Peter and Jennifer's engagement shoot

I am so, so, so excited about these photos. Jen has been one of my closest friends for going on 2 years now. I consider her a "soul friend", someone you connect with instantly, and make sure you stay in touch with, no matter what is going on in your life. And she's getting married!

She met this amazing man a year ago, named Pete. I am so honored to be in their wedding in this weekend! As icing on the cake, they asked me to take their engagement photos leading up to the wedding! We went to Cincinnati's beautiful Ault Park, and got some great shots of the two of them. It was my favorite engagement shoot yet. I wish these two beautiful people a happy wedding, marriage, and rest of their lives together!

Jocelyn and Curt's wedding

These two lovebirds are great friends of mine, and I was so excited when Jocelyn called me up a week before her wedding to ask if I would shoot them and their wedding party getting ready! I really enjoyed spending time with Jocelyn and Curt and their closest friends and family. They both seemed very calm, collected, and sure of themselves as they were getting ready. They have a wonderful marriage full of love and commitment ahead of them!

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day. Congratulations, Jocelyn and Curt!

The shutter is clicking again!

For the past year or so, I've been pretty immersed in my day job as the Creative Director for Kiki magazine, a publication for pre-teen and teen girls that promotes creativity and intelligence through the lens of fashion and DIY projects. Needless to say, it's just as awesome as it sounds, and I love every minute.

However, my personal photography has been on a hiatus while I worked on photography for the magazine. During the winter it was hard to kick myself into gear, and any residual energy left over at the end of the day was begrudgingly offered to my spinning or yoga instructor, because those were the only ways I was active this winter. I've been getting stronger physically, and now I want to get stronger creatively. Spring really revives me, and gives me a burst of energy! I am riding the wave now.

I am going to start volunteering my photography with the Dream House Rescue, one of the best foster groups for dogs in the city. Everyone is a volunteer, and they bring the dogs to Petsmart every weekend for adoption events. I've worked with them before to photograph adoptable dogs for the website listings. The dogs are so sweet since they're usually socialized, and some are even trained! I know this time I'm going to fall in love with one of them. Or all of them....

My camera memory card was part of the spring cleaning this year. I've been going through old photos and found a few shots from a trip last summer to Atlanta. My friend Mere and I went to the aquarium, and we each had a camera glued to our face, even when we were petting the stingrays! I learned that if you're patient and willing to focus with an extremely small Depth of Field, you can get some great aquarium shots. And the colors! Oh, the colors! Well, see for yourself.

Raising funds to "end duchenne!"

On Sunday, I helped support a fantastic cause. In fact, the moment I heard about it last week, I knew I had to get involved. I met the owner of the studio I used to work for, and over coffee she told me about a sweet little boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy that is a friend of her son. They threw a festival-style fundraiser for him, with all proceeds going to support the family.

The event was amazing! There were crafts on the lawn, cupcake decorating, kids and families everywhere, and a whole lot of support for this little guy and his family.

I contributed by raffling off a one-hour photo session for $5 a ticket. We raised $70, and the entire event was a huge success! They're already planning the next fundraiser.

It's really a blessing to be able to contribute my skills to support such a great cause. When I say that it's a blessing, I am not talking about the donations or ALL the love that was poured out for that family on Sunday. I'm talking about the blessing of giving. I feel as if I was given a gift to be a part of the event, to put my skills to great use, and be a part of all that good energy that comes from being a part of something awesome.

That, dear friends, is what life is all about.

For me?

This Sunday, I had no plans. I decided to pop over to Target to shop for a bit (which I never do), and I found this perfect little journal set tucked away in the "weird gifts" section.

I picked it up, thought about who I could get it for, and then put it down. No one came to mind. Then I thought about why it had caught my eye in the first place. I thought it was beautiful. I loved the coral colored cover, the stitching along the spine, the compact quality of it, and especially the packaging. Look at that script font! The red twine! I have fallen deeply in love with Rifle Paper Co.

Guess what? I bought it, because sometimes I need to remember to treat myself. I can much more readily spend money on gifts for others, but I have a hard time buying anything for myself JUST because I like it. For some reason, that stuck with me, and as I opened up my journal set today, I took time just to enjoy it. It was a gift to myself, because damn it, I love myself. And you should love yourself too. Don't forget to let yourself indulge sometimes. You deserve it.

O Brave new world, that has such people in't!

I am reminded of this quote as I look out over my stomping grounds of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky today. This city is full of great people and exciting movements! I learned about CityLink today from a friend named Katie Denlinger who volunteers there to help support local people in need. They offer educational tutoring, financial consulting, child care, professional clothing, a community garden with nutrition classes, and more! I'm so glad to learn about how my neighbors are reaching out and supporting others. It really agrees with my mantra that we are all responsible for one another, and when we truly learn to care for one another, we will finally have peace. Mother Teresa pointed me to that concept:

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."