zac & carrie | couple portraits on the beach

I intened on posting this yesterday... but I couldn't figure out how to put into words how much I love this girl. I am still struggling... so here is something like my 5th attempt at writing this blog post. So let me start with how we met. Our husbands deployed together in 2010 and Carrie and I met and instantly clicked during the 4-day weekend the guys got in New Orleans... our last hoorah before they were really gone for a year. The whole time our guys were gone Carrie and I made it a priority to get together almost weekly... which is saying a lot since we live about an hour from each other. She was my person who "got it." Having a deployed husband... but not being surrounded by a lot of other military families at the same time. (Our guys are National Guardsmen so we aren't stationed on a military base where it is easier to find and connect with people experiencing the same thing you are going through.) Carrie and I would get together and talk about the struggles of a long-distance marriage, how we tried to pretend the guys weren't really in danger, and how we learned to enjoy life without our husbands being around all the time.

But Carrie was more than just a deployment friend. She is probably the most servent-minded person I have ever met. Her heart is so sweet, she is thoughtful and considerate... and truly a treasure to me and the other people in her life. Our conversations are transparent, we have called each other in the middle of the night in tears and been honored to comfort and encourage one another during the tough times. Her presence is never, ever a burden. She is a constant blessing to me and my family.

When I found out I was pregnant I called Carrie first. She was absolutely thrilled for me and her joy was contagious. My pregnancy was a surprise - but Carrie made me remember that it was a gift from God... that this was totally in God's plans for us... and it was a wonderful, beautiful thing.

Like I said, she is a treasure.

I am skipping so many wonderful memories... stories... moments. Camping trips, babysitting, crossfit and paleo journeys, crewing races, exploring Tombstone, ikea trips, coffee dates, sooo many dinner dates, sleepovers, girl's nights out... I can't even figure out how to prioritize what to say! So I will get to the point of this post...

Carrie and Zac are some of our very best friends. Zac actually deployed - again - for another year this past year. He just returned a few weeks ago and we got to be a part of the surprise reunion! Carrie had no idea Zac was coming home so early - she thought he wouldn't be home for another two weeks! But, alas... he came home and quickly whisked her away to Aruba for a fun getaway. When they returned we took them to the beach with us... not the same as Aruba... but I think equally as fun. Maybe... maybe not. ;)

While we were at the beach I asked them if I could do a session for them... at sunset, of course. So, I introduce to you... Carrie and Zac...

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens

—————–

Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

Gratituesday: Seasons Changing

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Sorry, couldn't help myself. I get on such a natural high during the changing of the seasons. The newness... the colors... lights... enthusiasm abounds. Plus, it really is the best time of year! I hope you are enjoying the hustle and bustle of it all. This week in particular is one of my favorites because it's right at the beginning of the Christmas season... there's so much wonder and excitement that awaits us! So fun!

We are home from our vacation and my goal today is to unpack our luggage, restock our refrigerator, and start decorating for Christmas around here already! I'm excited to share this Christmas with Sunday now that she will be exploring the wonder of it all. Hopefully I'll get some updated pictures of our holiday decor up here soon. You may have guessed that this picture above isn't the most recent. :) Oh but I do hope we will have some of the pretty white stuff soon as well!

Happy Holiday Season, friends! I've got some goodies in store for you this year as well... stay tuned! :)

Join us for Gratituesday at heavenly homemakers!

Happy Cyber Monday!

I have popped up from vacation land to post my First EVER Cyber Monday Sale! So super excited!

For 24 hours ONLY, I am offering 20% off of ALL Gift Certificates!

Gift Certificates can be sent straight to the recipient OR sent to you and you can hand them to the recipient yourself!

Click the above image to take advantage of the sale! It expires tomorrow morning at 10am!

Happy Shopping!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I LOVE Thanksgiving... this is the kick off of the entire holiday season in our home! Que the Christmas music, delicious foods and cozy decor...!

Now that we have a November 20th birthday in our home, I have made the official decision to put off all holiday decorating and other traditional holiday activities until after Sunday's birthday in order to focus on the celebration of her. Yes, I once was the lady who decorated right after Halloween. I have no shame. But now, I figure... we should let Sunday have her big day before we transition into celebrating the holidays. And that we did!

But we're here now! One of our holiday traditions is whisking off to the beach after Thanksgiving dinner. We load up the car and drive 5 hours to Oak Island, NC for the long weekend. It's one of my favorite weekends of the year. It's so quiet and peaceful down there this time of year. We do a lot of sweatshirt wearing and sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch while overlooking ocean. Oh yes, it is that cliche. Tommy always jumps in the water at some point and I always step out in the sand with my camera in hand and visions in my mind of beautiful beach landscape shots. This will be our 5th year (last year our plans were derailed by welcoming a newborn!) and I hope this is still just the beginning of a lifelong tradition!

But first up... before we take off to the beach, we are headed to Thanksgiving dinner with the family. This year I'm trying something a little different. Will you join me? Thanksgiving Unplugged (oh Tommy is going to LOVE this!)

Thanksgiving Unplugged is bold campaign created by nationally renowned etiquette experts Diane Gottsman and Thomas P. Farley to challenge Americans to disconnect from their digital devices before sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of fixing their gazes on LCD screens or popping in earbuds, families will commit to focusing on giving thanks, savoring a good meal and enjoying the company of their relatives and friends. Freed from the increasingly inescapable distraction of cell phones, laptops, tablets, hand-held games, music players, social media and the web, families will once again reconnect with the true spirit of the holiday.

So after I post this, I'll be unplugging for the day. Okay... the truth is, I'll be unplugging until we hit the road to the beach. Y'all know I can't enjoy a 5hr car ride without my phone to entertain me! :) But I will be leaving the phone in the car as we celebrate the holiday with our family. You should give it a try, too!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. I am so super grateful for you and all of your words of wisdom and encouragement you have shared with me this past year. I hope you have a wonderful day with your friends and family! <3

Lynchburg Snapshot Studio: Sunday's Birthday Party

While I was planning Sunday's first birthday party I was racking my brain for activity ideas. I knew we would eat and have a cake smash, but I felt like there needed to be something else to fill the time. I thought about a cake walk with toy prizes... or maybe a small craft for kids. But space restrictions and a wide variety of ages of guests limited a lot of the ideas I was coming across in my google searches. I didn't really want to have a gift opening time even though it probably would have been a great time filler. I finally decided to bring in Lynchburg Snapshot Studio. It turned out to be the PERFECT activity for a first birthday party! It was set up and running throughout the entire party so just when guests started to feel like time was ticking slowly, they could get up and hop in the photo booth! Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun with it and it was a great way to get pictures of all the attendees, especially pictures of them WITH the guest of honor.

Here are just a few of my favorite shots from the photo booth images... I can't wait to make an album of these for Sunday to browse through when she gets older!

--------------

Lynchburg Snapshot Studio is a portable digital self-portrait studio that provides a fun, memorable experience for wedding receptions, corporate events and private functions. Email info@lynchburgsnapshotstudio.com to check availability.