{We're Having a Baby!!!}

So....

{It says "We're Pregnant!!! - Too bad the flash blew out the handwriting!}

Yippee!!!! Oh my goodness, I can't even tell you how happy and excited I am that I finally get to shout our news from the rooftops! We've known for over two months now that little baby Denfeld is on the way, so it is such a relief to finally get to share the news with the world :)

I'm 14 weeks along and am just now finally starting to feel better. The first trimester was pretty miserable (aside from the first two weeks where I felt nothing and was convinced I couldn't actually be pregnant!). But all-in-all, I know it could've been much worse, so even though I was nauseous 24/7 for 6 weeks straight, I wasn't in the hospital and I only threw up, like, 10 times or something. So I'll consider that a win!

So that should cover the "How are you feeling?" question, and as far as the second question we always get - will we find out the gender. The answer is h-e-l-l yes! We can't find out soon enough! We should know by the end of this month, so stay tuned. And no, I have no "mothers intuition" of whether it's a boy or girl... I seriously have NO idea! I wish I did! So we'll all just have to wait and see :)

More to come... For now I'll leave you with my sorry excuse for a bump photo. I vividly remember when Ashlee was pregnant she would say how her baby bump would be so much bigger after eating a burrito, and I couldn't believe that could be true. Could food really make the baby belly come out? And now I can tell you with great confidence.. YES it does. This was the day after I enjoyed a huge Italian dinner, hence my more curvy state. When I woke up the next morning it was almost like it never happened. Boo! I'm excited for this little one to make more of an appearance in the next few weeks!

{First photo by Laura Nelson Photography - can't wait to share more of our shoot with her! She is ah-may-zing!}

{Paul + Rachel // Married}

There are few things I love more than attending a wedding. I am just such a hopeless romantic and I will never get tired of watching two madly-in-love people committing their lives to each other. Corey and I were lucky enough to attend Paul and Rachel's wedding when we were home in August. They had their ceremony in the Versailles Gardens, with the Fremont bridge perched perfectly behind them and had the reception right next door at The Castaway. What an incredibly beautiful night! Rachel and Paul are the sweetest couple and their love for one another was just radiating off of them the entire day and night. Congrats again, you two! We love you!

P.S. I've already gotten a few questions on my dress (you guys are clearly dress people like me!) It's 2+ years old, I got it for my bachelorette party. It's the BCBG Heart Applique dress if any of you want to look for it on ebay :) )

{Photos ©  Liz Denfeld}

{Long-Haul Flight Essentials}

Greetings from Portland, lovely readers! I made it safe and sound and pretty much conquered jetlag like a champ, so no complaints here!

Over the last 14 or so months, I’ve made the trek home 5 times.  Writing that down just now I thought that couldn’t be true, that sounds like so much, but it is in fact true! Between work and weddings, Portland is constantly calling my name :) And not to brag, but I’ve become kind of a pro at this whole long-haul flight thing. Hopping on a plane for 10 hours and landing in Portland feels a little too normal nowadays.

I know that long of a trip can be intimidating if you don’t do it often, so I thought I’d share with you  a roundup of some of my favorite in-flight essentials. Hope this is helpful – and if you have any to add to the list, I’d love to hear!

1. First piece of advice -  layer up! The temperature fluctuates

throughout the flight and you want to stay comfortable. I bought this amazing wrap cardigan sweater from ASOS a few weeks back (mine's a different color) and I am not kidding, I pretty much live in it. It’s so warm and cosy and can be worn a couple different ways. It was the perfect layer on my flight over!

2. I invested in some wool socks from J.Crew last year and I am still singing their praises. On long flights I like to get rid of my shoes (stinky footers, please refrain!) and switch them out for a cozy pair of wool socks. They keep my feet warm and then I feel more comfortable throughout the flight.

3. This L'Occitane Lavender Hand Cream is incredible. The cream feels so luxurious and hydrating and the lavender scent is extremely soothing. The soap and water on the plane dries out my hands so I like to have this lotion with me to counteract!

4. I never used an eyemask until I got one on my first business class flight over to Amsterdam a few years ago for work. Now, they are an in-flight essential for me! I have to sleep in complete pitch black, so my mask helps block out the tv screen lights coming from my seat mates next to me. You should try it!

5. I swear by this Kiehl’s lip balm. I carry it with me everywhere I go. And just like my hands, my lips feel super dehydrated after a few hours on a plane, so I keep this lip balm on hand to soothe them!

6. Noise cancelling headphones – such a luxury, I know. A couple years ago I had no idea what to get Corey for his birthday, so I decided to splurge and get him a pair of Bose Noise Cancelling headphones. After using his a couple times and loving them, he sweetly gifted me with a pair of my own (mine are Able Planet brand). I never fly without them!

7. The number one thing I do on flights to keep myself feeling good – especially when I land after 10 hours – is drink a ton of water. Sipping that free wine or beer on the long haul flight is so tempting, but after learning the hard way (landing totally dehydrated making my jetlag 10 times worse) I now sip on sparkling water with a lime the entire flight instead (Picture: Lifefactory Water Bottle).

8. Miss Sarah Tucker turned me on to the J.Crew Pixie Pant last year and I have to echo her love for them. They are sturdy enough to not look like scrubby leggings, but stretchy enough to be super comfortable. They are pretty much the perfect travel pant! 

So there they are - some of my favorite long-haul flight essentials. Do you have any you swear by?

P.S. Check out my awesome new sponsors on the right! And if you're interested in joining the club, shoot me an email, I'm still running a special on ad spaces! exploredreamdiscoverblog {at} gmail {dot} com

{Portland Love}

Things have been so crazy around here that I nearly forgot I am heading back to Portland tomorrow! I am going back to be in this pretty lady's wedding! I can't wait! So in honor of my trek across the ocean - here are a few of my favorite things about home - all snapped on our trip back in August. 

{Photos ©  Liz Denfeld}

{Cooper Mountain Nature Park}

I'm a walker. My mom loves to walk. Corey loves to walk. My in-laws love to walk. We're just a walkin' family. So, needless to say, there was a lot of walking done while I was home for a month. One of my favorite places to go for a stroll was through Cooper Mountain Nature Park. It's this gorgeous nature park 1 mile from my in-laws and 3 miles from my Mom (they live 2 miles apart - how awesome is that?!). It's a peaceful place with gorgeous views and a few great trails. If you happen to live in the area and haven't checked it out - you must go! 

P.S. Wouldn't it be a gorgeous location for a photography session?!

P.P.S. I'm guest posting over on Betsy Transatlantically today - check it out!

And one from Instagram :)

 {Photos ©  Liz Denfeld}

{Wine Tasting + Picnic at David Hill}

Things got so busy right before our trip to Portland I didn’t even get to blog about our two-year wedding anniversary. It fell on a work night, the day before I was leaving for home, so to be honest it wasn’t the most incredible anniversary ever. But we did make time to go out for an amazing meal (in a greenhouse!) and for some quality time together before I left Corey for two weeks (torture!).

When we were home, partly as a little celebration and partly just because we hadn’t been back since our wedding day, we went out to the winery where we tied the knot. Corey’s parents and my mom joined as we did a little wine tasting, then enjoyed a picnic among the vines enjoying a fantastic pinot noir. Being back was so special – the place hadn’t changed a bit.  

**Update! Apparently you guys like my dress ;) Thanks! It's from Zara. Unfortunately I got it on super sale while I was in Bruges with my sis, and I don't see it online.

  {Photos ©  Liz Denfeld}