Jessica for ROK15 | Fort Smith Portrait Photographer

Whoa! I have been away for too long!

Winter has passed (thankfully!) and here we are in this very, very wet month of May! The Arkansas River is unreal. I can't get over it.

Today I would like to share with you one of my favorite sessions so far this season. I was so privileged to photograph Jessica for a super fun event you may have heard about… Rocklahoma. As it turns out, Rocklahoma was this past weekend, Memorial Day weekend.. and it was a huge mud fest with all these  storms! I hope everyone still had fun, though!

We did this session in downtown Fort Smith, one of my favorite places in the world! I love this city and everything she's given me over the last two years.

Thank you, Jessica, for rocking with me for Rocklahoma 2015!

Rachel Hope {Fort Smith Portrait Photographer}

You know those perfect, sunshiny warm spring days? How wonderfully the sun beats down on your face, and the tiniest of breezes flutter by making it an absolutely magical day? I love those days. What I love even more is when we're blessed with not one, not two, but three of those days right in the middle of January. It has been absolutely amazing in Arkansas this week. Something about these perfect, out of character winter days make the best sunsets, too.

I can't lie, part of the reason the last few days were so perfect is because one of my favorite people on this planet came to Fort Smith to visit. You've seen her on my blog before, and probably all over my instagram feed and Facebook, too. There is something so profound about meeting someone in life that totally understands you, flaws and all, and chooses to love you anyway. I feel like I'm the luckiest person on the planet, because not only did I find that in my husband, but I found that in Rachel, too.

My story is pretty roller coaster-y, but in a nutshell, my brave fearless husband maintained an unending veteran status… well, for about 10 years. The last 6 of those 10, he was in Iraq 3, 5, 6, and 8 months at a time, only being home about 28 or 30 days in between. The last 2 of those 10 years.. I began to crumble. The burden of being alone and being fearful was too much to bear. God heard the plea of my heart for someone to lean on, someone to love, someone to love me.. and then one day this blonde angel walked up to me and said, "Hi I'm Rachel." Shortly after, during the same conversation, she says "I've got a boat! Will you be my first mate?" And we laughed, it was so silly. A few years later, and here we are… I couldn't imagine my life without her. Best friends are a true gift, a soul sister is a Godsend.

I'm so, so incredibly lucky.

Ushering in the FEELINGS

What goals did you set for the New Year? Resolutions? 

What do you want to change in the next year?

These are the typical questions rattling around in my head every single December. Generally my answers are ridiculous and I come up with a list of 10-15 things that I *kind of want* but don't actually intend to work on achieving past January 4th or so. 

Yeah.. you can pretend like you see that smug little emoji frown-y smile guy right behind that last sentence.

Last year I bought Danielle LaPorte's book "The Desire Map." I started it but it was way, way too deep for me to brave it. I was scared of the answers to her incredible question…

"How Do You Want To Feel?"

Also, her perfect font and spacing intimidated the crap out of me. No lie. All my journalism classes and writing classes creep back in to my mind.. and I'm incredibly envious of a perfect font and space combo.

I digress.

December 2014 I did it. I sat down, I read the book, I cried, I brainstormed, I looked up words in the dictionary that I already knew the meaning to, then cross referenced them in the thesaurus, cried some more, found my perfect shiny gold words and their incredible meanings that shine a beacon straight to my heart. 

Oh Danielle. Let me take you for a drink. Seriously. 

So many years I say things like "I'm going to lose 10 pounds." Or "I am going to go to the gym 5 days a week and only drink alcohol on Tuesdays."

Snark Snark Snark

WRONG

I never follow through.

This year I've chosen FEELINGS. The ways I want to feel.

And I'm rolling with it. It's already working. My heart is so happy and full. Incredibly. 

Consistent. Radiant. Love. Strong.

Simple. Incredibly simple. 

Out of a list of about 150 words scribbled all over my copy of The Desire Map in bright blue ink (from a super fat pen, just like the kind my Dad used to order when he owned a fence business, the best pens on the planet).. those four words are MINE. They stand out to me. They convey the best way I could feel (for now). 

