personal:: oh, blogger.

i've known for a couple of weeks i should check in, catch up, and look ahead here, both in the interest of updating friends and clients on "work, and life!", as well as means of getting my thoughts together on some things, but, it just hasn't happened 'til now. ah, well! i guess most photographers do this at new year's, following the grand post i love of "favorites and best-of's", but, you are sadly the beneficiary of just one image of that sort.

i haven't spent hours going through every.single.image i took last year in order to pick this, but, i knew right off which image most stirred my heart when shooting in 2011. it stuck with me, and is printed on my office wall. this is kevin and cody-anne, friends i met shortly after moving out to BC [he is the lead singer for the Left. you can check them out HERE, and cody-anne is his hard-working and stylish wife.]... i won't go into tons of details of a story that isn't mine to tell, but, i know i can share that, for a while in 2010/2011, kevin and cody-anne weren't going to make it as a couple. miraculously, their hearts changed toward each other and God brought them back together. a few months later, they hired me to shoot their first-ever Christmas card session. five minutes into our shoot, they were bursting with the news they were expecting a baby [they had just found out the night before. :-)]! this shoot was filled with joy and i can't wait to share more favorites soon. i love this image for the hope and renewal it represents. no relationship is irredeemable, no heart is beyond hope in Jesus... for me, it's incredibly satisfying on a personal and professional level to capture connections shared in a relationship, and this shot does that.

speaking of babies [or bebe./bebe.'s, as i refer to them.], i'm expecting, too. hooray :-).  here's the 18 week snaps of "bebe.03", lookin' mighty fine. he/she is, apparently, very busy, according to the ultrasound tech, and my insides, on a daily basis.

 this pregnancy followed a heartbreaking miscarriage last fall, so, this time we took our time announcing it to family and friends [and now to the world wide web, hello!]. it's been a good pregnancy thus far, with a LOT more tiredness and a little bit more nausea than with charlottes., two years ago. i am due in july, so, i'm fully intending to live in our pool the last month or so of this pregnancy, and will endure the final weeks by planning all the summer birthday party options we will have in the years to come! this week marks the "halfway point" as i am 20 weeks. the following are a couple of pics taken over the weekend during my 5th anniversary getaway with marks... let's remember i'm 6' tall so there's a lot of room for bebe. to grow before i show.

so, by way of summing up my inactivity on this blog [can also be read as, "my best possible excuse".], some things just don't get done if you need a nap everyday of the holidays and january! in ALL honesty, my body shut down once i finally had a break those last couple weeks of december [and marks. wisely refused to let me bring my laptop with me on holiday!]. i had miscarried bebe.02 in september, and we were able to host family for most of october, who helped a ton, while i grieved and healed. suddenly, in november, it felt like i was hit with more energy than i'd had in over two years [most likely from catching up on a lot of sleep in sept/oct.!]. i hit the ground running, took as much photography work as i could, hosted marks.' 30th birthday party and a huge Christmas party a few weeks apart, helped with our church Christmas parade float [we won first prize!], and organized meals for a friend... november and december were so incredibly packed for me, i am pretty sure i came close to my breaking point. i spent a lot of time over Christmas and new years re-prioritizing myself mentally, making some decisions which would enable my roles as wife and mommie to once again take the priority they deserve, and took time to listen to marks.' concerns about my weaknesses and habits [ouch?]. very healthy process, and something i still need to evaluate consistently. knowing we are adding another bebe. in the mix this year has been an excellent motivator to focus on "us"; marks.' desire is to do everything he/we can to protect what makes our relationship special. i'm a blessed woman!

around the first part of january, i had a big revelation, and i've been really looking forward to writing about it here!! it wasn't long after the new year, facebook started growing abuzz with status update from my friends who were planning to attend WPPI in las vegas, in february of this year... this event/conference/trade show is considered the mecca of wedding photographer's networking/inspiration/resources, and, from an outsider's viewpoint, it's a little bit like a cool kid's club, too. it would be a fun event to attend on many levels, and one which would be of benefit to any photographer who is looking to grow their business or refresh their purpose, i'm sure [at least that's what i've read from the blogs of those who attended this year ;-).], but, for all intents and purposes, it was a catalyst for an important decision in my life... annnnnyway. i have awesome and talented friends who were going to WPPI, wondering who was going, and someone asked if i was planning to go... the instant i read the question of whether i would attend, i experienced a rare and awesome moment of absolute clarity: i don't want to be a wedding photographer anymore. and that is that! i can't articulate how freeing it feels that i have no intention of booking another wedding for the foreseeable future. i have felt super excited about this decision. i think it is healthy for my creativity to close the door on something i'm not as passionate about... and since then, i've felt more inspired, and lighter, in general... my website may not fully represent this change of directions, yet, but, it will soon, and in the meantime, i can recommend some of the most talented wedding photographers you will ever meet! so, ask away!

there's my valentine, the darlingest girl you will ever meet. i have been savoring my time with her the past couple of months. having lost one bebe., and now pregnant with another, my heart is full when i look at this precious girl as someone i get to spend my days with. i am deeply aware of how fleeting it is, my time with only her, and my time with her here. it's already been almost 2 years; this blows my mind. how we spend each day counts. i don't want charlottes. to grow up thinking mommie would have rather spent the day sitting in front of a computer screen than with her! there is work stuffs that need doing, and fortunately, i have a beautiful/talented friend who also runs her own photography business with an almost-2-year-old girlie. charlottes. and violet get to have a semi-weekly playdate at each others houses, and we get a day once-a-week to work in our home office. it's a great set-up [and works really well most weeks, like when charlottes.' doesn't have swim lessons on conflicting days.].

this winter has been my busiest yet. i don't usually book many sessions in january and february because of unpredictable and gross BC winter weather, but, i've had quite a few sessions both months! it's been awesome work, too, which i will [eventually] share here. it's been confirmation that i'm on the right path. it hasn't been too much work, but, it's been absolutely the amount i hoped for. the spring looks promising, too!

next week, charlottes. and i are hitting the road [or skies, i guess.] for the deep south, visiting my family once again. i'm excited because i get to sink my teeth into a few personal photography projects while home. then, we're off to sarnia, ontario, for a week [see my previous post about the mini-session event!], and back home again. later in april, our family is headed to alberta for a week-and-a-half, and i have a few sessions booked during our time there, too! i can't wait to shoot in some wide open spaces again!

that said, if you are in/around any of the areas i will be during this time, and would like to try to schedule a portrait session with me, feel free to ask! here's the dates/locations of my travels::

march 16-19th~ fairhope, alabama
march 20th-28th~ birmingham, alabama
march 29th-april 6th~ sarnia, ontario, canada

april 19th-26th~ medicine hat, alberta
april 27th-29th~ calgary, alberta

((i'm booking shoots for the fraser valley for may and june, as well, then plan to take a break this summer, you know, so we can meet bebe.03.))

if you read this far, you totally deserve a gold 'tar [star, as charlottes. would say.]. thanks for your faithful readership! 'til next time.

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