Part two of Cali&Peter’s Cleveland wedding:

We snuck away while everyone was eating to grab a few shots of Cali&Peter upstairs in the quiet:

I love shots likes these…. by all standards, it was a mistake, over-exposed, unfocused…. but I find it striking.

…everyone then proceeded to dance the night away… (literally!)

There was even a giant-room-sized conga-line….

We said farewell with sparklers and cheers as Peter&Cali drove off into the night.

I met Cali & Peter through my friends Megan & Anton (who’s wedding I shot last May) and was extremely excited to meet and talk with them. They were married January 23, 2010 in at the Old Courthouse in Cleveland, OH. Cali & Peter were a sweet couple to photograph and spend the day with. They both possessed contagious smiles and a happy energy that instantly put me at ease while shooting. The bridal party was a gang full of personality and true friends who’s toasts attested to the character of both Peter and Cali. I was touched by the speeches given, as well as by Peter and Cali incorporating a foot washing into their ceremony. Peter and Cali- I wish you both the best and I know God has great plans for you!

The girls got ready out at Cali’s parents beautiful home:

I then headed back to the hotel to shoot the guys preparing for the ceremony:

Pt. II to come!

Here’s the second blast of old photos. These are from 2003 when I traveled to Guatemala for the 2nd time. This year as a leader instead of a student, which was scary and fun at the same time. I had a group of girls that I was responsible for, but that was pretty easy as they were all amazing girls and we had a great time together sharing hotel rooms/devotions/crazy antics. These trips out of the country to serve had an amazing impact on my life and have left a definite mark on my heart… I’m praying about the opportunity to do more missions work in the semi-close future.(p.s., all these photos are shot with film… this was before I had gone digital… and I think this is where my love for photography started to develop)

one of my favorite photos ever. We had training for a weekend before we left for the trip, and it was long and exhausting… everyone snuck naps wherever/whenever possible.

God’s beauty… seriously… there aren’t words.

We took boats on a river to see the Pacific Ocean… the sand at the beach was black from the volcanoes, but it was soft as white sand, and even more beautiful in my opinion.

This was my second time at Tikal… that bottom photo is a shot of the scene that’s in one of the Star Wars movies… so, that’s pretty cool if you like Star Wars (I do) I had to climb about a million-bajillion rickety stairs to get there and it was seriously one of the scariest things I have ever done. But I did it, and it was worth it. (I am deathly afraid of heights.)

proof I actually made it to the top

They were imitating the part on “The Emporer’s New Groove” where Kronk makes his own sound-effects/soundtrack. I know you know what I’m talking about. (if you don’t, you should! TENG is a hilarious movie!)

Me, some giant palm leaves, and Capitan the ginormous dalmation on the ranch.

Drinking some refreshing Nectar on the bus

Me resting in a hammock, and then me and some of the girls at a school we visited.

So, I’m sick today, and I’ve been meaning to look through some of my old photos from back in the day… when digital photography wasn’t as prevalent and I didn’t upload everything immediately to my flickr. Its hilarious/scary/entertaining to go back and see how I’ve changed in the photos (as well as some of the friends who are in them!) without further ado… here’s some OLDIES:

Yeah. That’s me and my brother with members from Skillet. I feel like this was on their ‘Ardent Worship’ tour… but I saw them more than several times (eep!) so I can’t say for sure. Weird to think they’re still around and fairly popular. I haven’t listened to them really since ‘Alien Youth’ (of which, I was not a fan)

These photos are not related… the ones on the left are from a year at summer camp with my youth group, I’m guessing I’m about 16 or 17. Me and Megan (the girl in the top photo & bottom photo with me) are still friends and I had the honor of shooting her wedding last year!

And yes. I have no hair. It was actually a TON of fun having short hair… but, I sort of looked like a boy if I didn’t put make-up on. Not really a fan of that… and I’m too lazy to always apply make-up, so it probably won’t ever happen again…The photo on the right is taken the first time I left the country, and on the first missions trip I ever was part of… those were our armed guards. Yep.

These are just randoms from different years… the top photo is a group of us and our wonderful friends Josh&Sabrina who were moving away that year….and the second photo are three of my best friends from highschool/early college years: Megan, Becca & Nathan

Then was the year at summer camp everyone dyed their hair black. (seriously though, I was the first… just sayin.)….

Here is my sister the year SHE chopped all her hair off… and me at the height of my ‘emo’ years. I even had on a home-made t-shirt that had melancholy Death Cab for Cutie lyrics ironed on.

This was also my first year as a ‘leader’ at summer camp instead of a student…. seriously, way more fun as I didn’t have to participate in the mandatory sports competitions! (I was a “score-keeper” which meant I jotted down numbers at the end of games and had time to snap lots of photos)

There I am, hard at work. And yes. I am wearing a jacket in July on the sports field. It mystified many. But I didn’t get sunburnt, so, whatever… next up, photos from my second missions trip to Guatemala in 2003

I’m re-reading L.M. Montgomery’s Anne books… they’re marvelous. Beautiful, charming, wholesome, funny, romantic… I wish 12 year old girls would be obsessed with Anne Shirley rather than Bella Swan and the Twilight books.

I think if I could be any fictional character, I would be Anne Shirley.

“it is sometimes a little lonely to be surrounded everywhere by a happiness that is not your own.“- from ‘Anne of the Island’ (my favorite Anne book.) And I wholeheartedly agree with Anne….