Love in Chapel Hill

It's about time I post a photo from one of my photo shoots with my sister Sarah and her fiance Caleb. They were engaged earlier this spring while on a layover in Amsterdam and bound for Africa (read their story here), and since then I've been lucky enough to meet up with them four times, despite the miles between us. I'll be posting more photos from our shoot in Alaska soon, but here's a peak at our second session down in their new home of Chapel Hill, where Caleb is pursuing his doctorate in philosophy at UNC (they are standing in front of the philosophy building). In just under a year they will be married on a farm just outside of Chapel Hill. Let the countdown begin! 

click photo to enlarge

Here's to new adventures together!

Rounding Third and Headed for the Alter: Riley + Jon

We turned off the highway and onto a gravel road, the end of our long journey home from Colorado. If I was completely honest with myself, I'd have realized I was a bit nervous. It's not every day you meet your boyfriend's family. We had just enjoyed a weekend skiing with college friends, and since we were driving right by Evan's hometown, we figured we might as well stop and say hi. As we pulled up to the farm, I was struck by how quiet it was. The drifted snow muffled our tires and we slid into the garage, like a couple of stealth undercover cops. I bet no one knows we're even here, I thought. But no sooner was old Berta (E's old Beretta) in park and we exchanged a "well, we made it!" grin, then the door to the house cracked open and out came a rush of energy and excitement I now know can only be associated with Riley. She whisked us into the house with tales from her day at school and the latest small town gossip, an endless stream of chatter that made me feel right at home. 

I can't believe it's now been 11 years (eleven!!!) since I met Evan's little sister. But she remains the spunky Riley I met that day in the garage, and always a joy to be around. I'm so excited for her to walk down the aisle in just two weeks. It was a special treat to tromps around the farm with these two lovebirds - enjoy the slideshow! (scroll down)

(Note: Actual photo quality not represented well in slideshow)

Turn up the music! 

Lover of the Light by Mumford & Sons

Here's their sneak peek on my blog!

Sneak Peek: Farm Girl Love

My sister-in-law Riley is getting married in May, and I had such fun trompsing in the snow, fields, and barnyard with these lovebirds this past weekend. Can't wait to edit the rest of these ... and for May 17! 

Turkey-Day Photos and Slideshow: Part II

Here are a few more photos from the other weekend when I photographed this happy family:

Don't these sisters make you want to go buy a cute fall sweater?

The whole family

Grand- and great-grandmother's hands

Enjoy the slideshow!

 

Sneak Peek: Turkey Day Family Photos

I come from a large family: three sisters, 15 cousins, and four grandparents who all enjoy getting together for holiday festivities. So I felt right at home at this large family photo shoot over the weekend. With four generations all in one house, they must have had a festive Thanksgiving! Here's a sneak peek from our morning shoot. 

I love this picture of all the cousins!

All the grandchildren

Isn't a grandmother's (and great grandmother's!) hand a beautiful thing? I can't wait to post the others from this series. Thanks to Jackie for recommending this.

 More to come!

Julia + Chris: Almost Married!

The title to this post doesn't really apply anymore since this lovely couple is now married, but these photos were taken the night before their big day at their rehearsal dinner at Pracna in Minneapolis. Funny story, the bride (who also attended St. Olaf) was born in my hometown way out in Lawrenceville, New Jersey!

Enjoy the two collages I put together (below) with a few snippets from the night. They food was amazing and the historic building was the perfect backdrop for their cozy evening. Congrats Julia and Chris!

Minnehaha Falls Slideshow

You've already seen sneak peek photos here and here, and now you can watch the final slideshow!

This cute family knows a thing or two about long-distance relationships, since the grandparents live down in St. Louis, where they're all originally from. I had a blast capturing their happy reunion at Minnehaha Falls earlier this fall.