Promise of the week: post something to the blog everyday! I'm sorry that I have not posted all week but I really wanted to leave those pictures up of Lorie. I have a lot to post that I am excited about so stay tuned this week.

For now, here are some of my favorite friends, the Ryans. I have known Kyle and Libby since my junior year of high school when they were Young Life leaders (and just friends). Once I was in college with them, they became dear friends who invested in my life as well as helped me have a lot of fun. I was so excited when they finally (and trust me on this one...finally) got together, engaged and then married. I wish I could figure out a way to post the picture of Corey and me at their wedding because it is pretty funny. I still can't believe that Libby and Kyle drove here from Florida and I got to take pictures of their son, Tucker, who may officially be the cutest little boy in the world. Just spending time with them was one of the best things that happened all fall.

things that matter...

so my friend lisa calls me one day a few weeks ago and tells me that she knows a family that we need to meet and photograph. she insists that we will be changed by them and by the story that God is writing on their lives.

you will probably not believe this story unless you read it for yourself. it is a hard story to hear and yet it is the one that lorie, daryl and their precious boys are living these days. i am still in awe of the fact that we were given the high privilege of photographing them. they have approached this chapter with courage, grace, strength, and great vulnerability. there is also more joy and laughter in their home than the world would ever consider possible in the face of such a journey. i should also tell you that there is also an unfathomable amount of HOPE in this story. i will never forget the testimony that they shared with us of what God has done and is doing. here is a link to their story. for those that pray, i would ask that you would pray for lorie and her family.

happy valentine's day...

More cruise/Mexico pictures to come but I thought I'd switch gears a little and post a session of cute little Ryan. I cannot believe how much he is changing! He is such a big boy in these pictures...I LOVE this whole outfit with the jeans and shoes and sweater. We did these pictures in downtown Helena and as usual, Ryan was totally easy and go with the flow. He is a boy who loves his Cheerios, I do have to say.

way down here...

I like this picture of us in Mexico. If I didn't have these pictures to prove it, I might not believe we were even there.

on location...

Quick blog update...we are back and trying to get caught up. We got home a little later than expected and are also dealing with a couple of unexpected things as well. Emails and phone calls are being returned as quickly as possible! We had a wonderful time and took about a gazillion pictures. We highly recommend shooting a wedding on a cruise ship though unlike us, you may want to wait until after the safety drill.

I realize that it has been forever since I've posted a wedding. As we are on the eve of tomorrow's cruise wedding (our second wedding this week!), I thought it would be fitting to leave you with these. Our fall was filled with some truly beautiful wedding days and I am looking forward to posting more of them in the next few weeks. For now, meet Carrie and Zac. They were a picture perfect couple marrying on the most idyllic of October days. Getting to know them and see their love for one another was such a gift to Corey and me!

welcome...

Babies, babies, babies! I have been photographing so many newborns in the last couple of weeks. And they have all been BOYS! Here is one incredibly sweet family.

You may recognize big sister Libby from previous posts. She is always a joy to photograph because she herself is full of so much joy and light. Seeing her with her baby brother was no different!

Meet Clark. I hope you will be seeing more of him as he grows!

five...

People ask me all the time about how I got started in photography. There are a lot of answers to that question, some more reflective than others. If you want a short answer among all of the longer ones, see the pictures below. A frequent visitor on the blog, this is our niece Alex. She is smart and sweet and funny and kind and sassy as can be. I adore her. I started taking pictures of her the day that she was born and pretty much haven't stopped since. Here are the pictures we took when she was turning five a few months ago.

one full year...

You may recognize Grayson. It has been so much fun documenting this past year and watching in amazement at how he's grown and changed. What a miracle it is. This latest session--his one year--was done in his nursery and is another example of our in-home studio sessions. I hope you like the pictures. I think if you scroll back through the blog you can find the pictures from all of Grayson's sessions. click for slideshow.

something new...

We were so excited to have our sweet friends in town for New Year's this year. We had so much fun doing this indoor shoot with them that we decided to officially launch these shoots as an option for all of our clients. So...

Meet the in-home studio session. We are so excited about this! These will be similar to the newborn sessions but with the added addition of some portable studio lighting. This is a great option for those of you who would like a modern studio look. It is also great for sessions during the winter months. All we need is a semi-open space in your home, preferably with hardwood floors. The shoots take about an hour and outfit changes are great, even encouraged. If you don't feel comfortable doing them in your home, we now have the option of doing these sessions in OUR home. One other cool thing about these sessions is that Corey and I will be doing them together! For anyone who books one of these sessions before March 1, we will be offering the in-studio option at the same price as the regular sitting fee. Email or call me if you're interested. We are already scheduling these sessions with current clients so start checking the blog to see more of them! Don't worry...I would never give up my outdoor, on-location sessions either. These are just one more thing we can now offer to you!

And if you haven't already...




Meet Salem. If you've been reading my blog for the past year or so, you will know that this little girl means the world to Corey and me. Salem is the daughter of our dear friends Josh and Keely. She has been through more than any little girl should go through in her short little life. On top of her obvious beauty, sweetness, and wonder, Salem is full of great courage and strength. If you'd like to know more of her story, you can check out their website at http://www.outofethiopia.com/.



