These are the days of….

…Finding a super fun, twirly skirt at The Jumble Sale, and then unintentionally twinning with my lovely sister in law.

…My busy little girl learning all the things, and drawing on her leg for the first time. (Her daddy obviously found it before I did and left a little Hello message for me.)

…Late night raccoon hunting. Joe wanted to hunt some raccoons at like 11 o’clock the other evening. He left to go down the road, and I stepped out on the back porch to do something for a second. What was staring back at me but these 6 pairs of eyes taking a pause in DEVOURING the garbage in my garbage can. I called Joe, and this was the result.

…. Buying and putting away groceries. I made a latte to motivate the putting away part, and poured it in my saved Starbuck’s cup, because it’s cooler to drink it like that, lol. Speaking of Starbuck’s…the older I get the more I hate to support their overpriced coffee, but I had a few stray gift cards in my wallet for like 2 years, and finally decided to go get a drink so I could see if there was actually anything of substance left on the cards. And there was! I only paid 30 extra cents for my drink. (The drink itself was, I must admit, a bit of a disappointment, taste wise.) But I got a cup in the process. So that was fun. 🙂

These are also the days of not having very many pictures ON my camera roll. Due to a Little Someone in my life throwing my phone and breaking the screen, I just got a new one. I’m SO thankful I was able to get most of my pictures off my broken phone, but let me tell you: nothing quite reminds you of the fragility of technology like your devices giving up the ghost.
BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS. I’m shouting this to myself because I need to hear it. After breaking 3 phones and losing lots of pictures in the process you would think I’d learn. Well, I’m starting to. 😉

And it was recently brought to my attention that I should blog more often, so here’s to these being the days of blogging, too. 😉

Much love peeps. I need to go make some dinner. Tell me what these are the days of for you! I would love to hear. ❤

Heyyy peoples! I thought it would be fun to share a few things I wish I could’ve told myself like..5 years ago relating to photography/doing photography as a business. I feel like I would be SO much further ahead than I am right now if I would’ve taken this advice…so if you are remotely interested in this…read on!

1. SHOOT IN RAW. Listen, I know, if you shoot in raw, it means you’ll actually have to pay for an editor, and you have penny pinching tendencies a penny pinching heart. It’s worth it. (See #2 and #3.)
   Because of Cvid, our wedding photographer wasn’t able to fly in and take our photos. I cried many many tears, gave my sister in law my camera, and told her to have fun. My biggest regret to this day is that I DIDN’T HAVE HER SHOOT IN RAW. I don’t know what I was thinking, but trying to edit my photos in JPEG was seriously limiting, and although my sister in law did a great job, I feel like our wedding photos could be so much better if I had just changed that little setting. To be honest I’ve only started shooting in RAW in the past year, but it has already been a GAME CHANGER, so don’t wait like I did.
2. GET LIGHTROOM. There’s a reason the pros use it. I know you don’t want to get it because you’ll have to pay for it (see #3.) You feel like it will be a waste, or like you can probably just get by without it. You probably can, but it’s NOT going to be a waste, I promise. The first time you use it, and especially the first time after you invest in a preset, you will nearly cry for joy that YOUR photos can look like THIS. You actually won’t feel bad charging a little something to help cover that lightroom cost, when you feel like your photos are worth it. And you definitely didn’t feel that way using Photoscape. Haha.
3. BE WILLING TO INVEST IN YOURSELF. If you want to go professional, or just have a little side gig of photographing your friends and family…be willing to pay something to invest in your business or side gig. (Whichever you wanna call it.) If you can’t invest in yourself, why should they? I know you get held up because you heard it’s not the camera that makes the photo, it’s the photographer. This is true. But investing in gear/training/what have you, can definitely improve the photographer. (After 7 years of shooting on the same camera, I’m SOOO excited to be upgrading this month! This is called taking my own advice haha.) There’s a place for learning your camera like the backside of your hand, and there’s also a place for upgrading once in a while. 😉
4. TAKE YOURSELF SERIOUSLY. I know you feel like an imposter even CALLING yourself a photographer. You heard somewhere that you’re only a professional photographer if someone who isn’t a friend or family is hiring you. And you feel that if you’re not a ‘professional’ you can’t be a ‘photographer.’ This is SO untrue! You may not have reached that point yet, but the people you will be photographing need you to have confidence in your skill. Be willing to take the risk of taking yourself seriously.
5. DON’T COMPARE. Comparison really is the thief of creativity. Get brutal with yourself and stop consuming other photographers work if that’s what it takes. (Which it probably will haha.) I’ve been trying to do this is ALL areas of life, & it is quite beneficial. Consume less than you create. And stop comparing what you create. It’s hard, I know. But you’ll be a lot happier, and a lot less stuck in a rut.

