Unicoi State Park | Helen, Ga.

Y’all, we are GLAMPERS!!!! There is NO turning back now!! Trey and I have been praying about this for over a year now. We had our first opportunity to purchase a camper and hit the road last year when the pandemic started. We had just sold our home and had very few responsibilities tying us down. We chose to become home owners again and restored Two Chimneys on Cherokee. Which was also an answered prayer!! We just didn’t have it in our timeline to pan out that way! lol So, here we are, over a year later and God has answered our prayers as he always does in His beautiful timeline! Trey and I were in the market for a camper. We drove to the dealership and started checking them out for the first time. The options are incredible! We found a camper that worked the best for our family. We then called a family member who also has a camper. We wanted to make sure that my SUV had the power to pull a camper. We were concerned it would put too much strain on my car. Thankfully he was able to answer our questions and put us as ease. He also mentioned he was selling his. As we began questioning him about it’s featured we realized it was the exact layout we found at the dealership AND it was less expensive!!We purchased the camper on Thursday and by Friday we were pulling out of our driveway and hitting the road for Unicoi State Park in Helen, Ga.!! Our first night didn’t go so well. OH man! We didn’t arrive at the park until after quiet time and as we were backing our camper up a hill and trying to turn it into our site, the screeching and moaning of my car, the camper, the brakes - it was a horrible sound - we woke up a camper and she yelled some things I won’t repeat. LESSON LEARNED!! Respect quiet time!!! Unfortunately, after all that, we weren’t even able to back our camper in our site. We had to pull it in car-first. We tried to hook up the power so we could turn on the heat but the plug was now on the wrong side of the camper because we pulled in instead of backed in. We laughed so hard!! It was a mess and we felt like total dirt being so rude as we made a heck of an entrance!! Goodness!! We didn’t sleep so good that night. . .Rocco fell out of his bunk bad and hit the floor, it was SO quiet, I heard every sound, and, what the lady yelled at us upon our loud arrival, kept ringing in my head. The next morning I called the visitors center and asked if we could change locations because we were NEWBS! lol Thankfully, someone had just left and they had an opening for us. It was a much better site for us newbies! Once we got situated, we hoped out, set up and I made breakfast! Bacon, eggs and fruit. I started off cooking in the kitchen and quickly moved to the outdoor kitchen on the back side of the camper. Cooking bacon on the inside set off the smoke detector. I figured out, I could start the gas grill and set my frying pan on it. It worked but I will be bringing my griddle next trip to cook on. This will be much faster and we will save our propane gas. After breakfast, we drove to Mount Airy, Ga. to visit our niece and nephew, Haley and Brandan. Haley just graduated college and we were ready to celebrate her accomplishments! After her party, we made our way back to our site and went fishing. The kids LOVED this so much and so did we! The water was so clear we could see the fish! Although, we had ZERO luck the first fishing trip. lol The next night, Trey, Rocco and Olivia went fishing and caught two rainbow trout! We brought them home with us and cooked them on the grill - they were so delish! I had not ever eaten trout before.God’s creations are so incredible!! I loved hearing the kids going bananas over snails, woodpeckers, fish, trees, trails. . .the list goes on! This is what I have longed for - for years!!! Freedom to explore!Did we still have to take work phone calls and emails? Yes, but then we got right back to exploring with our family!Can’t wait for our next expedition!!!

Y’all, we are GLAMPERS!!!! There is NO turning back now!! Trey and I have been praying about this for over a year now. We had our first opportunity to purchase a camper and hit the road last year when the pandemic started. We had just sold our home and had very few responsibilities tying us down. We chose to become home owners again and restored Two Chimneys on Cherokee. Which was also an answered prayer!! We just didn’t have it in our timeline to pan out that way! lol

So, here we are, over a year later and God has answered our prayers as he always does in His beautiful timeline! Trey and I were in the market for a camper. We drove to the dealership and started checking them out for the first time. The options are incredible! We found a camper that worked the best for our family. We then called a family member who also has a camper. We wanted to make sure that my SUV had the power to pull a camper. We were concerned it would put too much strain on my car. Thankfully he was able to answer our questions and put us as ease. He also mentioned he was selling his. As we began questioning him about it’s featured we realized it was the exact layout we found at the dealership AND it was less expensive!!

