#EuropeVibesOnly // Travel

Exciting news my friends- I am going on a European adventure!! Starting today, I will be making my way around the beautiful continent for 6 whole weeks, eating delicious foods, experiencing new things, taking in the sites, & of course, snapping a couple of photos. Ok, let's be honest, it's gonna be a whooollllle lot more than a couple. ;) During this time I am going to focus on becoming more bold in my photo work. I have a fun project planned & I'm already excited to share it with ya'll upon my return! 

There are a few different legs to my trip as I will be traveling with 3 different groups of people over the course of my 6 weeks. But I am SO so so happy to be starting the trip off with a bang by traveling alongside some of the loveliest ladies & closest friends I know. These ladies are none other than the beauty & brains behind two seriously killer photography companies- Shannon Smith of Vine and Light Photography & Casey Elia of Urban South Photo. You can see their sexy faces in the photos below. Shannon is the cutie in the black dress & Casey is the stunner in white. (Sidenote: I'm the tall one. haha!) 

I couldn't be more thrilled to adventure with these dear ones. They are women after my own heart & like me, are in a season where they crave adventure & seek the Light. We have all agreed that the motto of our trip is YES. We say YES to being bold, YES to seeing the world in new ways, YES to growth, YES to revelation, YES to expanded boundaries & YES to greater capacities to love. We are ready & so thrilled to be jumping head first into the YESES of the unknown together. 

Follow along & adventure with us! As expected, our Instagrams will be frequently updated with the most recent happenings! : Jesse, Casey, & Shannon.

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GIVEAWAY DETAILS  ||  Win a YES banner from @SecretHolidayCo

We’re inviting you to follow along with us on our travels and we think this YES banner pretty much sums up our mantra this summer and encompasses the spirit of adventure we’re chasing after. So, we want to give this baby away to one lucky friend at the end of our trip!

To enter: (Note: all instructions below are for Instagram.)

1. Be sure you are following all three of us on Instagram. (Jesse, Casey, & Shannon.)

2. Comment on this photo and invite a friend to follow along with our adventures, too. Get that word out!

3. You can enter by commenting each #eurovibesonly photo any of us post throughout our trip. Each comment with a new friend counts as another entry towards winning.

4. Be awesome - but then again, you’re already doing that.

PS. Huge thanks to the wonderful Step Velez of Rags and Grace for snapping these group shots of us! 

ATHLEISURE // Editorial

The only thing better than having a job you love is getting to do that job with people you love. I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by some seriously talented friends & get to collaborate on fun projects like this "Athleisure" inspired shoot. Hope you enjoy! 

Hair & Make up : Shelby George // www.shelbygeorge.com

Styling : Josh Owen of Willard Randall // www.willardrandall.com

Model : Kelsey Surovik

Baby Hollar // Gender Reveal

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to go to California & witness the baby gender reveal for some of my best friends, Abby & Julian.  On a sunny Sunday afternoon, 50 of their friends gathered on Redondo Beach to learn the exciting news. Prior to the party, a trusted friend was given the ultrasound result & tasked with preparing the colored powder. The day of the reveal, everyone huddled in close, closed their eyes tightly, & were given cups filled with powder. On the count of 3, cups flew, pink powder billowed into the sky & the epic celebration ensued. We spent the afternoon running around covered in pink & screaming "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S A GIRL!!!" 

This was the second gender reveal party I've been given the opportunity to capture- both of them for amazing friends. I'm basically obsessed with them & the images they produce. There is so much joy & happiness that surrounds these events & it's incredible to be a part of them! Keep them coming people- I will do this all day long! 

I'm so so so overjoyed for Abby & Julian and CANNOT wait to meet sweet lil baby girl H. She's gonna be the raddest chick, I just know it. 

Elana // Portrait

Hello everyone! 

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season & your new year is off to a hopeful start!

I was so lucky to spend the holidays in Park City, Utah with my family. For 2 whole weeks, we cozied up in a cabin by the slopes & spent our days skiing, relaxing, & enjoying all the amazing food Main Street has to offer.  I'll post some photos from the trip soon, but today, it's all about Elana. 

