She Is Water

Ella Beans turns 6 on Friday. I can't even believe I am typing that sentence because it can't be true. And yes, birthdays turn into week long events. Beans is making big plans over here. For me, turning 6 is huge because 5 is still a baby. Baby hands, baby feet, baby teeth. Silliness. So much silliness. There's still so much baby there. So my heart breaks a little more with each milestone birthday but Ella's is a special one because while it breaks, it also grows with love and gratitude that I am blessed with these two amazing women in my life...And so I like to celebrate this woman too. When I was 4 months pregnant with Beans, my mom, my best friend in the whole wide world was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  It rocked our family and it changed who we are in so many ways. While she wanted so badly to enjoy every bit of the pregnancy like moms of daughters often do, she was instead going through surgery, chemo and radiation. She smiled through every treatm...

This essay and I are part of the Messy, Beautiful Warrior Project To learn more and join us,  CLICK HERE!  And to learn about the New York Times Bestselling Memoir Carry On Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life, just released in paperback,  CLICK HERE! Messy. Beautiful. Life.    Couldn't be described more perfectly in those 3 little words. Our messy and beautiful are now 5 and 8 and my heart grows every day right along with them. Life. Is. Crazy. I don't have to tell you all that, you already know. Life is messy. Every day. Mornings are messy. Sleep is messy. Sibling rivalry is messy. Emotions are messy. Dinner is messy. Bedtimes are messy. Pets are messy.  Everything in between is messy. And at the top of it all, is us. We are running it all. Well, we think we are.  We’re trying to anyway. And it’s still very, very messy. So incredibly beautiful though. It’s life. I came to the realization recently. Like, l...

And not just any friends. My strongest friends. My friends who have been through hell and back and are still standing. Still navigating their way through this sometimes cruel world. A world that we don't always understand. A world that has me questioning why things happen the way they do. Why things happen to people that don't deserve to have horrible things happen to them. A world that forces me to look at my own two with tears in my eyes one hundred times a day. Life can be beyond unfair. I'll never really understand it. I've even started to stop questioning. It's pointless and it's heartbreaking sometimes. But what I do understand is love. I understand strength. I understand what it's like to watch someone become broken. Broken into a million little pieces. I  understand that from a friendship standpoint. To see your friends break and to know that you can't fix it, is an awful feeling. I'm a fixer. I need my people to be happy and okay. Always...

Party of 5? Why yes, of course! 5 of my most favorite people happen to live at one of the most magical places on earth. No, it's not Disney. It's the one and only... Lily Mack Farm. Not only is it beautiful, but it's filled with love, laughter and life lessons. And I am so happy to call the Guthrie's some of our closest friends. People come into our lives for a reason. I often think that people are placed strategically throughout my day. Throughout my life. And I'm reminded of this every day. Hold onto those people. They are meant to be there.  Moments are meant to be treasured... Treasure them. Childhood passes by so fast. Someone once told me... "The days are long but the years are short." Family. It's everything. A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.   My Old Friend...     Cousins are our first frie...

I had the honor of capturing Maria & Steven Crowley's wedding at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, MA on April 20th, 2013. I have never been to a more perfect "Boston Wedding." It was truly an incredible day from the venue, to the ceremony, to the reception following. I told Maria & Steven that it was one of the most amazing weddings I had ever been to. You could literally feel the love in the room and I had tears behind the lens for much of the day. It was a very emotional week for everyone just 5 days after the Boston Marathon and I couldn't think of a better place to be than back in town and I know everyone felt the same. From the Boston street names on each table to the speeches and moments honoring the Marathon families. And the view of one incredibly strong city as the backdrop for a picture perfect wedding and a room filled with love. Thank you Maria & Steven, for letting me capture your special day in moments and memories that will last a lifetime. ...