I had almost finished it when I accidentally opened the back (don’t ask, I still don’t know how that happened) & ruined the entire roll. I was devastated.

Nothing about Amy and Dan’s elopement was a production: it was filled with simple, sincere details and meaning – right down to the 18 guests there.

We’re thankful for people who love their homes well, use them to host other people & don’t get into a fuss about everything needing to be or stay perfect.

THIS TRIP. This trip was its own category of ridonkulousness. It was a great reminder to me that travel can be both a) crazy frustrating & b) incredibly fulfilling.

Vai and Mark had us photograph five days of their trip/wedding weekend celebration: the last day was just the two of them hanging out cliffside near Nakalele Blowhole.

The wedding came together in a way that was reflective of them – suave & fashionable with a touch of whimsy.

The decorations and clothing and details of Vai and Mark’s wedding added a fun and meaningful flair, but it was people like Mark’s mom and Vai’s high school friends who (in this case) traveled thousands of miles to be there that made the week what it was.

We sat on the beach with a loaf of french bread guarding our fancy dinner from seagulls & waiting for the famous sunset that never really came 🙂 

Here are two fun, witty people who are comfortable in their own skin…not to mention creative, loving & generous. 

Most people who aren’t from Michigan don’t know about these dunes nestled on the western shore – I only knew of the secret Silver Lake sand because one summer my parents loaded up our minivan with coolers & lawn chairs & all four of us girls & made the trip north from Ohio. We stayed in a little motel run by the sweetest old couple, traversed the huge, hot dunes by day and swam in the motel’s pool drinking little styrofoam cups of hot chocolate from the lobby by night. 

Most of these photos were taken on my 24th birthday. It was such a sentimental one – we were almost packed to get on a plane and move back to the mainland. We completely forgot we’d taken them until a few months after we’d settled into Michigan, so opening these files from the lab was a sweet surprise. 

Every time I see these I’m reminded that people make a place. Of course we miss the ocean & fresh fruit & tropicaly-ness (just go with it) of Hawaii but more than anything, we miss our friends.