Today I did something I never do. I spoke at a women’s bible study at church. As I told them, I’ll tell you now…. I’m not really the public speaking type of person… it’s way more comfortable to speak from my blog where I don’t have to worry about saying “um” too much or stuttering. But I did it and I’m pretty proud of myself for figuring out how to work Keynote, pair a remote to my laptop, and connect the correct cords to make it project on a screen… all while talking about something (hopefully) remotely relevant to the audience of women.

A couple weeks ago, Christopher and I sat in the clubhouse at Forest Home talking about life and lessons and the challenges of living on the road less traveled… all pretty light a fluffy subjects (not). It’s a wierd season of life for both of us… feels sort of like a staging ground… or a change of tides. Do you ever have those season in your life? So who knows where the wind will blow or what He’s got up his sleeve for the next chapter of the adventure. I suppose I’ll know in all good time… and when I find out, I’ll be sure to keep you posted. But for now, here’s a few pictures from the same afternoon at camp with Christopher… we made a ship at the craft cabin and it’s my new favorite desk decoration! More weddings and fun shoots to share in the coming weeks!

Where have I BEEEEEN?! Well… if you must know. Vacation. The past 2.5 weeks, I’ve been all over the place doing mostly non-work related things… which has been a wonderful break for me (but painful at the same time.) It’s difficult pulling myself away from something I love doing… but it must be done every once in a while. So after a week in Texas (kind of doing work), and a week at a beach house in Oceanside (not doing any work), and a few days up at Forest Home (kind of doing work)… I’m back in the office, hyped and pumped to get some major work done. But before I bury my self back into album designing, I wanted to share some of what I DID do the past few weeks…. I read. Now, I’m not gonna lie… I haven’t read all of them yet. BUT they’re all in my queue to read before the end of August… so I’m still cracking away. Aaaaand If I could recommend one book for you to read this summer… it would be Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity, by Hugh MacLeod…. it was definitely a book to get the creative juices flowing again! Happy Thursday…

He’s a genuinely good guy. First impressions say a lot about a person…. maybe even the things they try to hide. My first impression of Chris was just that… he’s a genuinely good guy. He loves the Lord. He loves my friend. He loves people and does his best to help where he can. He’s a hard worker. He’s a big WIN if you ask me!

Hmmm… what to say about Chelsea…. She’s everything a lady should be. She’s one of the only nurses I would want if I were in the hospital (she recently finished her Nurse Practitioner’s degree and rolls with the big dogs now ). She’s gorgeous. She has a smile that could make glaciers melt. Her quiet, yet quirky sense of humor never fails to have me in stitches (no pun intended…)…. and the list goes on and on. She’s someone I would want to be like when I grow up.

You can imagine the look on my face when Chelsea first asked me to be her wedding photographer…. well, basically I had a blank look of complete and utter shock on my face. I’m beyond honored Chris and Chelsea have chosen me to be their wedding photographer… and I couldn’t ask for more perfect clients and friends than them! We had so much fun shooting at the Orange Circle and Peter’s Canyon… and I’m SO excited for their November wedding at Strawberry Farms! Here’s some shots from our afternoon…

By the way… Chelsea claimed to “not know how to ‘work it’ “…. riiiiight.

Chelsea cracks me up… she’s so darn cute!

After we spent some time exploring around Orange Circle, we took a quick drive down Chapman and ended up at Peter’s Canyon… another one of my favorite places to shoot. The hills were painted a gorgeous spring green and as the sun set, we enjoyed the vibrant colors all around. Seriously… the whole time, Taylor Swift was singing “Today was a Fairytale” in my head… because that’s what it looked like.

Okay…. I couldn’t help myself. I HAD to shoot some of the details… because they were so good! I ADORED Chelsea’s dress from Anthropologie and the cute bouquet of flowers she brought along….

I was also a HUGE fan of her cute yellow strappy sandals from Nordstrom. (And I have to admit… I saw them at Nordstrom and almost bought them…)

Chris certainly brought “man-ness” to the shoot with his studly cowboy boots.

This was one of my favorites from the day…

Another “couldn’t help myself” moment… the sun flare was just so cool!!!!

Chris brought his truck… yay!

Passion.

Dear Chris and Chelsea,

You rocked my world with this shoot.

Not only were you easy on the eyes, but you were a breath of fresh air to my soul.

I loved getting to know you both better and I can’t wait for your wedding day.

I might cry. This is fair warning.

Loooove,

Kate

I never know how to feel or what to think on New Years’ Eve as the clock strikes midnight. Do you ever have moments in your life when you have so many feelings and thoughts that they all seem to cancel each other out and leave you thinking absolutely nothing at all? Maybe not… but that’s really the only way I can explain what I felt this year when the clock struck midnight. 2009 was a huge year for me…. both in quantity, and in quality. There was so much to remember and learn. So many new experiences. So many trials, defeats… and many triumphs. So many new people I’ve met. So many new goals I have for this next year. How to even sum up what 2009 has been for me? Here’s just a few I pin-pointed.

*2009 was the first full year since my YWAM adventure that I’ve been home in Orange County with an income.

*I started off 2009 working at It’s a Grind, but 3 weeks into the year, it closed due to economic reasons and I was catapulted into full time self-employment… and it’s been a crazy journey.

*I never thought I would have shot so many weddings and portraits in my first full calendar year in business. God is GOOD.

*I had the opportunity to travel to four places I’d never been to before… Brentwood, Portland, North Carolina and Wyoming.

* I almost quit pursuing my dream of being a wedding photographer at least 3 times this year because I was so discouraged. But I didn’t. It’s because of His grace and strength I don’t possess.

*This is the first full calendar year Christopher and I have been dating… and I never want it to end. <3

*I’ve developed so much in my own style of photography, art, and personality… I’m not who I was last year… at all.

*This is what I blogged last year… click here.

This year will be exciting…. I just know it. I have no idea what adventures it will entail, but with all that happened in 2009, I can’t help but be anxiously waiting to see how God is going to move in mighty ways in 2010. I proceed with confidence because just as He provided all I needed last year to do great things, He will continue to be my source of security this year as well. Jesus, thanks for being God and thank you for teaching me (continuously) to see with your measure of beauty.

Without Further Adieu, My Favorite 9 (technically 13 because I couldn’t narrow it down to 9) of 2009….