Hong Kong Part I (or, Happy Thanksgiving!)

I've stopped and started this post so many times, and I'm not sure that I can accurately describe just what it meant for me to travel to Hong Kong one year ago with my best friend Krystle. In 2007, I toured southeast China with a small group of Calvin College students and our beloved professor Larry, and our final destination was Hong Kong. 36-ish hours is not enough time to do this special administrative region justice, and I knew I wanted to visit again someday. My opportunity came ten years later—the same year I turned 30—and my return to Hong Kong was every bit as lovely and wonderful as I had hoped. On Thanksgiving, let it be known that I am infinitely grateful for this great big world and getting the chance to see a tiny little sliver of it.

True to form, I took too many photos to condense into a single post, so I’m breaking things up. I’m starting with our first days of travel (let it be known that flying from Chicago to Hong Kong is no joke—15+ hours is a long time to spend on a plane—but having only one flight to tackle was truly a gift). Our trip focused on exploring different neighborhoods, and we started by tracking down the flower district, the Yuen Po bird markets, and the goldfish district (yes, that’s totally a thing). My favorite quality of Hong Kong is all the color: the weathered pastel buildings, the bright neon signs, the tropical vegetation. These images are my love letter to a place that’s very dear to my heart; I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

You can check out Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V here.

Nick & Amy

Saturday marks Nick and Amy's first anniversary, and how better to celebrate than to relive their amazing wedding through a bazillion images?! Sifting through these pictures brought a huge smile to my face, and if the reception photos don't make you want to dance, I don't know what will.

Louise | Newborn

In honor of Mother's Day (and for my aunt Kathy, who reminded me that I should be blogging more often), I wanted to share a few images of Emma, Paul, and Louise from earlier this year. I think it is so beautiful to see my friends become parents, and this baby girl is so, so loved. 

Abigail & Trent

Today's glimpse of spring weather has helped shake me out of my winter stupor (because apparently I'm the blogging equivalent of a hibernating bear?). I've been so, so delinquent in sharing images, which is truly a shame, because I've been sitting on some pretty lovely sessions from the last six months! 

So clearly I am very excited to share this early winter session. I suppose this wasn't technically an engagement session, but since Trent used these images as part of his Christmastime proposal to Abigail, I think I can justify the classification. Love is a beautiful gift, and I'm so happy I could capture these moments.

Baby Gray & The McKeown Family

Well, we made it to February. Winter is always a struggle for me: the short days, the low temps, all that snow. Breaking my blogging hiatus to share some of my favorite images from last fall might be the best way to inject a little sunshine during these gloomy stretches. I'm kicking off this "Flashback Friday" series with Alex, Kyle, Emma, and Gray from last September, because there's nothing like a tiny little newborn to bring a pinch of (metaphorical) warmth into your day.