To be perfectly honest, I STILL have a really hard time being willing to take the risk of stepping out and saying, “I’m a photographer.” Allll the insecurities of putting myself out there, and not being as good as other people have been a hinderance to MY growth, and my business growth for so. many. years.
I’m super grateful for people like my husband, who believes in me and gave me the little push I needed last year to take myself seriously…to actually create an instagram and website and put my work out there. AND for the people I’ve photographed who paid me when I didn’t feel like I was worth it. (And when I still feel like I’m not worth it, to be real.)
Y’all. If you have a friend or family member who does photography (or anything) that you like enough to ask them to do it for you…pay them! Even if they act like they don’t want anything. It means the world, and it is such a tangible expression to them that their work actually is valuable.
Anyway. Small rant over. And there’s my advice. 😉

It never ceases to amaze me how going out in public with a baby turns everyone around me into a soft teddy bear. Zoey is an instant celebrity; people can’t help themselves. They smile, ooh & ahhh, asking how old she is and telling me what a cutie she is. (Of course, I agree 100%.) It’s been really fun, honestly. But then usually there’s the ‘Just Wait.’
“She’s such a cutie! But just wait till she starts talking back!” * cue eye roll *
“Just wait till the terrible two’s”
“Just wait till she’s a teenager!”
“Just wait!…”
It’s not said out loud, but it’s definitely implied, that I might be enjoying my charming & cuddly baby right now, but if I just wait, it’s going to get bad.

And I’ve been pondering how to respond to those words. Because I don’t want to accept that curse over me + my child’s future. (I realize people aren’t intentionally cursing my future, but it feels that way sometimes.)
Do you want to know what I’m waiting for?
I’m waiting for Zoey to start talking + getting to see life from her perspective. (That’s another just wait, btw. “Just wait till she starts talking. You wait for them to talk + then you wish they would stop.” I may have moments of feeling that way, for sure, but I would way rather have that, than have a child who can’t speak, or won’t speak because they don’t trust me with their thoughts.)
But I’m looking forward to the cute + funny things she’ll say. I’m waiting to watch her grow into the person God made her to be. I’m waiting for the moments I’ll get to see God speaking to her heart + moving in her life. Maybe I’m a naïve parent (I know I am) but I know life won’t be all sunshine and rainbows. I just want to be here for them & be able to see and enjoy them when they come.
I don’t know what it will be like having a toddler, or teenager, I’m not there yet. But I refuse to go into those seasons of life already rejecting the grace of God. I’m waiting to see the goodness of God displayed in my life, in every season of my life, because He is faithful + unchanging.
He says children are a blessing, that ‘happy is the man who has his quiver full of them’ (Psalm 127) and that is the perspective I want to enter the difficult years of parenting with.

I feel like it’s human nature to pile bad experiences on people. Whether it’s entering a new job, getting married, parenting, or something else. If people are speaking any Just Waits into your life, I just want to encourage you, you don’t have to receive those experiences as your own. We for sure need to ‘grieve with those who grieve’ but we are allowed to ‘rejoice with those who rejoice,’ too.
You will have your own bad days, but you don’t need to expect to have everyone else’ come knocking on your door, too.
Don’t live life waiting for the bad times that are coming. That only causes you to miss out on the blessing of right now. I don’t know who Edward Bouverie Pusey was, but he said something that I think is pretty smart: “Never dwell on the morrow.. Remember that it is God’s, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. The Lord will provide.”
Live today knowing the goodness of God + the grace of God, and keeping your eyes wide open for all the ways He is “perfecting everything concerning us.” (Psalm 138:8)
And we have this hope, that even though earth may disappoint us, we can just wait, ‘looking for the blessed hope + glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:13) Because “if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we ARE of all men the most pitiable.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) but we don’t! We have the sure hope of what’s stored up for us in heaven. So take heart, friends. As a believer in Jesus, the best truly is yet to come. ❤

The inspiration for this post came at 2:30 in the afternoon as I was washing up the previous nights dishes, along with my breakfast & lunch dishes, in a kitchen that hadn’t been swept in..well, I’m embarrassed to say, so we’ll just leave it at a few days at least. So *clearly* I have this all figured out & my kitchen is always pristine. 😝 lol.

