last thoughts of summer. {dallas, tx engagement & wedding photographer}

It's 66 degrees outside.  My window is pushed open as wide as it will go and I'm sitting cross legged on my bedroom floor with my toes tucked up under me to stay warm.  I'm listening to the sound of my jon schmidt pandora station mingled with the sound of the lawnmower and enjoying the smell of fresh cut grass + my pumpkin spice candle.

I absolutely adore the changing of the seasons.  I was told the other day that you can't call it fall in texas, since the leaves don't actually turn colors and fall, they all just die--apparently autumn is the correct term.  And the slow quiet slip from summer into autumn is my favorite.  Not because I love autumn so much that I can't wait to see summer go...anyone who knows me at all knows that's not true.  But summer obsession aside, autumn is definitely my second favorite time of the year, and I'm happy to see that it's here.

This summer has been particularly sweet.  Not in a my-life-is-perfect sort of way.  But in a my-God-is-gracious kind of way.  These past few months have been the richest, happiest months of my life. This summer has been an adventure, it's been full of new experiences, of stretching scary moments--it's been full of growing up.  Something that has been a little bittersweet, but that I'm mostly ok with :)  I know, I'm 22 years old, surely I've gotten used to the idea of being grown up by now?  But quite honestly, I haven't.  There's a large part of me that still likes to pretend amidst running my own business, traveling all over, and paying bills, that I'm still just a kid.  I do cartwheels in the street sometimes, I shop in the little girls section, (the clothes are so much cheaper!) and I wear ribbons in my hair.

But despite the ribbons and cartwheels, a lot of growing up has happened this summer.  I've made some big decisions.  I've worked on being authentic (being the original person that I was made to be with a unique design and purpose given by the one true Author) and through that I've been stretched thin, scared, and been able to see God's power shine through my weaknesses.  I've seen some friendships come to an end, and new ones begin.  I've been blessed with the greatest (no really, the absolute best of the best) boy in the whole world as my best friend + boy friend, and been grateful a thousand times over for my family and their love.

I've heard it said that Grace is: getting something you don't deserve.  And this summer my full of grace God has given blessing upon blessing...I can't wait to see what this next season will hold.

Happy Autumn!

Much Love,
Jessica Shae

Live the language: personal {dallas, tx engagement & wedding photographer}

I dream of Summer, and traveling...

If you could travel anywhere in the world this year, where would you go?

Much Love. (and happy weekending;)

Jessica Shae

Random is my life: personal

This blog post is what most people call random.

And while random is not something that you can write a cute little blog post about and tie it up neatly with a bow - random is exactly what my life is made up of these days - so that's what you're going to get ;) It's kind of like my life threw up on my blog, or something. So settle in (because I have alot of randomness - therefore the post is rather long) and try not to be to bored.

I went to New Jersey last week - another state to check off my I've-been-there-list! I actually drove up there with my brother. Alllll the way from Dallas. Yeah, it was a crazy long trip but so much fun :) What could be better than a 24 hour road trip with your best friend, fun music, almost zero sleep, stopping for food at 10 PM in a scary little town in TN, being awake for both the sunset AND the sunrise, and playing with your new iphone?!? Very few things I tell you.

One of the main reasons I went to Jersey was because I was shooting a wedding there last Saturday, with a wedding party of - 24 people. Oh yes, we definitely had fun with that! Can't wait to post about it :) You can see a few more pictures of their wedding on my facebook page.

While we were in Jersey my brother and I stayed with friends that live there and they took us to Ocean City the first night we were there - If you could package up Summer, all the sights and smells and beauty of it, I think it would turn out looking alot like this place at sunset. It was just so gorgeous.

And my favorite picture that I have taken to date with my cell phone.

Oh laaaands, I just love it so so much.

And then another day we went to Philly - a place full of amazing sights and history, and I got to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall for the first time! Admitting that that was exciting for me probably classifies me as a total nerd, I know ;)

Some of you may have read my tweet about being in the "City of Love" (and my brother corrected me later and said that it was the "City of Brotherly Love" - but I like my version better ;) photographing the cutest couple ever. Yes, they were definitely the cutest - and I'm going to be nice and let you see a little sneak peek of them.

On another completely random note: I've started trying to take more nature/detail pictures. Taking pictures of flowers and the gorgeous outdoors is what originally got me hooked on photography, but these days I feel like I don't do nearly enough of it.

This beautiful girl (yes, the same one in the picture above) let me take some portraits of her one night when all this yummy light was just kiiiilling me. . .

. . .and then in turn practiced some of her amazing photography skills on me :)

And that is just a peek into the random-ness of my life right now. I'm also playing Soccer mom to 5 little rugrats - er - darlings for a week while my parents are in Colorado celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary! Mom (I know you're reading this;) and you'll be proud to know that I've kept them all fed and clean(ish) for the past 3 days, and I forgot Emma at the store yesterday but realized within 15 minutes that she wasn't in the car so it was no biggy really.

I kid, I kid, it was more like . . . ten, at the most ;)

Much Love.

Jessica Shae

***Update: I was toootally kidding about leaving my little sister somewhere, but apparently alot of people thought I was serious. I was a joke people - it was a joke. I'm waaaay to responsible for that! ;)