Every day is a new day. Some days seem too hold more excitement than others, but really, every sunrise is unique and I’m thankful for a fresh start on each morning.

I think it’s possible to have an ESPECIALLY new morning every once in a while. I remember one particular morning exactly 3 years ago, when I woke up and things were very, VERY new.

I opened my eyes quickly, after remembering the events that took place the night before. Eric had picked me up from my parents’ house around 5pm. I was all dolled up for a Valentine’s Day dinner, and I was very excited to be wearing new clothes, to have my fingernails and toenails freshly painted, and to give Eric his favorite chocolate fudge that I’d made him earlier that day.

He looked so handsome in his leather jacket. I could tell that he’d recently gotten a haircut, which is an occasion worth documenting in my books. I gave my parents a quick hug and scurried out the door. Eric told me we were going to Granbury for dinner, and I was excited to go somewhere new.

I was a little confused when we pulled up to a Bed and Breakfast. I knew we weren’t staying the night there, so I assumed they were offering a Valentine’s dinner to locals. Again, I was surprised when he took me into an empty dining room, with a picnic basket on a table nearby. Eric pulled my chair out for me, and I sat down excitedly.

Little by little, he pulled out the courses of a delicious meal, complete with sparkling grape juice and a heart shaped cheesecake. I noticed that he kept his jacket on during dinner, so I asked him about it. “I’m still cold,” he replied nonchalantly. It was in the 40’s outside. I also noticed that he ate his dinner especially fast. I mean, he’s typically a fast eater, but not THAT fast. I called him on it. “Why don’t you slow down and enjoy this date? I mean, how often do you surprise me with a romantic dinner on Valentine’s day? This is awesome! Slow down and enjoy it!”

“Sorry,” he quickly replied.

No sooner did he announce that he wanted to read me something from Scripture and he left his Bible in the car. It was the same Bible that was taking my place in the passenger’s seat about 30 minutes earlier, and I had tossed to the back to make more room for myself.

I sat in the dining room alone, waiting on his return. I couldn’t believe how thoughtful he had been to make this such a special Valentine’s Day for me. As he walked back in, he walked to the corner to retrieve a bowl of water and a towel that I had not previously noticed. He drug it over to me, and told me to remove my new red heels. (Well, he just said “shoes”, but hey, why not take a moment to notice a new red pair of heels?)

As he knelt down, I placed my feet in the water, and he searched for the verses he wanted to share. He began to nervously wash my feet with one hand, while he held his Bible with the other. He read Proverbs 31 to me. It talks about a wife of noble character.

I think this is when I first started to think something was up.

As he finished the last verse, he looked up at me and told me how he wanted me to be his wife. He said that he loved me so much, and I think a couple of other things I wish I could recall. All I know is that in the next split second, he was holding open the most beautiful diamond ring I’d ever seen. As he put it on my finger, I could not believe I was engaged to marry the most wonderful man in the world. Engaged?!?!

He made a quick phone call and told me that Jeremy and Misti (our friends and the Pastor/Pastor’s wife at StoneWater Church) were coming. When they arrived, they took pictures of and told us they had a surprise for us. We left the bed and breakfast and drove for what seemed like an hour. As we pulled up to an unfamiliar house, I recognized my parent’s car in the driveway.

We walked into a house full of people who had known for weeks about our engagement. My family, Eric’s family, friends from church, and even the youth group of our church were there. It was so amazing. Eric had planned that one too. I showed off my ring proudly to all who were willing to look.

Three years ago, I layed my bed in a house I shared with two other girls from college. I held up my hand, admiring the sparkle of a ring that signified so much. It was a new morning with new meaning. Soon, I would be Mrs. Wilkins.

Yes, every day is a new day. Thank you, Eric, for choosing me and creating an ESPECIALLY new morning.

P.S. If you or someone you know is ENGAGED… today is the LAST DAY to enter a contest for a FREE ENGAGEMENT SESSION at Double Knot Photography! Tell your friends!

You know what I’ve found out in the last few weeks? Your vocal chords are REALLY important. I mean, really important. Have you ever tried not to make a noise for a day? How about even an hour? Try just 5 minutes…. It’s HARD. No whispering. No talking to myself. No humming along with the music. Just silence.

