I’ve been a photographer for THIRTEEN YEARS! And boy have I seen it all. I’ve come home soaking wet with salt water, bleeding from running into a rose bush, with what I thought were real contractions but were Braxton Hicks, I mean… it’s just been an intense experience. VERY many lessons learned, and because I … More Five Non-Photography Things I Bring To Sessions | Family Photography
Almost exactly one year ago, all of the balls I had been juggling in the air came crashing down. The collective sound of them coming down was so piercing, it literally shattered me. I can’t even describe how bad it was, but it was just so, so bad. I had been going, going, going and not … More The Reason My Business Still Shined During My Illness & Recovery
I’m publishing this post on a day where I just walked 3 miles only to find three tiny pieces of sea glass… so just know that ALL days aren’t this plentiful! But on those good shell bed days, you can really strike gold! Beachcombing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is so good for … More HOW TO FIND SEA GLASS [VIDEO] | Hatteras Island, Outer Banks NC
My coat is on, I’ve got tissues, chapstick and my phone in my pocket. It’s windy, cold and I’m heading out to the beach. I’m early and because of the unappealing weather conditions, I’ll probably be the only one out there. The closer I get to the shell bed up ahead, the more I’m able … More Scarcity & Sea Glass | Life By The Sea
When I was a new mom, I had the baby blues. Then, it developed into postpartum anxiety. A part of me feels like most moms probably have postpartum anxiety to some extent, but with our first daughter… mine was pretty bad. I was anxious upon anxious upon anxious about every little thing already, but something … More The Advice That Made Me Panic | Life By The Sea
I’m looking at the clock on my Macbook… we leave for school in 8 minutes. Actually.. it JUST became 7 as I typed that. And I don’t remember mornings every going this smoothly as a kid or even years ago in our own household, but I am calm enough to sit & type a blog … More We Leave For School in 8 Minutes | Life By The Sea
When Ellie was between 1 and 2 years old.. we noticed some things she did that were a little different and a little awkward. She would blink excessively, she would throw her head back a lot and also tuck her chin to her chest. But gosh – she was the CUTEST little honey butter biscuit … More Ellie’s Diagnosis | Tourette Syndrome
We have been waiting 3 1/2 years to say this… !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE DEBT FREE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shortly after our car accident in 2017, I kept asking myself.. “what do we NEED to do with our life? what is IMPORTANT?” We were in a season of really deep reflection after what we experienced and we just … More $68,193.31 | Dave Ramsey + Budgeting
Last week on Instagram, we announced something we had been holding on to for weeks, but we had been hoping for far longer. We let our community know we were moving an hour plus south to live on Hatteras Island, which is truly a dream for our family! We have been head over heels in love with … More We’re Moving to HATTERAS! | Life By The Sea
I have been prepping for back to school since….July, LOL! I REALLY like to get ahead of things so I don’t feel stressed or crammed, but we are also major homebodies and we don’t go out and do tons of summer things so we understand that these next couple of weeks before school starts may … More FIVE Ways To Get Ready For Back To School Last Minute! | Life By The Sea
For seven years, I’ve run a business that has grown so beautifully and served some of the most incredible couples and families and small businesses. I have also grown three little girls and raised them to be joyful, wild and completely hilarious and maintained a deep and loving relationship with my BFF Mike Hedgepeth. We’ve … More Daycare Improvisations | New Mom Series
Voxering with my friend Elizabeth Henson last week I kept mentioning to her I was feeling frustrated. I was just having this off day and I couldn’t pin point the freaking problem. Then, the more frustrated I became, the more I started to feel ungrateful. Ick, I don’t like that feeling because ungratefulness snowballs into … More The Beat I Skipped | Life By The Sea