Do you Havasupai?

Words fail me often. There are so many experiences in life that are just beyond explanation because of their magnitude and meaning to me that I can never do justice in describing them. Good thing I'm a photographer and not a writer  :)  So, instead of blabbering on and trying to make beautiful words about this trip I was able to take to the Grand Canyon recently (my FIRST TIME!), I'll just include an excerpt from a letter a wrote to the friend who went with me:

I went to church this morning, and until the worship started, I don't think I had stopped yet to really think about all that our little trip meant to me. But once that music began and I was able to pause and think of all the reasons I had to praise God this morning, I started crying uncontrollably. That trip, and especially that time with you, was an absolute gift, Claire. The more time I spend thinking about it, the less I'm able to put into words what it meant to me. I'm starting to think there just aren't words for that kinda thing. Words to describe the raw beauty, the gift of an oasis in the desert, the redemption of Arizona, the rescue of a Perfect Father, the joy of prayer with a sweet friend, the freedom of skinnydipping in water that's clear blue, the purity of baptism under a waterfall, the satisfaction of trudging through a desert to arrive in paradise, the peace of knowing that the very God who made that canyon cares deeply for us and has our best interest in mind, the euphoria of swimming in waterfalls and sleeping under stars, and most of all... the joy it is to share all of this with a friend, especially a friend who has come to mean so much to me over the years. 

Oh, and of course I'm including photos to capture the journey (since I'm better at that anyways!): 

My 1st time on Route 66!

Ain't she lovely?

They are the only place that still use the Pony Express! No joke!

Entering the Reservation: Hooray for Maize :)

SUCH beautiful water down there

Claire in Mooney Falls

Easily one of the BEST swims we've ever had

Ha. Don't we look so cool?

Last picture I took before we left the canyon

Christopher Cross lied to me. (dedicated to my mom)

"Oh the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see... Believe me... Sailing takes me away to where I always heard it could... Just a dream and the wind to carry me... and soon I will be free." 

Christopher Cross lied to me. His song "Sailing" is, as my Uncle Cam puts it, "The most serene song ever recorded." This can lead one to believe that sailing is a purely serene experience. Ha. I wanted to believe it, but now... I know the truth. You can call off the hoax, Chris Cross. I know what really goes on out there. Or, perhaps he wrote about sailing while he was on a pond. The ocean + sailing, I have learned, is not quite like I was led to believe through this amazing song I have listened to on repeat for hours at a time.

In May, I got an email from my friend Brianna, saying that she wanted me to road trip to FL with her, go sailing with her fiance and his friend for a few days, and buy me a plane ticket home. Now Brianna is fun enough without all these bells and whistles, but this was definitely an offer I couldn't refuse (especially since I've been wanting to go sailing for a couple of years now and had never been!) In fact, my response to her invitation was probably something like "Duh." I have to say, the first few days of sailing were incredible (I mean, except for the dern engine). In fact, all of it–except for the last few hours and then the few hours in between when my neck went out– was incredible. I was lovin' it. Then, our faulty engine + lack of radio response for help + 8 ft swells of waves + terrible winds + the fact that it was nighttime... well... it 'turned the tide' for us a bit. Our glorious sailing-into-the-sunset-freedom-ride turned into a 4-hour Disney water ride from hell. BUT, before that, I was able to shoot some engagement pics for Bri + Josiah, which was...  trickier than I thought! Taking pics while the waves are ... waving (?) ... is a bit of a daunting task! But they turned out okay, and we all came out of the trip alive, and below you can see pics of us having fun before we figured out CC was a liar.

Hope you enjoy :)

tying the knot! (couldn't resist that one)

Oh Captain, my captain

left, hakuna mata in all her glory right, me learning how to drop anchor

Kleenex, anyone?

I stopped crying at weddings a while back... I think. I could be wrong, though, because if crying was an Olympic sport, let's just say I would bring great honor to my country!  All I know is that when sweet Ally stepped out of that limo in her beautiful dress with her beautiful self, there was no stopping it. I had to cry all over myself. And I wasn't the only one! Her Dad, who's kept it all "together" during wedding planning, rehearsals, and everything, finally broke down in the middle of the ceremony ... which only made it harder for everyone else to keep composure! This wedding, like many, is bittersweet. Everything about Ally & Greg is lovely and perfect, except that they moved to Georgia the next day and will be moving to MN after that. Where is the justice? :)  They are truly an incredible couple, though, with hearts to live their lives for something bigger than themselves and a desire to do that as a team. Pretty rare for a couple of 20-year-olds! We raise our glasses to them, though...  glasses of sparkling apple cider, of course  :)

[ally + greg, i love you!]

Daddy's last embrace of his baby girl before giving her away

This was one of the MOST fun wedding parties of all time.

2 Generations of looooove.

Love ALL these girls! Didn't even have to tell them jokes for this!

I had to squeeze in a picture with my surrogate sisters :)

University Prep

I can't even express HOW MUCH I ENJOY shoots just like this one. Enthusiastic people who want to make a difference. Kids who are super cute (most of the time!) and whose lives will be changed forever. Justin Beiber backpacks. Little black shoes and khakis. Raised hands. Freshly sharpened pencils. The smell of people making a difference!  And me – just creeping in the background as a photojournalist. I love it! I love just capturing moments as they happen instead of having to create them. I love getting a pass into places that are otherwise off limits for your average citizen. Heck, even the board members and parents weren't allowed inside these school walls this first week! And there I was, camera in hand like a VIP pass.

These photos are all from the historic first days of school at University Prep in Denver, a school that believes in taking minority/underprivileged children and believing in & educating them all the way to college. In fact, if a child speaks softly in the Kindergarten class to answer a question, they will be told "Use your college voice." And the principal stands out front to greet and shake hands with each student every morning. I love it. I love what they're doing here at U Prep. A big thanks to them for letting me be a part of this, and a big shout out to Katie Skattebo for putting in a good word for me :)

full slideshow of the highlight reel can be seen here. (i'm kinda proud of this one) :)

Double Trouble.

Well, actually it was less like double trouble and more like a doublemint gum commercial. You know, double your fun?  Taking senior pictures with 2 best friends is something I would like to do more of! These 2 crazy, beautiful, spontaneous, loving, unique, and FUN girls are very dear to my heart. I met them both before they were going into 9th grade, so it's hard to believe they're already about to graduate and move on to bigger and better things! I loved getting to photograph them together on this shoot because they have this wild, untamed energy around each other (which isn't great for trying to get "serious" photos!) that made it possible to bring out all kinds of personality in the shoot. I hope I get to do more Doublemint shoots in the future, because it was a blast. And just look at them?! Aren't they beautiful?? I'm going to have to bring a box of tissues to this graduation...