post by leslie

Last weekend, while in Lawrence, Kansas was hit with a winter storm -- which for them is just as much ice as it is snow.As I type this, we are being walloped with a winter storm in Minnesota, and we're expecting just under a foot of snow. So I'm gonna make this brief, get outta the studio and on to the grocery store before settling into my cozy home for the weekend.I hope you and yours stay warm this weekend, and my goal is to have more blog posts next week than this week!

post by leslie

Sorry for the delay in posts! Keeping up with Intagram and Facebook and my client load sometimes leads me to forget about this little space over here! But I finally had time for updates tonight.Last weekend, Jamie and I took The Kid to his first game at Allen Field House, which is a sort of Mecca for the two of us. It required an 8 hr drive and loads of planning and expensive tickets and the team played like garbage and lost. Since the team only loses THIRTEEN PERCENT of their home games (in the team's ENTIRE HISTORY), you can see why this was unusual and amazingly frustrating.But we tried to still have fun with the cheers, traditions and ALL the food the kid wanted (which is a LOT), not to mention shirts, hats, tattoos, posters etc etc etc. Here are a few photos from our time at the game. As I type this, the team is losing again on TV. So yeah.

post by leslie

Back in November, I had the complete honor to travel to Texas and document a dear friend's family on her birthday weekend. Her husband gifted her a Day in the Life photo session (what a guy!) and I gifted her a film of her family at the beach. We all love her dearly, and this is her last year in Texas before returning to Minnesota (thank goodness!).Anyway, it was a blast to work on this because I adore everyone in this film from the bottom of my heart, and because I wanted to capture memories of Sunday at the beach for these kids who might not remember it all when they grow up.Also, it was this trip that made me decide to waive travel fees on all films filmed within the continental US before July. So if you want one of your own family vacation, get at me!

post by leslie

So, how's it going having two dogs, you ask? Well, it's going as good as can be expected? I think?Magda was pissed off for about 3 days, and then resigned herself to sharing her space (see photo below). But don't let her fool you -- she loves her tug of war with Hazel each day, and nothing has really changed in her life except a new play partner and a little more training. Also, she adores Hazel as long as they are outside. She *tolerates* Hazel if they are inside Magda's kingdom that she happens to let the rest of us sleep in.Hazel appears to be happy and snuggly... but she won't pee in our yard. Sure, she's great at going to the bathroom on walks or at the dog park... but not in our yard. We are working hard on this problem because I don't want to deal with that when the temperatures hit zero soon, and hopefully this resolves itself in the next few days. Also, Hazel is slowly warming up to cars and garbage trucks. Cross country skiers though? Straight from satan in her eyes. So I suspect she won't like cyclists when summer hits -- another issue we're training on.It's always fun to have two dogs because you see more of their characteristics come out. For instance, we realize how amazingly smart (annoyingly so, at times) Magda is. She has opinions and she's not afraid to share them. However, she follows the rules and in general, is a fantastic dog whose largest fault is over-enthusiasm when greeting guests at the door.Hazel is... not as smart. I mean, have you seen that collie head? It's tiny. We suspect her brain is the size of a walnut. But what she lacks in smarts, she makes up for in sweetness. She follows me from room to room, always sleeping at my feet. She loves to snuggle, and really wants to make us happy (not a strong suit of Magda's). Overall, we are happy that we added to the pack. But it sure would be nice if they both peed in the back yard.In this photo, Hazel is screaming at some cross country skiers at Theo Wirth Park. How dare they.

post by leslie

I made another film this year documenting our Christmas morning. Same jammies. Second dog.And today we are back to reality. Enjoy!

post by leslie

Happiest of New Year's to you!This is one of my favorite holidays because I always believe in fresh starts and goal setting. I know many people scoff at resolutions, but I am a big believer in changing small things in your life for the better.In the last 2 years I've increased my reading (23 books this year), cut out paper towels and napkins from home and switched to cloth (better for the earth and my budget) and gotten healthier (regular workouts 5-7 days a week and SO MUCH WATER intake!). But don't worry, I fail at food goals all the time because, well, I love to eat salty, fatty food. Can't help it.My point is, don't let the naysayers talk you out of resolutions and life goals! And if you mess up, no big deal. Just jump back on the horse and try your best.So what are my hopes for the year ahead? First, I would like a new president. Can we all work together on that please?Second, I am going to work harder to take more photos of my own family. I know it might not seem like it, but last year I took far fewer shots of my own clan -- likely because I was working so hard on my other jobs. So weirdly, I'm making it a goal to take on way fewer gigs that don't excite me, and spend more time documenting what does make me happy (families -- including my own -- and pets/animals).I would love to hear what your own goals are. Saying them out loud (or on the internet) makes for great accountability...And lastly, here are some photos from our new years eve. We had a small gathering of friends (didn't want to freak out the dogs TOO much). We counted down at 7 pm and had an early and quiet evening from there. It was glorious.

post by leslie

This was a super tough edit, but unlike dogs (which everyone adores looking at), I wanted to be more selective with my family shots. I'm not gonna lie, one of my goals in 2020 is a million more family sessions, so if you like what you see, get me on your calendar!

post by leslie // photos by leslie AND jamie

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!We spent the morning in our jammies opening gifts and downing coffee. The shot up top is one I took of Ezra with his new karaoke microphone, which might slowly drive all of us (dogs included) into the asylum. But for now, he's being great about turning it off when requested.And after a slow morning, we leashed up the dogs for a long walk in the woods. It was gorgeous outside, and we all wanted some fresh air. Jamie walked Magda, I got Hazel, and Ezra threw snowballs.I also set up one of my older cameras to an auto setting that I thought would work well for Jamie, and I had HIM take the photos for a change. So here you get to see me for once! And to think he was able to get these shots while holding onto Mags! What a sport.