All disclaimers aside, there *are* some things I’ve found that help keep my kitchen tidy & fun so let’s dive into it.

1. Keep countertops as appliance/clutter free as possible.

This is obviously personal preference, but I figure the 5 seconds it takes me to get my blender & toaster out when I need to use them is worth the 24/7 mental space I have by not having to look at them all the time. The amount of things you chose to leave on the counter is up to you, but I’ve found that I like the appearance of cleanliness it gives to keep things minimal.

2. Keep items you do leave out contained.

This is a piggy back on the last tip, but by keeping things in a basket or bowl or some such, it makes everything look in place.

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3. Wash dishes as you go.

If nothing else, at least the bigger dishes. I’m really bad at this one, but its something I’ve been trying to work on and it makes such a difference in after meal cleanup!

4. Wipe countertops as you go.

This is another one I’m bad at, but trying to work on! Especially in those moments when there are dishes in the sink, but I want instant results, wiping down the countertop can make the kitchen feel clean, even if its not. 😆😅

5. Make it pretty.

Everyone has to work in their kitchen at some point, and it can be so fun if its esthetically pleasing. 🙃 I like putting my dish soap in a unique container or keeping flowers & greenery from outside in a vase. It takes minimal effort & adds a fun touch to otherwise mundane jobs. This also helps with tidyness because you’ll probably want to be in your kitchen more!

Let me hear your best tips in the comments. I feel like house keeping is something I will always keep learning about, cuz do we ever really Arrive? Me thinks probably not. 😅

“Cease endlessly striving to do what you want to do, and learn to love what must be done.” – Goethe

Hey lovely blog people, it’s me again. I’ve been very MIA lately, mostly because I’ve been re-thinking this blog, and what I want to be doing with it. I started out wanting a place to showcase my photography, and I really enjoyed that, but to be honest, that’s not what I’m passionate about doing with this space anymore. I guess I’ve been wanting the ‘freedom’ to post about whatever I want, without feeling obligated to make it photography related, while at the same time, just wondering if me even having a blog is just adding to the noise of the internet…or if it is actually something I should be doing – I’ve just been thinking through it allll.
So yeah! As I’ve been thinking & praying about it, I’ve been feeling led to keep posting, but my content will probably be a lot less photography & a lot more writing & random stuff. (Although we all know there’s been a lot of writing all along. XD)

And with that, let me introduce you to someone super special…

After 22 hours of labor, Zoey Giovanna joined our family on May 14th. She has brought SO much joy to our lives. You guys, having a child is even better than I dreamed it would be. She is such a delight, & is growing so fast!

Taking care of a tiny human and keeping up with household responsibility’s & spending time with my great husband has been pretty much all consuming the last few months, and that probably won’t change anytime soon. XD But here’s to chatting with y’all sooner than last time, k? K.

As is typical, I’ve been neglecting this blog. But for very good reason, this time; in case you didn’t hear…I got married!!! *cue very happy music* And not only that, but I married the kindest, bestest man, who loves Jesus, and who also happens to be my best friend.
It’s a long story, and full of plot twists, but I’m so grateful that it’s ours. Let’s just say it includes a boy (Joe) who liked a girl (me) for a very long time, a girl who thought a great deal of this boy, and knew he was a great person, but who pinky promised to never marry him because two of his siblings married two of hers, and she thought it would be weird, and also that she could be more creative than that. Needless to say, in the end he decided he liked her enough to marry her, and she decided he was much too kind and funny and sweet and perfect to let silly things keep them apart.
And now we get to be together foreverrrrr.

Now here are some pictures. Of the wedding, and also just random snapshots of life since.

Our fabulous bridal party. They happen to be some of our closest friends, and I’m so happy they were standing by our side on our wedding day.

Featuring: one of my favoritest pictures from our wedding day

Lilacs are one of my favorite spring flowers, and when I found a bush across the road, I couldn’t resist picking some. They made the kitchen smell amazing for a few days, and I had to photograph such a happy thing.

The way the light comes in the windows in the morning gets me so excited, and fortunately I have a husband who lets me take pictures of him at such times.

A go-to-work with the husband kind of day. ❤

This picture gets me. Mostly because these little girls love Joe so much – and for good reason: he always takes time to play with them and sneak them candy, and just generally be the greatest uncle ever.

Look at this cutie!

And I shall end with something that also makes my heart happy: evening light, and the way it makes everything look a little more magical.