THROUGH LIFE OR DEATH

Just two young kids, who fell in love.

VISIT FROM THE AIR

This July, Cain has been back and forth from Shelbyville, IN.  He has been going through RL progression which is all for his flight training. He has to know so much about the aircraft and he also then has to get flight hours in before getting signed off. A couple of weeks ago I get a text in the morning from Cain that said he would be flying over Huntington (about 43 minutes from where we live) 

Back when Cain first got this flight medic job I told him to tell me, if he is ever close to home, that I would love to see him fly over ... because, well, that's super cool to me! Ha. So when I got the text he would be close, I had to go! (thank goodness for a flexible job!) 

What Cain wasn't aware of was that they were planning on landing and spending some time on the ground for a HERO's camp at Huntington's middle school. I saw them land and was able to go over with everyone else and greet the Soldiers. 

It was a nice time spent with Cain and with the other Medic and Pilots. Cain now knows to check ahead of time next time they are flying over our area to see if they will be landing, that way everyone can see this amazing sight. 

It truly was so wonderful to see him fly over because it made me visualize what he has been working for the past 9 months. In the last 12 months Cain has been gone now over 9 of them for his medical and fight training but to see him living out a dream and loving his job, I am able to know that it was worth the months apart and makes me very proud of him and for the hard work he put in, because it wasn't all easy! 

I can't say enough how proud I am of Cain, he is so incredible at everything he does and God has so much in store for his future. I love seeing God work in Cain's life every day, no matter what he does, God is using him... 

Blessed, to have him. 

Evenings Before Goodbyes

Oh, I would love to spend every evening like this. The three of us together and enjoying the sunset together. The last year has been a long one, but for some reason, the last few months have been the hardest! July started out looking just wonderful, it looked like Cain would be home all of July, I counted the days he would be home and I was pretty stinking happy about it. Then, that very afternoon he got dates to leave for the last of his flight training in Shelbyville. Thankfully, things always work out and he was able to get dates home still through out July, here and there. 

So that's what we have been doing and what's left of July for us. He will be home for a day or two and gone for a few more, then back again. Just always being very thankful for the time we do get. As I was sharing with friends over the weekend, a whole day together is huge for us and if it's a weekend, that is like a unicorn! 

As you can see in these pictures with Nova, she is pretty happy when her family is together. I've got nothing on Cain, she loves him so much and I would have to agree with her. 

Guess what, today... we are together <3 It's a good day. 

Salt Lake City, Utah | YL Convention Part 1

I can not even put into words right now the excitement I felt when I arrived into Salt Lake City last week! 

The struggle of getting me there was rough. A canceled flight, rescheduled a day later, 4-hour layover.... yeah, a 12 hour day then turned into a 17 hour day because of the time changes. So when this day ended I was so wiped, I was extremely exhausted from there on out too for the week. But it was a crazy exciting week, to say the least! 

The first day was spent with my friend Liza and some new friends. We visited "Aroma Share" where vendors come and show us all the fun goodies we can use with our oils, there are educational booths there was a natural makeup booth, jewelry, personalized bags etc. Just a whole bunch of awesome stuff ha. 

Then we ate at Fat Jacks where I got a bunless burger that was to die for (maybe because that was my first meal of the day!) I will be going back there though next year, so so good! 

After that, we headed to "General Session" It's like the opening of convention and it's where they release the new products. That's where 30,000 other Oilers come together and it's like a huge party of cheers for every new product. I think that's when things really got exciting because truly, I love this company and everything they do to make it easier and convenient for us to have products that are safe for us and the kids in our lives. Just really am so glad I am part of it. 

Some photos from big girl camera (which I wish I had taken more with but, life)

Glen Ellyn, Illinois | Crashing The Fair

This past Thursday we had the chance to meet up with a friend of Cain's from High School! Josie is now living in Chicago so when I found out I was going to get to visit Cain the last 2 weeks of his trip here I texted Josie to see if we could meet up! 

Everything worked out perfectly for it to happen! She invited her two friends to join us at the Blackberry Market to talk about oils and replacing chemicals! Then when Blackberry was closing for the night we decided to crash Glen Ellyn's local Fair! What a fun evening of good laughs and great fellowship with an old and new friends! 

