i think they like each other.

can i tell you how much i adore these photos?





a-dore.

(from the fun-filled wedding of these kind folk)

i might be a little MIA from the blogging world until after july 4th. the next few weeks are filled with travel, weddings, families, an engagement shoot, and then a camping trip with some dear friends over the holiday weekend. new blogs may be sprinkled throughout very sparingly. :) but, as always, more photos are just around the corner! check back with me in early july and i'll do my best to share with you visuals of where i've been and what i've seen.

thanks for following along! i appreciate you.

nice weather (if you're a duck :))

i must confess, i don't think i'm a true oregonian yet.

i hang my head in shame.

see- i very nearly postponed genna and daniel's engagement shoot. if you're not living in the portland area, let me explain that summer so far has been almost nonexsistent. no lie. you know how it rains a teeny tiny bit here in the pacific northwest? well, that's SUPPOSED to let up right about now.... nope, no dice. portland residents have nicknamed this particular month "juneuary" as we all are layering up and grabbing our galoshes before we head out to brave the elements.

back when daniel and genna scheduled their engagement photos with me, i wasn't all that concerned about the weather.

even when i looked at the forecast late last week and they said there was going to be a "chance of rain", i didn't let it get to me. oh, no big deal, chance schmance.

but then... i looked outside at noon. and again at one pm. and then at two. rain rain rain rain. i can deal with a light mist, but i'm just gonna throw it out there as a reality... my electronic equipment doesn't really do big fat droplets. however, with a little coaxing from the bride-and-groom-to-be, we met up at 3:30 on a dreary sunday afternoon and had a great time. i'm so glad they were "oregon hardcore" and had no hesitation about meeting up, come rain or come shine.

before we get to the photographic evidence, here are a few quick facts about daniel and genna:

- they are absolutely great together. OBVIOUSLY. just wait 'til you check out the pics below.
- they've spent most of their relationship so far in separate states or even different countries.
- they are both great dancers.
- they're very comfortable being themselves in front of the camera. winners!
- they're both engaging, fun, and interested in others.
- they have a passion for places across the globe and nonprofit organizations.
- one of them told me that his or her favorite movie happens to be the classic romcom "my best friend's wedding"- i'll leave it up to your imagination as to which one that might be. ;) hehe.

and now! pictures. i can just tell that their upcoming august wedding is going to be so great.



























you two are a delight! can't wait for august 28th.

holly + aj (wedding), part two.

oh hey, hello, how was your weekend? great, i hope. maybe you did fun stuff like play lawn games:



or... maybe not. :) whatever. regardless i hope you're ready to take on the week and are eagerly anticipating what good things could be just around the corner. i know i am.

speaking of good things, what do you think of these carefully crafted centerpieces? there's just something so wonderful and cheery about lemons, no matter which way you slice (or sugar) them. i just love citrus fruit and so these were right up my alley. delish.



in getting to see a couple through the course of their wedding day, i think one of my favorite things is to witness the first few moments when they see each other for the first time. guys- your expressions are always priceless. here are a few shots from when aj and holly first saw each other...





i think they were okay with what they saw. :)
the ceremony and reception took place here, and i just love the way the different trees frame the ceremony site. gorgeous.







aren't these amazingly fun shoes? this season i've noticed quite a few brides wearing things a little more colorful and funky on their feet... i love it. nothing like a splash of color here and there!



lemons, again. here's another shot, just because i liked them.



another great idea: cotton candy. not gonna lie, it was a big hit with lots of people including their photographer. :) here's a shot of the bride's sister in law working hard to serve up some of that pink goodness... and a crowd of lovely people thoroughly enjoying the fruits of her labor:





rings!





aj and holly: i really did love every minute with you guys. thanks so much for asking me to be a part of your day! best wishes on your new life together as husband and wife.

holly + aj (wedding), part one

can i tell you... i love my job? I LOVE MY JOB.

there are some days that remind me of this very simple fact. holly and aj's wedding happened to be one of those days. throughout the day, i felt kind of like this:


whee!

if i had to pick one word to fit their big day, it would be details. this bride has style, let me tell you. almost everything was DIY- the flowers, the decorations, the little touches that were pulled together in such a classic yet current and cutting edge way. vintage, summer, shabby chic. i loved every beautiful minute.

there are so many great shots that i want to share, this is only part one of two. i'm saving the sugared lemon centerpieces for next time... stay tuned, your mouth will water. :)

this was in lieu of a traditional guestbook. guests placed their thumb in either light green or yellow ink, then literally left their print on this picture. what a great keepsake for aj and holly to have in their home!

















the bride's bouquet had charms pinned to the base... a personalized present from each and every one of her bridesmaids. these charms represented something that each girl wanted holly to "carry" with her into her marriage. here are the oh-so-cute flower girl and her handsome ringbearer brother checking out the little gifts. :)







the bride's best friend was a huge hit with her stories during the toast... she was a natural and had absolutely everyone's attention!




that's all i have time to share today. part two- including even more details and shots from the ceremony, coming soon!

girls will be girls

yesterday, after working all day, i went here:





to celebrate THIS GIRL and her 29th birthday!





and today, my nails look like this: :)



i don't usually paint my fingernails or get manicures... i just don't sit still long enough to let them dry. :) but now my fingers have cheerful coral-y orange tips and today, that makes me smile. happy birthday jenni! thanks for a wonderful time.

His eye is on the sparrow

this morning i had a little visitor:



today was supposed to be pretty productive. go to my favorite camera store to return a lens i'd rented, go for a run, clean my house, edit edit edit. (this time of year there's ALWAYS enough editing to go around.)

i got up, laced my running shoes, and headed out the front door- only to see this little guy right in the middle of my front porch. i don't know how he got there; i'm assuming he fell from his nest. but i knew right away something wasn't normal. his eyes were sealed shut and he still had tufts of baby chick fluff poking out of the top of his head. hmm... what in the world. i had to get to the store, so i decided that if he was still on my porch when i returned, i'd try to do something. the whole drive over there i was worried out of my mind about the bird. what if the neighbor's cat wandered up and saw the helpless baby just sitting there? i couldn't wait to get back and when i did, there he was, chirping in the same place i'd left him.

thanks to my local chapter of the audubon society i was able to have him looked at by a vet, who said that he had some sort of infection in both his eyes that they would treat... my small friend definitely has a fighting chance. i was so relieved i almost cried.

you see, this year hasn't been an easy one for me so far. just being honest, 2010 has been great with my business growing and i love meeting and spending time with all my amazing clients, but in other ways it has been pretty rough. and even last night, i was discouraged, feeling the weight of.... life. just life.

when i saw this tiny bird on my porch, that old gospel song popped into my head as well as these few verses which i looked up later:

(matthew 10:29-31) are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. but even the hairs of your head are all numbered. fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

(matthew 6:25-26) therefore i tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. are you not of more value than they?
funny how i needed encouragement and it was delivered right outside my front door. His eye is on the sparrow... and i know He watches me.