It's been too long!

Hi friends!

Sorry we've been a little MIA. We've both been crazy busy with our day jobs, so we've been behind on posting our photos!

This picture isn't super recent, but it was from our road trip that we took a couple months back.

I just love it so much; I had to share it again. 

We're actually in the middle of getting a new logo up (with the design skills of Kat from Kat Skye Photography, so that we can start a new website. Until then, we've been posting on our Facebook page.

Here is some of our most recent work:

Cody & Shelby's Wedding (We had a BLAST doing this wedding. They're good friends of ours, and it was an absolute joy to do from start to finish.)

The Harold Family (This was our second year getting to do family photos for the Harolds, and it was so awesome because there was a new addition to the family this year--baby Faye!)



We hope you have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving celebration week with your friends and loved ones.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever!"

Psalm 107:1

Sneak Peek | Mikaela's Senior Shoot

Be still my soul. Be still.

Stay tuned for more of the lovely Mikaela.

Our Life| The Return(ing) of Normalcy

Where to begin...

Joy. Sorrow. Laughter. Tears. Heartache. Hope. Ups. Downs. 

Questions. Answers. Adventure. Aloneness. Community. Prayer. Despair. 

Loss. Life. Uncertainty. Trust. Fear. Love.

Those basically sum up the season we've been in and are slowly coming out of. 

We've stared loss in the face.

We've confronted fear.

We've welcomed hope.

We've learned trust.

We've met peace in a new way.

We've discovered deeper love.

We've been reminded that we've been given life and life abundantly.

With things being pretty crazy and foreign for us in the last two months or so, it's been nice to be re-introduced to normalcy--not the orderly, neat, ducks-in-a-row kind. I'm talking about the kind that reminds you that it's OK to not be OK, the kind that reminds you that life is a series of different flavored seasons sprinkled with some familiar things (a number of which would normally drive me crazy, but given the recent circumstances, they're almost comforting): a sink full of dirty dishes, an unmade bed, a pile of socks that don't have their sole-mates (Get it?! Sorry, I couldn't help myself), sleeping in and knowing almost half your day is gone, a sweet husband who sleeps on the couch so that he won't get me sick, a perfectly made cup of joe...  

We gladly welcome the return of normalcy.

As I started to blog this, the song "Beautiful Things" by Gungor started playing, and I started to tear up because God's timing with that kind of stuff with me is more than I can handle sometimes (talk about provision and reminders of His promises). He does make beautiful things out of dust...and out of us, our situations, our sorrows, our fears, etc... And that's what we've been learning and reminded of time and time again.  

Excuse the ambiguity and vagueness of this post, but my plan in the next couple of months is to share with you more about the season we've been in. Unless I wuss out...no, no, I won't. Feel free to hold me to that. Thanks for listening reading. 

E-Session | Cody & Shelby

First of all, long time no see! 

We've been incredibly busy, 

so it's good to be back with some photos to share!

Now let's get to the good stuff. We'd like you to meet Cody & Shelby. 

These two are getting married in two days, and they are the sweetest, strangest (in a good way), and most loving peeps you'll meet. Cody works at an awesome hat shop, and Shelby works at one of the finest resorts in Santa Barbara, but they are two of the most laid back on the block. They're out to change the world, and we have no doubt that they will. We're so thankful to have met friends like them out in Santa Barbara, and we're even more excited that they're going to be living down the street from us! Anyone seeing married people game nights? Woot! 

 

Aren't they just the cutest? 

Stay tuned for pictures from their wedding!

E-Session| Alex & Kaylyn

Sometimes relationships sprout seemingly out of nowhere. But before you know it, love blossoms and grows into something supernatural and undeniably beautiful. A romance of great depth, a relationship exuding contagious joy, and two smiles to die for (don't mind my string of fragments): Alex & Kaylyn. Dave and I were so blessed to get to take their engagement photos. It's such an honor to get to invest into a soon-to-be marriage for a couple that will easily make the world a better place. You two love very, very well. You're leaving fingerprints of Love everywhere you go. 

To set the scene for you, we went out to take their pictures on a Saturday afternoon post a few days of heavy rain and the weather was still pretty sketchy! It was super windy, and there were splotches of extremely bright light and pockets of shade covering the field where we went to shoot. I was starting to get sick, and my Minnetonkas were soaked and soggy within 5 minutes of the shoot (not a happy camper). And to top it all off, Alex & Kaylyn brought balloons as props, and guess what? Yeap, they somehow figured out how to unwind themselves from my backpack and escaped! Although slightly discouraged by our first attempt at fighting the elements, we managed to get some photos on Saturday and then some more early Sunday morning at the Santa Barbara Mission.   [P.s. Thanks for being troopers, you two. I'm sure there's someone out there who would have yelled at me or beat me up for losing their balloons =p.]

Here they are, folks:

 

We're so excited for your BIG DAY in May! We love you.

For more pictures from Alex & Kaylyn's engagement shoot, go HERE.

A little extra gift of encouragement for you two as your walk towards your big day: 

Psalms 5:11-12 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Sneak Peek | Alex & Kaylyn

A beautiful duo. A glorious morning. A quite moment captured.

Stay tuned for more!

Friends| Emilie Part 1

Saturday morning. Hair up. Coffee in hand. 

A deep thinker. A smile giver. A life liver.  

My friend Emilie visited, and it has basically become a loose tradition that we do a photo shoot every once in a while as we catch up with each other. We ended at a coffee shop, but that's where I wanted to start. She's simply adorable.

You are lovely, sweet friend.

P.s. These photos were taken at The French Press in Santa Barbara. If you're in town, getting coffee there is a must!