culture – StoryTeller.

June 28, 2018

Without A Doubt: Daniel + Anna

This couple made me smile the moment I met them. They had the spark, the energy and most of all, the interaction of two lovebirds who are meant to be.

These are the couples who make my time behind the camera so memorable, so enjoyable and without a doubt, they are the type of couple who allow me to live the dream.

Because of you, Daniel and Anna, I get to fall in love with my job over and over again.

Thank you!

April 28, 2018April 25, 2018

Livin’ The Dream: A Hike With Destiny

When someone hires me to do a lifestyle session, I literally do a happy dance. When Destiny suggested that her lifestyle session be at the beach followed by a hike to the Lanikai Pillboxes, my excitement went through the roof. An afternoon starting at the beach and ending at sunset overlooking the Pacific, and I get to call it my job?

I am SURELY livin’ the dream.

Destiny is a fit and fierce woman who can take on anything.

I urged her to hike the hardest portions of the hike for “that shot”…

…and she certainly took that challenge head on.

Enjoy the little video below of our adventure to the second Lanikai Pillbox at sunset.

Enjoy your ALO][A Friday and thank you for stopping by! Be sure to “share” and comment if you like what you see!

Email me at Chelsea@Lifesongdesigns.com for your Lifestyle session!

April 27, 2018April 26, 2018

Corey + Alyssa: Capturing JOY

THIS is a couple which exudes happiness and love for the life that they share.

Corey & Alyssa’s smiles are never forced or fake. The hands never had to be told to be held. The lips never had to be begged to be kissed.

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They are the real deal.

“Joyous” is the best way I can describe their session. They are a couple which everyone would love to have as a leading example in their own lives.

I wish this couple the best as their journey continues. I pray our paths will one day cross again!

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March 17, 2018

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.

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.

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.

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.

February 16, 2018February 14, 2018

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.

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.

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.