I met Elana through Instagram where we stayed "internet friends" for months. When I found out she lived in the Park City/Salt Lake area, we decided we HAD to meet!  Although a snow storm sabotaged our initial plans, we were able to reschedule & one lovely morning Elana joined me for coffee. It was so fun meeting her because we kinda already "knew" each other, but of course, she's even more amazing in person. I really love meeting & connecting with new people & I am so happy I was able to spend some time with Elana. 

After coffee, we had a few minutes before Elana had to pick her mom up from the airport so we squeezed in a mini portrait session. We found a tiny pocket of trees next to the coffee shop. A few slips down a icy hill & 1 dropped camera later ( don't worry, my camera is fine, but my heart might have stopped) we were laughing & snapping & wishing for more time. 

Elana is stunning & certainly knows how to work the camera. I can't wait to shoot & hang with her again, hopefully soon!! 

Enjoy!

Baby Wood // Gender Reveal Party!

A few months ago I flew up to Selma, Alabama to witness the most exciting gender reveal in the history of the world. My best friend, Kate, & her husband, Brett, live in Selma & were hosting a backyard gender reveal party to announce their coming babe. Kate is an amazing hostess & hands down the best, most impressive person in the kitchen. The night before the big reveal she casually whipped up some seriously intricate desserts. (You can see her handiwork in the photos below.) The impressive spread included, a from scratch strawberry cake,  homemade eclairs (!!!), & my personal favorite, miniature ice cream cones lined with chocolate & filled with this crazy amazing whipped cheesecake concoction. I'm not a huge dessert person, but I was stuffing my face with those things! I was not alone, it was not unusual to see a party guest double-fisting the mini ice cream cheesecake cones! 

Okay, I'm done drooling now. Back to the important part of this blog- the baby! Kate wanted to reveal the gender in a very exciting & creative way. She thought through a lot of options, but decided on filling balloons with colored confetti & hoped for a picturesque moment. The best part was Kate & Brett waited till the party to find out the news so they could share in the excitement with everyone at the same time. (Be sure to look at the slideshow below- their reactions are the best!) One of Kate's trusted friends was the only person who held the secret, she read the ultrasound sealed in an envelope by the doctor, went into the house to fill the balloons with the appropriate color, & brought them to the yard for the big moment. Kate & Brett's immediate family gathered around, while the rest of the party guests watched with great anticipation. There was a countdown, a "POP", & a lot of screaming as pink confetti rained down revealing... IT'S A GIRL!!! 

Crying, hugging, & lots of celebration followed. It was an unbelievably exciting moment to be a part of. I am so happy for my lovely friends & I cannot wait to be an Aunt.

Baby girl Wood, I hope you look at these photos one day & realize how loved, valued, & celebrated you were even before we ever saw your beautiful face. This is just a glimpse of the joy your life is going to bring to this world. Can't wait to meet you! Love you so much lil babe.

Viva DREAMTOWN!

YAYYYYYY!

Welcome to the DREAMTOWN blog!!!

I’m equal parts terrified & ecstatic as I write this, my very first post on my very own brand new business website. This site & brand is something I’ve been working on for a really long time. But even longer, before the actual work began, the vision & hopes for this brand stirred relentlessly in my head. Basically, this day has been a reallllly long time coming. 

I can’t really count the amount of times I’ve doubted that I would, or even should, pursue this dream. But thankfully, I’ve been extremely blessed to be surrounded by a community of friends who’ve encouraged me & lovingly pushed me towards this dream in the moments when I was so ready to give up. Their belief in me truly kept me going & for that, I am so grateful. 

I’m terrified because it’s tremendously nerve-wracking to put yourself “out there” & present to the “world” something that is an extension of your heart, your creativity, your ability, your personality, & the list goes on. But in truth, I’m even happier because it IS scary & I’m doing it anyway.

So for me, today is the biggest step & the biggest win I could hope to come from this journey. The simple fact that I’m even sitting here, about to click ‘Publish’ on this post, is enough excitement & satisfaction for me.

You might be thinking, "so what exactly does DREAMTOWN mean"? Wellllllllll....

DREAMTOWN means nothing & everything all at the same time. A made up word with no formal definition, yet, to me, represents everything I would ever want something I create to be- adventurous, joyful, love driven, fun, hope filled, genuine connection generating, freedom seeking, & forever radiating life & light.

So here it is, here is DREAMTOWN.