There are moments in each of our lives where everything changes. We don’t always recognize them when they happen, but they alter our paths just the same. For Liz, that moment happened in grad school when she was partnered with a woman named Marie. Marie knew a boy, and somewhere deep down, she knew that he and Liz would be great together. So she arranged a dinner. Nothing more, nothing less. A meal shared between two strangers destined to become so much more. Fast forward to this past May in northern Minnesota, where Nick asked Liz to write herself into his destiny for the whole of forever. At a lighthouse overlooking Lake Superior, Liz happily obliged. Fast forward to last weekend, as the wind whipped and chilled the November air and the trees shook angry fingers at the sky. The clouds roiled and raced across a hazy sky, and Liz...
american beauty | my life on film
There are moments in my life where I suddenly feel as though I’m trapped inside American Beauty. Moments when I look outside my window and I’m caught breathless and forced to stop and see. In those moments I’m taken aback by all the beauty in the world – the beauty that is so often left unseen – and I marvel in it. I breathe it deep and close my eyes as it fills each cell with its magic. In the next instant I blink my eyes back open, turn off my hazards, and drive back onto the road. My day resumes the tenor of casual nonchalance, the phone rings, and I’m snapped back into tedium. But on rare occasions, I find a way to hold on a little longer to the fleeting beauty that is everything in life. When I’m really lucky, the stars align, a fog rolls in, and I find a...
derrek + jenn + the day stella met the boy she’s going to marry
This family is my family. These insanely awesome people are forever imprinted on my heart and are the kind of friends that everyone should have. Loving. Honest. Hilarious. Derrek + Jenn are incredible creatives and they make beautiful photographs. Derrek is likely the best wedding cinematographer around (he shot our Vow Renewal), and although he lives in Florida I recommend him to every single one of my couples. They came to Minnesota in September to shoot a wedding, and we spent a few fleeting days laughing, ugly cat sweater shopping, cards against humanity playing, shooting, dreaming, and sushi eating. Our time was together was far too short, but I am thankful for their visit, their friendship, and the fact that they live in a warm climate, a winter is upon us and February might just be a perfect time to make a trip south…...
lessons in self esteem | the trouble with raising daughters
I remember exactly how I felt when DRL and I found out the baby I was gestating was, in fact, a girl. I was surprised – I thought for sure I would be that darling petite woman with sons who towered above her – and I was excited. Beyond excited, in fact. When the husby and I decided to increase our family from three to four, I desperately hoped for another little girl, and we were blessed with Stella. Their infancies were fleeting and miraculous – and DRL and I tried to savor every. single. moment. Fast forward 3.6 years. It’s morning, and I’m helping Elena get dressed for school. I’m trying to put her in a darling french-bulldog-with-a-neon-mustache Zara sweatshirt when mutiny ensues. She starts screaming and crying and she throws herself on her bed in a fit of tears and sorrow and frustration too insurmountable to describe with...
