When we started our business, thinking it was just going to be something we did on the side, we were so excited because we thought that just maybe we could make a little side pot of money that we could use to travel the world!  It has always been a passion and dream of ours to explore.  Growing up in a small town in PA with families that took road trips as their family vacations, we both had a longing to see what the world has to offer!

Up until 2010, (besides our honeymoon in St. Lucia) neither Ryan nor I had been outside of the U.S. and Canada.  Our passion to travel and explore other cultures is bursting at our seams!  ;)  In 2010, we learned that God had bigger plans for us and rather than “using our side pot of money” to explore, our business was creating opportunities for us to explore outside of the U.S.  We photographed our first destination wedding in Jamaica in 2010 and realized our two passions of travel and photography go together spectacularly well!  ;)  This year, we have had the amazing opportunity of traveling to Mexico, Punta Cana, Barcelona, and Paris all with fabulous couples to document their journeys along the way.  Whenever we are in a beautiful place and see the perfect landscape, beautiful light, or amazing architecture we always dream of having a fabulous couple in love that we could capture experiencing that beauty along with us!  Traveling with our business and photographing our amazing clients in new places around the world is a dream come true to us!

It is a dream that we hope to continue!!  We are so grateful for every opportunity we have been given to explore the world (inside the US and outside the US) and we look forward to our future adventures!  You will see our ever-evolving wish list on our travel page!  If you have ideas of how to get us there (Like maybe you are actually from that location and you are in need of a photographer to document your Amazing Life, or you are traveling to that location and you are in need of a photographer to document your Amazing Life ;), OR you know somebody… ;)… we are always up for an adventure and hope that you reach out to us!  Send us a note!!).

We have created a travel page on our new site as a way to share those travel experiences with you all!  For so long, traveling the world was just a dream.  And I know it is a dream that so many of you share.  It is our hope that by sharing our travel experiences we will encourage you to start saving that “side pot of money” and plan that next adventure.  Until then, follow along with us and we will do our best to show you “the world” through our eyes.  And just a warning… our travels usually revolve around the best food spots and the most magical little neighborhoods to stroll around.  They might make you hungry… for good food and adventure!  We hope so!

So to start things off, we thought we would share with you some of our experiences from our recent trip to Maine.

It is one of those places that as soon as you cross the border or walk out of the airport you know you are in for a treat.  The air seems more fresh and the water more blue.  The sunsets are always amazing and the cool breeze takes your breath away.  Maine is a place that we have come to love over the past four years.

Let’s be honest.  It did not take much to fall in love!  Four years ago our friends invited us up to their family’s summer home in Small Point, ME for a long weekend of rest and relaxation.  We kayaked, sailed, played wiffle ball, ate a lot of lobster and other fabulous meals, went to the beach, read a book, and took many afternoon naps!  The lack of cell service provided an awesome excuse to unplug, relax and have fun.  Surrounded by amazing company, Maine quickly became one of our favorite places.

Every year since, we have found a way to escape to Maine… even if just for a few days.  In August, we took our latest adventure to Maine.  We spent a lot of time “just being” and enjoying every minute of it.  We got adventurous and tried out the two-person kayak.  I won’t mention (or actually I will for all of you looking for a good laugh!) that our adventure ended up with both of us in the water surrounded by crabs!  Whoops!  ;)  haha.  Ok, it was my fault that the kayak flipped, but I like to think that since it was a two person kayak, both Ryan and I are responsible?!?  ;)  Maybe?  Anyway… we had a good laugh and continued on our way for a beautiful afternoon on the water.

In staying true to our “foodie” habits… in between naps and reading, we ventured down the road to Wiscasset for “the Best Lobster Roll in the World!” at Red’s.  Side note: I don’t even eat Lobster!!!  But Ryan LOVES it and has a mission every time we are in Maine to have some type of Lobster everyday that we are there.  I support Ryan in his eating habits and happily joined him for the 1 hour wait for that Lobster Roll!  As you can see by the photos, it was worth every single minute!  ;)

There were several times that I just looked at Ryan and said, “this is so beautiful.”  Maine is SO BEAUTIFUL!  Even in the rain… Maine has this magic about it that will always draw us back!  The simplicity, the natural environment that is a picture worth taking everywhere you look, and of course, the amazing company are all reasons why we LOVE Maine!

“Live your amazing life with authentic gratitude that creates a passionate heart to give back and make a difference in the lives of others.”

Our hearts are smiling.  Everyday we have so much to be thankful for, but today it seems like “so much” is such an understatement!  As we created our Amazing Life Manifesto, one of the three main themes became “Authentic Gratitude.”

