June 2022 – OMG where do I even start!? We got married!
June 2022 will forever remain for me the month that is a blur I think lol. Everything happened so fast that after we got back from our honeymoon I told Lodi that our wedding felt like it happened yesterday but also a year ago! What an amazing trip! Starting all the way back in early June (what feels like a LONG time ago lol) our weather finally made a lovely turn toward summer and, guess what? We got our squirrel back already! He was delivered in his own squirrel box and, no kidding, he remembered us ๐
We attached his box to a tree right off of our back deck and opened his little hole like we were instructed. We kept an eye out for him but he didn’t come out initially – I’m sure the little dude was terrified.
The next evening we were down having a fire and I couldn’t believe it but he came just running!
It was so sweet!
We gathered him up and got him some water which he was incredibly grateful for. Leaving him outside that night just broke our hearts. He scrambled from door to door trying to get back to us before, finally, going out to his box.
He arrived barely a week before the wedding and I was worried the little guy wouldn’t make it while we were gone. But in just a couple of days he figured out the bird bath and feeders and started getting the hang of serious squirrel business.
(He’s still friendly with us but generally too busy to have time to give us more than a cuddle before heading off.)
I believe I mentioned in my last blog post that I did manage to get the garden planted between lows in the 40s and ridiculous thunderstorms. June 2022 summer basically arrived while we were gone on our honeymoon and all of our gardens and farm totally exploded!
I couldn’t believe the change in our whole place in just a WEEK!
On Saturday the 11th June 2022 Lodi and I said our vows and were pronounced husband and wife!
We rented out the gorgeous paddle boat at Itasca state park and, after a meal with our closest friends and family, we all spent two wonderful hours holding the ceremony and taking pictures out on the lake.
It was gorgeous!
Following that Lodi splurged on us and rented a limo for a few hours and we did a little sight seeing and hit up three of the closest restaurants in the area.
This June 2022 for our wedding my splurge was a professional photographer and I am in aw with just how amazing she was!
She got us a preview of some of her favorite photos just a few hours after she finished our wedding and I was just blown away! A couple of those are what I’m sharing today.
FLO BRETZ PHOTOGRAPHY
There’s over a thousand photos all together which we’ll be seeing soon and, I promise, I will share many of them! Can’t believe how well Lodi and I can clean up when we need to lol that will probably be the one and only time this year you will catch me in a dress…
And I got it on Amazon!
I actually purchased a couple of different (not terribly expensive) options online from noted bridal dress retailers and, seriously, the best of them all was from Amazon!
We stayed in Itasca State Park the Friday night before the wedding, getting everything out to the park and ready to take on to the boat when it was time the next day. We stayed in that sweet little cabin until Monday and I think that was a pretty good call.
It gave us a whole day to recover before driving to our honeymoon destination!
Monday morning we headed for Medora North Dakota and then the next day moved on to Deadwood South Dakota.
We took our side by side (ATV) and drove that the entire time we were in Deadwood. We rented a great little VRBO and just cruised around exploring the black hills and all that amazing town had to offer.
Honestly we really wanted a couple more days in Deadwood as there is just SO MUCH out there to see and do. We were close to crazy horse, mount Rushmore and Sturgis. All three places we would have liked to have seen but after ten hours of driving we just couldn’t bear to get back in the truck again!
Three days later we left Deadwood on Friday morning and, a full week since we left, we got ourselves back home again.
What a ride!
Deadwood was such a fun adult playground and I would love to go back someday. Just about every place was either a restaurant / bar / casino / gift shop or an amazing combination of all three.
Lodi and I are not gamblers but when you go to a place like Deadwood we took some money out just to play for the fun of it.
Then literally the last machine and last casino we stopped in I won $250 and he won $130 earlier that day – officially breaking us even!
Gambling isn’t necessary though, the food was incredible everywhere we ate and there were reenactments going on all the time all around town.
Also, a live band every single night!
Isn’t it amazing that we go on vacation to get a break from home but it also makes us appreciate our homes so much more?
Oh how I missed our bed!
June 2022 – does anyone have any tips for getting back to the “real world” after taking a ten day break?
This was BY FAR the longest I have not only been away from home since I moved in but also the longest vacation I’ve taken in well over a decade! In fact its probably the longest vacation I’ve ever taken as an adult now that I think about it…
I’m a bit of a homebody anyway but once I came home for good and got this place (finally just found my safe spot) it was tough to ever leave it.
June 2022 You’ll notice Lodi lost a lot of hair between the wedding photos and the honeymoon lol A haircut for him was seriously the first thing we did when we got to Deadwood!
Once he heard I was doing Viking braids he went for a type of mohawk that I think looked just amazing on him! But he was so totally ready to chop it.
This is the longest I’ve had my hair in a LONG time and I am so ready for a shorter cut too. I think it really worked for the wedding though – I loved my Viking braids!
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I’m Tarah!
