I went to college at GC&SU as an Athletic Training major, but as I walked past the Fine Art buildings everyday on my way to class I realized they were having WAY more fun - and so I swapped majors and never looked back. I’ve always loveloveLOVED art, but didn’t really discover photography until college. I graduated with a Bachelors in Fine Arts with a focus on Photography + Digital Art, and shortly after school I started my own photography business in 2009.

I’ve historically had a pretty bad memory for some reason, but photography felt like it became my catalog of moments, and they became my memories that stuck the best. As I got more into portraiture it felt like a gift to let people see themselves from the outside, helping them to relax, let their hair down, and share their rich and light-filled stories. Photography gave me a way to notice, to slow down and reflect, to savor.

I’ve been married to my college hunny, JoJo, for (*dramatic pause*) 17 YEARS, and we’ve been getting into shenanigans of all kinds ever since then. No matter what seems to roll our way though, he somehow knows how to make life SO vibrant and full of joy.

He does logic and numbers, I do feelings and words. He prefers vanilla, I like chocolate. I’m cone, he’s cup. He’s so loud and has this ridiculous thunder clap, and I can barely yell (if you know me, you know - it’s quite comical). But in all of these differences, he makes me better. He has taught me so much about the patient and selfless love of Jesus simply in the way he loves me. Oh, and he’s a total babe, so that never hurts.

The short answer is… for sure, yes, definitely 100%. All three of our kids are sweet, really. I promise. When it’s not a full moon and they’ve eaten all the snacks and slept well and nobody’s looked at them and they get to do whatever they want so just stop ruining their liiiiives already gahhhhh. But other than that, super sweet.

Raising children is one of the best, hardest things, and I’ve learned more about my limited threshold and deep need for Jesus in this season more than ever before. I know I only have a handful of years where we are all together under one roof, so I want to use this time like the gift that it is and not wish these years away. I’ll root for you, you root for me. We’ll make it out of this alive… I think. Also, if you have found a way to go to the bathroom by yourself, please share your secrets.

Everything is better if you just walk out the door and land outside. There’s just something about it.

I want to show our kids the wonder and magic and creativity of our mighty God. I want them to see how he shows up right on time over and over again, like the sunrise and the harvest and the tide. I want them to feel the call to care for creation deeply, holding a reverence for all living things both big and small. Also, I want them to know how to live off of the land and keep me alive when I get old if the zombie apocalypse actually DOES happen, so there’s that too.