Consistent. Because setting goals for weight loss or times in the gym per week or foods to eat or photos I'd love to take but never quite find the time… consistency is something I want to feel. I could subcategorize that one with organization but.. you can still be organized and not follow through. I want to feel that consistent feeling and the accomplishments that come with consistency are going to be so huge for me.

Radiant. Not like beauty. This is a tricky one if you're not in my head and heart (be thankful you're not, ok!). I want to radiate feelings of light and love. I try to do that anyway. But seeing the word RADIANT on my planner pages daily and in my home and surrounding me.. it helps me to remember. I need to be the light and the love I want to see in the world. 

Love. Real talk: I wanted to feel LOVED. Except, I have no control over that. I can't make someone love me. I can't make someone show me that they love me. I am not in control of that feeling. So. Back up a bit. How can I change that around and still feel the way I want to? I want to feel LOVE. I AM the love. Thanks, Danielle. You're the best. Realization number eleventy, donezo. :)

Strong. This one is maybe more about a physicality than any other word and I sort of felt shallow for that, at first. But there's nothing wrong with craving the feeling of strength. Feeling strong and happy physically also leads to feeling amazingly strong and happy mentally. It's a never ending journey. 

So.. there are my core desired feelings for 2015. I'm very excited about them and I love them. I gravitate toward them. The power of words is amazing! 

How do you want to feel? I highly recommend taking this journey with Danielle!

Jessica + Leroy {Fort Smith Couples Photographer}

*waves*
HI!

I've been dying to share this session since the minute I started photographing this sweet couple! In Arkansas, the leaves are afire with gorgeous reds and oranges, shades of green, and some yellows. It is perfection. The sun is golden and warm, and the breeze is chilly and perfect for a fire, a mug of hot cocoa, and snuggling!

Supporting One Another {Fort Smith Portrait Photographer}

Something is on my heart lately, and I'm excited to get to tell you about it.

Recently, I got to tour the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House. This place is amazing. The staff is amazing. The house serves as a meeting place for cancer patient support groups, a hotel for cancer patients that need a place to stay when traveling to Fort Smith for treatments, and a safe haven for newly diagnosed cancer patients.

My sweet friend Susan runs the House, and she does a beautiful job. All the volunteers at the House are so warm and welcoming. There are event rooms that can be used for various things, but one of the best things she told me about- parties for kids. Kids that have cancer, that deserve so desperately to have a moment like any normal kid. A birthday party. A valentines party. A just because party.

Cancer sucks. To put it bluntly. My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor (Thank You, Jesus!). I remember how terrifying it was to know that I could lose my Grandma. I know that fear that kids have. The fear that parents feel when their kids are diagnosed. The sadness that anyone feels when they or a loved one are diagnosed with this life changing and sometimes life ending disease.

So last night, when Susan asked me as a last minute favor, if I could photograph today's Butterfly Release for Ovarian cancer survivors and in honor of those lost, I couldn't say yes fast enough. I have told her since the day I toured the House that I am happy to volunteer my time and talent as often as she needs me to. These people are amazing. As I was photographing, and looking on at these amazing survivors, I said a little prayer. A thank you, for allowing me to be here. A special blessing on these women. And a prayer of comfort for the families that lost their loved ones.

This was such a beautiful event! The House is very near to my heart and if you would like to donate there are quite a few ways. If you live in Fort Smith or near by, you can check out their wish list and drop the items off during weekday business hours. If you're out of town, you can always order things from their wish list off amazon (use smile.amazon.com and you can even choose to have a percentage of your purchase price go to the Support House!) and have the items delivered. And if you're local local, you can always volunteer your time. 

Find out more about the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House here.

Avery | Class of 2015 {Fort Smith Senior Photographer}

Happy Labor Day weekend!!

Saturday morning, after praying for the rain to hold off, I got to spend the sunrise photographing sweet Avery! She is seriously such a go-getter! She loves horses, soccer, and her senior year, of course!