jonathan and kandyce: family.

when i think of world travels, and delicious baked goods, and refugees, and ridiculous levels of intelligence, and wooden shoes, i think of jonathan and kandyce. we have known the two of them for the past few years, and they are some of our favorites. kandyce works tirelessly with refugees and is so amazingly creative, and jonathan is working toward his doctorate (!) and loves to talk nerdy movies with nick. we are a couple match made in heaven. 

of course, when kandyce asked if i would take some pictures for them, i was all in. but i was especially all in when she proposed the idea of throwing powder colors at each other during the session (oh, did i mention they also lived in india and have made it their mission to bring the festivities of holi to denver- with a tremendous amount of help from their hindu friends of course. hence, the powder colors). 

we had an absolute blast (well, they clearly did and i loved watching them have a blast) and then we finished the evening with dinner and chats around the fire. it was perfect all around.

not only do these two know how to throw colors at each other, but it's pretty clear they are completely in love. enjoy my most colorful (and one of my favorite) sessions to date.

"love was a feeling completely bound up with color, like thousands of rainbows superimposed on top of the other." -paulo coelho

iceland.

a few months ago, our friends james and sarah asked us if we would want to join them on a trip to iceland. for us, the choice was pretty obvious. tickets were ridiculously cheap, our bosses gave us the a-ok, and we didn't have any other plans for the first week of march.

we booked our tickets and didn't look back.

now contrary to my typical type A personality, we showed up at the airport with our bags packed and no semblance of any plan for once we got there. james and sarah had been there a week before we arrived, so we trusted they would be good tour guides. they definitely did not disappoint.

sarah had booked a perfect cabin for us to stay in, situated in the middle of a forest preserve and on top of a hill with the most gorgeous view. climbing the hill was sometimes treacherous (crazy strong winds, knee deep snow, etc), but we generally made it to the top in one piece.

i just can't say enough about how great of a time we had. iceland is just ridiculously gorgeous, otherworldly even. we put a lot of miles on the rental car, driving from the city to our cabin and then out to explore. i think the photos speak volumes of the beauty we witnessed.

i feel incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to see more of the world. i know it's a complete luxury, and i won't soon forget the sights and sounds of iceland (also the extreme fear i felt while driving in a country with the craziest weather i've ever experienced will probably stay with me awhile as well).

"the world is a book, and those who don't travel only read a page." -augustine of hippo 

chase avery: newborn.

2015 is well under way, and i am happy to report that my first photo shoot of the new year included such a beautiful baby girl: miss chase avery.

i've known her mom brynja since i moved to colorado (she was gracious enough to let me move in with her and my sister when i didn't have anywhere to stay), and i was so happy to be able to capture such an exciting time in their family.

chase wasn't sure about the situation and was awake and alert for a lot of the time. she knew something was going on, and she definitely didn't want to miss out. the trusty baby rocker lulled her to sleep for a little while though. and awake or asleep she is just the perfect baby.

thank you brynja and jason for inviting me into your home and letting me spend the morning with you. i have never seen a cuter sock monkey in all my life.

the johnsons: family.

i first met becca all the way back in my college days, when i was her RA, and i've thought she was just the best ever since. not only is she beautiful, not only is she an incredible artist, but she's also a super smart geologist. i know, it's really not fair. 

i was thrilled when she moved to golden a few years ago, so we've been able to stay in touch since our college days. catching up over happy hours is our favorite past time. we're basically pros at this point.

so of course, i was more than happy to oblige when she asked me to take some photos of her and her boyfriend matt and her wonderful family when everyone was in town for christmas. we endured the cold temps together, but her family is so wonderful and completely hilarious that i was laughing the entire time and barely noticed that i was losing feeling in my fingers and toes.

she picked a beautiful setting in golden, and i think sacrificing our warmth for a little while (and wrangling three dogs) was totally worth it. enjoy!