My top is from @noragray <3

RUSH

I made it safe to Chicago last night and since then we have stayed in, watched TV,  have eaten some pizza and chocolate and catching up on what's been going on in each other's lives! We did have to leave the hotel sadly though to go get some water and more chocolate ;) It's been raining non-stop so an umbrella was on the list of items needed. This is the view from the hotel Cain has been staying at just across the street is Rush University Hospital. It's a beautiful building so of course I asked to take pictures while the rain was light. We had no improvising tripod so we had to take pictures "selfie" style with my big camera, which makes me nervous as Cain holds the heavy camera up with one hand ... ahhh! But glad we have pictures together, means the world to me. 

We have been vlogging this weekend, you can check those out on YouTube :) 

Tuesday vibes | 4.11.17

Another Tuesday, another great day with the girls. We were soaking up some time with Cain playing hockey (finally it's getting warm outside!) Emma is now asking to play hockey with Cain and that is just the cutest thing to me. She uses a broken stick that is at her level and it's adorable watching her try and hit the heavy punk with it.

I love Tuesday, I love the time with the girls <3

#exploremystate | Downtown Huntington, Indiana

After a month of Cain being gone for training, we were able to get out the first free weekend we had to visit a town near to us! I have been in and through Huntington many of times but had never really explored before! We posted that we were going to be there on Facebook and we got some great help on where to eat, what to do etc. (thank you Facebook friends!) we also caught up with a friend who lives near Huntington also and she brought her little pup, Anya! (so so cute!)

Although this was not a far trip for us we had a great time and we felt like it was nice to get to know places close to us. This town was small but had many famous attractions for us to enjoy! 

WHERE TO EAT :: Nick's Kitchen, Pizza Junction, Rusty Dog Irish Pub, Antiqology, Brick House Grill, The Party Shop, Cafe of Hope, JJ Java's 

WHAT TO DO :: Huntington University, Turn The Page Books & More, Dream Center Thrift Store, Salamonie Lake, Roush Lake, Zip Timber Lake/line, Sunken Gardens, Lime City Trail, Corn Coast Comics.... 

I know there has to be more so place comment below and share what there is and where to eat in Huntington, Indiana :) 

P.S - We vlogged our day, I'll share below! :) 

FORT RUCKER, AL | PERSONAL UPDATE

This afternoon I realized a week has already passed since being in Alabama with Cain and then realized I had yet to blog any of the trip there, so I am doing it now! Like.. right now!

#exploremystate | Downtown Indianapolis

Before the New Year was here we found ourselves in Puerto Rico on a wonderful and exciting vacation. We met up with a photographer there who took our pictures and we became friends very fast (we seem to have a lot in common!) they asked us to join them for dinner and so we did. As we were chatting about all things Puerto Rico, waterfalls, beaches and all the amazing things Puerto Rico has I kind of laughed out loud and said "We just don't have that in Indiana" our new friends sorta asked then "What is in Indiana?" Cain and I looked at each other and said "Cornfields" 

We followed with "there is more than cornfields, that's just all we really know about Indiana"

I was saddened right there at myself. I have lived in Indiana for 25 (almost 26!) years and all I had to say about my state was "cornfields" of course I know there is more to this state than the cornfields (and nothing is wrong with our cornfields by the way) but I couldn't say much more. 

Over the next couple of weeks as we prepared for the new year and like always I search for something for me to do as a goal. I decided on this .... I want to explore my state, Indiana. I want to never just say "cornfields" again. I want to say at least 5 places and things that make up our state! I am calling it #exploremystate and #projectlovemystate on Instagram. 

I want to know and love the state that I am in, no matter what state that might be! There is always things to explore and I want to be proud of where I come from and where I might go in the future! 

We decided that our first stop would be the heart of Indiana, Indianapolis, our State Capital! I have been in Indy many of times, actually Indy is where we got engaged! (you can check that out here!) It's the "Big, big city" for us and takes 2 hours to get there but we don't visit often enough. 

We now have close friends who live in Indy so it was fitting to go there and visit some new places and spend time with friends! 

We do not know everything and we did not go to all these places but this is what I have found out from friends and from what I knew already about Indy... 

