we.are.fremily

Never settle for less than butterflies… 

That was something my mother always told me growing up (and still reminds me of today).

And boy, did I have butterflies when I met Freddy! I’ll make a LONG story short- I was a singer in a band and we had a album release party in New York, where freddy lived. I knew of him through my sister (and always thought he was her “hot friend in NY”), so I invited him to the show. In the middle of some “industry talk” with a guest, I saw my mom bringing freddy over out of the corner of my eye and

✨b u t t e r f l i e s ✨

(Photo taken moments before we met✨) 

So, I did what anyone would do – bust out an eight count of my best robot dance as a greeting!

Needless to say, the robot dance worked and we began the journey of our long distance relationship- Freddy in New York and me in Los Angeles.

(Our first mirror selfie during Freddy’s first visit to LA) 

It was a whirlwind romance and the butterflies continued as we traveled back and forth to spend time together. Finally, after six months or so, the distance was too much, and Freddy moved to Vegas! By that time, I had graduated law school, stopped singing in the band and was living back in Vegas.

(Law school graduation – Freddy bought me my first pair of loubutins) 

(Photo taken when I should have been studying for the Bar, but instead explored LA with Freddy)

We spent the next year and a half falling deeper in love and exploring all Vegas downtown life had to offer- a growing arts district, eclectic bars and lounges along the old Vegas “Fremont” strip, and incredible new friendships.

(Ludacris came everywhere with us- and yes, he owns a leather – remind me to never do bangs again!)

(I may have bleached Freddy’s hair myself- oops!)

(Taken at our amazing home in downtown Vegas- owned by my sis) 

Then, on one unexpecting trip to New York, Freddy took me to “our spot” in Central Park (where he had drawn our names into a heart on a tree stump) and asked me to be his wife! The butterflies were running wild that moment like never before, and I literally had to question whether he was serious!

(Yes, I’m wearing skeleton pants in February) 

Once I floated back down to earth, I (of course) said YES!

And with that, we began planning the wedding of my dreams. I say “my”, because I don’t think guys sit up at night as teens and plan their weddings, but me? I had it all envisioned in my head, down to the smallest little detail!

We, of course, had to document this incredible time in our lives, and had an enchanting engagement photo shoot and Engagement Video done near our family cabin in the Pacific Northwest.

Speaking of, after trying on every dress in the Western Hemisphere (literally- probably over 100 dresses, including being on Say Yes To The Dress on TLC), I found THEE most PERFECT wedding gown at a small vintage bridal gown shop in Portland, Oregon called Xtabay.

The moment I put on this gown

✨B U T T E R F L I E S✨

I knew it was the one- just like you always hear! I grabbed a vintage garden party hat off the stand and I was in Love!

With the perfect dress, everything else fell into place (or I was a crazy bridezilla and my mom, sisters and bridesmaids wanted to kill me – I can’t remember- I blacked out)!

Either way, our wedding was nothing short of magical and I can still close my eyes and remember the flutter of butterflies in my stomach as I held my father’s arm, with the sound of Sigur Ros playing in the background as the doors to the chapel opened to reveal my perfect being, Freddy, standing (and then taking a knee) down the aisle, waiting to become my husband.

I could dedicate an entire blog to that moment right there, but since this is just supposed to be an introduction to our lives, I must get moving.

Our Wedding Day Video is something I could (and do) watch over and over, and it’s amazing to me that our lives got even more filled with bliss….

Fast forward by us honeymooning in Italy (and never wanting to leave), starting a new job at a law firm, and building a home in the most Truman Show neighborhood in existence (in a good way)…..

(Our one year engagement shoot)

we longed for a child to share this experience with and to show all the beautiful things this world has to offer.

Nine months later, we were blessed with the most amazingly perfect soul in the world

✨Oliver Patrick Ellis-Santana ✨

I feel like I was in a constant state of

✨✨butterflies ✨✨

from the moment we found out I was pregnant until the moment I saw his gorgeous eyes for the first time.

It’s amazing how true love can hit you like a ton of bricks in just an instant! Even thinking about Oliver makes my heart flutter.

As you will see, Freddy and I both work, but, luckily, because Freddy is in film production, he gets to spend time with Oliver during the day between shoots! When that happens, my otherwise work filled days are beautifully interrupted by Freddy sending photos and videos and face timing with Oliver – and literally from the moment my phone indicates that a photo of Oliver was sent, the butterflies begin.

Any parent reading this will agree- there is nothing in the galaxy like looking into your child’s eyes and seeing happiness. I pause with every photo he sends of Oliver, and take a moment to fully experience the flutter. It’s incredible.

With each day that passes, our little baby is growing, learning, speaking, creating, and exploring everything around him. While it is an unexplainable thing to watch, it started to make me think about how quickly time has flown by and how I want to capture every moment I can and savour the small details forever.

This feeling is what sparked our blog. I sat on the idea for months, thinking that it would be boring or impossible to do. Then, we were blessed again to learn that we were having another beautiful baby!!

I will dedicate an entire post to our little miracle, but for now it’s safe to say that the butterflies have not stopped since we found out!! We are beyond over the moon!

Needless to say, this incredible addition to our family made me rethink the blog, and confirmed that I want to document our lives and our thoughts so that we never forget how amazing it truly is and so that Oliver and the new baby (boy or girl) can read about how they grew up and the experiences we shared.

So, while I can’t promise the posts will be whitty, I vow to be honest, real and not as long winded as this post!

We hope you enjoy following our growing family! Xoxoxo

-We.Are.Fremily