yesterday

the day that came right before today, i made pie.



so tasty & delicious.

i also worked on photos from this family's photoshoot from last week... can these kids get any cuter? probably not.











happiest of holiday weekends to everyone! enjoy the time with your family and friends.

(shift)

change is so in the air.

moreso than in any other season of my life, i can feel it all around me. tangible. as a child, i was so resistant to change (for fear of the unknown) that my mom used her spare coins as a bribe/brainwashing-lesson and every time she'd hand over a quarter i'd have to repeat back to her the phrase "change is good." probably one of the smartest moves my mom ever made, as it's a lesson that sticks with me even when i'm struggling the most with a shift that i didn't see coming or something that's most definitely outside my control.

it's so humbling to submit your life to someone greater than yourself. yet i honestly have never ever been so excited to follow the leading of the God i love and serve. at the same time, it's the wildest ride i could ever imagine, and sometimes it scares the crap out of me.

what i've waited for as long as i can remember is happening. and this story is more than i could've dreamed in my wildest imagination. no it's not perfect, he's not perfect, i'm not perfect. not at all. but this is so stinking good. it's been worth every past heartache and disappointment, every long year of not knowing if what was deep in my heart would ever come true. now i'm surrounded by the "coming true" and i'm in awe. most times, speechless. it's so crazy i don't even know how to string sounds and syllables together to explain it. my heart is full of gratitude as i absolutely did not put any of my dreams/desires together. God did. in His timing.

in the middle of all this amazingness is also a little bit of pride-poking loss as i also sense God preparing me to focus primarily on my own family. He knows me better than i know myself (thank goodness) and some of the ways i accidentally got my little identity wrapped around and inside my career He's slowly stripping away. it's hard. yet i'm thankful for these humbling revelations as i've often seen played out before me that you can't do it all. you can't do it all and do it all well, anyway.

my 2011 continues to be filled with amazing clients and lots of travel. it's been a wild ride these past few years figuring out a business and seeing where it could go. i'm not giving up, i'm not quitting, i just realize that the winds are changing and i can not wait to see where those winds will go.

(it's personal) happy.

life is rich and full and i am a blessed woman. so much to be thankful for.

traveling today! west --> east once again, to shoot several families and one fabulous wedding. can't wait to see all those folks and to be able to show you what i've seen once i return!

natalie + casey (engagement)

good friday morning!

i definitely hope this blog post finds you well. spring is all around us in the pacific northwest, and last week i was able to enjoy some of the springy-ness outside during this engagement session with casey and natalie.
















CONGRATS, guys! so thrilled for you two, may you have many wonderful years ahead. :)

weddings in the air.

with april came wedding season 2011. michael and michelle were an AMAZING couple to help me kick off this year! so excited about the places i'll go and the people i'll see.







congrats you two! it was so fantastic to be there for the start of your new life together.

darlings.

i didn't grow up with brothers or around an extraordinary amount of boys, but my friend erin's two make me want to have a whole passel of my own. who knew a good game of david and goliath (for the record, i was a philistine) could be so much fun?

(it's personal) begin at the beginning.

i wouldn't've thought that this kind, friendly man i met nearly 5 years ago (when i first moved to portland) would be "the one."

we were ships passing in the night for most of that time, and then in a hilarious turn of events we were set up (sorta :)) this fall. if you see me in person ask me the story, i love to tell it. a good friend said it so well: "it's a great testimony to God's creativity and timing." seriously. it was nothing either of us could've put together.











fast forward to march 25th, the day that j asked me to be his wife. another great story. the short version: he loves me so well. i have been and continue to be wowed.






(engagement day photos by jelani)

sometimes great things happen when you least expect them. :)