nora madeline grace lesley: personal.

In the past month my life has been turned completely upside down. 

Nora Madeline Grace Lesley joined our family on June 30th (exactly 2 weeks after her due date), and I know for certain that nothing will ever be the same. 

It's difficult for me to put into words what it means to be Nora's mom. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed at how much I love her. Other times I feel like a crazy person when I'm trying my best to figure out why she's crying or how to just get her to sleep already. And other times I wonder if we will have enough money to buy all the bows that she clearly needs to be wearing at every second. It's been a wild ride, but I wouldn't change it for the world. 

One thing is for certain though...this little girl is going to be my new muse. I hope she likes getting her photo taken because this is clearly just the beginning.

Here are some of my favorites from our first month together...

ashley: senior (graduation).

Back in November, I had the privilege of taking senior photos for one of my former students, Ashley. This time around, I was able to watch her graduate (How did my first group of students graduate high school already?), feel prouder than ever, and then snap some photos of her to commemorate such a big day.

Ashley is such an amazing young woman, and I have no doubt that she will accomplish anything and everything she sets her mind to. This fall she will be starting at the University of Northern Colorado, and I hope she lets her old teacher come visit sometime:) 

Ashley, you are beautiful, inside and out. I can't wait to get a front row seat to all the good things coming in your future.

vietnam and cambodia: personal.

A few months ago, Nick and I saw a promotion online for cheap tickets to Vietnam, where our friend Allison has been teaching for the last couple of years. It took about 2 minutes for us to decide that we were in! We’ve been so fortunate to take an international trip once a year since we’ve been together, and we wanted to keep that tradition going.

Nick knew that since we were already going to be in southeast Asia, we had to put Ankor Wat on our itinerary, so thus the Vietnam and Cambodia trip was born.

Minus a slight hiccup at the very start of the trip where Frontier thought it was a good idea to cancel our first flight to LA and we had to book with Southwest last minute (oh, and Nick lost his ID during the whole ordeal), the rest of our trip was pretty much perfect.

We spent a few days in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam following all of Allison’s recommendations, then took a short flight over to Siem Riep where we spent a few days with our amazing tour guide exploring Ankor Wat, and then it was back to Vietnam for the last leg of our trip, where we were able to celebrate Allison’s birthday and spend time relaxing and “babymooning” at the beach.

I think the best part of the trip though was just spending so much time with Nick. Life can get crazy and busy and full of little things that end up taking a lot of time and before you know it, it’s been way too long since you’ve spent quality time with the person you love the most. So beyond the breathtaking sites, delicious food, and photo worthy moments, it was the time we spent together, exploring the world, that I will cherish the most.

 If a picture is really worth a thousand words, these should give you a good idea of what our trip was like.

brian and christine: engagement.

Brian and Christine are adorable, sweet, and from Michigan, so you know they are good people. I've taught with Brian for the last couple of years, so I was thrilled when they asked me to take engagement photos for them, and when they chose Red Rocks, I was especially ecstatic (I've never photographed anyone there before). Driving to meet them, I was reminded how incredible it is that I live in such a gorgeous place. 

We had a great time together exploring Red Rocks, and these two are so great that they even brought me water and a snack, only confirming I get to photograph some of the best people in the world.

Brian and Christine, I can't wait to hear about your pure Michigan wedding this summer. Your love for each other is clear, and I know this is just the beginning of a beautiful life you'll create together. Oh, and I insist you go to a concert at Red Rocks this summer. It a non negotiable.