Making God Your Boss | a five-minute talk

You may have seen our previous post about being at the CONNECT Retreat in Georgia a couple weeks ago. It was CONNECT Retreat's second year in existence, and Chad and I were thrilled to be there again. It's a marriage retreat for couples in photography business together, but ends up being so much more than that. Yes, we get to rub shoulders with industry leaders and gain inspiration from others in our field, but It has truly become a community for Jesus-loving, like-minded people in business around the world and a space to share advice and experiences with each other on a personal level.

This year, one session of the Retreat was for five couples (who attended last year) to share—in five minutes—the one thing that impacts their life / marriage / business the most. Chad and I were humbled and honored to be selected. We got to use this opportunity to share about our intentional, daily focus on listening prayer and its effect on our lives. We've chosen to make God the "boss" of our business—and lives—and so we spoke on that very topic.

Since giving that talk, we've received quite a bit of positive feedback about the topic and have had follow-up conversations with others who have called this "life-changing," so we thought sharing the information here on our blog might be beneficial for others, too.

Chad & AmberAmberApril 14, 2014Business, prayer, home officeComment

On marriage, connecting and chasing dreams | CONNECT Retreat 2014

WOW. Chad and I are feeling incredibly refreshed and inspired this week! Last week, we spent the week in sunny Georgia (where pretty spring does actually exist!) on a marriage retreat with other couples running photography businesses together. It was the second year this CONNECT Retreat has been offered at the WinShape, and also the second time Chad and I were able to attend.

We carpooled from Wisconsin with Maison Gustke and Caleb Engel (who are engaged to be married this August!) all the way to and from Rome, GA. This made our trip, hands down! We became instant friends, sharing so much about love & life. We laughed together, prayed together, talked shop a bit and made the very most of our 24+ hours in the car. It was quite a blessing to share the experience with them!

Last year around this time, Chad and I had just begun working together full-time, as Chad had only been home about 5 months. We were in desperate need of some advice on how to be married while working together, and vice versa. (You can read about our experience from last year's Retreat here.) We applied SO many great lessons to this past year and consider ourselves a whole different couple this year. It's been an amazing new adventure (of course all good adventures include ups and downs...). We were anxious for more coming into CONNECT 2014.

This year, here were our highlights:

Chad & AmberAmberApril 9, 2014Marriage, CONNECT Retreat, personalComment

I hate reading, but I love being inspired

**Some people love reading. I am not one of those people.**

Why? It's really hard for me to sit still and focus on such a quiet activity. I am the slowest reader ever. Because reading is not particularly enjoyable to me, I am also highly distracted ...SQUIRREL!... when I read, so every time I take my eyes off of the page, I have to ...SQUIRREL!... find where I was and re-read the same thing over again to remind myself what it ...SQUIRREL!... said. No matter how good the book is, reading relaxes me to the point of falling asleep—after about four sentences. (No, I'm not exaggerating. Yes, this made college incredibly difficult for me.) It can also be noted that I certainly do not read fiction books for entertainment—unless I'm desperate for a nap.

In this post, I talk about the work-arounds I used to get myself to read anyway and some of my current book recommendations.

Chad & AmberAmberMarch 27, 2014inspirationComment

Engagement Sneak Peek | Nick + Angela

EngagementsAmberMarch 17, 2014sneak peek, engagement portraits, Downtown Kenosha, Kenosha, wisconsin engagementComment

Why I'm unashamed to turn 30

Today is my birthday, and I'm proud to be 30. I'm in the life stage where most of my friends have either recently turned 30 or they are counting the days until they do. Usually the tone of their voice changes dramatically when they refer to this event. You know, "the big three-oh" tone. It sounds an awful lot like the tone people use when they talk about about having to complete that dreaded item on their list of chores or when they tell the story of discovering their childhood dog didn't actually run away. I've also heard about some wanting to spend their 30th birthday alone so they can cry themselves to sleep in privacy.

Over the past year, as I've been inching closer to this milestone age, I just haven't experienced that kind of dread or anxiety. That got me thinking...why not? I've compiled a list of five reasons I'm unashamed to turn 30.

Also, Chad treated me to a birthday photo shoot to capture this unashamed joy. You can check out the image highlights below, too...

Chad & AmberAmberMarch 12, 2014personal, birthday Comments

Early signs of spring in Kenosha

After a long stretch of negative temps and frigid air, we're finally starting to see some early signs of spring outside our apartment. The snow by our rocky Kenosha beachfront is slowly melting away and slices of ice crunch and creak as they inch to the shore. The sights and sounds are equally serene and spectacular.

In noticing that it was 45°F this morning, I couldn't help but run out to the lake to snap these five shots with my iPhone. It sure is beautiful! No matter the season, this view never gets old to me. It's the first day of Spring Break for students in our area... Beach day anyone?? :)

Chad & AmberAmberMarch 10, 2014Lake MichiganComment

Love At First Text | a Kenosha winter engagement

As stunningly gorgeous as these two look, I can assure you, their beauty is not only skin deep. Ryan and Nicole are two of the classiest, genuine people we've met and their heartfelt love for each other is undeniable. Although they met briefly in fifth grade and shared a high school class or two together, it wasn't until this past summer that they truly hit it off. Nine months later, they find themselves head-over-heels for each other and counting the days until their November wedding.

