Engagement: Jessica + Brian | Lake Minnewaska State Park, Ulster County, NY

So, remember those few days last week where it was so hot it felt like we were living at the Equator rather than in New England?  Yeah.  That was the day that Jessica, Brian and I met up for their engagement session!  And...wait for it...we hiked around Lake Minnewaska!  And...none of us brought any water!  Ha ha - aside from the obviously sweaty ending, we really had a great time.  These guys have an awesome energy and it was fun walking around and getting to know them better. It was such a beautiful spot for photos - after living in the Hudson Valley for most of my life, I had never been to the lake.  I'm happy that they suggested it as an engagement location - definitely bringing Sophie back there :).  Jess & Brian go there all the time for swimming, biking, hiking, etc., - I think its super cool to have photos in places where you hang out.  Just think, if you bring your family there in 10, 20, 30 years and then look back at the photos - how amazing is that? 

Jess & Brian - thanks for braving the heat with me!  So excited about these photos and can't wait for the wedding very soon :).  Hope you love them!

Monday Updates!

So, I'm still working on a better name for this weekly post - thinking about, "Uplifting Mondays" (thanks Simon!!), but worried that it might sound somewhat religious in an internet search? Nothing wrong with that, but not exactly what this blog is about :). Anyways, still working on that - suggestions welcome!

This week was a bit of a blur of beautiful weather, getting Tim ready for his trip, and still recovering from the week before. Wedding season is coming up fast and I'm working on preparing for that and the debut of our new website (!!!) - so excited about that! Following that, some blog changes will also be on the horizon (including, [yes!], a better way to comment!).

So, Tim was in the Bahamas last week - he is planning to do a whole post on it (he has some amazing photos), but I thought I would sneak one of his photos in here. Check it out! How is it that I'm in Connecticut while he is in the Bahamas? Right? You can also follow his travels (or, tweets?) on twitter - if you are into that :).


I discovered instagram this week - where have I been? Obviously, I love it. I try to carry my 'real' camera everywhere, but sometimes, even I get tired of that. Instagram is an awesome alternative for fun-in the moment-whoa, I saw something cool-type photos. Here are a few from my life this week:


You can check out my feed if you like, @upliftjade, I think you just need to send me a request because I have mine set to private (just due to the sheer amount of sophie photos).

I'm thinking about making this pallet garden from Pinterest (follow me if you are there too!). What do you think? We have a serious animal presence at our house and they.eat.everything. I love all the wildlife (we have tons of deer, woodchucks, and raccoons, fox and even saw a coyote!), but it is really annoying when they eat all your herbs, flowers and vegetables. What if I put this on a table? I saw some pallets on the side of the road just down the street...

I'm looking for a few new blog reads - any suggestions? I like artsy, controversial, interesting, quirky, fun links, DIY, decor-related, etc. In exchange for the info, I have one for you guys - check out Seek to be Merry - quick reads on interesting topics with lots of fun links (my fav, another web troller :).

Today, I'll leave you with a sweet photo from a small winter wedding that I shot a few weeks ago (I think it was the only day of snow this winter!)


Happy Monday guys! I'm trying to make it a good one over here!

ps. two bits that I've been loving this week (here and here)