Road Trip Out West | Day 3 | Horseshoe Bend

March 13, 2016

We woke up on day 3 in Bluff, Utah.
We couldn’t complain too much about the view from our room.
First stop of the day was a local cafe. We filled out post cards and bought over priced magnets. This was the day Daniel lost his camera…or so we thought. It was only moments after driving away from the cafe that Daniel realized he didn’t have his camera with him. Retracing our steps, asking customers, store owners and even the construction workers if they had seen anything drew up nothing. We searched for over 30 minutes (what felt like forever) and despair grew until we were convinced somebody had stolen it in the two minutes we had first left the cafe. It wasn’t until the third and final look-through of the car that Daniel’s camera appeared (safe and sound) in the trunk. Sweet relief! Camera checks were mandatory from then on!

»»»—–»

We were so glad we decided to stop the night before or we would have missed out on the scenic drive. It was so hard not to pull over for pictures around each turn!
We passed by Mexican Hat en route to our final destination for the day.
Ok here comes my favorite part of the day– Horseshoe Bend! I talked a little bit about it on Instagram, but what I (and I know the rest of the gang did too) loved most was meeting and connecting with so many different people. Daniel noticed this couple as they were leaving, and Morgan asked them if they were up for a little shoot. I mean, you’re just asking for a photo shoot dressed with ankle boots and that hat, right?! But best of all, their chemistry was so natural; they were true naturals in front of a paparazzi of photographers. We were so lucky they were willing to get behind our camera!

Snuck in a few of Daniel’s film shots from his toy camera throughout this post.
We also met these two, founders of Live a Great Story

New friends :))) #roadtrip #didyoubringyourcamera #didyourbringyourcameras #friends #horseshoe #horseshoebend #selfie #selfiestick #iphone #liveagreatlife #liveagreatlifestory @waynebenton @jillianhanna @ashley.tireswing.rockey @daniel_tireswing_frey @lisasouza @kevinspanier_1614 #liveagreatstory

A photo posted by Morgan Tate Spanier (@mrscockerspanier) on Feb 24, 2016 at 7:14pm PST

Then we met Lisa! She’s been traveling the world all on her own for almost 5 years! We listened to her in awe as we jotted down traveling tips and places to explore next. She also snapped this pic for us!

Bliss. Ended this day on high and ready for our next adventure.

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Road Trip Out West | Day 2 | Great Sand Dunes

March 8, 2016

Day 2 and still on a high. Determined to see the Great Sand Dunes at sunrise, we camped (possibly illegally) in front of the park sign. The bright idea was that we would all camp in the back of the Honda Fit we were traveling in. All. FOUR. of. us. Needless to say we were up before the sun. Cold, achy, and slightly irritable, a long night turned into a long morning as we mended our aches and pains at the local store.

One of the best parts about traveling late February is that it is the off-season for tourism. We were able to explore the dunes almost entirely by ourselves!

»»»——»

There’s something about the way the mountains juxtapose the sandy dunes…

#sandunes #photographers #outwest #didyoubringyourcamera #spanishfries #colorado #roadtrip @ashley.tireswing.rockey @daniel_tireswing_frey @kevinspanier_1614 @sixteenfourteenphotography

A photo posted by Morgan Tate Spanier (@mrscockerspanier) on Feb 22, 2016 at 6:23pm PST

Stopping along the drive became a regular occurrence during our two weeks on the road.
Thank you, Kevin, for the shot!

And then we were off again. Off to our newest adventure. Oh Colorado, you were one of our favorites!

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Road Trip Out West | Day 1

March 7, 2016

Where to begin. This trip was one we will not soon forget! It’s no secret Daniel and I have been building to our tiny home so that we would have the opportunity to travel more. Little did we know that opportunity would come so quickly or that we would be able to go with good friends. February, a quiet season in our business, allowed us the chance to carve away a two week period to explore parts of the country we had been dreaming of.

It’d be silly not to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and the fact that we were traveling with other married photographers! Daniel and I shot a combined 5,000 photos (!), and we’ll be sharing some of our favorites along with pieces of our hearts over the next few weeks.

»»»——»

We headed out west on an early Saturday morning. After 17 hours of driving we made it. Our first destination was Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado.Kansas, what an awfully long, flat state to drive through…

First of many selfies on our trip!

