Andrew :: 2011 Senior Portraits

For the last hour and a half I've been telling myself how impressive it is that I'm up - being that with jet lag my body feels like it's three hours later than it really is. Don't worry, Internet, I just figured out that I'm actually quite unimpressive. See, when you move from the west coast to the east coast you lose three hours - not gain them. This means that I shouldn't be tired, at all. Not even a little bit. Staying up 'til nine is nothing to be proud of (no offense, dad). I've been busy, though, editing away on Andrew's pictures. Remember when I said cool boys intimidated me? Andrew scored three touchdowns and made roughly a hundred tackles in last weekend's season opener. This makes him the epitome of coolness and may or may not have totally mortified me. How was I supposed to take pictures that reflected the cool that oozed from his veins?! In order to prepare I called Colton from Andrew's driveway and asked for a pep talk (no joke). I can't remember an ounce of what Cole said but somehow he managed to get me out of the car, off the phone, and into Andrew's house. I was tempted to play the Space Jams mix from my high school basketball warm ups, but sadly it never made it to my iPod. Maybe that's for the better...

Then this guy wanted to join us and I couldn't have been happier. No really, I actually don't think I could have been any happier.

Hannah, I know we're friends and all, but you have a very handsome brother.

Happy Thursday!

Michelle

The Look of Love :: Preview

It's 8:53p and we just walked into our hotel room near the Portland airport. My parents fell asleep watching the History Channel - understandably so - and left me to oscillate my amusement between the channel's special on Himalayan Monkey Men and the two different pillow types displayed on my bed (down + feather and down alternative). I'm getting ready for an early flight to Virginia, but I wanted to leave you with a preview of what I've been working on lately. I don't usually like to give away too much in a sneak peak, but this image of Lene and Ryan totally touched my heart. Deep. Their wedding was just as beautiful as they are and was the perfect reflection of their love. If you're wondering what their love looks like, you might want to take a look at Lene's face. I think it says it all.

Sweet dreams,

Michelle

Making Lists :: Life

For as long as I can remember list making has been my rail pass from a chaotic mind to an organized world. When deciding upon the better of two choices, a list of pros and cons forced me to see the best option. When writing essays in college a list of brainstormed thoughts was exactly what I needed in order to put pen to paper. And when planning my wedding a to-do list was by far my saving grace throughout our eight month engagement. Lately I've been making a new kind of list - one that consists of everything I love about where I live. To be honest it began as a mental list of things I love about where I used to live. But after realizing the beauty of Northern Virginia, I decided two lists would be necessary. I'm making this post short by leaving you with the following lists of things I luuurve about Central Oregon and Northern Virginia. Two places and I've grown to call home.

Things I love about Central Oregon ::

1. Recycling. I feel guilty, way guilty, when the Grocer gives me plastic instead of paper.

2. The Outdoors. I miss having roads with bike lanes and cars with ski racks. ...I'm so weird. I also miss this place.

3. Independent breweries + coffee houses.

4. Hot days, cool nights, no bugs, and no humidity. My kind of summer.

5. Farmland ...I'm more of a country girl than I let on.

Things I love about Northern Virginia ::

1. Being 20 minutes from the most powerful city in the world.

2. History. The west coast kind of missed out on that whole American history thing.

3. Proximity. I am close to everything here.

4. Old Houses + Estate Sales. I have a slight affection for all things old.

5. Farmland...I'm more of a country girl than I let on.

I snapped these pictures while my mom and I were hiking through Smith Rock this morning. They remind me of how unique and beautiful this home of mine is.

Have a wonderful evening,

Michelle