Places to EAT :: 

SoBro Cafe, Rock Bottom, Cheesecake Factory, Giordano's, Trader's Point Creamy, Burger Up, Spaghetti Factory, Nada's, Yard House, St Elmo Steak House, Weber Grill Restaurant, Bakersfield .... to name a few. 

Places to GO :: 

The Children's Museum, White River State Park, Colts Game at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis Speedway, Central Library, Central Canal, Monument Circle, Indianapolis Art Center (bridge we got engaged at), Pacers Bakers Life Fieldhouse ...to name a few. 

Places to SHOP :: Circle Centra, Mass Ave, Bread Ripple, Zionsville - Go visit Blooms + Linen and tell them Lanette sent you! I LOVE everything in there and have already purchased more online since visiting! 

If you guys have any places to add to these lists, comment below so everyone can see! :) 

I will be sharing throughout this year our adventures in Indiana so follow me on Instagram to come along with us! 

@hisphotogirl 

Puerto Rico | Groggs Video

I finally was able to put together my favorite clips from our time in Puerto Rico to share and for us to look back on!! Puerto Rico was a real blast and we can't wait to visit again! These photos are from our last day there - video at the end of this page!

Crash Boat, Puerto Rico | "Oh Darryl" | Day 6

"Oh, Darryl" was our farewell to Crash Boat Beach.

We went into our trip with a few must-do adventures but we were laid back the whole time knowing whatever we did we would be happy with and if something didn't work out, no biggie.

Snorkeling and Scuba Driving were two things on that list. So we made plans for Friday to snorkel at Bio Bay and on Saturday to Scuba drive. We contacted "Darryl" and things were set into motion for us to meet at Crash Boat on Saturday morning at 8:30 am. GREAT! We thought.

We never did hear back from him on Friday and then on Saturday morning, there was no answer from him. We were a little disappointed that he was a no show (thankful we did not have to put a deposit!) but we were okay with not doing it at the same time. At this point, we were very tired and so thankful for everything we had already done in the week there.

We walked the beach and spent time together, that was our adventure for the day <3

Camo Shirt: My Sister's Closet <3

La Parguera, Puerto Rico Biobay + Snorkeling | Day 6

This day was AMAZING! I can not say enough how great of an adventure this was for us. We are so thankful we took our friends advice and went to this biobay area to Snorkel and see the Bioluminescent Bay glow at night. It was honestly the biggest work out of my life that day in the water. I was so tired but it was worth every minute and I would do it again in a heart beat! Enjoy the vlog of our day! 

Thank you Paradise Diving and Snorkeling crew for making this the best day ever! 

And of course, thank you Canon and Gopro for helping us capture these memories <3 

Gozalandia, San Sebastian PR | Day 5

We are becoming waterfall chasers! Emily, our photographer, and friend highly recommend that we go and see Gozalandia in San Sebastian before we leave Puerto Rico. So we did that on Thursday morning and it was pretty awesome! We were a little sad about the crowd of people there. The last waterfall we went to was not a tourist site, it was more of a local spot that you had to find. This was clearly marked and had guys there helping guide people. 

After about 40 minutes of being there, it started to clear out though and we ended up having the waterfall to ourselves for just a short time. Then 100 college kids came on buses and that was a great reason to leave! It was fun, beautiful and was worth going ... our only wish is that we had it to ourselves longer!! 

vlog at the bottom <3

Crash Boat Beach, Puerto Rico | Day 2

The second day in Aguadilla and it was amazing! We slept in, had a great lunch and then headed out to find Crash Boat Beach. We were following our map on the phone and it leads up to this cliff overlooking Crash Boat, not where we wanted to be but was an amazing view over looking the beach. It only took a minute to turn around and find the beach thankfully, the roads are a bit sketchy here so the less driving the better!! 

 It was amazing, so beautiful and the water was so warm! Cain's friend who lives here said the water was on the cool side, well not to us! It was just perfect. We didn't pack our swimsuits when we left because we didn't know how we felt about swimming today. It was amazing warm weather out but it's December and I think our brains still felt like we were in Indiana and swimming just didn't seem right! Once we felt that water though we decided we needed to go back and get our swim suits! It's only a 5-minute drive from our hotel to the beach so we went back and put on our suits and were back in no time and were in the water swimming until our legs gave out! 

