While visiting Andrew in Chattanooga, I had the privilege of hanging out with several of my blog friends. These are all women I had either met in real life many years ago or at least passed in the halls of Covenant College countless times. So I can’t say it was all that daring of a blogger meet-up. But it was a huge delight to see them in the real world and to watch their children play with Livia. The biggest thing that struck me was how beautiful these gals were in 3-D. Words and images on a screen can only do so much. They were all sweet, kind and lovely–and fun mamas to boot.
From left to right: Jocelyn of BryantChatt, Me, Moriah and baby Arianna of Please Pass the Salt, and Alli and Tebow of Always, Alli.
Livia ran around and played with all the kiddos. I think she and Fuller especially hit it off. Check out Alli’s adorable pic here.
Fun = Your papa, your favorite cousin, and a swing. Good times, pure and simple.
I had the best time with my friends Cortney and Phil and their little ones on our photo shoot. Grace was hilarious and fun; she was constantly moving and playing and showing me all the things she could do. Micah just went with the flow, and did his normal boy thing, pushing and pulling cars and trains. The evening light was magical and it was a huge privilege to hang with the Erdmans that night. Thanks for letting me into your adorable family! I love the way our shoot turned out.
And Cortney? It just ain’t right for a woman to be as gorgeous as you are. ;)
Over six years ago I walked into a split-level home I had never been in before and I became a mother. It’s not the usual spin on the process, but it was the one God had in mind for me. In that home, Livia Raine Melissa Tredway was laid in my arms and my heart was forever transformed.
Happy National Adoption Month.
To mark the next 30 days or so, my work will be on display at Indigo Bridge Books here in Lincoln, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. Tonight is Lincoln’s First Friday Art Walk, so take a moment to swing by the Creamery Building at 7th & P Streets to enjoy some photography by yours truly—and hopefully buy a book or cup of joe from Indigo.
This laughing kid, my friend Josh, and his family are featured in my photos.
This was Livia’s first view of Lookout Mountain. Amazing, right?
Uncle Andrew’s been talking up the Tennessee Aquarium to Livia as long as I can remember, so it was pretty fun that we actually got to visit it. We met up with Andrew’s good friends Bo and Brynne, and their adorable daughters, much to Livia’s delight. She and three year old Maren hit it off and gave us some pretty cute photo opps.
The funniest moment of the morning came when we had the chance to feed stingrays. Liv, however, knows about the death of Steve Irwin—yes, we did share this macabre knowledge with her—and she shared it every time the word stingray was mentioned. But she watched carefully as Bo and Andrew laughed—with a slight hysteria in their voices—as they fed the rays bits of shrimp. I knew this was the one chance I’d have to touch and feed a stingray, so I did it too. Unnatural, that’s all I have to say.
Yesterday Livia and I hopped aboard a plane and landed in Wisconsin amidst 50 mile/hour winds, within mere hours of tornados touching down. It was an exciting landing. Livia shrieked with joy as I clutched the armrest and watched the plane tilt in ways that felt entirely uncomfortable to my being. Praise Jesus, we landed just fine and the pilot earned applause from several relieved passengers.
Here’s Liv in the Milwaukee airport, looking remarkably like Fuzzy, who hitched a ride in her backpack.
Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.
My brother Andrew picked us up in Nashville, again, in the middle of crazy thunderstorms. We drove down to Chattanooga wondering what kind of weather we would encounter on the way. Meanwhile, Jenny, Andrew’s girlfriend, encountered tornadic clouds in a grocery store parking lot and texted us a photo of the skies. She quickly went back home, grabbed a friend and her cell phone and sat in the stairwell of her apartment building. Forget Nebraska being the land of tornados… There was far more unseemingly weather waiting for us here!
Despite the storms that swept the country yesterday, Livia and I had a great day of traveling and we’re enjoying the beauty of the south. Check out those fall colors. More adventures to come.
I was in Pioneers Park last night on a photo shoot and the light was unbelievably beautiful. I experienced several moments of absolute grace and pleasure by looking on this gorgeous land God created. I noticed a lot of folks were walking their dogs in the fading sunlight—it reminded me to slow down and enjoy the fresh air outside before winter sets in.
I’ll go ahead and say it: there is no place like Nebraska. I love it here.
I was thrilled when Larisa’s mom (aka my friend Indra) called regarding senior photos. Though I love taking pictures of high school seniors—mainly because they pose so beautifully compared to two year olds, ha!—I was excited because I always enjoy spending time with Larisa. I knew we’d have a good time stomping all over Lincoln together. What I didn’t anticipate was Larisa’s smile; it lit up every single shot I took. Except for the ones where I told her to quit smiling.
Larisa, you are beautiful and talented. I can’t wait to see what you do after graduation! Have an awesome senior year.
