I’ve always cherished photos and photography. Mostly from a journalistic standpoint...
I love that through photography you can capture and freeze a moment in time, and look back and re-live that moment anytime you wish. To me, photos are absolutely priceless and the ultimate sentiment. It’s one of the reasons I prefer lifestyle and photo-journalistic photography. I want to capture the real, raw, true part of my life's experiences - not the posed, crafted and staged stuff we typically see all over the internet and social media (especially instagram!). I want to see what’s REAL... The good, the bad, and the ugly. If you know me well, you know that I am really authentic and honest and down to earth. So that’s typically my approach with my photography as well... and even this blog!
With my Instagram account and this blog, I am not trying to be anything for anyone other than me... A loving wife to my husband, a nurturing mother to my children, and a helpful and genuine daughter, sister, and friend. I just don’t know how to pretend to be anything else. I like writing and journaling and sharing my life with others, so that’s why I do this.
Not that there is anything wrong with all the rest! I appreciate art and creativity and people who are trying to create a brand for themselves and be a helpful resource online. It’s just not me. I’ve had people suggest all different kids of approaches and/or subjects for me to focus on that they believe I would be really good at, but right now my main focus is just my family and living my life... so that’s what you get to see on here!
Anyway... Back to our Fall family photo-shoot this year! A styled family shoot is just as precious and valuable to me as the simple-moment photos I take on my own of our daily life, (and a little more appealing to frame on the wall of our living room!).
I’m rarely in front of the camera, which is something I am working to fix. I want my kids to be able to look back at our family photos someday and see their mother in them too - not just pictures of themselves and dad. I call them “proof of mom” photos. As our family continues to grow, I find hiring a photographer and taking annual family photos all the more important so we can look back and see what our family looked like each year.
With my Instagram account and this blog, I am not trying to be anything for anyone other than me... A loving wife to my husband, a nurturing mother to my children, and a helpful and genuine daughter, sister, and friend. I just don’t know how to pretend to be anything else. I like writing and journaling and sharing my life with others, so that’s why I do this.
Not that there is anything wrong with all the rest! I appreciate art and creativity and people who are trying to create a brand for themselves and be a helpful resource online. It’s just not me. I’ve had people suggest all different kids of approaches and/or subjects for me to focus on that they believe I would be really good at, but right now my main focus is just my family and living my life... so that’s what you get to see on here!
Anyway... Back to our Fall family photo-shoot this year! A styled family shoot is just as precious and valuable to me as the simple-moment photos I take on my own of our daily life, (and a little more appealing to frame on the wall of our living room!).
I’m rarely in front of the camera, which is something I am working to fix. I want my kids to be able to look back at our family photos someday and see their mother in them too - not just pictures of themselves and dad. I call them “proof of mom” photos. As our family continues to grow, I find hiring a photographer and taking annual family photos all the more important so we can look back and see what our family looked like each year.
This year we used Mikaela Durfee Photography for our family photos. She is based up here in Payson and is very talented and sweet as can be. She does a great job of capturing the moment and the surrounding scenery; and, of course, has a natural editing style that I love. As fun and creative as some of the more popular, heavily-edited styles with props, etc. can be, I always find myself leaning toward the more natural look. All about that authenticity!
We did a mini-shoot with Mikaela and got some great images I will forever value (and can’t wait to frame!). Gentry is 9 months old in these photos and Gavin is 37 months old (barely 3).
I still can’t believe we moved to Payson and have been here for almost an entire year already. I also can’t believe Gentry is approaching his 1st Birthday soon and Gavin turned 3 this past summer. And I am still shocked and adjusting to how different so many aspects of my life look right now compared to one year ago! It is true when they say “the days are long but the years are short”. And, as my dad likes to say, “What’s true today may not be true tomorrow.” Meaning: You just never know how things might change! Life is constantly ever-changing...
We did a mini-shoot with Mikaela and got some great images I will forever value (and can’t wait to frame!). Gentry is 9 months old in these photos and Gavin is 37 months old (barely 3).
I still can’t believe we moved to Payson and have been here for almost an entire year already. I also can’t believe Gentry is approaching his 1st Birthday soon and Gavin turned 3 this past summer. And I am still shocked and adjusting to how different so many aspects of my life look right now compared to one year ago! It is true when they say “the days are long but the years are short”. And, as my dad likes to say, “What’s true today may not be true tomorrow.” Meaning: You just never know how things might change! Life is constantly ever-changing...
People keep asking me, “How are you liking Payson? How long are you guys planning on staying up there? Are you going to buy a house or continue to rent? Are you going to have more kids soon?”... And it’s so hard to answer all of these questions!
We love a lot about Payson: The weather and climate, Eric’s job and the extra family time we get to spend together, the simpler lifestyle, and a lot of the people we have met. I don’t see us leaving anytime soon.
As much as I miss a lot of the people and resources we left down in the valley, I just can’t imagine going back to Eric working 12-24 hour shifts every day and working 60+ hour work weeks. He was NEVER home! I might as well have been a single mom... It was not good for us in so many ways. It’s easier to see now, looking back, just how bad and damaging it was for our marriage and family dynamic. There is no way I will allow that for our family ever again if I can help it. Plus now that I have been spoiled with the amazing mountain weather, I definitely don’t want to go back to the heat!
But, like my dad’s quote, who knows what things will look like for us a year from now? Anything could happen... For now though, our plan is to stay up here in the mountains and enjoy being more intimately involved with nature and the wildlife; and, most importantly, each other.
”The greatest, most important work you will ever do is within the walls of your own home.”
We love a lot about Payson: The weather and climate, Eric’s job and the extra family time we get to spend together, the simpler lifestyle, and a lot of the people we have met. I don’t see us leaving anytime soon.
As much as I miss a lot of the people and resources we left down in the valley, I just can’t imagine going back to Eric working 12-24 hour shifts every day and working 60+ hour work weeks. He was NEVER home! I might as well have been a single mom... It was not good for us in so many ways. It’s easier to see now, looking back, just how bad and damaging it was for our marriage and family dynamic. There is no way I will allow that for our family ever again if I can help it. Plus now that I have been spoiled with the amazing mountain weather, I definitely don’t want to go back to the heat!
But, like my dad’s quote, who knows what things will look like for us a year from now? Anything could happen... For now though, our plan is to stay up here in the mountains and enjoy being more intimately involved with nature and the wildlife; and, most importantly, each other.
”The greatest, most important work you will ever do is within the walls of your own home.”
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