Here a are a few little highlights from my weekend:

* Finally gave snowboarding a real shot (I’m a skier). Nearly broke my wrist, but besides that I had a lot of fun trying it.
* Drank more tea than I probably consume in a whole week. I was in tea-heaven.
* Had my first bucket of Poutine at Fritz. YUMMMMM.
* Also had the best cup of hot chocolate ever from Blenz Coffee. If you know me, you know how obsessed I am with hot chocolate! (Hot chocolate snob right here)
* Tried alcohol-infused gummy bears. Not good.
* Sat on a toilet that had more buttons than my tv remote. And the seat was heated…
* Finally went to a legit Dim Sum restaurant and tried many new things. Like duck feet.
* Went to Duty-Free for the first time and happened to catch the Superbowl Halftime show. Awesome.

Well that is my weekend in a nutshell. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Happy Monday.

This hits home for me.

…and maybe it does for you too?

It seems like every year I go through this. This thing. This thing that eats at me. I’m not proud of it…
I’ve had so many conversations with other photographers about this same topic, I don’t think I’m alone. I’ve said it before…this isn’t new. It’s so easy to get caught up in looking at the person next to you and wonder why you don’t have the success they have. You begin to beat yourself up and dissect everything you do or don’t do. There are so many things I love about being a photographer…seriously, so many. But there are also things that I hate…if I’m going to be honest here.

I hate that we somewhat have to “sell” ourselves in this business. It’s a weird thing to try and do successfully without making yourself seem full of it and disingenuous. It’s a game I’d rather not play…ya know what I mean? Another thing I’m not fond of, but realize how impactful it can be is:
SOCIAL MEDIA.
Oh social media…I have a love/hate relationship with you…oh yes I do. I’m trying to get better at using social media as a marketing/connecting tool…but OH MY GOSH it can be such a DISTRACTOR. I think my productivity has gone down a significant amount since I joined TWITTER. Gosh dang you twitter…

Okay enough venting about that, back to what I was saying…
I had a very lovely conversation with a friend last night and it really made me think. It made me realize just how much the quote I posted above is SO DEAD ON TRUE. “COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY” Being comparative has taken my joy away. Always looking at the person next to me has taken my joy away. Feeling like I have to portray some type of “cool kid” status has taken my joy away. *sigh* I’m exhausted people. And please don’t think this is a “woe is me” type of post…it’s more of a venting post that I seem to come out with every other month or so. I know y’all just love em’…right?! RIGHT?! hee hee.

The fact that I have this struggle does not surprise me one bit. The one thing I struggle with most in life is just being content. Being content with my life, my work, where I live, the list goes on. I know God is working on this with me. The thing that gave me peace last night after I had this conversation with this friend is when she said, “It’s all His and for His glory anyways. We have to be willing to lay it all down at any time. It’s all His”. I love you Jenny. She could not be more right about this. I have to stop wasting time comparing myself to those around me and just focus on glorifying the One who gave me this freakin’ gift in the first place. Easier said than done of course but this is a challenge for me and for anyone else who feels the exact way I do.

Here’s to challenging ourselves and being content with not being the “cool kid”. Happy Thursday.

Photo Credit: Ryan Flynn

I’m so excited to finally blog this wedding! Atalie & Gus stole my heart the moment I met with them for coffee on a sunny day last year. We just clicked and that was that. Atalie had told me that she was doing a “few” DIY projects for the weddings and that left it at that…After she mentioned that, I was so excited to see what her creative mind would come up with. Fast forward to her wedding day…I show up and my jaw basically hit the floor when I saw just how many DIY projects she had created for her wedding. Every single detail was made with reason and love behind it. Going with a music-themed wedding was so fitting for Atalie and Gus. It is music that they bond over…and I absolutely love that.

Any bride who plays this type of music at her wedding…is definitely my type of bride:

Bridal Party Processional: “Sweet Disposition,” The Temper Trap
Procession of the Bride: “Godan Daggin,” Sigur Ros
First Dance: “The Best Thing,” Ray Lamontagne

Are you kidding me?! So amazing.
Atalie & Gus…thank you so much for letting me be a part of your special day. Your family and friends welcomed me with open arms and I am so thankful for that. So happy to call you two my friends. Love you both. And another big THANK YOU to RUFFLED BLOG for featuring Atalie & Gus’ wedding, click HERE to check out that feature.

Enjoy!

I adore them. I adore their family. I can’t begin to express how overwhelmed with joy I am already and I’ve only been here 2 days.

Can’t wait to share more.