Viewing entries tagged
Des Moines

Winter Wanderings

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Winter Wanderings

I’m sitting here, emotionally bursting with quiet joy, as snow falls quietly outside. It’s the perfect storm— a January weekend in Des Moines, as Friday evening traffic moves hesitantly down the interstate just blocks from where I sit. A mug of mostly-drunk chamomile tea sits next to me on the warm, black radiator. I’m curled up on it, my seat warm and my back cool against the attic windows. In-between sentences in my new library book, I watch the snow accumulate and my neighbor back his car off the street and on to his lawn. The city will go into snow ordinance mode, something I’ve never had to learn about until this winter.

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The 12 Dates of Christmas (Des Moines, Iowa)

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The 12 Dates of Christmas (Des Moines, Iowa)

One of my favorite instagrammer/bloggers in NYC posts her & her husband’s “12 Dates of Christmas” each year on her blog. I thought that this year, I’d join in! You can do these with a significant other, a group of friends, or just by yourself. Some of these activities cost a little cash, others are free or cheap. You can pick an choose which Christmas events you’d like to join in on over the month of December. All of these are things taking place around Christmastime in the greater Des Moines area! Please feel welcome to comment any suggestions of your own on this blog post. Enjoy!

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Shop Local for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday in Iowa

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Shop Local for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday in Iowa

If, like me, you’ll be doing some shopping online as the turkey and mashed potatoes settle this evening and into the weekend, I’ve got some great tips for you to look into! Besides finding great deals to help me stretch my bank account, I’m a huge advocate of shopping local and supporting small businesses. I have collected quite the resume of local shops in Iowa (mainly in Cedar Falls, Ames, and Des Moines) so pull out your legal pad of paper (or iPad!) and let’s get planning!

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A Sneak Peek of our Des Moines Apartment

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A Sneak Peek of our Des Moines Apartment

Des Moines is a happenin' city. People continue to ask me (as happens when you move!) "Why Des Moines?". And I'll tell you why: because it's a fun place to live! It has the perks of a large city (lots of amazing restaurants, parks, social events, and shopping of course) with the advantage of a midwest town. Seriously-- I bump into people I know at the store or downtown. What are the odds!?

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Iowa State Fair Senior Photos

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Iowa State Fair Senior Photos

If you live in Iowa and haven't been to the Iowa State Fair, you're just about crazy. ;) It's one of my favorite August activities--and one of my earliest memories of living in Iowa! The first time my family attended the festivities, we rode the sky glider & it made a pretty big impression on this little girl. 20 years later, and I'm still obsessed with this big country-themed annual celebration!

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Lauren // Ames and Des Moines Senior Photos

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Lauren // Ames and Des Moines Senior Photos

Lauren’s sweet senior photo session in Ames took us all over the area. We included lots of flowers and floral, and even took some on the tennis courts! Lauren is one of my senior models for the class of 2019 in the Ames and Des Moines area, so if you know her, but sure to mention that in your email inquiry so you both get a fun discount!

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Des Moines Engagement Photographer \\ Elizabeth & Chris

It's always fun to find out someone you know is engaged. It's even more fun when you find out…and had no idea they'd been dating someone! Haha! That's exactly what happened here. I've known Elizabeth and her family since childhood. Her younger brother is getting married in August, and I'm photographing his wedding (so excited!). One evening, I was at Wal-Mart, on a late night grocery run, and out of the blue got a text from Elizabeth asking if I was free this fall for her wedding. I was shocked, but thrilled! Fun to find out she'd been seeing Chris, and they'd gotten engaged early this winter. Now they're getting closer to their September wedding, and I can't wait to photograph it in Des Moines!

Since Chris lives in Omaha, we coordinated their engagement photography session for a weekend that he was already visiting Elizabeth in Des Moines. Her one request was that we do their engagement photos at the Des Moines Farmer's Market! I was pumped—it'd been on my bucket list to go, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. We figured out the May 6 was the opening morning…and so we put it on the calendar and prayed against rain. ;) Sure enough, it was bright and sunny! 

We started out their session at the gorgeous Iowa State Capital building…and then moved downtown to the Farmer's Market. There are loads of fresh flowers and bouquets, so Elizabeth convinced Chris to buy her some. Plus, they work great for photos and brightening up an apartment, right?! ;) So…totally worth it!

These two are planning to show off their favorite photos at the reception (I can't wait to see how they use them for decor!) so I'm blogging just a few favorites. Hope you enjoy them!

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Maggie | Senior Portraits

It was so wonderful to receive an email from Maggie's mom, asking if I would take her daughter's senior photos at one of my favorite places: Ledges State Park! I adore Ledges, especially in the fall. It's full of gorgeous colors, woodland creatures, and lovely light. Not to mention, Maggie was such a blast to work with! She is as sweet as they come, and that alone will help her do well in the years ahead. :)

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Katie + Jackson

Katie & Jackson were so laid back during their engagement session! It was so much fun getting to know them, and hearing about how Jackson proposed (he rode a good amount of the way from Ames to Iowa City to ask Katie to marry him!). Also, they climbed a tree. MAJOR cool points for that. I'm so so so excited for their wedding this next September at the Celebration Farm!

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Des Moines Anniversary Portraits || Geoff + Rachel

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Des Moines Anniversary Portraits || Geoff + Rachel

Rachel has been nothing but a joy and encouragement since I met her! Fun fact: she actually second shot my first wedding with me. Then, she asked me to shot her wedding (so intimidating! but SO FUN!) and now, a little over a year later, their first anniversary session. We had the most beautiful October evening…also, I love shooting in Des Moines. All you Des Moinesians out there: hit me up!

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