{personal} love, actually

well, now that we are into december i have officially declared the Christmas season to be upon us. this is according to my personal rule book, one i would like everyone to abide by ;)

up until this point, i have a bit of an aversion to doing anything Christmassy - when i walked into the grocery store at the end of october and heard Christmas music playing i scowled! this is not because i do not like Christmas or that i am a scrooge or anything. it is simply because Christmas is so much more to me than decorations, carols, trees and presents. there is something magical in the air that only happens at this time of year, and i like to wait in anticipation for it, to savour it, and to preserve the wonderment of it, and maintain it into the new year,  i wish not to start early, or to indulge the commercialization of this incredibly joyous celebration, which exists because God so loved the world that He gave us His only son [john 3:15-17].

now all that said, i will confess that i have been watching my favourite holiday movie for a few weeks now... love actually. it is a comfort movie of mine; you know,  one of those movies that i have watched so many times that i needed even watch it to know exactly what is happening. i will play it several times a week/day while i am working, or cooking or cleaning or whatever. it aids me in my quest to anticipate the coming Christmas and to savour the magic of this time. i love the soundtrack, i love the storylines, and i love the message: "that love really is all around."

here is the opening sequence to this superior holiday film... and one of my all time favourite first scenes of any movie! may you be blessed to feel the magic of this season, and to always know the love that God for which He has sacrificed so much to give us!!

{senior} hilary

i am so pleased to share this session with you. this session my first official senior portrait session and it features with hilary, the sweetest, loveliest high school senior who totally rocked her senior portraits!! i knew when i first met hilary and her mom that this would be a super fun session and that the results would be stellar! hilary is a brilliant young lady and so beautiful, inside and out!! what i loved most about hilary: she was scheduled to have her braces removed the day after out shoot and when i asked her if she wanted to wait to do her photos until after she said no because this is who she is right now!!! yes, she is that awesome!

our session began at the wharf in beaver harbour where her dad used to work; it was important to hilary to have a few pictures taken here, to have her dad apart of this special time. we then moved onto an old property near her house that was peppered with ideal settings for portraits.

as i drove out to beaver harbour the rain was trying desperately to ruin our photo shoot but after some prayer the rain had stopped by the time hilary and her mom [and entourage] arrived. [note to parents: if you plan on being present and bringing others to your senior's photoshoot, be prepared to shake your booty and do a little jig... i use whatever and whoever i have at my disposal to get those gorgeous natural smiles out of your senior!!].

don't forget to leave a comment and let hilary know how gorgeous she is!!

love & sunshine,
shannon-may