the final frontier

We piled into the car yesterday morning and the heat wouldn’t start. Drew called work and told them he’d be a little late and we drove to the car rental place. Halfway there, our seat warmers kicked in. The bottom half of my body appreciated this, the top half (particularly my hands, which were clutching the iPhone that was navigating us to said car rental place) were not amused. Poor Lukas, who had no seat warmer, endured the ten-minute drive by falling asleep.

It was -21 degrees.

Drew, Viktorija, and Lukai...welcome to Alaska!

Yesterday morning we quickly learned that when the temperature regularly takes nosedives into the negative double digits, driving around with no heat in the car is a downright painful experience. The car rental place switched out our small Jeep for a tank (otherwise known as a Ford Expedition) and the day got back on track, with Drew getting dropped off at the hospital and Lukas and I heading home for breakfast. It was an interesting start to the day, to say the least.

Our bright, mustard-y yellow Alaskan license plate says “Alaska, the final frontier.” As corny as that sounds, it feels very true. This town is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The majority of the streets are inches thick with snow. It’s hard to tell what’s a turning lane, what’s a normal lane, and hey, can you see where the entrance ramp is for that highway? The car needs to be plugged in two hours before it’s driven, otherwise you’ll need to kiss your outing goodbye. Anything above zero degrees feels (surprisingly) fine. A long sleeved tee and my heavy winter jacket are all I need. But when we reach -20 degrees, it’s time to start layering. I pull on a second pair of socks, a fleece jacket is sandwiched in between my tee and the winter jacket, and I consider throwing on a scarf. I’ve quickly realized that leggings are preferable to jeans. I’ve been wearing a pair of fleece-lined leggings underneath a normal pair of black leggings. Two to five seconds after stepping outside, my nose hairs freeze. It’s the oddest sensation. I wish I could ask Lukas what he thinks of it.

He’s bundled in a bright blue down snowsuit, his hands and feet snugly tucked inside pockets that flip over to keep fingers and toes toasty. I think he’s still wondering how he went from balmy Ft. Myers, Florida, to freezing Fairbanks, Alaska, in the span of one week. The first day in Fairbanks I couldn’t coax a single smile from him. But on the second day (when it was 30 degrees colder), he flashed a few grins our way.

As crazy as things are here, it’s also surprised me how quickly I’ve gotten used to the lack of sunlight; the amount of outerwear we have to put on just to stick our noses outside; and the crazy driving conditions (okay...if we're being completely honest here, I'm not used to that part yet. And it's not ideal having so little daylight). We are a loooooong way from North Carolina…a fact that was driven home to me today when I realized it's about 110 degrees colder here today than in Durham. 

Are we crazy or what?!

Four days and counting...

I sort of fell off the face of the earth as far as blogging is concerned. I tend to do that occasionally (see here and here). Usually, it's not a big deal. This time, however, I have big news...

That was our announcement...back in October. 

I know, I know, I'm TERRIBLE! How the heck I went months and months without making a single mention (not a single PEEP!) of my pregnancy on my photog page, I have no clue. It just sort of happened. And once it happened, it stayed that way. Until today. 

It took quite a while for the news to sink in. Drew and I found out we were pregnant exactly three years (to the month) after we had started trying. It was a shock to the system, to say the least. After we processed the news (it took weeks), my main worry was making it to the second trimester. Once that happened, I started looking for signs of baby's presence -- you know, nausea or a rounding tummy or something. The nausea never arrived. And the bump took ages to show up! So by the time it all seemed real to me, I was more than halfway there. 

Not only am I pregnant, but my due date was Saturday.

*cue my shocked face*

No baby yet. Today, I'm officially four days late. Baby seems perfectly content to stay inside while I clean like crazy, eat food and drink drinks that I probably shouldn't (hellooo, Chick-fil-a frozen coffee! This drink is the bomb, btw, if you haven't yet succumbed to the ads), and slowly go crazy (this waiting game is driving me nuts!).

My uber talented sister took the most gorgeous maternity pictures. These are some of my favorites. This shoot happened when I was 37 weeks pregnant.

This wall! I had to have pictures here -- I love the vibrant colors. And the perk: it's only a block away from one of my favorite coffee shops.

I pinky promise I won't wait til baby is six months old before posting again. 

;)

Fall Photos: Families | 2015 |

Fall always takes me by surprise.

My camera is rarely in its case and my Fitbit explodes with steps as I wander around Durham destinations with families -- downtown Durham, Forest Hills Park, the American Tobacco Campus, the AT trail, even the Botanical Gardens in my hometown of Asheville.

This is just a smattering of photos from the fall, when the trees were bursting with color,

the air held a hint of chilliness,

and the kiddos ran every which way, shrieking in delight.

Nicole + Nick | Durham, NC | wedding

Nicole and Nick were married on a gorgeous October afternoon at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, on the outskirts of downtown Durham.

Nicole's lace wedding dress was unique -- short, sassy, and sweet!

Nicole and her fiancee Nick are both doctors at Duke University Hospital. While many brides spend their wedding day with at least some degree of stress, Nicole was ecstatic and chill. I don't think I saw her without a smile at any point in the day!

She and Nick were getting married and spending a week honeymooning together. For two doctors, this precious time off -- and spent together, newly married -- was the best gift.

I attempted to cajole a smile from Nicole's niece, Adaline, but she was focusing on the duties at hand -- being a flower girl. The smiles came later, when I was snapping family portraits. 

