how fast we are going and the pressure i guess? kenneth says i need to see a doctor because it's not normal... ha.

all in all, a perfect fall night in this lovely state.

kenneth and i are going to charleston, south carolina tomorrow. i feel like we have just been on the move this year. we are going to see a grad school that kenneth might apply to. my aunt and uncle also live there. kenneth is mostly excited to visit folly beach, which is apparently known for their surfing. i told kenneth this is our last "summer" weekend and that once we get back, be prepared for fall festivities 24/7.

neither of us have ever been to charleston, anyone have any suggestions on places to see or things to do while we're there??

also, the fedex man just rang the doorbell and i'm stoked because my brother ordered us an awesome blender as a late wedding gift and we both have been dying for one. but kenneth isn't home right now so i'm trying to be nice and wait to open it until he gets home... the struggle.

and the reason why kenneth isn't here is because he's at the gym and i am not because i am SO SORE from my work out the other day and i literally cannot move. i wish i was kidding. it's embaressing. kenneth has to help me walk around the house haha

happy fall ya'll.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

florida

i'm currently in the beautiful sunshine state with kenneth. he's looking at some grad school's he might apply to and in between campus tours and meetings, we are soaking up as much time as we can in the beautiful atlantic ocean.

living in hawaii changed a lot of things about me. one of those things would be intensifying my love for the ocean. it breaks my heart to be so far away now. i miss lying in bed and hearing the waves crash. i miss the golden hour. i miss looking out of my window and seeing the ocean right there. i miss going for evening walks. i miss being able to see the sunrise and the sunset in the same day. i miss the friends that swam out with me. i miss the healing power of it. i miss swimming at keikis on a big day and praying to not get pounded. i miss the calm of the summer and the fierceness of the winter. i miss it all. i think mostly because sitting on the ocean is where i grew a lot. i think it's safe to say that most people grow during their college years. i know i did. and a lot of that growing happened right by that salty sea. lots of laughs, tears, and thoughtful moments happened by that pacific ocean. it's something i'm so grateful for.

now whenever i get the chance to be by the ocean again, i try and take full advantage of it. florida has been so wonderful. atlantic, you've been surprisingly wonderful.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

tanzania

(be sure to watch it in HD)

i finally put together a little video of my time spent in tanzania, africa. i was there for six weeks with my best friend alexis. we spent our time volunteering at an orphanage and primary school. it was a really crazy experience and i will have to share some of the many crazy stories later. at the end of the video i put "for king". the director of our orphanage & our host family, had 8 month old twins (king & queen). on our 3rd day in tanzania, king passed away from pneumonia. i miss all these kids so much. i wish i could squeeze them all. i'm sad i don't have more footage from my time in africa, but it really just wasn't safe for me to have my camera out so this is just a little glimpse of it all. those kids are amazing.

xoxo,

Saturday, September 13, 2014

our wedding day pt.I

on june 14, 2014 kenneth and i got married in the newport beach lds temple in southern california. it was such a wonderful day and while it may sound cliche, it really was the best day of my life.

warning: long post ahead, with more to come…

ah finally time to write down about the whole experience. mostly this post is for me so that i don't forget, so here it goes.

wedding planning is not my thing. i could write a whole post just on how overwhelming planning a wedding was for me. but i promised myself that come the day of, i would try my absolute hardest to just forget about all the other details of wedding planning and just enjoy it. if things weren't done by that point, there was no purpose in me stressing about it so i just decided to let it go [que the soundtrack to frozen].

the morning of, kenneth came over to our rental house (not sure if most brides see their groom before they get married, but it was so comforting to see him and just hang out for a bit). then laura ek came over and did my hair and make up. she did a fabulous job i might add. also, krystal holmes gave me eyelash extensions earlier that week which i also loved. but as most things go for me, things ran a little later than anticipated and kenneth and i were 30 minutes late to the temple! ahhh. the drive over there was seriously so hilarious looking back. kenneth and i rushing to get there, me forgetting my wallet, but then later finding it hidden in the car. we basically were sprinting up the temple stairs and passing all our family and friends along the way and they just looked confused as ever as to why we were just now arriving haha. it's a good thing they tell the bride and groom to get their an hour before so we still had time even though we were 30 minutes late. but once we walked in i felt like i could finally breathe & relax.

marrying kenneth was an easy decision. i felt so much peace and comfort that day. i can't imagine what it would have been like if i was unsure if kenneth was the one. wedding planning was stressful enough. i've watched movies and heard other stories of those nervous brides and grooms and for us it really was nothing like that. minutes before we got married we had some time to ourselves to just talk and be together. we both just couldn't stop smiling and laughing and talking about how this day was finally here. i can honestly say i didn't feel nervous at all. we were ready. kenneth and i dated on and off for about 3 years before we got married. we have been through some tough times together and some amazing times. kenneth is my absolute best friend. who wouldn't be excited to spend the rest of their life with their best friend?! our ceremony was so special and filled with lots of good tears. i can't even begin to describe the feeling of having our family and friends with us that day. i wish i could relieve that moment over and over again. it was perfect.

