Perhaps I tend to over-romanticize the simple things. I am recalling a time when Rich said "Jess, sometimes a picture of me brushing my teeth is JUST a picture of me brushing my teeth." But I can't help it! That is what photography does. It freezes a seemingly normal everyday exchange and forces us to experience it slower, with emotion. The nostalgia is built right in.

Rebecca and Alec wanted to ride their bikes around the lake by their house, bring a blanket and seek out some changing leaves. The moment they mentioned staying close to home I pictured a cozy fall evening, hot chocolate and arms wrapped around each other.

Why? Because when Rich's parents chat with us about those first years together, they tell us about the small apartment, being completely poor, covering cardboard boxes with sheets to use as nightstands and spending their last dime on a fancy date night dinner; and you FEEL it. Because my friend Katie didn't clean up all the toys or apologize for a lack of space when I came to visit, but hugged and played and loved on her baby all morning. Because I have a little wooden box on our shelves that I am filling with images from our home, because I already know I will miss our little quirky apartment and the stories we are creating there.

And because Rebecca and Alec don't need to be on a mountaintop to proclaim their love. They love each other right up close, and this session was about the spaces that fills.