beach day snapshot


Paul, Roswelle, and I arrived in Destin, FL late last night.  It is just going to be the three of us in our family condo until Saturday when we will move into a rented house for a week that will hold us, Mom, my brother Carson, his friend Jeff, my grandparents, my aunt Wendy and hopefully my brothers Trey and Evan at some point (busy with work and school).  

These are unedited pictures from today - which I think is a total no-no in the photography world - but I don't have the patience to edit them while on vacation.  I have been messing around with all the settings and also loving my the new lens.  I spent 20 minutes following Roswelle around on the beach (which she absolutely loves - she can't get enough of the sand) and I got some pretty shots of her after all.  

btw - I can't believe how amazing it feels to have warm skin from the sun/air.  love.the.South.








I think she is going to start walking while we are here - I'll keep y'all updated!


Some Self-Care @ Tamper Cafe


Last week I met with my friend Mikhail to go over the basics of photography including focus/apertures/shutterspeed/ISO.  You would think after having a nice camera for 4+ years that I would know the basics but I have honestly been pointing and praying the picture would work.  After the mentoring session, I ordered a new lens for my nikon (just arrived over the weekend!) - he emphasized I need the right tools for successful pictures and this included a new lens, so I made the commitment and ordered the pricey item.  For those of you curious, I ordered a AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens. ALL of these pictures are PRE-new fancy lens.  

As Roswelle just turned one, I am making my love of fun photography and blogging more of a priority.  Paul has his hobbies/passions: a crossfit membership + a garage gym full of kettle bells, rings, and a squat rack.  And I have mine: a new camera lens, flower arrangements, and half-marathons. ;)  It makes us healthier individuals, partners, & parents to feed our passions and I'm thankful we make it a priority.  

I met Mikhail last week at a cool coffee/wine/beer bar right near his house in Medford.  Tamper Cafe (#tampercafe or tampercafe.com) has it all including a delicious menu, a full drink menu and an inspiring atmosphere.  I highly recommend for anytime of day!

I can't wait to share pictures with you with my new lens!! It makes me REALLY happy.



















roswelle + smash cake // by Mikhail Glabets






























I am blessed in having a close friend who is a RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER (mikahailglabets.com).  We met Mikhail and his wife Erin in our church community group when Paul and I were engaged over 3 years ago. I invited them to Roswelle's party as close friends and actually asked Erin if she would take pictures for me during "cake-time" because I didn't want to put that on Mikhail.  BUT I'm so thankful he insisted that he take the pictures as a friend.  Weddings are what he is known for but he can clearly make magic happen through a lens in any situation (including an ikea highchair and a grain/dairy/refined sugar free smash-cake).   

He only took pictures for 10 minutes or so but he captured such a sweet story.