furry family

rowing up, my family had Jack Russell Terriers, which meant every piece of clothing and furniture had a nice coating of white fur.  So, I was prepared when we got Dusty to have fur clean-up become part of my life.  Everyone told us that Corgis were big shedders, but for the first year we had Dusty she barely shed at all!  She lulled us into thinking she wasn't going to shed a lot, but then this spring-- BAM.  I was dodging corgi-fur tumbleweeds left and right.  Sweeping up piles of Dusty fur is a regular occurrence these days, so when Swiffer contacted me asking if I'd be interested in trying their sweeper thingies, I was definitely interested.  I could have made 10 Dusty's with the amount of fur I've cleaned up in the last 9 months!
I was more interested because Swiffer is supporting the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA) in a year-long effort to help find homes for animals in need!   Since pet clean-up can become a huge ordeal (especially if they shed like Dusty does), Swiffer is trying to help make the challenges of cleaning up after a pet less of a concern for those considering adoption.  According to the Swiffer Cleaning Index, half of Americans say that concerns about pet hair and shedding in their home is one of the top reasons they worry about getting a pet, wouldn’t get a pet or don’t have one. More than one third of pet owners also say the leading source of “pet cleaning tensions” in their home is hair, dust bunnies and/or shedding.  

 

To help pet adopters cope with the newfound cleaning challenges, Swiffer is donating Big Green Boxes full of Swiffer cleaning products to more than 100 shelters nationwide and gifted each of an estimated 7,000 pet adopters with a free Swiffer Sweeper during the ASPCA Mega-Match-A-Thon.  Swiffer also gave me a second box full of pet cleaning accoutrements to give to a friend with pets and my friend Amy was the perfect candidate! She has two bunnies and they're shedding their summer coats right now like crazy!  I had no idea bunnies were shedders.  Her giant bunny Riot got curious and came over to inspect the box, such a cutie.  

I've wanted my own dog ever since I left home, but one of the reasons I thought it'd be a good idea to get a puppy was as a baby step towards someday starting a family with a tiny human.  I had never really raised a dog from puppyhood, I was pretty young when our Jack Russells were pups, but I knew that taking care of a little dog would be a good learning experience.  My mom came over the other day and as we were about to leave for dinner, Dusty came in and her butt fur was covered with poop.  We'd been dealing with diarrhea for a couple days due to an upset tummy, so without a second thought I quickly plopped her in the sink and sprayed down her fur to clean her up.  My mom laughed because it was definitely a "mom" type thing that I was doing.  Taking care of a dog isn't totally the same as having a kid, but it's taught me that I'm capable of more than I would've thought and it's shown me a different kind of selfless love I didn't know I had.  I'm sure I'll learn a ton more about that type of love whenever we end up making a person, but I feel a bit more comfortable with the idea after becoming a dog-mom.  

 

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Delightfully Tacky alive and kicking.

falling for photography

ey blog friends!  You might've seen me mention on social media that my photography business is in the running over at King5's Best of Western Washington!  Today is the last day to vote and if you guys would mind heading over and giving Morrow Studios a vote for Best Wedding Photographer I'd be oh so thankful!  To vote all you have to do is login using facebook/twitter/google+, etc, and then click "vote now"!  I've been doing a lot more photography this year (non blog related, that is) an it's been super refreshing to be able to be behind the camera and get to create beautiful images for my clients. 
When I took on my first wedding client over a year ago, I was ever so tentatively dipping my toe in an ocean I wasn't sure I'd want to dive into.  It was the wedding of a good friend of mine (actually one of my bridesmaids in my wedding), and she was so chill that I knew the wedding would be as stress-free as possible.  She also had another photographer friend second-shoot the wedding so I knew that I couldn't fail too hard with a backup there.  After that first wedding I was still tentative, but open to the idea of doing weddings.  The more weddings I did, though, the more I realized that I actually really enjoyed them.  Not only did it combine a bunch of different styles of photography that I enjoyed, it was also so wonderful to get to play a part in people's special day.  In a way, the wedding photographer is a part of the wedding almost as much as the bridal party.  I'm there as they get ready, I'm with them as he gets his first look at his gorgeous bride, I'm beside the bride as she calms her nerves before walking down the aisle, I'm there in the ceremony as they get their first kiss as husband and wife, I get to capture them signing their marriage license, laughing along as their friends and family toast them.  
I've realized that I love it.  I love having the privilege of being the person they trust to document these special moments.  It's so fun to photograph a bride on a day she feels totally stunning and loved.  It's my favorite to capture that look on the groom's face as he sees his love, the most beautiful woman he's ever known, looking like a queen.


