FAVORITES POSTS OF THE YEAR ON INSTAGRAM | 2021 @ABBIHEARNE ROUND UP
It’s no secret that instagram is my go-to place to share my current thoughts and life updates, everything from the things I’m thinking about, conversations I’m having, favorite photos, and so on. I started doing an end of the year round up a couple of years ago and really loved going through my posts to find my favorite ones! I hope you enjoy this too!
2020 Favorite Posts | 2019 Favorite Posts | 2018 Favorite Posts
JANUARY 6, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
One of my friends asked me about my goals for 2021 the other day and I literally laughed out loud. I am usually a list-maker and goal-setter, but this year the calendar switched to 2021 and I barely thought about it. But I’ve had a week to think about her question...and think about the things I did accomplish in 2020. Things like keeping our business alive, adapting well, supporting our couples to the best of our ability, making difficult decisions for the sake of myself and my family, growing closer to Callen and having more hard conversations and better communication than ever, leaning on friends and family that were eager to support me (I’m typically a “I’m fine and don’t need anyone” kind of person...not this year), being more willing to admit when I needed help, seeking and finding joy in less than ideal situations. I am proud of myself for these things, even though none of them were on my goal list this time last year.
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This year I don’t know what’s ahead, and I’m keeping the goals pretty simple: better routine, more grace, and deeper connections. We’ll be home more than ever this year, and I want to have a better weekly routine with my work and play. More intentional time so I don’t waste time. I also want to be more kind to myself and others when we mess up. My self-worth reached a new low point this year and before I admitted that, it had done more damage than I realized. To the point that I wasn’t confident in my value as a friend, sister, daughter, wife...it wasn’t good. And it was rooted in me not giving myself enough grace for genuine mistakes and valid short-comings. Lastly, tied to the first two, I want to focus on deeper connections with the people I love. This year was a pressure cooker for relationships and I came out of it with some really difficult losses, as well as some really wonderfully strengthened gains. I want to focus more time and energy in a few of the ones I have now, because they feel really damn good.
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As always, we’ll see. But I’m hoping that by keeping these goals personal, flexible, and concise, I can keep them in mind as I make decisions and as things inevitably change in the world around me.
JANUARY 22, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
I’ll be honest, when @callenhearne told me he found climbable ice in Moab, I had my doubts...but this lil canyon 15 minutes from our house was really fun! And a lot more challenging than glacier ice 😅 The desert just keeps on giving us more reasons to love it, and more reasons to never leave (except for those glaciers in Alaska😉)
FEBRUARY 9, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
We just got home from glorious little ski mission in our local mountains with some buddies. We read books, napped a lot, laughed even more, had good conversations, ate good food, and played in the snow like kiddos. Further evidence that Moab is the best place on earth in my book🏜🏔So thankful for all of this ❤️
FEBRUARY 15, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
Where do I want to see myself in five years? Hopefully, right here.
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(inspired by my friend @noel_russ who wrote & expanded on this thought beautifully, see her latest post)
FEBRUARY 28, 2021 | VIA MOAB, UTAH
I wore princess dresses for the first 5 years of my life. Accessorized with feather boas and sparkly hats no matter the occasion. I had a collection of red shoes, plastic heels, cowboy boots — even some that played music when I walked (a few days in my mom removed the batteries while I was asleep...lol). At some point, as I got older and more aware of peoples opinions, my outfits became more normal. After a while, I was wearing all neutrals, nothing too loud. I have long admired bold styles on other people, and have had many moments of buying something that I loved on a rack but couldn’t bring myself to put on for real life. But as I’ve grown into my adulthood, I’ve found myself feeling a little more fearless in how I dress again, embracing the things I absolutely love but never would have been bold enough to wear in my early 20s.
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A few years ago Callen and I stopped at the Pendleton Factory in Oregon and I found a loud orange jacket on mega sale...I loved it but knew it was nothing like anything I’d ever worn before. It was still pricey enough that I didn’t want to buy it if I wasn’t going to wear it for real. But I was so drawn to it, and I decided to go for it. I know it may sound trite, but this little jacket became a turning point and I’ve slowly (still usually shyly) embraced the style I love that isn’t quiet or neutral and definitely doesn’t blend in. I still usually just wear normal-ish basics most days, but I’m now much quicker to reach for the things that make me feel really cool even if they are kinda absurd.
