Baby Girl Turk :: Scottsdale AZ Maternity

People always ask me if I like being a twin. The answer at 28 is always a resounding, absolutely. And that has always been the answer, except for maybe a brief 3 year stint from ages 12-15. 

And do I like being a photographer AND a twin? Absolutely. As such, I automatically have the best type of client. A repeat client who comes back even after a three hour shoot with me being brutally honest about tank top bunching, awkward leg placement or the consequential disappointing end result of fake smiling in a photograph. Also a client that will discuss all of the details behind perfect lighting, a classic wardrobe and ideal locations and pine over Pinterest for months before a shoot. Also a client who shares the same "bad side" as me.  It's a bang thing. And a chin thing. And an inherited dark under-eye circle thing. Everyone has this side and it is  important that your photographer knows it. And obviously a client who doesn't get annoyed at me barraging them with the "aaaa-mazing" frames from my view finder...everything two minutes. Call me biased. 

Two weeks ago I was spoiled with another opportunity to photograph this client, my twin sister Kate, in Scottsdale, AZ. Kate is now 35 weeks pregnant with an already very active baby girl (she's training for the olympics in utero). So exciting to get to capture this growing family and share in some celebrating and nesting in anticipation of baby girl's fast approaching arrival. Amongst the weekend of Christmas shopping, nursery decorating, eating the best chicken salad sandwich on the planet and showering Baby Girl Turk alongside a lovely group of close friends, we got out into the Arizona sunshine and snapped a slew of exposures of this gorgeous trio. So psyched to share some favorites. 

The next time I see Kate and Brett I will be meeting baby girl! Ecstatic. xo. 

 

Momsgiving :: 5 items of gratitude

Every night for a very brief period of time when I was little, my mom compelled me to write in a small notebook 5 things I was grateful for. Brief, as in, I think I only got about 10 pages deep. Not surprising, as I believe this short time overlapped middle school years when I had boyfriends of 2 weeks because I do vaguely remember writing that I was grateful for one of them at some point or another. This was probably #5. Sunshine, rollerblades, mixed tapes, and mac&cheese were likely listed first. I was a tween in the 90s afterall.

I have thought a lot recently about that little notebook and my mom's desire to have us write down what we were thankful for.  Maybe it's dwelling in my head because of the holiday season. Perhaps because people are blowing up my facebook page with their daily posts of thankfulness [insert a stitch of guilt for not participating. Also a stitch of grinch for once or twice not wanting to read them all]. Or because I know I will need to come up with at least one item I am thankful for to resite over turkey, mashed potatoes and grace with friends. Really though I think it has an inkling to do with how genuinely thankful and blessed I am for the gems and moments God has placed in my life recently.  And one of these gems is my Mom. Affectionately referred to as Ma [see also: wicked New England accent]. Yes, she still does, even if indirectly, help me realize all the things I should be thankful for and all of the ways that God continues to desire to show favor on my life. Oh, and! It is her bday tomorrow. How fitting!

So in the spirit of thanksgiving and praise and God's favor, below is my pictorial rendition [so 21st century] of the gratitude 5 item journal entry. Remember, it's the simple things in life...

:: one :: wardrobe comfort blankets. 
If you know me, you know that I have an absurd scarf collection [30+. no judging]. This is coupled with an absurd love of wearing said scarves to any and all occasions. You also know that I have a hard time finding any kind of boot that fits snuggly around my chicken stick legs. So when I do finally find a pair that doesn't make me look like I have legs of an 11-year-old, I will wear them to their death. My mom actually found me the boots below on Ebay (Thanks Mom! and Ebay!). As you can see, worn and loved to death.

:: two :: a shiny spin bike in my living room.
See also: sit and be fit.
See also: dance party on a bike.
See also: finding a spin bike on clearance for half off!

:: three :: clarity. literally and figuratively.
My 85mm prime = literal clarity. It is my absolute favorite portrait lens. So sharp. Perfect focal length. Lovely bokeh. I <3 this. Thank you Nikon.

