Getting life back on track these past few weeks has proven more difficult that I would have ever thought it. Everything changed. My schedule. My sleeping patterns. My appetite. My HAIR!!! My hair and skin that normally always stay clean for days…are…well…gross. I hate it. (So much I’m complaining about it on my own blog..hate it) I can’t make anything stay clean or look decent. I’ve been showing up to doctors appointments and meetings looking like Lindsey Lohan’s (post Disney days people…) twin sister.

I’ve always pretty interested in keeping myself educated on what I put in my body. Why aren’t more of us interested in that? What we put in our bodies… Our kids bodies.. Food is an amazingly fascinating and disgusting all at the same time topic. I read…ALL THE TIME. I find it insanely intriguing. So, because I’ve been complaining lately about feeling disgusting “post hospital” and post “tons of nasty for your skin and hair medicine” being pumped into me, a dear friend recommended a book I devoured in a day and I’m now working on the cleanse in the back of the book to…well…rid my body of the rest of this nasty stuff. Is it working? Heck yeah! I can already tell a difference!

So today…I thought I would share this book and my little story with you guys and ask you what YOU are reading (food related of course!) and if it’s marked you at all. I love a new book more than anyone and I’m sure one of you out there is sitting on a gem! I encourage you guys if you are interested in food, clean eating, educating yourselves on what we put in our bodies to pick this book up. It’s crazy good.

Happy Wednesday! Happy Eating!

(I’ll keep you guys updated on the cleanse and maybe even post a few recipes from the book!)

I’m back…finally. I’ve used that word a lot this past week. To others in talk about how I’m doing, in my own conversations with myself. Finally. It’s only been a week but it’s felt like an eternity. Finally. Normalcy is falling back into place. My life is starting to come together. Things that were pestering me, bothering me, things that felt dull for longer than just this past week suddenly are sharpening back up again. Finally. Those little task I do everyday that I haven’t been able to complete in a week are starting to come back to me. Finally…finally…finally.

And without getting into a complete soliloquy that would require a novel of me of why I haven’t blogged in a while I will just tell you honestly and openly that while I love my job, my clients and work so so much…the push to write…to open myself up on a page hasn’t been there. I don’t know exactly why. I have prayed about it. (I’m still praying about it:) And I’m coming to a new place with that. It almost took a smack on the head and well…I definitely got a literal one of those. I know more now of why and I want to start writing again and I’m thankful for that. Maybe I’ll sit down and tell you why one day in a post. Maybe I’ll tell you over coffee:) (I’m a little more open that way sometimes when I get asked about feelings.) In the meantime I will just tell you it’s been a long break for me that ended with a long week that required a lot of heart and a lot more of my faith. I stepped up. I did what was asked of me and more importantly….there were a lot more people in my life that stepped up for me in ways that I cannot begin to express my gratitude and unconditional love for.

Thank you to my parents for of course loving my in that way only parents love their children. For caring for me, being patient with me and thank you Lord for both being product of years and years of working in the medical field…for that I am a lucky girl.

To my Matthew…we have reached a new level of trust, patience and unconditional love in our relationship. I’m sorry for the sleep you lost, the really bad hospital food, and the amount of worry I have caused you. Thank you for never leaving that chair….thank you for loving me like you do. No one will ever love me like that. One day I’ll give that back to you. I promise. We get married 60 days from now and I have never been more proud than this moment that I get to be your wife and continue to grow in the way that we do. You are a gift to me…and for that I will always be forever grateful.

To my family..my sisters…aunts…nieces…and beyond, Matthew’s family…my new set of parents in law and my new sister, our friends, and all the clients who have sent love, wishes, flowers and prayers…I have felt every single one of them. I have. Thank you. They are strong. Prayer is powerful. It means the world to me, you have no idea.

Lastly….friends are gifts in life that we are given and it is a priceless gift having those people you know…no matter where you are in life…you can call and say…I need help. I need you. They won’t ask… They just come. I could name those people for me on the fingers of my one hand and I am a very lucky girl to have these people in my life and to be these people for someone else. Thank you to all of them for being my hands this week and loving me like they have always loved me.

To one of the most important fingers on my hand….Mary Beth. Thank you. For being my sister…not because we act more like sisters than friends:).. but because we are more closely bonded like sisters. Thank you for loving me, laughing at me and motivating me to be a better friend, photographer and one day…an amazing mom. Thank you for always knowing my tone in my phone calls before I open my mouth to speak and both, in our moments of “I need help” we just came. No questions…we just came. Thank you for coming.

