I have debated about posting this for some time. For months, in fact, because you might just  think I'm nuts. But the last few days, I've seen both the Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet and the Hollywood Cookie Diet advertised on TV and I'm just infuriated. This era of bad nutrition and misinformation needs to end!

Jake and I have been eating super-healthy for almost a year now, and feeling really, really great. Life-changing great. Our health has improved so much.

Some people think we're nuts, as what we're eating is definitely not society's "norm" and it wasn't easy for us to find the information we did. So I'm putting it here to share with you. Take it or leave it. But, I'm hoping you'll take it!

Where to begin?

My food journey, like everyone's, started as kid, I avoided vegetables like the plague. My mom served veggies with every dinner, but bless their souls, she and my dad never forced me to eat them. I knew Popeye ate his Spinach, but I never understood the reason people at things like cooked spinach that looked soooo soggy... and steamed broccoli that smelled so.... green.

I grew up surrounded by Italians with a divine love for homemade pastas (and the marinara always from scratch), garlic breadsticks, and homemade pizzas with a thin yet chewy crust.

I would start my days with a bowl or two of cereal... anything from Cheerios to Frosted Flakes... pancakes or scones or eggs and bacon on the weekends, lunches of grilled cheese, cheese and crackers and, of course, pb & j... I loved fruit and enjoyed yogurt, so later in life I thought those were the healthy choices that would keep my body healthy. I averaged a size 4, and while I often felt tired, I worked out and never thought I was out of shape or terribly unhealthy. I ate this way until I was 29. Until 9 months ago, in fact.

Last holiday season, Jake and I didn't feel like we were at our best. We tried to eat healthier by incorporating whole grains, more fruit, and some veggies (Jake was better than me at this) into our diet. But again, no science behind our methods, just what we had thought was right from the good 'ol USDA.

As we started researching new gyms and workout programs, Jake also began searching for more information on nutrition. Both of us ready for a change, we bought a few books and began reading. We were amazed at what we were learning, and decided to give things a try.

We now eat a diet that consists of:
-lean meats & seafood
-healthy fats
-non-starchy vegetables and fruits

What don't we eat? Grains, cereals, rice, processed meats, unhealthy fats, sugar, and dairy.

We went through a bit of grain/sugar withdrawl when we first started it (I literally saw cupcakes dancing in front of me one day), but once we made it past the first few weeks we saw and felt some amazing things start to happen.

The changes we've seen? All positive!
-Increased energy (I joke that I've been awakened from a lifelong grain-induced coma)
-Becoming more lean (We're both the smallest we've ever been in our adult lives!)
-Feeling satisfied and full after meals for several hours (No need for snacking)
-No longer fearing a future with heart disease, cancer, or one of the many syndrome x diseases caused by eating foods that weren't meant for our systems
-Clearer skin
-Improved strength at the gym
-Improved allergies (Jake hasn't renewed his allergy rx in 6 months! he used to need it every day!)
-Better sleep
-Improved & easier to control blood sugars (for my type 1 diabetes)

The official name is the Paleo Diet. Dr. Loren Cordain describes it best on his website as:

"The Paleo Diet is a way of eating in the modern age that best mimics diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors - combinations of lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. By eating the foods that we are genetically adapted to eat, followers of the Paleo Diet are naturally lean, have acne-free skin, improved athletic performance, and are experiencing relief from numerous metabolic-related and autoimmune diseases.

If you are ready to be lean and healthy, then look around and subscribe to our newsletter. Learn how to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, acne, gastrointestinal disease, autoimmune diseases, and more. On this website, and in our books and newsletter, you'll learn the latest science and practical scientific tips that will lead to optimum health and performance. This truly is the world's healthiest diet."

I am posting this article today because I know so many people come out of the holidays full of eggnog and holiday cookies, ready to get into shape. Resolutions are set, yet so many don't even know how to properly achieve them. Try this yourself and see how you feel!

Recommended Reading & Websites:
-The Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain
-The Everyday Paleo Blog
-Robb Wolf's Blog
-The Diabetes Solution by Dr. Bernstein (any diabetics out there MUST read this!)

Happy Eating!

Every year I get super excited about the holiday season. I love updating my holiday music playlist, getting out the decorations, drinking hot, frothy cappuccinos from red cups, and cozying up to my handsome husband while watching Christmas movies.

But I must admit, I have always viewed New Year's Eve as a giant bunch of hoopla. The expectation to don a party hat, get all gussied up, wear glittery eyeshadow, stiletto heels and stay up past midnight to celebrate the shift of a year is something I left back in college. Well, maybe a couple years out of college...

And while I understand the symbolism of closing out the old and starting with the new, these days I find myself getting excited for birthdays of our nephews and niece, girlfriends announcing their first pregnancies, my parents 40th wedding anniversary, our wedding anniversaries, my sister and aunt running half-marathons, booking a new couple for their wedding... you know, things of significance... things that matter!

So, forgive me for packing away my cocktail dress and glittery eyeshadow and shying away from the big party invites, and mini-vacations planned for this New Year's Eve. We rang in the new year with a few good friends this year and it was perfect. Great company, tasty food, fun card games (even if I only learned how to play them halfway through), and the neighbors even had a fantastic fireworks display. I'd say it was just about perfect.

THANK YOU to all of our 2009 friends-as-clients, for making this a year of growth. You trusted me with my creative vision. You've built my confidence. My love for doing what I do just keeps snowballing larger and larger.

I am greeting 2010 with giddy anticipation. We have some seriously fantastic weddings lined up, and I can't wait to see what other couples we will book. I know that the clients that select us are also a reflection of us, and the matches just get better and better all the time. Who knew photography would be such a great way to make new friends!

And if you want to keep in the loop with me for 2010, be sure to

find me on facebook
follow me on twitter
join my mailing list

I'll try to keep you entertained :)

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday! I wanted to share our holiday card with you this year. We opted for a different version of an e-card rather than a printed card because we just couldn't find any other way to recap what a great year this has been for us. Enjoy!

I think it's a shame that for us on-location photographers in Seattle, business slows down a bit - okay, a LOT, in the wintertime. Don't get me wrong, I definitely get the appeal of our summer warmth, but I truly believe that anytime of year is a great time to shoot.

While the weather, the location, the styling can all play into the feeling of the shoot & appearance of final photos, the absolute, hands-down, most important factor is YOU - the subject, the purpose, whatever reason that this shoot is taking place. The reason you have hired, paid, and signed a contract for someone else to take these photos of you.

I love parents Todd & Becky for recognizing this split moment in their lives. As their 5 year wedding anniversary was fast approaching, they had also just celebrated the 3rd birthday of their first son, and the first birthday of their youngest. Holidays are right around the corner, and really, their plates couldn't be more full. But they stopped for photos. They made time for photos. To them, this was a moment in time that needed to be documented.

I was a bit nervous. We'd planned an early morning shoot (for reasons of sunlight & kids' best moods), and it. was. cold. Super cold. So cold, the grass was frozen white. I had no idea how the kids would react to the weather. I was most nervous about Chase, the one-year-old getting cold. But as always, I took a deep breath, filled my mind with positive thoughts, and headed in.

I chose a few of my favorites to post here, and I'm going to take a quick moment to tell what I like about each shot. Yes, photos do speak for themselves, but hey, it's a blog, and I just feel the need to say what's in my head tonight...