It’s been a hell of a ride since I started this blog and renovated and moved into this old farm house back in 2015. I got married, divorced, lost my doggo soul mate, spent two years as a single gal, remodeled everything, threw my back out countless times and was even found by an amazing guy in my own backyard! (The story behind Storyhardt Farm.)
Around here we’re totally fearless when it comes to bettering our home. We love to refinish old furniture, re-purpose old pieces, build it from scratch and totally renovate anything that needs it! If we can do it – so can you. We’ve got some serious plans for this old farm and, for first time ever, I have a real partner!
This is gonna be so much fun!
You can also find out more about the amazing Grandma behind this blog who moved in to this old farmhouse with my Grandpa nearly 70 years ago!
Congratulations! Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness.
Thank you so much Karen!!
Congratulations! !! You make a beautiful couple. You both looked so Happy. Your dress and hair were very pretty. A hugs for each of you and your Pup. Kathy
Thank you so much Kathy!
Congratulations! Tarah and Lodi
Thank you Nancy!
So very happy for you! The wedding pictures are awesome and you make such a beautiful bride! Lodi doesn’t look too bad either. ๐ I was so happy when the two of you found each other. You deserve a great guy like him! I found your site well over a year ago and it’s always one of the highlights of my week. Thank you for sharing your special day with us, it looks lovely. ๐
Oh Stephany, thank you so very much!
Congratulations, Tarah and Lodi!! The wedding was lovely, and you both look so happy! Blessings on you both.
Thank you Jeannie!!
Congratulations! Your pictures are gorgeous and it is evident how happy you are! Like you, I found my true love after heartbreak and I swear it makes it that much sweeter. You both clean up up beautifully, enjoy your pictures. I think a professional photographer is money well spent and your photos are proof! Again, congrats!
Thank you Giselle!
Congratulations to you both.
I know how hard it can be to risk marrying again after an abusive marriage
I had 25 years with my beloved husband I said `no’ when he proposed even though
we’d lived together for 5 years!
I’m so glad that I said `yes’ the second time he asked, he died 15 years ago but
he’s still nestled firmly in my heart.
Have a wonderful life together with all it’s ups and downs. So glad you got squirrel
back too.
Thank you SO much! I am so sorry to hear you lost your love.
Congratulations, Tarah and Lodi.
Thank you!!
Congratulations! May the rest of your lives together be wonderful years. I went to Deadwood last summer and loved the whole thing! The play was so much fun and shopping was an adventure because the shops were packed with tourists (just like me). You should plan a trip to see Mt Rushmore but make reservations for the whole day plan. Food, bus tour so you see everything, tourist stops, and a fabulous chuck wagon dinner meal and an hour of the most fun music entertainment. Does it sound like I loved every minute of the day…YES I DID!
Thank you Marybeth! Yes we absolutely had a blast in Deadwood. I so hope we make a plan to see Mt Rushmore, thank you for the tips, that sounds like so much fun!
You made a lovely couple, congratulations!
Thank you Darlene!
CONGRATULATIONS! You both looked fantastic and happy! ๐
So glad for you. We went to see Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore on our way to Minnesota a few years ago. Drove through Deadwood, but just stayed in the hotel one night. Wished we could’ve done some sightseeing after your discription. I’m a homebody myself and being gone more than a few days is enough IMO. ๐ Can’t wait to see more pics, especially of your newest “roommate”/squirrel! Happy Summer!
Thank you Linda! I totally get it – I am SUCH a homebody and Lodi is becoming one more and more by the day. We had planned to camp somewhere and stay out one more night but by the time that day came around we were entirely ready to be HOME!
Your wedding was beautiful and you did NOT make a mistake in hiring a professional photographer. Styles change and flowers wilt but your pictures will outlast both! Congratulations to both of you; please live happily ever after!
Thank you so much Nicki!
Tarah and Lodi, congratulations! Your wedding looks perfect. A celebration of your life together. You were gorgeous and your groom was quite handsome. I know you have many adventures ahead!
Thank you so much Linda!
A huge big CONGRATULATIONS from the heart .. and best wishes for a beautiful, wonderful, lovely, exciting future together
Thank you so much Judy!!
I love this story. wishing you both a lifetime of love and happiness!
Thank you Ann!
Congratulations and best wishes for much happiness and many years together.
Thank you Carol!
Tarah, what a beautiful bride! Congratulations and best wishes to both of you. Looking forward to seeing more photos. And thank you for hostingโhow you managed it in the midst of all that you have had going on, I don’t know!
Jean I don’t know either lol, thank you so very much!
Aww – I love this! You two are perfect looking together – and I love the Viking braids:)
Thank you Susanne!
Congratulations!!
You visited 2 of my very favorite places! The Medora musical is a summer must every year for us. We also love riding the trails in Deadwood with our RZR every summer! We are only 78 miles from Medora and 171 miles from Deadwood so we go as often as possible!
Thank you Michelle! I am jealous you’re so much closer than we are. We would definitely spend more time there if it was closer – so much fun!
Congratulations, I’m so very happy for you! Big hugs your way.
Thank you chas!!