We purchased the camper on Thursday and by Friday we were pulling out of our driveway and hitting the road for Unicoi State Park in Helen, Ga.!! Our first night didn’t go so well. OH man! We didn’t arrive at the park until after quiet time and as we were backing our camper up a hill and trying to turn it into our site, the screeching and moaning of my car, the camper, the brakes - it was a horrible sound - we woke up a camper and she yelled some things I won’t repeat. LESSON LEARNED!! Respect quiet time!!! Unfortunately, after all that, we weren’t even able to back our camper in our site. We had to pull it in car-first. We tried to hook up the power so we could turn on the heat but the plug was now on the wrong side of the camper because we pulled in instead of backed in. We laughed so hard!! It was a mess and we felt like total dirt being so rude as we made a heck of an entrance!! Goodness!! We didn’t sleep so good that night. . .

Rocco fell out of his bunk bad and hit the floor, it was SO quiet, I heard every sound, and, what the lady yelled at us upon our loud arrival, kept ringing in my head. The next morning I called the visitors center and asked if we could change locations because we were NEWBS! lol Thankfully, someone had just left and they had an opening for us. It was a much better site for us newbies! Once we got situated, we hoped out, set up and I made breakfast! Bacon, eggs and fruit. I started off cooking in the kitchen and quickly moved to the outdoor kitchen on the back side of the camper. Cooking bacon on the inside set off the smoke detector. I figured out, I could start the gas grill and set my frying pan on it. It worked but I will be bringing my griddle next trip to cook on. This will be much faster and we will save our propane gas.

After breakfast, we drove to Mount Airy, Ga. to visit our niece and nephew, Haley and Brandan. Haley just graduated college and we were ready to celebrate her accomplishments! After her party, we made our way back to our site and went fishing. The kids LOVED this so much and so did we! The water was so clear we could see the fish! Although, we had ZERO luck the first fishing trip. lol The next night, Trey, Rocco and Olivia went fishing and caught two rainbow trout! We brought them home with us and cooked them on the grill - they were so delish! I had not ever eaten trout before.

God’s creations are so incredible!! I loved hearing the kids going bananas over snails, woodpeckers, fish, trees, trails. . .the list goes on! This is what I have longed for - for years!!!

Freedom to explore!

Did we still have to take work phone calls and emails? Yes, but then we got right back to exploring with our family!

Can’t wait for our next expedition!!!

 
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Heather and Matthew's Gender Reveal for Baby #4 | Covington, Ga.

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My friend, Heather, asked me to photograph her and her husband’s gender reveal for their fourth and last baby! I was SO excited and immediately said, “YES!” I met Heather and her family at their church’s pavilion. It was such a beautiful day!! Heather and Matthew, decided for their reveal, they would attach a black balloon with colorful powder on their axe board, once Matthew hit the balloon with his axe the balloon would pop and everyone would then celebrate the gender of their next baby! That’s not at all how it went for them!

As Heather’s best friend, Taylor, was placing the balloon on the board, it hit a splinter of wood and popped before everyone was ready! Thankfully I was able to capture it all. . .holy smokes! I seriously have know idea how I got all this because I wasn’t even really ready! As you can imagine her friend, Taylor, was mortified! But, Heather and Matthew weren’t upset at all!!!

When it came time to take a photo of Heather and Matthew and their family, we all agreed Taylor needed to be in the photo since she was covered in the reveal color!!

Heather and Matthew, I am so excited for you and your family!! Juby James is going to be one lucky little girl! Can’t wait to meet her in October of 2021!!!

 
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Kynzi's One Year Session | Social Circle, Ga.

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Happy birthday to my beautiful niece, Kynzi!!! A few weeks ago her momma, Kristi, and I went to my backyard with a bucket and some watermelon for a milk bath session and cake smash!

Kynzi was so-so about the milk bath! :) It was warm but, I’m sure it was a strange texture for her with the grainy watermelon. She still gave us some sweet smiles like she always does. Oh, she is the sweetest baby! She is so, so good and always happy! And, check out those curls she is getting!! She is just now really starting to get hair and it’s so pretty!

