O' CHRISTMAS TREE

Christmas tree hunting is one of our favorite days of the ENTIRE year! Parker's too. :) This is the day we pile into Butch’s truck, crank the holiday tunes, get a toasty coffee in our hands (and a puppuccino for Parker), and point in the direction of Highland Trees on Wausau’s East side where we always cut down our tree. This year, we went on a Thursday evening. It was a bit muddy, a bit rainy, and a bit dark, but that didn’t stop us! We made our way around the tree farm with Parker’s smiling face leading the way as he weaved between the rows & rows of beautiful trees, and he melted our hearts in this little Pendleton coat (which I couldn’t walk out of Katzenbarkers without purchasing!!). We’re so enjoying the new spot in our home we found for our tree – in our sunroom - and are tackling our list of Christmas movies like it's our job. Sending holiday wishes your way as we approach the most amazing time of the year! :)

Love, Kelsy & Butch

Christmas Tree photos at Highland Trees captured on Contax 645 and Rolleiflex 3.5c with Fuji Pro 400H, processed by Fast Foto & Digital.

THANKFUL

This year we brought both of our families together to celebrate Thanksgiving at our house – our very first time hosting! When we think of things we’re most thankful for, family is absolutely #1, and we couldn’t think of a more joyful way to celebrate the holiday than cheersing, feasting, and of course watching football with each of our families. Of course, neither of us are master chefs nor have we ever made turkey, stuffing or mashed potatoes, but we knew we would be surrounded by plenty of skilled hands ready to help as much as possible. And thank goodness we were, because otherwise we may have been eating salmon for Thanksgiving ;) With my parents + brother, Butch’s parents + puppy, and the three of us at one long table (which we had so much fun decorating), Butch gave a lovely toast and we all dove in to a wonderful taste-explosion of a meal :)

Hoping your Thanksgiving found you surrounded by the ones you love most, too! Cheers, friends!

Love, Kelsy, Butch & Parker :)

Thanksgiving table photos captured with Contax 645 on Fuji Pro 400H, processed by Fast Foto & Digital.

Centerpiece: by Stacey from Evolutions in Design | Table, Chandelier, Table Cloth & Napkins: Pottery Barn | Crystal: a wedding gift from Butch's sweet Auntie Mare

PUMPKINS & APPLES!

Fall. Does it get any better?!? We always say fall is our favorite time to be alive :) We LIVE for autumn's crisp air, vibrant colors, comfort food, and extra-long walks! Easily at the top of this list are our annual apple picking and pumpkin hunting adventures with Parker. This year we sort of missed the boat on apple picking (I know, I know... terrible!!), so we decided to include a little game of apple-fetch into our pumpkin date. Parker LOVES playing ball and could honestly play all day... what he doesn't like is biting into an apple to bring it back to us, so it makes for a tough game for him although an entertaining one for us! Simply running up and down the rows & rows of trees or through the pumpkin patch makes him the smiliest pup we know, which makes us the happiest Kelsy & Butch we know. :) Here are a few images from this year's outing at Helene's Orchard, perfectly timed to allow us to also wish you all a wonderful Halloween! 

Love, Kelsy & Butch

Images captured with Contax 645 on Ektar 100 film.

A NORTHWOODS ADVENTURE

Driving into the Northwoods brings us an immediate sense of ease, contentment, and happiness. As tall pines start to take over and line the roads, any worry or stress is forgotten. For us, Northern Wisconsin also means FAMILY. It's where we celebrate part of our Christmas and spend time with loved ones. 

On this particular weekend, a snowshoe adventure was on the agenda! After preparing delicious & savory bites and treats, we dove into our outdoor gear and strapped on our snowshoes. With a group seventeen-strong, we trekked through snow-covered private trails on a balmy 37 degree winter day. Despite a few minutes of excitement after a few of us broke through the ice covering a creek, we all survived! ;) With laughter filling the woods, we arrived at our final destination, the cabin, and couldn't wait to kick back for a night of games, cheersing, and fun!

Here are a few images from our woodsy outing in Peeksville, WI. As you can see, Parker quite enjoyed himself and led the pack! :) We're already looking forward to next year's snowshoe weekend!!

Love,

Kelsy & Butch

Images captured on Pentax 67 and Contax 645 with Ektar 100 film.

O' CHRISTMAS TREE

It was like we were LIVING in a Christmas movie. We both decided to indulge in a holiday beverage on our daily trip to our favorite coffee shop and were thoroughly enjoying the holiday tunes pumping out of Butch's truck's speakers. Parker was wearing his favorite holiday sweater, it was a wonderful Tuesday afternoon, and we were driving deep into the East side of Wausau to hunt for our Christmas tree! If you happen to follow us on Instagram here or here, you know that our faces couldn't hide one bit of the excitement we felt because, after all, this is one of our FAVORITE days of the entire year!! After borrowing a saw from the sweet attendant at Highland Trees, we were driving through miles and miles of trees and gawking out the window like tourists to find the perfect spot to start our search. After years of different Fir trees (Fraiser, Concolour, etc), we were in the mood for a Blue Spruce and were determined to find it. We finally made our way to the Spruce neighborhood and, we kid you not, the MOMENT we stepped foot out of the truck, it started SNOWING big fluffy flakes! It was as if someone up high in the sky flipped the switch, and we were blissfully tree hunting in a winter wonderland. :) After a little picture-taking, lots of searching and measuring with our arms, and non-stop smiling at Parker as he did mega sprints through countless trees, we found THE ONE. His name is Jack, and he is currently hanging out in our living room, all dressed up in silver and gold.

Traditions, pictures, cozy nights by the fire, Christmas movies, more cookies than any of us need, and holiday get-togethers... We hope this holiday season is just as joy-filled for you and yours!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

Images captured with Contax 645 on Ektar 100.