Well… apparently I make all big announcements with a letter board now, so that’s a thing 😉 (see the journey to full-time photography).

I literally don’t know where to begin with sharing this journey of ours that is leading us back to the beautiful state of Colorado. I’ll be honest that I’m overwhelmed with the ways I’ve seen God moving in our lives, especially in the last year, as well as the incredible support system of people we are grateful to be so deeply connected to.

For anyone who doesn’t know, I was born and raised in Woodland Park, Colorado, which is about 25 minutes West of Colorado Springs. My parents still live there, in the same house I lived in for the first 18 years of my life before moving out of state for college (where I met my husband, Preston), and if you’ve been following me much over the years, you already know that we try to go back to visit + explore as often as we can.

I have trouble describing just how shaping growing up in the mountains was for me. I’m truly an outdoorsy girl… time spent camping, exploring, hiking, and sitting around a campfire with friends and family are literally my very favorite memories. When I’m out there in the open on an ascent up the side of a mountain, breathing the fresh (albeit thin) air, listening to the absolute QUIET of the stillness around me, I feel more at peace and more present in my relationship with Christ than during any other moments I can pinpoint in my life. The tattoo I got in early 2019 is of tree roots going through the mountains… symbolizing my own roots and how much I am who I am today because of them, along with all the people and experiences that I associate with them. I also love that deep roots represent such an indestructible connectedness to the world and people around us because I truly believe we were created for connection. Preston is originally from Arkansas, which is the only place in the world that you can still mine for diamonds as a public individual, and the diamond shape of his tattoo is linked to the shape on the AR flag to incorporate his own roots. The scene within the diamond portrays his similar love for the great outdoors and the mountains.

We’ve always been interested in and excited about the idea of eventually landing in Colorado, but were on the same page that we wanted to wait for the RIGHT opportunity instead of trying to force anything. I’m so thrilled to share that the absolutely perfect one has come our way! Preston officially accepted a position as the Creative Director of The Exodus Road, a non-profit working in prevention, intervention, and after-care for human trafficking victims around the world. They are based in Colorado Springs and work with locals in highly trafficked countries to bring rescue for individuals trapped in modern day slavery.

Not only could we not have written a better job description for Preston if we’d done so ourselves, but this amazing organization was actually founded by my youth pastor from high school and his wife so I can actually speak to their wonderful character and the fact that they are simply incredible, warm, kindhearted, high-capacity, action-taking people.

Be sure to follow their organization on Facebook here and Instagram here!!

There are countless ways we’ve seen God’s fingerprints during this whole process and we’re so grateful to be looking towards this next chapter of our lives!

Keep an eye out for LOTS more mountain-filled images on my feed in the near future… and scroll to the end of this post to see the most hilarious photo of my dog’s real reaction to the news that we’re moving to such an outdoorsy place.  😉

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

-Mary Oliver

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Colorado friends, let me know HERE if you’d like to get on my calendar for a session this year! I’d be thrilled to capture it for you.

Kansas City friends, don’t worry! I’ll be back in town quite a bit, especially in 2020 since I have at least 8 weddings in town. That being said, I’d love to still capture some photos for you during the times I’m here! I’ll be keeping this TRAVEL SCHEDULE page up to date on my website so you can always see when I’ll be around and if it will work for what you’re wanting 🙂 I will be driving for most of the KC trips as well so I should have some good flexibility to come a little early or stay a little longer than the dates I have listed. You can always reach out on my contact page if you’d like to get something planned.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your support and encouragement and for celebrating with us in this new chapter!