Giving back and sharing our heartfelt gratitude is something we feel incredibly passionate about… so passionate that we created a category specifically for this topic on our site.  Whenever you see a symbol that we are calling our gratitude journal, you know we will be sharing our authentic hearts of praise, thanksgiving, and even encouraging ways for everyone to give back and spread the love.

Today we want to start by saying THANK YOU!  Thank you for taking the time to read this post.  Thank you for sharing in our dreams and encouraging us along the way.  Thank you for leaving comments on our site and posting on facebook, twitter, instagram, Pinterest, etc.  Thank you for dreaming along with us and believing in your own amazing life!

Whenever we hear our clients, friends, and family say they have been following along on our blog (or “stalk us”  haha) we seriously do a little dance inside because we know we are one step closer to living our dreams and inspiring other people!  THANK YOU for being amazing encouragers in our life!  We hope we are able to do the same for you!

As we prepared for the launch of our new site, we took some time to think hard about what it is that we do and why we do it. The overarching theme that we came back to over and over again was “to live an amazing life” and help others live their own amazing life! We have been blessed in so many ways to seek out our passions and live out our dreams everyday. Life is not always easy, but if we go back to the basics and concentrate on the positives in our life… it is pretty darn amazing!

We are firm believers that everyone can live their own amazing lives! It is our goal to help people realize what makes their own lives amazing! We want to encourage people to seek out their dreams and the positives that surround them everyday!

Every week we will be sharing a video with you. The video will focus on a specific piece of our Amazing Life Manifesto. We hope that it will serve as a reminder to everyone to live your own amazing life daily!

We decided to start off our Manifesto Videos by highlighting “Dream BIG Dreams and Make Them Happen” because this is exactly what we are doing right now. The launch of this new site is exactly that: a BIG dream! Our dream is to create a platform where we can inspire the world to celebrate the positives in life and live the amazing life that people dream of.

So often people ask us how we got started doing what we do. We hear comments like, “gosh, I wish I could make food like Ryan makes” or “I wish I could start my own business and do what I enjoy everyday.” And the reality is that everyone CAN! Honestly, we are firm believers that anyone can DREAM BIG DREAMS AND MAKE THEM HAPPEN. We promise you… it is not luck and it does not just happen overnight. But, if you take the time to dream and you pour your heart and soul into something… saying prayers along the way… God will take care of you!

Everyone has dreams. Deep down, there is something in your mind that you “wish” you could do. Whatever that dream is, we hope that you will take time this week to write it down. Say it out loud. Tell a friend and ask them to hold you accountable. Take the time this week to dream. Turn the TV off, go to a coffee shop or sit under the stars and literally let your mind wander. Wherever it takes you, please write it down and take a step to make it happen! One step at a time… you will get to that dream. Sometimes the end result is not exactly how you pictured it originally… but that is God working his magic and one day it will all make sense! ;) In the meantime… enjoy the ride!

Cheers to Dreaming BIG Dreams and Making them happen!

When Gabrielle said in Midnight in Paris that “Paris is the most beautiful in the rain” she knew what she was talking about!  ;)  There is something pretty magical about curling up under a small umbrella and walking along the tree-lined pathway with the view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.  Dodging puddles as you look around and realize that suddenly you are the only people in the park that just minutes before hundreds of people gathered!

As the dark clouds rolled in, we wished them away.  We wanted the day to be “picture perfect” for Lindsley and Jeff.  However, it wasn’t until the storm came through that we got to experience the most beautiful side of Paris!

We had the AMAZING opportunity to join Lindsley and Jeff for a day in Paris as they explored the beautiful city on an anniversary trip to France.  We wandered through the Rue de Grenelle Market where Lindsley found the cutest vintage bracelet for a steal of a price; we took in the sites of the iconic Eiffel Tower (most beautiful in the rain) and the grandiose Notre Dame Cathedral; we enjoyed some wine at a neighborhood café in the Latin Quarter; and we ended the day by placing a love lock on the love bridge to celebrate this special occasion.

Lindsley and Jeff (as you may remember from their beautiful Baltimore wedding in April of 2011) are incredible!  We love them!  ;)  And having the opportunity to explore Paris with them and capture this incredible anniversary trip was like a dream come true!  It was so much fun to explore the city together… but even more so, it was so much fun to see Lindsley and Jeff soaking in this amazing life while soaking in each other!  Celebrating the first year of marriage and looking forward to many more to come… Lindsley and Jeff took it all in and we are so excited we were there to capture it!

Enjoy this romantic day in Paris with Lindsley and Jeff.

-Liz