Hey look.  It’s beautiful people.  In beautiful light.  Looking beautiful….

I get it.  You are engaged.  You wanna look engaged.  You wanna look like all those beautiful Pinterestable people that smile in the evening light and show off their love and diamond ring in one timeless golden photo.

Here’s the thing though, you are not everybody else.  You are you.

You may not be able to do this pose.

You may be taller than him.

He may be WAY taller than you.

Maybe he likes to wear a hat.

There are thousands of reasons why this may not work for you. You know what…. that’s ok.

Maybe when you look at those beautiful people in the golden light you think…

I hate those people.  I don’t like that photo.  Those people suck.

Here’s the thing.  You don’t have to like those photos.  You don’t have to be everyone.

You can be yourself.

Maybe you hate “fancy” clothes.  Maybe you don’t like to hug.

Maybe you would rather put on camo and go into the woods with 4 rifles, 2 bows, 1 pistol, and a knife.

Cuz you know… that’s who you are.  That’s what you do.

If that’s the case… Do it.

Be yourself.

Why would you want to copy someone else when you two are one of a kind?

I get it.  You want to have a great wedding.  So you look to everyone for ideas, inspiration, and what to do.

But, when you look at everyone else, just remember.

This is the first time you two are getting married in the history of marriages.

Your wedding is an original.

Your story is unique.

Tell it on your terms.

I just realized it’s been forever since I posted anything about my family.  And let’s be honest… it’s really the only reason you come to this site.
Wedding-schmeddings.  You really only care about my family photos.  Here is a little peek into what we’ve been up to.

Some of these you may have already seen if you follow me on Instagram. (Which of course you do right?)

Right when Jo & I got back from Haiti we kicked things off with our annual vow renewal.  Each year Danille & I renew our vows in our back yard with just the kids.  They each get to play different parts and Danielle and I put on the clothes we got married in.  Most of these images came from Jo.  He was the photographer we booked.

(While we are on the topic… does anyone else think wedding photographers charge WAY too much money?)

Sara is and has always been our nature lover.  She is all about anything that is the great outdoors.

My favorite part of summertime is having piles and piles of friends over and listing to our kids run and play in the backyard till late into the night.

This was the year Luke & Eli both conquered their fear of the water.  I was so so proud to see them just jump in and paddle away for their life.

We kicked off another year of homeschooling.  This is Danielle’s 1st year teaching 4 kids.  She’s kind of amazing.  We also started a new tradition.
Field trip on the first week of school!  The Children’s Museum of Houston was a winner!

My wife adores sunsets.  My daughter adores making leaf art.

This one is too good not to share.  We were at a random rest stop and one of the kids saw a bug which prompted Danielle to jump up and start screaming.
(Have I mentioned how much I love my wife?)

Sometimes when Eli goes to the dentist he leaves his pants unzipped.  (Like a boss.)

Zoo time!  The shot of Jo with the map in the cave is one of my most favorites ever.

Sara enjoyed feeing the giraffes so much she made a doodle about it later that night.

I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve look over and seen my wife with a pile of kids around her.

Sometimes she’s teaching them.

Sometimes she’s reading to them.

Sometimes she’s comforting them.

I never grow tired of seeing her.  Every time I catch her “mothering” I fall deeper in love with her.

Before I know it these two boys will stop being 4 and 6 and be 14 & 16.  That’s why they are already saving up to buy their first car.

Speaking of how time flies… About 1 week after Jo was born a new video game came out that I wanted to play.  I was a dumb husband and “forced” Danielle and Jo to ride up to Tyler with me to buy it.  She was such a fan of the moment that I commemorated it with a photo.

Fast forward 10 years and they just rereleased that game and Jo just played it and beat it.  Time for another commemorative photo. :)

October was the month that I decided I would become a runner.  Happy times!  It was also the month Blockbuster closed.  Sad times.

This family is the most amazing thing I have ever experienced.  I love the trips, laughter, learning, and growing that we all do together.

There are always piles and piles of dishes to wash and put away but I always try to remind myself that the dishes were put there by those tiny humans that I’m crazy about.

I love wedding days.  I love seeing a couple begin their life together.  I love how they totally are giddy about each other.

I also love knowing a little secret.  A secret they can’t even comprehend.

The secret is…

If you play your cards right

If you work and struggle

If you fight for your marriage

If you parent your hardest

If you love your kids when you are most tired

If you date and continue to fall in love with your spouse…

One day you will look back on your wedding day and think….

I had no idea how blessed my life could be.

Lindsey & Jonathan are the kind of people I want to be when I grow up.  The trouble is, they are younger than me so I think I’m a bit behind schedule. :)

One of the questions new couples ask me right away is “Where should we do our engagement session?”

This typically leads to them telling me about an old abandoned building they saw, or a run down gas station they passed somewhere.  I normally point couples away from those locations because although they make for a “cool” background, they really have little if anything to do with their story.  I would much rather stick someone in their kitchen, a library, or a go kart.

Those are the places where their lives started to mesh.
Those are the places their story was written.
Those are the  places they fell in love.

Well, as it turns out.  For Lindsey & Jonathan, old run down buildings are kinda their thing.  They work for a non-profit called Burn Ministries.  Jonathan has spent the past 3 years pouring his life into the Lake Como community and Lindsey is signing up for the same challenge.  This building is right next to their office and too good to pass up.

You know how some people work in a community and then go back to their “real lives.”  Not so with these two.  This is the slab for their home.  They poured it in a “shady” neighborhood.  A neighborhood most of us would drive around or hope to not break down in.  They are being intentional with their careers and with their lives.  They are not athletes, celebrities, or millionaires.  They are regular people making irregular choices. They are my heroes.

Here they are in their living room.  I got excited thinking of all the meals they will share there.  The kids that will come over when they feel they have no one else to talk to.  The lives that will get changed because they opened their home.

It’s not often you can stand on a concrete slab and get goosebumps.

After showing me around their neighborhood, we hit up Qdoba.  These two met while working at a summer camp of sorts.
While at camp Jonathan found out Lindsey was a stylist, so he got her to cut his hair.  (Smart Move #1)
After the hair cut, he then invited her to “grab a bite to eat.”  (Smart Move #2)

This is where they went.

Realizing Lindsey was totally a keeper, Jonathan asked her on a “real date.”  (Smart Move #3)  The Reata is where that happened so we returned to that location to retell a bit of their story.

Thank you guys for being amazing people.  I left your session with a full heart.  You are the best.

Danielle & I like to kiss.  We do it a lot.  What can I say?  You should try it. A lot. (When you are married.)

Kayla & David met all the way back in high school.  She was trying to buy glitter paint but was under age.  She spotted David in the store and tried to get him to buy her contrabands but alas he too was also not old enough.  The paint stayed in the store but the sparkle of their love lives on to this day. ;)  Seriously though… How great is that little story.

David is attending Texas ATM and Kayla is finishing up nursing school.  At first we were going to do their session around campus but then Kayla spotted a balloon festival in Anna, TX.  They made the 4 hour drive and were up and ready to smile at the literal crack of dawn to catch the balloons.

True story:  When David went to ask Kayla’s father for her hand he bought a toy set of farm animals and took them over and they arranged a trade.  Her dad received a few heads of cattle, some chickens, and a pig and David received a bride.

One of their favorite things to do as a couple is paddleboard.  It looked fun.  I was too chicken to get on one.

You may have noticed David has facial hair.  It’s amazing.  I may have run my fingers through it in a not creepy way.

Thank you Kayla & David for being almost perfect.  Thank you David’s beard for being perfect.