The scent of three oranges.

“Mommy, may I please have an orange with my lunch?” my son shouts from the dining room as I begin to prepare his peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the kitchen.

“Of course,” I say with a smile and a hint of irritation in my voice. It makes me happy that my son prefers to eat fruit instead of handfuls of chips or crackers, but why does peeling an orange have to be so tedious and messy? The rind stubbornly clings to the fruit, and I always get the zest stuck under my fingernails. I usually avoid purchasing oranges at the grocery store for these very reasons, but this week I decided to let my five-year-old son walk through the produce section and have his pick.

“I don’t want an orange,” my daughter chimes in. Of course she wouldn’t want the same thing I am preparing for her brother. She is three and doesn’t want to be in his shadow. She would also much rather eat handfuls of Goldfish and fruit snacks. I try to come up with some way of persuading her into eating the orange. After all, it’s my job as a mother to make sure she gets her daily serving of fruit, and I am no short-order cook.

“I’m going to put some oranges on your plate, sweetie,” I say as calmly and cheerfully as possible. I really don’t want to invoke the wrath of my daughter over an orange. I heard enough screaming this morning when I asked her to put some pants on. I assure her by adding, “I’ll only give you a few slices.”

I open the fridge and grab three oranges. I figure that my son will want to eat more than one, and I will eat whatever is left abandoned on my daughter’s plate. I dig my thumbnail into the rind of the first orange and peel off a quarter-sized portion. I peel another section of the rind that is even smaller than the first. I hear giggles followed by footsteps running around the dining room table. See, this is exactly why I avoid buying oranges. Now the kids are getting impatient and riled up. If only it didn’t take so long to peel oranges. “I’d like you two to settle down,” I yell from the kitchen. “I’m almost finished with making lunch.” That’s a lie. I have at least five minutes left of peeling oranges. Hopefully I can get through this without someone getting injured or having to hear another tantrum.

As I make progress peeling the first orange, a rush of emotions suddenly punch me in the gut. That citrus scent is so powerful and good. I hold the orange closer to my nose. My sense of smell is very poor –which I blame wholeheartedly on allergies– but oranges, oranges I can smell. I breathe another whiff through my nostrils. The orange smells so comforting. I continue peeling, and while my hands tediously work, I begin to daydream about all of the other scents that are potent enough for me to smell. Cilantro. Freshly picked tomatoes in summer. Hops growing on the vine. Lime slices. My babies.

“Mommy, is lunch ready yet?”

Oh, my babies. A few days after my first child was born, I remember walking through Walgreens by myself to pick up some nursing pads and other items that I didn’t realize I would need after giving birth. It was one of my first trips out without my new baby with me. At first it felt good to be alone for a few minutes, but my boobs started leaking and a wave of my son’s newborn scent suddenly hit me while I was standing in the baby aisle. My son wasn’t near me, but I could smell him, and all I wanted to do was go home and hold him (and change my shirt).

“I’m almost done. I bet you are going to like the way these oranges smell,” I manage to say with tears streaming down my face. I’m crying. I am standing in my kitchen crying over the scent of these beautiful oranges that I didn’t even know I wanted. I’m crying because my two beautiful children have lost their newborn scent. A scent that faded little by little as each day passed after I first held them. I don’t remember noticing when the scent left them, but I notice now more than ever. I smell the oranges again. This time something is missing.

“You know,” I say to my kids, fighting back tears, “I’ve always thought that oranges should have been called butterfly fruit.”

“Why, mommy?”

“Well, when you peel them open a certain way, they look like butterflies,” I say as I place the butterflies on their plates. I wipe my tears, and I pick up their plates and carry them into the dining room. I set a pink plate in front of my daughter and a green plate in front of my son. “See. Don’t they look like butterflies?”

My son and daughter look at the oranges and burst out with excitement, “Whoa! Cool! How did you do that?”

I smile as I walk back into the kitchen. It’s funny how something so ordinary can seem so magical to my children. My son inhales his oranges before I return to the dining room with his sandwich. And my daughter, well she decides that she does want to eat some of her orange slices after all.

My son giggles and says, “Mommy, my butterflies are gone! I gobbled them up!”

“Are they fluttering around in your belly now?” I ask him.

“Yeah,” my son and daughter start giggling again. “Butterflies are flying in our tummies!”

I go back to the kitchen to get some water for my kiddos. I fill their cups and think about how I had felt them fluttering inside of me. They used to be such a part of me, and now here they are walking and talking and fighting for their independence. Every now and then I feel a phantom kick in my belly, torturing me with sweet memories of a part of my life that is so distant and surreal now.

I return to the dining room with water. I hand my daughter her purple cup and my son his blue cup. I pull out a chair and sit down to enjoy their giggles.

“You can have the rest of my oranges, mommy. I’m done,” my daughter says.

“Thanks for sharing,” I say to her as I grab a slice from her plate. I hold the slice up to my nose and give it one more sniff. It smells so good. I want to hold on to this smell for as long as I can. I eat the slice of orange, and I pray that I feel it flutter too.

My year (not Didion’s) of magical thinking.

This is not a post about grief. This is not a post about loss. This is not another post about how cold it is outside. But for the record, it’s still really cold.

This is a post about one word and how I want this one word to define my year in 2015.

I am in a period of transition, and I am not quite sure where I am going next. I have a backyard covered in a fresh layer of snow, and right now I just want to run around and make new tracks. I don’t want to make a list of commitments. I want to play in the snow with my kids and see how enchanting the world is through their eyes.

