This is kind of an odd season of life for me. It's one of those times where we know changes are about to happen, we know what the changes will be, but we're just waiting. We know when our lease is up in June we're going to move back to Oakley, a neighborhood in Cincinnati that we used to live in and LOVE. It's just home. We've always said we want to live in a smaller space than we think we need, but we're not walking the walk on that. So we're going to move from a house to an apartment. I know people will think we're crazy (hello, we have 2 dogs and are planning on having a baby here!) but we want to live counter culturally. And the money we won't be spending on our own housing will go toward giving to the poor and paying off debt. So that's pretty baller. With the "lets move back" discussion came the "what about church?" discussion.So after talking and praying and seeking guidance about that we decided that we would go back to our old church, crossroads, which is in Oakley. We are also hoping for a baby in the not so distant future. SO I'm in that place where I'm waiting for our lease to be up, waiting to move back to the area we love, waiting for a baby, waiting waiting waiting. Have I mentioned that I SUCK at waiting?! Once I know that something is going to happen, all I want to do is GET MOVING. So God is teaching me right now to wait patiently and joyfully. To see the waiting time as a blessing and a time to prepare and get inspiration. A time to soak up having a yard and not having to walk the dogs in the freezing cold or share walls with other people- because that's all going to change soon! And a time to give thanks for the things I have and for the freedom to change our minds and pack up and move to wherever it is we want to live. So I'll be spending the next 5 months learning to be patient & quiet, and finding inspiration for designing and living in a smaller space. And being REALLY excited that pretty soon I'll be able to walk to Redtree & Coffee Emporium again : )


Are you waiting for anything right now?

inspiration

I'm feeling rather introverted lately and when I go into these phases I live solely on journaling, reading and being inspired by other peoples brilliance. These are a few things that have inspired me this week.


This video is pure truth in my opinion. I love it. I agree with every word he says and I love how he lays it out. I've been really inspired by spoken word lately. The rhythm of poetry is so beautiful.

This short film from Jesse Rosten is so wonderful, it actually brought tears to my eyes!I connected with it on such a deep level. I love it when artists can take something completely not human and make you feel something deep in your soul. Also, I've made up stories in my head about how shopping carts get in random places before too so I know I'm not alone in my weirdness : ). It's only about 10 minutes long and I strongly encourage you to watch it! 

Things around my house that have gotten me through the week:

watching a sunrise from the spare room window on one of my early mornings.

Spending lots of quiet time in Proverbs and sipping on coffee.

This quote from Mother Teresa. A kindred gave it to me last week and it's been living in my kitchen window and reminding me of why I'm here.

What's inspiring you right now? I would love to see!

girls with glasses

Just saw this video on Lindsey's blog and HAD to share. I love the girls with glasses and I also love being a girl...and I also love when we celebrate the fact that we're girls! Yay!

BTW!

A couple of months ago, the site that hosts my shop, Storenvy, featured me on their blog- complete with an interview! I never linked to it, so here it is in case you missed it the first time I talked about it.


Today I am cleaning the house and going on a long walk because it is in the 50's. If you've ever been in Cincinnati in January you know this doesn't happen and wont last long : ) Have a great weekend!


xoxo

the holidays according to my iphone.

2011 was a such a good year for us. We saw so many answered prayers and were grown and stretched. We started going to Red Door and found the kind of deep community we'd been looking for for so long.  We added a new 4 legged addition to the family. My photography started to "click". We had fun. I'll miss 2011, but 2012 promises a whole new set of lessons to be learned, community to be deepened, and fun to be had. Here are some pictures of our Christmas. It was so restful and magical. 

The 1st Christmas tradition Matt & I have had as a family, Awaited. A creative, beautifully told play about Jesus's entrance into our world. 

we had lots of snuggle time!

Matt's dad gave me Harry Potter glasses to hint at my gift of the entire Harry Potter series. Hilarious.

It was so fun watching our niece experience the trees and lights and general Christmas magicalness! 

pretty pup, pretty tree.

Our very special Christmas desserts. YUM.

This was the first year we got to have Christmas day all to ourselves. It was perfect. We started by spending half the day in our pj's and wearing our bed head and making a delicious breakfast.