The reception was held at the Washington Duke Inn. Nicole, Nick, and I slipped away from the cocktail hour for a bit, wandering along the golf course and taking photos.

Taking portraits of the bride and groom are my absolutely favorite part of the wedding day. It's just the bride and groom (and me!). They're relaxed, happy, & basking in the glow of being newly married.

Nicole's ring is gorgeous! Nick did an awesome job, finding a ring with a delicate, spiraled band topped with a diamond.

I love a groom who rocks funky socks!

Once the wedding was over (and she was able to trade her dressy flats for a pair of bright pink flip flops, Adeline was all smiles with her aunt Nicole!

Congratulations Nicole and Nick!

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your wedding day.

Florist: 9th Street Flowers  |  Wedding music: Andrew Witchger, pianist, and Frances Lobo, soloist  |  Officiant: Fr. Chris Van Haight   

Declan turns 1 | Northgate Park

I did a maternity shoot with Scott and Shannon when Shannon was pregnant with their first baby. A week or two after Declan arrived, I came to their home for a newborn shoot. We met again in the fall, when crimson, yellow, and plum leaves littered the ground. And a year later, I met the little family at Northgate Park for Declan's 1st birthday pictures.

Instead of a baby, I encountered a little boy with light blonde hair and the biggest brown eyes. Declan has the most beautiful smile, which he happily flashed for the camera whenever his parents made faces at him. 

Taylor | UNC graduation

Summer is officially over for me. Music lessons started back up in August and this week marks the start of group violin classes. My schedule is back to normal and it's finalllllly time to catch up on this summer's photo shoots (I'm been lagging behind like nobody's business).

Taylor graduated from UNC back in May. She's already a few months into her new job at Duke University Hospital where she's working as a nurse.

Congrats Taylor!

hide + seek

I've been wanting succulents for ages.

My sister knew this and decided that for my birthday, she'd surprise me with a box of assorted succulents. Right around the end of April, our UPS deliveries got a little crazy. As in, we weren't receiving items we'd ordered (such as my birthday present to hubs, my sister's gift to me...). Long story short, our packages were being mistakenly delivered to the wrong address. The people there had been on vacation -- we think -- and so our packages sat in their house, unopened, until weeks later when they got home, realized the problem, + dropped off the boxes on our porch. This meant that when all was said and done, I ended up with two boxes of succulents (we're talking about THIRTY-TWO succulents -- pure madness).

Using Pinterest for inspiration, I picked up a variety of neat glass and clay containers from a local thrift store, bought a bag of pebbles, cactus soil, and moss (did you know there's such a thing as dried moss? And it even comes in PURPLE? Me neither), and got busy planting.

I currently have twelve containers of succulents playing hide and seek in my house.

It's awesome!

The bookshelves were probably our longest running project. Ever.

But now that they're finished, I love 'em! And they're a great place to house succulents. ;)

graduation x two!

I've known these two girls for ages. Once upon a time, I was in school with three of their brothers (...some of the best dancers I've had the pleasure of meeting). I remember Julie and Emily as little girls, peeking eagerly around the corner to see what the big kids were up to. 

A few weeks ago, they graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. 

Julie graduated from UNC's school of nursing and is hoping to work in pediatrics at Duke Hospital. She's so outgoing and friendly; there was never a moment during our shoot that she didn't have a smile on her face. She's going to fit in perfectly in the peds department.

Emily graduated with a bachelors of arts. We headed over to the art building for photos, where I saw her senior project on display -- this girl is a talented artist (and musician!). She's hoping to head north at the end of the summer to work for a non-profit. Emily's a wonderfully sweet, thoughtful person and I can't wait to see what sorts of adventures are in store for her.

Congrats!!!

hi again!

It's been a while. Again. Have you noticed I'm awfully good at that? Posting posting posting, then taking a break, the sort that meanders from two weeks into three, then four.

After a crazy amount of snow days in February, I was done with winter (translated: sometimes that meant there was white stuff present, but usually, it just meant school was cancelled due to "weather" or even better, "threat of weather"). I wanted spring to come and I wanted it fast. She finally meandered in around late March and I was in heaven. Flip flops were found, patio furniture dusted off, and I eagerly pulled out tees and tank tops. Other than several weeks of a truly horrid cankerworm invasion (see here--GROSS), it's been bliss. 

Hubs has been working like a fiend on our yard (from a plot of dirt to a sea of shiny, soft grass, it's a tale of the little seeds that could). I delved back into DIY and painted the back door white (oh yeah, me and my wild colors). Our garden is flourishing (cheers to a plethora of herbs and growing tomato plants!). And we booked a summer trip to Cancun with one of my best friends and her hubs (HURRAY!).

This, right now, is life. And it's good.

Laura | Durham, NC

I adore the adventurous people. 

The ones who agree to meet me at my house, hop in the car with a bag full of outfits and shoes, and trust me when I say, "I found this amazing spot for photos. It's right down the road and it'll look like you're in the woods, in the middle of nowhere, instead of in the city."

Two boys zoom by on their skateboards as I stand in the middle of the quiet road, my camera pointed towards the girl in the woods. 

She trusts me when I pull over and ask her to stand, there, next to the busy road and the gorgeously pink trees. Cars pass us. We wait. When the road clears, she twirls. 

It's these sorts of people that inspire amazing photographs.