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Now, I have a collection of jackets that makes me smile every time I see them, and I love patterns and colors, and sometimes even cowboy boots that my 5-year-old self would have swooned for. This isn’t some big life changing message, but it is something that makes me super happy and feels like an appropriate re-awakening as I quest into my late 20s. Because life is too short to wish you had the guts to just wear the things you love.
MARCH 12, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
When we moved into our house in Moab 2 years ago, I thought it was mostly temporary. It’s our first house, which was a pretty intimidating step after nearly four years of living on the road rent & mortgage free. We watched the market for about a year and were lucky enough to find a pre-foreclosure that was an affordable first home (especially for Moab) and more than met our desires. Considering our lifestyle, anything with a flushing toilet and shower was an upgrade, and this one even had a hot tub 😉 We chose Moab because it is by far our favorite place we’d ever traveled to, but I remember thinking we’d probably move to a bigger city if we had kiddos one day. We both grew up in big cities, and there are still days that the limitations of living in a remote 5000 population town are difficult for us.
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But, something has shifted in us since we started really living here two years ago. We’ve fallen in love with so much more than just the landscapes & the friends we’d made. We love the community. We love our neighbors. We found a church we like (although we only got to go in person a few times before Covid 😔). We’ve seen the community come together and we see the love that reaches under the surface of the tourism front that visitors experience. At this point, we truly can’t imagine living anywhere but here. At this point, we both know that if we moved to a bigger city, we’d just be traveling to Moab every chance we got.
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We feel so grateful to have been able to spend years finding our place, and so lucky to have built a job that allows this level of freedom. It’s a privilege to have established a life outside of the one we grew up in, and to have found a place we feel confident putting roots down. We’ve learned there are limitations anywhere we live, but for us, the ones we’d sacrifice by living anywhere but here aren’t worth any gain. After so many years of following the gravity that brought us out west in the first place, and doing what we could to make more time in the places we love possible, it feels pretty amazing to be rooted somewhere. Even if we do still escape every summer when the temps climb over 80°F 😜
APRIL 1, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
Life lately 🏜 welcoming spring with open arms (& zip-off pants for chilly-hot season), keeping eyes peeled for the first flowers of the year, and exploring new places every few days. It really feels like this could be the general spring theme of the rest of our lives & I am just so thankful for that.
APRIL 6, 2021 | LAKE POWELL, UTAH
I’ve been talking about doing this for a while now and thanks to some really good friends we finally made it happen for my birthday weekend! We just got home from four days living on a houseboat with the best little crew soaking up the sun, paddling slot canyons, hiking creeks, scrambling rocks, eating delicious food, passing out at 9pm, and saying “wow this place is beautiful” no less than 1000 times. We had it to ourselves & explored for hours every day, stopping wherever we wanted to adventure to our hearts content. We’re exhausted and happy and can’t wait to do it all again...this might have to be a new tradition. I am so thankful. If this was even a sample of what 27 has to offer, I’m all in. Life is sweet ❤️ Now it’s time for our busy spring season to kick off 😜
MAY 17, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
A little bit of a life update...we moved a few miles 🏜 It feels like us, and it feels like home for good. We’ve been here a little while now & still can’t believe it’s really ours...and yes we already painted some walls dark green 😉 I’m so so grateful. Charlie is in heaven out here! (Can you find him hunting lizards in this photo 🐾)
MAY 21, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
One day I realized I loved mixing patterns & then I just ran with it 😉🏜 I’m pretty sure the back porch is my favorite room in this house, but our bedroom is definitely a close second.
