A new day

My life changed overnight. What once was normal is now the exception. Part of me yearns for the familiar and another part of me revels in the newness, but I’m OK. I have my family and that’s what really matters. Every day I meet someone new or see something that surprises me and I love it. I feel like I’m developing skills and learning things that will make me a more interesting, if not better, person. Who I am becoming feels like the person I want to be. Life isn’t always easy or perfect, but it is always an adventure of learning and growing.

I’ll be honest. I haven’t taken that many photos lately. I’ve taken plenty with my iPhone, but not many with my film cameras. I wish I were taking hundreds of photos a day, but that’s not my reality right now, and that’s OK. I know there will be a time and season for that, but right now is the time for me to make some sacrifices for the bigger picture stuff.

If you don’t already follow me on Instagram, check me out: paigeandgarrett. You can follow my journey in China via those photos. I’ve been somewhat introspective lately and have really enjoyed taking self portraits reflective of what I’m feeling. It’s fun and therapeutic at the same time. Here are a few of my recent Instagram portraits:

 

 

Leave me a comment on Instagram so we can connect!

A New Season

A summer bride is a beautiful thing. Summer is a beautiful thing. O, how I’ll miss her. Yet there’s something special about the seasons that come and go. They allow us the time to revel in their beauty and enjoy the newness long enough to leave us wanting when it all comes to an end. Winter may be the only exception for me, but that’s another story. I like to live my life in the same seasonal way. Life is good, and the experiences we have are great, but there’s always a new season beckoning from around the corner, helping us appreciate what we have now. One season’s coolness makes the warm season enveloping. One season’s warmth makes the cool season refreshing. And so on. My family is getting ready for a huge move. It’s huge in every single way imaginable. I may miss the constant hum of cicadas out my window. Or the room for my kids to run and play around the pond everyday. But those things will lead us to discover new joys. Joys we may have previously overlooked or underestimated. It will most definitely be extraordinary and exhilarating.

I can’t wait.

What I love about now

Sometimes life moves so fast. I look back and wonder where in the world did that time go? Days turn into weeks and months into years. But sometimes… sometimes… we stop time for one small millisecond and revel in the beauty that is in front of us. Things slow down and one small glance can last forever.

I feel that way about my photography and my kids. Times are changing right in front of me, but I love how these photos help me pause and appreciate what I love about now.

Life as I see it

I’m writing this in a room where the windows have been shaded with beach towels to block the morning sun from entering. My kids like to rise with the sun, so the towels were a necessity. No sun, no risers. This is the fourth state and third time zone our little family has lived in over the past three months. It also happens to be where I grew up and the same room in which I spent my childhood. I never would have guessed life would take me in such a full circle. But here I am, typing away in this dark room with my baby girl making up songs and stories by my feet. This new reality is the one through which I now see and interpret the world.

(all photos taken and edited on the iPhone 3G, posted to Instagram: paigeandgarrett)

Us

This is us. Well, us minus me.:)

Decided it was time to take some photos of my family because, well, why not?! And my husband’s hair hasn’t been this long since high school. Oh those USMC regulations…

These people are my life. Enjoy!

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