#spanishfries #roadtrip #openland #didyoubringyourcamera #colorado

A photo posted by Morgan Tate Spanier (@mrscockerspanier) on Feb 21, 2016 at 7:56am PST

Kevin and Morgan also snapped a few of us that we can’t wait to see!

My goodness these two are freaking perfect! Cell phone upload📷 #didyoubringyourcamera #tinytrip #swinging16 #lover

A photo posted by SixteenFourteen Photography (@sixteenfourteenphotography) on Feb 21, 2016 at 2:41pm PST

Morgan’s friends can to visit from Denver, so after we had dinner at a local restaurant.

And then we were off. But before the sun set, we stopped for more photos because…well, Colorado.
Snuck in some of Daniel’s film shots too

Next stop, the Great Sand Dunes.

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Update #4 | Final Touches on our Tiny Home

February 3, 2016

Keeping a long story short, we had a few bumps in the road (ask us about our handyman drama), but we are SO close to the finish line! Since our last update, here are the changes we’re working on:

Tiles – Subway tiles on two walls in the bathroom and hexagons on the bathroom floor. We also added a neo-angle shower base.
Cabinets – Kitchen cabinets, back splash, sink and faucet are installed and look SO good! We installed butcher block counters and plan on adding open shelving as well.
Ceiling – White-washed planks were added to create more texture/pattern to our home but to also keep the same neutral look of the walls.
Flooring – Maybe what made the house look the most “homey.” It brought in warmth and texture and unity between the rooms.
Paint – This made a huge difference in the overall appearance of the house. And ooh, the light it reflects!
Trim – Adding trim to the windows and floor has really cleaned the place up! And you guessed it, white.
Desk – Daniel built it by hand [heart eyes]

As a side note, we’ve had a few unexpected possibilities open up to park our home. We visited Lovare a few weeks ago, and it was stunning. We are still actively looking and open to ideas though, so please send any suggestions/recommendations our way!

Below are some progress photos throughout the month. The remaining labor is mostly carpentry-related work (drawers, shelves, sliding doors, etc.). We are purchasing appliances and furnishings soon as well as finally adding the decor I’ve been ~~hoarding~~ storing for months!

So, this is our house, bare.

So thankful I had had this friend to help me along this tiny house journey #tinyhome#tinyhouse#bestie#bro#dreads#iphone6 A photo posted by Daniel (@daniel_tireswing_frey) on Dec 22, 2015 at 5:28pm PST

Can’t be a personal post without a picture of Sweet Pea :)

Little by little ” src=”http://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/72×72/1f60d.png” scale=”0″> #casafreytinyhome #tinyhouse #ikea

A photo posted by Ashley Rockey Frey ♡ (@ashley.tireswing.rockey) on Dec 13, 2015 at 2:37pm PST

My cute husband cleaning the window for a picture. Ikea forgot to include some of our hinges, hence why two of our cabinet doors aren’t hung yet.

Whitewashed plank ceiling for our tiny home: ” src=”http://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/72×72/2714.png” scale=”0″> #casafreytinyhome #diy #tinyhome #tinyhouse A photo posted by Ashley Rockey Frey ♡ (@ashley.tireswing.rockey) on Jan 17, 2016 at 11:16am PST

Our floor is finished, and I could cry! #allthehearteyes #casafreytinyhome #tinyhouse

A photo posted by Ashley Rockey Frey ♡ (@ashley.tireswing.rockey) on Jan 29, 2016 at 11:16am PST

Working on the woodwork and final stages of the inside of my home. #naturalart#art#woodgrain#vsco#vscocam#tinyhome#casafreytinyhome#datwooddoe

A photo posted by Daniel (@daniel_tireswing_frey) on Jan 14, 2016 at 7:55pm PST

And as always, if you’re new to our blog, welcome! You can check out a full list of our tiny home posts HERE. If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us HERE.

First Snow of 2016 | Shooting with Friends

January 19, 2016

Last Saturday night we had our first snowfall. By Sunday afternoon we were already out shooting. We met up with friends [and our dogs] and our models. This post is divvied up into 3 parts so feel free to skip ahead by clicking the links :) First up– Ashley and Joe, the gracious couple Morgan and Kevin invited. On deck– my sister, Tori, who bore the cold with us and also held Sweet Pea. And lastly– some behind the scenes because I just couldn’t resist.