Thanksgiving | 2015

I went far more off the grid this year for Thanksgiving than I have in years past. I purposely didn't lug my big DSLR over to the Hollen's house. I tried to keep my phone in my bag during the meal. The photo above is the only one I took all morning while we were at home, looking at the snow and getting ready to eat donuts. I wanted to soak it all in without the distraction of getting the shot of the table settings, even though it was beautiful as always, and the smorgasbord of delicious food covering all open counter space in the kitchen. 

I wanted to rest, to recharge. To soak it all in. 

We made cranberry brie bites. I made homemade cranberry sauce from our Bountiful Baskets haul. (Which, sidetone, I love BB and I am pretty obsessed with them.) We made the cliche but always needed green bean casserole. We consumed turkey, veggies, corn casserole, potatoes, carrots, rolls, lefse, the list goes on and on. 

Marin didn't nap all day. We tried in the morning before we headed over for festivities: nothing. We tried after the meal...nothing. Needless to say, our tired little girl was zonked out in bed by 6:30pm Thanksgiving night. 

We ate too much. The turkey coma commenced. It snowed all day. 

I couldn't help but be thankful for everything in our lives. We are healthy. We have a warm home that is filled with things, some of which we probably don't need. Our fridge and cupboards have food to nourish our bodies. Our bank account isn't in the red. We are able to pay are bills on time. We get to spend every day raising up an amazing little girl that surprises us all of the time with the knowledge that she already has. We have good jobs. I can actually say that I love my job. I am thankful for good coffee and quiet mornings. We have an awesome church community that has been hit hard in the past week due to the death of a young boy. I am thankful for people that are willing and able to band together to live through the tough times, the hard times, the devastating times. 

I am thankful that we were able to slow down, even for a day. May I be ever aware of the pace of our lives. 

Hollen Photography | Little Natalie

Katie and I have been in each other's lives for a very long time. We met at a youth group event many years ago and have been in each other's lives in some capacity ever since. We ended living together in Washington and experienced some of the best and hardest moments of our lives. I photographed much of that journey. I photographed her engagement. I photographed her wedding. We worked together in healthcare. Now, I was able to photograph their baby. I was getting super emotional as I edited these photos the other day. We have all come so far. We have been through so many things in the past 15 years of our lives together. They hoped for little Natalie for so long and now she is here. We may not see each other nearly as often as we once did because life has gotten in the way, but I count myself blessed to know these good people. 

We are now at the point in our lives where our friends are getting married and having kids. It's been a quick shift to that season in our lives and I have enjoyed being able to capture it along the way. I haven't done a ton of newborn photography so this was a fun adventure. Little Natalie is so adorable and makes me have baby fever big time. Someday heart, someday sooner rather than later. 

We also, of course, took some adorable little naked baby bum photos but I decided not to post her adorable little tush all over the internet. 

I would like more shoots like this one. 

Slow Mondays | Estes Park, CO

Slow Mondays are good Mondays. Yesterday we took a drive up to Estes Park as a family. We ate pizza. We walked around and saw the changing colors in the trees. We ate too much ice cream. We always need days like this. It's good for us. Marin was such a rockstar and I love being able to just spend slow days with my little family. 

I would like many more Mondays like this one, please. 

Life Lately | September Update

I blinked and we are halfway through September. Life has been changing swiftly and constantly this past month. I've added a multitude of job responsibilities at work, along with being able to cross #18 off of this list. 

I've been really focusing on keeping an hour or so every morning just for myself. Quiet time. No working. No sending emails. I've been working through this devotional this month and it's so great. I highly recommend it.

I've finish a few books this month, which also gets me closer to my goal for my 30 Things List. Since I created my list I've finished: #1, #2, #3. 

I've been trying new recipes and some meal planning throughout the week. So far we have tried: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6. I really liked the Baked Tacos and Baked Spaghetti. 

We celebrated my nephew's 1st birthday this past weekend. He's adorable and I love watching him grow up. 

I finally had the hubby bring down some of the fall decor from the garage attic. I didn't go too nuts this year but it is nice to have a bit of new color. I am also still in love with our new light fixture over the kitchen table. I am also still trying to figure out when in the world I'm going to repaint the kitchen cabinets and paint pretty much the entire inside of my house. I need a week off with no interruptions just to accomplish all of it. 

I'm longing for a small vacation. I would go anywhere at this point. I just want to unplug and unwind. 

September is flying by but everyday I come to the end of my day and feel accomplished. Life is good right now. Family is important. My BIL was in a car accident last week and it just makes you stop and think about life and family. He is going to be ok but the road is not short. Rest is also important. I love that fall is pretty much here and I'm ready to welcome to it.