I never really knew how hard my vocal chords were working, until they were overworked. A little over a month ago, I hit my breaking point (no, my vocal chords didn’t literally break… but they kinda felt like it). It was a normal Sunday. My hubby, the Worship Leader for StoneWater Church, along with me and the rest of the band, were doing run-through for our services that morning. I noticed that my voice had not recouperated from the previous weeks of singing (my vocal chords get a little tired after singing about 20 songs in a morning) and I felt like I was really pushing myself too hard for the notes to come out. By the end of the day, my voice was hoarse, my throat hurt, and I think my vocal chords were screaming “Don’t you dare sing another note!”

Unfortunately, I did sing another note. Lots of other notes. For the next couple of weeks, I continued to lead worship and sing. Although it hurt my throat, I figured it was just something that would go away. Bbbuuuttt, it didn’t. It got to the point where even when I talked, my vocal chords would hurt. I knew there was a problem.

So, Eric scheduled me an appointment at the ear, nose, and throat doctor for a little thing called a Laryngoscopy. Basically, the doctor sticks a scope up your nose, through your sinus cavity, down your throat, and looks at your vocal chords. As you can imagine, I was a WEE bit nervous. I had some serious fear to fight off before the “procedure.” With a lot of people’s prayers and moral support from both my husband and my mom, I went and had my vocal chords checked.

Good news! My vocal chords look good, but really swollen. So, I’m on vocal rest for TWO WEEKS! No singing. No talking. No whispering. No humming. Nothing. I can’t say that I’ve been 100% silent, but I’ve been trying really hard. I realized that I do things that I didn’t know about myself before… such as, I talk to my dogs. Frequently. Yeah… I know… I’m weird.

Anyway, I’m doing my best to be quiet, so if you can help me by giving me a friendly wave instead of trying to strike up a conversation, that would make me feel a lot better about feeling like I’m ignoring you by not talking. LOL! I cannot WAIT to get back to singing and leading worship at StoneWater. Well, actually, I’m just ready to be able to talk to my hubby when we’re sitting together in the living room! Continue to keep me in your prayers, that my vocal chords would completely heal and I will be able to sing like normal when it’s all said and done.

Here’s StoneWater Band a couple months ago. Just thought I would share our joy for the Lord! Have a great day!

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Courtney is one amazing gal. She’s incredibly sweet with the most beautiful smile e-ver. When Courtney and I met to chat about her wedding details, I knew she was a perfect bride for me. I mean, we totally clicked, which is SO important when I’m photographing a wedding. She and her fiance Bill have been together for about 10 years. There is no doubt in either of their minds that they are meant to be - it’s been a long time coming. They are going to have a small outdoor wedding in her parent’s backyard at the end of September. The house overlooks the lake…. it has the most amazing view. And not to mention, the house itself is incredible). My mom and I were talking about how we would never get anything done with a view like that! I got to see the house already because we did her Bridal shoot there! Take a look at the beautiful girl!

Isn’t she stunning?

Mikka told BJ about her dream to one day build a house on a beautiful hill in the country where she grew up. Not that she was hinting at anything, since they started dating in high school. Several years later, before Mikka headed out for night with the girls, BJ asked her to show him the exact spot she wanted to build the house of her dreams. In her high heels and dressy clothes, they treaded through the high grass to get to her dream spot. “Okay, here it is. Can we go now???” She asked him in a hurry.  BJ got on one knee and asked for permission to spend the rest of his life with her, hopefully one day in a house on that very hill. I think the evening with the girls was probably cancelled.

BJ and Mikka, it was so good to see you both again. I can’t wait to spend the day with you in October as you exchange your vows! Thank you for trusting me to capture this time in your lives! Enjoy your sneak peek!

I just love the way he’s looking at her in this one.

They showed off some of their dancing skills for me!

I think it’s so sweet how he can make her giggle and laugh.

Don’t you love BJ’s look? It’s like he’s saying “I am SO lucky.” And you can tell, she’s totally into him. Love it.

Special thanks to The Inn on Lake Granbury for allowing us to shoot on their property. I would HIGHLY reccommend this bed and breakfast to anyone looking for somewhere to stay while visiting Granbury or if your looking for a romantic getaway. In fact, this is where Eric proposed to me a couple years ago! Maybe I’ll share our story on our anniversary! So, check them out!