• I was afraid of an open adoption when we first started the process, and I have never been happier to be proven wrong. When we share with people that we have an open adoption, that Felix's birth mama came over for waffles one morning, that I text her photos of him almost daily, that she met my family on July 4th, I can see the skepticism, the eyebrows starting to raise. I can see the same fear in their eyes that *I* harbored at the beginning of the adoption journey. • And so what I rush to tell them is how *wonderful* she is, and how grateful we are to know her, and for her and Felix to know each other! About how, rather than feeling intimidated or threatened by Felix having a relationship with her, I am *ecstatic.* Grateful that he won’t have to fill in the blanks of his story by himself, that he'll be able to see firsthand just how LOVED he is by her, that he'll have the ability to see his own physical traits in the woman who cared so well for him during those first nine months. • Her presence in his life doesn't at all subtract from my role as Mom, or from Matt's role as Dad- having more people to love him doesn't mean my love counts for less! My fear about open adoption was really just my own insecurity, a fear that I wouldn't be enough for him. That I would be somehow less-than-a-real-Mom. How very, very wrong I was! • I could never have anticipated the richness and joy that an open adoption would bring to our family. I know that every adoption is different, every story unique, and all glory to God for how this story continues to unfold! If there’s any advice I’d give myself two years ago as we were starting the process, it would be to set fear aside and embrace the possibility of something far more impactful than I had the capacity to understand at the time. • That sweet little book Felix is chewing on here was a gift from his birth mama. And every time we read it to him, my heart feels fit to burst with gratitude. (Photo from several months ago, forever a favorite!) #adoptionjourney #adoptionislove #mykindredstory
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    I was afraid of an open adoption when we first started the process, and I have never been happier to be proven wrong. When we share with people that we have an open adoption, that Felix's birth mama came over for waffles one morning, that I text her photos of him almost daily, that she met my family on July 4th, I can see the skepticism, the eyebrows starting to raise. I can see the same fear in their eyes that *I* harbored at the beginning of the adoption journey. • And so what I rush to tell them is how *wonderful* she is, and how grateful we are to know her, and for her and Felix to know each other! About how, rather than feeling intimidated or threatened by Felix having a relationship with her, I am *ecstatic.* Grateful that he won’t have to fill in the blanks of his story by himself, that he'll be able to see firsthand just how LOVED he is by her, that he'll have the ability to see his own physical traits in the woman who cared so well for him during those first nine months. • Her presence in his life doesn't at all subtract from my role as Mom, or from Matt's role as Dad- having more people to love him doesn't mean my love counts for less! My fear about open adoption was really just my own insecurity, a fear that I wouldn't be enough for him. That I would be somehow less-than-a-real-Mom. How very, very wrong I was! • I could never have anticipated the richness and joy that an open adoption would bring to our family. I know that every adoption is different, every story unique, and all glory to God for how this story continues to unfold! If there’s any advice I’d give myself two years ago as we were starting the process, it would be to set fear aside and embrace the possibility of something far more impactful than I had the capacity to understand at the time. • That sweet little book Felix is chewing on here was a gift from his birth mama. And every time we read it to him, my heart feels fit to burst with gratitude. (Photo from several months ago, forever a favorite!) #adoptionjourney #adoptionislove #mykindredstory
  • Gosh this feels simultaneously like forever ago... and also like it was just last year. We hadn’t been back to Bald Head Island since Meg & William's wedding in 2014, and tooling around the island in a golf cart with Felix has been such a joy! Little buddy had his first dip in the ocean and his first visit to the pool (other than the blow-up kiddie pool in the back yard!), and seeing him discover the world around him (after so many months at home!!) is exactly what I needed in the midst of such a crazy season for our family. Grateful, grateful for the salt air, sunshine, and winding island roads, for the slow mornings watching the sunrise over Old Baldy, and for my Aunt Kathy & Uncle Rick for welcoming us so well for our first vacation in forever! 💕 So like, anytime anyone wants to get married on BHI, please know, I'm here for it.
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    Gosh this feels simultaneously like forever ago... and also like it was just last year. We hadn’t been back to Bald Head Island since Meg & William's wedding in 2014, and tooling around the island in a golf cart with Felix has been such a joy! Little buddy had his first dip in the ocean and his first visit to the pool (other than the blow-up kiddie pool in the back yard!), and seeing him discover the world around him (after so many months at home!!) is exactly what I needed in the midst of such a crazy season for our family. Grateful, grateful for the salt air, sunshine, and winding island roads, for the slow mornings watching the sunrise over Old Baldy, and for my Aunt Kathy & Uncle Rick for welcoming us so well for our first vacation in forever! 💕 So like, anytime anyone wants to get married on BHI, please know, I'm here for it.
