WE'RE BACK! the last 8 months in photos, including engagement shoot & more!

photo by Eric Limon Photography

S: After a hiatus, the roommates are back! When life gives you lemons, sometimes you make lemonade, and sometimes you hunker down just doing the absolute basics because really, that is all that is possible, and that is okay. :) Since we last saw you, we had another move (into a new place that we really love!) multiple busy seasons at work, and of course the run of the mill random craziness that comes up while  you live your life. Now that we have settled into our new home and made it through some big happenings, we are starting to focus more and more on our wedding planning!

G: Woof - big thanks to Shannon for being the best partner and roommate ever. In our time as a couple, we've lived at five different addresses (three in the past year alone). If you know me, you know I HATE moving, so it's been rough. We've settled now, and I love our new place.

Engagement Photos

S: We recently hit our one-year-out from our wedding and have been diving in deep into the planning. We had the amazing opportunity to take our engagement photos with our wedding photographer, Eric Limon, and have been excitedly building our wedding website on withjoy.com. We took them at Mass MoCA, our favorite local art museum and to represent a piece of our engagement story. It was so magical to capture a special memory like this one for years to come.

Saying goodbye to the Puff

S: Some other life updates include saying goodbye to the sweetest dog ever, the Puff, who graced our lives with 18 beautiful years. She will forever be one of my longest standing buddies and will be remembered by many as the sweetest and friendliest dog in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, and boy do I feel blessed by the sweet love from this beautiful doggo. Rest with treats, Puff. 💓

G: Puff was the most magical dog I have ever encountered. The day I met her, I was so nervous because I had heard the lore about this sweet being, and I wanted her approval more than anything. She was so sweet to me and immediately wanted pets. Once, she came to visit us out in the Berkshires, and I will never forget the sound of her feet pitter patter around my apartment.

Friends Friends Friends

S: We also had many friends come to visit and got to travel a lot to visit friends! Despite the craziness of this past year, we were able to forge a lot of really special memories, including both of us getting to spend some quality time with our childhood best friends. As we get closer to our wedding, it feels so special to share our lives with one another. 

G: It was so special to make the trek to Michigan to meet some of Shannon's childhood friends and see the place where she grew up. I loved every moment! Plus, we've had some great visits from my friends (my college roommate Abby visited for Pride this summer, and my three high school friends came to celebrate my birthday and an in-person book club). 

Trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to see Puff & Shannon's Friends!

Visit from Abby, Gillian's best friend and college roommate!

IRL book club and cider for Gillian's birthday

Eclipse & Anniversary

S: Gillian told me, once we had been together for a while, that when we first got together (circa April 8, 2022) they told one of our mutual friends that they would marry me. (I think we both always knew that this was going to stick). In addition, they researched and figured out that on our 2-year anniversary, a total solar eclipse was going to pass over Vermont (knowing that it was on my life bucket list to see a total solar eclipse with the love of my life). This trip was 2 years in the making and ended up absolutely perfect!

G: I was so nervous about this trip! I wanted it to go perfectly, since I knew this event was on Shannon's life bucket list. We had the best time at The Vermont Inn (our second time there), an incredible anniversary meal at Simon Pearce, and the sweetest time in Waitsfield, Vermont, where we did an entire puzzle in a coffee shop while we counted down to the eclipse. When the eclipse arrived, it was so magical - a perfect moment!

South Haven p. 2

S: I feel so grateful to Gillian that they came on my family vacation again this year! We took a full week off and flew so we were able to maximize our time together (and maximize beach time!). This trip was transformative - it is incredible what bubbles up when you finally have a chance to slow down. We talked more about our hopes and dreams this week than we had for a while, which was really special and felt very timely.

G: South Haven is such a special place. We had the most relaxing week, and I already want to go back! For more on our favorite spots there, see our recap of last year's trip here.

xo

the roommates