A Magical Maternity Photoshoot in the Rose Gardens

Whitney — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 15:05:00 +0000

There’s this magical place in Portland called the International Rose Test Garden, where there are over ten thousand roses in bloom all at once. It’s apparently the longest running rose test garden in the country, and maybe even why Portland is nicknamed the “City of Roses.” So when it came time to start thinking about places to capture some maternity photos, this place seemed like the most beautiful backdrop ever. Turns out it is the dreamiest setting, and as a bonus, all of the roses fill the air with the most amazing fragrance. Whether for photos or not, if you’re ever in Portland, you must go!

My dear (and ultra-talented) friend Abi captured these beautiful photos for us and I am treasuring them forever. Growing this baby boy has been the most incredible, miraculous thing I’ve ever had the honor to do, and to have these photos as keepsakes is just so special. I’m just gonna leave these right here:

Just a handful of weeks (give or take) until we get to meet this boy! I’ve been so blessed to be feeling pretty great this whole time, sleeping well, and just so in awe of my body. I will say that the occasional bouts of swollen feet and carpal tunnel aren’t the most comfortable, but I know that those are tiny annoyances in the grand scheme of pregnancy symptoms. We’ll see how these final few weeks go, but he’s worth whatever awaits me on this journey to momhood.

The most challenging thing with this pregnancy has been the whole pandemic thing and having to really surrender my vision of what pregnancy and labor looks like. It’s been hard having to miss out on a babymoon, more frequent prenatal appointments, fulfilling my favorite restaurant cravings, and just the general freedom to physically go to stores and shop for nursery things and maternity clothes. It’s going to be extra hard missing out on the parade of friends coming to the hospital to meet this boy right after he’s born. But even though there’s a lot of grief to acknowledge, in the grand scheme of things, he’s what matters most. He’s been my little ray of hope through everything going on, and seeing his sweet face for the first time is going to be everything. I cannot wait.

Any other pregnant mamas out there? How are you doing and feeling? I want to know in the comments below!

The post A Magical Maternity Photoshoot in the Rose Gardens appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Portland To San Francisco Road Trip

Whitney — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 15:00:45 +0000

To celebrate four wonderful years of marriage, my husband and I packed our bags and headed to a place we’ve never been before: San Francisco, California. We were debating whether to fly or drive, and after looking at the driving route we realized there were a few places on the way down we have always wanted to go. It was about a twelve hour drive with all the stops we planned, but we split the driving between two days and had an amazing time!

I wanted to share some photos from the road trip, and if you want to see all the fun we had when we got to our destination, check out this post on our favorite things we ate, plus this post on all the things we did in San Francisco.

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

The first stop on our trip was 280 miles from home and the only national park in Oregon. Crater Lake is the remains of an erupted volcano and I was surprised to find out it’s actually the deepest lake in the whole United States! We were so lucky to arrive on a clear day, because I hear that if the weather is cloudy or foggy, the view isn’t as majestic. Behold:

In-N-Out Burger

Next up before we reached the California border, we made the obligatory stop at In-N-Out Burger in Grants Pass, Oregon. This is one of the closest In-N-Out Burger locations to our hometown, so we were excited to make the stop.

There are a ton of secret menu items, but I like the cheeseburger with onion and peppers, fries, and a strawberry shake.

HWY 101 Roadside Attractions, California

After crossing over the California border, we took the picturesque HWY 101 and made an impromptu stop at Crescent Beach. It was beautiful at golden hour and I ran up to dip my hand in the water just to see what the temperature was like. It was definitely not as cold as our Oregon Coast. We watched the sunset for a little bit before continuing down south.

Next, we passed the Trees Of Mystery and couldn’t help but notice the giant statue of Paul Bunyan. We drove past it before we got the nagging urge to do a u-turn and take some pictures with Paul.

We also couldn’t help but stop at one of the drive thru trees in the Redwoods.

Avenue Of The Giants

On day two, we were so excited to see the Avenue Of The Giants in the Redwood Forest. Never before have I seen trees so tall, and I felt like an ant the whole time. Immediately upon entering the forest, the smell of the trees was so present and beautiful. It reminded me of Christmas.

We got out of the car to hike one of the trails inside the Avenue Of The Giants and hugged some trees.

From the Redwoods, we headed right to our cozy Airbnb in San Francisco and crashed. It was a long drive, and we were eager to rest up for our time in the city. Check out this post to read about all the amazing food we ate and this post to read about all the things we did!