Hugh Grant, corn fields, and simple love.

It's going to be a wrap-up Wednesday this post (even if I still consider it Tuesday night). Hugh Grant's sweet British accent can be heard in the background (love him in his older movies like Notting Hill) and my bed is radiating low heat...warming up my toes and legs after a late grocery excursion. And I'm content. I've been waiting for this.

This past weekend, Adam and I packed our bags and drove three hours to the rural town of Bronson. Bare corn-fields, dirt roads, and even waving Amish boys brought us right back to our roots-- we'd gone country. I'll be blogging more about this trip once their engagement pictures our ready to post, but here's a sneak peek...I just can't resist!

Because when it comes down to it, love is as simple as Julia Robert's puts it in Notting Hill: "I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."

And thank goodness, Bryant loves her (who wouldn't!?). Bryant loves her so much that he asked her to marry him and stay with him forever and always.

Mix + Mash-up.

30+ hours at work plus photography plus feeding a social life is exhausting. And I'm putting my PJs on in 3 minutes and settling in my heated bed hours early tonight. So, in lieu of having a poetic post, I'm proposing a mix + mash up of good and bad things going on this week.

Minuses (-) for negative. Pluses (+) for positive. Pretty simple stuff.

- I think my eye sight is failing. Flailing. It sure is something because I'm looking at my iHome and the time is all fuzzy...and I can't even read the date. Am I getting old?

+ So there's this boy. Who is all smiles (wahooo!) and forehead wrinkles and just keeps getting cuter by the day. And next Tuesday, we've got a date. ;)

- I daily make a fool out of myself. Today, my co-worker had to tell me I had ink on my face (not the first time). I also had to ring out a transaction 4 times to finally do it correctly. And yesterday, I called a man whose suit wasn't complete and told him it was. Notice the pattern here? Maybe I don't belong in retail...

+ If there's an excuse to bake a cake, I'll take it. Adam was having a bad day earlier this week, so, of course, I have to bake a cake. A two layer -funfetti- chocolate frosted cake for love. Love tastes good.

- Pepsi. Normally, I love Pepsi. I mean, I'm not an avid soda drinker, but Pepsi is a drink of choice. And so when I pop open a can of that delicious drink, I expect to be blown away. I do not expect flat.soda. Ew. Ruined my Pepsi can experience.

+ Trip to Bronson this weekend! Adam and I are packing our bags and driving three hours for an engagement session near our good friends! We couldn't be more excited for the mini-vaca, the socializing with old (and new!) friend, and of course, doing what we love to do-- taking pictures! Except a new blog come, Monday! And Annie and Bryant, you better be watching out too! :)

Happy Almost Friday! You've almost made it through the week!

A Jack of All Trades.

Over the past three years, I've lost count of the things that Adam is able to do...and he does well. I mean, he is an expert (and confident) purse holder for me. And have I told you he likes to do the dishes and clean the toilet? And if that doesn't shock you, he even can fix all my car problems-- which primarily includes pumping my gas. But in all seriousness, Adam surpasses my expectations: both personally and professionally.

Mr. Fiancé is stepping up as my second shooter this wedding season. I've always admired husband+wife teams, and I couldn't be more excited to create our very own! Sometimes, I get a little dead-set in my ways...stubborn-minded and vision-stunted. Adam brings along an entire fresh perspective to my shoots not only with his own photographs but also with his ideas and suggestions.

Would you like proof?

Shamefully showing this to prove a point, but while I was getting this shot (with much too high setting of ISO),

Adam was getting this shot.

Which is both unique from my picture (the structure of the photo, placement of Livie & Douglas) and is basically drool-worthy. Its like God is visibly blessing their union right before our very eyes!

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I am a very lucky woman: this I know. And while Adam may be a mechanic, chef, graphic designer, photographer, musician, and expert-spoiler, I am most excited for him to take on the role of husband. MY husband! ...in only ! 5 ! Months !

Love you, babe! ;)

Have a great start to your week, readers! Purposely choose joy and make it a good Monday!

Only a Moment.

My iPhone read 67 degrees this afternoon. 67?! It hasn't been that warm in Michigan since, well, there were leaves on the trees. So, we're talking a good 5 months since we've felt warm wind, humid air, and real warmth outside of our homes filled with fireplaces and hot cocoa. And boy, did we need it.

When I walked out to my car this evening, I was greeted by a smuggy warmth. The humidity was tangible; like the air was dying for a release of raindrops. My skin was sticky to the touch, and I was overwhelmed by the scents of wet grass (not from snow, but from the first spring shower), fresh dirt- literally breathing its particles out from under its winter confines, and the air that the warm wind swept between my toes, around my chest, and into my senses.

