James and I spent this past weekend up in Wisconsin Dells photographing the absolutely gorgeous (and oh-so-fun!) wedding of Heather and Ryan at Glacier Canyon Lodge at The Wilderness. Given the fabulous summer getaway location it is, and that my best friend, Krista, and her husband, Bill, (who are friends of the bride and groom!) were attending the wedding – we decided to share a hotel room and stay the night for a change! Because of that, Heather and Ryan so graciously invited us to stay and enjoy ourselves at the wedding once their coverage had ended. Of course James and I took them up on their offer and spent the night catching up with old friends, having a spotted cow (or two), and dancing (without taking photos) for a change!
It was absolutely awesome to have some non-work time together – just hanging out and enjoying ourselves! I realized this weekend that now we’re full-time with our business – summer doesn’t quite feel like summer anymore… at least now how it used to. (And I’m not saying it is a bad thing – trust me! It’s just different, is all.) Summer is now busy season and working season. We are all go-go-go and don’t really take time to just throw on our swimsuits and go to the pool, or sit out on a patio and enjoy a cold beer. But this weekend – this weekend was different! Once the wedding was done – we made sure to thoroughly enjoy ourselves, and spent the next day hanging out in the hotel’s waterpark with Krista and Bill (and many of the weddings guests – including the bride & groom)! It was so nice to just lay on an innertube and float along the lazy river the day after a wedding! (My new favorite way to cure my aching body after a long wedding shoot the day before!)
Then on our way back to Chicago we made a little pit stop in Madison to meet up with one of our September couples to grab a beer at The Union (where James and I got engaged!). We chatted about their wedding and got to know each other better, and when they headed out my brother Will came to meet up with us to hang out for a bit. It was awesome to just sit in the breeze, enjoy a beer and a cheeseburger (followed by ice cream), and just be.
I was reminded this weekend how great summer is and how blessed I am to have a job that allows me to enjoy it – even over a busy working weekend!
Here’s to many more summer days that feel like summer… swimsuits, sunshine, good friends, cold beer, and a nice breeze!
(I’m pretty sure the sunset on our drive back to Chicago said it all… it was a beautiful weekend!)
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