The love I know

©Justin&Mary I'm lucky.  I'm so lucky.  I have always been surrounded by love.  My parents are a shining example of love and marriage.  They have been married for over 40 years and although it hasn't been all roses and sunshine they have made it through those hard times, that we all experience, and come out the other side happier and move in love than before.  My grandparents set a wonderful example for what love should be.  They were married for over 50 years before my grandmother passed away and after she was gone he talked about her everyday.  I knew his heart was broken to live without her but he always had a way of talking about her as if she was still here, a way that kept her love alive and real within all of us.

 

Silas and I have been together for over 10 years and married for almost 4. (Ummm wow how time flies!!!)  We are a rather unlikely couple as we went to high school together but I'm pretty sure never spoke to one another until after we had both graduated.  His little brother was in my class and a good friend of mine and I think he was more than a bit surprised when he found out that Silas and I were dating.  We haven't always had the perfect relationship - we have out fights - we have our disagreements and on a rare occasion a day of silence between us but we are best friends and I can't imagine not having him as my other half.  Above all we not only love one another are are totally, head over heals, crazy in love with one another.

 

I talk about love like I understand it and honestly thats not very fair of me.  I don't for the life of me know what love really is I only know what I see and feel.  I see couples in love and recognize it by the look in their eyes, the way that they hold on to one another- and not always just holding hands, but the way they lean on one another or just have that lightest touch to let the other person know they are there, supporting them.  I see love between family members, mothers and children, grandchildren and grandparents.  I see the smiles that are so expressive, I see hugs that rival any bear's I've ever seen hugging.  I hear laughter and stories and words that express love without even using the L word itself.

 

I feel love from my friends and family.  I feel it in their company, their support and their kindness.  I feel love when I see those beautiful blues eyes twinkle up at me from my little crazy 18 month old baby girl.  I feel love when she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me on the nose.  I feel love when my dog Coby low crawls up the bed in the morning to lick my face.  I feel love when I get messages of encouragement, invited along on wonderful trips and to be a part of someones special day.

In a world where maybe there isn't enough love I feel so overwhelmingly lucky to feel and see love everywhere.   I have chosen to spend my days documenting love and I can't imagine a better way to fill my life then with the joy and love of others.   I started this post saying how lucky I am and honestly its because of all of you lovers, all of you kind and sweet people who've allowed me to document your love.  Thank you!

XOXO Spring

 

**Photo of Silas and I by Justin & Mary Marantz**

Early November

Its a beautiful day for early November... There are a million things around the house I should be doing.  However I find myself here writing my first blog post for Concept Spring Studio.  Since this new adventure started in April I've been so excited to get to a point where I felt established.  (That point when your list of things to do is down to a somewhat manageable amount and you feel like finally things are coming together).  Getting my website up and running was a huge challenge- For the first three weeks I was changing out photos constantly.  I had a hard time committing to the images for my galleries and every shoot I went on I wanted to add more (my newest favorites).  I was spending so much time editing my site and trying to "brand" myself that I felt like I was starting to miss out on life.  I decided to bite the bullett and get a blog.  That way I could update my new  favorite photos for people to see without having to update my website EVERYDAY!  It has been a slow process and I'm sure there are plenty more changes to come- but over all it feels good to have a blog presence.  You see... i'm a bit of a blog stalker!  I spend hours surfing my idols blogs.  I enjoy seeing their new photos and reading the wonderful tidbits they share.  Melissa Jill, Jamie Delaine, Becker, Michael Norwood, Jessica Claire and the not quite so famous but totally fabulous Debbie Parker are a part of my daily routine. I hope that sharing my photos and thoughts will be entertaining for a few people out there.  For today I'm going to start with just a few photos of some of my favorite things in my life.

ahhhh the boston skyline!  This was home for 4 years of college and quite honestly still feels like home.

silver cascades.  Mt. Washington Valley at its best.

dad, mom, brother and me.

Silas and our puppy Jacoby

Jacoby... yes I named him after a red sox player!