I was just looking through our pictures when we were at the Park Butte Lookout in 2020! What a perfect spot to get engaged. I can only imagine how nervous Aaron would have been watching you hopping on those rocks with an unzipped pocket! My hubby and I are celebrating 23 years this year and taking an anniversary trip to backpack in Kauai! I’m excited to play the “question game” with him that you described in another post. Thank you again for all your valuable insights 💚
I'm so glad to hear that you've been to park butte - isn't it amazing? It's a special place... and that is a special mountain too. Congrats on 23 years ... I really think that our anniversary is one of my favorite days every year... and since we technically got married twice (once in Tahiti and once in WA), we celebrate it 2x in the same month - ha! I hope you love the question game... it's deceptively simple, but it's incredible how much we have learned about each other through playing it. Our conversations usually become complex, insightful and fun. I hope you love it too! And we were in Kauai a few years ago - you are going to LOVE IT!
Thanks for sharing this. I was divorced from a 7 year marriage in my 20s. My second marriage will celebrate 23 years next month. My experience is that love grows over time and becomes something different from the honeymoon phase. More real.
Like your dad, I can’t stand the cut throughs on a trail! It drives me NUTS. 😆 Yes, I have said something to strangers about erosion while they were sliding down a steep, idiotic cut through. I love how you used it as a relationship analogy.
Now I want to go to Tahiti. What a beautiful place.
P.S. my husband and I walked a straight up, no switchback forest road yesterday, 554 ft elevation gain to a fire tower. Whoo! Then up the tower. I’m impressed you do it every day.
Congrats on 23 years of marriage! I agree that love has continued to grow -- I am more and more amazed by the love that I feel for Aaron ever single day, and I am so grateful that we've developed such a strong bond and partnership. I feel very lucky that I get to work with him too.
And I agree with you - cutting switchbacks is just atrocious!! To save what... 4 feet of walking? C'mon now people lol.
And you absolutely should go to Tahiti - it is COMPLETELY remarkable. I want to go back and visit most of the islands... 11 days was not enough. We are hoping to go back again within the next couple of years - maybe for our 10th anniversary.
And finally... your hike sounds amazing! I do a lot of elevation every single day... probably 2000-3000 ft ... I'm definitely an extreme case lol, but since the hill is in my backyard, I have the 'home field' advantage ... plus, I'm not carrying any weight... just plodding along in the dark with my headlamp. It really is lovely. I'm so glad you made it out for what sounds like a beautiful walk to a fire tower.
Thanks for reading and commenting Celeste, I so appreciate you. Have a beautiful day!
When I was walking up to the fire tower I remembered that you have a similar route and then I was looking around for bears. Hahaha! Somehow at the top we managed to attempt a jump photo, inspired by Allison Tapert’s recent mountain jump photo (I think with your wood burning artist friend?). We were at the Georgia Glassy Mountain Fire Tower.
The lake jump photo contest in August was so fun this summer, got us motivated to go to a lake every week (there are several near where I live). We will definitely do that again ourselves next summer, it’s a new tradition. Thanks Kula Crew!
I participated in the online wood burning charcuterie board class awhile ago. Kula has spread fun all across the country.
Dec 9, 2023·edited Dec 9, 2023Liked by Anastasia Allison
Thank you so much for sharing this story. It is really resonating with me right now, as I'm about to embark on my second marriage (almost 9 years to the day that the first one ended). This meant a lot to me to read, and I appreciate the transparency with which you share the "ugly" side of things (when we so often only see the shiny side!). Also, my fiance loves to call people out and then educate them on shortcutting trails! I was so uncomfortable the first time he said something to a stranger, now I'm just proud!
I only wish that he and I had a sasquatch costume and unicorn head! #marriagegoals
You are so, so welcome Beth! It is definitely hard to look back on some of the more challenging times... and also see how my own (unintentional) actions contributed to the failure of my first marriage... and the challenges that Aaron and I have faced in our current marriage. I will say that I have discovered so much awareness, healing and love through my second marriage -- it has given me a new understanding of what the word and the commitment means and even though it has been challenging at times, I could not imagine having anybody else by my side ... especially in the sasquatch costume lol! Congrats on YOUR upcoming marriage -- I wish you both so much joy and adventuring together on trails that are decided NOT filled with switchback shortcuts - HA! Aaron and I have definitely used our marriage as a way to awaken to MUCH MORE than just the 'idealistic/hollywood' version of marriage and it has been really rewarding and beautiful. Thank you so much for reading!
Mindi and Celeste - I'm compelled to comment here after seeing that you are both celebrating 23 years of marriage this year - I did that too earlier this year! Couples married in year 2000 well represented, haha! I truly hope you will have a great time celebrating.
Anastasia, such a great post. My husband and I both read this and talked about it Sunday morning. I enjoyed hearing your neat wedding story and side stories! I do think that couple name Rising Sun is so neat and fits you well. You and Aaron are already my favorite couple - Congratulations again!