JUNE 1, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
We’ve been having such a delightful weekend showing two of my childhood friends around our home!! It feels pretty wild that we’re old enough to have sleepovers in a house that we own ??? And somehow old enough to have been friends for over 15 years? Two nights ago we stayed up past midnight dancing around in the kitchen and we found ourselves trying to laugh silently out of habit and then remembered there were no parents to tell us we needed to be quiet 😂 This has been such a treat, feeling like kids again but also sitting on the porch having conversations about all the real life adult things we have going on. I feel so lucky to live somewhere friends want to vacation to, and that feels like a vacation of my own when I show it to others.
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And now I’m back to “reality” catching up on emails and editing photos, but the office views are still stunning and the lunch breaks are still surrounded by red rock and pretty cactus blooms so I’ll take it 😉🏜 Beyond grateful for sharing this place with people I love!
JUNE 7, 2021 | YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Hello 👋🏼 we are having a great time being tourists in the most beautiful valley on earth 🥰 photo by our pal @cannonjtc 10/10 rest day
JUNE 20, 2021 | VIA MOAB, UTAH
Hello, Hearne party of four ❤️ We are so beyond excited, and incredibly grateful, to be welcoming our second baby (first human baby) into our little family this winter. Charlie can’t wait to meet his new baby sister and give her all the licks in the world.🥲 We’re already smitten with her, our biggest adventure yet!!
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Happy first Father’s Day @callenhearne, I can’t wait to see you be the best one on earth ❤️ (And happy Father’s Day to *Grand*Dad Strickland and Pops Hearne…this baby is one lucky girl!!!!)
JULY 2, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
This morning was so incredible!! A dream come true!! First flight with my certified PILOT 🥰🏜 Callen, I’m so dang proud of you for setting this huge goal, working hard to achieve it, and doing it well. Way to full-ass this one bud :) and thanks for keeping the fam safe & full of stoke! You’re a hero!! @callenhearne ❤️
JULY 7, 2021 | ALASKA
Four summers ago we drove to Alaska for the first time. I remember planning the trip in January; it was something we’d talked about for a long time, we were making our “master plan” for 2018, and we noted a four week gap in our schedule that we could make it happen. I grew up fascinated by Alaska, hearing stories of the summer my mom spent there living with her Aunt & Uncle for an internship in her early 20s. My grandma did a train ride through Canada to Alaska with her sweet little old lady friends when I was a kid - she brought me back a book about the northern lights that I was pretty stoked on & I think it’s been in the back of my mind since.
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Honestly, planning to drive there was wildly intimidating. Canada is huge. The beta is confusing, the journey is overwhelming, and no matter what advice you get from others who have done it…it just feels kinda like planning a trip to the moon. This valley was one of our first memorable stops and I remember pulling up here and honestly, yeah, we might as well have landed on the moon. I felt like I was living in a drawing of a glacial valley 30,000 years ago. We spent about 24 hours here, but when the sky never gets dark, 24 hours feels infinite. This will forever be seared into my memory as one of the most fantastic, genuinely adventurous, we’re-really-living moments of my life.
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We’re driving up to Alaska now, for the fourth summer in a row. That bucket-list trip quickly went from vacation-feeling to home-feeling. We’ve made friends, booked consistent work, found our favorite campsites, our regular restaurants, locals who smile when they see our truck roll into their tiny town each summer. We settle in and honestly, in some ways we fit here better than anywhere else because no one in Alaska lives a real status quo…life is just different here in a way that is hard to describe.
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We’ve never been big on home as an address, and even now when we have a permanent house we love…we’re headed home for this season and it feels so damn good. I’ll never get over this wild job & life we found. I’m just so grateful to be living it ❤️
JULY 11, 2021 | ALASKA
A lovely welcome home 💙🏔
JULY 14, 2021 | ALASKA
Introducing baby girl to all of our favorite glaciers & dreaming of the next time we’re out here with her 🥰 (and yes I am already psyched for when she has enough hair to join the Hearne family braid club).
