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The Last Frontier Made New

Lifesong Photography & Designs had the pleasure of traveling to Alaska last summer.

Although some time has passed, I have finally found the time to share with you some of the images which were captured in an effort to always remember what I saw and how my breath was taken away.

Ending the long days with stunning moments such as the one below …

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and starting the days with equally lovely colors will never fade from my memory.

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While I traveled, my eyes were opened. The snow-capped mountains in the distance paired with the wildflowers blooming amongst me made such an impact. The idea of something having fertile enough ground to blossom while in a climate like the one Alaska is known for took me by surprise.

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Such a perfect opposite of the mountains in Hawaii, we enjoyed wearing some layers and doing a cooler-climate hike to Exit Glacier.

Congratulations to Kylie, the senior I photographed there! She has recently graduated and is one her way to making her place in this world.

I feel so blessed to be a part of these cherished moments. Thank you, Brock family!

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Across The Pond: With Sophie & Sam

This year has been one of Lifesong’s most diverse years yet! From the monuments of Washington D.C to the quaint roads and villages of Europe, I am astonished with what I have been blessed to capture in the first couple of months of 2018!

Travel has always been a part of my hobbies and certainly a big part in making me into the photographer I am today. However, if you would have told me I was traveling world-wide for sessions and to seek out photography opportunities, I never would have believed you!

I have known Sophie for well over a decade and had the opportunity to meet her wonderful boyfriend, Sam, when I traveled to England last month!

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Amongst the castles, the farmsteads and the unique towns, we walked the woods and enjoyed the architecture of a bridge centuries old.

Because of people like Sophie and Sam, the time in Europe was incredibly relaxing and meaningful.

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I cannot wait for the next Europe trip.

I can only imagine what it will be – third time is a charm, right?

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20 Minutes & Lasting A Lifetime

If there was ever a blog I would beg you to read of mine, it would be this one.

14 years ago (this May) my dad underwent experimental treatment for his cancer in Germany.

The treatment did not save his life but gave him a chance to center himself.

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At 4:45 am, the day after returning home from Germany, my father died in his home in Michigan. I can remember what I was wearing, where I was standing and the look on my mother’s face when she gave me the news.

Later that month, as things were being sorted out, this piece of paper with my dad’s handwriting on it was found amongst some German stamps and a bracelet he had brought back for me. On this piece of paper, under another quote he had written down, there lied “Adversity introduces us to ourselves.”. I do not know where he derived the sentence from since it can be found in many places and has an unknown original author.

Since I can remember, I have lived my life with this writing forever engraved on my heart. On occasion, after my good friend Matt began tattooing I spoke with him about having this profound statement tattooed but I needed all the dots to line up. I wanted to have the tattoo completed in the Spring, more specifically, in May since that is when he passed away. It just never worked to be in Michigan at the same time as Matt and during May. I started to think I should just ignore the urge to do this seemingly out-of-character act, especially since my fear of needles is so high.

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A year and a half ago, when I was working through the Bible I came across Proverbs 24:10. This verse which stated, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” immediately struck me and I began and cry. I felt my own dad’s words and love surround me as if he was giving me this fatherly advice for the first time. I KNEW I must have the tattoo I had always dreamt of.

Now, just to make the arrangements for it to happen.

Then came a hiccup. Matt moved 3500+ miles from Michigan to Germany. At the time I did not see the parallel between his move and where dad WROTE those words. It wasn’t until this past January, when I was planning the Euro trip and realizing I could visit this good friend at his new home, that I connected those dots. I was headed to Germany and there was no question what the biggest bucket list item was, the tattoo of a lifetime from a friend who I’d known and trusted for over a decade in a country where it all started.

As I began to contemplate where I wanted it, again I felt it must be symbolic.

These words of wisdom seemed to ground me in difficult moments, they seemed to be a firm foundation for my soul, there was no question it was a place I could set my faith in and rest my aching mind. In addition to all of these reasons, the fact that I was standing when I was told the news of dad’s passing lead me to choose my foot.

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The morning of the tattoo, I ran my 100th day of running (where I ran at least a mile or more each day for 100 days). It was completed just outside Cologne (Köln), Germany and tattoo-less. After getting cleaned up and putting on my dad’s high school class ring, we headed to the tattoo shop where we spent only 20 minutes doing something which will last a lifetime.

I know this is much more thought than any one person ever puts into a tattoo, but here I am writing this, choking back tears of happiness and pride.

I am so thankful to Matt for his friendship and to Zach for dealing with my sappiness. This was an experience which I will never forget. If you made it through this lengthy post, I commend you as well. 😉

**If you ever find yourself in Germany, look up Matt Roscoe’s Tattoo & Piercing Shop in Brühl, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany called “Art of the Needle”. You will NOT regret it.**

Love to all. May you each allow adversity to shape you.
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Travel “Tog”: Aloha Japan

If there is one thing I love most about photography, it is its ability to transform YOU as a photographer. God seems to use the subjects you see through your lens and the experiences you encounter to prepare you for circumstances you never knew you’d be a part of. These past two years I have thoroughly enjoyed traveling and photographing while “mom-ing”.

