james + tressa | wedding | withinsodo | seattle, wa

i am so grateful for the people i meet and the relationships i discover in my line of work. when you work in the world of people's memories and life changing moments, you get a unique perspective on the power of relationship and the beauty of sacrificial love.  all in all, i don't think shooting weddings will ever get old to me. and i don't mind a bit*

for the first wedding of 2015, jana and i made the trip out to the pacific northwest and my home state of washington.  i had the privilege of meeting james and tressa through jana...who actually grew up just a few houses down from tressa when they were kids.  how cool it was to jump the gap in time and join them on their wedding day after tressa and jana and shared so many childhood memories before families moved away.

when the soon to be married couple invited us to be a part of their ceremony in seattle and photograph the day, we jumped at both the excitement of being with them on their special day and also the chance to revisit seattle and the surrounding beauty that is pretty much all of washington!

needless to say, it was a great trip, filled with old friends, new friends, great coffee, evergreen trees, rain, sun, and a whole lot of adventure! j&t, thank you so much for allowing jana and i to share in your day.  it was an honor, and i hope you enjoy this little preview of what was an incredible start to 2015!

- npe

beginnings {the.wild.west}

i had the amazing opportunity to spend a few extra days in washington last month, after the wedding of some dear friends... this is where it all began for me...where i learned to walk, where i spent my childhood summers, where i grew up in the shadow of mountains, where i fell in love with my savior Jesus...where the first chapter of my life played out.

it was so good for my soul to return to a place that will always hold a special place in my heart and memory.  i spent a few days backpacking with a good friend, witnessed the rolling in of smoke from wildfires in the valley, strolled the streets of my hometown bavarian village, reveled in the beauty of the seattle skyline, and took in all the color of pike place market.

probably the only thing that could have made a good trip great..would have been the company of my wife and kids!  i cannot wait to explore new trails and make new memories in the beautiful wild country of the pacific northwest with my children and best friend - don't worry washington, we won't be gone long*