when deciding where we wanted to get married, we both really wanted to be married in the laie, hawaii temple. mainly because hawaii is where we met, fell in love, and got engaged. but it didn't make sense to get married in hawaii when no one would be out there. we decided on california because most of kenenth's family lives in california now and it was really important to us to have all our family there. so now we just had to decided between the los angeles temple, newport beach temple or san diego temple. all really gorgeous temples! but the newport beach temple stood out to us. we liked the simplicity of it and even how small it was. it made for a more intimate and personal setting. we both really liked how unique it was compared to other temples and the location was perfect.

weird fact… ever since i was in high school, i always had this weird feeling that i would get married in california. and when i was dating kenneth i thought, well i won't get married in california because we will get married in hawaii or georgia probably. but then his parents moved to california and suddenly it became the best option. how weird right?!

right before we walked out of the temple to greet all our family and friends, one of the flowers in my flower crown fell out (it was directly in the middle of the crown haha). so we just stuck it in and hoped i wouldn't move my head too much and it would stay until my florist mother could fix it haha. luckily it stayed in for about 3 minutes and then fell right out. good thing my mom and sister fixed it right up.

such a perfect day. not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was perfect too!

how awesome is this photo of our nephew weston?? haha

my people.

my grandpa and grandma flew in from utah. it was so sweet to have them there. my grandpa reminds me of the grandpa from the movie up. when he's not all dressed up, he's wearing a flannel and suspenders. i guess you could say he was a hipster before it was even cool haha.

my amazing mom. she's the best. my mom got her masters in horticulture and used to be a florist. so she made ALL the floral arrangements, bouquets, boutonnieres, flower crowns, everything. how lucky am i to have such a talented mother! i'm so grateful she's taught me how to make floral arrangements. sometimes i think about doing it as a business because i love flowers so much and i think it's so fun and soothing to put them all together. it was so fun to go to the wholesaler and pick out all the flowers i wanted and create it with my mom.

my wonderful family. i feel so lucky that they all made it. my brother had to take his kids out of school a few weeks early in order to make the trip from ecuador. they're the best.

my sister and brother, beka & chris.

okay… this picture kills me. how cute are my nephews?! such studs.

the elledge clan. kenneth clearly has more siblings than i do so it was our personal mission to try and get everyone in his family there. we almost accomplished it. just missing his brother-in-law dan and his older brother jacob.

love my cute flower girls! poor amy, it was a struggle to get all our nieces and nephews smiling for the photos. she did a fabulous job at trying to capture it.

i feel so blessed to have had my aunt & uncle and cousins fly in all the way from georgia. i love them a whole lot.

my beautiful bridesmaids. love them all a lot.

my sister was my maid of honor. she went above and beyond to help me out with everything for our wedding to make it perfect. love her so much.

our amazing friends

kenneth's groomsmen.

my mom and sister-in-law norma, made all of their ties! the poor guys all ordered these pants we found online. we were just looking for something cheap for everyone to buy and the pants ended up being ridiculously tight on all of them haha. literally hilarious because they could hardly walk or sit down haha. such troopers.

kenneth's best man was his brother jesse.

the original gator house.

all the houses in hawaii have names because they don't have apartment complexes. i lived in the canal house, kenneth lived in the gator house. these guys will forever be our best friends.

it was so special to have sonny and his wife amy there. it ended up being completely lucky that they were visiting sonny's home in southern california the same weekend we got married. it was a joyous reunion. also, let's talk about the fact that amy is 5 month's pregnant in this picture?! she is TINY.

we all went to high school together. love these guys so much. still can't believe they all flew in from georgia to be there.

i loved my flowers so much.

i'm going to do a separate post to talk about my wedding dress and all the work that went into designing and making it, but here's a little glimpse of all the beads i put on… one… by… one.. (i do not suggest other brides to ever do that)

as most people know, my dad unexpectedly died 10 months before i got married. it was really heartbreaking to not have him there so i tried to include parts of him the best i knew how. this is a piece of one of his favorite blue shirts and we sewed it to the bottom of my dress. and the other ring that i wore i borrowed from my mom. it was a gift to my mom from my dad. it has 3 different stones in it (mine and my siblings birth stones).

so amy asked us to close our eyes as she was taking this picture and when i opened them, i saw some random lady next to amy taking a picture of us haha. she responded with "oh hi! i'm here for another wedding, but i just love your dress and everything and i just had to take a picture of you guys! you guys look so great!" haha too funny.

my dad came up with these gold lockets to give to all of the girls in our family. it has an engraved B on the front with a little message on the back. i was too afraid of losing it if i used that actual locket on my bouquet so my mom bought another gold locket and put photos of my dad inside and attached it to my bouquet. it was really special to be able to look down throughout that day and see him.