I’m a sucker for a great love story. If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know this. It’s part of why myself and photographing weddings fit so beautifully together. It’s also why I make all clients (and let’s be honest, all friends too) tell me how they met and when they realized they were in love. Even when they’ve been married for 3 years and yes, even when it’s really none of my business.

Jacinda & Matt’s sweet, sweet love story goes a little something like this: she liked him, he liked her best friend, she stopped liking him, he started liking her, she realized she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this guy she never actually stopped liking and he decided he couldn’t live one more day without her. The rest is a blur of college, a wedding, living in South Africa(!!!), currently a grad school education at Luther Seminary and lots and lots of laughter.

And now, even after 3 years of marriage, they acted like newlyweds in front of my camera. Gross. (Just kidding. You know I love it.) Happy Anniversary to two really, really wonderful people. Your type of love is why I love my job immensely.

Within the last couple months, I have sent out (way, way) more than my usual number of “Booyah, You’re Having a Baby!” greeting cards and while I may not have babies on the brain (or in my body) I am, indeed, becoming a minority within my groups of friends and other married folks my age. But when I received Jen’s email with her amazing news, it felt different, if only because not only was she 7.5 months pregnant but she also shared (so I didn’t have to do the math, she loves me…) that she had been pregnant during the lifestyle session we did in March but it had been too soon to tell anyone! (PS. Congrats again on being so amazingly straight faced while I talked on and on about how all of my friends were either pregnant or wanting to be all the while keeping your little secret. Sneaky. I like it.) My baby-dar is apparently non-functioning (and I’m ok with that) because I didn’t have a single clue or suspicion.

A huge, huge congrats to Jen & Casey on their graduation into the next stafe of life! Can’t WAIT to meet the new addition to the Crews family (who made his worldwide debut last week!). Since apples don’t fall far from their trees, I know for certain that he will be one amazing little guy.

Even though technically we’re Minneapolis transplants (what-up Utah!), I have a deep, deep love for this city. Four years and a few months ago, we drove up I35 for our see-if-Minneapolis-is-a-place-we-could-live scouting trip and as that now familiar Minneapolis skyline came into view, I could feel it. That tiny little budding “I Heart You” and from there it was over. I see why people move here and never leave; the city, the people, the culture, the architecture, the restaurants, the theater… Yes. Please.

My favorite (only) brother and his gorgeous girl came to visit 3 weeks ago and for 6 days I put away work (mostly) and spent some amazing hours with them. We watched bad movies, indulged in late night chats, drank more Sprite than I thought possible, gave cuddles to the dog and since they tend to be one of my favorite subjects in front of the camera, I turned our visits of Minneapolis landmarks into a photo shoot. (You can take the photographer out of the city…)

There’s something about sharing your favorite spots in the city with your favorite people who have no reason not to love it; as it turns out, you fall a little bit more in love with it all over again.

Raf & Lizzie. xoxo. You know how much I love you both.