summer living.

sometimes, 

you're driving with a best friend through the city at dusk, pre summer thunderstorm.

you might be a little lost

and may have just gone the wrong way down a one-way street.

and then you come to the top of a hill,

and you see this.

and you just have to stop and take a photo.

this is what peace feels like.

i know i've disappeared yet again.

but at this point, i'm not even going to pretend that i'll become a better blogger before the summer is up.

my life is a bit too busy... i'm just busy living, you know?

and i love that.

happy sunday!

p.s. thanks so much to my mother who gave me my new favorite dress for my birthday; as a girl at church said today, "your mother has impeccable taste!" i agree. thanks, mama.

lyndsey + ben: sneak peek {salt lake city videography}.

i was lucky enough to shoot ben and lyndsey's gorgeous june wedding in salt lake a few weeks ago,

and i've put together a little sneak peek video to tide everyone over until the full release is out! 

so, to whet your appetites a bit...

check back soon for the full video!

anna gleave photography

{utah wedding photography and videography}

my twenty second.

okay, so i'm giving you all a fair warning here: this is going to be a bit of a photo overload. 

but i'm a photographer, and it {was} my birthday, so i'll do what i want to.

and what i want to do is show you how wonderful my twenty-second birthday really was!

it was my first birthday away from family in a while,

my first birthday in provo,

and my first birthday sandwiched between two anatomy midterms,

so i was a little worried that it wouldn't be "special" enough (silly, i know!).

but i am really, really lucky to have some pretty incredible friends who made sure to make july 10, 2012 one to remember! 

i started my birthday week off with an incredible family dinner on sunday with my parents, brother, and aunt and uncle. 

and then i rang in my 22nd with a few friends playing me a few classic renditions of birthday songs (nsync, anyone?) and a sampling of homemade ice cream. 

after a nine-to-four day on campus of anatomy, i took a guilt-free birthday nap and studied a bit. 

and then, the party really began! 

i met up with a few of my dearest friends at diego's for my favorite food (tacos, obivously),

and it was really so fun. 

we ate, chatted, modeled a bit (naturally), laughed, and brett even gave me some crazy slovak birthday blessing. 

and then darling meredith and courtney threw me a summer birthday celebration of sorts...

and i loved it! 

we ate gluten-free cake and homemade ice cream,

listened to an assortment of 90s music,

and chatted outside on the lawn. 

and then when the party thinned out a bit, 

i joined meredith and a few more friends for a late-night bike ride, slurpee run, etc., etc.

i couldn't have asked for a better day! 

though a lot of my close friends and family weren't in provo to celebrate the day with me (read: out doing really awesome things with their lives),

 i was reminded how lucky i am to be surrounded by such incredible people. 

this time of life is so cool, and these people make it just that much cooler. 

thank you so much to everyone who made my day so special,

and especially to meredith for working so hard to plan the party! 

i'm going to be mushy for one more second and just reiterate that i love you all these people in my life,

and i can't wait to see what my 22nd year brings! 

summer babies.

see that little girl on the right?

she turns twenty-two today. 

and is really, really grateful for all of the beauty life has shown her.

happy birthday to me!

for emma, forever ago.

i adore all of this. 

happy birthday, america.

this summer is so excellent. 

i never thought i'd say it, but summer in provo is excellent.

between independence day celebrations, tennis tournaments, and concerts, 

this week has been packed with summery social engagements.

and i've loved every minute of it.

on the third of july,

we headed up to north salt lake for a picnic and firework show;

it was festive and celebratory and summery and perfect. 

even my gluten-free pb&j tasted better in the midst of such festivities!

happy birthday, america! 

though i am notorious for possessing massive amounts of wanderlust, 

i am really grateful to call this place home. 

this happened tonight.

beach house concert in the park.

so, so good.

reason 1893728 i love summer. 

to write.

as i sat and watched fireworks today,

surrounded by friends, the beautiful mountains, and the warm summer air,

i thought about the sublime beauty of the world,

and the scope of human expression.

and it was in a sense, magical. and led me to think of this: 

"words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it."

and all this, it makes me want to write....

it's time to crack open that old notebook again.

thank you, miss rowling, for the artistic inspiration.

and to our founding fathers, for this rad country that we live in (more on the holiday to come!)

photo: inlet beach, fl. anna gleave photography ® 2011.