Anniversary Weekend

Josh and I have been enjoying a really restful weekend away for our anniversary! (Thank you Mom for watching our sweet kids and thank you Dad for allowing us to stay at your beautiful beach house!) We're staying at the Cornelius House in Nye Beach, and as I've shared before I just love it here! It's so peaceful, the ocean view is lovely, and it's a short walk to restaurants and the beach.

Josh and I got up this morning and walked down to Cafe Stephanie's for breakfast. Oh Yum! Then we strolled down to the beach, where we were so happy to see how far the tide was out. We climbed out on the large rocks and watched for sea life in the tiny tide pools. We saw so many cute little crabs, fish, and sea anemones. And it felt so great out there because there was almost no wind!

Then we came back to the house for lunch and pretty much sat on our fanny's all afternoon long. :) It felt so great to do nothing and just rest for an afternoon and enjoy being here. Then we got dressed for a nice anniversary dinner date.

I hope you all enjoyed this great Memorial Day weekend!

Little Everly...

My friend Mauria and her husband Craig will soon welcome their third baby to the world, little Everly. She will be greeted by two big brothers who already love her.

I am so excited to meet that sweet baby girl! If she doesn't come in the next couple weeks then she'll be born on my birthday!

I snapped a couple photos of Mauria last night at her house. She looks fabulous for being less than a month from her due date! Mauria, you are beautiful!!

For those of you into photography, we took these at 7pm last night and it was dark and rainy outside. (It's typically still light out at that time, but not last night... it's was icky out! But it was no probelm) :) So we opened the blinds on a window at the front of her house and I had Mauria face the window so we'd get the most light on her face. I snapped just a few. My ISO was up as high as 1200, and I shot at f/2.2, 1/80 second. I just held my camera extra still since I had a slower shutter speed. Shot with my Canon 5D Mark II and my 50mm f/1.2L lens. No fill flash.

j + b = love...

I was 15, and I climbed onto the big yellow bus bound for summer camp with my two close girlfriends. We were headed to Camp Crestview for a week of sunshine and fun and really had no idea what to expect since none of us had been there before. We didn't get too far before our bus pulled into the parking lot of another church to pick up a TON of other campers. It turned out that their camp bus had broken down and we'd be adding this insane amount of campers to our bus. :) They put us 3 to a hot, sticky seat, with our pillows and sleeping bags at our feet. But we girls got lucky because 3 cute boys happened to sit right in front of us. They were all wearing khaki shorts, white t-shirts, neck ties, hats and flip-flops. Of course when you're 15 and going to camp this is "really cute" matching attire. :)

This boy, Josh, sat right in front of me. We got to talking and finding out where each other lived, etc. and I seriously felt like I'd met a new (hot) best friend. It was crazy how in just a couple hours of driving to camp I could see that we TOTALLY saw life the same! And it turned out that we had a lot of friends in common and didn't realize it. We were both from the Corvallis area and I went to school with a lot of kids that went to Josh's church youth group.

Well, we got to camp and I saw a boy from my school that I'd had a crush on all school year long. So I said goodbye to Josh and went and got in the check-in line by this boy who we will just call "Mr. Funny". I found ways to hang out with/by Mr. Funny all week long, but always kept an eye on where Josh was... typically hanging around a girl named Stacy. :) Oh my goodness, does this all sound so 15 or what?! ANYWAY, the amazing camp week came to an end, my girlfriends and I ended up sitting by Josh and his friends again on the bus ride home. We had a lot of fun talking about the cartoons we watched as kids and making up stupid, pointless poems. When Josh got off the bus he gave me a hug goodbye and gave me his phone number. :)

We girls got home and stayed the night at one of our houses and the next day we decided to go see the new movie, Clueless, at the theater. As we were waiting in line for tickets, who did we bump into?? Josh and his guy friends! It was so crazy! Totally different town from where we'd said goodbye at the camp bus. So we decided to sit next to one another at the movie. I was starting to like this guy a little! We said goodbye after the movie and I didn't see him again for months.