  • 11 years of being your best girl. Can you believe it, love? Who would have thought that DTRing at the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince would lead to this beautiful, insane, redemptive ride for us both? You’re the best person I’ve ever met, the kindest, most patient, most servant-hearted man there is. I’m still convinced that I got the better end of this deal, but then again, so are you. Let’s never lose that mindset, ok? With every year that passes, I feel luckier and luckier that you chose me, and that you continue to choose me every single day. I love you and I like you, darling. ❤️ (Swipe to see our first photo together from that summer...back when I still had my nose pierced, and Matt still had hair)
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    11 years of being your best girl. Can you believe it, love? Who would have thought that DTRing at the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince would lead to this beautiful, insane, redemptive ride for us both? You’re the best person I’ve ever met, the kindest, most patient, most servant-hearted man there is. I’m still convinced that I got the better end of this deal, but then again, so are you. Let’s never lose that mindset, ok? With every year that passes, I feel luckier and luckier that you chose me, and that you continue to choose me every single day. I love you and I like you, darling. ❤️ (Swipe to see our first photo together from that summer...back when I still had my nose pierced, and Matt still had hair)
  • When the world opens back up again, my first order of business is rebooking my cancelled flights to France. Since I KNOW I'm not the only one itching to jetset, drop it in the comments- where's the first place you'll travel to once you're able? And even better... tag a friend who you'd love to go with!
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    When the world opens back up again, my first order of business is rebooking my cancelled flights to France. Since I KNOW I'm not the only one itching to jetset, drop it in the comments- where's the first place you'll travel to once you're able? And even better... tag a friend who you'd love to go with!
  • Is it just me, or does social media in general feel a lot harder than it used to be? Everything feels heavier, weightier- I don't want to post pretty photos just for the sake of a lovely feed where there is so much happening in our world right now. All the disheartening uncertainty as a result of Covid, anti-racism work happening in our hearts and home, continuing to socially distance from so many loved ones, trying to be a good and present mom. By the time I pull up Insta and realize it's been a week and a half since my last post, I'm already almost out of emotional steam. • In those moments, it's helpful for me to take a look back on my Why: to help others focus on what matters MOST. Whether for my brides and grooms or for my branding clients, we live in an increasingly distracted world, and I believe that distraction can rob you of the ability to truly live into your purpose and potential. • On your wedding day, there are a hundred different things vying for your attention- I help my couples focus on what matters most [spoiler alert: their union, each other, and their families!]. I believe an intentional wedding day can help encourage an intentional marriage. • For my branding clients, I know firsthand that photo creation & selection can suck HOURS of your time away, especially when preparing for a big launch. I shoot so they can stop worrying about the hamster wheel of needing new photos and get back to doing what ONLY they can do for their business, spending less time in front of their laptops, and more time fulfilling their purpose- both in business, and in life outside the office. • When we keep the big picture in mind, the day-to-day tasks of small business ownership take on new purpose. Like @andy_stanley says in his book Visioneering- "[it] is the difference between filling bags with dirt and building a dike in order to save a town." • You ready to get building? Because I sure am.
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    Is it just me, or does social media in general feel a lot harder than it used to be? Everything feels heavier, weightier- I don't want to post pretty photos just for the sake of a lovely feed where there is so much happening in our world right now. All the disheartening uncertainty as a result of Covid, anti-racism work happening in our hearts and home, continuing to socially distance from so many loved ones, trying to be a good and present mom. By the time I pull up Insta and realize it's been a week and a half since my last post, I'm already almost out of emotional steam. • In those moments, it's helpful for me to take a look back on my Why: to help others focus on what matters MOST. Whether for my brides and grooms or for my branding clients, we live in an increasingly distracted world, and I believe that distraction can rob you of the ability to truly live into your purpose and potential. • On your wedding day, there are a hundred different things vying for your attention- I help my couples focus on what matters most [spoiler alert: their union, each other, and their families!]. I believe an intentional wedding day can help encourage an intentional marriage. • For my branding clients, I know firsthand that photo creation & selection can suck HOURS of your time away, especially when preparing for a big launch. I shoot so they can stop worrying about the hamster wheel of needing new photos and get back to doing what ONLY they can do for their business, spending less time in front of their laptops, and more time fulfilling their purpose- both in business, and in life outside the office. • When we keep the big picture in mind, the day-to-day tasks of small business ownership take on new purpose. Like @andy_stanley says in his book Visioneering- "[it] is the difference between filling bags with dirt and building a dike in order to save a town." • You ready to get building? Because I sure am.
