Leah and Ricky

He laid the floors in their house himself. I know it's an odd way to start a description of a family, but you have to understand it's a picture of his love for the ladies who have stolen his heart. Tedious? No problem. The materials? Only the best. Why? They are worth it in every way.
And he's right. Those ladies are. They are beautiful, kind and compassionate without ever trying. And they certainly love the man who might just be wrapped around their fingers...
Leah and Enrique, thank you so much for letting me spend time with you. I found myself pausing every few minutes because I was so in awe of your love for each other and for your precious little lady. Thank you for welcoming me into your home, for letting me be inspired by the love that fills your home and for making me feel so at home. I loved spending time with you guys!!!







Oh yes. Painted toes. One more reason I adore Leah...


Oh how I love this...






I love that she stuck out her tongue!


I love pictures of the couple! SOOOOO important! And when they're as gorgeous as these two...

Another Awesome Family

You know how sometimes you spend time with a family and you just feel like they are masters at that inviting love? Ya know, the kind that makes you feel like you're a part of the family, too. The kind that brings up adventurous, fun-loving, kind-hearted children who sweep you up in their spirit of adventure. And you find yourself unable to do anything but smile as you see those sweet glances exchanged between the husband and wife that whisper "Marrying you was one of the best decisions ever. No matter what." And their love is big enough to house others who are hurting, who are broken, who may not have experienced this gentle, dedicated, quite love. Yeah, that's this family.
While I was in Louisville, here's again one of the awesome families I got to spend time with.
Daniel, Lacey, Katie and Hunter, I had a blast with you guys. Katie, thank you for telling me knock, knock jokes. Yours rocked. And Hunter, thank you for playing hide and seek with Katie and me - I had a blast. Daniel and Lacey, you guys are such wonderful parents. Between the way you love your kids and the way you love each other, I left with nothing but smiles.
Here's a little snapshot of their awesomeness:

Oh, how I LOVE this picture




Oh, Katie and Hunter - I adore you guys!











Prepare yourself for ridiculous amounts of cute...









Lacey, you are so beautiful. You two rock...

Computer-less

I'm computerless.
It's kind of sad.
I may have finally overwhelmed our MacBook with so many awesome people it finally needed counseling...or a check up. Luckily we back all of our images up from the very beginning, so we won't lose anything, no matter what happens with our computer, but in the meantime I miss it.
But in a sense, it's good timing. I find that I needed some things stripped away that distract me so I could see the mess I am. And I could sit with all the things - good and bad brewing within me that I so often push off to the side. And I could deal with it. And admit it. And invite people into it. Oh how much that hurts and oh how good it is.
So today there will be no picture. But there will be a promise. A promise to care for my own soul, even when the longing for a faster pace attempts to beat my mind into submission. And that too is a beautiful thing. (The caring for my own soul part...not the beat down.)

Lana, Ilya and Lielle

In life there are times where you wish you could have a do-over. Ya know, one of those times where you could go back in time and you could do things differently. Or even just go back and tell yourself what you really need to know.
This is one those times.
Last weekend I had the awesome privilege of spending time with one of my high school classmates. But the truth is, during high school, I really didn't get to know her. I knew she was beautiful and sweet, but that's pretty much where it stayed. Cue why I wish I had a do-over.
I spent time in awe. In awe of how beautiful her family is. In awe of the way she adores her little girl. In awe of the way her awesome husband, Ilya, loves these beautiful ladies in his life. And I learned a lot about Lana. I learned that she grew up in Belarus, and so did her husband. They both speak fluent Russian and are teaching their precious little Lielle. (And seriously, Lana, if you're up for the challenge, I'd love for you to teach me...)
I walked out of their precious apartment joyous and sad. I was thrilled that I got to capture this beautiful love that they shared. I was loving the Russian phrases that danced through my mind. I was so happy to get to see a much better glimpse of who she is. But I was sad. Sad that in 4 years I hadn't even bothered to get to know such a wonderful person, but incredibly grateful that God gave me another chance.
Thank you Lielle, Ilya and Lana for letting me join your precious family that afternoon. I'm so grateful for our time together...
















What an awesome/gorgeous couple!!!