Welcome home to this gorgeous, talented, hard working young lady! She's been putting in some long hours for a while and it's paid off by making her a homeowner! And what do you do when you accomplish something of exciting nature? You have a photo shoot, of course!

It seems to me that most other people around my age are struggling to find comfortable and secure living situations. Many have multiple roommates, or rent with family. It is such a blessing to know your family and friends are there to help when needed, but it is also so inspiring and encouraging to see a friend take a big step like this.

​I'm told it took a couple jobs, a bit of time, and determination. Honey, you have my applause and congratulations. And to anyone currently working towards their next home, living situation, or other goal in life, you got this!

I'm so honored to have documented this achievement!

The time of year has come for cozy sweaters, pumpkin and apple flavored beverages, and of course a trip to the pumpkin patch! Today I'm sharing a couple of my recommendations for fun, seasonal things to do in the Gresham area. 

This weekend, a couple friends and I visited Liepold Farms and it was a blast! We started the day off with breakfast at Sweet Betty's. Going out to breakfast is obviously not limited to this time of year, but my favorite seasonal drink of theirs is. The stylish little bistro on Main street is currently featuring a Spiked Caramel Apple Mimosa. It is everything that's good about fall and brunch. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a proper photo of the drink, as they were out of a key ingredient on the morning of our visit. With it only being the beginning of October, I'll definitely grab more opportunities that sweet and refreshing grown up treat.

After breakfast, we made our way over to Liepold Farms, which is just a short drive over to Boring, Oregon. Admission was very fairly priced and we found many enjoyable things, such as a variety of ciders, caramel apples and corn, hearty lunch and dinner items, photo ops, apple slingshots, a corn maze, hay rides, and lots of pumpkins.

It's a great place to spend a day with friends or family, and is even dog friendly. Here are a few photos to highlight the day.

I hope you have a lovely season and take advantage of the beautiful colors for some portraits!

In the end of March, I visited the farm of some cherished family members of mine who run Goldenwood Soap.

They use goats milk to create a variety of soaps, lotions, body sprays, and more. I use some of them myself and highly recommend them for the wonderful scents and healing effects they have on my sensative skin. To make these products, they would of course need to have goats on hand.

In breeding happy and healthy goats to make the best products, springtime brings kidding season. This is the season when all the new babies are born. People were welcomed to visit the seasonal farm store and love on the baby goats, which resulted in one of the best days ever.

Justine (pictured in images 24-27 and 29) Is like a mother to the goat kids and you really can tell that they adore her. Justine is the daughter of Kurt (pictured in image 35) and Judy (pictured in images 4 and 11). Together they run this business, caring for the goats and making so many lovely soap products.

I took most of these, but passed the camera to my husband so that I could get some cuddles in. He took some good shots of me geeking out over these adorable nuggets.

Feel free to check out goldenwoodsoap.com for products and info about this lovely business!

​Happy Mother's Day!

What's that? A blog post?

I'm back!

I've been quiet on the blog the last two months, in lieu of a transitional time I entered into near the end of last year. If you aren't aware, I keep another job outside of photography. This allows me to really focus on the quality and time I give my customers, without charging large amounts.

I'm very pleased to announce that I will now be available for sessions all day, every Saturday and Sunday! Evening sessions may be scheduled during the week as well.

I'll be doing a bit of catching up on the blog in my next few posts, but this week I wanted to share photos that were just taken today. My husband and I borrowed my parents' Westie for a stroll through Multnomah County's latest snow fall. The adventurous little Kekoa enjoyed every minute of our walk up Powell Butte, smelling all the smells and making a handful of new friends.

​One man has successfully stolen the hearts of an entire city. You might know him as Todd, or you might know him as Mr. Gresham.

If you don't know who Todd is, he is simply the warmest individual you could find on earth. He delivers food and smiles to the people of Gresham. He really takes care of us and loves on everyone.

On Saturday, September 22, Citizens filled the sidewalks of Main Street to cheer on Todd in his very own parade. Fire trucks, an army of cheerleaders, and a police escort led the way as Mr. Gresham made his entrance in The Batmobile. After the exciting trip down Main Street, a stunning bronze statue of his likeness was unveiled. It truely was amazing to see a community come together to thank this man for all the joy he creates.

