finish well

homework is consuming my life. completely. i have never spent this much time writing, researching, and reading before. like, ever. while normal people enjoy relaxing and refreshing weekends, mine looked a little like this:

friday

observation hours

4 hours of thesis work

dinner

oh, and then i actually had some fun. T and i rented Lincoln, and oh my goodness i loved it. the little history buff in me was just dancing off the walls, while T sat there saying, "i don't really get what's going on right now." that's ok babe, that's what you have me for. and the acting just blew me away - no joke, i think i had a little dead-man crush on Abe by the end of that movie. and yes, i cried, totally, when he died. 

saturday

this past weekend was my sweet friend Kelly's bridal shower - i can't believe she's getting married in just a little less than two months! time flies, people. the whole time, i couldn't help thinking about how excited i am for my bridal shower in just over a month (selfish of me, i know). i am so excited to see what Rachel has up her sleeve, and i just can't wait to have the most awesome women in the world all together for an afternoon!

and then the rest of saturday was a whole lot of work, work work, oh and a little game time with our best friends, because we are totally the kind of people who play board games on saturday night, and that people, is how we define fun. 

sunday

church

AND TEN HOURS OF HOMEWORK

TEN!

when T came home from worship practice that evening around 9:30, i was still going strong, and that wonderful fiancé of mine brought a latte with him, because "you deserve it, love." his supportiveness on days where i have hardly a second to spare amazes me. it gets me through, and it challenges me to step outside of my little world and do the same for him. i don't know what i'd do without that guy. thank you, Jesus.

monday

TEN MORE HOURS OF SCHOOL WORK

seriously, shoot me

but when i walk across that stage and receive that diploma, it is going to feel so good, and so well-earned. that makes this final push all worth it. because i will officially be a college graduate. i will have MADE IT. 

and for all of you other graduates or hard-workers out there, grab a coffee like i'm about to do and HANG IN THERE. 

graduation bound // melanie

last month, i had the wonderful opportunity to photograph this young lady. we had such a blast at the Huntington Beach Equestrian Center, and let me tell you - she is a natural in front of the camera! i have to say that these were my favorite photos to work with so far, mainly because the setting and the 'look' totally speaks to me. i loved everything about it. 

i have recently been reading Elizabeth Messina's book The Luminous Portrait and i have learned so much about using natural light - my world has been rocked. since mel's shoot, i have tried new techniques, and i'm excited to share those photos as well! 

enjoy!!

 

  

 

 

books, tea, & cameras // emily haven

a few week's ago, i shot a few graduation pictures for my sweet friend emily, which you can see here. yesterday, we did part 2. this girl is graduating in just a few short weeks with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, with the hopes of  becoming a physical therapist. she is super accomplished. we did the session in her adorable little apartment, surrounded by her dozens of textbooks and all the things she loves. we had fun, and i hope you enjoy these photos! 

 

how much do we love this old copy of 'gray's anatomy?'

 

 

i just love her laugh, and i love capturing it!

 

 

emily also loves photography, so we included her camera as well!

 happy graduation em! thank you for your wonderful friendship.

graduation bound: emily haven

a few weeks ago, my dear friend emily asked me to take a few grad photos of her - what a total win-win situation: i got to spend a few hours catching up with her, she got her grad pictures out of the way, i had another opportunity to get some photography in, and we topped off the day with iced mochas at bogart's. 

ok, so a win-win-win-win-win-win-win situation.

this girl has been a great friend of mine since my freshman year of college, and i just cannot believe that she will be graduating next month already! this girl is ambitious and driven, yet so creative and loving, and i just know she will go great places - no matter where they are.

enjoy!