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I don’t know if I’ll explain this well, but one of the most surreal parts of this experience is how fast it all goes. She’s already 18 weeks along, which feels crazy because I still sometimes can’t believe I’m actually pregnant. The other day I walked past some three month overalls in a store & couldn’t believe that next spring I’ll have a real life human that would fit in them. And then immediately, my brain reminded me that by the time we’re back in Alaska with her, she’ll be bigger than those overalls which is already wildly overwhelming to me 😂 I’ve spent so much of my life imagining what it’d be like to have a baby, and then now I’m realizing it’s such a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things. I know I’ve heard other parents express these feelings, it just all feels so wild to experience it myself. Even now, she’s the smallest she’ll ever be, which is exciting and sad and incredible and just…surreal.
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Anyway, that was word vomit that I’d maybe explain better if we were chatting over dinner together, but I’ve been mulling over these feelings a bit lately and I am sure I’m not alone in it. Happy 18 weeks baby girl…we can’t wait to have you out in the world ❤️❤️
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And now you can scroll right for a tweet I came across last night that feels like a pretty good summary of early 2021 for me lol 🙃 and especially full circle considering Folklore dropped the day before we left for Alaska last year. It (& Evermore) still remains the go-to daily soundtrack. Baby might be born with Taylors discography already memorized tbh.
JULY 25, 2021 | ALASKA
Baby’s first ice climbing adventure went well! If I thought hiking was harder, my gosh walking with all that gear on & heavy boots & spikes is no joke 😅 but we had so much fun, felt great (and a healthy amount of safe fear, I kept looking up at Cal and saying “this is amazing. I’m so gripped! I’m so tired! So fun!” over and over haha) and I’m really proud of myself for doing things that were new and challenging to me just two years ago, now with a lot more confidence *and* 20 weeks pregnant! Wild.
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Our time in Alaska is always a special reset/check-in, falling deeper in love with adventure and seeing how much we’ve grown as individuals and as a team. I knew this year would feel different, and while we’ve always strayed on the side of safety, we’re keeping the adventures extra low-key, it’s still affirming to see how much we’ve been able to do and enjoy. It’s definitely building confidence in what we’ll be capable of as the family grows 🥰❤️🧊🏔 I’m so thankful.
AUGUST 6, 2021 | ALASKA
This is how the Hearne ladies do hot girl summer ⚡️🚲💨
(well within our safety margins & approved by our OB 🤰🏼)
AUGUST 21, 2021 | ALASKA
I took these photos from a plane with Callen as the pilot while our daughter kicked around in my belly.
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I know it might sound silly, but this sentence would have absolutely blown my mind a year ago, even more so two years ago & so on. I never want to forget this summer, these moments, this feeling right now. And I hope we never stop doing things that reach far far beyond what we ever thought we’d do.
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I’m so proud of you @callenhearne. There is no doubt in my mind that this kid’s life is going to be full of love, adventure, inspiration, understanding, kindness, hilarity, fun, and all the good things that make up the best dad I could ever want for her. And it’s pretty dang rad that her dad is a pilot too :) living the dream.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 | ALASKA
Our friends @theadamsco brought us up the road from their house for sunset & some photos to celebrate this season before we leave 🏔🍂 And it feels pretty fitting to have them capture this (while their kiddos ran around collecting leaves and digging up rocks).
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When we met Grace & Austin three years ago, kids were absolutely not on our radar. I remember staying up until 2am with Grace, sharing a bottle of wine & talking like we’d known each other for years. As we talked, she was trying to fix one of her son’s little legos. I remember thinking…he’s what? Four? He’ll forget all about this toy, yet she’s genuinely invested in getting it working again. It might sound callous, but I didn’t get why it really mattered. And I left that evening pretty amazed by how much she loved & actually liked her kids…someone around my age with a similar career & values…and her kids were one of her biggest priorities. I’m honestly embarrassed to admit it genuinely didn’t compute for me. At the time, it solidified to me that I definitely wasn’t ready to think about having children.
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Well, we joke that the Adams have worn us in over the years. Seeing them and their young kids embrace adventure; go sea kayaking in the rain, get covered in fish guts while dipnetting for their annual store of salmon, play independently outside with just a bucket of water and lawn furniture (as long as the dogs are out there to chase off any bear…), and the real kicker was when they visited us in Moab - we got to take them rock climbing, hiking, and even help them push through fears to rappel into a little canyon. After that Moab trip I think we were done for. I honestly joke that my parents could write Grace and Austin a thank you letter for motivating us to go for it and have a kiddo.
