welcome back.

you guys know in that episode of the office (okay, admittedly my favorite episode), where jim + pam get married? they take little "mental pictures" throughout the day to sear the happy memories into their brains forever and ever. with some pretty incredible recent life changes, i have found myself frequently snapping little mental photos and wishing that i had some sort of permanent camera attached to my face that could capture all of the tiny + beautiful moments that pass (because sometimes i just don't have enough hands to whip out the iphone, you know?)

which lead me to thinking...

i have spent a lot of time in bed over the past nine or so months (for reasons i'll certainly get around to explaining), and as the days crept by, i started to feel a strange little feeling that i hadn't really experienced for some time... the urge to write. i nearly always have the desire to photograph, since it's become my chosen medium of embracing little pieces of beauty and creating art on a regular basis. but i hadn't felt overly inclined to revisit my first love and write anything for some time.

i think that this sudden urge has to do with a lot of things: a mechanism of coping, a desire to seek out the goodness amidst trials and pain, and a way to remember all of the little mental pictures along the way. 

so, here we are! back at it! i am really excited to dust off the ol' blog and document life in a way i used to love. because i have really, really exciting thing to document these days, namely...

our daughter (!!!), isabella.
becoming a mother has been the single-most incredible experience of my life. this sweet child has given my life a whole new sense of purpose and a greater love than i ever knew possible. i sometimes still can't believe she's actually real and actually really ours forever.

in college, i took a film class, and a few things from the course have really stuck with me and impacted the way i view my job as a photographer and videographer. when we discussed documentary filmmaking, my professor stated how its purpose is to "exalt the ordinary." and this is something that really resonates with me. i try to find joy in the little things, but i often get so wound up in small tasks and stressors that i forget how beautiful the little moments can be... like baby girl's FIRST GIGGLE in her sleep just now (ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh mental picture x2083!!!). 

i am actually really excited to be opening up this little space again and sharing lots of updates, memories, eats, travel, + lots and lots of photos. in the meantime, we're over here just singing this and cuddling baby girl.