The Tucson Travelers Are Back

Much has happened in the last year and a half of our lives. Most importantly, we welcomed our daughter into the world.

Life has changed in the best possible way since she arrived.

Fast forward nine months and here we are. We have relocated back to Tucson to be closer to family. The Tucson Travelers are back in Tucson.

Our priorities and goals shifted the moment this little beauty entered our lives. Being closer to family felt like the right move for this new chapter.

While we are back in T-Town, we are planning to take many trips down to Mexico, along with a few day trips around southern Arizona that have been on our list for a while. Now that life has settled down a bit, I am hoping to start sharing our outings and adventures here on the blog again.

To start things off, here is a little peek at our daughter’s first trip to Puerto Peñasco. We will actually be heading back again this week, so stay tuned for more adventures soon.

Two Weddings, One Beautiful Beginning

Planning a wedding was definitely a challenge for me. I have never been much of a party planner, so organizing such a big event felt a little overwhelming at times. Instead of asking everyone to travel to us, Shane and I decided to bring our wedding to the people we love.

We planned to have our main wedding in Florida, followed by a small celebration in Tucson, Arizona just a few days later. Both events were simple, relaxed, and filled with the people who mean the most to us. In the end, we could not have been happier with how everything turned out.

Florida Wedding – December 21

For our Florida ceremony, I had my hair done at a local salon while my friends helped with my makeup. It made the whole morning feel relaxed and fun, and it meant a lot to have them be part of getting ready with me.

One of the most special parts of the day was the location. We were married on the same property where my mom had gotten married just a few years earlier. Like mother, like daughter. The property belongs to one of her friends, and they are even considering turning it into a wedding venue someday.

Their daughter catered our wedding and owns a local business called Sweets’ Bakehouse. The entire family was so wonderful to work with, and everything was absolutely delicious.

Walking down the aisle with my dad was one of those moments I will never forget.

Our ceremony was simple and personal. Shane and I wrote our own vows, which made the moment even more meaningful.

Soon after exchanging rings, we were officially husband and wife.

We spent the afternoon celebrating with family and friends, signing the marriage license with our moms and sharing lunch together. My amazing friend Kim helped pull everything together and made the whole day run smoothly. I honestly do not know what I would have done without her.

Another special detail was that Shane’s best friend Tom traveled from Arizona to perform our ceremony. Having him there to marry us meant so much.

Arizona Wedding

A few days later we held a small wedding celebration in Tucson, Arizona with Shane’s side of the family.

We chose to have it at the same church where his parents had renewed their vows years earlier. It felt like the perfect location to continue the celebration.

My friend Jimmie captured some beautiful photos for us. She is incredibly talented and owns 3 of 3 Photography in Tucson. I will not overload the blog with pictures, but she did an amazing job.

For this celebration, Shane’s sister did my hair and makeup, which made getting ready feel even more personal.

The desert setting was absolutely beautiful and made for some incredible photos.

Shane’s mom truly went above and beyond planning the entire Tucson event. She decorated, catered, and even ordered adorable custom chocolates for everyone to enjoy. Her love and effort made the day incredibly special.

Being surrounded by our Tucson family made the celebration feel complete.

Our Next Chapter

We truly could not have made our traveling wedding adventure happen without the help and support of our friends and family. So many people stepped in to help along the way, and we feel incredibly blessed for all of the love we received.

Now we are on to our next big adventure.

A few weeks ago we closed on a townhome, and we are excited to share that we are expecting a new addition to our family this fall.

That officially brings the blog up to present day, and I cannot wait to see what the next chapter brings.

He Asked… and I Said Yes! Our Nevada Engagement

If you have followed or stumbled across my blog, you are probably aware that there is a very special man in my life. He is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me and makes me the happiest girl in the world.

Not only does he love to travel with me, but we genuinely enjoy 100 percent of each other’s company. He is my best friend, and I know I am a better woman with him by my side. Over the last four years we have faced plenty of obstacles, but every time we work through them we somehow come out stronger and with even more love for each other.

I have no doubt in my mind that he is the man I want to spend every moment with for the rest of our lives. That is why it brings me so much joy to finally announce our engagement.

Since we have lived together for years and talk about absolutely everything, the idea of getting engaged was not exactly a surprise. We had actually been looking at rings for quite some time and talking about our future plans together.

We ended up finding an amazing jeweler in Salt Lake City called Tresor Jewelers. This family owned shop helped us design the most beautiful rings and made the whole experience really special. I would recommend them to anyone. Once the ring was finished, the waiting game began.

By this point we had already told our close friends and family about our plans to get married. Many people were already congratulating us and asking about wedding plans. But there was still one thing missing. The official moment.

Even though we had chosen the ring together and knew our future plans, Shane still wanted to surprise me with the right moment and make it meaningful.

This past weekend we took a trip to Nevada and spent the night in Ely. Our destination was Great Basin National Park, but the weather ended up being too rainy and cold for camping. Since the park is pretty remote, Ely was the closest place to stay.

That evening we had an incredible steak dinner at the Jailhouse Dining Hall, then tried our luck on a few slot machines before heading to bed.

The next morning we woke up early and drove toward Great Basin National Park for our 9 AM tour of Lehman Caves.

Lehman Caves are a bit different from other caves we have visited. In the early 1900s people actually used to party and camp inside them, so there is some damage and even man made markings in certain areas. Thankfully the cave is still living and much of its natural beauty remains.

During the tour something unforgettable happened.

At one point the group ahead of us had moved forward and the group behind us had fallen back. Shane and I ended up alone in a long passageway of the cave. I was walking in front when I suddenly heard him say my nickname, “Nina.”

I turned around and he was down on one knee.

The cave was dark, but he was holding a ring box with a small built in light that made the ring sparkle. Then he asked the question.

“Will you marry me?”

Even though I knew it was coming someday, I had no idea it would happen there in that moment. My heart skipped a beat and the word yes came out of my mouth faster than I could think.

It was absolutely perfect.

Afterward we hurried to catch up with the tour group, both of us smiling from ear to ear while no one had any idea what had just happened. It was incredibly romantic and such an exciting moment for us.

I could not be happier and I am so excited to start this next chapter of our lives together.

We had to stop and got out of the car for this picture.

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