If you’re looking to elope in the Black Hills, this is how it’s done: with wildflowers and hand-written vows including a poem. :-) Josh + Hannah, thank you so much for inviting me to document your beautiful, intimate ceremony. I hope you are enjoying married life so far!

It’s almost summer which means lots of weddings + engagement sessions will be popping up on the blog soon. Therefore we have been soaking up the last little bit of this slower-paced lifestyle. My favorite things from this past month? Elodie (duh) and working with some new plants!

1. Elodie is four months old and is making new sounds every day (most of them in a higher octave). She still loves to put anything she can reach into her mouth, and she giggles when we give her raspberries on her tummy.

2. Succulents! This past winter I experimented with propagating succulents by using leaves. Then I gave them all away, so I have no idea how big they grew. So I’m trying it again this summer – the top tray are leaves from plants I have, and the bottom is a tray of leaves I ordered. Yes, I ordered a bag of leaves. Call me a crazy plant lady, but I’m excited to see the new varieties that pop up!

Sometimes my job doesn’t feel like work – like when I get to photograph fun/romantic/silly couples like Fernie + Shantell! Their smiles came just as easily as the snuggles, and their giggles weren’t far behind the whispered secrets, the 98 Degrees serenade, and the overly-roasted marshmallows. :-)

Thanks, you two, for giving me a little preview of how *awesome* your wedding is going to be!! Now, enjoy a few of my favorites from this weekend!

Doesn’t Shantell look just like Kelly Ripa?! I felt a tiny bit star-struck photographing her. But then she brought me down to earth with her hairstylist banter – seriously, stylists have this natural ability to make friends with anyone, I swear. :-)

I *have* to share this goofy out-take from the s’mores section of their session, because this is the fun/goofy side I want them, their families, and their future kids and grandkids to remember. :-)

Spring cleaning and sleeping through the night – these are my favorite things this month!!

1- Wardrobe Capsule – If you came to my house, you wouldn’t know that I’m a minimalist wanna-be. Mainly because I’m just that – a wanna-be. I’m too frugal to throw things away, and too sentimental to donate certain items, so it all stays. And piles up. Especially in my closet. And yet I feel like I have ‘nothing to wear.’ Getting dressed was proving to be a chore, and who has time to try on multiple outfits before leaving the house? Not this mama. Baby girl is still eating every three hours during the day!! Something needed to change – quickly!

When I stumbled across this blog that said to take EVERYTHING out of your closet and only put back what you absolutely love to wear, I was on board! There weren’t many things I loved, so a few ‘maybes’ made it back into the closet, but getting dressed has been so much easier!! Plus, I have a clearer vision of what I like to wear, so I hope it will help me to find items that I *really* like (instead of those $6 t-shirts from Target that I always stocked up on but never really liked how they fit).

2- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – I could eat my weight in these. These and Cheddar + Sour Cream Ruffles. Is ‘postpartum cravings’ a thing? (Ha! Turns out it is – thanks, Google!) Someone please stop me from buying/eating junk food!!

3- Jack White – Can you imagine seeing one of your favorite musicians perform a somewhat impromptu acoustic concert for only three dollars? This guy provided just that for his fans in Anchorage, Boise, Jackson, Rapid City, and Fargo recently. I didn’t go, but I’m thankful I have cool clients and friends on Facebook who I can live vicariously through. :-)

4- Three Months – Elodie’s three-month photos were a bit of a challenge since she *loves* to chew on her fists and fingers and also a handful of tutu. But it’s okay, she’s forgiven since she’s… sleeping through the night!!!!! I almost don’t want to say it out loud because I don’t want to jinx it. But I also want to shout it from on top of a mountain!! Finally, I feel more like a human and less like a zombie – what a perfect early first mother’s day present to me! :-)

Happy Spring to you all!

Layne + Alexis live in North Dakota, but they met in Rapid City, so it was only fitting that they came back for their engagement photos!! Pactola Lake was one of their favorite stops while driving through the hills, so I met them there to preserve those special memories… because I’m sure every time they stopped their outfits coordinated this well, and they snuggled together just like this… ;-) Just teasing! But I do love meeting up with couples and photographing them at locations that are special or important to them. Hopefully they’ll tell their kids and grandkids about these photos and tell them the story of how they met and fell in love during those drives through the Black Hills. :-)