I was just looking through our pictures when we were at the Park Butte Lookout in 2020! What a perfect spot to get engaged. I can only imagine how nervous Aaron would have been watching you hopping on those rocks with an unzipped pocket! My hubby and I are celebrating 23 years this year and taking an anniversary trip to backpack in Kauai! I’m excited to play the “question game” with him that you described in another post. Thank you again for all your valuable insights 💚
I'm so glad to hear that you've been to park butte - isn't it amazing? It's a special place... and that is a special mountain too. Congrats on 23 years ... I really think that our anniversary is one of my favorite days every year... and since we technically got married twice (once in Tahiti and once in WA), we celebrate it 2x in the same month - ha! I hope you love the question game... it's deceptively simple, but it's incredible how much we have learned about each other through playing it. Our conversations usually become complex, insightful and fun. I hope you love it too! And we were in Kauai a few years ago - you are going to LOVE IT!
Thanks for sharing this. I was divorced from a 7 year marriage in my 20s. My second marriage will celebrate 23 years next month. My experience is that love grows over time and becomes something different from the honeymoon phase. More real.
Like your dad, I can’t stand the cut throughs on a trail! It drives me NUTS. 😆 Yes, I have said something to strangers about erosion while they were sliding down a steep, idiotic cut through. I love how you used it as a relationship analogy.
Now I want to go to Tahiti. What a beautiful place.
P.S. my husband and I walked a straight up, no switchback forest road yesterday, 554 ft elevation gain to a fire tower. Whoo! Then up the tower. I’m impressed you do it every day.
Celeste,
Congrats on 23 years of marriage! I agree that love has continued to grow -- I am more and more amazed by the love that I feel for Aaron ever single day, and I am so grateful that we've developed such a strong bond and partnership. I feel very lucky that I get to work with him too.
And I agree with you - cutting switchbacks is just atrocious!! To save what... 4 feet of walking? C'mon now people lol.
And you absolutely should go to Tahiti - it is COMPLETELY remarkable. I want to go back and visit most of the islands... 11 days was not enough. We are hoping to go back again within the next couple of years - maybe for our 10th anniversary.
And finally... your hike sounds amazing! I do a lot of elevation every single day... probably 2000-3000 ft ... I'm definitely an extreme case lol, but since the hill is in my backyard, I have the 'home field' advantage ... plus, I'm not carrying any weight... just plodding along in the dark with my headlamp. It really is lovely. I'm so glad you made it out for what sounds like a beautiful walk to a fire tower.
Thanks for reading and commenting Celeste, I so appreciate you. Have a beautiful day!
When I was walking up to the fire tower I remembered that you have a similar route and then I was looking around for bears. Hahaha! Somehow at the top we managed to attempt a jump photo, inspired by Allison Tapert’s recent mountain jump photo (I think with your wood burning artist friend?). We were at the Georgia Glassy Mountain Fire Tower.
The lake jump photo contest in August was so fun this summer, got us motivated to go to a lake every week (there are several near where I live). We will definitely do that again ourselves next summer, it’s a new tradition. Thanks Kula Crew!
I participated in the online wood burning charcuterie board class awhile ago. Kula has spread fun all across the country.
And kept TP “roses” off the trail.
Thank you so much for sharing this story. It is really resonating with me right now, as I'm about to embark on my second marriage (almost 9 years to the day that the first one ended). This meant a lot to me to read, and I appreciate the transparency with which you share the "ugly" side of things (when we so often only see the shiny side!). Also, my fiance loves to call people out and then educate them on shortcutting trails! I was so uncomfortable the first time he said something to a stranger, now I'm just proud!
I only wish that he and I had a sasquatch costume and unicorn head! #marriagegoals
You are so, so welcome Beth! It is definitely hard to look back on some of the more challenging times... and also see how my own (unintentional) actions contributed to the failure of my first marriage... and the challenges that Aaron and I have faced in our current marriage. I will say that I have discovered so much awareness, healing and love through my second marriage -- it has given me a new understanding of what the word and the commitment means and even though it has been challenging at times, I could not imagine having anybody else by my side ... especially in the sasquatch costume lol! Congrats on YOUR upcoming marriage -- I wish you both so much joy and adventuring together on trails that are decided NOT filled with switchback shortcuts - HA! Aaron and I have definitely used our marriage as a way to awaken to MUCH MORE than just the 'idealistic/hollywood' version of marriage and it has been really rewarding and beautiful. Thank you so much for reading!
Mindi and Celeste - I'm compelled to comment here after seeing that you are both celebrating 23 years of marriage this year - I did that too earlier this year! Couples married in year 2000 well represented, haha! I truly hope you will have a great time celebrating.
Anastasia, such a great post. My husband and I both read this and talked about it Sunday morning. I enjoyed hearing your neat wedding story and side stories! I do think that couple name Rising Sun is so neat and fits you well. You and Aaron are already my favorite couple - Congratulations again!
Beautiful 💞