Bainbridge 2017

Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
Hi, it's me. I'm posting 2017 pictures in the year 2018. That should tell you where I've been at with my blogging. So let's dive in!
Last summer we took our annual trip out to Seattle to spend time with my parents and sister. Normally we stick to the city, but we ventured out and went to bainbridge island! ( and then went to the city...) Here are some pics to prove it.

* There's also some sappy stuff going on at the end of the post, so if you happen to get there, I apologize in advance.
We took a ferry to the island and it was COLD. I always forget that summer in Seattle is like fall in Dallas. Just a heads up for anyone hopping on the boat: bring a jacket.
 ** Don't @ me
I thought I would write more in this blog post, but then, I changed my mind. The truth is, I just finished editing these photos a few days ago. They have been sitting in my hard drive for over a year. These pictures, like most of my others, wern't for my blog, instagram or facebook.
They were for me.I didn't take them with captions in mind.
Recently, I was reminded of how important pictures really are to me. My journals and my photos are my most valuable possessions. They are a piece of me. They are moments I spent with people I love, and those things give me a chance to relive those moments with more accuracy.

I hear people say, " put down your camera and enjoy the moment" SO much lately. And I get it. I really do. But this is me, and this is what I love.
 I've tried to explain the thousands of photos and videos I have on my phone at all times, or justify how often I bring my DSLR to events; but the truth is, it's just because I love it. Capturing moments IS my moment. I have never once regretted bringing my camera along for the ride.

Looking at my photographs often makes me emotional, and that is one of my favorite things. I take photos ( of my friends, family and clients) with the same purpose in mind: to capture a feeling, a moment.

I promise I'll stop being so sappy, but this is my first blog post in a long time, and I needed to remember why I even spend time doing it. It's for me ( which I know is kind of selfish and weird since I'm posting this stuff online), but I hope the people in my photos can share these emotions with me. I hope that other people who look at my photos will feel things too. Seeing loved ones from afar, seeing new places in new ways, seeing how things have changed or stayed the same.

So if you've made it this far, kudos! Thanks for coming along for the ride. I know many of you have supported my photography for YEARS ( since I turned 11? Thanks Mom & Dad! ), and I can't tell you how amazing it feels to have people tell you you're kind of good at something, and that something happens to be the thing that helps your world go round.

Also, a huge thank you to my parents for this trip in particular. They have always done anything and everything to give us all they could. I can only hope to be half as wonderful of a parent someday. 

Baby Wiser Gender Reveal

I can't tell you how excited I was during Chase and Sierra's baby gender reveal! 
Back story : I met Sierra and Chase when they moved into our ward in Dallas. We quickly became friends and my heart broke a little when they moved back to Denton (COME BACK). But my heart restored a little when I saw their faces after learning their baby on the way is A BOY! 
Sometimes it's really nice to just come as a guest and enjoy snapping a few pictures. This was one of those times. I'm so glad I was able to be there on this special day! 
Teams were chosen at the beginning and I was proudly #teamgirl. ( But I really was so sure it was going to be a girl...) Obviously I am a really bad guesser. 

 Sierra did " The ring trick" right before the big reveal just to see if old wive's tales really do work. Spoiler- It totally said she was having a boy! 10 Points to Lynda because she swears on the ring test. See more about said ring test HERE via some random website. 
Then to the real deal. Baby reveal. 
I love rhyming. 
I didn't expect my heart to beat so fast but it was crazy thrilling! 
Their faces were the icing on top.
 BOTH Sierra and Chase had " Team girl" buttons on. 
Apparently we are ALL very bad guessers. 

 Sierra said " I don't know why I'm crying right now!" But we all know why. She's pregnant. Chase on the other hand pretended he wasn't crying but we allll saw you chase*!   
* Eric
 These two and their dads. Heart melting.
 Team boy did a little bit of celebrating while team girl decided to quietly tuck their pins away and replace their pink pins with blue ones... before anyone noticed ;) 
Dallas 6 OG represent.
 Sierra's mom was the only one who knew the gender beforehand! 
Here's the paper that made it officially official. 
The new dad to be (who switched pins if you didn't notice..)
And a couple of dad's who are soon to be grandfathers! 
It seems like everyone wore blue or at least a little blue....and yet none of us noticed.  
Word went around that Grandma said she knew it would be a boy all along. #Teamboy
 The happy parent's to be!
 Holding Sierra's belly has become our new tradition. I think we will keep it. 
 I have mad love for these girls and am so happy for that sweet momma to be, in the middle! She has a very cute fur baby already and soon she will be a mother to TWO boys! But one of those boys will be a lot less furry than the other ;)