I’ve been thinking a lot lately (long hours in an airport will do that to a person) about work/life balance. This year has really challenged us with the intense schedule we’ve been rocking out lately. (Seriously,thank you all who are keeping us on the move, we are so very thankful!) But it got me thinking. I spend so much of my time thinking about photography, striving to get better, learning from others, sometimes I forget that I started this path because photography was for me. Because it filled me up and brought me outside myself. Yet somehow, I’m not ever deliberate about photographing my life as it happens. Sure I blow up Instagram, but I never take the time to pull out my camera and share what is closest to home. I wrestle with the insecurity that you visit this blog for my work only and care a lot less about what’s going with me privately. However, if I’ve learned anything this year it’s that while I hope you love my work, I hope you like who I am as a person as well. Because on your wedding day, I’m your biggest advocate and ally. So that’s to say, I hope to share a little more about what hops in front of my lens when I’m not shooting a wedding, and likewise hope to be more deliberate about shooting those inspirations that I pull from my life.

That long winded self reflection was all to say that last week I made an impulsive decision to drop in on my amazing family in Ocean City, New Jersey for 48hours. If you know me, you know that my extended family is no joke. My mother is one of 7 and there are a million of us. One. Million. Whenever we get together it is the most beautiful chaos. Going into the trip I found myself so wrapped up in work and some of the personal things I had going on that I felt disconnected from myself. One step off the plane and into my sister and my cousin’s arms and I felt like me again. Sometimes you need to be reminded that you’re part of something bigger, so much bigger than yourself. And hey, guess what? I actually took pictures while I was there. Xo