PA Wedding Photographer: Naomi Elle

Of Fear & Finger-Puppets

Naomi Elle — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:41:13 +0000

Confession: I was a homeschooler. For the overwhelming majority of my elementary, middle school and high school education. Unless you count the 1st and 2nd grade years in a private Christian school. And then the 6th & 7th grade years in a Christian school so tiny that I really count it as homeschooling… at a different location… with three other kids from one family who happened to be good friends. Now there are alot of misconceptions about homeschooling (these kids never leave the house, they’re unsocialized and either really smart or really dumb). I liked my house, though I did end up leaving it several times a week. I never lacked for friends or socialization. And while I’m neither really smart nor really dumb, I did grow up with an overactive appreciation for books.

Homeschooling can be a bit of a soapbox. And I’m not really blogging about homeschooling today. I did truly appreciate the education that homeschooling (and a mom that devoted her time to making sure her four children were intelligent, well-rounded and not lazy individuals) gave to me, and I’m sure that it formed my ideals about education. And gave me time to devote to pursuits like music and reading and lots of Bible study. I liked being homeschooled…. and once a year, we would head out to the Pennsylvania Homeschool Convention. It was a big deal. My mom would buy all the curricula she needed for the year, and my sister & I could revel in the fact that we were not as weird as most other teenaged homeschoolers. Back in the day, there were some real crazies.

I’ve had no reason to go to such homeschool conventions in years and years. My sister, on the other hand, with her three little ones, is in full-force homeschooling mode! And then, last week, my mom decided to get sick. (note: she did not really decide to do anything of the sort. She had to undergo urgent-though not quite emergency-surgery and was at home recuperating). And so who gets selected for moral support and convention-buddy duty? That’d be me. I don’t have any little ones and my cat is vehemently opposed to Hooked on Phonics, so my role is purely scouting out the free chocolate in the arena and instagram-ing everything that looked remotely interesting (FOOD!).

Again, this blog post is not about food. Or homeschooling. I’m just a rambler.

While Nikki and I were on our first solo road trip in pretty much years (her little girls were home with daddy), we talked and talked and talked. About life and Jesus and food and habits and homeschooling and relationships and wedding photography and keeping house and my driving skills and whether the car was too hot or too cold, etc. Towards the end of the day, I made a random comment ending with “that makes me nervous.”

Nikki stopped me. “You know, you’ve said that phrase alot today. About 3 or 4 times.” In her own kind way, she warned me to be careful of the words that were coming out of my mouth. And so at that moment and for days since Saturday, I have seriously considered my words. “That makes me nervous.” I had been talking about random things like wedding photography, driving down the road in between those construction barriers.. silly stuff. Things that I don’t think twice about. The words that were coming out of my mouth illustrated what was in my heart.

Nervous = Anxious

Anxious = Fear

What was I afraid of? More importantly, why am I afraid? How could I fear when there is nothing to fear?

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7

Yes, I learned a good lesson on Saturday.

And that’s me & my sis with some cute finger-puppets.

I love bunnies. And instagram. (follow me: i’m naomielle5)

Rings & Sparkly Things {Engagement Inspiration}

Naomi Elle — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:00:50 +0000

“You want an amethyst, right?” He lightly touched the ring finger on my left hand and whispered the words into my ear. We were hardly a week into our “dating” relationship and were most definitely talking about marriage. Trust me, the before-dating saga of our love story makes everything make sense. We were serious folks, y’all. My parents taught me not to mess around with casual relationships. Not to date for dating’s sake. To listen to the voice of God. And by the time Brandon began to pursue me, he was sure.. and I was sure… and wearing a rock on my finger to show the world was the logical next step.

