Personal

Tue - March 17, 2009

Bella and her cousin Wrigley

Since we don't have kids yet, Bella is pretty much considered as such :) Last summer, her new cousin Wrigley came to visit, and they hit it off really well. Here are some of them hanging out....so stinking cute!

Posted at 01:43 PM

Mon - February 23, 2009

dream big

Whether you're a photographer or not, I think you'll find this amazing short video most inspiring. Zack Arias is an incredible person and photographer, and i admire him for making this. It really resonated with my soul, with what i've been working through in life recently. Yes, even with my dislike for winter. But so much more than that. Beyond fstops and lenses....what am i doing in life to make a difference? What inspires and motivates me?

Click here and watch the video.........

Zack Arias on Scott Kelby's blog

I have a tendency to dream big...but often fall short on follow through. This winter I've been dreaming of orphans. 143 million of them to be exact. I've been dreaming of traveling to far off lands to capture their stories, their faces, their love. To possibly bring a greater awareness on their behalf. I share this with you so that perhaps you can remind me of this dream and in some small way hold me accountable to truly pursue it. Perhaps you're even meant to join in the adventure. Right now it's just a seed in my heart, but with a little water and a little faith, i hope for it to become so much more.

A couple of tender faces from our trip to Brazil a few years ago....

Posted at 03:52 PM

Wed - February 11, 2009

Winter in Indiana

I love the seasons...and snow can be quite romantic and beautiful. To be honest, I'm simply over winter. My heart is craving sunshine, blooming flowers, and green grass. We've had some glimpses of hope the last fews days, and i've tried to soak up any brief rays of sunshine or warmer temps we get. Here are some snowy pics....hopefully soon to be replaced by some more springy ones :)

Posted at 12:01 PM

Fri - February 6, 2009

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

Today is a very special day....my grandma turned 87....shhhhh, don't tell her I told you how old she is :) She is an amazing woman and i'm truly thankful to have her in my life. She's confident, independent, loving, joyful, sassy, hard-working, gentle......and well...i could go on and on. Even though my grandpa passed away several years ago, she continues to live on her own and constantly amazes me at what she's still able to accomplish. I love her dearly and appreciate the legacy she's left in the lives of the numerous people she's touched along her journey.

Posted at 06:23 PM

Wed - January 14, 2009

Thanksgiving in TX

Well...better late than never right? As always, we had a wonderful time hanging out with my sisters and the kiddos in TX. I can't believe how much they change every time i see them. Here are a few shots from our trip....we have so much to be thankful for.

Posted at 01:41 PM

Thu - December 25, 2008

Have you seen my parents??

Hi!

I suppose you may have been wondering where my parents have been lately. As a matter of fact, I have been asking myself that question too. They have been taking a little break from work this week and I haven't seen a lot of them lately. But they wanted me to tell you they are doing fine and having a great holiday season.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Love,

Bella

Posted at 09:15 PM

Tue - November 11, 2008

Thank You

We want to take time today to thank everyone who has or is serving in the military for this great country. Your sacrifice does not go by unnoticed.

Nate & Amanda

Posted at 08:26 PM

Mon - July 14, 2008

Triathlon Update......

WE DID IT!!!!! We had a great time, finished and didn't die. So we met all of our goals :) But ohhhh was the water FREEZING.... 61 degrees...brrrr! I think we are hooked now. Everyone told us "Just do one and then you'll see - you'll be hooked for life." And if you are wondering who won, let's just say Nate's incredible amount of natural talent wasn't enough to make up for Amanda's dedicated and regimented training ;) Here are a few fun photos of the trip.....a the first four are just from our point and shoot, the last four are the real deal :) We also want to send a HUGE THANKS to our friends Chris and Laura...you guys are the best and we love you dearly! Thanks for inviting us and for the great memories :)

Thank goodness for mini-vans...four people, four bikes, two dogs and a cat...how's that for ADVENTURE!

Celebrating after the race

Check out those muscles...hahaha

The adorable chris and laura at our celebration meal at the fabulous Tabor Hill Winery

(a very close second to our most favorite restaurant ever, Carnegie's - and they are only a couple of blocks from our house :)

A big thanks to Laura for snapping these shots of Nate and I...he's so cute :)

Posted at 02:33 AM

Thu - July 3, 2008

1/4 mile swim + 12 mile ride + 3 mile run = ???

The turtles running a triathlon (well a small one anyway)!!! We are so excited about our new endeavor, and have been diligently training for a couple of months. The goal is to finish (first and foremost), and hopefully do well. Our good friends Chris and Laura brought up the idea a few months ago, and I was all over it. It's something I've always wanted to do. and am so looking forward to the adventure. It took a little convincing for Nate to get on board, but I'm very proud of him for deciding to do it! People keep warning me that the swim is the hardest part (duh, i'm a poor swimmer anyway), but that people will also swim over top of you during the race....YIKES! Not to mention we have to swim in lake MI! If we don't drown we'll be in good shape :) Well....stay tuned for some fun pics I'm sure....not to mention we look pretty hot in our spandex-hahah!

