mike & mel.

it was summer church camp, mid 1990′s. us girls were busy chatting about boys and outfits, and boys and school, boys and music, boys and boys. “you like mike!” i would say to melanie and she shook her head no or laughed or something along those lines. we all giggled and kept chatting about… you know, boys.

decades later i had the complete honor of documenting their big day, the day they finally said those words, committing their lives to one another. turns out i was right, she did like mike. and i was completely and utterly thrilled (and weepy) behind the lens of my camera that spring day.

thanks you guys for having us up there, finishing off my last wedding with a bang, for letting us in on this most sacred of events. we love you!

There’s no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard. No song that I could sing. But I can try for your heart and our dreams. And they are made out of real things. Like a shoebox of photographs with sepia-tone lovin’. Love is the answer…

-jack johnson

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my tumbleweed.

nikon f5 . portra 400

he blows in and out of our lives, carving spoons from an ear of corn and animal bone. he climbs trees. he does his own tattoos. he builds the best lego ships and while on a hike, he lets his nephew pee in his nalgene bottle because he’s never gone potty outside. he helps his mama, showers his niece with kisses, and he cooks meals from scratch. he wants to live off the land and my boys adore him to the ends of the earth.

he’s gone, again. headed where the wind is taking him. my heart is sad and i feel the absence of him stronger this time than ever before. he is my tumbleweed brother and i’m thankful that he is who he is. loving you brother bear. come back soon.

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the dog days are over.

“happiness, hit her like a train on a track”

the other night justin and i stared at each other in disbelief as we realized what a big event was ahead of us. he told me about this song and i realized how perfect it is for us, for our trials, for our future. it’s been quite a year for our little family. we are surfacing. we are nearing that light and it feels so warm, so good. so refreshing.

just a bit ago we picked up our keys, we walked through the door of our new home. it was empty and bright and full of promise and i am absolutely giddy with excitement. the last 72+ hours have been filled with anxiety, stress, tears, stress, smiles, stress, headaches, stress and more stress. but as my mama told me tonight – all the best things are hard to come by and boy does that ever hold true. it took everything in me to leave the new place this evening. i wanted to open all the windows and breath in the air of our new town. feel the wind as it raced through my hair, whispering “you’re home. happy to have you. those dog days are over

so as i slowly unpack the boxes of our past, i’ll be thankful and appreciative of this opportunity to introduce them to our future. and i can. not. wait.

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project photography.

did you know i wrote an e-book? well i’ve written a few but one of my faves is project photography. a simple, easy, go-to guide for learning to use the camera you have (whatever it may be) and making the very best of it! getting natural, lovely photos of your children and loved ones by using a few tried and true tips!

project photography is over 70 pages jammed full of images, how-to guides, and my own personal thoughts that are meant to encourage and lead you to making full use of all those dials and buttons your cameras came with!

better yet? i’ve knocked the price down by 50%. for only $30 you can instantly download your own guide and get started. if you’ve purchased the guide before i’d love to hear what you think of it and if you take advantage of the discount – please do share your thoughts (and a photo or two!).

xo!

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she’s baaaa-ck.

…and she’s just as amazing as i remember.

nikon f5 . portra 400 . 35mm

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