'twas the night before christmas, and all through the house...

- the dog ran frantically back and forth trying to shake the excess energy as we'd left him alone all night while we were at church and then to my sister's in-laws for dessert and games

- dad was putting the finishing touches on presents

- mom was making a salad to bring to dinner tomorrow night

- and i sat lazily on the couch, watching a christmas story while drinking genmaicha (my favorite japanese tea). mmm.

before i come off as a total bum here, i'm forbidden from entering the area of the house where gift wrapping is taking place. this disqualifies me from assisting in the making of the salad since dad is right there, too. :) oh man, i'm so bummed i have to be curled up with a blanket and my favorite hot drink. ha.

time in new york has been fun but whirlwind-y, as is usual. one of the best things so far? spending time with old friends & family, for sure. but a close second has been all the lovely families i've been spending time around. one of these families has two little darlings, one of them born just about a week ago. check out these photos featuring two beautiful little people.

this almost-four-year-old


loves to "read"


and spend time around her brand new baby brother.


he doesn't really like being cold (who can blame him?)


and really is much happier cuddled in a mound of blankets.




he also does a mean impression of a baby bird. there's talent.


throughout their childhood, they'll make a fine pair. :)


no, my entry didn't even come close to rhyming, but because i started this way i might as well finish strong:

merry christmas to all, and to all a good night. (i hope it's a wonderful time with the people in your life that you treasure.)

procrastination is my middle name.

i am procrastinating.

i leave for the east coast in just a matter of hours now, and i haven't packed a thing. whoops. :)

before i get down to business, i wanted to show you all a photo from an engagement shoot yesterday with a wonderful couple named jeff and jenna. they are AMAZING and we had such fun wandering around downtown portland yesterday even though it was a bit rainy- more rainy than we would've liked. this photo shows how we didn't try to fight the elements- just made the best of it. :)



see all you new yorkers soon!

magazine! article!

it's 12:40am... i'm a little excited. :)

if you live in the tacoma, wa area please pick up the current winter issue of South Sound. if you don't, and want a teeny, tiny peek at what i'm talking about, click HERE.

(if you still don't get why i'm pointing this out at 12:40am, check out who shot the photos for this article. ;) it may be someone you know...)

trust me- the hard copy is beautiful. this magazine is a great combo of two of my favorite things- well-written words and pretty pictures. i feel so excited to be a part of this issue... and i think you should run right out and get one today. :)

'tis the season.

good evening!

right now i'm sitting in a charming coffee shop with big sparkly snowflakes hanging from the windowsills and working while sarah, my lovely, dear friend & roommate studies. if you don't know her, you should. she's amazing.

sarah + tiny cupcakes = <3


anyway. time for a substantial entry! first let me say that i just love christmastime. it's always been my favorite holiday and then a few years back, when other things in my life were less than ideal, i started to like it less. there was just no charm to the season anymore, i couldn't seem to find my heart in all the songs and decorations and cookies and traditions. maybe i was growing out of christmas as i grew up? thankfully i think it was just a season in my life that was tainted by other disheartening circumstances, like we all go through. if this year is "one of those" for you, i'm sorry. hang in there. for me... there is so much that surprised me about this entire year and where my life is currently... all good things. and happily, my childlike wonder about christmas eve services and twinkly lights has returned in full force and so far i've had an investment of sorts in three separate christmas trees. overkill? nah. ;)

the following photos are from a family shoot with a family that i adore. this is the third time i've spent time with them and let me just say that i think they are wonderful parents to a equally wonderful little guy. not being a parent yet myself gives me a lot of time to think and observe... and if i'm fortunate enough to have my own kids one day, i'd love to have the kind of patience, love, and FUN that this family has together! see what i mean....





















thanks scott, patty, and jakob for letting me spend time with your amazing family! if i were allowed to have favorites, you all would be one of them. :)

i love married people

rachel and brad are pretty awesome.



i mean, seriously? look at their sense of style and how comfortable they are in front of the camera:







they got married a little over a year ago, and are still so obviously crazy for each other. i love it. :)











they were both SO easy to shoot. true confession: it can be hard for me to go from "oh hey, nice to meet you!' to invading your personal space with a camera in 2.2 seconds flat! but what rachel and brad did that was soooo helpful to me is that they were THEMSELVES. that's what i always tell people when they ask how they should be or what they should do during a shoot- just be yourself! talk about yourself, tell me what you like, don't like, wear clothes that you feel good in and go with it! i love variety in people and families and these guys brought it in full force. so refreshing! the park where we shot in salem, oregon was a park that they used to walk together when they were just dating. at first i wasn't sure what the scenery would be in this semi-dismal time of year, but i was so pleasantly surprised with how well it worked with their style and personalities! i loved every minute. thanks guys, for a lovely sunday afternoon.

gobble, gobble

thanksgiving this year was a brand-new experience for me. i've spent it away from family before, but never before have i spent it in an art gallery. :) good food, amazing atmosphere, and fun conversations were had at the gallery connected with my boyfriend's sister's fiance. (there's simply no great way to explain all that. ha!)

my little snapshot does not do justice to these amazing pieces of art! there were such amazing things on display.


if you're not sure who i am in this shot... let me make it easy for you. one word: shortest. :)


absolutely everything was so visually oriented- i loved it!


it sounds so cliche to say that i'm thankful, but i truly am. life is not perfect, but it is rich with blessings and it is good.

i'm definitely excited to see what's just around the bend. :) happy thanksgiving. hope you all are enjoying time spent with family and friends.

hello from the east side

good afternoon!

whenever i travel and am stuck in any airport, my favorites are those with free wi-fi. :) let's hear it for something FREE!! (yeah!) my flight out of new york back to portland has been delayed a few hours, which is no problem since originally i had a 4.5 hour layover in newark... so i found myself a quiet corner with an electrical outlet and am trying to catch up on email and such while i wait. i realize it's been a heck of a long time since i've blogged, so here's a random sampling from a few photoshoots i had on the east coast this past week!

the main reason i flew here was for, of course, a wedding. booking a wedding somewhere kind of nails down a specific date that i need to arrive by, and then i tend to book the smaller shoots (families, engagement, senior pics, etc.) around that time. i first met erin and shawn early this year, and shot their engagement photos in the spring at yaddo gardens, in the saratoga region. exhibit a:



they're great. during their engagement session we talked a lot about their animals (i believe they have a few dogs and a few cats between the two of them... :)), their families, and their careers. i loved their fun, easygoing attitudes! this past friday (the 13th!) was their wedding, and as the weather in new york during the month of november can be cold (to put it mildly), they really lucked out. :) their evening wedding was absolutely perfect- here are a few photos from their day.

















this trip was filled with this fabulous wedding, a few beautiful families, and lots of quality time with my own family and boyfriend. i have so much more to show you, but it looks like my plane may be taking off sooner than i'd anticipated and i'll need to quit writing for now. more to come! thanks to all the new yorkers who made this trip so awesome- i'll be back again soon!