I was lucky when it came to picking a photographer, because my best friend Sara and her (socuteitmakesmesick) little sister Robin both started their own photography business a few years ago called Sorella Image.

11 hours, a broken camera, and one canoe ride later, we ended up with hundreds and hundreds of pictures that I just wanted to cry tears of joy over. I cannot say how much I appreciate them and their hard work, (not kidding, even I was sore and exhausted that night!) and for being so willing to work with ideas that I had (Maple Lake :) which at some points, seemed near impossible.

What is special about these shots is that they all take place at what we refer to as "Merlin's magic lake." The very first date Max and I went on was to the Sadie Hawkins dance (six years ago!) and that night we had driven up to that same exact spot in Payson Canyon. We were both sixteen, both in the same English class, and both really not that interested in each other, except for maybe being just really good friends.

Out of all 8 couples that night, (none of whom had previously dated) 7 couples were affected by "Merlin's magic," and nearly everyone fell in love. (at least that's what we would have called it at sixteen :)

Honestly, that remains one of the best nights of my life. Not just because of my high school hormones, but because I will never forget sitting in a raft eating starbursts and snickers while Max sat across from me, talking for hours, losing all sense of time until the sun went down. (we never even ended up going to the actual dance!)

So here is one of the many photographs I have with the boy I am now going to marry. I'll post more soon!

when one chapter closes, another one.. opens?

I've only been alive for 22 (almost 23) years, but lately I've noticed that I look back and categorize different parts of my life into "chapters." For example: college, high school, junior high, and elementary school years; the years I lived in Salt Lake, the years I lived in Woodland Hills. Some of it, though, is categorized a little differently: Dream Street days, Hawaii, the summer on my bike, 2010, "ninth grade." (junior high was awful).

And over the last few weeks, I've realized that the time has come for another chapter to close and another one to open. Usually these endings and beginnings can go unnoticed, because it all happens without you really even realizing it... but this chapter is a little different. I know that on June 21st, 2012 I will no longer be just Kelsie Christensen. I will no longer live by myself, make decisions just for myself, or do whatever I want to do every day. In some ways that's scary, in others, nothing has made me more happy or fulfilled.

And then I get texts sometimes, like today at 9:57 AM which read: "I am excited to marry you." And then I wonder how on earth I lived 22 (almost 23) years and chapters, without him by my side every day. I would say that life is one gazillion times better with Max than it would be with even one million sweedish fish and bike rides and sunsets in Hawaii ... plus a years supply of diet coke.

I've never been more content and ready for so many good (and fun, and carefree, and becoming) chapters to close, in order for the most special one to open.

max turns 23.

Max turned 23 a few days ago, and we celebrated with deep fried macaroni (surprisingly good!) and a year supply of cake bites, (which is why we will both be diabetic by tomorrow :) Max was also pretty insistent on playing a round of golf that day, which truth be told, was a lot more fun than what I was planning on!

It's crazy to think that Max and I have celebrated our seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-first, twenty-second, and now twenty-third birthdays together (although two of the years, we celebrated a few thousand miles apart..) but still... I'd like to say that Max has kind of grown on me as we've grown up together, except that would be the understatement of the century.

I love Max for all that he is and all that he does for me every day of the year. I love his donald duck sneeze, his rooster tail hair, and most recently, his perfect re-enactment of "blood?" (yes, please watch that video)

Max, although you may never read this blog, I love you more than you could possibly know. Happy Birthday to my bffaeaeaeaeae... and ever. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me.

3 more things

dresses from decades,

a cake i've always dreamed of,
and the flower patch at the supermarket
(aka walmart)

3 things

these things i love:

max playing his guitar,
ken's thrifted daisy dukes,
and two rings made out of ribbon
(which max made himself!)
when my ring had to get sized,
and max was insistent that i still wear something on my finger.

Happy Mothers Day.

I couldn't help but think of all that my mom has done for me (the last few months especially) as I watched this video. Knowing that I'll be leaving home in just a few weeks, and won't really ever live with my mom (and dad) again, makes this Mothers Day all that much more special. There's a reason why the First Presidency of the Church has said,

"Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels."

Happy Mothers Day to all Mothers,

but to mine especially, who I love so much.

wedding dinner.

Because I planned my wedding when I was ten (at least thats what Max thinks) I knew all I really wanted was something outdoors, and something with twinkle lights. Luckily, I think I found something that fits -- even better, though, than what I had always imagined.

Working with the people at Tuscany (after meeting with several other places) has almost been too good to be true. And best of all, Max (who unlike most, has quite a few opinions himself!) loves everything -- and by that, I mean the sparklers and valet parking.

wedding bells are ringing.

I've only been out of school for a few weeks, but I feel like I've accomplished half of the start of summer to-do list. Book reading, Dunkaroo hunting (not kidding - when I found out that WalMart is selling these again I made half a dozen phone calls at least!) a battle between choosing diet coke or lemonade every time, and best of all: long, sunny, carefree afternoons with Max. Summer wins every time.

We've tied a few more loose ends when it comes to some of the wedding planning, too, including booking a string quartet for the wedding dinner. (I plan on posting a few pictures of the location and everything that has come together so far next time!)

Originally I was hoping to find music that would fit with the special day and the setting I would like that night at the dinner, but what I ended up finding was a dream come true. I was looking for something between both classical and modern music, and so when I found a string quartet with a repertoire including: When You Wish Upon A Star, La Vie en Rose, and Clair de Lune -- I was nearly smitten. And when I heard a clip of the song below, I nearly cried.



45 more days... but whose counting?

mr. clooney & i.

Sometimes I wake up and look in the mirror and wonder what on earth happened to me and my hair while I was sleeping?

Those are the mornings when I remind myself that George Clooney once looked like this. And then I don't feel so bad.

summer.

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”

{f. scott fitzgerald, the great gatsby}

“Come with me,' Mom says.
To the library.
Books and summertime
go together.” {Lisa Schroeder}

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

{Henry James}

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all images via