Christmas came and the private, Christian high school I went to was having their Christmas banquet. (We had banquets instead of things like Homecoming and Prom.) It was Sadie Hawkins and I had to ask a boy to the banquet. I was looking for a neutral date because I didn't want to give any boy at school the impression that I liked them. Josh came to mind! I found his number and told him I was looking for a friend to go with me and wanted to see if he'd like to go. He told me that he'd need to ask his girlfriend first if it was ok and he'd get back to me. His girlfriend said it was fine, so we made a date! (Crazy side story... the day I tried on my wedding dress with my mom and best friend, who was one of those girls on the bus with me the day I met Josh, I happened to be sharing a mirror at the bridal shop with another bride... guess who that bride was?! She was the girl who WAS Josh's girlfriend all those years earlier who he had asked permission from to go to the banquet with me. Isn't that so funny?) Josh picked me up at my house the night of the banquet looking so cute and we had a fun night.

(This photo was from another Christmas banquet a year or two later, but it clearly proves that someone as white as me should never where a white dress in the dead of winter!) :)

After that a girl from Josh's youth group started inviting me to group events and hang outs (Josh was asking her to invite me, unbeknown to me) and anytime I didn't have a ride, Josh would so kindly volunteer to pick me up. :) Six months later, when I was 16 he asked me to be his girlfriend! He's the only boy I've ever seriously dated, or even held hands with. He's the husband I always prayed for, my best best friend, and the love of my life!

(We use to take these pointless silly photos all the time, because I was always looking for excuses to take more pictures. I loved photography...)


(This is one of my favorite photos. It was taken the summer before we got engaged, when we were on a short-term mission trip to Brazil with our church.)

Today we've been married 8 years, and it has just flown by! We've packed a lot into those 8 years so far. We've known fun times, heart aching losses, the rewards of partnering in things and working hard together, unexpected disappointments, and unfathomable joys. You know... life! :) Josh has taught me, through simply watching his amazing example, how to love more selflessly and to try to be more aware of other's needs more than my own. I'm always growing in that one. He cares so well for me, Jude & Selah, loves unconditionally, makes me feel so safe, he gives me the confidence to be whoever God has created me to be, and he has my absolute utmost respect. The man just blows me away and often brings me to tears whenever I try to write him a birthday, valentine, or father's day card telling him how incredibly wonderful he is. :)

Thank you Love, for loving me so well! I adore you and I love you more each day!
Happy Anniversary!


Fly, by Sara Groves:

Speak in a summer tone
Pause in the after glow
Tenderly whisper my name
Tell me once again why
I am your bride
So I can fly
So I can fly

Pause in your busy day
Look extra long my way
Wink at me across the room
Kiss me longer
Touch my arm when I
am by your side
So I can fly
So I can fly

Oh how the little things
Strengthen my tiny wings
Help me to take on the world
When you love me
there's nothing I
wouldn't try
I might even fly
I might even fly
I might even fly

Jeff

I don't typically do business headshots, but Jeff, whose family I've loved photographing a couple times, needed just one shot for his business website. I was happy to do that!

If you need a financial advisor, or help with investments, I highly recommend Jeff. You can contact him at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Lake Oswego, OR.

Jake & Christina: Country Wedding

This past weekend I got to photograph Josh's cousin Jake's wedding. We had a lot of fun seeing family and celebrating with Jake & Christina! They got married on Josh's parent's property, overlooking the Alsea River and it was beautiful.

Josh's parents are almost finished building their dream home along the river. They have a gorgeous view, and their property made for such a romantic wedding site.


Congratulations Jake & Christina! Thank you for asking me to capture your special day. :) Here are a few photos...









Some alone time after the ceremony...

Emily & Cory

When I first met Emily to talk about shooting her wedding, I just knew I'd love being around her on her wedding day. She's so sweet and friendly, and always smiling.
She and Cory just finished college and have the world ahead of them. I'm excited for them and their new adventures!
Here are just a couple pictures...

Forever Faithful

Last Sunday night I ended my weekend by getting to meet a new friend. Jamie, a photographer from Eugene, and I have been emailing back and forth since October when she first contacted me. It was so fun to meet up and chat for an hour and a half, getting to know one another better. We talked a lot about our businesses and personal lives, our kids and great husbands, and photo equipment... It was just so fun to make another connection and begin a new friendship! Thanks Jamie!

On the drive home, I ended up listening to an old Sara Groves album that I hadn't heard in a long time. When the first song came on the lyrics just stopped me. It felt like it summed up my past year and a half with Jude struggles, dr. appts. and inward fears... to now having the joy of my son being freed from those struggles being off of gluten! Her words just turned my heart to again give complete thanks to God for all He's done! He is able.

