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
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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...

After a romantic dinner at a well-known downtown steakhouse, she still had no ring. Not that she was expecting it that night, but maybe - just maybe, she had been hoping... there had been some talk about a ring, after all.

After dinner, he had to make a quick stop at the local library to return some overdue books. This was normal (not the overdue part, I don't think), but the library was a common spot for them. They had been studying at the same library when they were introduced by friends. And they continued to study there together, as friends, for some time more.

And their friendship grew into a perfect love. So it was only perfect that rather than retrieving due books from the car, Thomas appeared with a gorgeous ring and asked Stephanie to be his bride.

And she said yes.
And they popped champagne.
And they will live happily ever after :)

So for their engagement shoot, we thought it would only be fitting to include a library as a part of the shoot. We went out to UW on a brisk day and had a ton of fun. The happy couple knew it wouldn't be complete without their dog Stella, so she came along as well. Needless to say, this little family has stolen my heart.