Back in business!

So I really didn't mean to disappear from blogging for six months! Actually, I practically disappeared from everything for quite a while. But I'm back! And full of news news news.

The first bit of news is we're expecting a baby! The little one is due in mid-November. We're super duper excited! Crazy bad morning sickness is a big part of what kept me in hiding for so long. Boy, am I ever glad to be done with that!

Our second piece of news is that we bought our first house! We moved in just two weeks ago (yes, I am still very much surrounded by boxes everywhere!). We absolutely love our new place! We're still in walking distance from downtown Plymouth, have a great yard, and have been blessed with a house that is everything we wanted. It will be fun making it our own!

Those two big happenings are the culprits for my lack of getting much work done lately! I'm looking forward to getting back to shooting, editing, updating (man that website hasn't been updated in over a year!), and doing all the other business-y things I love.

Seeing as our baby is due in November, if you're planning on scheduling a session for this year make sure you get one in before mid-October! I'll be shutting down shop temporarily once Baby makes his/her arrival, and will probably continue hibernating through the winter. :) Spaces are limited, so get those calendars out right now and let's get that scheduled!

Friends, Family, and Lakes!

I can't believe that summer is wrapping up soon! It's been an absolute whirlwind of fun, jam packed with family and friends. In the past three weeks, we've been to three family reunions! We've enjoyed spending time with our awesome new friends, visited some old ones, and had a blast with other family visits. And it's not over yet!

We spent a couple of days in Mt Pleasant recently with family. We watched some incredible dirt track racing at the Mt Pleasant Speedway with my cousins. I wish I knew how to post the videos I took, because it was so awesome! Then we enjoyed family reunion #1, where we got to see Uncle Frank and Dan's latest inventions (always fascinating!). Last time it was their pop-pop boats, this time Dan was in the process of building a camper from scratch:


And he seriously has every single square inch serving a purpose. It's amazing how he thinks!

We also enjoyed the traditional tractor ride, which Dan improved with "new" (re-purposed) seats, stairs, and a sign:


All-out country style! :)

One of the highlights for me during these last few weeks was spending a day with my college piano professor. She's such a blessing to me! We enjoyed relaxing at her home on a lake, and even ventured out on a paddle-boat ride:


Our cousins from Mt Pleasant came to visit us for a day as well. We enjoyed venturing through IKEA. Ah the joys of big city living! :)

After all of that, Matt spent a weekend golfing 70 holes with his brothers in preparation for their annual golf tournament, which they won for the third time in four years. Congrats guys!

While he was out golfing, I was sailing! As I've mentioned so many times before, I LOVE SAILING! This time, I took my friend, Laree. We had a blast! It was perfect weather, so relaxing, and filled with jokes and laughter.


This is Laree acting like she was going to fall out when we were heeling:


At reunion #3, we played on the beach, ate tons of food, paddle-boated around, and buried Benjamin in the sand:


It has fed my soul to be with family and friends, and around so much water! :)

Lake Michigan

Just a week ago, our plans for the 4th of July weekend were pretty much non-existent. All that we had planned for our three day weekend was taking my grandma out for lunch on Sunday (which was great! ...so glad to be able to spend time with family again!). So we started talking about taking a trip to Lake Michigan, where--believe it or not--Matt had never been! We're planning on heading that way for our anniversary, but I think I've talked it up so much that Matt was getting awfully anxious to check it out! We figured we could head over that way on Monday, making it a budget-conscious day trip. Then I figured, why not just check out Hotwire's last minute deals? Ya never know... And so we scored a great, cheap hotel room in Grand Rapids! And it turned into a day and a half, still-budget-conscious last minute trip!

So after eating lunch with Grandma on the east side of Detroit, we headed all the way across to the west coast. We decided to hit up Grand Haven that evening, and enjoyed strolling their very busy downtown. People were everywhere! Turns out they were having their fireworks show that night. We walked the boardwalk for a bit, grabbed a bite to eat, and decided we wanted to check out the beach. The beach, at Grand Haven State Park, was a mile away, but we knew we wouldn't be able to park anywhere near it with all the people around. So we walked the mile and enjoyed the views on the way. In flip-flops. Remind me not to do that again! Owww.... Anyway, the beach was awesome. It was clearing out a bit at the time (a storm was threatening the party... but it ended up passing). Matt couldn't get over how sandy the beach was! No more gingerly navigating seemingly endless rocks and stones! I knew he'd love it... We didn't stick around for the fireworks since we wanted to get a good start on our sleep before the next day.

