Couple's Photoshoot

Having photos taken can be a little awkward, let's be honest. Maybe not if you're a supermodel, used to posing all day long, but for most of us who are just regular people, there's nothing worse than being told by your photographer to 'Just pretend I'm not here!'...um, and then what?

I love to capture genuine interactions and people being themselves, so I help create the moment and provide ideas and suggestions, then let you do your thing and be yourselves. I recently did a little shoot for my lovely sister and her Paul....I can't call him her boyfriend, they've been together for seven years and live together, so he's more than that...but they're not married, so he's not her husband. If there's an appropriate term, someone please let me know :P

They're pretty cute together!

Relationships are worth celebrating and documenting, whether you're newly in love, or an old married couple, or something in between. Don't forget who you are together and all that you have. Life gets busy, but the people we love should always be the priority.

Twenty Years!

I feel so incredibly fortunate and thoroughly blessed to have spent TWENTY YEARS(!!!) married to this exceptional man. Twenty wonderfully beautiful, fun, crazy, sweet, life changing years! That ’s a huge amount of time to be with one person and yet, somehow, it has flown by, and I would do it all over again. I have zero regrets. He has loved me so very well. I am not the easiest person and I cannot imagine anyone else loving me in the same way, being willing to always look for the best in me, to constantly affirm my beauty in his eyes, building up my self-worth. Our culture leaves us constantly questioning what is desirable, or sexy, it ’s a daily battle, but he has fought that battle for me, by actively showing and speaking his love, by telling me daily that I am beautiful, by constantly pursuing me. I might have a long way to go, but he has made a massive impact on my self-esteem. I have felt cherished and wanted and loved, and even though I am not the 23 year old he married, he can still make me feel that way. To me that is truly amazing!

We have grown up together, and made a wonderful family together, and I can honestly say, in all these years, through the easy and harder parts of life, I have never, even once, questioned or doubted that we should be together. Where I am thoroughly practical, he brings adventure and passion. He makes me laugh, makes life more fun, more enjoyable. I feel like I was the one who hit the jackpot when he chose me; the material stuff is overrated, this type of love, the self-sacrificing, the choosing each other over and over again, and gladly being able to do so, not just because it was a vow you made, this is what makes for a happy life. I am so very grateful and I will love him forever!

February Photo Project - Photo A Day - Day 14

February 14th, Valentine's Day. I'm afraid I'm one of those people who happens to think it's an over commercialized holiday, I try to make it fun for the children but as a couple we don't feel pressure to prove our love on this day. Every day is about loving each other, and chocolates or flowers or a fancy over priced meal don't prove anything. All that said though, I think it apt that today's photo is of the man I love. There is nobody else I would rather share life with and I couldn't possibly imagine anyone else in his place. We fit together and work together and life is better when we are together. So I look forward to many more non cheesy Valentine's Days and all of the real days that show our love.

(As in years past, I've decided to do the February photo project and take a photo a day. It never hurts to have a bit of discipline and with all our transitions my creativity has been sorely lacking, so I'm looking forward to jumping back in. No real rules, just our life documented a little. Maybe there'll be captions, maybe not, there could be the occasional phone photo thrown in on busier days and sometimes it may be hard to narrow things down and there could be bonus photos. I'd love for you to follow along, or even join in. Let me know!)

Being Proactive

I LOVE my family SO much. Yet I so often fall short.

I can be grumpy (especially in the morning before I've had my tea). I get frustrated easily. I can snap and I get angry and impatient. I am far from perfect and I am blessed that my family loves me and forgives me for all my short-comings.

But...I want to do better! I need a constant reminder of what true love is and what it should really look like.

Wanting to be more proactive and actually work on this, I made myself this little card that can be printed off as a 6 x 4 and tucked into the corner of the mirror over my dresser, or over the sink in the kitchen or in my purse. I've left it as full resolution so you can do the same too, if you would like. You should be able to right click and save it to your computer - I give you permission :P,  then just upload it to your printing lab of choice, easy-peasy. It's nothing fancy, but I wanted to share.