Willow the Toddler | Personal

Willow the Toddler | Personal

When I was thinking about what I could blog, I looked back on my schedule and realized I haven’t posted an update about Willow in forever! I’ve never been one to stick to a regular schedule with this, but she has grown immensely since the last time I talked about her - in fact, she was just a baby in my eyes when she was last featured on my blog! Today she is a full-fledged toddler, and only a few months away from turning 2, which seems absolutely impossible as I think back on the 5lb 14oz baby I held just moments ago…

There were flashes of Willow’s personality that we saw from the beginning. She has never been a snuggler, and she has always been happy being held or played with by (almost) anyone. Even when she was tiny she had never met a stranger, and all this continues to be true…

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I Survived...a Story of No Training, the Flu, and a Marathon | Monday Musings

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I Survived...a Story of No Training, the Flu, and a Marathon | Monday Musings

If you haven’t noticed over the last 6 (!!!) years of my blogs, I love talking about what I’m doing and what’s coming up, especially when there’s a big event on the horizon. When I was training for my last half marathon, I chronicled a lot of the training runs over on my Instagram stories. So it shocked more than a few people when I posted last week that I had just finished my first ever marathon. Here’s the story behind the surprise!

All the way back in May 2017, some friends in our Bible study group decided to sign up for the 2018 One City Marathon and spur each other on during the long training runs. Always up for a challenge, and one of the few in the group who already enjoyed long runs, I enthusiastically signed up and began to chart out my training plan. I signed up for a half marathon in the fall and trained so well I crushed it, placing first in my age category and third among women.

In the meantime, though, one big piece of life changed…

Williamsburg Anniversary Winter Session | Williamsburg Photographer | Rob + Lauren

Williamsburg Anniversary Winter Session | Williamsburg Photographer | Rob + Lauren

I’ve known Rob and Lauren now for coming up on two years. I first photographed their engagement session just a few weeks after Willow came home (I couldn’t even tell them yet!), then their wedding took place last January on a beautiful day at Kiln Creek Golf Club. Now, over a year into marriage, they wanted to celebrate again with pictures and it felt like everything came full circle once again.

Rob and Lauren were so sweet during their engagement session when I first met them, but seeing them as husband and wife just made me realize how much more comfortable they are around each other (and in front of the camera!) than even just a couple years ago. They shared more looks between the two of them. They snuggled a little closer. They still didn’t shy away from kissing, and it’s obvious that their relationship has already grown stronger. When I asked the biggest lesson they have learned from the first year, they couldn’t tell me - mostly because it’s just been full of joy to finally live side by side every single day…

Books are my love language, especially fun ones that carry me away with a good story 📖 Lately, they have also been an important place of learning for me. Some recent favorites: 📚 For Fun: #WheretheCrawdadsSing (@authordeliaowens) 📚 For Business: #
In a turn of events that is surprising to exactly no one (myself included, by this point), we have a new house guest this summer! 🏠 At the last minute, a 15-year-old exchange student needed a place to stay, and it just so happened that we have an ex
This is how I've felt during quarantine. Whether it's waking up, or running, or reading, or working when work seemed to slow down for awhile, my mantra was: just. keep. moving. I guess I was in good company when that idea kept me going 😉 . . . #quot
info@mariagracephoto.cominfo@mariagracephoto.com

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Hampton Roads, Virginia

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