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Now, I already see my mentality changing and I already feel myself wanting to do anything & everything to make this girl’s life as full of joy as possible, even if it means fixing her legos at 2am. Honestly, if there is anything this whole journey and the past few years have taught me, it’s that there is so much to life when you’re open to changing your mind. I’m so grateful mine was changed about this one.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
We’re home 🏜🖤
OCTOBER 12, 2021 | ALASKA
One of my very favorite memories from our summer in Alaska. We didn’t know if we’d catch the lights this year because most of our time was going to be spent in the typically-cloudy fjord towns. But one of our last nights in a place that means the world to us was uncharacteristically clear. Then, moments after Callen told me to put on a jacket & come out because they were just barely visible to the naked eye, we witnessed one of the most fantastic shows we’ve seen. It was a full hour of standing with our necks craned in awe while the lights danced above and around us, reflecting on the water and seemingly reaching out to wrap us up. I never know how to describe what this looks like in person - just know that they move quicker than you think. It’s almost like staring into a campfire where the flames move fast but the embers burn slow, and the changing colors put you in a trance. Nothing feels more natural. Like every wonderful human thing we’ve created; every delicious food and beautiful art and stunning music, falls short of this.
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The most unforgettable part about this evening for me was sitting on the steps with Charlie curled up in my lap (it was around 1am and quite cold), while our baby was in my belly kicking away. It was still early enough in my pregnancy that her kicks were light and every single one felt surreal (actually, they still do…). I will never, ever forget this feeling of my two babies in my lap, one earth-side and one still existing in her safe little world my body made just for her. One day, I’ll have her bundled up out here with me and she’ll see these lights with her own eyes, but I like to believe she somehow knew what she was present for on this night.
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Photos all by @callenhearne 💙💚💜
OCTOBER 14, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
I haven’t done a pregnancy update in a moment (wait, have I even done one at all? I don’t remember. Lol) but considering I accepted early on that I wasn’t going to attempt consistent bump photos/updates through this process, now seems as good a time as ever since there is an unmistakeable bump in every photo 😅
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We’re 31 weeks (nearly 8 months) along and in some ways it feels like that happened so fast, but at the same time I feel like I’ve been pregnant forever. I am still loving pregnancy and feeling overall great. Since getting home, I’ve been super intentional about resting during our time off work mainly so I am able to be energized for our jobs but also because my recovery time is just so much longer these days! Our last elopement is in 3 weeks. I’m so stoked for these couples & plans we have coming up, and so stoked to wrap up the season and have the rest of our work be things I can do at home & on my own timeline before taking an official maternity leave. Callen has been an absolute hero making me food, keeping me hydrated, checking on my morale, making sure I’m sleeping well, telling me I’m doing great (and meaning it), working harder than ever with our job to help me rest more, and being so encouraging about everything we have ahead of us.
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We’ll tackle her nursery in November but she has a bassinet & I have my boobs so thankfully food & shelter are pretty much covered if all goes well 😉 I am really excited about her birth, I have always been fascinated by it and still feel in complete awe that I get to experience it! I feel really “ready” in the sense that we know what we are hoping for, but also trust our team and ourselves that whatever happens, as long as she & I are healthy we’ll be happy. I feel prepared and humbled, knowing this will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced, and that I truly have no idea what to expect. In some ways it feels like I’m training to climb a really big mountain and it’s just freakin incredible to see the ways my body and mind are preparing for this ❤️
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All in all, I can’t believe that in about two months, we’ll be home with our daughter. We are so excited & so thankful!!
