perspective….

and balance seem to be words i use over and over. i think they are key words that most women constantly juggle. it comes up over and over with my friends and acquaintances. it’s interesting to me that just slowing down a little bit before the wedding, has given me so much perspective. on my life and choices and how truly blessed i am. i woke up this morning and felt this overwhelming gratitude for my life. i LOVE my work. that is huge! i love that i don’t punch a timeclock and even though i don’t really have many weekends, i can make choices to take a weekday off here and there, and i can take a weekend off if i choose to. i know that having a job that is my life passion is an amazing gift. God given for sure. for that, i am very grateful. i hope to never take it for granted or become at all apathetic. i want to stay passionate and appreciative. not only am i grateful for my work, it also hit me again, how blessed i am to have a partner who is so supportive. tom supports me and makes me laugh and wants to hang out with me whenever i have a moment free and just loves me as i am (which can be challenging, i’m sure). another thing that i’m aware of as i take a little step back, is how much time it takes to take care of oneself. i have a bunch of appointments before the wedding for one kind of treatment or another….trying to get myself out of the rut of NOT taking time to take care of myself! brooke suggested that a couple of tanning sessions might be a good idea, plus i need to have my hair colored, my nails done, my braces dealt with and hopefully a hot stone massage or maybe a facial! jared and beth gave me a gift card for the spa on mother’s day and i haven’t taken the time to go enjoy it! i have been in work/survival mode for a long time! i am going to try to really savor the next 2 weeks.

i’m hoping to share some recent personal photos soon. i don’t do that as often as i used to. at least i’ve been taking them, so one or two days during this hiatus from photo sessions (other than a wedding this weekend) i’ll be sharing personal stuff. bridal showers, football games, silly daily shots, recent house shots, projects and such. oh and of course wedding details! i have butterflies just typing that! so excited about the whole experience. we had a bridal shower for beth this past saturday and when i went downstairs to get wrapping paper and trim, i decided it might be fun to include something in the package from jared’s childhood keepsake box. beth not only loves jared, but since she’s a teacher, i thought she might like one of his art pieces : ) as i looked through these treasures, i found myself getting really sentimental again. i was so thankful, that i had taken the time to keep his things organized and labeled. i had a ziploc bag with all of his kindergarten things….i had written on the back of one of his drawings, “jared’s art from his first day of kindergarten”. ahhhhh. my baby is a man. i need to pull myself together! thank God he chose beth! i can’t imagine letting go of him if it weren’t to beth. she’s perfect for him. so thankful for that! you all didn’t know you were my counselors, did you? : )

i do love this stage of life. even though it’s bittersweet, it’s more sweet than bitter. i have tom, and we have a great life together. we have been discussing a tropical vacation for literally years. in january, we WILL (Lord willing) be going away to a beach somewhere. that’s what i need your help with. i am so confused about where we should go. here’s the catch: we don’t want to spend a million dollars. we want a topnotch getaway, but at a budget rate. readers: help me out! where can we go that is affordable, but lovely. here’s what we want: either a resort room with an oceanview, or a hut on a white beach. we would love to be able to make our own breakfast and lunch and go to a fine dining restaurant at night. we want a beautiful beach with clear, blue water. crazy nightlife, not a priority. quiet and beautiful. anyone? i’d love your input.

i recently had the opportunity to photograph an adorable family. they were so trusting and willing to do whatever i suggested. i love that! the connection they share was so easy to capture…because it’s so real. i got to know amy this summer during the Bible study brooke started. i wanted to hang out with her more each week. i felt the same way about her family. maybe i could adopt them? голова болит секс

we started out at the loft, then did a few fun alley shots, and then headed to their home. i love to be invited to photograph people in their homes. this shot was actually taken in their newly finished loft about the garage. how perfect for a family with two boys! it is an amazing space!

thanks coughlins!

don’t forget to help me out with tropical vacation ideas! have a great day and God bless!