I am on top of the world right now...

I am so excited!! I am now the new owner of the Nikon D700. It's real and in my hands as we speak...lol! I can hardly wait to take it with me to my wedding this weekend. I probably won't shoot with it the whole time, but I will definitely take the time to feel it out. A special thank you to my loving husband who believes in me 1000%...thank you for this special gift...I love you!



Well stay tuned for the new pictures from my new camera!

Record Breaking...

Here in the beautiful Northwest, we have been experiencing very hot temperatures in the upper 90's. It's been so hot here that all stores are sold out of fans, and most affordable cooling systems...it's miserable. Washington is not use to these types of temperatures and hardly ever see long periods of time where the summer days are this hot. To give you a little factoid, only about 15% of the houses here in western Washington have air conditioning. We don't need it because it never gets too hot. Well now we are working on day 10 or so and today will be the worst with record breaking temperatures of 106...this is crazy! We are one of the many without air conditioning, but luckily our home sits back in the trees which produces a lot of shade. We will survive, but right now we are miserably hot and uncomfortable...I miss the rain!! LOL:)

Well for those of you in nice air conditioning, send me some in a bottle...hahaha!

***UPDATE*** I just heard on the radio that today was the hottest day EVER in Seattle history! While driving my car the temperature outside registered 106 degrees...WOW!

Busy...Busy...Busy...

Well besides being a full time mommy, I have been super busy this week editing a wedding from this last weekend and a maternity shoot from last night...Here is a bit of a sneak peak from my maternity shoot last...had so much fun with this sweet couple!







More to come if I get some time:) Thanks for stopping by!

Come on MOM walk alittle faster we're going to the BEACH!

Austin and I had a fabulous day at the beach yesterday. We went out with some friends and played to out hearts content. Now, before you go and get all jealous that we were at the beach, it wasn't the kind of beach where you got in and swam. Here in Washington our beaches are cold and almost always overcast. It's not time for a bathing suites, it's time for a sweatshirt and jeans. Besides the weather, Austin and I had a great time playing in the water and sand...we even built our very own sand castle! It had the best time ever:)









I know that I don't post enough pictures of me on here, so here you go! It's different being in front of the lens then behind...

Counting my blessings tonight...

Today, I had a very scary encounter on the freeway (going 65 mph) with a drunk driver...In the middle of the day I might add. He came within inches of hitting me as he drove off the interstate onto the road below. Thankfully no one else was hurt but the driver of the truck. I am not sure the extent of the drivers injuries other than he is alive and was transported to the nearest hospital for treatment. Needless to say I am thanking god for my life and holding my son close tonight!

This almost made me want another one...

HAHAHA yeah right...not any time soon! BUT...I will have to say that this weekend was amazing. Saturday I got to photograph a beautiful wedding and today I got to photograph a gorgeous mother to be and her handsome hubby. Two great moments in peoples lives and I was so honored to be there to capture these special moments in their lives.

I took this lovely couple out to a place that I had been scoping out for a couple of days now. *Side Note: For all those who see a perfect place and it doesn't belong to you, don't be afraid to get a hold of the owner and ask for permission to shoot on their property. My experience with asking has been nothing but positive...plus it flatters the owners that you want to take pictures on their property...hehehe! Anyhow back to this amazing couple. I took them out this evening to a beautiful place not too far from my house. I was really worried that the lighting wasn't going to be perfect, but it was. This piece of property illuminated so many different light scenes, that I got the chance to be creative and try out different ways of capturing light. So anyhow, without any further ado...Jason and Lauren maternity shoot....newborn photos to follow in a couple of weeks...CAN'T WAIT:)

Side Note #2: If I could look this good at 34 weeks, I would have ten children by now...absolutely gorgeous!

Wedding bells at the county fair grounds...

Rustic, beautiful, and unique...just my kind of style. Here is just a sneak peak from today's events....I am off to bed....so tired!

Family Reunion...

Well if you couldn't tell what my family decent was, I am 100% Scandinavian. I am half Norwegian and half Swedish. Yesterday was my Norwegian family reunion. We had a great day eating, chatting, and celebrating our family history. We even were blessed to have two of our family members from Norway join us. All in all it was a great day of catching up and sharing stories.

A couple of pictures from our day together...



This is a terrible picture of me, but I had to represent!



These are my two family members from Norway....Leaf and her daughter Laura...very sweet people! It was also Laura's first time in the States and she was very excited to meet everyone. After leaving Washington they'll be on their way to L.A. and Las Vegas...how fun!



Serving up her famous fish soup and it was OHHHHHHHHHH so good:)

Fun, Young, and Hip...

I had a great time on this shoot yesterday. It was fun, young, and hip. It also was great to have such a gorgeous subject to take pictures of. Anywho, here is a sneak peak of my shoot from yesterday afternoon...Let me know what you think:)

Just Because I Love You...

It's been a long time since I have gotten flowers and while even though they were beautiful, it's the words that came with them that mean more then anything...Just because I love you!

Thanks you sweetie for making me smile and melt at the thought of your love. I miss you and love you more than anything in this world!

My all time Loves...

I just had a moment and thought I would share my all time favorites things I love to do...

Driving with no where to go while listening to music that fits my emotions. Taking care of my friends and family, the ocean, relaxing getaways, falling in love, talking on the phone with friends and family for the latest know all, shopping, purses, a good movie with friends, taking pictures, long walks, thinking about the future and remembering the past, tiki torches in the summer, camp fires with marshmallows of course, my family, writing poetry, watching the expressions on peoples faces when you surprise them with the smallest gesture, decorating, cooking, scrabble, fleece in the winter, entertaining, bumper cars, making memories, laughing, people watching, singing out loud in my car, dancing, Nashville, TN and most of all enjoying life to the fullest!

Aspire...Inspire!

It's no news that I am an aspiring photographer that dreams of the perfect image, location, and emotion in my head. I spend endless hours in the evening cruising the websites of my most favorite photographers. I am inspired by those who have taken the walk and made it to where they want to be. I aspire to be great one day and while I may take the walk a little slower, I will get there...I know it! This week I have come across a fabulous photographer who in my eyes is an inspiration for all to follow. She is currently being featured on www.iheartfaces.com and her name is Jasmine Star. She was rated this year in the top ten wedding photographers by American Photo magazine (she's only been doing photography for three years). She bright, outgoing, and a breath of fresh air...She's in no stretch of the imagination....AMAZING! She's been a huge inspiration to me this week and before now, I knew I've wanted to be great and now I know I will be great. She said it best in one of her interviews that one of her mentors told her "Jump and the net will appear." Before now, I've been afraid to let go of the nerves and now I am just going to jump and see where this crazy journey take me. I know it sounds crazy right now, but after you visit her site and read her encouraging words, you will know how inspirational she truly is.

One of the greatest things she said in her interview with David Crash was:

"Don’t ever aspire to be someone you’re not. You’re entirely and uniquely amazing, so always aim to be the best version of yourself at all times."

How amazingly true is that...well said!



You can check out her website and blog at

http://www.jasmine-star.com/

http://www.jasminestarblog.com/

OH yes and a much needed thank you to www.iheartfaces.com for featuring her this week...It's what I needed! Thank you:)))