I could breathe deeply and not feel the crushing cold in my lungs. There was no hunkering down or running to the safe haven that is my 1997 pontiac bonneville. I practically skipped down the stairs to the sidewalk and opened my arms (very Titanic-like with the exception of singing Come Fly with Me instead of Come Josephine) and was just there, in that moment, living fully.

Tomorrow, the temperature will dip back into the 40s, and weathermen are predicting more snow for next week. But today? Ah, today. Spring was here. If only for a moment.

...and love will give you wings.

As far as love goes, Livie + Douglas have got it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: we had such a fantastic time during their engagement session. And I'm so pleased that their love just seeps from the photos. But, I don't need to tell you that. Take a look at their yourself. :)

Their wedding is May 27th, and I'm beyond thrilled for my friend and the man that will be her husband! May they be blessed in these final months before one of the best days of their lives!

Naughty Noah.

Whenever my nephews visit, there's always a problem in the bathroom. No poop throwing or peeing on the walls; nothing like that (thankfully). However, my sink is a little too high for my four-year old nephew to reach. So either hands don't get washed or I make a trip to the bathroom with him every time. In an effort of giving him more independence, I've been in the market for a bathroom stool-- nothing plastic, plain, or too big. Last Sunday while Adam and I perused the antique malls in our area for a chair for our photo-shoot, I found this:

This little stool is mine.

I use it all the time.

To reach the things I couldn't.

And lots of things I shouldn't.

Noah's personality is full, and he feels every emotion fully. So when he's happy, he's over-joyed. And when he's mischievous, he'll find a way around watchful eyes. And so when I read the last line, I knew I had to have it. Because that's what aunts do. We provide the tools to let our nephews do things their mothers would never let them do. ;)

Livie + Douglas

I remember a specific moment three years ago that I shared with Livie. We relaxed on my roommate's manufactured-for-hotels, red and yellow sofa and chair, our feet battling for room on the footstool. Neither one of us had met the supposed "men of our dreams." But we talked about them. We dreamt about them. And we knew for whom we were looking.

Livie (and thankfully, me as well) has found the man of her dreams. And I am blessed to be her and Douglas's photographer for the day of their dreams. Their love is one of fairy tales-- and their engagement pictures radiate proof of that.

*More to come as the week progresses!*

Livie + Douglas, I hope your love inspires everyone you meet!

Anniversaries, Spring, and 57%

Random Paragraph #1: February is over, and that means that my resolution to blog every day is over as well. Technically, you could've considered the resolution over on the 9th when I first missed a blog post. I wrote 16 blogs; I was supposed to write 28. That means, I scored a 57% on the writing section for February. A 57% is still a D, right? That means I passed!

Random Paragraph #2: Last weekend, my sister and I (along with our hot studs) took our parents out to celebrate their 25th anniversary. They persist through conflict, love in the face of tragedy, and work without much gratitude. I can sweeten it some more and butter them up with words of appreciation, but I'm just going to say it simply. I don't want to brag; and my mom won't necessarily appreciate the way I word this, BUT: my parents kinda kick ass. There's no other way to put it. They rock. And I'd honestly rather double-date with them than with most of my friends and their significant other. Here's the 25 more years; and this next time, we're throwing the big-shabang...whether you like it or not! :)

Random Paragraph #3: I.NEED.SPRING. And I've tasted it. Oh, my ears have heard the sweet songs of early birds, and my cheeks have felt the warmth of the rejuvenating sun. And in celebration of the snow melting (for good this time?), I've decided to do some redecorating. Hobby Lobby is my craft store of choice, and they've recently dug out all their spring flowers. They line the aisles with yellow blossoms and spritz of colors. If only, IF ONLY, I could smell that intoxicating smell of fresh blooming daffodils. Breathe in light fragrance of our Holland tulips. But for now, these will have to do.

Random Paragraph #4: This weekend, I'll be taking the engagement pictures for a dear friend of mine, Livie. We were best friends my sophomore year in college (and that's when the following picture was taken); we talked about our big loves and what life had in store for us. Now, this year, she is getting married to the man of her dreams and I couldn't be more excited for her. She is a beautiful person inside and out, and I can't wait to showcase her engagement to Douglas on the blog come Monday!

I have worked eight days in a row, and I've felt that I've been doing everything half-way lately. Today, however, is my day off, and I'm not going to do anything half-way today. I'll be leaving in two hours to spend the night with my Gram; drink tea, making conversation, and just enjoy being...with her.

Happy mid-week, friends! I'll see you on Monday!