Road Trip to Wedded Bliss

Last week, Josh and I, along with our good friend Stephen, embarked on a road trip to California for our college friends' wedding. On our way there we drove through 5 states: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and of course, California. The wedding was beautiful and was located in a town called Modesto (1 hr. 30 min. from San Fran). We loved being able to spend time with our friends and help them with their big day. On our journey back we drove through California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and back into Colorado for a total of 40 hours there and back. It was quite the journey, and I am SO GLAD WE DECIDED TO MAKE THE TRIP. Here is a photo journal of our trip. Enjoy!

 I had have a thing for dinosaurs ever since I was a kid, so when we found this one on our lunch stop in Fruita, Colorado, I was pretty stoked to take pictures.

This is Steve the Unicorn. He was our mascot for the trip, and he had the best seat out of all of us. 

You will see his cameo in many of the pictures.

The first palm trees I spotted on the trip were in Nevada near Las Vegas. I told Josh and Stephen, 

"We're getting closer to California and nice weather (because Colorado has been quite the disappointing state for weather lately)."

We drove through Las Vegas on our first day of travels...Here is the only picture I could find that people might recognize as being in Las Vegas. 

Whenever in California....In-N-Out is a MUST.

For Lindsay's bachelorette party, we decorated wedding-themed cookies at a bakery and made cookie bouquets. It was so much fun!

The day before the wedding, we had some free-time, so we went to San Fransisco. It was a BEAUTIFUL day out, and we got to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time.

My friend and college roommate, Corinne, and her friend, Becky, came with us to San Fran, 

and we a had a great time with them!

We also drove down Lombard Street, the curviest road in the US, for the first time. 

I've always wanted to do that.

We also made a stop to the Jelly Belly Factory, which has been one of my favorite candies 

since I was a little girl. We got a free tour, and free samples to boot!

The morning of the wedding, we helped decorate the reception hall, and it was so gorgeous when we finished. Lindsay did a great job, and I love her colors!

This was Nathan and Lindsay's get-away vehicle to the reception. We were cool enough to get a picture with it also :-)

The beautiful and heart-warming ceremony in Modesto

The happy couple is........SO HAPPY!

Enjoying great food, fun, and entertainment at the reception.

The 3 Engi-Nerds did their Senior Talent Show presentation for all of the wedding guests.

On our way home, we stopped at the memorial for the Donner Party.

Stephen demonstrating cannibalism with Steve.

Josh and Stephen demonstrating cannibalism.

Our demonstration looks like a kiss gone VERY WRONG!

I'm famous!!!!

I've always wanted to stop at one of these, so we stopped in Reno to get pictures by a wedding chapel.

Everywhere in Nevada, there are things written alongside the road in the dirt with rocks. So Stephen made us stop and leave our mark. S J S '13 (Stephen, Josh, and Sierra 2013).

In Elko, NV, where we stayed our last night of travel, dwells the largest polar bear in the world at about 10 feet tall. He was pretty cool to see, even if he was displayed in a casino.

Those last 10 hours might have did us in, and we just went crazy!!!!

Finally home in beautiful Colorado....Ahhhhhhh....

Vi Bella...A Beautiful Life

This May I am embarking on an adventure that I never thought I would ever take. 

I have become a jewelry consultant that sells jewelry at parties. But I didn't just want to sell jewelry; I wanted to sell jewelry with a purpose. This is why I have joined the consultants for Vi Bella Jewelry. 

Vi Bella Jewelry is a business started by a woman in Sioux Center, Iowa, where I went to college. This woman traveled to Haiti soon after the earthquakes in Haiti in 2010. She saw how the women there were earning a living by selling their bodies, and she wanted to provide a better way of life for them. Thus Vi Bella was born, which employs women in Haiti, and now in Mexico, to make jewelry out of recycled goods. They combine recycled beads with purchased beads to create a one-of-a-kind jewelry line. 

My senior year of college, I had the chance to visit their warehouse in Sioux Center. The jewelry was beautiful, but what struck me the most was seeing the actual faces of the women that now have a stable income in Haiti. They're are very lovely women, and you can see it in their smiles. They love their jobs at Vi Bella and have the opportunity to join Bible studies while at work. The mission and goals of Vi Bella were just to awesome to pass up. 

I encourage you to take a look at their video posted here and to pray for these women. Vi Bella also takes donations at any time, and they also are available for fund-raising events. Contact me if you are interested.

Video: The Story of Vi Bella

Please take a look at their website, and if you want to order anything, please CONTACT ME. The leaders at Vi Bella encourage customers to buy from consultants because we don't earn any commission for online sales. With the money I earn from Vi Bella, I will help Josh and I save for a house, and I also hope to eventually pay for my own trip to Haiti to visit these women. The most important and best thing about being a part of Vi Bella is being able to help these women. I don't know them personally, but God does. They are his daughters, just like I am. I LOVE being a part of a company of Women Helping Women! Soli Deo Gloria!

Website: http://www.vibellajewelry.com/