What I wasn’t sure about was the kind of engagement ring I wanted. I had ideas! Vague impressions of what I didn’t want (the typical diamond solitare. I felt atypical. Why be typical?). I thought perhaps a heart-shaped diamond…. when Brandon mentioned an amethyst, it sparked something in me. Of course, amethysts are my favorite gemstone. They’re purple, gorgeous and unusual. My hang-up was the purple-ness (while that was also what I loved: I know. I’m so confusing that I confuse myself. LOL). I like matching. I like being matchy-matchy. I was slightly afraid of wearing a ring that didn’t match my clothing… isn’t that ridiculous? In hindsight, I own alot more purple clothing than I ever thought and purple sparkly accents are very fashionable. Call me a “conflicted soul.” I mean, seriously, it’s waaaaay better to be conflicted about a ring style than your choice of husband. So I can deal with that. I have old emails to my sis from back in the day with pretty ring ideas. Nikki-the-Sister’s Thoughts: “It comes down to the fact that just about anything shiny (other than a kitkat wrapper) will work nicely and be very special.” Hahaha. True dat!

It only took me about two days to think deeply about the kind of engagement ring I wanted. And recant my non-amethyst-wanting ways.

Everybody’s got a different path to the ring of her dreams. I don’t think there’s a particular right way… as long as it ends well. First, Brandon called my sis and got all the info that I had given her. Then, he decided that wasn’t quite enough information (remember my conflictedness? I am sooo glad he wanted more info). My darling husband wanted to be absolutely, positively, totally sure that I would LOVE my engagement ring. That I would think it was beautiful and gorgeous. And that I would adore wearing it for the rest of my life. So then… as we were long-distance, we started talking about the ring. On our cell phones, with computers in front of us, we traded links and Googled images and keywords and eventually came upon the style that we both enjoyed. What do you think of this one? What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it? What about the pattern? The cut of the stone? On and on we talked. Late into the night. Sharing. Dreaming. Planning.

Unfortunately, the particular style and design we loved… was a jeweler based in New Orleans. And we couldn’t find anything from after the city had been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. (Bad thing #1) And that’s when we decided that maybe we should go for a custom design. Bringing all the things we love together. Into one ring. On Brandon’s next visit to Pennsylvania, we stopped at a local jeweler’s. Spent an hour and a half there. Got nowhere and never heard from the salesperson again… I guess she thought we weren’t serious? (Bad thing #2)

Third time is the charm.

By this time it was about seven weeks into our dating relationship, and did you ever wonder what my parents thought of the immediate definite prospect of our engagement? Well, my dad recommended the jeweler. And called him ahead of time to let him know we were coming. If that’s not a positive sign, I don’t know what is. Howard Foss, the jeweler, was absolutely outstanding. Within 10 minutes, he had shown me exactly what I described, assured us that we would be able to get a specific amethyst center stone and understood our dreams of beautiful filigree work on the side of the band.

And that’s the last I heard about the engagement ring…
Until Brandon slipped it on my finger on April 1st, 2011 with whispered words of love.
“Naomi, will you marry me?”

On August 6th, 2011… he slipped a wedding band on my finger.

I love these rings.

I love the way the sun catches the diamonds.

Sometimes I count the diamonds over and over again.

I love the filigree pattern on the side.

I love the gorgeous purple amethyst.

I love that my husband knew what I wanted, before I knew what I wanted.

I love that these rings proclaim that I’m “taken.”

I love that he wears a matching ring proudly.

(last two photos by Kristen Leigh)

”I think amethysts are just sweet. They are what I used to think diamonds were like. Long ago, before I had ever seen a diamond, I read about them and I tried to imagine what they would be like. I thought they would be lovely glimmering purple stones. When I saw a real diamond in a lady’s ring one day I was so disappointed I cried. Of course, it was very lovely but it wasn’t my idea of a diamond. Will you let me hold the brooch for one minute, Marilla? Do you think amethysts can be the souls of good violets?”

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Wordless Weekend

Naomi Elle — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:03:14 +0000

Sometimes words are unnecessary. Here are a few snapshots of our weekend.

Tell me about your weekend! What were your favorite simple pleasures?