Happy fourth of July everyone!!!

And if you doubt us, read this!! :)

Posted at 01:14 PM

Fri - March 14, 2008

My Sweet Sister Abby

For months my little sister has been teasing me about never making an appearance on our blog. Sooooo, without further ado, it's about time you all meet my adorable little sister Abby :) I had such a wonderful time visiting her in Ft.Myers. where she took a job as a P.E. teacher at a charter school. I miss her a ton here, but I'm so proud of her and all she's accomplished. There aren't many other things in life better than having an amazing sister, and somehow I've been blessed with TWO! We had so much fun shooting around one evening, I mostly took some pics of her, but somehow she managed to sneak in a few of me too :) I LOVE U ABS!!

Posted at 01:21 AM

Mon - March 3, 2008

Blog Slackers

I promise the amount of blog posts is no indication of the amount of work we have been doing around here :) We decided putting photos of amanda slaving away on album revisions and emails and/or nate pulling his hair out on taxes wouldn't be that exciting! However, we are hard at work I promise, and we have some new and exciting things in store for the year ahead!! We are working on a whole slew of awesome new products and services, but that's all I have to say about that right now. It's top secret, so stay tuned!! I did have the pleasure of taking a small break to go visit my little sister Abby in Florida for a few days. I'll be honest, I didn't want to come back and I am diligently scheming a way to live near a beach (at least for the winter). We'll see how that goes, so far Nate is not buying it :)

Yesterday, my last morning in FLorida, I decided to leave the camera at home and go for a stroll on the beach. It was quite chilly (as in 60 degrees and very windy), so the beach was sparse and oh so peaceful. Of course, I quickly realized that I was a dork for not bringing my camera because it was such a breathtaking morning. I then reminded myself that sometimes I just need to enjoy life rather than trying to capture everything with my camera. So, I soaked it all in, and also snuck a few pics with my iphone! It was a great reminder for me that equipment isn't everything. I relied on the basics, light, composition, color, moments etc... This is truly what photography is all about. So, here are some pics of my morning taken with my beloved iphone :)

One more note, my sis Abby and I did a silly little, oh so fun shoot of the two of us. Wait until you see these (probably in the next few days). Hugs from the Turtles... don't worry, spring is just around the corner (so i keep telling myself)!

Posted at 04:32 AM

Tue - December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Posted at 09:01 AM

Mon - December 24, 2007

Why Christmas?

It's not news to say that this time of year usually revolves around a man named Jesus. A lot of religions and cultures are having celebrations but we think there is something different about Jesus. Humanity is filled with ideas of how to do better to get closer to 'god.' But tonight is unique. God has come to us. He came to show us how to live. It all boils down to loving him and loving others.

We celebrate this 'birthday' by giving gifts to each other. We love this time of year as giving is very close to our hearts. But sometimes we wonder if just giving for the sake of giving (i.e. "It's on their list") is really what Jesus would want for his birthday. He asked his followers to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit those in prison. That is the 'loving others' part. Honestly, most of us reading this blog don't actually 'need' anything at all. We are probably warm, fully clothed and had too much for dinner. We are definitely blessed. But not everyone has walked the same path in life. The idea of social justice is becoming a bigger part of our life. And we want to do more.

Again, we aren't against giving. We love being able to shower those we love with gifts. At the same time, we want to do something about helping those less fortunate around us. If you want to join us, click here or just send us a note.

Merry Christmas and much love to you all,

Nate & Amanda

Posted at 09:13 PM

Wed - December 19, 2007

The Joy of Friendship

Nate and I have been feverishly picking out photos for our new site and wrapping up projects before the holidays. I was feeling a wee bit overwhelmed and decided to take a break a check the mail. I was so excited to discover that a Christmas gift had been mailed to our house! I couldn't believe my eyes when opened it up to find this beautiful hand knitted scarf from my friend Gail. It completely made my day!! We photographed Gail and Nick's wedding last year and we just love these guys! Gail is one of the most thoughtful and sweetest people ever, I just adore her. Nate and I are continually blessed with amazing clients and friends. We really do have the best job in the world (stressful at times, but oh so rewarding)! Gail and I were able to hang out a couple of weeks ago and catch up. She loves photography and is pursing it more seriously, so it's always fun to talk "shop" too :) However, we quickly found that we could talk for hours about anything and everything. Check out her blog , she's also an amazing writer as well.

Gail, I can't thank you enough for this very thoughtful and beautiful gift, and most of all your friendship :)

Posted at 01:28 PM

Fri - December 7, 2007

Carley and Brittin

My wonderful friends Carley and Maggie (from college) visited a couple of weeks ago. Of course I couldn't resist taking some shots of Carley with her new precious baby Brittin. We also had fun with the three of us goofing around while Nate took some pics. It was so fun hanging out with my girlfriends again. Because alot of my closest friends are scattered across the U.S., when I do get time to hang out with them, it's definitely not taken for granted. Love you guys!!!