On Monday, we stopped in at Holland's State Park. (We bought the year pass recently when mountain biking at Maybury State Park, near Plymouth, and we are taking full advantage of it!) We played frisbee in the water and layed out for a bit. If only Matt would let me post a pic of his t-shirt looking burn!


It was so heavenly! Who needs Florida when you have Lake Michigan?? (OK, I've never been there, so I'm probably not in a position to say... but still...)

After getting some yummy BBQ in Holland, we headed to our next state park--Saugatuck. And, oh my goodness... It was so perfect! The 2.5 mile, wooded hike to and from the beach (not in flip flops) was beautiful and worth it. The sky was blue, the waves were huge, the water was warm, the sand so perfect... Can it get any better than this? I say all of the time how much I love water, and I really mean it. It feeds my soul.


I feel so incredibly blessed to be living in Michigan again. Sandy beaches, huge lakes, beautiful scenery... And so much more. I think I could seriously write a list of 101 Things I Love About Michigan. Hmm...

Album time!

I finally have my very own Zookbook wedding album! After looking at my design on the computer for so long, it's incredibly nice to have it in print. And it's such great quality!

I'm excited to be offering albums now for weddings and portraits. I work with both Zookbinders (shown) and KISS to give a great variety of options for exactly what you need. And guess what!? To welcome albums to my products, I'm offering 25% off albums for the month of May! That's a whopping 25% off the current prices!! So, if you've already been a client of mine and you want to have a fabulous album made with those images, or if you're planning to have a session sometime this year, just let me know in the month of May that you're interested in an album and I'll lock you in at the 25% off if you order your album this year. I can't think of a better way to keep and share your images!

Springtime in Plymouth

I'm totally loving living in Plymouth! What a fantastic town! Living near downtown, I get to walk to the bakery, butcher, and produce market, which is so cool! Matt and I have been enjoying the various restaurants and we've been walking around the neighborhoods. There's always something new to discover. Love it love it love it! Oh, and there are blossoming trees everywhere! My neighbor asked me to take a picture of this tree near our home:

Italy 2010

I first went to Italy in 2006 to fulfill my cross cultural requirements for graduation from Spring Arbor University. Little did I know that three weeks in a country I previously had little interest in would leave me longing to return almost every day after. So, in January of this year, when everything seemed to be lining up right, Matt and I decided to take the jump and plan our Italy 2010 trip for March! We did a whirlwind trip for 10 days. It was so fun to show Matt all the things I had wished I could have shared with him the first time (we were engaged at the time).

We fit in most of the major sites, but most enjoyed the quiet non-touristy stuff. Like our 24 hours spent in Assisi, where the tourist season had not yet started. It was surreal to venture through the super quiet medieval streets at night. We stumbled upon La Bottega dei Sapori, where Fabrazio showered us with Italian hospitality, feeding us various delicious samples of his family's olive oil, truffle oil, balsamic vinegar, and the like. He made us the best pork paninis and sent us off with hugs and kisses!

Our hike in Cinque Terre was amazing too. We hiked from Vernazza to Corniglia, conquering the heights and taking in the view down the cliff and across the sea. It felt like we were the only people on the side of the cliff.

Then there was the evening we spent in Fiesole, just outside Florence. We got there just too late to see the sun set over the city, but we did enjoy looking at the city lights from such a high, quiet perch. Then we enjoyed a quiet dinner at Ristorante Perseus, where we used almost all Italian when conversing with our waiter! Matt had learned how to ask for a glass of red house wine, and I learned how to ask what they recommended and ask for the bill. Between the two of us, we had it covered!

Near the end of our trip, when we were in Venice, we took one of the water buses to the island of Burano, which was one of my favorite places last time. The houses are incredibly colorful, it's away from the bustle, and they have oh-so-gorgeous linens and hand-made lace. We enjoyed a cappuccino off at a quiet corner by the water (being near water always makes my heart sing!) and just relaxed.

I hope you enjoy the little glimpse of Italy that I brought back with me!

**********

This is Bernini's Baldacchino in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. That basilica is so amazingly ornate and beautiful!


Rocca Maggiore, the castle at the top of Assisi, was just a short walk from our hotel. It offers such beautiful views of the area.


