Charlotte's web

Every now and then I come across some old pictures that I forgot to post. So in honor of spring and all things new, I wanted to share some of Natalie and Diane's pictures.  Just a few weeks before moving to Costa Rica I was out and about shooting sessions left and right. ( I confess, I kinda miss the business of photography) Yet, each session held peace, and we were fortunate enough to have good weather for most of them. Diane and Natalie are mom and daughter, but they are more than just that. They are two peas in a pod. Together they are conquering the world! Natalie loves reading, drawing, and being a girl! We wanted to portray her spunky self in the best way possible. What better way than to read in an open field, or to draw under some very shady oak trees? I let Natalie borrow one of my favorite childhood books for the evening and she rocked the look. Charlotte's web will forever hold a special place in my heart. So here we are, spreading the love of reading, writing, and drawing. ALL which are my favorite. :)

The Gendreaus

It's been two months since we moved to Costa Rica to attend Language School for missionaries. Isn't that crazy?! If you didn't already know, we are currently giving two years of our lives to missions. It's something that we completely believe in, and since we had been giving to misssions for such a long time, we thought to ourselves, why not go? So we went through this long process and got approved to serve in Santiago, Chile. For now, we find ourselves in Costa Rica until mid August, where we are currently receiving our training and expanding our knowledge in Spanish.
 

The first day we arrived in San José we met the Gendreaus. They had been part of CINCEL (our language school) since Last September and had been assigned to be our welcoming coaches. That very first night we had dinner with Phil and Mia and their beautiful girls, Selah and Shiloh. Not long after that first dinner Phil and Mia invited us to go to the beach with them to get to see a little more of Costa Rica. We saidyes of course and wanting to take advantage of the scenery, we offered a family session. The Gendreaus wanted to wear Costa Rican colors to their shoot: red, white and blue. Sound familiar? :) Together we had a blast getting dirty, walking on the sand, and enjoying a sunny day at the beach. The Gendreaus will be heading to El Salvador after they graduate in April; we will surely miss them.

Location: Playa Punta Leona, Jacó, Costa Rica

Yusuf

Yet another indoor session on the blog! 

I love having friends from all cultures. I met Ilknur at a friends baby shower one day and completely fell in love with her kindness and personality. I hadn't seen her throughout her whole pregnancy and this week I went to say goodbye before I depart to Chile. Her son, Yusuf is already 3 months old! I hate to miss so many memories of people I wish I was closer to, but in the end I know I am privileged to live the life I do. Ilknur and her husband are from Turkey, she has a bachelor’s in early developmental education and is currently pursuing her master’s degree! She is a kind and gentle soul. She says that Yusuf makes her smile every day. She loves motherhood. We had a sweet time together in  which Ilknur and I just chatted, took some candid pictures and talked about our lives and family. It is incredible how similar we really are no matter where we come from. Enjoy this indoor session :)