It's been a hard year
But I'm climbing out of the rubble
These lessons are hard
Healing changes are subtle
But every day it's

Less like tearing, more like building
Less like captive, more like willing
Less like breakdown, more like surrender
Less like haunting, more like remember

And I feel you here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars and more like
Character...

(Sara Groves, Less Like Scars)

(this photo is from Sept. 2008... back when our little Jude bug first started having health issues... April 7th, 2010 was a wonderful day of answers!) Thank you everyone for your encouraging emails and blog comments! I've loved, loved reading your victory stories too!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of you amazing mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day! Have a wonderful day with your families!

What a blessing these little lives are!

. Birthdays .

Jude & Selah turned 2 & 4 last month. It was a fun celebration! I wanted to take our yearly photos of them and the time just kept getting away from me and the opportunity never presented itself. Normally, I would've gotten Jude's hair cut, picked out specific outfits, but we had an extra busy month of April, so these pictures didn't quite happen as I'd planned out in my mind, but that doesn't matter! I love them just the way they are. They totally capture my babies sweet spirits and beautiful faces!!

I couldn't be more thankful for our precious children! I love their laughter, the cute things they say, their hugs and kisses, their gentle hearts, their amazing minds, and the silly things they do! They bring sooooo much joy to our lives! We love you Jude bug and Selah girl! More than you could ever know.



I love that Jude happened to be wearing this shirt the day I snapped photos because he tells everyone that he's 9. It's his favorite number. :)





Photo info for those interested:
So, these pictures were taken on a sad lens. :( I'd rented the 24-70L lens (which is a fine lens normally) because I needed it for just a couple wide angle shots for something else I was shooting. But I think this rental lens has been dropped a few times, because it should've been sharper than it was! Anyway, I ended up using it this day since it was on my camera, and I didn't know at the time that these weren't going to be as sharp as I prefer. Yes, it's a zoom rather than a prime lens (a prime lens is a fixed focal length lens. I tend to only buy prime lenses), but I've shot on this lens many times before for various things and it is typically sharper than this. Anyway, these were shot at f/2.8, 1/800 second, manual mode, Canon 5D Mark II. Have a wonderful Tuesday! :)

Monday, Monday... sha, la, la, la

It's been a great Monday. I love when the week starts on a good foot! Yesterday was kind of a weird day (you know, one of those random "bad days" where everything seems to go wrong!), so I've been extra thankful for today. :)

Monday tends to be my "introvert day". :) I recharge after a social weekend by getting things done at home on Mondays. It tends to be an extra productive day, since it's the beginning of my week, and I love being able to just enjoy it in a ponytail and sweats, hidden away in my cozy house! Do you have those days?

When we got up this morning I could see that the sun was going to come out, which always puts an extra skip in my step! The kids and I headed downstairs to make our favorite banana almond pancakes for breakfast. Then I was greeted by these lovely things on my table, which made the world seem even sweeter. :)


I vacuumed, threw in a load of laundry, and then the kids put on their shoes to go play in the backyard. What is it about fresh air in your house that is so fabulous? It just is! I love having the door open when the kids are out playing.

I got to work on making veggie stock, which is something I've been looking forward to. I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of cooking lately and trying so many new things! I've made stock before, forever ago, but not for the purpose of it being a repeated activity. So I'm glad I've learned a little "system" for it now, if you can call it that.

So here's what I pulled from my freezer this morning for my vegetable stock:

A jar full of veggie pieces. My friend Jana told me that she keeps a jar in her freezer for veggie scraps/pieces that she adds to each time she cooks. Then later she can use it to make vegetable stock. I loved the idea and started a jar two weeks ago. So today I made veggie stock. I added a little onion, garlic, celery and carrots for more substance (since I didn't seem to have those things in my jar). I had quite the variety in my jar from the past two weeks, which gave the stock a great flavor! Here's what I ended up with. Six jars of stock...

(I promise I can count, there are three more jars hiding behind these jars.) :)
I'm looking forward to using one for brown rice tonight.

Saturday morning Josh and I made our first batch of almond flour from scratch. It was actually kind of therapeutic! And working in the kitchen is always more fun when you have your best friend there to do it with you.

Here's to happy Mondays! :) I hope you've have a great one!