It's officially that time when the holidays start gearing up, and we take a break from being behind the camera. It's the end of the 2016 wedding season and we feel great. Our level of enthusiasm isn't because we get our weekends back, but from a place of thanks. This year, 15 couples let us in to their lives to capture the start of their forever. I never in a million years thought we would be at this place, photographing wonderful people on their gorgeous day. My heart is unbelievably full today, which is why I need to say thank you. I'm starting to tear up a little bit just thinking of every smile, laugh, and (obviously) tear that occurred over this season and all the ones prior. Over five years ago, I shot my first wedding. It was for a good friend, and I had no idea what I was doing. I called upon all my schooling when it came to posing and lighting, and I practiced so much. However, nothing could prepare me for that day. The weather was rainy, I couldn't figure out my flash, and I didn't know how to assert myself. I felt like a complete failure, and as I packed up, I told myself I would never do another wedding. But then my friend came up to me and wrapped me up in the biggest hug in the world. It was in that hug and through her excitement having me as her photographer...

For our second anniversary, Shawn and I went a little more rugged. Instead of a hotel stay somewhere exotic, we decided we wanted to snooze under the stars. We settled on Harpers Ferry Campground as our spot because we love the area. There are gorgeous trails that lead to the most amazing scenery, and we knew we couldn't go wrong with this location. After arriving to our campsite, we realized was even better than we imagined since we were directly on the water. Every morning, we could eat breakfast right next to the Potomac River. In the evening, we could watch the sunset dip behind the mountains. I mean, seriously, this place is stunning. If I have to think of a downside to the Harpers Ferry Campground, it's that we can't live there. The reason we decided to do camping for this anniversary is because we wanted to just be with each other and no other distractions. With big trips, there is so much hassle with flights, hotels, and worrying about the car. Often times, you don't even realize your conversations only pertain to traveling. We wanted this anniversary to be calm. Even with knowing each other for 6 years, we still found ourselves talking around the campfire until midnight. It's a sigh of relief to just be in a space with your partner and not have to worry about anything. We have created a lot of wonderful memories from this trip. Some of them are goofy like trying...

I have struggled with social anxiety since as early as I can remember. Any time I've been in situations that require me to interact with people, I become nervous, I stumble over my words, and my hearing starts to feel like I'm in a tunnel. I became afraid of talking to people because I have this overwhelming feeling that they are judging everything I say. My attempts to communicate with people can best be described as a car trying push through through a concrete barrier. The car is my words, and the barrier is my brain blocking my voice. How social anxiety has affected my life Social anxiety has made me a doormat over the years. Someone who can't defend themselves because they are terrified of speaking up. I've lost potential friendships because of this fear, and I don't want to be like this anymore. I'm envious of the people that can freely chat with someone who they haven't met before. People who can make a phone call without needing a script. Even people who can write a blog post without having to psych themselves up. I want to show my goofy and fun personality to people, and I want to make friends genuinely. But my normal interactions are seriously stunted to the point I just clam up and stay quiet. It's been especially critical in my job as a business owner and photographer. There's no way I could continue to grow my business and be successful if I wasn't...

Oh, what a weekend it has been! On Saturday, we went to Berlin, Maryland with Brad and Eddie to make wine at Brews Up. And no, we did not stomp on grapes like in I Love Lucy. Instead, the wine making class at Brews Up guided us on the steps we needed to follow when using a wine kit at home. It was incredibly informative, and we all got to participate in the mixing, bottling, and corking process. The owners, Tony and Molly, are super kind. We were able to ask them any and all questions. It was awesome, since we had a lot, haha. While making wine was great, my favorite part was the tasting we got to do. The flavors at Brews Up range from full bodied reds to basically Jolly Ranchers in liquid form. I'm a sweet wine kind of person, so when the owner mentioned their Black Cherry tasted like candy, I was totally on board. Mine and Brad's favorite, though, was the Cucumber Melon, which was described as "a day at the spa." It's a super light and fresh tasting wine, and the perfect drink to melt away stress after a long day. The total experience lasted about two hours. By the end of it we were all extremely happy along with slightly tipsy :P. Our day finished up in the adorable town of Berlin. We went to lunch at a diner that was in the movie Runaway Bride, Rayne's Reef. As you...

When it comes to my birthday, I usually think up a few different grand ideas of what I want to do. However, as the day approaches, I always get so busy that I just never follow through with my own plans. This year was different, though. I wanted to have a party that could be relaxed, fun, and give people an excuse to eat lots of food. As Shawn and I racked our brains figuring out how to get all three of those things into one space, a message from my best friend about a BBQ acted as a lightbulb moment for me. Shawn and I have a unique living situation. We live in a house that has been converted into three different apartments, and my parents own the house that we are currently staying in. They also live next door to us, so we currently share a huge backyard with them. It's a beautiful space, and last summer they put in a fire pit so we could gather as a family and hangout. With all of this and also the idea of a BBQ in my head, I just dove right in to wanting to have a backyard bash. The biggest challenge was figuring out where everyone would sit. I found that 84 Lumber sold picnic table blueprints with the wood for just $97 (compared to tables at other stores which were around $300). It did mean that we had to cut and build the tables, but Shawn...