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I Believe: Life at 36

So another birthday has come and gone, and I’m now officially closer to 40 than 30. But I’m not about to start shopping for dentures just yet – I’m looking forward to what 36 has in store for me. So far my 30’s have been a lot more fun than my 20’s, and I’d like to think I’m at least a little smarter than I was then (wonder if I’ll look back and say the same thing about my 30’s)! I’ll let you decide if I’ve learned anything – here are 10 things I believe about life at 36:

1. I believe…everything they say about getting old is true. Unfortunately. (Gravity? You suck.)

2. I believe…a great picture of yourself can make you feel like a supermodel. A bad one can make you wonder if you have a vision problem and/or consider plastic surgery. (“Do I REALLY look like that???”)

3. I believe…everyone should see at least a little bit of the rest of the world. Sometimes getting lost helps you find yourself.

4. I believe…no matter how much weight you lose, you’ll always want to lose at least 5 more pounds. So eat the friggin’ donut. Just run around the block a few times first. 🙂

5. I believe…you shouldn’t wait to let the people you care about know that they’re important to you. You never know when God is going to need them back.

6. I believe…a rainy day, a warm blanket, a movie on tv you’ve seen a million times but still love, and a nap in your favorite spot on the couch make up one of the greatest, most underappreciated moments in life.

7. I believe…if you want to find out who your real friends are, ask them to help you move. 🙂

8. I believe…no matter how many times it gets broken, never be afraid to risk your heart. There’s a reason why you never hear stories about people on their death beds saying, “I wish I would have loved less.”

9. I believe…if a person’s actions don’t match their words, judge them by their actions. They’ll tell you all you need to know.

10. I believe…at the root of it all, the most basic human need is not to feel loved, but valued – that the person they are, something they did, something they said mattered to someone else.

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Wedding: Holli & Griff – Church in the Pines & SpringHouse Restaurant – Lake Martin, Alabama

The sun was shining VERY brightly as Holli and Griff got ready at two separate lake homes, before heading to Church in the Pines to tie the knot: a wedding at church in the pines and reception at springhouse restaurant in lake martin alabama The floral decor (from Weddings by Jill, who also coordinated the day) was some of the prettiest I have ever seen – rich, warm colors, and arrangements so full they were almost bursting at the seams:During the ceremony, Holli’s brother did a reading and shared a few words of his own……and struggled to keep his composure as he said them:Their original reception location was damaged by tornados about 6 months before their wedding date, so they switched to SpringHouse Restaurant – which turned out to be the perfect complement to their contemporary rustic theme. It was the perfect backdrop to even more beautiful flowers, and a whopper of a cake from perennial favorite Cake Designs:Guests took home wedding-themed cookie favors from Chrissie Schubert’s Treats, but not before stepping outside under the chandelier-topped dance floor:Griff is normally a pretty reserved guy, but get a little bit of of sugar in him (via the ice cream sundae bar), and he’ll cut a rug with the most energetic ladies at the reception:Thanks Holli & Griff for a great day – I hope you didn’t freeze to death at the end of the night!

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Paris: Part Two – Les Jardins & The Little Things

When I booked the trip to Paris, my departure date was only 5 weeks away. I had a massive case of burnout. I had been working non-stop in the months before, to the point that my vision would go sideways when I looked at a computer screen. I was overwhelmed. I needed something to look forward to, and some time to refocus. So I finished up what needed to be done before I left, and purposely kept the MacBook Pro at home so I wouldn’t be distracted by work. And once I got to Paris, I didn’t pull a camera out every two seconds. Sometimes I didn’t take a camera with me at all. But when I did, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just full of pictures of landmarks and tourist attractions. I wanted to remember the little things – the little things that I smiled at because I actually had the time to notice them. Like the copper walls of the Metro station closest to my apartment – the one I looked forward to seeing at the end of a long day:Or the cat that would often be found sleeping in the window of Sylvine, the florist just down the street – a window I passed so often that I found myself a little disappointed when he wasn’t there:Or the colorful doors found all through the Marais and beyond:Or the dramatic balloon display in the window at Louis Vuitton:With its many gardens, Paris was the perfect place to take a minute to just take a deep breath and enjoy something simple. Like the day I had lunch sitting on a bench at the Jardin du Palais Royal:Or the day I pulled up a chair for a couple of hours at the Jardin du Luxembourg, and wrote whatever I wanted in a red Moleskine notebook:Or the day I strolled through the Jardin des Tuileries on my way to the Louvre. It didn’t take long for me to feel like I was finally able to catch my breath, and could really look forward to what was waiting for me back home. 🙂Stay tuned for the third round of Paris pictures soon!

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Portrait: Julie, Barry, Mae Morgan, & Bennett – Tallassee, Alabama

GPS is great – but when you’re out in the country, sometimes it will only get you close, and not quite to the door of your destination. Good thing Barry knew to be looking for me at the end of the road. 🙂 The farm is Barry’s dad’s place, so besides portraits, they wanted some pictures of the location for him – and when I got there, I could see why!

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Portrait: Quinn & Dylan – Blount Cultural Park – Montgomery, Alabama

The last time I saw Quinn was way back in 2008, when I photographed him and his family (including super adorable dog Stella) shortly before they were scheduled to move to the Washington D.C. area. Fast forward a few years, and Quinn of course got bigger – and also became big brother to baby sister Dylan. I got an email from their mom to see if they could get another session done while they were back in Montgomery for a couple of weeks. Doggie Stella wasn’t going to be able to make it, but I wasn’t about to complain. 🙂

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