It was Everything. It was Nothing.

It was perfect. It was cold and windy and I was in a childish frenzy over a precious little garden shed we had just walked by. We walked to a place we'd never been before where the sun was setting over tree tops and the dry grass crunched under our feet as we climbed the hill. We were both quiet and I knew something was different. Before I knew it, it was happening. There were tears in my eyes and a man on one knee in front of me. He asked me a question but my mind couldn't answer. My body already knew what my mind would have said and answered with a nod and a hardly audible "yes". I was shaking as the ring somehow magically found it's way onto my finger. Then we sat for what seemed like an eternity as the cold air washed over us and the sun sank lower behind the trees.

He told me he couldn't have done it on my birthday. Not at the pond, in the cliffs, or at the camp where I spent my childhood. He said he knew those things were already special to me for their own reasons, and he didn't want to impose a new kind of special onto any of them. Maybe that seems strange to some people but it's suits me perfectly. It was quiet and ordinary. It was its nothingness that made it everything to me.

The Engagement

Apologies for not posting anything lately. I could give excuses but I won't bother. 

Today I finally got off my lazy butt and did a photo shoot with the help of my amazing fiance! When we got engaged he asked if I wanted to do engagement photos. But of course nothing with me can be simple and straight forward. So these are a couple images from our "engagement photos". Couples photo will hopefully be up within the next few days.

Now... Somebody else get engaged (or have any other reason for me to shoot them). I'm tired of photographing myself.

The Old Road

And now back to real photos. I've been driving past this location for a few months now with the idea of using it for a shooting location. And I naively thought it would be relatively easy to get to.

It's an old closed road that runs parallel to the new one which has replaced it. Perhaps there's something in me that longs for these difficult and uneasy places. Forgotten things, hidden treasures. I suppose it's my version of an adventure. And I consider myself incredibly lucky to have friends who are willing to make the journey with me.

And for today's homemade Valentine's projects... A pink knitted bunny!

This one is actually headed to Costa Rica with my best friend Britt. She's going there on a school trip and she's bringing as many toys and stuffies as she can manage for the kids over there. So right now I'm in the process of knitting up as many animals as I can handle to send with her. Bunnies and ducks and kittens, oh my! So here's to spreading the love.

Make me new again.

I got this skirt from a friend and it's been sitting in my dresser waiting for me to do something with it. With Valentine's Day coming up I thought I would get in the spirit (for the first time in my life) and make a funky little dress to wear out on a date. Well actually it's now two separate pieces - a skirt and a top - but what's the difference really.

I cut about 11 inches off the bottom of the skirt, and made a sort of tube top with the remaining fabric. Added a zipper, took in some side seams to create a better fit, made some straps. And a couple darts and a pucker later I had myself an outfit.

The White Witch's Land

There's something so eerie about a place like this. The untouched snow, the strange soft light. Everything feels so quiet and fragile. Maybe you shouldn't go any further. It's so delicate and breakable. And yet your feet keep taking you forward. Creeping along in a whisper. Touch nothing. When you leave, leave quietly as the falling snow fills in your footprints. Your heart will know what you've seen, but it will seem as if you'd never been there. And it is quite possible that no person will find that place again.

I love when Britt comes home for a few days and we have time to whip up some photos. She's willing to do just about anything, as was evident during this shoot. Although it doesn't look like it, it was very cold, very windy, and snowing like crazy. Luckily we found a spot at the bottom of a wall of rocks which provided just enough shelter for us to work a little more comfortably. We also decided to stop shooting about 10 minutes before an ice age decided to hit and we suddenly couldn't see more than 10 or 15 feet outside my kitchen windows.