OCTOBER 25, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
Third trimester vibes 😴
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After doing a pretty full-on adventure for one of our elopements the other day, someone commented on how much energy I seem to have so I thought I’d also share this side of being 8 months pregnant while working a very physically demanding job 😜 Pregnancy definitely affects everyone differently and I always want to remind you that social media is just a small glimpse into my reality — trust me, my back hurts every time I sit for more than a few minutes, I get heartburn from literally everything, I am either up moving or falling asleep, I can barely reach my feet to put my own socks on anymore, getting up from a squat is a feat (fun considering how up & down I am when shooting photos lol), and I still can’t believe the reflection in the mirror every day (it keeps changing anytime I think I’m used to it 😂). I feel so thankful for how active I’ve still been able to be, and I think a lot of that is pure luck/genetics/whatever you want to call it. But I’m definitely still doing a lot of this, and still feeling the discomfort too. Also, this photo was a week ago and I already feel like my belly looks tiny compared to how it is right now 😂 it’s so wild how fast things change during all of this!
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Two weeks from now we’ll be done with our shoots for the year so I’ll be more in editing mode & getting systems prepped for maternity leave, and we’ll be able to focus on putting a nursery together for her! We have a name picked out 🤐 and it’s all starting to feel so much more real. I’m actually already sad about being almost done shooting because I think the four months off is the longest we’ve taken off since we started this job. I am going to miss it, but I know I’ll be very occupied ;) and I am so dang grateful our job allows us both so much time off with her. It’ll definitely be worth this very packed & often exhausting month 🥰
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Anyway, here is the real life that isn’t super social media pretty but is just as accurate as the amazing adventures & epic work days. Sleeping on the couch with the only sweatpants that still fit, my protective first baby Char, & my emotional support hydroflask💧
NOVEMBER 3, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
November is always my favorite month in Moab. I learned this the first November we spent here in 2016, when we photographed a climbing clinic in Indian Creek & joined a then-quaint festival/gathering of BASE jumpers and high liners from all over the world. I remember coming off of that month, still new to road life, still living in the “adventure coffin” where we’d wake up one of the only rigs left in Willow with our breath frozen to the insides like a walk-in freezer, thinking we’d found the world we had been looking for. No other way to describe it. After years growing up in great cities, just not great for us, going to college & trying new places, we landed here and swore we couldn’t imagine life without the red dirt in our toes ever again.
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I think so many people forget to romanticize their life until it’s too late, they’ll wait until the years are passed to remember them fondly as “the good old days”…but this morning I spent some time looking back at photos from the Novembers we’ve spent here and I am so grateful we’ve always embraced them, always known they were special when they were happening…we’ve always known we were (still are) living the good old days and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. I have memories of these seasons with people who are no longer here, people I haven’t spoken to in years, memories doing things I might not do again, as well as moments with people I plan to spend every November with as long as I can, doing things I hope to do until I die.
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It’s no secret I’m a sentimental person. I romanticize just about everything, and I’m really big on seasons. So, today we’re three days into my favorite month, our work schedule is about to be finished for the year (I still have mountains of editing & such but it’s different 😜), both of my brothers are here, friends are coming, family is coming, and although this is the most unpredictable & different desert November we’ve had yet…I already love it more than ever. Our final month of life as we know it, the first of so many in this home, and I didn’t know it was possible but I’m definitely more feeling sentimental & sappy & romantic about it all than I ever have before 🥰🏜
NOVEMBER 6, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
We wrapped up our last @thehearnes elopement for the year this week. I still have editing & emails & other things to sort, but it feels pretty surreal to be done with the primary, physically demanding, scheduled part of our job until next spring, when life as we know it will be forever changed. I’ve carried this baby to 29 elopements & 8 adventure sessions in Utah, Alaska, and California, up mountains and across glaciers, to the top of mesas & through narrow canyons, and too many miles to count. Over 8+ months, I’ve fought nausea on the way to early sunrise sessions, drawn countless epsom salt baths for my feet, napped when I could, eaten many many protein bars, changed locations to avoid unnecessary dangers, stayed stocked on Dramamine for all the helicopters & planes…this has been an absolute journey but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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And now, the fact that this job gives us the freedom to create our schedule for next year as we adjust, and the freedom to both take the time we need & want to prepare for, and soon bond with, our baby together is probably the greatest gift it has ever given us. I am so thankful for this job. For our teamwork to make it happen together. For the way it’s grown with us, for the couples who have sought us out and trusted us with their most important moments. For the ability it’s given us to live in our favorite place on earth and start a family here. For the doors it’s opened and the life it’s afforded us. We aren’t at all done, but in a way this week felt like the end of an era, because I know when we start back in the spring, life will be different than we’ve ever known, in ways we can’t possibly anticipate.
