Wedding Crashers

Have you ever been to a wedding that you didn't receive an invitation to? My first thoughts when asked to do just that were, "uh, NO WAY!" Seriously, on the way there I was kind of nervous and then upon arrival I pretty much wanted to crawl out of my skin. Weddings are so personal and intimate. However, I was assured this wedding would be different.  Oh my gosh...different doesn't even scratch the surface. This was THE most amazing, stunning, gorgeous, lovely, intimate, personal and loving weddings I have ever attended and I didn't even know the couple getting married.

My husband introduced himself to the lovely couple, Hannah and Cameron, after the wedding. And they actually thanked him for coming (crashing!) This couple is special. No. Lie. Their family - amazing and their body/community - exceptional.  Take a look at this handmade, one of a kind stunner. I hope you get as lost in the beauty as I did.

Each place setting was adorned with mason jar and vintage coffee mug - all to be taken home as guest gifts. Sigh....

Friends were put to work weeks before the wedding making these lovely string balls that hung from huge pine trees.

"Pews" were made from bales of hay with quilts draped over them. Each row had a lovely arrangement of flowers sitting at the end. *It should be noted that their florist cancelled on them a day or two before the wedding so it was up to them (and family/friends) to purchase flowers and make their own unique arrangements. Well done, right?!

The lovely bride walked down an aisle of, what else?, burlap coffee sacks. This is Portland after all. On another note, I wish I had a close-up of her stunning dress. I'm told she bought a dress off the rack and then snipped here and there adding fabric here and there to make it her own. It was lovely. The finishing touch? She wore these adorable suede lace up booties that were simply perfect and without knowing her, seemed to fit her personality to a tee!

Did I tell you this all took place on a u-pick-it orchard called Sauvie Island? I know. Are you dying yet?

After the wedding the couple took communion together, danced a ton, ran under a canopy of falling hydrangea petals thrown by family and friends and went down stream in a boat. I don't know what  you're thinking right about now, but this was one wedding I would not want to miss crashing for anything! It was so surreal being there. Kind of like I was in the middle of an epic romance novel. I even cried a bit during the ceremony. It was that touching and loving. Hannah and Cameron, I wish you all the best that God has to offer. What He has united as one, let no man separate!

Have you ever crashed a wedding? Do you have a favorite wedding that you'll remember forever - besides your own? Come on, give it up. I really want to know.  xo

(all photography by Adam Fish)

A New Time Zone!

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We're in the PDX zone people! Hooray! Crisp mornings. Cool afternoons. Lovely people. Art all around.  I love this place. I'll be posting some pics soon. Have a rockin' weekend. In the words of my sweet friend Em, "Happy Freakin' Friday!" xo

Guest Post: The Tiny Twig on Inspiration

Inspire: to heighten or intensify, to prompt, to cheer, to revolutionize, to stimulate the spirit.

Those are big words.  Inspiration.  It's something we all need to live a life of adventure.  It is something that breathes wind into our sails.  It prods us on.  We can't go far without it.

Below, are just a few things that inspire me, The Tiny Twig, into a life of adventure...and after all, a life without adventure isn't a life much worth living.  A lack of adventure is akin to poverty of spirit.  You can have adventure in your mind if you're bedridden, adventure of the body if you weren't gifted with intellect, adventures in creating if God blessed you that way.  Adventure can be found in the most peculiar places...not just hiking, woods, and camping.  Blech.  I don't like any of those things.  Although, I do want to go to Banff.

Seriously, growing a family is the most amazing thing I have ever done.  Choosing the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and convincing him of the same thing was an amazing adventure.  And then have part in creating miniatures of him seems like just too much to ask for.  Seriously though, shaping the bodies, minds, and spirits of little people is the highest honor and privilege.  It is also a weighty responsibility.  One that inspires me to be more than I thought I was.

This is our church.  It is a great church filled with really genuine people.  It is within these walls that I corporately worship Jesus Christ with my friends and fellow believers.  But, a church is just a building.  The rest of the world is where we live out that faith.  Where we love others as Christ first loved us, where we serve the impoverished and oppressed, where we are joyful because we have hope.  The bedrock of my life, the unshakable ground upon which the rest of my life is built, is Jesus Christ.  God is, was, and forever will be...and to me, that is the comfort I need to go out on a limb in life.

My friend Jace does incredible work as a photographer and filmmaker.  His heart lies with those who can't tell their own stories, and through him I've experienced a different world.  I will do everything I can to help him, because he has opened my eyes to truth that is going on in faraway places.  That, to me, is inspiring.  He lives with little so that others aren't silent, alone, and without.  He recently completed a documentary about post-earthquake Haiti called, "When the Ground Stopped Shaking".  It is such an incredibly moving account, and really if you have 40 minutes you should watch it.  He is currently trying to fund his next project called, "When the Rain Starts Falling".  This film will illustrate the plight of the homeless when rainy season comes.  Did you know there are currently 300,000 child slaves in Haiti being held legally by their owners?  1,000,000 people are still homeless from the Earthquake, and rainy season will bring disease and more infrastructure problems.  He lives a life I cannot live, because of my life as a mother.  But, he inspires me to be an active participant in his adventure and his passion of telling stories of those less fortunate. 

I am inspired because of my desire to chase down that magic spark in life.  The one that makes love stories amazing.  The same one that grows boy into men of integrity and honor.  The thing that makes you gasp, stop the car, and take a picture (which is what happened in the photo above).  That magic spark that colors life with beauty and wonder.  I want to experience that, and I want to know how others chase down that same magic spark.  It is our humanity that is magic, I believe.  It is the gift that God gives His creation, and we just get to seek it out and enjoy it.

Reasons I love...

DALLAS! I have really been struggling with Dallas lately. All of the materialism and no outdoor activities (read lack of mountains and beaches) can really get a girl down. My tipping point comes every August as the temperature soars into the 100s daily. And then Fall arrives. Ahh, Fall with its crisp mornings and pleasant afternoons. I am rediscovering a joy for my city. So here are a few reasons to love Dallas:

~Extremely pleasant weather in the Fall and Winter~

~Fort Worth: It's got a great zoo and The Modern~

~Our Church: Watermark Community Church~

Watermark Community Church