Julia

Julia is a very good friend of mine, and a fantastic hair stylist/makeup artist. For a long time we've talked about doing a shoot together. We finally decided to make it happen! We knew that we wanted to have a bit of an edgy look, so we pulled some pieces from her closet for her two outfits, and then decided on how she should do her hair and makeup. The fur coat was a last minute decision, but one that we both ended up LOVING! - thanks for lending it, Jenny! As for location, most of these were either shot in the warehouse district of Minneapolis, or by an abandoned granary (or something??) that we happened to stumble upon.

I've loved fashion for as long as I can remember. As a young girl and then throughout my teen years, my mom and I would sit and page through the latest issue of Vogue, and I would soak up the pictures with eyes, wanting to recreate what I was seeing. This was the first chance I've had to do a shoot like this, and I'm very pleased with the outcome of my first attempt. I'm also pretty terrible at telling people how to stand and pose, so this gave me some practice to do that too. I've been trying to figure out what exactly I want to do with my photography, and I'm still not completely certain, but I think I'm taking a step in the right direction. :)































































Coffee break and a chance to warm up for a bit! It was 20 degrees and a little too breezy.













































Thanks again, sweet Julia for being such a BEAST out there in the cold, and totally owning this shoot!
Looking forward to us working our magic together again in the future. ;)

Les chats noir.

Meet Jazz and Sasha. Two cool cats.

Hiver dans mes os.

Winter In My Bones

I want to crawl back into my summer skin.

But the nights are too cold.

And the days sun filled, but beaten & defeated by wind wild.
My bones ache for that warmth
And that birth of new life, or maybe just life fallen asleep to wake.

Spring… is it time?

Is it time yet to wake?



Quick breaths, lungs filling with ice.

Fingertips barely felt.
But my heart continues to pound in my frozen chest.
Soon, I know the seasons will change
In more ways than one.

Soon a great wake will begin.

Impatiently I wait.






I write poems. Not too many people know that.
Winter In My Bones I began last night and then finished tonight - it's a little bit of a different style than what I've previously written.
I think I'd like to post more here.

w a k e. u p. s l o w.

I love mornings.
I love that initial feeling of coming out, almost from an entirely different world. I love having a fresh, makeup-less face, and hair a bit wild (and not caring at all). I tend to snuggle a little deeper under the covers as I slowly realize there is an entire new day ahead of me. Most of all, I l o v e morning light.
This morning I woke up to an eastern window that was allowing little bits of that life-igniting, bright and warm sunshine to poor in through the cracks of the shades. And then the day commences…




I spent today with the kids that I nanny. It was a pretty easy-going day - two of the four munchkins were sick.
This evening I roasted some potatoes in the oven with coconut oil, fresh garlic, rosemary, and salt. One of the simplest things to make, but OH so delightful to the tastebuds!

It's still early, but I can already feel sleepiness overcoming me.

Slow mornings and cinnamon rolls.

The first month of the new year is through, and I can hardly believe it. February 1st comes with a bone-seeping cold and a powdery snowfall. I've been enjoying the Kings of Convenience Pandora station, and letting my mind wander from thought to thought. 2014 holds big plans and big changes for me. I've been realizing lately that things don't stay the same forever, whether good or bad. I already knew this, but never fully understood. There is only One who is constant, and He has been my rock throughout all of life. I'm embracing the newness ahead of me, and am more than a little excited for what the next months hold.

I decided last night that I was going to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. But not only was I going to make something tasty to eat and savor for a few minutes at the table, I decided I was going to enjoy the process and try to capture moments of it with my camera. Both of my parents passed on to me their love of baking and cooking, and for that I am thankful. God is the great Creator, and us being made in His image, I believe that love of creating (whether food, music, art, etc…) has been instilled in each of us, in various beautiful forms. So here are a few of the easily forgotten moments I captured in the midst of creating a tasty something.




All ready to go into the oven.



The makings of frosting.





Fresh out of the oven!



The frosting has been drizzled, and the pecan pieces sprinkled on top.









Perfect.

Nashville - January 2014

Nashville. I don't exactly know what it is that made me fall in love with this city. Ever since my first visit when I was 17 I've continued to come back. Each year I love it a little more, and each year I tell myself that someday I will live there.
I got to visit for about a week at the end of January. It was such a wonderful trip, and I am constantly reminded of how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life, and to be able to go on trips like this to visit them.

I suppose I'll start with sharing a little bit about the people in this city I love. Nashville would still be a great place without these lovelies inhabiting it, but it would definitely be lacking.


Sarah is the reason why I even came to Nashville in the first place. She's been like a big sister to me, and is by far one of my favorite people. When I was sixteen she took me out the country with a group of wonderful people and we spent a week in Guatemala. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship, one that I treasure dearly.


I met Lori at Cornerstone Festival a few years ago, and lucky me, she lives in Nashville with her husband Chris so I get to see them generally once a year. We went out for brunch at Boscos - it's pretty fantastic and I definitely would recommend it! They had live jazz, and the woman singing had a voice as smooth as butter. So good!


I met Natalie when I was 18. I got to share one of the craziest/best experiences of my life with her - India.
This girl is wonderful at telling stories, and she never ceases to make me laugh.


Erin and Sarah lived together for a time, and that's how I met her. One of my favorite memories from the visit that we met was all of us girls, done up all pretty in our sundresses, preparing for a 4th of July party they were hosting. It came time to get the grill going, and we realized that the only charcoal we had was a bag that had been rained on. Not exactly the best thing for trying to get a fire started. In the end, we squirted pretty much an entire bottle of lighter fluid on the charcoal - and PRESTO! - we were able to grill out. I had never lit a grill, so I felt pretty badass for making it work with what we had, and all whilst wearing a dress. Ha!


Parker and Erin moved from NYC to Nashville this past year. I met Parker when I was 18 and on my way to India. He is a fantastic photographer (www.parkeryoung.net) and a big inspiration to me. This was the first time I'd met his wife. She has a style that I adore, and from what I hear/see she is a pretty stellar hair stylist. Despite just meeting her and spending only a short time with her, I could see that she just r a d i a t e s enthusiasm for life. I think vibrant is a perfect word to describe her.


James I met on my previous trip to Nashville through my friend Valarie. I got to enjoy some live music, ice skating, and an awful game of darts with him and some other cool cats during my visit. We also went down to the farmers market and did a bit of swing dancing. Such fun! It was also sunny with a high of 63 that day - pretty perfect.




I have a tradition of getting my picture taken with Mr. Dragon each time I visit. This is #4.




Due to my friends' work schedules, I had some me-time. On my first day I made chocolate chip cookies and added just a bit of white chocolate and some pecan pieces. Mmmmhmmmmm!


I love to walk and explore on my own. I spent an afternoon doing so in East Nashville on my second day. I enjoyed some coffee at Bongo Java, wrote some letters, popped into a few cute shops, and just enjoyed the fresh air, sunshine, and pretty little homes in the area.


























I can't wait to go back. <3