 

Now I can't wait to shoot more weddings.  It's definitely a lot of work and by the end of the day I'm ready to pass out, but before I crash I always have to look through the day's photos and edit a few of my favorites.  I think I'm just as exhausted after shooting a wedding as I was after my own wedding!  All that excitement, running around, meeting people, laughing, crying.  It's kind of like getting married all over again!  And in a way, every wedding I shoot reminds me of my own.  Hearing people's vows reminds me of standing next to Dan, making our vows to stand beside one another through the good and the bad, the easy and the hard.  Wedding days go by in the blink of an eye and by the end it's like you just ran a 100meter dash it was over so fast, but your body feels like you just ran a marathon.  I'm so glad I had Sarah there to capture those moments because everything happens so fast you barely have time to remember everything and everyone, but the photos last forever.  I love the photo I have of Dan's face as he saw me for the first time as I walked down the aisle.  I love the photo I have of me chatting with my grandparents during my reception, and the moment I surprised Dan by singing Carole King's I Feel the Earth Move.  Those photos are so special to me, and being able to capture those memories for other people is the best feeling ever.  Even though most weddings have similar schedules, each one is so unique and it's wonderful to see the bride and groom's unique personalities throughout the decor and festivities. 




I've never been a wedding person, per se.  I wasn't a girl that grew up dreaming of her wedding day but I remember flipping through my mom and dad's wedding album so many times growing up.  I remember loving those images and getting to see that day through the photos.  It's so special to me that now I'm the one who can create those images for someone else's big day.  More than any other photos, wedding photos are heirlooms that are treasured for generations.  It's amazing to be trusted with the honor of being the one to create those images.

I'm booking for 2015 and I'm already so excited for the weddings I have scheduled!  It's so funny to think about how blogging brought about my love for photography.  I liked taking pictures before blogging, but after taking photos nearly every day for five years for the blog I found a passion for photography beyond just blog photos.  It's been super fulfilling to take photography beyond the "walls" of this blog and I'm excited to take it even further in the years to come!

chicken tomatillo stew

ruth be told, I haven't been doing too much cooking these days.  I haven't felt inspired to cook so I've been making a lot of boring, old, standard meals.  Dan and I have opposite schedules these days so making meals together hasn't been possible and it feels weird cooking up a big meal for just myself.  It's been mostly quesadillas and cereal these days.  But we happened to have almost everything for this recipe in the fridge, so I hopped over to the store and got the last couple ingredients to whip up this stew!  The rain has started here in the PNW, so stew is the perfect meal for this drizzly weather.  Martha Stewart sent me their One Pot cookbook full of amazing soups, stews, and more that can be made using only one pot, hence the title, which is perfect for both the season and the laziness I've been feeling towards cooking.  This recipe is from that cookbook and I'm excited to try some of the others.  For whatever reason, soups and stews have become some of my favorite recipes to make, maybe because they feel hard to screw up and make for great leftovers.


Ingredients (recipe via martha stewart) 2 pounds tomatillos (husks removed), washed and halved
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces (wings reserved for another use)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 jalapenos, chopped
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can (15 ounces) hominy, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh, cilantro

1. In a food processor, puree tomatillos; set aside. 
2. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down. Cook until browned on one side, 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add jalapenos and onion to pot and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatillo puree and hominy, if using; season with salt and pepper. 
4. Nestle chicken, skin side up, in sauce. Cover pot; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 22 to 25 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

laura + aaron // copper creek inn wedding

his past Saturday I got to go up to Copper Creek Inn again to shoot a beautiful wedding, so while I'm still editing the photos from that wedding, I thought I'd share some of the images from Laura and Aaron's wedding last year!  I always love shooting weddings up at Copper Creek because Dan and I honeymooned at this very location!  I think that natural, woodsy settings will always be my most favorite locations for photos
The wedding was full of DIY touches, and I think one of my favorite moments was walking up to the reception area to shoot details and all the women in the family were busy icing the cakes and making the bouquets!  DIY weddings are my absolute favorite.  It's so fun getting to have the whole family involved in such a special day.  
It was such an intimate ceremony and thankfully the rain, which was supposed to be pouring all day, held off for all the important moments, only showing up during the reception when we all were able to be under the cover of tents.  Another favorite detail of mine was the pizza truck they had to cater the wedding!  Pizza is one of my favorite foods and the wood fire pizza was coming out all evening!  Such an awesome option for catering!  Oh, and obviously all weddings should include a bonfire.  The kids had a blast poking sticks in the fire and writing on rocks with the charcoal.  
Thank you Laura and Aaron for letting me capture your special day!



 

 

 






 



 



 

 
 

 

 

 

nothing to say

This outfit's been sitting in my drafts for over a week.  I don't have much to say, but I'm tired of staring at a blinking cursor with nothing to say while these photos languish in a sad little draft, so here is an outfit I wore a couple weeks ago!  Also, this is the last outfit you'll see with red hair.  Just a tease!



top/skyline fever :: jacket/modcloth :: hat/the north face :: boots/courtesy of cat footwear necklaces/handmade + courtesy of adorn by sarah lewis :: photos by Dan