The Year in Pictures: 2013

It seems quite surreal that 2013 is rapidly coming to a close. This has been a year of crazy transitions, new experiences, and a huge dose of the unknown. I have done my best to pull some courage out of my pocket and be willing to fail. Through it all, I have been continuously reminded of all of the good things in my life I didn't quite have eyes to see before.  

Without further adieu, here are my favorite photos from the year. It's a smattering of shots from family and engagement sessions, weddings and bar-be-ques, and treks to maine and africa. A huge thank you to all of you who struck a pose for me and were extremely patient as I ventured out on this new photography endeavor. (special shout out to the elephants, who were very cooperative). Getting to capture these moments has been delightfully fun. 

Happy New Year! 

Family Session: The Sanghas

One of the best parts of photography is getting to hang out with great friends and capture their sweet families. Mandy and I grew up down the road from each other and spent crazy amounts of time together, entertaining ourselves like only small-town kids learn to do.(seriously, it's one of the reasons I know so many ridiculous games.)

A few years later, I was around to watch these two fall in love in college. Let's just say their wedding involved one of the best dance parties in the history of the world. That's right. history. of. the. world. Now they have three precious and quirky children, who are an amazing combination of their parents. 

We embraced the sub-zero temperatures and the quaint chicago neighborhood. The kids were great sports and had no meltdowns until the last five minutes of our walk back to the house. pretty impressive for 4 degrees. love you friends! 

family session: the cupps

meet the cupps: the adorable and fun-loving family I lived with for awhile in Uganda. They were incredibly kind to me and made me feel part of their family immediately. I shared a room with four year old Emma, who was quite the conversationalist and great company. It's amazing how quickly you bond when you live in the jungle together. 

We took these pictures in the last minutes of sunlight on my final night in Uganda. I love all of the laughing photos and will not disclose the reason for the merriment in such a public arena. 

I miss these friends so much....the dance parties and crafts and delicious food and dumb jokes and ministry advice and girls' nights. (And in some strange way, I even miss the daily dish-washing extravaganza!) It's part of the bitter+sweet that comes from making friends across the world. So thankful to know them!