Hello spring

It's SPRING TIME! Our tree is just going crazy. My car was covered in green pollen for a couple days, but it was totally worth it. I've been loving the 70 degree weather lately. Course, I don't have allergies. So... that helps a lot. And Ryan mowed the lawn yesterday. Yeah, that's right. Mowed the lawn. In April. And this weekend I'm going to plant flowers. Gladiolas. My great aunt and uncle had a ton of glads.

They make me happy. So I'm going to plant them and hope I don't kill them. Or forget to dig up the bulbs this fall....

If nothing else it'll be a learning experience, right? Yeah, I thought so too. :o)

The beginning

My grandpa and grandma started farming here many years ago. It's where my dad, aunts, and uncle grew up. My mom and dad farmed here for awhile when they were first married. I never lived there; mom and dad moved before I was born to the house where I grew up.



My aunt and uncle have lived here for as long as I can remember. My cousins grew up here. It's just a mile from my parents house, so my sister and I road our bikes there a lot in the summer. My brother worked for my uncle every day after school and every weekend.

I played in the barn with my cousins, making "soup" in the automatic waterers out of dirt, lime, and grass. We played with kittens in the hay mow and chased puppies across the yard. I help feed calves and let them suck on my fingers.

The whole family came back to the place it all started for Easter. It was fun to see the newest generation playing at the farm. I only hope some day they understand the importance of that place.

The house that holds generations of laughter. The barn that saw many good times, and many frustrations. The land that has provided for our family for centuries.

I've loved this song by Miranda Lambert since the first time I heard it. Seems pretty fitting for this post.

Casey & Chris: Wedding photos

I've known Casey for... maybe two months now. I'd never met Chris until this afternoon. But I didn't have to know them very long to know this wedding - their wedding - was perfect. Simplistic elegance. Natural beauty. The little park next to the river near the Botanical Center in Des Moines was perfect. And the weather... was amazing. Minus the wind, but you can't be picky when it comes to an 83 degree day in April.

Photographing these two was a breeze. They did what felt natural and basically ignored my existence. Sheer bliss for a photographer. Casey and Chris, thanks for inviting me along. I wish you a lifetime of the easy going love the two of you share.