This is a view from our hike in Cinque Terre, looking at Corniglia. It wasn't a very clear day, so the waters weren't quite as vibrantly blue as I saw them last, but it was still stunning.


One of our many self-portraits: overlooking Florence from Piazza Michelangelo. We climbed the Duomo (one of my favorite things!) earlier in the day.


The view from Ponte Vecchio in Florence:


Another self-portrait: Standing on the Rialto Bridge in Venice. I think we were laughing because it was proving difficult to get a good self-portrait!


The view of Venice from a water bus.


This is a little taste of the neat textures and colors you find when you're on a gondola ride in the back canals of Venice.


The view from our gondola:


A window on Burano, the most colorful place in the world (in my opinion!):


Reflections of Burano:

First things first!

Happy April!

Yep, time sure has flown by since I last appeared here! I'm back from my trip to Italy (pictures soon, I promise!), and digging into the business. Since I've moved, I'm reassessing everything, fine tuning my business plan, updating things, and getting the ball rolling here. Whew! It's tiring! But I'm loving it. I'm so excited about what is in store here at my new home! I have high hopes for my photography. I'm so glad I'm finally somewhere I can put roots down, and thus focus on building the business. I can't wait to share all my new ideas and adventures!

But FIRST... You know the concept of "the cobbler's children have no shoes," right? Well, in my case, it's "the photographer and her husband have no wedding album." Eek! We've been married for three and a half wonderful years now, and I'm finally going to order our album this week! I determined that I absolutely had to get this done before I get consumed with everything else. I'll be sure to post pics of the album when it comes in so you can see how beautiful Zookbinder Zookbooks are! I absolutely looooove albums, and I'm hoping to rub some of that excitement off on you, because I know that if you get one from your portrait session or wedding or such you will looooove it too!

In the meantime, check out our wedding album design below (or click the link for a bigger version since this one will be teensy!). The majority of the photography was done by Jody Ross Photography. Some reception pictures and such were also done by my friend, Jeremy Bricker, and others. And the design was done by me!* Oh, and you'll notice lots of words--they're the words from the ceremony, as well as the super sweet toasts Matt's brothers gave. It was all so important to me I just couldn't leave them out!



* Tiny disclaimer: The design is just a tad more old school than I would usually do, but I had to adapt to the photography style the pictures were taken in (as well as the size of the files). Can't wait to show you what my designs are like with my own images!

I've Moved!

I can’t believe I haven’t written anything since October! Time has just flown by… And so much has happened!

In mid-November, Matt was presented with the opportunity to transfer within his company to their new center in Michigan. A month later, we were packed up and moving! First off, I would like to say how much I really enjoyed living in Louisville. The people we met were wonderful, and the things we got to do were memorable. Thank you to all of the people who chose me to take the pictures that will help them to remember the special moments in their lives—it truly was a pleasure!

So here I am, starting a new life! I’m excited about whatever God has in store for us. We’re now living in Plymouth, Michigan. As most of you know, almost all of our family lives in Michigan as well, so it is a blessing to be able to be near them again. The last month has been packed with ups and downs, and it has been such a Godsend to have our families close.

Please be patient, as there will probably be fewer pictures in coming months since I’ll be building things up from scratch again! There will however be some great pictures from an overseas trip we have planned a couple of months from now! Can’t wait to see what the future holds. :)

Love. Joy. Peace.

This year has been a year of growing for me—growing in my understanding of God, my love for Him, and His love for me. I feel like for the first time in my life I’m finally getting it. Knowing how infinite God is, my finally “getting it” is probably just one grain of sand on the whole huge beach. None the less, it’s been amazing.

One of the things I’ve come to understand this year is that living for God isn’t about rules and regulations. It isn’t about a code of morality that you adhere to. Yeah, that stuff is most definitely a part of the whole. But it’s not the whole at all. I think I used to follow God and His rules because I was supposed to. Yes, I loved Him, and it made sense to me, but a lot of my motivation was that it’s what I was supposed to do. But this year, I have started to see that it’s about the relationship. I’ve heard that before, and I’ve always agreed with it, but I’ve seen the reality of it so much more. The interesting thing is, the relationship ties in with the “rules,” per say. You can’t really have one without the other. Hmmm… I’m losing how to say what I’m thinking here… This is where a good quote can step in (as usual with me!):