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It’s always been just us. It has been really hard at times, really intense, and really great. We make a dang good team @callenhearne, and if this adventure elopement journey is any inclination of how we’ll handle this next big thing, I think we’re going to be ok. There is no one else I’d rather take on this beautiful life with. On to the next era…I’m pretty confident it’ll be our best yet 🥰
NOVEMBER 15, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
My angel of a buddy @indiaearl came over yesterday and took some photos of me around our house & land to celebrate this lil baby while I’m still her home. This is just one of the photos she took on her phone and I’m already emotional about it 🥲🥰
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I really believe depending on timing & circumstances & so many things, there are dogs that are pets and there are dogs that are children, and this dog is my first child. We grew up together, from the day I brought him home as a tiny puppy a couple of weeks before my 15th birthday, he’s been mine through just about every formative piece of my life for close to 13 years now. I know my love for our human baby will be different, I know my body and mind is literally made to change for her and adore her in a way I’ve never experienced in my life. But I also know my heart is not a limited resource, love is not scarce, and in a handful of weeks my heart will grow for his little sister but will not shrink for him ❤️ Try to tell me otherwise & I’ll kick you in the mouth. We don’t welcome that kind of negativity around here 😉 Life just keeps getting better ❤️❤️❤️
NOVEMBER 21, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
A random assortment of happy moments from these past few weeks that I’ll never ever ever ever forget ❤️ The month isn’t even close to over and it’s already the best November yet. And to think I was worried that being this pregnant during my favorite month would be a bummer! I mean my back definitely hurts almost all the time and my feet are killing me and I don’t remember the last time I breathed easily (or quietly lol) but life has never been better, the hard moments are real but they’re truly drowning in the bliss. I know I’m a sappy mess every time I come on here these days but I’m just so grateful for the desert & our people & this baby that has already completely changed our lives 🤗🥰
NOVEMBER 23, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
Things I never thought I’d do: a very physical via Ferrata (adventure climb with man-made elements) while 8 months pregnant 😅
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This was a few weeks ago for one of our elopements at @amangiri & I think if I’d realized how physical it would be I would have let Callen shoot this portion solo…but it ended up being really fun, our guide was amazing, and I had the best cheerleaders/support making me feel like superwoman the entire time! I’ll definitely be telling our kid this story, and tbh am happy to toot my own horn a bit here because this was not easy and feels pretty badass to have done with an extra 35% of my normal body weight & a very inconveniently placed watermelon on the front of my relatively small frame 😂 Don’t let the smiles fool you, there was also a lot of grunting, groaning, heavy breathing, and a few muttered expletives as I hoisted myself up and down this mesa 😜
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Honestly, I had really low expectations for myself going into this season and had no idea what to expect, but I’ve been pretty amazed by what my body is capable of and the things it’s allowing me to do while also growing us an entire little person. We’re now done with the physical part of our job and I’m wrapping up the last bits of work before giving myself a “maternity leave,” so these last few weeks are much more relaxed and I’m spending a lot more time with my feet up. It’s definitely a welcome reprise after the marathon that was September-October. I’m so thankful we’re here. We’ve made it to term (still a few weeks away from her due date though!), we’re safe, healthy, and this girl can keep cooking as long as she pleases (I feel like these days are so sacred and I wanna embrace however many we get), or she can join us whenever she wants and we’ll be ready 🥰❤️ In a world with so much control and on-demand satisfaction, it’s pretty amazing that babies still just leave us guessing on their timeline. Probably a valuable key in preparing for parenthood and a life of surprises ahead 🤗💫
NOVEMBER 26, 2021 | MOAB, UTAH
This could be our last real family photo as a team of three 🏜 I’m coming up short with words to explain how grateful I am, how life has never been more beautiful or exciting than it feels right now. I want to soak up every minute we have together like this. I know I’ll remember these sacred days forever.