Click here for the slideshow of Salem.

This one is my very favorite. Something about the expression in her eyes gets me every time.

fun on the tracks...

Last, I just love this picture of Lauren.


I love to do sessions that are also gifts for someone! When Lauren told me she wanted to have some pictures done of her, Lindsey and Ethan for their mom, I thought it was a great idea. I used to work with Lauren and I have always admired her wit and her style. Since she and Lindsey both look like supermodels, it made my job really easy. However, I have to say that it is their supercute little brother who stole the show. He is full of stories to make his sisters laugh and has some killer dance moves! Here are some images of the day for now...slideshow to follow.

*ps...if you are interested in giving a session as a gift for someone, we do have gift certificates available. email or call me for details!*

These are some engagement pictures we did downtown a couple of weeks ago. We have been trying to get these done since their engagement last year and were lucky enough to have this beautiful New Year's eve day when we were all free and in the same city. This was one of those shoots that I really could have done all day long. One of the things that made this shoot extra special is the fact that Beth is Corey's cousin! Another really fun thing is that they are getting married in just a few weeks on a cruise! And guess what? We get to go! I'm sure we will have lots to post from that adventure but for now, enjoy Beth and Raja.

a quiet day...

I love the pictures from this session. We took these the Saturday before Christmas and we had the gardens almost all to ourselves. It's true that there aren't many flowers in bloom this time of year but there's something about the stillness that is making for some of my favorite pictures. I feel like you can really see how much this family just knows and loves each other. Once again, I am in awe of the people that I get to meet along this journey.Click here for the slideshow.

and...we're back.

wow. i am way overdue to start blogging again. funny how you can really miss doing something but then the longer that you don't do it, the harder it is to start doing it again.

the truth is that i am excited to be in a new year that feels so ripe with possibility, both in life and in business. we really did have a wonderful break... full of all the people that we love the most. i feel like i got to do all of the
things on my pre-christmas wishlist plus a whole lot more. had some really good family time. played a lot of board games--some more fun than others but all good for future laughs. saw some fake snow at the zoo. ate a lot of really yummy food. stayed up late talking night after night. and...i actually read an entire book. it was fabulous. not even the book so much (though it did have some really beautiful parts) but the actual act of reading a book from start to finish and finding myself so lost inside of it. i discovered this really obvious thing about reading. as life has gotten crazier and crazier over the past year and into this latest season of
Christmas pictures, cards, and a new home, i had really convinced myself that i had no time for anything else. that somehow the best thing for all of the things that needed me (my home, my husband, our business, my own self) was for me to not
do anything else except work. and honestly, i am not sure there were really any options during the months of november and december. but i’m cool with that IF i can remember this: reading makes me better at the other things that
i do and it makes me especially better at being a photographer. so does listening to great music and taking some time to write in my journal. engaging with other types of art helps me with my own art.

it’s like i connect with the parts of me that remind me who i am and what i love. connecting with those things makes me feel alive in the same way that i feel when i’m taking pictures of families and people in love.corey and i have talked a lot this break about writing and what a gift that it is. here is what i love about it: i love reading something and feeling like i want to exclaim outloud, “yes! you’re exactly right. that is exactly the way that i would want to explain that thought or feeling or experience or whatever.” but the coolest part is that i didn’t even know that’s i would have described it until i read it. and it’s a connection. to me, it’s a feeling of being known, a feeling of not being alone, of being understood.

maybe--okay, really probably--this is a stretch but i feel like i have unearthed
what it is i hope photography will be in our lives and in the lives of others. that it will connect people to other people they love in ways that they had not even realized existed. so that when people see pictures that we take, they feel known in some way that they didn’t feel before. people tell me a lot that the pictures they end up loving of their children or their wedding day are the ones where they’re not smiling. it’s the ones where they see something else that is so familiar that it’s like they’ve known it all along. but they never could have descibled it until they saw it. Like I said, a stretch. And maybe just my excuse for trying to wiggle in a little extra time to read more often this year. Anyone have any good suggestions?

aside from my rambling post-vaction thoughts, there are some really exciting things coming up in the next couple of months. corey and i have been spending a lot of time planning and dreaming and we are really looking forward to telling you all the things we have in store. one of those things is a real committment to this
blog. i know that i have not been faithful in updating it but i’m asking for a new chance this year. i hope you’ll visit often. that you’ll let me know what you like and what we oculd do better. that you’ll let me know the information that could be more accessible to you. i’ve said this before but sometimes i think i’m a little too
accessible on this blog. i go back and forth about how much to reveal, how honest to be and whether i should just shut up and show my pictures already. but, for now anyway, i think this is all i know to bring. thanks for reading and happy new year.

things to look for this week on the blog:
-a special deal
-a cool, new kind of session
-the pictures from some fall weddings
-maybe one other announcement but you'll have to check back and see...

also, we gave my mom a family photo session for christmas. here are just a few fun ones from the day. it was cold and rainy but we really wanted to do it while we were in town. we literally had to cover the cameras and run to the car after the last one but it was worth it. how beautiful are my mom and sister-in-law? and the boys in my life are pretty cute, too if i do say so myself...