Cafe on Walnut Street {Howard, PA}

Naomi Elle — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:00:38 +0000

In between the green mountains of Pennsylvania, there lies a little town called Howard. This town is so little that there’s only one stop-light. Life is quiet here. Walking down the street, you can almost hear the soft whooshing sounds of lake-waters lapping the shores. This little town sits beside Bald Eagle State Park, which holds a special place in our hearts forever… as we were married there in a lakeside ceremony in August 2011.

We like Howard. And its small-town, slow-paced life. We like the itty-bitty post office. And the blooming bushes in the park across the street from the cafe. We spent a few minutes strolling through the park, looking at the little monument and breathing in sweet spring air. I pointed out the little fire hall where my sis and her husband had their wedding reception. We drove across the bridge that I had sat beneath for hours and hours on a summer day… I would be reading while my little brother fished and we both waved at the boats floating lazily by.

This new cafe (open less than 3 months!) has captured the small-town vibe in a charmingly homey way. Walk in to a chorus of friendly voices saying “hello! what can I get for you?” and “have a seat! I’ll be with you shortly.” This cafe is mostly cafe with some coffee shop vibes (like the cute little tiled-counter coffee bar) and it’s full service.. so find a seat, browse the menu and order.

There are plenty of fascinating little spots to sit. And the clientele is as varied as the seating. We noticed a grandma and her little grandchildren, a man enjoying his coffee and breakfast solo, a church Sunday school class laughing and chatting in the back dining room and a newlywed couple holding hands in the corner (that’d be us! hehe).

Pleasant. Happy. Homey.
Three words that I would use to describe Cafe on Walnut Street. The pastel greens/yellows/browns of the color scheme were calming and especially impressive to me, because I had never been to a cafe that used that particular blend of colors. It spoke of leisure and pleasant summer times.

Add some sweet little touches like these…

Now let’s get on to that menu and ordering food and drink!

Brandon talks to us about coffee:

Café Americano. The Italians named the Americano, although interestingly enough they do not drink it. During World War II, American soldiers would dilute the strong European espresso (that they were not used to) with water, making a cup of something much closer to the coffee (which they were used to) in America. Hence, the Italian name for an American beverage. One of the biggest upsides to Americanos is that the water reduces the strength of the espresso, without necessarily diluting the flavor (don’t use too much water). So anyone that either doesn’t like the strength of a certain espresso or wants to focus on the nuances of his or her aforementioned espresso, a great solution is the Café Americano. Café on Walnut Street, in their few months of opening, have gone through about eight (8) different espresso blends, in an effort to find one that really says Café on Walnut Street. I don’t know if they’ve settled yet, but if they choose the one they served me, I should think they made a very good decision. Very caramelly (not a word) and very even (a well-balanced word).

Turtle Mochaccino. Espresso. Steamed Milk. Caramel. Hazelnut. Chocolate. Whipped Cream. Trip. To. The Sugar Factory. If there were Oompa Loompas in a Coffee Factory, they would drink Turtle Mochaccinos. I don’t claim to have all the answers, folks. Just the important ones.

Naomi again. You might need a few moments to enjoy this dessert drink. I know I did. Thirty minutes later and I still had a major sugar buzz! Amazing!!

So many dessert choices. We hardly knew how to choose…

Homemade Apple pie. An American classic.
Flaky crust. Perfect cinnamon-spiced filling. With a dollop of whipped cream. *sigh*

Since this is a cafe and they’re open for dinner, there’s a variety of changing daily specials. All just-like-you-went-to-Grandma’s house cookin’.

Honestly, one of my favorite parts of this cafe is their mostly-family-and-one-family-friend staff. They are super-friendly and funny and a little sassy. I heard one of them jokingly admonish a regular customer, “now you behave!” with a wink and a smile. Made me giggle. The staff seemed to match these cute little sayings around the shop.

It’s true that this place knows their clientele. I’m sure my hunting-obsessed little brother will be coming in to read this magazine.

If you like this place, take some of the chalk and write about it on the community chalk board. What a quirky and fun way to share your recommondations!

