I saw this one movie one time where the father of the main character tells her that everyone has the exact love life they want. I watched that movie like 5 years ago… and I’m still not sure what I think about that statement. But something I do know is that life is made up of a series of choices. We have the choice to love instead of be cynical. We have the choice to take a risk, knowing fully that we might get really hurt. We have the choice to pick ourselves up after a major disappointment or tragedy and keep going with hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. We have the choice to defy everything we know and feel comfort in for the chance at something greater. We have the chance to live fully and love greatly. We just have to choose it. If these choices were easy, everyone would be a superhero. Life goes by so quick. Love is a choice… but one good love is worth risking everything for. There’s some food for thought…

Here’s a sneak peek of the engagement shoot I did with Billy Jack and Alissa yesterday in San Diego. More to come!

January was full of new and exciting things. It was the first month of the 2010, thus serving as a perfect starting place for improvements and ideas. And although January isn’t prime wedding season, it’s definitely a big wedding planning and booking month…. which is exactly what’s been keeping me busy lately. In talking with my brides for this year, I’ve noticed a common point of frustration… there’s just SO much out there, it’s hard to choose what… and where …and how …and what colors …and what music …and what venue… etc. There’s invitations to write and design, there’s venues and vendors to book, there’s dresses and tuxes to pick, and then there’s the smaller details like whether or not to include RSVP cards with return stamps… or not. And even though I’m not a bride yet, I sympathize with their frustrations and feeling overwhelmed…. there really is a LOT out there.

So this year, I’m excited to offer something that eases just a little of the frustration and overwhelmed feelings my brides have voiced. This year, I’m offering personalized wedding websites for every wedding I shoot this year! Wooohoo!!!

Wedding Websites are a great way to hit several birds with one stone….

* Save money on paper RSVP cards and postage…. and request that all your guests RSVP directly on the site.

* Have a centralized location where your guests can view directions, view wedding details, and your engagement/wedding pictures

* Direct people to a Registry page on your website where your guests can see where you’re registered, click on the link, and start online shopping right then and there

*  Create a cool and super fun way to share your love story and excitement with your family and friends

Pretty much the best idea since sliced bread, if you ask me…

Here’s a few pages from a site I just finished for Billy Jack and Alissa, whose wedding in May is going to be super fun It features their wedding colors, their story, picture galleries, their wedding, registry, and vendor details, directions, times, and addresses, a place to find them on the internet, and a place to RSVP…. basically everything they could want in one stop! Check it out…

You can view more here.

This past weekend I got to revisit a place in my life that holds many lessons and memories that have shaped and molded me into the person I am today…. I got to spend the weekend at Forest Home working alongside old friends putting on a children’s program for kids of Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. Working in a camp setting with kids isn’t something new, but it definitely took changing gears from 100% work to 100% play…. and I’m very glad Christopher made me leave my laptop at home (even though I fought it). It was a good time… I got the chance to jump, dance, scream, laugh, play, catch up with old friends, hang out with 4th grade girls, eat camp food, and just be….. all weekend long. It was refreshing, rejuvenating, and it nudged me back into the right direction. Here’s a little bit of what I wrote in my journal last weekend…

“I found a bridge this weekend. It’s a bridge I’ve loved my whole life… my favorite place in Forest Home, but today my friends and I stood on that bridge and took pictures. This weekend I realized I will never “be there”… and it will always take extraordinary time and effort to pursue a dream; I will always be working to be the best I can be. Life lived can go quickly and silently past when the focus is “getting there.”

I found a bridge this weekend. It’s a bridge I’ve loved my whole life… my favorite place in Forest Home. It’s a bridge from everything I work for… to everything I live for. One side is the hard working side… my world everyday, and the other side is the peace and love and support I thirst for. This bridge is the familiar faces of friends and acquaintances seen in the mirror of the shared bathroom…. faces showing contented exhaustion from the long wonderful nights filled with heart-to-hearts and laugh-till-you-cry’s… and days full of screamingly ecstatic children running our hearts dry. We may not have seen each other for months or years… but silently we stumble about sharing toothpaste and hair straighteners… completely at peace and… at home. There’s always an embrace waiting. There’s always laughs to be had and vulnerability spilled to a flashflood.. pushing us closer together despite the distances we move back over the bridge to life of everyday.

Thanks for the bridge You’ve given me to Your body. This has been the pause… the respite I’ve needed….”

And here’s what our weekend looked like… a collage of squares for you…

And on another note…

Today is the day, 1 year 6 months ago, Christopher and I began our dating adventure.

I call it the adventure because when we first started dating, Christopher was supposed to be leaving for 2 years to teach in Honduras… and I had not even started thinking about Kate Noelle Photography. So… if we hadn’t jumped… he would be in a foreign country teaching… and I would be back at Whitworth preparing to apply to medical schools with a biology degree under my belt.

It’s been a wild ride… chalk full of ups and downs, but I’m so glad I jumped with you Chris! You crack me up. You inspire me. You are a huge support. You get me. You’re my Captain Awesome.

Loooove,

Me