Over the weekend, I got to run the Hood to Coast relay race with my team, Chasing Destiny.
This was the 9th year the team got to participate and my 8th. Being a participant myself, it was hard to photograph every moment, but I got some nice images of the beginning and end.
My images include the excitement of the starting line, the first round of exchange points from van 1, and our team captain(my dad) bestowing medals in Seaside.
Pictures of me were taken by my hubby, who also ran the relay. Pictures of the whole team together were taken by the ever supportive wife of the captain, my mom.

Here are the runners! Included in a picture of Van #1 is our wonderful massage therapist and sister in law of mine, Kaitlyn.

Chasing Destiny, Team #1048 finished the 199 mile relay race in
33 hours, 3 minutes, and 33 seconds.
Enjoy this gallery of highlights!
Note that my dad is standing front and center on the start line. He LOVES that part!

I'd also like to note that after running HTC for his first time in 2016, my love proposed on the beach. We were wed shortly after the following year's relay and this year was our first time running as husband and wife!
​In celebration of our anniversary, I will be offering a discounted price for couples portraits next month.

Special thanks to our volunteers! We couldn't do this without you!
​Fantastic run everyone! I hope to see you all on the beach next year!

In the third installment of Hood To Coast introductions, I'd like you to meet my super cool brother in law, Josh. He became a part of the team in 2013 as a volunteer with his new wife (daughter of Gary) and started running with us the following year.

Josh has always had running in his blood and casualy enjoyed it, but really picked it up in recent years. He's participated in 9 half marathons and finished his first full marathon, the Blooms To Brews this past April. Josh quickly became one of the fastest runners on our team and has tackled difficult legs, such as #5. He plans to run the Boring Marathon in the month following Hood To Coast 2018.

​You may have seen him in previous blog posts with portraits of his sweet little family, like the image shown above. Josh works hard for his family and builds beautiful tables with Jewell Hardwoods. Each of their creations is a unique work of art.

​Josh trains very hard and is sure to rock this relay.
As a fantastic runner, artist, and family man, this is one to look out for!

A Hood To Coast team needs 12 runners, if each is to run 3 of the 36 legs it takes to get from Timberline to Seaside. When your team has been participating for almost a decade, things don't always line up for the same 12 people every year. Because of this, we often get to introduce new participants to the 200 mile relay. This week, I'd like you to meet our 2 latest recruits!

Johannah is a little new to the running scene, but has picked up a fantastic pace, joining Dad (Gary) and I at local running events like the Shamrock and Starlight.

Watch out for these fierce new runners in Hood to Coast 2018!

Tune in next week to meet more of the Chasing Destiny team!

Happy Monday to you!
I've been absent on the blog due to a minor physical trouble, but all is well now!
A small lump had been descovered within my shoulder a few years back and doctors concluded that it was a lipoma. The lump remained small and harmless up until last fall when it grew, quickly becoming physically and visibly noticeable. After multiple visits with different doctors, it was decided to remove the lipoma through a surgical procedure. I was only hospitalized a few hours, but have spent the past couple weeks on bed rest and light duty. The lump had appeared between some crucial muscles and pushed things out of place as it grew, so my healing has been quite tiring.
​I've had lots of help and support from my wonderful friends and family, one of which I'd like to focus on today!

Through the whole ordeal, my amazing mother was studying massage therapy at East West College and kept a close eye on my shoulder. This spring, she graduated and passed the state test, officialy becoming an LMT! She has started taking clients in her new, Gresham office!
As unbiased as I can be, because she is my mother and I love her dearly, Julie does a fantastic job. Even before her extensive studies, she's always had a healing touch and been able to identify pain in people's bodies.

​

If you are in need of relief from pains in your body, or in need of a relaxing massage, I highly recommend seeing Julie at Healing Treasures Massage. Being a member of Gresham's Chamber of Commerce, she is very personable and family oriented. You are sure to feel comfortable during your session.

Be sure to visit her website and book a massage!
healingtreasuresmassagetherapy.com

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I hiked the Trail of Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park.
I highly recommend this fun and beautiful trail. Located roughly 20 miles east of Salem, The park has over 24 miles of trails and 10 notable waterfalls that can be seen over the 8-ish mile perimeter of the park.

Here are my highlights from our adventure!