In Searching for God Knows What, Donald Miller says:

“The hijacking of the concept of morality began, of course, when we reduced Scripture to formula and a love story to theology, and finally morality to rules. It is a very different thing to break a rule than it is to cheat on a lover. A person’s mind can do all sorts of things his heart would never let him do. If we think of God’s grace as a technicality, a theological precept, we can disobey without the slightest feeling of guilt, but if we think of God’s grace as a relational invitation, an outreach of love, we are pretty much jerks for belittling the gesture. …When I run a stop sign, for example, I am breaking a law against a system of rules, but if I cheat on my wife, I have broken a law against a person. The first is impersonal; the latter is intensely personal.” (p. 438-439 in his Greatest Hits collection)

Just the other day, I was talking to a friend about how when we sin we’re essentially cheating on God. And I’m not really talking about those blatant sins we think of when we talk about sinning (although that applies too). I’m talking about the sins of the heart: Bitterness, and Self-Hatred, and Jealousy, and Fear… When we entertain those sins, we are choosing Satan’s lies (his Law) over God’s truth (His Law). And when that’s all broken down into formula, theology, and rules, it’s really not that big of a deal. But when we realize it’s about a relationship, it becomes a big deal.

A few months ago, I made a huge effort to finally get rid of Fear in my life. I decided that I was sick of accepting what Fear had to say above what God had to say. It hasn’t really been about “rules” or doing “what I’m supposed to do.” I chose to let go of Fear because I chose to believe that God is God, and I am not, and He deserves to be followed and believed and loved. And the most amazing thing has happened. Every time I repent of Fear and Stress (and I do mean multiple times—it’s not easy!), He replaces all that with the craziest, biggest sense of Peace and Joy and Love that I have ever felt in my life. And I haven’t repented in order to get that—I haven't even expected it. I repented because I decided to choose God. And He surprised me with that blessing. Either I’m manifesting Satan’s kingdom (Bitterness, Rejection, Fear, Self-Hatred, etc.) or I’m manifesting God’s kingdom (Love, Joy, Peace, etc.). By removing Fear, I’ve made room for God’s kingdom.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

His Peace truly does transcend all understanding. My situation doesn’t necessarily change, but when I choose God, my heart is filled with His Peace, Love, and Joy. It’s incredible and undeniably amazing. I am finally just beginning to grasp how much He loves us, and I can’t help but share it.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 4:17-19)

A Bit of Heaven

I just got back from an absolutely fantastic weekend in Michigan! As usual, we crammed everything possible in--which left us entirely exhausted and yet so fulfilled. We also had some co-travelers this time--my brother, Shannon, and his roommate Alabbas--which helped make the drive more bearable (and I always love spending time with Shan!). Alabbas is from Saudi Arabia and hasn't been in the States all that long, so it was fun to learn about his culture and show him ours.

We spent most of Saturday at the park and the beach with Matt's family. The weather was 75 and sunny! Couldn't have asked for anything better. I really enjoyed swimming in Lake Huron. Even though it was cold, I've missed the water so much I didn't care! And we got to catch up with family and see how much all of the kids have grown since we last saw them.

This is Mackenzie, our newest niece--such a cutie:


One of the older nephews, Jason, decided to have a little fun with the sunscreen!


Madelyn and Nathaniel had lots of fun together. That little guy has changed so much since our beach outing last year--but still just as cute!


Our newest nephew, Jeremiah, is so adorable!


On Sunday morning, we go to go sailing!!!! I totally love sailing, and was psyched that we got to fit that in! Our family friend, Ralph, took us out on his Catalina. I grew up sailing with him and his family, and it's always nice to see him again. After some initial misty rain, it cleared up perfectly and the water was soooo smooth.

That's me at the wheel, with the huge smile I couldn't wipe off my face the whole time!!


Shannon and Alabbas in the cabin (wasn't much room for everyone to sit!):


My dad, who taught me the joys of sailing:


After that, the four of us southerners headed on the road, stopping quickly in Gross Pointe to visit my grandparents, and grabbing oh-so-yummy, highly-recommended lunch at La Pita in Dearborn (had to get some authentic food for Alibas!). We got back super late, but filled with lots of excellent memories. Oh to have a weekend like that again! :)

More exciting things are on the way this summer. A couple more visits up north are in order, and I'm also taking a trip to Colorado in August! I'm going to visit my friend Megan, get some quality girl time in, and take some Rock the Dress photos!

