Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Nofzinger!  Matt and Amanda’s day entailed so many unique-to-them details.  Allow me to walk you through their day…

Let’s start with the flowers.  Orchids shipped in from Hawaii!!  Have you ever heard of such special flowers for an Ohio wedding?!  Amanda’s Great Aunts that live in Hawaii found this specific color of orchids (even a bit hard to find in Hawaii) and sent them over for the bouquets!  Pretty special, if you ask me!

Amanda loves stained glass, so it was fitting to take a few dress shots with stained glass.

Amanda handmade all of her bridesmaid’s jewelry as gifts to them.  You’ll notice a dog in the jewelry…Matt and Amanda’s love for dogs was sprinkled throughout the details of the day, especially at the reception.

Matt’s love for superheros and Star Wars was evident in the groomsmen details!  Socks, cuff links, boutonnieres…check, check, and check!

Amanda’s desire for some fun shots showed up in the mix of poses!

Surprise!  Amanda’s parents surprised them with a special bagpipe song.  I love the shock on Amanda’s face captured below!

Matt and Amanda’s “exit” was a streamer tunnel! Once again you’ll see their love for dogs in the reception details…name cards, centerpieces, cake pop stand, etc.!  I mentioned above Amanda’s love for stained glass.  She actually made this cake topper! Matt and Amanda’s beautifully choreographed dance was SO impressive!  Second Shooter: Jenell Shrock–Thanks, Jenell, for all your help!

Ceremony Location: Hilliard United Methodist Church

Reception Location: The Reception House at Raymond Memorial Golf Course

Hair: Kim Johnson

Class of 2017

Nathan kicked off the 2017 senior portrait season!  This fall he will enter his senior year at Fairbanks High School.

Blessings to you, Nathan!  Enjoy your senior year!

Brandon and Denise are GETTING MARRIED!!!  Brandon popped the question during a picnic dinner at a quiet little spot beside the Little Darby Creek.  Denise’s reactions to the surprise are priceless!  Congratulations!!

In the picture below Brandon is showing Denise where his brother, Jeremy and I were hiding on the other side of the creek behind a log.  It was a bit of an adventure to get to the spot, but it was a lot of fun and special to be a part of the surprise!  

High school sweethearts…always and forever!

Chris and Emily’s wedding day was like most typical days in Ohio in which the weather couldn’t quite decide what it wanted to do….rainy, sunny, cloudy???  Regardless of the sprinkles, Chris and Emily’s day was filled with love, family, and fun.

Emily’s day started bright and early.  I believe she got up at 3:45 a.m.!

Emily’s “something blue” was Chris’ mom’s anniversary ring that she allowed Emily to wear for the day.

Emily, you are stunning! When Chris first saw Emily walking down the aisle it was evident he was filled with heartfelt emotions.

This hill hold a lot of significance for Chris and Emily.  They went here after prom, they had their first kiss on this hill, and this is where Chris proposed!  It was only fitting that they walk to the top for some wedding pictures!   Chris and Emily had a 10:30 a.m. wedding, so they had breakfast pancakes and sausage for the reception food!  A unique and fun twist to the pancakes was the “pancake flipping.”  Chris and Emily took their turns flipping pancakes at each other; then the rest of the guests stood in line to catch their flying pancakes!  If one landed on the ground another one was flipped to you!

Each guest received “Cookies from the Cooks.”  A fitting treat with the last name of Cook!

Special thanks to Andrew Weber for doing a great job of second shooting for Chris and Emily’s wedding!  And thanks to Elizabeth Miller for shadowing and snapping some great shots, too!

Hair: Stacy Conner

Makeup: Kelly Scott

Location: Fryer Park in Grove City, Ohio

“For you created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful.”   Psalm 139:13-14

Nick and Rachel’s paths crossed three years ago during an Ultimate Frisbee game…which I might add, Rachel beat Nick!  Rachel will tell you that she used to joke that God would have to drop a guy at her feet for her to notice one!  God knew what He was doing when he dropped Nick into Rachel’s life, and He’s done something beautiful in growing their love for each other and for Him.

