A Happy Easter For All.

This year our Easter was wonderful. Some previous time spent with family celebrating our risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

We met up with the rest of my family for breakfast at our church followed by a wonderful service. We then headed home for some time just the four of us to enjoy the morning and pack up some changes of clothes before heading over to my parents' house for lunch, egg coloring and an egg hunt. The girls were very excited.

Us adults had a lot of fun watching the three cousins decorate hard boiled eggs. All of them did such a great job and we managed to only get involved when the risk of dying the floor came into play.

Lunch was magnificent, my mother did a fabulous job and I would say the girls favorite part was the egg hunt in the yard. There wasn't one part of the day that didn't go off wonderfully. I can't say there is any other way I would want to spend an Easter.

This isn't to say that there weren't catastrophes. We had one injury at the very end of the egg hunt when Olyvia walked straight into a tree branch, stabbing her eye and causing it to immediately turn red and water. She managed to throw a smile on though even though she was pretty sure if she removed her hand her eye may fall out.

Annelise W. - a brisk morning on the waterfront

Annelise and I met up Saturday morning for her senior portrait session. The weather was sunny but extremely brisk. Our hands were frozen and we had to take a few brakes to rub them together and get warm, but I very much enjoyed visiting with her and hearing about her upcoming plans. She is extremely talented and is being rewarded with a full academic scholarship to college this fall for cross county. Wow! I am excited to hear how it goes as she makes the transition from her hometown to college. Many exciting things ahead of her.

Megan H. in Downtown Poulsbo

I first met Megan over 3 years ago. I have had the pleasure to travel with her, to study scripture with her and to just be a part of her life. She is such a wonderful young woman. Her smile captivates you while her spirit warms your soul. Although the weather didn't shine on us, our time was definitely bright. We spent time walking around in downtown Poulsbo and along the waterfront visiting and joking as I attempted to capture her fluidity.

Her next five months are going to be busy as she graduates from high school and embarks upon the adventure of college. I am so excited for her.

Thank you Megan for choosing me to capture this special time in your life. I look forward to being there for you throughout the years.

Beautiful Baby Sophia.

Even as an infant, just barely a week old, Sophia knows what she wants. She is a strong willed and beautiful baby and I was so lucky to get to visit her home and take some pictures of her. Her mother, a co-worker and friend, asked me and I was more than happy to do so. We had been hoping for a sleeping baby but when I arrived at their home was met by a very much awake and alert little one.

Thank you Carly for letting me take some photos of your princess. I am excited to watch her grow.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt has been quoted as saying "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

What an amazing thought. To believe that we hold the future in our dreams. Our individual futures can only be as big as we can dream. The bigger we dream and the more we believe in our dreams, the more amazing our futures can be. We all need to grab ahold of our futures with full force and dream, dream, dream.

I leave you all the following thought provoking question. Do you allow yourself to believe in the beauty of your dreams?

A Saturday Morning with the Nyman Family.

This is the Nyman family. Recently I was asked to take some photos of their growing family and I jumped at the chance. Their 3 oldest may seem familiar from photos taken this last summer. I had such a great time taking their photos there is no way I would have turned down another opportunity to do so.

The boys had to steal a minute for some photos of just the two of them.

Here are a few more of my favorite photos from the morning.

Attacking the Gym!

Yes, that is right. About a month ago I decided to make the leap and join the local gym. I was a member when my girls were babies and loved it but the time and money involved just didn't seem worth it. So, for the last 3 years I have been attempting free exercise - walking and running on the roads. This seems like a great idea, unless you live in the Pacific Northwest. I have realized that unless I want to be soaking wet, muddy and cold most of the time I am exercising, I need to join a gym. I know, a revelation.

I have been trying to get to the gym at least four days a week for 1-2 hours each visit. There are definitely specific teachers that I like and others I could do without. I try to focus on the purpose of going to the gym and not on who is teaching each class. That can be tough. Do step teachers realize how important it is to cue properly? Do they really want to see me fall flat on my face when I try to change mid step because they didn't cue in enough time?

The days I do cardio box and step are by far my favorites. I get drippy sweaty which is totally disgusting, but the classes are a blast and the people are great. The other days I do weight classes or cardio which are great but more done because I have to than because I enjoy them. Gonna throw in some yoga this weekend - relaxing and stretching should help with my flexibility.

I will keep you all posted on how it goes. So far, I am feeling better and loving the indoor option.