ABOUT
Kristen & Jason live happily in Schaumburg where they enjoy dinner at Kuma's Corner & often visit Medieval Times.
She is a Graphic Designer at a full service ad agency and he's a Support Manager overseeing self-serve beer systems. The past few months have been bustling with wedding activities but when time allows they love heading to the the drive in, camping, and hiking. Kristen dabbles in photography to feed her design habit and has taken thousands of shots to use in various print and digital projects. Jason keeps her on task by making sure they get to the next natural wonder before dark. Chronicling their travels together over the years has been an incredible joy to build and reflect upon.
The couple's first big trip together was to the Grand Canyon where they caught a helicopter ride, explored the South Kaibob trail, and even tackled half the Bright Angel Trail in a single day. That one was tough, next time they're hopping on a mule. Next they headed to the Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast. At Acadia National Park they visited the peak of Cadillac Mountain and hiked the coastal Ocean Path all the way to Otter Cliffs. They also climbed the scenic Jordan Cliffs to see a spectacular view of Jordan Pond far below. Kristen & Jason's third trip took them to the expansive Olympic National Park in Washington state. This was a long journey that required a lot of road tripping to see the sights. Their favorite gems included Lake Quinault, Ruby Beach, the Hoh Rain Forest, and Hurricane Ridge. Jason particularly loved the peaceful old growth forests as well as the mountainous coastline. Travelling by car through stunning isolate terrains may have inspired his next idea for a very special vacation.
IT WAS 2017
Kristen & Jason planned a vacation over the Labor Day holiday to visit Wisconsin, catch up with family, and explore the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The morning they began preparing Jason urged Kristen to pack warmly. She did so but noticed he was gathering scarves, hats, winter boots, & thermals. Surely they wouldn't need all that gear in September? Thinking it wise to triple check the weather she asked Jason for his phone. He pulled up the info and passed it to her, "Oh wait," she said, "The location is wrong I'll change it to Madison." "But the location isn't wrong," he said. Kristen looked down again, it was the forecast for Reykjavík in Iceland. Jason handed Kristen a pair of plane tickets, "Finish packing we've got to get to O'hare."
Off they went on a thrilling adventure. Kristen & Jason landed in Reykjavík, picked up a camper van, grabbed some supplies, and they were on their way. Iceland is famous for its waterfalls and they wasted no time in visiting Seljalandsfoss & Skógafoss respectively. At the end of the first day they set up camp near the remote seafront village of Vik and cozied up for the night. Before the sun peaked out the next morning Jason fired up the van and sped to Reynisfjara, a world-famous black-sand beach with enormous basalt stacks and beautiful crashing waves. It was quiet and peaceful, they had the place to themselves. jason set up the tripod to take a photo before the crowds began pouring in.
THAT WAS THE MOMENT
Kristen waited at her mark while Jason framed the shot. Once he was ready he ran over, clicker in hand, to pose together near the majestic rock pillars of Reynisdrangar. She smiled at the camera, but before she heard the shutter he dipped down. He was on his knee. Jason pulled out a ring and proposed. Kristen froze up, and then she cried, and then they both burst into joy and laughter. She said yes to forever. Half a day passed before they had cell service to call home with the exciting news. For awhile it was just the two of them, happy in love and already onto their next destination. Before long they finally reached the Svartifoss waterfall where at last they were able to call their families. Everyone was thrilled and couldn't wait for them to come home. The remainder of their time in Iceland was unbelievable. Everyday was a new adventure, the camper van gave them the freedom to go as far or as short a distance as they wished. Kristen and Jason visited many incredible sites, their favorites included Jökulsárlón, Dettifoss, the Krafla Lava Fields, Akureyri, Kirkjufell, the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, & Þingvellir National Park. They also saw Game of Thrones locations and took a horseback tour from Laxnes Farm. Both loved they city of Reykjavik where they saw Hallgrímskirkja, visited the sights, and shopped for souvenirs to bring home to loved ones. Despite all the amazing things they saw, one of the most magical moments happened on their very last night. They spent their final evening at the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa where the Northern Lights lit up the sky, Kristen had never seen them before. From that night on they started planning their wedding.
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