My mom & I had dinner at Nada & then went to see The Nutcracker. It was so magical. I loved every single second & will be going back every single year. 

My grandma & niece on Christmas Eve. 

2 of my favorite gifts from Matt! So much beautiful imagination!

We rented out Book Bums & welcomed 2012 with good friends and a fancy dress party. I didn't get the 20's theme memo until it was too late but it was so much fun. I don't want to forget spending an hour from midnight til 1 am dancing with a friends daughter and watching fireworks go off from the house across the street. Such a good way to celebrate. On New Years day we headed down to Williamstown, KY to spend the day with Matt's mom and stepdad. It's so pretty & peaceful down there. I love being able to just stand in front of or behind the house and see nothing but sky and rolling hills. Then we stayed up way too late a second night in a row playing games & snuggling Jim the cat with our second family (or what most normal people call small group). 

How was your Christmas? Did you celebrate the new year? Praying that you are blessed and filled with love and joy in 2012! xoxo.

Kiddos Christmas photos.

I nanny part time for 3 of the best kids on the planet, and their mom asked me to take some last minute Christmas photos of them last week. This one is my very favorite. It showcases their individual personalities perfectly. I just love them so much!

I'm done with photo sessions for the season I think, and can't wait to start again next spring. I'm really proud of myself for how far I've come with photography this year and I'm so excited to see where it takes me next year. I'll be back Monday with some favorite 2011 moments in pics. 


I hope you all have a magical & safe New Year!


xoxo.

Emma::children's session

I have had the pleasure of photographing miss Emma twice now. This year, we headed down to the the Krohn Conservatory, which was decked out in Christmas decor and had a fun train show.  It's so fun to document the growth of a little human being. Emma is so darling and so sweet. I love taking her pictures! She is just beautiful and I couldn't stop snapping away; and she has a laugh that is hilarious and heart melting all at the same time.  Here are a few of my favorites from their session:

Thanks for coming back to me a second year in a row, Christain, Chad and sweet Emma! Can't wait for next time!

Megan & Rebekah

Whoazers, has it really been a month since I've written on the blog? I didn't realize I'd been neglecting it that long! It's been a great month, but for now I'll just share some pictures I took last month. I had the privilege of doing my first sister session w/ Megan & Rebekah. They hadn't had their pictures taken in 4 years and it was a special Christmas surprise for their mom. Both of these girls are SO beautiful inside and out and I was blessed to get to spend the afternoon with them and document their awesomeness!

I loved photographing you, Feeneys! You are wonderful!

How has your month been?

music monday: A Fine Frenzy

I've been quite the fan of A Fine Frenzy for a long time. I'm feeling heavy hearted the past couple of days and this song makes me feel upbeat. She's fun.

hope you had a great weekend,

xoxo

Jordan & Sara

This is Jordan & Sara, some new good friends of ours.  Jordan is from America. Sara is from Mexico. They met in France. Yeah, I know... That's awesome. We met at church a few months ago and, basically, we love them. They are super fun and friendly, and Sara once made us a delicious Mexican drink made out of flowers. How baller is that? They had a beautiful wedding in Mexico about 9 months ago and unfortunately got TOTALLY scammed on their wedding photography. I wanted to give them some pictures they'd be happy to hang in their home. So a couple weeks ago we met up at a park in Cincinnati and had some picture time fun. Here are a few from their session!

Jordan & Sara, I am so glad we know you! You're the bees knees, and I hope you like your pictures!!

senior session: Josh

Josh is Natalie's boyfriend and contacted me after her senior session about doing his. It was really fun! We went down to Oakley, a cute little town in Cincinnati where Matt and I used to live. I was really excited because I knew Oakley would not disappoint in the photo opp department. Then we went to Ault Park, a beautiful spot in Cinci. Here are a few of my faves from Josh's session:

Thanks for choosing me for your senior photos, Josh!

this week in instagram

we had a date night 

we spied on neighbors

I made a book wreath

we played peek a boo

We caught a wild peacock

we hung out with our insanely cute niece.

It was a nice, chill week here.


How was your week?