To experience this small-town cafe (and eat some homemade pie!), check out Cafe on Walnut Street.
337 Walnut Street,
Howard, PA
Open ’til 8 pm!

Stay classy!
~Naomi Elle

Comfort.

Naomi Elle — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:46:30 +0000

When you’re feeling a bit “under-the-weather” or really just a little confused by the weather (Pennsylvania has ranged from 4 inches of snow to 75 degree weather this April), sometimes you need a little comfort. Material things are called ‘creature comforts’ for a reason, I daresay.

Comfort is a steaming bowl of brothy beef-and-orzo soup.

Comfort is a buttery farm-style biscuit, still warm from its oven-home.

Comfort is dinner by candlelight in the early evening hours.

Comfort is looking at the face of your beloved across the table and knowing that you are home.

Like Oil & Vinegar.

Naomi Elle — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:00:56 +0000

There are some ingredients that are so radically different in composition that you wonder how they could ever go together… Oil and vinegar, for example. Who knew that you could take these two ingredients, add a few spices, shake vigorously and voila! Perfect salad dressing ready for your evening meal.

Things like cayenne and chocolate. Goat cheese and figs. Peanut butter and jelly. And while that’s enough with the food examples (#gettinghungryoverhere), let’s move on to the point. Brandon and I happen to be more alike than we are different. One of Brandon’s coworkers has been carpooling with us recently and met me for the first time. He told Brandon later that “you guys are so alike, it’s scary.” I think it was the silly, often-ridiculous sense of humor. And yet, we are also very different.

I live by to-do lists. On paper or on my iPhone. Brandon likes to know stuff in his head. I remember nothing without my calendar and lists and google. Brandon can tell me near-exact figures of our personal finances from six months ago ’til now and then twenty years in the future. Brandon drinks coffee in about five minutes. ALL of the coffee. It takes me about 1/2 hour. And I’m pretty sure that I always have two sips left over from last night. Brandon talks and jokes with everybody. The Walmart cashier. The coffee-shop barista. The random coworker. I am mostly content to listen quietly and smile. (however, we both agree that the gym at 5:00 am is a no-talking, no-socializing zone! This is pre-coffee, people. And that means, pre-happy BrandonandNaomi). I am full of absolutes and certainties and I live in a world that is about decisions to be made right now! Brandon is okay with not having a resolution at that exact moment, taking time to think and research and learn . Brandon likes peanut butter on EVERYTHING. I am not a fan of the peanut butter, except sometimes with chocolate. I am a perfectionist to the point of misery. Brandon is the calming voice that reminds me that sometimes “great” is “good enough.” I absolutely despise doing yardwork. Brandon does it. Likes it and then admires it for hours after finishing it… I’m sure the neighbors were glad when I got married.

Take these two ingredients, add a little spice, shake vigorously in the bottle of life… and voila! A perfect recipe for love.

We are complementary. Meaning: Completing; forming a complement. (of two or more different things) Combining in such a way as to enhance or emphasize each other’s qualities. While the “you complete me” phrase is usually used prematurely and is incredibly cliche, I’m convinced that there is a grain of truth in the concept. We often talk of our dreams and plans and purpose in living. How to live, what to do, how to spend every hour and what our motivations are. We often take an issue, a thought, a concept, an ideal and talk about it until it’s dead. Picking it up days later to add more thoughts and observations. And I have learned that Brandon’s areas of strengths are my weaknesses and his weaknesses are my strengths. Together, we are becoming stronger, better, more whole. Every new day that we face together as a married couple convinces me more (if that were possible), that it is nothing but the mighty, sovereign and all-knowing God that designed our paths to collide. Winding two opposite paths into one.

This is us being complementary during Ben & Morgan’s engagement session. I’m busy taking silhouetted self-portraits… and Brandon’s busy making me laugh.

