joel + marie (wedding)

sometimes life doesn't go the way you plan.
this is an important lesson to learn.

sometimes when you're a bride planning a wedding, you need emergency gallbladder removal 3 days before the actual event.
that's what happened to marie.
no, i'm not kidding.

marie and joel kind of became my wedding heroes for this season. they showed such grace, strength, flexibility, and love for each other in the midst of things that were less than perfect. they totally practiced the commitment and ability to deal with life's curveballs before they'd even said "i do."

i admire that.
and as you can see below, even though all didn't go quite as planned, it was an amazing day.































marie & joel, congratulations. all the best in your new life together!

what happens when i'm trying to get a good shot and instead get pulled into a dance line at a wedding reception :)

(photo by WEH)

hahahaha. yes, that's exactly what happens.
sometimes you just gotta dance? :)
happy weekend.

jeff + jenna (wedding)

this past weekend, we were in pennsylvania.

ooooooooooooooooooo-ooooooooo.

PA has hosted many things. for example:







yay. :)

there's a somewhat personal side of this wedding to me, as i got to know the bride and groom as both friends and clients over the past several months and in the short time i've known them, have come to respect these two very much. they're just so quality!

the wedding was a legit mix of meaningful, deep, serious... and seriously goofy. what a great sense of humor they have! they know how to have fun and how to fully be themselves. don't take my word for it, see for yourself:





































jeff + jenna, congratulations. you're fantastic people, and the love you share is amazing and inspiring.

why do i love kids so much?

yep. it's true. little loves like this one absolutely melt my heart.

this week: 2 weddings, one west coast, one east coast. i'll bring back the evidence and show you soon.

mom.

here's one of my favorite pictures of me with my mom. i looked a bit younger than i do now and i definitely had better hair :) but it's still how we look now, mostly. she still does that cute nose-wrinkle thing when the sun is in her eyes and i think in general, she can be one of the cutest people i've met, ever.

as long as i can remember, people have been exclaiming that i look exactly like her. and probably due to my extreme stubborn, independent, individualistic nature i've been fighting that statement with all i've got for... oh... about 27.5 years. :) sigh. why can't family relationships be less complicated? as much as i know that she's awesome, our relationship is definitely not perfect. however, the older i get the more i realize how many things i value that i got straight from that lady who i call mom.

she's creative, she's quirky. she constantly observes beauty in unique places. she loves birds, and other animals, and kids, and all kinds of people. she's caring and nurturing, a good listener and talker and she tries her best. also, she's got the best laugh i've ever heard in my entire life.

happy mother's day, mom. and happy mother's day to you out there who have or do or will oneday give great hugs, only let them have sugary cereal on vacation, and really be there for the heartbreaks and hard knocks of life- to make them a little less less challenging. thanks. you are of such value.

i love art, i love africa = win/win

have you ever heard of this organization called IEFT? it's a nonprofit, co-founded by these two people below:



the goal: providing quality education to kids in rural tanzania. good stuff.

this past sunday was the 3rd annual "art for africa" event held at springbox gallery in northwest portland. not that it should be any big surprise that i love art, but i do. spending time in this particular gallery is always one of my favorite things. i never thought i'd appreciate large pieces of sculpture so much, but they're amazing! it's incredible what people can do with different mediums, and i love being in this place where you can see and experience these unique creations.













trust me, this is just a small sampling of what springbox has to offer. it's a great place and i definitely recommend checking it out for yourself. anyway, during the evening there was a silent auction, a presentation on the school, mingling over food and drink, and live music. i was busy taking photos, but even i had an amazing time. here are a few more shots from the event:



















congrats, staff and volunteers who helped to make sunday such a success on behalf of orkeeswa secondary school!