It was a great second day! To think we have 7 whole days left on this gorgeous Island! 

Traveling + First Thoughts of Puerto Rico | Day 1

We left for Chicago Saturday evening, it had not started snowing in Fort Wayne yet but the closer we got to Chicago the worse the roads were. It was so bad that our 4-hour drive turned into 6 because of how slow we all had to drive. We passed 4 wrecks and it was a great reminder to take it slow and just get to the airport safe! We arrived and then waited for our JetBlue counter to open to check our bag for the flight! 

We didn't really sleep so once 5:00am hit we were just in a daze of sleepy excitement. Ready to be on the plane and sleep but sadly it took almost 1 hour for us to take off once on the plame, because they had to clear off so much snow/ice (we found out today that there were a ton of flights canceled Sunday night, thank goodness we flew out early!) 

It was a very long flight, on and off sleep, hungry, ready to be on the ground and get some food in us!

Once we landed and had our bags and then the long wait for the rental car we were on our way to Moca, PR where Cain's buddy lives. It was great to see a friend after that long day of traveling! The last time we had seen Herandez was on our wedding day! So there were lots to catch up on. His wife, Manely made us amazing Puerto Rican supper. We made it to our amazing hotel late Sunday night and we were greeted by the nicest staff I have ever meet in a hotel. I think they could tell we were tired yet excited to be there finally! Thank you Marriott for being so amazing to us! 

The room is amazing and we feel so blessed to be here staying for free!!! More to come on our second day in Puerto Rico! 

COMING HOME WITH .....

We are coming home! 

When Cain left in August he knew when he got home that he would need a new vehicle. He had big hopes that he would find a great deal in TX and purchase a truck. So while going through school he would keep a close eye on good deals here and there. They would come and go so fast he didn't have a chance to get to them. Half way through he decied though if he got a trcuk while in TX, I would fly there one way and drive back with him. 

We were getting pretty close to his coming home date and still, no truck. We started getting a little discouraged because we were both ready to be with each other again and if that meant getting a truck, the pressure was on for Cain to find one! :p

I was venting to a friend about our plans and discouragment in him not finding the right truck and having to wait the extra 3 weeks to see each other now (3 weeks might seem like no time at all, but when you've gone already 100 days without each other, every day matters)

My friend just said "Go to TX, if he gets a truck, cancel your fight. If not, go home the same day as him"

All of a sudden it hit me how easy she was making it sound, because it was that simple. 

That's why I have been in TX the past 2 weeks. I swear if she hadn't of made it so simple I would still be in Indiana missing my husband terribly! Thanks Jodi <3

Cain found this truck and we went and looked at it together just a week after I got here. The story of how we ended up with this truck, with our asking price is a great story that Cain will have to tell you. But long story short, we totally walked away from it because they weren't going down to our price. We drove off and said "that's alright, it wasn't meant to be"

10 minutes down the road she called back coming down on price and not even meeting half way but going to the price we offered! 

We hung up the phone laughing saying "That really works? The whole walking away thing?"

So now Cain will come home with a truck that we worked so hard for! I really believe he deserves it and so much more. I am proud of the man who works hard and saves for what he wants! 

We are coming home!! After a little delay on the Paramedic test schedule we are now leaving Tuesday evening for Indiana. 

Now I just have to pack up our stuff and also still try and get work done.... ahhhh the stress is starting to hit me! Now would be the time that my friend Jodi would say something so wise and make me feel better <3 

Trying to not focus on the "to do list" and just enjoy the last two days here <3 

COLLEGE STATION, TX | MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY

After spending the entire day working we (okay, I) needed a reason to dress up and get out of the hotel room. I searched for a local ice cream joint and found Marble Slab Creamery. It was like a Cold Stone where you could build you're own ice cream, but tasted so much better! 

We enjoyed our time together and even went and played some pool afterwards. Although Cain has a huge test at the end of this week I am so happy we have found time to do fun things together <3

Aggieland Tailgate Lovin

It's Monday and our work and studying have already begun for the day

but I sit here still smiling and have so much joy to be here with my

husband <3

Hello from Texas