As you look through these image highlights of Ryan & Nicole's engagement session from a couple weeks ago, I hope you enjoy the details of their beautiful love story...

EngagementsAmberMarch 3, 2014engagement session, Petrifying Springs Park, Winter, Kenosha, Wisconsin, dog, Engagement StoryComment

Bright Side Youth Ranch: RESCUE. HOPE. INSPIRE.

Every designer has a "top 5 projects" list that they absolutely loved working on in their career. For me, creating an identity system for some of my closest friends so they can live out their God-given dream has easily made my list.

Bright Side Youth Ranch is run by Devin and Tia Tharp. We've gotten to know each other over the past five years through an adult small group, three mission trips, many youth retreats, various projects and countless meal times. We've seen firsthand how God has used them in their jobs, ministries, relationships with others, their marriage, and even in the raising of their two awesome children—Leyton and Brynley. Amber and I were truly honored to help them create the visual identity for their greatest adventure yet.

Read all about their organization and our design process for coming up with their logo and identity...

DesignChadFebruary 27, 2014ministry, identity, bright side, youth ranch, youthComment

A Kenosha engagement wrapped in love & laughter

I am not exaggerating when I say that Mark and Raquel make me laugh more than any other couple I have met. They each have a sense of humor that is quick, clever and natural—it's only amplified when they are together. (Check out their Facebook wall conversations if you don't believe me.) You can't help but smile when you're with them. And we've learned that they can't help but smile & laugh when they're with each other either! These two best friends are tying the knot in September.

As you look through these image highlights of Mark & Raquel's engagement session from this fall, I hope you enjoy the details of their beautiful love story...

EngagementsAmberFebruary 25, 2014engagement session, engagement portraits, Kenosha, Petrifying Springs Park, Fall, Engagement StoryComment

Getting a jump on "forever" | Kenosha Engagement

In retrospect, it's obvious now that the end of their senior year (2012) at Carthage College was a defining moment. Forever grateful to the friend who introduced them, Spencer and Kathleen are now looking forward to wedding bells in August! We have absolutely loved getting to know these two. We first met Kathleen as a bridesmaid when we shot her brother's wedding back in 2012. We were honored when she called us up almost immediately after she and Spencer were engaged.

As you look through these image highlights of Spencer & Kathleen's Kenosha, WI engagement session from this fall, I hope you enjoy the details of their love story...

Uncle Chad and Aunt Amber!

As of February 11, Chad and I have a niece! My sister Kendra and CJ were proud to welcome Adriana Leigh at 12:57pm, EST. We are very excited to start the spoiling as Aunt and Uncle. Monday, we got to meet the 7-day-old "Andi" at the hospital where she was born in Michigan. SHE'S SO TINY!!! Yes, I know she's a newborn, but really—she was only 3 lbs. 15 oz. when she was born. At 17.5 inches long, she's a little skinny mini!

Kendra did such a great job during labor and CJ was (and still is!) incredibly supportive. Kendra was discharged from the hospital the next day (she was up walking around right after giving birth!), but Andi had to spend some extra time in the Intensive Care nursery so she could gain her strength and put a little meat on her bones :) She's a little fighter and improved quickly. We found out that she got to come home yesterday (at nine days old)! She's up just over 4 lbs today—go, baby, go!

Being the proud aunt / photographer big sister that I am, of course I took some photos of Adriana and Kendra at the hospital. She's precious! And, with a little creative swaddling & Photoshop help, we were even able to hide her monitor cords in some of these.

I'm in love with this week-old-sweetheart and these photo highlights...

Chad & AmberAmberFebruary 20, 2014baby, Adriana, familyComment

How PJ won over Sarah | Elmhurst Engagement

Sarah was attending Elmhurst College four hours away from her best friend who was attending Western Illinois University. In August of 2008, Sarah made a visit to Western and the two girls indulged themselves with a night out on the town together. It was serendipity that later on, they ended up meeting PJ and his roommate outside her apartment. They all enjoyed a fun, memorable evening together. Several months passed and when PJ ran into Sarah's best friend again one night, he asked her to tell Sarah to come back for another visit. He said, "We are in love, she just doesn't know it yet." Two months later, Sarah came back and the two hit it off. The rest is history!

As you look through these image highlights of PJ & Sarah's Elmhurst, IL engagement session from this summer, I hope you enjoy the details of their love story...

Engagement Sneak Peek | Ryan + Nicole

EngagementsAmberFebruary 16, 2014sneak peek, Winter, snow, Petrifying Springs ParkComment

Happy Valentine's Day

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I thought it was be fun to publicly proclaim why I love my wife, Amber, so much. I thought I would put together a fun list of the top 12 (her favorite number by the way) reasons I'm excited about spending the rest of my life with her. So let's get right to it!

Chad & AmberChadFebruary 14, 2014love, Valentine's Day Comment

The most special fishing lure | Bryan & Maddy's engagement

I first met Maddy when I worked with her a few years ago. Her witty, laid back personality easily added her to my must-have friends list. After she introduced us to Bryan, it was obvious that they were perfect for each other! They're not exactly sure when they "officially" started dating, so they just picked 08-08-2008 to make it easy to remember. "It was around that time—early August—so we made it easy," Bryan said.

As you look through these image highlights of Bryan & Maddy's Kenosha engagement session from this summer, I hope you enjoy the details of their love story...