December

Little pieces of December that I'm tucking into my heart and bringing into the new year:
driving though upstate New York to find a Christmas tree farm, taking three tries to get the lights just right, carefully setting up the manger scene and hiding away Baby Jesus until Christmas, moments of silence by that same manger scene - attempting to make space for His coming, the crowded baking aisles in the grocery store, early Saturday morning Advent retreats with a hundred little old Church ladies who needed their coffee, hosting dinners and taking two hours to create new recipes, flour and icing and dozen of Christmas cookies, co-workers telling me that they could tell I had adjusted because I lost the 'deer in the headlights' look, hiking through frozen state parks, wrapping up gifts and taking them through airport security, stepping off the plane to be greeted by a nephew racing in for a hug, waking up to coffee in my mama's kitchen, staying awake for Christmas Eve Mass, a house filled to the brim with family members, taking three hours to open gifts because no one could stop laughing, falling asleep under fuzzy blankets, loved ones wrapped close, seeing the old year out, and toasting in the new ...

Mitch and Chelsea [Engagement]

In the midst of packing and preparing for the cross-country trek, I was so happy to have been able to do this sweet couple's engagement session. He's over six feet tall, while she barely makes it past five: the way he wraps her close in his arms is enough to melt your heart into a little puddle on the floor. They started the session out nervous and a little unsure, and by the end of it, they couldn't keep a straight face because they were making each other laugh so much. I count myself blessed that I was able to capture a little of their joy!