Traveling from Hawaii to Japan (and then onward to Alaska–but I will save that fun for another blog), makes the Pacific seem a little smaller now. It was a really incredible experience and I am beyond thrilled I was able to have those memories with and of my, then two year old, daughter.

I was able to teach her things that only adventuring provides the opportunity for.

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Not to mention, only touring on our two feet allows for the kind of chats we had. The depth, the emotion, the understanding of one another’s minds; indescribable.

Living amongst history at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, I always found the stories intriguing. The longer I am somewhere, the more I want to peel back the cultural layers. Japan was the same way. We were able to talk about the way God molds us to be different and share those differences with one another to become a unit, His hands and feet.

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We traveled the island a lot by foot, averaging about 4.5 miles a day, with one day over 7 miles round trip. We met a lot of people on our travels, some who spoke minimal English, which Haisley found very amusing.

We also used a local service to take us longer distances as well as some wonderful friends when they had the time.

There was one aspect of Okinawa I found most surprising, the lack of flags I found. When I travel I have a few “bucket list” shots I always want to snap. One of those for Japan was a Japanese flag being flown. I felt that it would bring the stories of the attack of Pearl Harbor full circle for me. I was astonished when by day three on Okinawa I still had yet to find a flag, at all…anywhere. It wasn’t until the nineth day (after purposeful looking) I saw my first Japanese flag. I am sure there had to be more which I didn’t ever see, however this took me by surprise so much that I did a little research.

According to one source from 2015, The Stars and Stripes Newspaper in Okinawa, “In Japan, the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, concerned about the national flag’s lack of prominence, this year issued a directive strongly encouraging the country’s universities to fly it. But the flag’s long-ago association with the country’s wartime imperialism leaves some uncomfortable.” After seeing this written in different ways by different credible sources across the internet it was made clear. America, especially myself, has a unique stance on the flag and often is viewed as overly flag-happy.

I still do and will always hold our American flag in the highest regard. However, as we travel to other countries, I have really come to understand that we cannot assume those same symbolic meanings are true for all. On the surface, I feel like we all know this but it took me to experience this one situation to really let it sink in. Okinawan’s are proud of their island, but their Japanese flag is not how they show that.

Moments of realization like this is why I travel. It grounds me and gives me the right tools to teach my daughter. It humbles me and allows me to see the full picture as I go about life.

Most of all, the worldly knowledge and friendships I gain make me a better ME.

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Never. Stop. Exploring.

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Shout From The Tree Tops!

I am so blessed.

This sentence has become what some consider a cliché or “overused”. Since the statement adopted those labels in our society, it has been much more difficult to express my appreciation of God’s gifts in my life. I find that it offends some, is mocked by others and most of all seems to fall onto deaf ears. 

No more.

I am proud of the blessings God has given my little family. The ability to go into the Christmas week with nothing but excitement is truly a gift from above. I just want to state my appreciation for God’s love and grace to my family in a simplistic way.

All this came to mind as we walked around a local Christmas Tree Farm. As my daughter merrily pranced around the farm choosing the best tree for our new home, I just couldn’t think of a better way to put it than, “I am so blessed”. 

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She had not a care in the world and was eager to learn how to cut down a tree from her incredible daddy and more excited when he let her help!

I have a husband who allowed all of us to enjoy the spirit of the season in matching outfits. A man who, even though the decorating for Christmas isn’t his favorite, he drove where ever we asked to find the perfect tree we could cut down together. A guy who is providing for us in a way that we are able to enter into the holidays with little worry and a very low stress level. 

My want to express how precious I find this life is in great part because I am aware of the struggles some face and also the struggles I may someday endure. Do we have problems and hiccups along the way? OF COURSE WE DO! Those bumps along the way are what make us stronger together and more connected. However, those little potholes in the road are the moments we can learn from and often pale in comparison to what others are experiencing in life at the moment or what may hit us down the road. Most of all, those issues are the times which help the average days feel like we are truly conquering life together. Those problems should also be considered blessings. Some might even call them blessings in disguise.

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My prayers this season always go out to those who need that extra joy in their life, but something is pushing me to write this blog and go one step further. As I pray to God for those who are currently putting their life back together after damage from a wildfire, a flood, a death, a divorce, a sickness or something else, I urge you to help one another to find why you are blessed. What makes you get up each day? What prompts you to smile? Think of that moment, that daily reminder or that happy memory and make your Christmas season the best it can be. Pull those close to you even closer and find the sparkle in the season. Maybe if we all help one another to see the silver lining, instead of making good things into what they are not meant to be, we can pull together for even bigger issues. Find ONE thing you can say you are incredibly blessed with and shout it from the tree-tops!

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After all, isn’t the biggest blessing in each of our lives, the blessing of Jesus? Isn’t the reason for the season, the miracle who came to save us? I will leave you with Matthew 1:21, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” What a blessing, what an amazing blessing given to all of us. If nothing else, know YOU ARE SO BLESSED because you are a child of God.

Don’t let the mockers take away the love in your heart or the excitement in your body. Be PROUD to love the life you live and be LOUD. Be proud to be “so blessed” and say it over and over again.  Best of wishes to you and your family this CHRISTmas season. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

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(Hats created by Katie’s Creations)