As always, I'm excited for whatever God has in store for the future. I'll keep you posted!

Land Between the Lakes

I just had a fantastic week with my family! Once a year, my parents come down from Michigan to do some vacationing with my brother, my husband, and me. Last year we had a great time in Gatlinburg. This year, we met up at Land Between the Lakes, in western Kentucky. It's a really pretty wildlife area, with lots of water (us Michiganders love water and sailboats!), trees, trails, and the like. As always, we made tons of yummy food, relaxed at a nice cabin (I would highly recommend the Lake Woods Log Cabin), and enjoyed laughing and talking together.

Our first evening there, we made sure to visit the Elk and Bison Prairie at dusk so that we could spot the animals. We definitely saw quite a few elk and bison. It was hard to take pictures because it was so dark, but I did manage to capture the neat textures and colors in this one:


Matt and I were off to the side, viewing the animals, when I decided to take a picture of Shannon, my brother, and my parents looking out at the prairie. Then they spotted us!


On another day, we hiked around a small lake. There was this neat area where you could walk across stepping stones at the top of a waterfall. Matt went to take a picture of the four of us, and while he was walking away, we set up in the YMCA stance! He got a kick out of that when he turned around! We're so silly.

This one shows the waterfall:

There were tons of butterflies all over the trail. They gathered in little clumps a lot.

We had fun playing put-put golf at Maggie's Jungle Golf, and then checked out their Jungle Run, which is filled with lots of crazy animals, from emus to goats to donkeys to a camel.

I think this is an emu:


They had peacocks EVERYWHERE!!! I asked the owner how many they had and he guessed it was around 28 to 30. Crazy!

The camel liked to have food thrown in his mouth!
After the awesome weekend, my parents spent a few days in Nashville with Shannon. Then they came back to visit us for a couple of days as well. We did some shopping, lots of eating (as always!), and a little sightseeing. We stopped in at the Jim Beam distillery, and checked out the Bernheim Forest. Both are places I'd like to visit again--especially since they're just 20 minutes down the road!

I'm always thankful for time I get to spend with my family, and this week was no exception. It's great to get together and talk, experience life together, and encourage eachother in our walks with God. It's such a blessing! I wonder what we'll do next year!

Quick trip

I just got back from a wonderful whirlwind weekend in Michigan! It was jam-packed with lots of people and fun. I got there after midnight on Friday since I had to work 'til 5. I got up super early Saturday to run over to my friend Corey's house for a short short visit (I'll steal a chance to see her any time I can!). I got to see her son Aedan for a few minutes too (hubby Jer was still sleeping--sorry I missed you!). He's growing up! He'll be three in a day or two, I think... Corey and Jer are expecting a second baby soon! I'm excited!

Then I ran back to my parent's to have breakfast with them before Matt and I headed over to his sister, Teresa's, where Matt's three sisters were gathered with some of the kids and hubbies. We had lots of fun talking and watching the kids play games. We were there a few hours, then headed to the riverfront where my uncle, aunt, and cousin were hanging out with my parents. They made the trip to see us since they're a few hours past our hometown! It was awesome to see them.

We discovered that Aunt Sandy and my mom have the same coat!

Katie and I by the bridge:

Having some fun with Katie and the camera:

Then we headed back to my parent's to hang out for the night. We played Charades and had a blast! We always laugh so much when we're together!

Katie and I again :) :

Sunday, we got up super early again and drove to Matt's brother, Rob's, to meet our newest nephew, Jeremiah! Congrats, Rob and Jacquie, on your third wonderful little boy!

Of course I had to get lots of pictures of photogenic Nathaniel. He's so smiley! Still as cute as a button.

Then we headed over to my grandparents to celebrate Grandpa's 89th birthday!

After that, we made the drive back to Kentucky, stopping in Dayton to see Megan & Andy before they move to Colorado. We'll defintiely miss you two!

It was a jam-packed weekend! I'm so grateful that we were able to see so many people. It's always so hard to say goodbye every time, but I'm glad we have the opportunity to make trips as often as we can!

Website Update!

I finally got my website updated! Woohoo! If some of you have peeked over the last couple of weeks, you may have seen some of the changes. Now everything is completed, so take another look! New pictures, new slideshow links, new everything! Click the picture above to check it out.