to prepare for you my love

i rise in the early morning light with butterflies in my stomach, my heart swelling, my breath short.  a performance before me, the beginning but hardly the first chapter.  for we've been together for some days now my love.  the scent of your skin against mine, the taste of your kiss, the salty lips on mine, your heartbeat... i know thee well, yet today i prepare to meet you in front of an audience, the dearest of our hearts together with us.  i do.  until night falls and the sun rises and the world turns endlessly, i love you.  and i will take your hand in mine and place a golden ring on your finger and take you as my love until death do us part, until the sea takes us into her arms to the stars.  i am yours.

historic storms

my heart goes out to all of my beautiful friends and those people in my life who support my endeavours... who have been affected by this wild act of nature.  my website hosting company has a basement full of water... and so my site may be down for an unknown period of time.  

oh mother nature be kind... and we will try to be nicer to you too.  

pictured here is one of my favourite couples from 2012.  Ara & Colin, who were wed this past fall at Graydon Hall.  here you see them as they hold hands before their outdoor ceremony.  they wanted to hear each other's voices and feel each others touch... but not see each other until they walked down the aisle.  simply beautiful.

xo

on being adventurous

with each passing year i shed more of my fears.  fear about what people think of me, what i should be doing, how i look, what i spend time on, etc...  there are so many.  we all have them.  some of us are very good at confronting and overcoming.  and some of us feel paralyzed.

somehow... age, time on earth, experience, trial & error, falling down again and again, and getting back up again... has given me more confidence to take risks, to follow my gut, to do what feels right.

and i couldn't be more engaged and inspired in those times.  because what usually follows when we face our fears and go for it... is reward.  

Timon & Thorben, the handsome boys/brothers pictured here, were a gift to me on a day that i chose to take a risk.  I can't thank their parents enough for being so kind and welcoming.  As a gift for their generosity... I captured their most prized gift... their boys.  

To help them remember how beautiful their life is.

Take a risk today.  xo

( wedding: leah & matto)

we built this city.  we built a place for love and community.  down in the valley amongst red winged blackbirds, fox, rabbit, lily pads... we now wed. 

the brickworks has grown ever more wild, brimming with hope and promise.

i can't imagine a more meaningful place to tie a knot, to hold the hand of the one who compliments you, reflects for you, sees you for the beautiful person you are and who you continue to become year after passing year.

leah & matto are a generous gift to each other and to all of us.  they share a passion for the soil under our feet and the air we breath into our lungs... and they will actively champion for a rich, prosperous planet earth... for you, for us, for the children yet to be born.  

i thank them for caring so deeply, for creating a wedding celebration made with hands and hearts. the groomsmen made their own boutonnieres, the bouquets too, made at home, the pear butter made in boston while completing PHD's in environmental policy, hand written note cards given to guests as an invitation to open hearts and minds, to move through the gathering making new friends... hearts opening.

soma chocolate, the stop food community food centre, ontario wines, upcycled, recycled, borrowed... beautiful.

cocktails with tequila / lime / grapefruit / vanilla / tarragon + cucumber / lime / mint / pink peppercorns / gin / tonic.

family style dining.  dancing.  joy.