Mary Beth took my place at a beautiful little wedding I unfortunately had to miss because of my head injury. (I told you guys..I am always prepared!) And she did an exceptionally, exquisite job. I love the images and I cannot wait for her to shoot my own in less than 60 days both because she is incredibly talented and also because I will look back and know the care and love those images were crafted with. Here is a sneak peek on my blog…(I’ll blog Matthew’s take on the wedding tomorrow!)

For the rest of the images from Mary Beth Tyson….check them out at her blog here. For now…here is my favorite.

It’s not often that I write, or that I write for the public to see. But this is an exception. I wanted to let you you know what keeps running through my head. I’ve been thinking it for a year and a half now, and it was even more solidified over this past weekend.

Karlin, simply put, you are my favorite.

I use the word favorite, for so many reasons, but let me explain to you how my heart and eyes see you.

I was about 13 years old when I really, truly, saw the love between my own parents. It wasn’t that I never noticed their love, but I never really understood it until that age. My dad is a passionate man, always doing everything to the very best of his ability. He’s a hard worker, spiritual head and powerful lover. My mom is calm, analytical and the backbone of our family. I was watching them in the kitchen one summer’s day. I can remember it like it was yesterday. My dad came into the kitchen, and my mom simply asked if he would do the dishes. Without skipping a beat, my dad did exactly as she asked, no questions. He then looked over at me and asked me, “Son, don’t I have a beautiful wife?” This changed me. At that moment I knew that I would resolve within myself, that when the time came, I would love someone like that. It was such a fleeting moment, but one that stuck with me even until this day. Since that day, I haven’t shared that story with anyone. I think partly because I had to know first for myself that I could love like that. My father has unconditionally loved my mother, and my mother, him, for 30 years this year.

So for 12 years I waited. And I found you. I finally found you.

Karlin, you are the most brilliant and driven woman I have ever met. Words cannot express the amount of admiration I have for you. You are a beautiful treasure. One that I cherish with all my heart. I promise to you, that in 30 years, our children will look at us and say, “Daddy and mommy love each other.” They will never see a day that goes by that I don’t love you with everything that is in my being. I will fight for you, I will go to bat for you, I will be your biggest fan, I will lead you, and I most certainly will love and adore you. I am becoming and will be the Godly husband you want and need. Our children will know what a loving father is, as I lead by example in loving them and you. You make me the best person I can possibly be. I can never thank you enough for that. You are my best friend, my love, my life-partner, and my spiritual counter part. I cannot wait to see what life has in store for us. We’ll take it head on, and I’ll always be there to catch you if you fall. You can count on me for the rest of your life. You are my favorite.

And I say this now for the first time, but certainly not the last, “Don’t I have a beautiful bride?”

yours forever,

until then…here is kate and seth’s lovely nuptials! enjoy!

We spent the afternoon with them at up at Barnsley Gardens, a very special place to us as Jared will be marrying Matt and I there in April of next year. Considering that amazing gift I had to give them one in return. I hope they enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed making them. (Rosanna…in her own way is giving me another very special gift in what we both hope…I’m sure her more than me…will only be a few short weeks. But more on that in DUE time) Until then…Ro and J…thank you for all the pizza, the late nights, and for being the best friends anyone could ask for!

k

location: park tavern atlanta

coordination:  the wonderful Allison Giddens

We packed up the car and went with route 3 (thank you iOS5). If you plan on driving from the south to the north, we highly recommend to take the way through the virginia mountains along highway 81. It is beautiful, especially during autumn.

We had already made plans before we left to stay with some friends, Austin and Brittany. These two met in Georgia, shortly after were married and moved to Philly as Austin had accepted a job as a worship pastor at a church in Glenn Mills. Austin took us around the city during the day and at night the four of us had some pretty intense games of Apples to Apples. This city has been my favorite within the U.S., and this trip only reinforced that.

Highlights include (but are not limited to):

Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, The Franklin Fountain, Cheesesteaks, South Street, Spruce Street Coffee, Betsy Ross’ House, Christ Church, Cheesesteaks, Benjamin Franklin’s grave, Cheese Whiz, The Rocky-stairs-run-punch-victory dance, The Mint…

…Cheesesteaks.

While we were there we took a few photos of Austin and Brittany, and they are unbelievably fun to photograph.