Life in a Shack

Naomi Elle — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:50:44 +0000

Our house is tiny. We fondly refer to it as “our little cottage.” Some of the closets aren’t quite wide enough to fit clothes hangers. I open the kitchen cabinet to get a plastic container and they ALL fall out. Or maybe that’s because I don’t like to organize the plastic containers..). It’s common to knock knees on the bathtub wall when using the facilities. There’s three bedrooms in this little house, but one of them is monk-sized. As in, it fits a single bed, an end table and maaaybe a dresser.

I don’t really complain about our tiny house, because a) the only residents are two happy humans & 1 snuggly cat. b) we could probably exist in one room and sometimes we even forget that we own a living room. c) it’s more than most people in the world have. d) I really, really like it—the house, I mean. And the husband. And most of the time, the snuggly cat. Even when he bats at me with his paws or looks at me with that snobbish, reproachful sort of cat-look. Why do cats look like that? Don’t they know that we feed them and give them shelter? They should be grateful.But instead, they look reproachful. *shaking my head*

This weekend… our house felt HUGE. Monstrous! The size of a McMansion! Why? I know you’re so curious. Because this weekend, we did spring cleaning! The real washing-windows, taking down curtains, mopping floors kind of spring cleaning! Top to bottom. We worked hard that day.

During our afternoon strawberry-banana smoothie break, Brandon and I began to talk about the places we had been. Brandon spent six months living, teaching and serving a ministry in less-than-modern conditions in Eldoret, Kenya. I spent three weeks in the “armpit” of the Philippines when I was 17 years old. And then experienced the same brand of poverty in Matamoras, Mexico. Across the world, whether it be Africa or North America or wherever, life looks pretty much the same. Shacks. People live in shacks. Huts. Made of mud or reused wood. There are holes. The wind and rain make appearances whenever they feel like it. Bugs, spiders and rodents are regular disease-carrying visitors. There is no indoor plumbing, no hot water, no privacy. Maybe a sheet hanging to divide the shack into two spaces.

This is normal. Life in a shack.

And so I’m thinking about contentment.
In this world we live in, and throughout America and other countries of the more civilized (read: less poverty-stricken) world, are we more content? With our big houses and fast cars and super-duper wifi accessible gadgets. With our enormous closets full of clothes and more shoes than we could ever wear out. With our sparkling jewelry and power tools & fourwheelers and video games and big-screen TVs. With our trucks that we need, even though we drive on roads all of time. With our movies that we buy as soon as they are released on DVD, just so we can have it in our collection.. We facebook about it. Twitter about it. Instagram everything. We have much and yet are always seeking more. Because we haven’t yet found contentment… So the question is, what do we need to be content?

“But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”
I Timothy 6:6-8

*photos taken during my missions trip to the Philippines. (film)

Julie’s Coffee {Williamsport, PA}

Naomi Elle — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:30:57 +0000

In the business district of Williamsport, PA, there is a coffee shop always bustling with hungry customers.

Large windows and wide-open spaces fill this coffee shop with sunny light and good cheer.

Meet the folks for breakfast? Get some coffee and a baked good? That’s what we did. While on a road trip with my parents, we stopped by Julie’s Coffee on a cool and breezy Saturday morning. We were impressed by the amount of happy people enjoying some steaming-hot breakfast food.

There were plenty of places to sit. Plenty of room for standing and staring at the menu for awhile before ordering…

We met Jim (the owner) and he was super-enthusiastic and very involved in the business. He has owned Julie’s Coffee for about eight years, and is now retired from another occupation and spending alot of time in the coffeeshop. He seems to truly enjoy chatting with customers, delivering food and enthusiastically sharing about this place. He revealed that their focus is mainly a breakfast/lunch spot with premiere coffee available. Julie’s Coffee prides themselves on being able to get the lunchtime patron in and out in under 30 minutes. And any cubicle-dwelling office worker can certainly appreciate that!

Now let’s talk coffee!

