Wedding, honeymoon and perspective
After a short engagement of less than 90 days, we married at the historic courthouse located in Hamilton. It was not a justice of the peace wedding, but since we met in law school, it seemed fitting to say our vows there. The reception was held at one of our favorite places, Hueston Woods Lodge. We spend a lot of time in those woods and at the beach, so it was our first choice to have our reception there. After the wedding, we traveled to San Francisco where we rented an RV and traveled along highway one on the coast. We had no itinerary, schedule or reservations. We simply boarded that plan with the intent of living in the moment and seeing where our days would take us. We met folks along the way who gave us suggestions on where to go, and they didn't disappoint.
California was beautiful. The landscape is ever changing from sand dunes to forests, to beaches and cliffs, to farming fields and small towns. The air smelled so incredibly sweet to us Ohioans, and the highways and roads were nearly litter free. The grass seemed so green it could be mistaken for astroturf. Wild and bright yellow flowers filled the fields and cattle grazed on the foggy hilltops that overlooked the Pacific. It was dreamy and breathtaking. Traveling with the intent to immerse yourself within the natural landscapes can put your life and your place in this universe into perspective. How small and insignificant I felt standing beneath redwood trees that had been rooted in the soil for thousands of years. This world is such a magnificent place and there is so much to see and experience. I am forever grateful that for the past year, my days are spent outdoors where I can see new life emerging, the cycle of life ending, and nature change within the seasons. There is a healthy rhythm that follows my days and it is one that works within mother nature. When you travel to beautiful places such as California, it is easy to find your home landscape "less than", unfulfilling or even depressing. But, I think about how those californians don't even know that their air is filled with the eucalyptus aroma because they smell it everyday, just as we may take for granted the beautiful falling snow and the crunching of vibrant leaves in the fall. To a Californian, those sights may be wondrous if they have never experienced them before. There is a lot of beauty in this world including where I live. California was dreamy and I want to explore more, but I will not take for granted the beauty that comes with living here. Everyplace is beautiful if you look close enough, and make an effort to not take for granted what you have surrounding you. Whether it be mountains, oceans, forests, grasslands, I will appreciate them all. Beginning our journey as husband and wife with an adventure of the unknown on our honeymoon was a beautiful way to start our lives together. No matter where life takes us, we have to stick together as husband and wife, best friends and partners. Adventure awaits! <3
““It had to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles with no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental. It seemed to me that it had always felt like this to be a human in the wild, and as long as the wild existed it would always feel this way.”
― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail”