Posted in Personal

Happy National Coffee Day. I’m not sure how, but this is the first year that I have been aware of and celebrated this day. Today, as I was sipping a cup of delicious coffee, I realized that there would be nothing more fitting than to dedicate an entire post to it. After all, much of my money, time and thoughts center around coffee… Why shouldn’t a blog? (Bear with me… I promise I’m not crazy.)

I can relate many great (and not-so-great) memories to coffee. Last school year alone, I probably spent well-over 300 hundred hours at Starbucks… Talking, laughing, planning, editing, brain-storming, writing, listening, watching, reading, editing, day-dreaming, learning… all with a wonderful cup of coffee in my hands. I have had countless meaningful conversations with my mom over a cup of coffee. (I guess those would have happened regardless, but coffee made them better.) Then there are those lovely memories of my Cady & Cady days… When I was brainwashed to believe that productivity couldn’t happen apart from coffee. (I may or may not still believe that…) I also can’t forget that pair of white pants that survived about 4 hours in my wardrobe thanks to coffee. (Not to mention my leg… Ouch.) Last month, as I was in line for Starbucks at the Charlotte airport, I was reminded that coffee is often a symbol of attraction. A free cup from the guy ahead of me in line? Yes, please and thank you. :)

I seriously could go on and on and on and on and on about coffee. It’s clearly a big part of my life, but I’ve yet to write about my favorite coffee experiences. Every morning, I meet with JC (Jesus Christ, for those of you who aren’t up to date on the super-cool, Christian lingo) over a cup of coffee. The multi-colored heart mug: that’s the one I was using when JC confirmed in my heart that I should go to Seminary. The Christmas tree mug: that’s the one that I used almost every morning as I was studying the book Ephesians my sophomore year at LU. The candy-cane mug: That’s the one I was using when God smacked me upside the head last week. The Styrofoam cups: Those are the ones that I used everyday of my internship while studying the book of James that I taught my high-school buddies this summer. The Lord has broken my heart, filled me with joy, opened my eyes, made me uncomfortable, covered me in His love and empowered me to do His work… All over a cup (or a few cups) of coffee.

So again, Happy National Coffee Day, Internet. I submit that everyday is Coffee Day… It certainly is in my heart.

What are your favorite coffee memories?

Posted in Day After

Can I just say that I’ve been so excited to finally blog this session, and the day is here!! Woohoo! This is probably one of my favorite sessions to date for a multitude of reasons. #1- The lighting was phenomenal. #2- The couple was fantastic. #3- The couple was fantastic. (I know, I just repeated myself.) But seriously… How in the world do I get the most amazing clients?!

Victoria contacted me over the summer to schedule a Day After Session. Now, for those of you who aren’t up-to-date with photography lingo, a Day After Session is a session the day (or, in this case, lots of days) after the wedding. Can I just tell you why I love these sessions so much? First of all, your wedding day is pretty crazy. There’s not much time for pictures, especially of just you and your spouse. Secondly, on your wedding day, you’re pretty limited to the location(s) you can travel to, as you don’t have much time. Thirdly, on your wedding day, you’re worried about your dress/tux/suit. It can’t get dirty! Now, throw all of these things out the window. You don’t have to worry about time, you’re not limited to locations near your wedding venue and you don’t have to worry about dirtying your wedding clothes. There is freedommmmm! All that to say, I was very excited when Cory & Victoria booked me for this type of session. :)

I don’t know how it happens, but I seem to always pick up clients who have been together for forever. For Cory & Victoria, it will be NINE YEARS in November. They were so awesome to photograph… So natural together, and they legitimately had fun. (Clients… Here’s a tip. When you’re relaxed, sessions can actually be fun!) I could continue blabbing on about it, but just take a look for yourself. Mr. & Mrs. Hyden…

This was one of the first shots that I got that day. Hellooooo gorgeous lighting. God loves me.

See what I mean? Natural, fun and so stinkin’ cute!

I just have to give a shout-out to Victoria’s mad skills. She made her bouquet and Cory’s boutonniere. (Yes, I did have to look up the spelling of that.) MAD SKILLS.

Okay… So there’s a little bit of a funny story that I need to share here. My freshman year at LU, I took a voice class with my friend Kayla. One of the songs that we had to sing was “Where is Love?” from the musical “Oliver!”

The first few lines of the song say this…

Where is Love?
Does it fall from skies above?
Is it underneath the willow tree
That I’ve been dreaming of?

Well, me and my friend Kayla were super mature freshmen, and so we made up hand-motions to the song while we were practicing. Close your eyes, and try to envision the most ridiculous hand-motions possible. Yeah… That’s what we did. The day came that we had to sing in front of the class. Together. You can probably figure out that we barely made it through the first line of the song before we started hysterically laughing. Our professor was not amused. FAIL. To this day, me and Kays still joke about the willow tree hand motions… Every time I see one, I think of this story and laugh.

To answer Oliver’s question, “Where is love? Is it underneath the willow tree that I’ve been dreaming of?” I would say YES, Oliver. Yes, love is under the willow tree.

Seriously, Victoria?! You are STUNNING!!!!

I’ll end with this one because it is one of my favorites from the day…

Posted in Seniors

This is a hard post for me to write. My little brother is eighteen. (And by “little”, I mean younger. He hasn’t been “little” since my 16th birthday.) Some would say that means he’s officially an adult. (I beg to differ because that would imply that I am an adult, and I’m not yet ready to accept that title… I’m still waiting by my window every night for Peter Pan to take me away to Neverland. Hey, it could happen. Anywayssssss…) Spencer is eighteen, so in honor of this momentous occasion, I have decided to share what I love about Spencer (in no particular order).

I love…

  1. His freckles on his nose that scrunch up when he laughs. (No, internet, I’m not just saying this because I have them.)
  2. The face that he makes when he’s trying not to laugh. It’s so hysterical, and I wish I could show you. I’m actually smiling as I think about it and type.
  3. Having jam sessions to Eminem & Rhianna while he drives.
  4. His teachability. He actually listens to me when I talk to him about serious stuff. Crazy, I know.
  5. Being able to look at him across the dinner table and know that he’s thinking the same thing as me.
  6. His dedication/discipline. Um… Let’s just say we used to be homeschooled together. He would be finished each day around 12-1pm. I would usually finish around 8-9pm. (I was just trying to be thorough!!)
  7. The memories of us playing Mario Party 3 on N64 for hours on end… 2 years ago. (So I played N64 in college. Don’t judge me, internet!)
  8. His desire to continually grow into a godly man. Yes, I said it. A man. (Insert Tim the Toolman Taylor grunt here.)
  9. Knowing that he’ll be here at Liberty with me next year!! Get ready Lynchburg… Can you handle TWO Hightowers??
  10. That he still lets me take him. Okay… He doesn’t let me take him, but he certainly doesn’t annihilate me like I know he could.

Spency… You’re the best, and I love you more than my heart could even begin to explain. I’m so blessed to have you as a brother and as a friend. Let’s always be close, please? Like even when I’m blogging about you on your 75th birthday. :)

Oh, I forgot to add that he models for GQ. Dang, son! :)

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