Brandon’s view:

Espresso. Julie’s serves Panache coffees, a roaster out of Portland, Oregon. The espresso was very bold with a spicy flavor. Jim told me a story about a German family (from Germany) that visited the café and ordered the espresso. Any European in your coffee shop is enough to make you nervous—they don’t play with coffee over there. The group noted that the espresso was the best that they had ever had in America—and I think Julie’s made a great choice to serve Panache.

Coffee. As it was breakfast time, I ordered a Breakfast Blend (Panache). The Breakfast blend is light with a mild flavor. It goes well with cream and sugar. It goes better with breakfast (i.e. order breakfast because the bites Naomi borrowed from her parents’ plates were pretty darn good!). Coconut Cream Egg Latte. The standout feature of this very Easterly latte was what I would like to call the togetherness of the drink. And by that, I mean that all the ingredients played well with each other. No bully espresso. No whiney coconut syrup. Everything went very well together and tasted like a coconut mocha should—a Mounds bar dipped in coffee. :)

There’s a relaxed, unpretentious, stress-free feeling about this place. Maybe it’s the coffee, or the outrageous amounts of natural light, or the fact that we ate well and laughed lots… or maybe it’s the coffee-themed decorations.

Drink choices are endless! What’s your preference?

Iced lemon bread was our baked good of choice. Moist, citrusy, with drizzles of super-sweet icing. I ate it up so fast that I hardly remember anything—besides its delectable flavor. That wasn’t the only option available (by far). Scroll down and note… chocolate-covered gummy bears?!I was impressed by the availability of Local Yogurt. You don’t see that every day… Buy fresh, buy local!

To say hello to Jim & the rest of the gang at Julie’s Coffee,

33 West Third Street
Williamsport, PA 17701
570.327.9527

Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Check their website for the daily lunch specials! www.juliescoffee.com

Outdoor seating is available… and so is free wi-fi!

We took advantage of having other people with us… to get a photo together!

Keepin’ it classy,

Naomi Elle

Ben & Morgan {State College, PA Engagement Photography}

Naomi Elle — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:00:19 +0000

This is when acquaintances become clients and friends. I’ve met Ben & Morgan before (back in the day!). I remember meeting Ben when he was like five years old (truly!) and my dad served on the Board of Directors for the same ministry his dad worked for, and my mom worked as a camp counselor for the same Christian kids’ camp that his mom directed. I met Morgan when a mutual friend brought her to a youth group event when I was a youth leader. I’ve seen them around… I even happened to be at their high school graduation ceremony! You see, when homeschoolers graduate from high school, they don’t have a “graduating class” so much as they find people graduating in the same year and create a ceremony together. My graduating class had four people, one of which I had never met before. Their graduating class also had four people and the most memorable thing about the ceremony was Ben’s brother played a wailing version of Pomp & Circumstance on the electric guitar. Yeah. It was awesome.

Anyway…

Ben and Morgan’s love story began with their shared background of homeschooling. Their brief first meeting was at SAT testing at a local high school (Morgan is the scientific one). When you’re the only people cyber-home-schooling, you have something in common and are the only two people who don’t know what school name to write on your test. The second time they met was was at a homeschooler’s photography class (Ben is the artistic one). Ben said he definitely recognized that pretty girl. ;) Time passed and friendship grew. They began to date. It was a hard long-distance thing, lots of talking and chatting online, and Ben driving back from college to spend the weekend near his girl. There were no doubts – he knew she was “the one.” And one day he heard a song. The lyrics talked about a little church and a preacher and putting a ring on her left hand. The words hit him hard, “I don’t see how I could, love you any more than I do today… Why wait?”

So Ben bought a ring. Way to be decisive!

I really do love this couple. The way he holds her hand, and the way she looks up into his eyes. The way they share secret smiles and adore doing the mundane things in life together. From resolving to stand together and face life (and all its obstacles) together, to deciding that marriage is the path for them and marriage means forever, and forever should start soon. These two are passionate, dedicated and diligent.

Their love shines.