:: four :: twin texts. 
I do love the convenience of texting. I text clients. I text coworkers, family, friends, etc. However, I don't think any of them provoke as much inordinate amounts of laughter (aka. the giggles) as text conversations with Kate, my twin. Below is one such example. Barely readable image intended. ;)

:: five :: pictures that speak a thousand things to be thankful for. 
Such as: Cowboys. This cowboy in particular. This cowboy and his awesome hat. This cowboy's MO to wear this hat whenever he wants. Even with sweatpants. Laughter. Happiness. Super soft vintage Ts. Sunlight. Spaghetti [Italian. obvi]. Faith. Trust. Love. Timing. Did I mention happiness?...

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. XO.

Stick a pin in it :: I'm home.

There are several reasons I've been reluctant to join Pinterest.  "If you are looking for another way to waste time....join Pinterest," is three of those reasons summed up into one phrase - 1. I already have enough hobbies to waste time with, 2. I am currently lacking the time to waste anyway, 3. I need to waste time actually creating the things on Pinterest rather than just pinning them.  

Nevertheless, I couldn't ward off peer pressure or the inner pinner inside my soul any longer and finally recently joined. Clearly, I love it. It's sort of like shopping without buyers remorse. Browsing without driving to the mall. Safer on my finances than browsing at the mall. I am still not entirely sure what the point is...but it is quite inspirational. In fact, it's one thing that inspired me to create this post...

I moved into a new house in October and decided to revamp, recycle and rethink the style that I've had since living in and moving from Ipswich, MA a year and a half ago.

My vision: Simple but eclectic. New England meets Colorado. Old amongst new. Rustic yet clean. Tastefully textured. Thrifty, always.

My slate: Pea green carpeting. Phone book yellow walls. Tropical inspired 90s wallpaper. Dark hard wood floored common areas...luckily. 

Needless to say, the above slate needed some washing/painting and/or trashing before I could get started on creating my vision. Fortunately, I have great friends and family who coincidentally have amazing renovation skills. :) And while I'm still on my way to finishing and utilizing over half the house, I'm finally home. 

If this were Pinterest, the following board would be named "Home - As Is." Welcome. Stay a while. xo.

^ Saturday Morning. Dunkin Donuts' French Vanilla. Liberty of London -  the wild print fabric on the journal, a gem from growing up and only the most amazing fabric crafted. 

See also: Liberty Frog and Mom's hand-quilted Liberty throw...

^ Wall of Frame [baha] in the entry room/makeshift studio space until that is finished. I picked up that window on the side of the road in Nottingham, NH. All of the frames are from Goodwill....and only cost ~$2 a piece! One man's trash is another girl's artwork.  Btw - this was the room with yellow walls. New Color - Behr's Sandstone Cove.

^ Stef [best friend] will likely think it's weird that I have this, and I'm actually not sure why I have it, but inside the frame is a prayer that she wrote at a conference we went to with our church in high school. I thought that was sort of neat! 

^ I love throw pillows (more to come), especially ones in cream wool and cowhide [fake...but still]. Oh, and it wouldn't be the Wall of Frame without Peanut trying to knock something down. 

^ Little jar o' sand from North Hampton, NH - where I grew up. 

^ Antique camera pencil sharpener. Math teacher meets photographer. And crisp white tea cups. Love.

^ Love oriental rugs, throw pillows [again], and comfy couches. Please, take a seat. 

^ One hobbie that already takes up some of my time...any my closet. Scarves. 

Ikat canvas prints, hardware, pops of color. oh my. Walls are painted in Behr's Antique Leather. I partially picked out that color because of the name.

^ My Mom's red trunk sits behind the couch, complete with original travel tag and full...of Christmas decorations.

^ I'm still working on the vision for the dining nook. It's a nook, and not a room because that's all you get in an original ranch style home. I do know that April Cornell makes amazing table clothes and this chair and its twin will be part of the final product. 

^ Here's where clean and rustic come into play. Note: Rustic = absurdly heavy also.  Wall color transformation - from white and dark brown to Behr's Frozen Pond.

^ Fish scale lamp. Also, super heavy. 

^ Berber. A wonderful replacement for pea green carpet. The carpets were so bad in the house that, after pulling them up, it was decided on the spot that Killz was to be painted on the entirety of the sub flooring. That happened after we vacuumed up about a half an inch thick layer of dirt.  Also, tweed and tulle. Enough said. 

^ Dusty shoes from a hike at Red Rocks. Welcome to Colorado. :)

Thanks for coming and stay tuned.