urban cowgirl

sleep isn't really necessary... is it? :) oh man, i wish!

there are so many times where i'm exhausted, but then stay awake past the point of sleep so that i'm still tired but have a strange sort of second wind. sheesh. i'd blame it on the travel, but i'm like this at home, too. :) ah well! i'm just slightly concerned about keeping up with my friend heather's toddler tomorrow... and i know that the little peanut will be awake and raring to go in about five hours. so i'll keep this short and make myself sleep, asap.

before sleep, i wanted to post these shots of alexis, because i loooove her style. this girl adores the 80's, and she rocks it in such a modern, fun way. for her shoot, we walked around downtown portland and also hit up the waterfront... the setting was absolutely perfect for who she is!







i seriously can't decide which edit i like better on this photo- this one:



or this one:



she looks amazing, either way!





such a great day. such a fabulous person! and, something a little different for you to enjoy. :) now, sleep is calling my name... goodnight!

coast to coast

monday i was in seattle.

today i'll be in mississippi. whee! the marvels of modern travel and a job that brings me back and forth to opposite coasts. :) i enjoy variety so this definitely works well on my end.

i should be double-checking what i'm bringing for my trip, so i'll cut this short for now, but i wanted to post a shot of the space needle with some spring blooms. so sorry to all of you who are still looking at snowbanks on your front lawn! spring has definitely arrived in the pacific northwest. i love it and must confess that i don't miss the snow at all. (not even a little. :))

i'll write more soon... enjoy your day!

ohhhh, i want one.

could i have 5-7 just like her? please?


(this little darling was "working it" last fall when i did this family shoot. melt. my. heart.)
the attitude.
the grin.
the pigtails.
the joy.
yup. 5-7. is that too greedy? please and thank you.

hope you all have a lovely weekend! :)

a couple of crazy kids in love.

hey, look!

i'm blogging on a semi-regular basis! ca-raaaaa-zy. :D

maybe new year's resolutions of sorts kick in during mid-february for me? :) just maybe.

anywho.

like i mentioned before, this past weekend i met up with michelle + cale to shoot their engagement photos. we had about an hour's worth of daylight to burn in the midst of an extremely busy season of life for these two, and i was also crossing my fingers that the fickle weather of these parts would stay rain-less for just that hour. it all worked out perfectly, and these photos show several things about these two and their relationship that i just absolutely love.

. michelle has a smile which lights up almost every photo
. cale loves to watch michelle and her smile. :)
. they are both generous, giving, and loving- towards everyone.
. they have a GREAT sense of humor.

we had so much fun walking around washington park in northwest portland on a crazy busy saturday afternoon. michelle was coming straight from her bridal shower- what a champ! these photos warm my heart and bring a little grin to my face. i just love love.























coming up:

- on a personal note, i'm getting ready to move! my roommates and i are moving from an apartment in the 'burbs to a cute little orange house on the east side of the city. :) hip hip hooray! once we get in there, i'll post a few photos of our new place.

- i'm TRAVELING to mississippi again in early march and so looking forward to shooting some lovely southerners during the week that i'm down there! hooray for warmer weather and deep fried everything. :)

- michelle and cale's wedding in mid-march! i can't wait to capture these lovebirds on their big day. :)

hope you all are having a lovely week!

what my afternoon looked like.

cale and michelle are amazing.

REALLY quality people.

really.

i shot their engagement photos today, and this is pretty much what my entire afternoon looked like:



pure joy.

more to come from their fabulous shoot!

a valentine for you.

love is different than you think. (caedmon's call)

this is what i DO know about love.

love never gives up.
love cares more for others than for self.
love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
love doesn't strut,
doesn't have a swelled head,
doesn't force itself on others,
isn't always "me first,"
doesn't fly off the handle,
doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
doesn't revel when others grovel,
takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
puts up with anything,
trusts God always,
always looks for the best,
never looks back,
but keeps going to the end. (1 cor 13:4-7, the message)

love is a beautiful thing. and it's a gift.

in celebration of valentine's day, i put on this pink necklace:


painted my toenails for valentine's puddle splashing (hey, i'm in oregon. this is what we do. :)):


and made a few cards, not skimping on the glitter glue.


no matter if you have someone to celebrate with this year or not, whether this is a fun excuse to get out or just a cliche greeting-store holiday, i hope you think about love a little bit over these next few days and appreciate what a sustaining, beautiful thing it is to give and receive love throughout life. yay, love. what a grand idea. :)

lisette + matt (part two)

monday = not so bad.

you who are not from the pacific northwest, did you know that it was about 50 degrees and sunny today? in FEBRUARY!?! oh my goodness, it was amazing. sometimes us pacificnorthwesterners forget what it's like to have the sun in our eyes during the winter season, and then when we get random days like today when it's not overcast/raining, it's a burst of pure happy. i ran some errands and tromped about the portland metro area soaking in lots of vitamin d. so lovely.

tonight, it's just me and toaster (my roommate's cat) chillin' at the apartment. have i mentioned we're moving? by the end of this month we're transitioning from a basic apartment in the 'burbs to a cute little orange (!) house in north portland. sadly, toaster isn't coming with. i'll miss him, kind of. ha. he's cute but also a pain in the rear. ever met a passive aggressive cat? that's this guy.



do you see the gleam? that evil little gleam? ;) it's there, alright. silly toaster.

anyway.

tonight it's just toaster and me, a mug of tea, and my thoughts. and one thought was that i'd finish this two-part blog post from lisette & matt's fabulous wedding reception. 'cause we all know where blogging goes when i'm busy... right out the window. :) and today is the quietest day this week is going to see.

today i finished these photos to send to matt, lisette, and their family- and as i was editing i had the thought that i wish i could show you ALL of these. it was a day full of hugs and drinks and laughter and dancing. and really, i don't feel as though you can possibly see what i saw unless you had the chance to flip through all 501 images. :) unfortunately, i think that would probably be overkill. but i just loved these photos and i loved how these people laughed and loved and danced that day. check out the rest of what i've got to show you here:





























congratulations, matt + lisette! i thoroughly enjoyed your scandanavian/belizean celebration... which took place in a japanese pagoda. :) hooray for tradition and cultures, and also for love.

speaking of love, today i started thinking about sunday. valentine's day. and i really wanted to go to a craft store, and look for red and pink paper, markers, glue, and LOADS of glitter. you know... for valentine-making. if i get around to it, i promise to show you what i've got. to be continued... :)