Story of Now

I love the sound you make on the roof and when you fall into the puddle you've already made I love the way you kiss my face and refresh my soul I love the way you make everything so lush I love the way the smell of you reaches into the deepest parts of my being And oh how I love the way you look Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

Meet Leo. He is an explorer, a dreamer and a rock soup maker! He came over for a session yesterday and had so much fun running around and exploring. Live. Love. Laugh. EXPLORE.

I have been fortunate enough to watch my friend Emmy's son every other Monday. It has been so fun to watch him change and grow over the past 8 months. We have so much fun playing. To top it off, he is SUPER cute!! Thanks to my mom, we still have some old-school toys to play with (Fisher Price Farm) Doesn't the trough he is putting in his mouth look like butter..hehe. He makes some great expressions! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

On Sunday, I met up with this couple. They are definately one of the most in-love couples I have ever met! It was so fun to capture their inner and outer beauty! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

What is a home? Is it just where you lay your head to sleep? Perhaps. But I feel a little differently. I finally feel at home after 6 years of not. I don't know, I just never felt completely settled in either of my apartments. Don't get me wrong, I liked them and all...they just weren't "home". I just feel like "home" is more than a place to hang your coat at the end of the day. Home is somewhere that all parts of your being become united. Today, I mowed the grass (doesn't sound too exciting, right?). I have not mowed in over 6 years and for some reason it was really satisfying to see the results of my labor. After mowing, I picked some wild black raspberries....mmm mmm. Then I made black raspberry chocolate chip oatmeal bars...delicious! It is so peaceful out here. Just walking from the house to the garage is a treat. I am very excited to finish the indoor organizing and start on the outdoors. I have ideas in mind!! I am looking forward to shooting ...

We moved this past weekend in with my momma. I am back in the house I grew up in and it is wonderful. It is so peaceful out here. The sweet smelling air...the wide open spaces...friends so close....in-laws right down the road...and my mommas cooking are just a few of the reasons I love it here! I haven't been on the computer much because I have been organizing, but I thought I'd blog something since it has been too long. Until next time! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

Amanda and Wade were married 6/6/09. I was one of the maitrons of honor. I have known Amanda forever. She was my friend before I could even talk. We've been through it all. Times of laughter, tears, getting into trouble, pulling eachother through the hard times...we've just always been there for the other. We grew up about a quarter mile from eachother and it was great! Even during snowstorms, we would walk to meet eachother half-way, just so we didn't have to play barbies alone. The Wedding was beautiful. It wasn't my day to take pictures but I did manage to snap this one during their first dance. Here's to Amanda and Wade... May your blessings be many! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

A thousand tiny wishes, just waiting to come true. A thousand and one miracles, waiting for you! Life is absolutely amazing when you train your senses to it! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

After stopping at Cub on my way home from work today, I started to ponder some things. I feel that there has been much loss around me lately and that has made me step back and examine life. If I died tomorrow, would I be satisfied with the way I lived my life? Am I content with the way I have treated my family and friends and strangers? Am I living a passionate life with compassion? Do I enjoy the beauty of all things? Am I participating in things that bring me joy? Do I really listen to people? Have I repaired all the hurt I have caused? Have I said the really important things that need to be heard? Have I been patient with others? Have I been good to the earth? Have I made healthy choices for myself? I suppose the list of questions could go on. Whatever needs to be done to feel satisfied, can be started now. Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

This is Diesel and he just turned 6 months on Friday, which happened to be my day to babysit! He is 6 months and full of wonder and joy. I just love watching him explore and laugh and communicate. Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

I enjoy that peaceful feeling I get when the skies are still stormy and yet there is sunlight. I think it just may be my favorite type of light. I was on my way home from my moms last Friday, and it was just barely raining. The sky was beautiful. I was equipped with my camera and my nifty fifty. I took some backroads and found that I was the only one on those roads. It was good. It was peaceful. I tried some different things. I shot through the window to get the drops. I played around and it was great! Sometimes it becomes more about the feeling when I am shooting than what the pictures actually look like. This was sooooo therapeutic for me. Ahhhh...when I have my camera in hand it just makes the world mine! I thought I'd share a few that I liked. The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. ~Zeno

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to do a session of a four generation family. I was so thrilled to be able to do this. What a beautiful, loving family they are! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

This is Matt looking at pebbles on the shore of Lake Superior. I love the way he sees the world. He embraces it with compassion and a yearning to understand. Matt and I enjoyed our 6 month Wedding Anniversary this past Friday by driving up to the North Shore. We jammed out to good tunes, walked around Gooseberry Falls, talked, explored, paused to take in natures beauty, laughed, kissed, and celebrated our love! Matt taught me how to skip rocks...he is such a good patient teacher! I am so blessed! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

Last night I shared a plate of nachos with my wonderful husband. As we sat there, we talked about our future and our dreams. It is in the simple things that I find pleasure! Have a great day!

The Kindness contest winner is nominee #2. There will be pictures to follow. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that voted, I very much appreciate it. He that plants trees loves others beside himself. Dr. Thomas Fuller

I have had a new fascination with retro-looking birds lately. So, with this new fascination I decided I would design my own Photoshop bird brushes. I also have a bit of an obsession with quotes, if you hadn't already noticed :) Fascination with retro birds + obsession with quotes= new card designs Creating bird brushes led me to create some other brushes including: trees, flowers and text. Enjoy and please let me know what you think! I would love to hear your comments!!