I love her big open mouth smiles and how her bottom teeth show through. Just melts my heart! My sister-in-law, said she is getting her top teeth in too! I love this little girl so much and her brother and sisters too! I’m so thankful we get to see each other so often and that our babies get to have fun and have a great cousin bond! I cannot wait for the day she calls me her “aunt Holly!” I love you guys!!!

Happy first birthday Kynzi Jane!!!

 
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Declan Fox | Newborn Session

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Hello Declan!!

Shauna and Patrick are past a bride and groom of mine. I photographed their spectacular wedding day (view it here) back in November of 2019 at Christ Our King and Savior Church in Greensboro, Georgia. And, now, here we are!! They welcomed their first baby boy, Declan Fox, on April 19, 2021. He weighed 9lbs and 6oz and was 21.5” long. Such a big boy! He spent some time in the NICU but, came home healthy and strong!

I’m so happy for you and Patrick! This morning, just before I began writing your blog post, I read my daily devotion in Jesus Calling Family Devotional. It read,
”I am the Risen One who shines upon you always. You worship a living Deity, not some idolatrous, man-made image. Your relationship with Me is meant to be vibrant and challenging as I invade more and more areas of your life. Do not fear change, for I am making you a new creation, with old things passing away and new things continually on the horizon. When you cling to old ways and sameness, you resist My work within you. I want you to embrace all that I am doing in your life, finding your security in ME alone.
It is easy to make an idol of routine, finding security within the boundaries you build around your life. Although each day contains twenty-four hours, every single one presents a unique set of circumstances. Don’t try to force-fit today into yesterday’s mold. Instead, ask Me to open your eyes so you can find all I have prepared for you in this precious day of life”

This just made me think of what it was like for me when I became a momma to RyAnne, our first baby. Unfortunately, I resisted the change. Even though I knew it was coming when she got here, I had NO idea the challenge it would be, nor did I know how close it would bring me to my Father. That’s the silver lining! Everyday I had to let go of my old life and accept and love my new life as her mommy. I had to let go of the idea of a schedule and just ebb and flow with her. I found myself constantly giving my schedule over to God and allowing Him to use it for His glory. It wasn’t easy but, God was still shining on me and blessing me through the challenges. I had to give myself AND my husband, Trey, so much grace. And then, once we thought we had it all down pat, we had another baby and then another baby! HA! We found ourselves giving alllllll those struggles and worries to Jesus, over and over again and praising Him for His incredible blessings!

 
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Cailey, Jeremy and Brooklyn's Family Maternity Session | Lake Oconee

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I’m so excited for my friends and old neighbors, Cailey, Jeremy and their sweet girl Brooklyn! They are expecting their second baby girl, Carter June, in just a few days!! I met them at their new home at the lake and we had a wonderful time!

We did photographs all over their home, which was new for me. I typically do photographs in natural light or outside. I LOVE the way their session turned out! I love all the locations because they mean something to them - they were home and comfortable! Oh and the girl’s rooms! Aren’t they both so beautiful?! So dreamy and fun! Cailey, will you decorate my kids rooms please??? ;)

While I was taking Brooklyn’s photographs she went and got her polaroid camera and began photographing her mom and dad. She even took my photo too! It’s hanging on my fridge. :) I cannot wait to see Brooklyn as a big sister!! Brooklyn is so beautiful and FULL of personality! I have no doubt she will be the best big sister and teach Carter June so much!

Cailey and Jeremy, I am praying for you guys! This is a fun transition for your family. I remember it took RyAnne a little bit of time to acclimate to her new role in our family. She was four years old when she got the title of big sister. I had to be so patient with her through the exhaustion of having a new little one to care for too - it wasn’t easy but, we survived!! Once RyAnne realized how helpful she was to her daddy, new baby sister and I, and the praise she was given for it, it all started to fall in to place for each of us. We all worked together as a family.

The sleepless nights are temporary. The connection and foundation being created from it will last forever!! It will be building blocks for your babies and how they handle life! So beautiful!!

 
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