December 7 | Moab, Utah
Someone asked me in my Q&A how I knew Callen was “the one” and I figured I’d answer it here considering our anniversary is this week! 🥰💫
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Honestly, we were really young when we met (16 & 18) and we both immediately “knew” we’d get married one day. I can’t really pinpoint a knowing why, and it truly could have just been young love feelings that (obviously) have since grown to mature, committed feelings. Side note, I think both are valid and every couple is different. It was real love then, and it’s real love now…just in very different ways :)
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That being said, my answer is I *know* Callen is the one in new ways, for different reasons, every new year we spend together. In fact, I actually don’t believe there is one “the one” for each of us. I believe we find a person we want to make this commitment with, someone who respects us, makes us better, loves us deeply & shares our values, & someone that we choose to keep choosing.
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Seven years is a lot of life to live together. Add in dating & it’s been over eleven. There have been times we really struggled. Times we questioned if our goals could align, times we have each felt under-appreciated, unseen, unloved. No relationship is perfect. But even in those times, we’ve stuck to the end goal: to sit together rocking in chairs on a porch somewhere, looking back on all the life we lived together, with our marriage still being the best thing we ever did. It may sound trite, but that end goal has carried us through some hard conversations, some painful shifts, some ego-crushing moments, difficult apologies, & truly brought us through the times that anything else felt more important.
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I definitely don’t claim to be an expert. We’ve dealt with things many haven’t & also been lucky to avoid things many haven’t. There are times a relationship isn’t right, & we’re both so lucky to have found someone we can trust & respect above all else. I know that is not the case for everyone. But my answer remains: it’s not about when I knew he was the one. It’s that he shows me every year, in new ways & in consistent ways, that he is the one who is worth committing to over anything else ❤️
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Photo: our buddies @cedarandpines
December 14, 2021 | Moab, Utah
Happy “due date” baby girl. We’re so excited and ready to meet you 🤍
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These waiting days feel long, but I know they’ll seem minuscule soon. I’m grateful for the lovely moments and the hard ones. Preparing for the biggest send of our life with no control of the timing is a pretty surreal experience. Baby & I are both healthy and doing well. I tend to go between wanting to just pass time scrolling/watching movies/etc & then taking time away from social media, mostly just allowing myself to spend this time however I want with no judgement :) But I do want to ask a favor…if I disappear and you assume it means I’m having or had the baby (completely valid & understandable), please keep it to yourself and don’t DM or comment asking me (same goes for “suggestions” about getting labor started…we have a good team and I like our plan) 🥰 This waiting game is a mental battle in itself and I’m so grateful for this little community’s excitement but I promise any anticipation you’re feeling is nothing compared to what we’re feeling haha 🤍 Of course if it becomes too much I’ll definitely just step away for a bit (and might do so anyway) but you’ll know when you know friends, and I truly do appreciate the prayers/good vibes/etc 💫
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Photo: @indiaearl
December 19, 2021 | Moab, Utah
Hi friends, this is Hyder :) we’re home now, healthy, and completely in heaven. Life will never be the same 🤍
December 31, 2021 | Moab, Utah
It’s completely impossible to narrow this year down to ten photos, but I picked a few favorites & honestly I’m just overflowing with thankfulness. Moments with friends I’ll never forget, adventures in our backyard & a million miles away, the good kind of positive test ☺️, another beautiful summer in Alaska with our newest member tucked safely in tow, Callen learning to fly, our new home that still feels like a dream, the sweetest month winding down and waiting on baby, and then bringing this little being into the world and learning to be parents & partners in a new way.
Words fall short but I think the last photo kinda says it all. What a year. I’m so thankful for all of it ❤️
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The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife wedding photography team with an emphasis on adventure. They live on the road as full-time nomads, allowing them to serve a large portion of the western US. You can typically find them in Moab, Utah or Yosemite National Park, California, with side-quests to wild places like Patagonia, Alaska, or the Swiss Alps. They believe love is the greatest adventure and strive to create photos that are epic, romantic, true, and timeless.
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