  • Oooh I'm SO excited for today's brand shoot!! @karenmhall first found me 2.5 years ago when @jasminestar referred her my way, and we had an amazing time capturing as many photographs as I could possibly shoot during the half-day session. It's definitely time to update her collection of photographs (so fun seeing how much my process has GROWN since 2017!), and for today's session we've upped our game even further- @katherinebignon on styling, a GORGEOUS home in Maryland as our backdrop, the indefatigable Natalie & Jeff on beauty, and a collection of Karen's gorgeous cars. I spent yesterday prepping my production binder and gathering gear, and I'm heading out to spend a full day capturing upleveled, branded content for one of my favorite clients, armed to the teeth with hand sanitizer and a mask!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ •⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ With so many of our couples needing to reschedule their weddings, it means I have an unexpected abundance of time to devote to my branding clients. I'm so disappointed that my Fridays aren't being spent preparing for our brides and grooms, but the change has meant that I have more time for research, for getting into the head of my client so that their photographs truly represent THEIR brand and where it's headed. 2020, you've been undoubtedly weird so far... but I'm absolutely determined to make the best of it!
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    Oooh I'm SO excited for today's brand shoot!! @karenmhall first found me 2.5 years ago when @jasminestar referred her my way, and we had an amazing time capturing as many photographs as I could possibly shoot during the half-day session. It's definitely time to update her collection of photographs (so fun seeing how much my process has GROWN since 2017!), and for today's session we've upped our game even further- @katherinebignon on styling, a GORGEOUS home in Maryland as our backdrop, the indefatigable Natalie & Jeff on beauty, and a collection of Karen's gorgeous cars. I spent yesterday prepping my production binder and gathering gear, and I'm heading out to spend a full day capturing upleveled, branded content for one of my favorite clients, armed to the teeth with hand sanitizer and a mask!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ •⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ With so many of our couples needing to reschedule their weddings, it means I have an unexpected abundance of time to devote to my branding clients. I'm so disappointed that my Fridays aren't being spent preparing for our brides and grooms, but the change has meant that I have more time for research, for getting into the head of my client so that their photographs truly represent THEIR brand and where it's headed. 2020, you've been undoubtedly weird so far... but I'm absolutely determined to make the best of it!
  • To Frosé or Rosé, that is the question. Another STUNNING escort wall by the one and only @gritandgraceinc- I can't believe it's been a whole year since we were at @the_greenbrier for our darling couple's wedding! Laura *ran* with the Dorothy Draper inspiration, and the pinks, greens, palm and floral prints throughout the reception were absolutely perfect for our Greenbrier-loving bride & groom. I can't wait for the next trip out to White Sulphur Springs, so in the meantime, I'll just keep scrolling through these! • Concept & design- @gritandgraceinc Venue- @the_greenbrier Florals- @gillespiesflowers Chargers- @whitegloverentals Menus + party crackers- @emilybairddesign Calligraphy- @lhcalligraphy Linens- @bbjlinen
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    To Frosé or Rosé, that is the question. Another STUNNING escort wall by the one and only @gritandgraceinc- I can't believe it's been a whole year since we were at @the_greenbrier for our darling couple's wedding! Laura *ran* with the Dorothy Draper inspiration, and the pinks, greens, palm and floral prints throughout the reception were absolutely perfect for our Greenbrier-loving bride & groom. I can't wait for the next trip out to White Sulphur Springs, so in the meantime, I'll just keep scrolling through these! • Concept & design- @gritandgraceinc Venue- @the_greenbrier Florals- @gillespiesflowers Chargers- @whitegloverentals Menus + party crackers- @emilybairddesign Calligraphy- @lhcalligraphy Linens- @bbjlinen
  • Matt, I’ve always known you were meant to be a Dad. Your kind heart and steadfast nature are perfectly suited to fatherhood, and I fall more and more in love with you watching you care for our sweet son. Seeing him reach for you, giggle when you throw him in the air, and snuggle up with you for yet another board book is such a gift. Felix may not yet realize that he has the world’s best Dad, but I do. Waiting for parenthood as long as we did makes this day especially sweet, and I feel privileged to stand next to you and witness you teaching and leading Felix with such grace and gentleness! Happy first Father’s Day, darling!
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    Matt, I’ve always known you were meant to be a Dad. Your kind heart and steadfast nature are perfectly suited to fatherhood, and I fall more and more in love with you watching you care for our sweet son. Seeing him reach for you, giggle when you throw him in the air, and snuggle up with you for yet another board book is such a gift. Felix may not yet realize that he has the world’s best Dad, but I do. Waiting for parenthood as long as we did makes this day especially sweet, and I feel privileged to stand next to you and witness you teaching and leading Felix with such grace and gentleness! Happy first Father’s Day, darling!