Kevin and Sarah's Engagement

Kevin and Sarah are such a fun couple to be around. I came into our photo shoot a little scattered from a hectic day and left feeling relaxed and so full of joy. Their delight in one another is contagious – I found myself smiling throughout the entire afternoon with them. It became so apparent to me that Kevin and Sarah are completely comfortable with one another. They’re not afraid to be goofy around one another and to laugh at themselves (I love what was happening in the fourth photo!) I’m more than excited for the opportunity I have to shoot their wedding with Tim in July :)

Alternator Adventures

This week has been one huge adventure in learning about DIY car repair. When I found out last week how much it'd set me back to have my alternator replaced I decided (with much encouragement from my dad) to tackle the installation myself. I sort of wish I had a photo of each auto-savvy person's face when I told them what my plan was - none lacked skepticism. What is a little blonde girl doing attempting to replace her alternator?! But I was determined. Just gotta take out the two bolts and the belt right? How hard can that be? Hah! I was okay until the part when Nicky Teeter told me I'd have to move the whole engine to get the final (mind you, incorrectly installed) bolt out. I was not built for such a job. So I returned, tail between my legs to the guys at Gearhead, whose offer I originally turned down to fix my car. One cut with a Sawzall and one new bolt later, we were back in business! Todd at Gearhead let me help him finish the installation (skinny arms DO come in handy for reaching in between tiny spaces under the hood!) and he didn't charge me a penny.

I guess sometimes it is worth it to try and do things on your own to save some money. But I'm learning that it's more important to set your own pride aside and know how to ask for help when you need it...

Sarah gets photo credit for this one :)

Kevin and Sarah Sneak Peek

I spent a beautiful afternoon at Blackwell Forest Preserve with Kevin Graham and Sarah Beasley. We all just graduated from Wheaton together and I'm looking forward to shooting their wedding in July! We traipsed around the forest through the mud and the mosquitoes to find some fun shooting locations on Wednesday. Here's a sneak peek of our afternoon... Come back soon for more!

An afternoon at the park

I have fallen in love with these three kids! I've been so blessed by their family this past year and into the summer, and most of the time I feel like a big sister to them, rather than their babysitter. Here are a few images from our afternoon at the park. I'd like to think that each photo captures a part of their personalities. Enjoy a little of Erin, Will, and Sarah.

Tim gets the credit for this photo of Sarah..

Jon and Lily

Here are a few more photos from the afternoon Taylor Horton and I spent with Jon and Lily. It's truly been a pleasure their relationship grow over the past 4 years that we've all been at Wheaton, and I cannot say enough how thankful I am to know both of them!

The Bench

My fiance is so stinkin creative! He's always wanted to paint the Bench on campus sometime during our four years at Wheaton, but never got the chance to. Last week he made a couple stencils (a little nod to Banksy) of a boy holding a kite of a mastadon - if you know Wheaton, you know why he chose mastadon. :) Early Friday morning Tim and I got up and - I'd like to say I helped - but he painted the bench while I documented it. Unfortunately someone already painted over it, so here's the proof of Tim's creativity...

Before:
After:

Another shoot with Jon and Lily

Taylor Horton and I spent the afternoon with Lily Panagiotis and Jonathan Dunn around Wheaton and Glen Ellyn. Taylor and I decided we wanted some practice shooting together with Jon and Lily before their big day in June. We'll be traveling to Lafayette, Louisiana in a little over a month to celebrate with them! Lily has been such a wonderful friend to me these past four years and I'm so thankful to know her. (She's one of my bridesmaids!) As I've written before, she and Jon have an incredible love for each other and they deeply trust in the Lord, which I admire so much. Here's one of my favorite images from our shoot today - those are Jon's hands holding a Yashica C (1958) camera. Come back soon for the rest of this shoot!