Van Life Colorado Couples Shoot // Dillon Reservoir, CO // Mark & Ella

“What’s been the best 2 memories you have from your time of being married?”

Ella:
”On our honeymoon we hiked Half Dome (in Yosemite), which is by far the scariest hike I’ve ever done. 18 miles and lots of crazy climbing on slick rock. I was terrified, but Mark encouraged me the whole way up. We continue to compare every hike we do now to Half Dome.
In July of 2018, Mark and I visited Colorado together for the first time. On the fight home, we decided we wanted to move there. So in October of that year, we sold all of our stuff, bought a van, quit our jobs, and moved to Colorado. The months following were a whirlwind, and very difficult at times, but it was the best decision we could have made for our future selves.”

Mark:
”At the end of a long season (of wild land firefighting) Ella and I went on a road trip, we were planning on exploring New Mexico and spending time in Santa Fe, but the day we drove into the city, the sate shut down and we replanned our entire (2 week) trip in a split second. We ended up visiting Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada on a whim and it is still one of our favorite places.
In April of 2020, Ella and I decided we wanted to get a puppy. We never thought we would get a dog until we were at least in our 30s (we love to travel and it seemed like a lot of work between that and our busy jobs). But with everything going on that Spring, and us being home a lot, we decided it was a great time to get a little adventure pup. The next month Ella flew to Texas to pick up Murphy (he’s a cavapoo) and we can’t imagine life without him now. He’s everyone’s best friend, has gone up some of the highest mountains in Colorado with us, and brings so much joy to our life.”