A professional photographer sharing sessions and life in Northern Virginia

February 26, 2014

lancaster, pennsylvania

One of the many adventures Anthony + I set out upon in our final years in the Princeton area included visiting PA Dutch Country. I found a B+B special on LivingSocial and we ended up visiting on one of the coldest weekends of the year. It was fairly miserable, but we always try to make the best of any situation! Saturday morning we went down to the Lancaster Central Market, walked up BUiLDiNG CHARACTER, an amazing multi-shop warehouse full of so many goodies, both new and used, then hopped in the car for Wilbur Chocolates and Julius Sturgis Pretzels in the adorable town of Lititz. We rounded out the day at what PA Dutch Country is famous for – the smorgasbord. We hit up Shady Maple mainly because it was the closest one to where we were staying (and it was open! which we found to be a problem with many things we wanted to try since January isn’t “prime” time for visitors!). Sunday we woke early with the sun shining to visit a handful of covered bridges in the area. Most of the photos below came from that time, even with a pit stop at the Ephrata Cloister before they opened to the public (don’t tell anyone that we snuck on the campus for a few photos!). Now that we have visited the area, it is such an easy day trip from Princeton, that we’ll probably go visit one more time before we leave the area!

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February 26, 2014

icy princeton

Woke up to snow once again today, when is the weather going to warm up for good?!?! It was such a nice reprieve this weekend when it warmed up and the ground became clear again.

In honor of the snow outside, I wanted to come share a few photos from the ice storm we received weeks ago.

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Sarah - February 26, 2014 - 1:04 pm

I love the second and fourth photos – beautiful, Kim!

February 23, 2014

berkey filtration system | our experience

I first blogged about the Berkey Water Filtration System back in 2011 (and there are still some great tips on that post for those just starting out in green living). I wanted to make a dedicated post to the Berkey and how it’s worked for us since we first received it as a Christmas present in 2010. While we ended up having some issues with the first few filters, the Berkey customer service was great and got us out new filters right away. I believe all and all they had to send us 3 different replacements. I’m happy to say that now at the first of 2014, the filters have been doing their job perfectly. Every few months (typically when we get back from vacation or a weekend away), I dump all the water, take it apart and give it a deep cleaning with hot soapy water.

One question I’ve been asked repeatedly is how to fill up the Berkey with tap water. We have a beer growler that we use, though I imagine we could also use the sink spray hose now that the Berkey is located near the sink!

This is looking down into the top compartment with the two black filters. Attached on the bottom (inside the bottom compartment) are two PF-2 fluoride filters.

To make sure your filters last, is to clean them regularly with a washcloth, hot water, and soap. Also, another trick that I discovered, is if you don’t feel all the water is filtering (i.e. there is still water in the top compartment), to scrap a bit of the filter off. It doesn’t damage anything other than removing some of the build up that will happen (especially if you have hard water!)

When we finally move to a more permanent location, I will begin the search for a whole house filtration system! The Berkey is the perfect solution in the meantime.

If you have any questions about our experience with the Berkey, please feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment below!

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February 10, 2014

nathan | princeton newborn photographer

I’ve been anxiously awaiting Mr. Nathan to make his arrival to the world, since the moment Carrie told me she was expecting. In the fall we gathered for a maternity session at Terhune Orchards and alas the debut of this long awaiting babe. Nathan came into this world fast and furious (that’s the exact text I received from Carrie the next day!) the night before a huge snowstorm was coming our way. Jon was passing double yellow lines/cars going way beyond the speed limit to just barely make it to the hospital at 10:00 pm on a Sunday night. Praise be that there were no cops on the road, no ice or snow, and Nathan held off on his arrival for a few more moments!

Hold the front door, I was able to capture this “smile” + I’m happy to report that no explosions happened right after the smile either!!!

Molly and Shail are enamored by their baby brother and I love that I was able to capture that moment during this in home newborn session.

Congratulations Jon + Carrie on your adorable bundle of joy!!!!

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January 30, 2014

my heart is in oklahoma

These two are obviously one of my favorite subjects to photograph, seeing as they grace this blog many times a year (Rylan has changed the most in the short 6 months since we last saw him!!). On one of the coldest days of our trip to Oklahoma, Anthony + I gathered the boys to do a quick photo shoot. They were total troopers, but it didn’t take long for us to be done! I do love that they are at ages now (7+5) that it’s not torturous to get their photos taken, or have to chase after one or the other to cooperate, especially with the cold weather that day!

My favorite part of this series is how Rylan slowly moves over to be near Randon, even though I didn’t prompt them.

P.S. it should be noted that Rylan picked the tie out all on his own!

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January 23, 2014

theo | princeton newborn photographer

Last week, on an incredibly dark and dreary morning, I spent some time with this adorable family as they began adjusting to life as a family of 3 + 2 kitties. Bobby + Sarah were interested in a lifestyle newborn shoot and this is by far one of my favorite photo sessions I’ve had in quite a while (hence why I’m sharing more than the usual!!). Theo was an absolute dream, giving me several smirks and “smiles” and only needed to nurse one time towards the end of our session. Enjoy!!