Saturday, December 31, 2011

new year. new us.

its been an amazing year of inspiration for me.  i feel so empowered to enter a new year and see what it has in store.  honestly 2011 has been indescribable.  i feel very lucky.


i have developed an idea or theme for my/our life improvement as this new years resolution.  mark and i had the funniest conversation the other night about words starting with the letter F.   the discussion was too ridiculous to repeat but silly none the less.   and it lead me to this theme :)

our top 5 f*ing areas of concentration for the new year:

finances - ok, i know this isn't a really fun area to work on, but it must be done!  we have grown a lot this year with job changes, leaving behind old debts and paying off new ones... its actually been a stellar year but there is always room to improve.  we got a taste for travel this year and are eager to plan some new adventures in 2012... and that is never cheap but always worth it.  so we're excited!  we've got plans man :)

fitness -  as i've mentioned before, we are past our "honeymoon phase" LOL.  we are very comfortable around each other and it has lead to us... uh...falling out of shape.  we really enjoy going out to eat and making meals together at home.  obviously this includes a lot of eating.  we have gym passes and fitness games at home.  but still... we like our netflix and munchies.  so this year its going to change.  we have our fitness goals in mind and have already started on this resolution ;)

fashion -  you may not know this, or it may go without saying... but i'm borderline obsessed with the fashion industry.  clothing, hair, makeup and omg accessories!!  i've wasted endless hours of my life watching project runway and top model as well as following countless blogs that center around photography and fashion.  its an addiction really... i blame it on being a photographer!  so this coming year i would like to dive a bit deeper into that passion.  i have a strong interest in learning to mend and sew as well as thrifting and collecting clothing and vintage house goods.  i want to build a killer wardrobe and help mark build one too!  this particular goal ties in nicely with the first two.  financially i'll have to account for this in my budget and develop a reward system.  fitness wise i'll be motivated to work out and reward myself with a new cute dress or something fancy :)

future - we still continue to move forward and leave the past behind us.  sometimes its still a struggle but its been worth all of the ups and downs so far.  the future is bright.  it is full of possibilities.  and it is ours to make.  thinking and planning of our future together is so motivating when you have goals and dreams.  and we have plenty!  

fotos - ok, i realize this F word is a bit of a stretch :)  i had a really successful year of my own photography and mark and i photographing events together.  we have three events scheduled so far next year and i look forward to many more.  i'd like to branch out and book a few more families, senior portraits, baby sessions and of course some live music in the upcoming year.  i also plan to print tons and tons of photographs in 2012.  i'm dying to update my portfolio albums as well as decorate our home with all kinds of memories.  

its been such an amazing & surreal year.  looking back on 2011,  i'm simply amazed.  where does the time really go? i mean seriously.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012 - CHEERS!!
peace & love 2011~

what is meant to be, will always be.

last winter i met a dear friend and her finance at a star bucks in bexley, ohio.  they were planning their wedding and i was trying to plan my life and hopefully a career comeback.  it was a great coffee shop conversation about all kinds of non-sense, old times and silly pop culture.  several months later we met up to spend the day galavanting around the fine city of columbus (my new home) shooting their engagement photos.

spending time with some of my dayton acquaintances was indescribable and seemed to have fueled my fire.  i took on many projects between that engagement session and their wedding date but still found myself counting the days till their big day.  james & rachel and all their love really helped awaken my soul for photography<3


so, two of the sweetest/coolest people i know hired me to capture their amazing wedding day. 

all photos can be viewed here.




























booking this wedding was a major step in the right direction.  it got the ball rolling in a forward motion that has yet to stop :) we photographed three weddings this year and we have three weddings booked for next year and are VERY excited about them! three new couples, three new romantic stories to tell through our photography. 

peace & love~

Thursday, October 27, 2011

pumpkin carving

last saturday night.  was the night.  for pumpkin carving!




spooky.  i created the ghosts and mark did the bat <3


holy crap we did it :)  $6 kit at the grocery + $10 pumpkins at the farmers market around the corner= pride & pumpkins!!

peace & love~

the best kind of quality time.

my family took a vacation.  all together.  
all excited to spend time with one another.
it was really special.  and fun :)



it was my momma's birthday and she wanted a weekend get-a-way with her family and to get newly updated family photos.  early september proved to be beautiful so it all worked out.  thank you ohio.
















we spent quality time... crammed in my mom's jeep... driving around northern ohio.  a lighthouse.  beautiful weather.  ferry rides.  put-in-bay.  late night cards.  more ferry rides. kelleys island.  pizza & golf cart rides.  and loads of photographs.  it is truly one of my favorite family trips.  
next to disney of course!!


peace & love ~