When I asked Ben & Morgan to tell me about their “favorite date EVER (besides the proposal),” they looked at each other and began to tell me a story about a picnic on a deserted mountain road. With a picnic blanket and Stewart’s soda and watching the sun set… my heart turned to goo. Right there. It was so romantic-sounding.

And so we decided to go with the “picnic in the park” theme for a part of this engagement session.

A picnic just isn’t a picnic until you stare into blue skies and share dreams together.

And then, maybe stare at each other.

Golden light + happy faces + love = perfection.

Take a look at Morgan’s engagement ring! Ben knew that she didn’t wear alot of jewelry. This twisted silver/diamond ring was so unique. SO perfect.

And now, we interrupt this engagement session to tell you about my obsession with bunnies. I like them ALOT. I want to borrow one so I can cuddle it (and then give it back to the owner—just so nobody gets any ideas about giving Naomi a pet bunny!). I want to go to a petting zoo. Or I’ll just chase bunnies during an engagement session. It may not be professional… but it’s quite hilarious!

Back to our regularly-scheduled programming: Some of these photos just give me chills.

This engagement session was done at Tudek Park in State College, PA. Which also happens to be where Ben asked Morgan to be his girlfriend…. and where they trudged through six inches of snow one frigid winter night… for Ben to ask Morgan to be his wife!

When he gave her a ring, he also gave her flowers for the first time. It was a super-special night.

It’s a very special bench.

Ohmy. Morgan has some gorgeous eyes!

Walking together. Hand-in-hand. Now and soon-to-be forever.

Congratulations, Ben & Morgan! We are so looking forward to sharing your wedding day with you!!

(and thanks for sharing that Stewart’s soda. It was DEELICIOUS!)

How Many Miles Ahead…

Naomi Elle — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:00:39 +0000

“How many miles ahead,

Can’t count the ones behind

I wish you Godspeed, friend,

You’re always on my mind…”

The O.C. Supertones

Between travelling to Maryland for business, and spending Easter in West Virginia/Virginia and this past weekend driving around the state of Pennsylvania, we have been on the road ALOT lately. And though I don’t have to do any driving (thank-you to my husband! and my dad!), travelling still makes me tired. Not that I’m complaining. As much as we’ve been on the road, I have been endeavoring to savor the moments. To remember that these days will pass quickly. That I must value as most precious these hours-long roadtrip conversations with my husband, and leisurely stops along the way. Someday, we may not have the freedom to do so (as ALL of my young-married-friends with children keep telling me ).

And so I slow down… reach across the seats for my husband’s hand. Talk. Whisper. Sing with abandon. Ride with the windows down. Listen to sermons. Talk about life and values and family, how vast God is and how small we are. Solve problems. Make plans. Dream. Tell jokes. Laugh ’til the tears come. Smile because the happiness is overwhelming. Weep when there are hard times. Remember that busy-ness is not always profitable. Learn to LIVE.

(iphone pic)

And while those things aren’t capture-able with a camera, here are a few snapshots along the way…

We have decided…

Pennsylvania is an amazingly beautiful place. The mountains and rolling farm country, the deep forests and rushing streams. Cloudy days and vibrant sunsets. Just beautiful.

I love sharing Pennsylvania with my New Jersey-born, Virginia-raised husband. We make new memories together, while sharing all the old memories of my growing up & grownup years here. On our road trip this weekend, we happened to drive by Mount Zion Retreat Center… where I had been on several retreats with my youth group. So we took a little detour and I showed him the huge old building where we stayed, and remembered the amazing things that God had done there. It was an unexpected, unplanned moment of joy.

Every time I view a sunset, I am reminded of the glory of God.

“In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword ;

and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.”

Revelation 1:16

I am the kind of person that doesn’t usually enjoy the journey. I’m usually so focused on getting to the destination, that I am on pins and needles trying to be on-time and remember everything and GET-THINGS-DONE (it’s a personality strength/weakness). So while there is LOTS to be done and my to-do list is screaming, I want to enjoy the journey….