A few sprinkles of rain and some gusts of wind didn’t dampen the laughter and love that filled their day.  You can’t help but see the joy in their smiles!  Here’s a glimpse into the story of their day…

Since it was Mother’s Day weekend, Nick got this fruit bouquet for his mother-in-law-to-be, Judy, and also for Rachel and the bridesmaids to enjoy!  I love that Rachel’s beautiful bouquet had lilacs in it…something you never see in a bouquet!  Prayers of blessing before the ceremony. Both Nick and Rachel are nurses.  In fact, Rachel just graduated from college on April 30!  During the pastor’s message he drew the correlation of “caring for your marriage” by relating various nurse/doctor items such as a thermometer, stethoscope, shot, etc.  Below you’ll see Nick getting a shot. 🙂   This beautiful cake had two side…elegant and super hero.  Take note that the flowers were not silk they were edible!  It ended up not being as dark at the time of their exit, but they had fun with it anyway!

Wait?  Where are the keys?!  Oh, the best man has them!

Photography Second Shooter: Jenell Shrock

Hair and Makeup: Stacy Conner

Flowers: Roxanne Yoder

Cake: Sarah Foster

Ceremony Location: Shiloh Mennonite Church

Reception Location: Maranatha Community Fellowship

Little Logan’s birth story is filled with surprises and an abundance of love!  The first surprise took place when Brooke’s water broke on May 3, nearly three weeks before her due date!  Now, if you know Ory, you know that he’s one of the biggest Star Wars fans around!  The chances of his baby being born on May 4, Star Wars Day was pretty exciting…”May the fourth be with you!” (get it?!?)  Although it was close, Logan arrived a couple hours before midnight on May 3, but by that time I think Ory was just glad to meet his new son!

Brooke and Ory chose to have the gender be a surprise, so there was a lot of boy/girl guessing going on.  Ory will proudly tell you that he called it!  During the labor and delivery most of Brooke and Ory’s family were waiting anxiously in the waiting room.  It was such a delight to watch this family’s love and support.  After Logan made his grand entrance into the world, Ory went to tell the family, but he wasn’t allowed to tell them the gender until they could all meet the baby in person!  The family waited nearly two more hours to find out if it was a boy or a girl, and finally got to meet Logan Lee after 1:30 a.m.!

Ahhh…a mother’s love.

Resting before “GO” time!

Bath time!

Now the family gets to meet the baby….it’s a BOY!

This picture…

I’m pretty sure I’ve pondered this picture over the last three years more than any other picture I’ve taken!  I shared this picture in a personal blog post three years ago (Life Around Here) and afterward I overheard someone say, “Even her laundry looks good!”

What?!?  My laundry looks good??

That comment has made me process the social media frenzied society we live in.  We are allowed to peek into each others lives, but most of the time it’s just the “Highlight Reels!”  We get to see the pictures of the perfect meals, or the date nights, or vacations, but life is not always a highlight reel!  The day to day grind of life doesn’t always get a “like” and we can’t always live Pinterest perfect lives!  Life has its highs (thank you, Lord!), but it can also be tiring, emotional, confusing, frustrating, broken, you name it!  Life can be kind of like laundry…it gets dirty!

Why did I make this picture black and white when I shared it?  Because quite honestly, it wouldn’t have been as eye catching in color.  You would have seen all of the different colors of clothing all mixed together and it wouldn’t have been as pretty…LIFE!

But I’m here to tell you…your life is unique and has a purpose!  There is grace and hope available for you!

Did you know that even when you’re doing the everyday tasks of life that can tend to feel mundane (like laundry!) God delights in the details of your life?

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives.”  Psalm 37:23

Did you know that even before the world began His grace was available to you?

“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 2 Tim 1:9

Today you may be wiping noses or changing diapers…maybe your staring at a computer for hours on end, or filing papers, or teaching students that don’t seem to be listening!  Maybe your laundry is dirty and it doesn’t look very pretty and you’re just experiencing “normal” life!  No matter what you are doing today, remember God is walking beside you, He sees you, He loves you, and He delights in you!

“He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.”  2 Samuel 22:20