Hello dear friend! Thanks so much for stopping by. I should start by saying I'm a fine art wedding, brand, and family photographer, but what I'm going to say is this. Life is full of ups and downs and one thing I can say for sure is my God is steadfast. All that I am and all that I do is because of His grace! I'm a wife to the hottest chiropractor, Nathan, and we have two blonde haired, brown eyed kids, Niyah Jane and Eli Jude. A few things about US: We eat enough scrambled eggs in our family that we totally became chicken parents and it's been the best thing ever. I'm slightly OCD and if I can handle chickens, you can too. No, really. I vacuum every day because I'm crazy and the other 95% of the time I'm juggling any number of things from building legos to homeschooling our seven and five year old. Most summer nights you can find us outside gardening as the sun sets (more like admiring our plant babies), running the trail along the water, making a passionfruit margarita, or doing some sort of project because we're terrible at sitting still. And in the winter? We're early risers over here, hitting the gym before 6 am followed by red light therapy, cold plunging, and usually there's a loaf or two of sourdough in the oven before 9 am. And most evenings we pull out all the cozy blankets and read or watch our favorite shows (actually it's more like we spend a solid 30 minutes deciding what to watch, never decide, then end up just going to bed...we're not the only ones who do this, right?
I wish I could take the credit for this business, but really, my mom is the one who has been my biggest cheerleader. We photographed our first wedding together in 2010...she's my very best friend and the best Mimi to our kids that I could ever hope for. Doing what I love, I've been able to travel the country and photograph destination weddings and thriving restaurants, incredible families and couples in love. But more than that, I've built lasting relationships with clients who are now dear friends, and that's what matters most to me. I feel so blessed to spend each day doing what I love. I wish I could invite you over for dinner tonight and hear more about your story, and welcome you into mine. I can guarantee you'd get a full dose of laughs from our kids and you'd leave with a full tummy. I can't wait to get to know you!
I spent a few years behind the bar at Starbucks and several other coffee shops, so I guess it's only natural for me to love a good espresso. The smell of rich brewed coffee feels like home, haha! Bring me a hot americano with white chocolate and steamed cream in the winter, or an iced espresso with a splash of half and half in the summer and you'll make my entire week. A few years ago, I splurged on a fancy Breville and now it's my life goal to convince EVERYONE they need one!
Those quiet moments before the day begins...I sneak out of the house usually around 5:20 to hit the gym for an hour and come home for a cold shower, devotions, and a little red light therapy (saving my pennies for a sauna someday soon), and start a loaf of bread and laundry before a busy day of homeschooling, running around to sports practice or art lessons.
My hot hubs, Nathan and our babies - Niyah and Eli. Niyah is our blonde haired, brown eyed almost six year old who is obsessed with reading and everything gardening and flowers and playing "house" more than anything. Nothing could have prepared me for the love I have for being a mommy. And our Eli who is three! He's snuggly as can be, has a twinkle in his eye, always covered in dirt and has brought us so much joy.
I almost questioned whether or not I should include this but it's a known fact that I'm mildly obsessed with TJ's and ALL the things, but mostly their bagel seasoning that literally is good on anything. My three year old asks for bagels with "cream cheese and sprinkles!" almost every single morning. And my pantry may or may not have 7 bottles of this stocked up. It's our favorite. If you haven't tried it, do it.
LONG story short, I was born with an extremely rare arterial vascular malformation in my dominant left hand that almost took my life. It was removed at the age of 3 after hemorrhaging 9 times. Fast forward 22+ years in the summer of 2020 I woke up to my hand immobile and in excruciating pain. Due to hormones after pregnancies, it had regrown massively and infiltrated my ulnar nerve and was rapidly taking away my mobility. An extremely emergent flight to NYC for a specialty doctor and major surgery later, the Vascular Birthmark Institute saved my hand again and I'm forever grateful that I'm still able to do this "job" I love so much. In 2023, we discovered it has regrown yet again and we're in a season of waiting and researching doctors again. Even though my hand will never be 100% and doesn't function like a normal hand, it's a part of my story that affects my daily life and I'm so thankful for the story it tells.
This is my super hot hubby and he's my best friend. On any given wedding day, it's either him or my mom by my side and can I just say, he is dang talented with a camera. I'm immensely thankful to live my life with this guy and to raise our kids together. Raw milk ice cream and 9 pm bedtimes are a regular thing in our house cause us young parents just can't hang, ha! Being his wife and calling him best friend, there's nothing better!
It's almost unhealthy, really. Everyone who knows me knows I love vacuum lines and sparkly appliances. I have a daily routine of "10 minute refreshing" once my kids go down for naps. It helps me be more productive in my office when my view is of a tidy living room! I just say there are worse things to be addicted to ;) for me, it's cleaning, ha!
Okkkk so maybe this doesn't happen as often as it used to now that we have kids, but any chance we can get out, we hit up our favorite local wood fired pizza place, go for a sunset run or take the paddle boards out on the river. I'm a firm believer in investing in your marriage!
There is NO greater privilege than having these two growing-too-fast kids call ME mom. I'm biased but they're the cutest things in the world. Watching their relationship grow every day and their love for each other, the way they laugh at each other and Niyah's tender heart to be a big sister to her little brother. I can't get enough of these two and the joy they bring our home!
I thought I was an extreme eater until I met my husband and then we discovered we're both a little crazy. Eating right is a huge priority to us. I gotta say, I'm that proud mom that my kids choose beets and sauerkraut over dessert. Not to say we don't believe in balance, but we believe in eating real, whole food and we love living in a place that caters to that! We believe in shortening that chain and buying local, supporting local ranchers and farmers and knowing exactly where our food comes from.
I was born and raised just outside Lake Chelan, but I've lost count of all of the incredible opportunities I've had to travel, from shooting weddings in Malibu, CA to squishing sand between my toes in Maui in the middle of winter. Basically, if you're getting married anywhere tropical, I'll be there ;)
Only 7 Seconds is a local movement that started a handful of years ago that has impacted my life in such a huge way - and not just because I'm best friends with the founder (my mama). This movement started as a mindset moving challenging individuals to fight isolation but choosing to check in on those around them. After this last year, I think we'd ALL say that mental health is especially important and this movement has been life changing and life saving. Click the link to learn more!
My mama taught me well. Bubble baths are my escape. They're my place to decompress. Throw in some epsom salts, light a beeswax candle and some citrus oils in the diffuser and I'd hide in there all day.