I recently delivered Leandra + Todd's wedding album, and I loved how it turned out! They chose a brand new funky bold fabric for the cover, and I think it matches their wedding perfectly. I couldn't help myself from sharing this one. Lots of albums on the way too! Happy Monday everyone!
It is rare that we get a chance to go down to the cabin during the winter. This weekend though, Josh and my brother got to go ice fishing, and I got to sleep in, relax, spend some time with my dad and step mom, and take some photos. I was planning to load up the pup and my camera in the car and go for a little photo safari around the country roads, but I ended up sticking around the cabin. As I was photographing pretty things around me, I was also training Asher to stick close while off leash (and wishing I had snowshoes! That snow was deep!). And he did very well, so we're excited to let him have a little bit more freedom at the lake this summer.
Here are just a few snapshots from a beautiful winter day in lake country.
These sweet twin girls were just 12 days old when I got to meet them and photograph them! Anna and Sara are two little peas in a pod... so content to be snuggled up next to each other. Here is just a tiny peek at some of their photos from the session... aren't they adorable?!
Winter is starting to feel like it's just dragging on and on. The outside world has just turned to a white, grey and brown blah. The snow is no longer sparkly and magical, it's drab, monotone and uninteresting. My backyard in the winter is especially lackluster. But, I was drawn to our scraggly juniper trees out back on Saturday. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots. The little berries were bright against the white sky and looked quite beautiful. I even noticed an interesting pattern on the tree bark. Woodpeckers maybe?
These usually unimpressive trees were another reminder to me that inspiration often comes in unlikely places. Have you ever been inspired by something you typically overlook?
I love watching the Olympics. I always have. There is something magical about them. All the hype, the patriotism, glitzy medals, excitement.
In 1996, I watched the Atlanta Summer Olympics and fell in love with diving. I thought it would be really awesome to be a diver. So, I signed up with a friend to be on the high school dive team. For one season, I was a diver and it was exciting and fun, but I decided it wasn't worth the early mornings in a cold pool, the hundreds of crunches and the bruises up and down my body from hitting the water wrong. (Oh, and maybe also because I wasn't very good.)
The winter games have always been my favorite. I skiied for the first time when I was just 5 years old. My dad was a racer in high school, and I grew up watching Picabo Street skiing in the Olympics. So in 1997, I was ready to try out for the high school ski team. I spent my high school career as a skiier, and watching the skiiers in the Olympics makes me miss racing (and skiing in general since I now live on the plains)!
The Olympics are inspirational... I think they encourage us to be our best and be proud of who we are and where we came from. It's exciting to watch athletes achieve the goals that they've worked their whole lives for... whether it's winning a gold medal, or just participating in the games and giving it all they've got.
What's inspiring you right now?
(Image: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times / February 17, 2010)
Happy Wednesday everyone! This week is already going by so fast... soon it will be the weekend again. Yay!
I just wanted to share a cool resource with all of you couples out there in the process of looking for a wedding photographer. It's very sad to say, but I've heard many horror stories about photographers not showing up to weddings, cancelling at the last minute and going totally MIA. (Yes, really!) Unfortunately, there are lots of people that are posing as professional photographers out there, who really don't know what they're doing. (I really hate hearing these stories!)
One place to find awesome wedding photographers is Modern Photographers. All of the photographers listed are recommended by other professional photographers. You can click through their list, or just fill out a form and they'll do the legwork for you and respond with recommendations of qualified photographers available on your date in your area. Simple!
P.S. In case you were wondering, yes, Frozen Music Studios Photography is a listed member! Woohoo!
Avery is growing so fast! She has the prettiest bedroom, so I thought we'd do some more photos of her in there. I love the little pink hat her mom picked out for the photos. So darling! Avery had just woken up from a nap so she was full of smiles throughout the shoot. And, her bedroom is warm and sunny, so you wouldn't ever guess that it was like a blizzard outside. :)
This past Saturday, we were proud to be a sponsor of the Fargo Green Event at the brand new Hilton Garden Inn in Fargo. The seminar on Going Green in Your Home was hosted by the Fargo Shaklee Team, and guest speakers were Sloane Barnett,Roger Barnett, and Cindy Latham. There was a great turn out... it's cool to see so many people interested in how they can live a greener and healthier lifestyle!
The first 200 people in the door got a lovely reusable bag filled with goodies from the sponsors. Two lucky people won an Oprah-style "Get Clean" basket, and a few people won door prizes from sponsors, including Jacky Biel who won our giveaway for a free Kids & Family Session!
It was a great event and I look forward to more events like this in the future. Thanks for inviting me to be a part of it, Maria!
Did you make New Year's resolutions this year? Did one of your resolutions include being a bit more "green" in your life and now it's February and you still haven't thought about it since January 1? Maybe the word "green" makes you think of tree-hugging hippies wearing patchouli oil eating granola while chained to trees and that scares you a bit.
Well, my friends, "green" is simple. You don't have to burn your bras or eat stuff that tastes like cardboard. You can make really easy changes in your life starting right now to green up your act. Start with one thing, and once it becomes second nature, try adding another into your routine. Here are five things to try:
1. Turn off lights when you leave a room. (I told you these were going to be easy!) Simply flick the switch. Easy peasy. Saves energy and puts a couple cents back in your pocket.
2. Cut out the air fresheners. Those things are full of nasty chemicals. Try opening a window to get some fresh air or light a soy based candle instead.
3. Skip the plastic bag. If you're buying a small item at the store, put it in your purse instead (after you've PAID for it first, of course). Better yet, bring your own reusable bag.
4. Load up the dishwasher. Seriously! Hand washing your dishes actually wastes more water than using the dishwasher (as long as you only run it when it's full). Bonus points if you use earth friendly dish detergent like those from Ecover, Seventh Generation, Shaklee and Trader Joe's.
5. Wash your clothes in cold water. Really, you don't need hot water for your clothes, plus, washing in cold water will cut down on color bleeding. Just turning that little knob to cold instead of hot will save you some noticeable cash on your utility bill too.
So, which one are you going to try today?
Right now I'm participating in the Decor8 "Blogging Your Way" online class and our homework this week was to create an inspiration board for our blogs... and here's mine! Hopefully you'll all begin to see some fun changes coming to the blog... a little more eye candy, a little more me. :)
Happy weekend everyone!
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