your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart.

who looks outside, dreams. who looks inside, awakens…

{carl.jung}

i think i might have survived. i think. i mean, although the holidays are not over, i dropped off my very last shipment to the post office today, and it felt very much like relief as i walked out the doors. i have been there, literally, every.single.day for 3 weeks.

this year i have really enjoyed putting gifts together for my parents. being parents, they are happy with whatever i give them. but last year, i thought i would forgo my normal “photo” gifts (because i thought they might be board of them!)  and get them what i thought were totally awesome gifts from real stores. i bought my mom a pair of earrings from Anthropologie, and my dad something from LL BEAN. and you know how it is when you think you pick out the BEST gift for someone…you imagine them opening it, filled with joy at the sight of it, and you feel they will forever hold you in the highest regard as the best present-finder-ever? that is how cool i thought i was. this year, i was pre-approached around Thanksgiving and told “i hope photos are on the box this year”. hint. thanks mom.

i got it.

i feel pretty safe posting these as my mom is so busy these days taking care of everyone and working 50 hours a week, i don’t think she even turns her computer on at home any more. and, my dad (who has a computer) doesn’t know how to turn his on, so i am good there too.

this is one of my image boxes. i sell them very frequently to my customers…especially to the customers who can’t seem to choose which photos they want because they LOVE them all. the box, custom made and designed and printed, is overflowing the photos of the girls i took throughout this year. i recieved the last of the photos in the mail yesterday…and it is always SO amazing to see how much the girls change and grow in just one year’s time. i reluctantly shipped this out today, and them came home and ordered myself one. (Merry Christmas to me.)

Quote: “I just painted the living room, and there is such a bare spot on the South facing wall. I wonder what I could put up there? (long pause) Something big and pretty. Maybe something framed.” {my.dad}

subtle.

i opted for a HUGE print for my dad. god forbid a bare space. i also bought my parents little matted folios of the girls. you can either tuck them away or fold them out for display…so nice.

sigh. parents…

dear Mikki and Katie…

self acceptance comes from meeting life’s challenges vigorously. don’t numb yourself to your trials and difficulties, nor build mental walls to exclude pain from your life. you will find peace, not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. you will find peace, not by denial, but by victory.

{someone wiser than your mom}

love you darlings,

watching several weddings over the past three years has given me a plethora of ideas on how i would create my own dream/fantasy wedding. one part of my dream wedding day, is to have the wedding in my own back yard. of course…if my backyard looked like the photo above…Autumn’s backyard…this would not be a problem. Autumn’s family farm is on several exquisite acres in coastal Maine. every single detail was carefully constructed around the location, and most of the food from her wedding was either grown (or raised) on the farm itself or nearby.

most of you know that my parents are horticulturists… flowers are an art all their own, and honestly, i have never seen such beautiful and creative arrangements.

These beautiful arrangements were done by the talented Heather Caron: http://www.bouquetsbyheather.com/

{the.ceremony}

despite the chilly day, the warmth of the afternoon sun was so inviting. we really have been lucky with weather this year.

the wedding party was so fun! i just loved the boots.

Autumn.&.Henning

{the.reception}

love these of her and her dad SO much. i can only image, as a mom of 2 girls myself, how a wedding day can be filled with so many mixed emotions

its wonderful to have a room full of dancers and just super fun, and animated people.

daily mantra: true love isn’t smooth and smooth love isn’t true {unknown}

i just love to see couples decide to get photographed together after their wedding…trash the dress or just a laid back fun shoot…it is wonderful to capture a husband and wife without the stress of a big event. since i was already booked for Sara and Ryan’s wedding day, they decided to book me after instead. we had such an amazing time…this was the last session of the regular season for me, and despite the intense wind that day, the shots of these two are fun and full of passion.

daily mantra: happiness is like jam: you can’t spread even a little of it without getting it on yourself…unknown.