I had never thought about choosing one word to define a new year until I had read a question posed by the lovely Galit Breen of These Little Waves. She asked her Facebook friends and fans, “What’s your one word for how you want 2015 to be?” I scrolled through the comments and saw a lot of words that I wanted to steal for my own, but I decided to let Galit’s question sink in before making my choice.

What word will inspire me? What word will help me work toward my goals and take care of myself? What word will guide me through this journey of motherhood?

At first I wasn’t feeling a strong connection to any word, and I was also feeling a bit grumpy. I hadn’t had my coffee yet. My kids argued with me about what I was making for breakfast. And I was feeling stressed about our home remodeling situation. I hadn’t even been awake for an hour, and already I was worrying about anything and everything. While a million thoughts about bills, dirty dishes, and where I saw myself in 10 years were swirling around in my head, my daughter came running into the kitchen to tell me about pixie dust. She was full of excitement, squealing and jumping up and down while she told me about Tinker Bell and her ability to fly. My daughter was also curious. “Mommy, how do you make pixie dust?” she asked. Then it hit me. I could stand to sprinkle some pixie dust on my worries, doubts and fears.

I choose to make this year magical. Listening to my children chirp as I try to make breakfast half-asleep is magical. My world would be lonely and too quiet without them. Creating new rooms out of the old and ignored spaces in our house is magical. Yes, it requires funding and a lot of hard labor. However, I would not trade the moments I am able to spend with my husband designing, demolishing and rebuilding with saws, nail guns and countless trips to Menards for anything. As much as I cling to reality to guide me through life, I also need to see how magical the world can be. I need to jump up and down, giggle like my children, and ask questions about how pixie dust is made.

This year will be my year of magical thinking. I want to think about possibility. I want to allow my ideas to fly. I want to open my heart to enjoying the present moment without always having to know what my next 10 tasks will be. Living in the present moment –that’s magical.

There are dozens of other words tugging at my heart, but this year I choose to loosen up, explore, and give myself some much needed wiggle room.

Have you chosen your word for 2015? I’ve been so curious about what other words have been chosen this year that I decided to reach out to some awesome bloggers I have had the opportunity to meet either on or offline. I was thrilled to get so many responses back, and I am happy to share their words with you. I hope you find some inspiration from these ladies, I know I have.

Top row (left to right):

Nicki from MinneMama Adventures: Patience. She says, “I chose the word Patience. Mostly because, well, I’m not. But in 2015, I must be mindfully patient for many reasons…in everyday dealings with my rambunctious children, in potential recognition with my job and my writing, in entering year two of trying for baby #3…so many reasons that patience will be a necessity in the coming year.”

Galit from These Little Waves: Whatever it is that you LOVE, do that. The first time I met Galit, she had a beautiful smile on her face. We had just finished parking our cars at the Minnesota State Fair, and we were both trying to figure out which building to go to for a fun blogger event put on by Alice (Dining with Alice). It was, get this, a chilly, rainy summer day. Even though we were a little cold, wet and lost, Galit’s smile was all the sunshine we needed. And you certainly can’t help but smile when you read her writing. Check out why Galit has decided to live 2015 by this phrase here.

Sarah from Moderate Mama’s House: Attentive. On choosing this word, Sarah says, “I’m learning that I’m not the best listener and that I need to be more purposeful with my kids… it was a toss-up between ‘purposeful’ and ‘attentive’… attentive won.”

Second row (left to right):

Jen from Wonderfully Unkempt: Fearless. Yes, you can read this as ‘fearless,’ and ‘fear less.’ Fear has the ability to drive our decisions and paralyze us. Jen is ready to face the New Year by putting her fears aside, and she is already off to a great start after completing her first indoor triathlon earlier this month. Read more about why Jen chose ‘Fearless’ here.

Sara from Writing with Bangles: Proactive. Sara says, “Proactive is my way of dealing with my lifelong tendency to procrastinate & to guide me in preparing for an uncertain future. Whereas in the past my default would be to run away from uncertainty or change; my goal for 2015 is to meet any challenges head-on, embrace deadlines & anticipate what’s next.” You can read more about why Sara chose this word here. Thanks Sara for coming up with our own hashtag: #bloggersword2015!

Susan from Beyond Your Blog and Pecked to Death by Chickens: Yes. On choosing this word Susan says, “I picked ‘Yes’ because I want to say yes to a lot of new opportunities this year.  It doesn’t mean I won’t say ‘No’, in fact I’ll probably say a LOT of ‘No’ in order to have time for the ‘Yes’s’ I want to say.  I want to put myself out there beyond my comfort zone and make opportunities happen for myself so I get to say ‘Yes’ a lot!”

Third row (left to right):

Alice from Dining with Alice: Relax. Alice says, “When I find time to actually relax I often say to myself, ‘I need to do this more often.’ And I do. So in 2015, I’m going to try and relax more.  I’m going to try and take more bubble baths, stay in my jammies longer, maybe go to yoga or the movies and when the snow melts just lay in the grass.” This hardworking Minnesota mama surely deserves some more time to relax, especially since she makes our lives easier by providing us with some amazing recipes to try at home.

Beth from Life with Bethie the Boo: Embrace. Beth says, “I chose embrace –embrace new adventures and experiences and embrace where I am in my life.” In addition to embracing what the year will bring, Beth is also embracing her new mantra (and a personal favorite of mine): Let it go. Read more about Beth’s mantra for 2015 here.

Jennifer from Apartment-Wife: Generosity. Jennifer spreads so much sunshine on her blog, so it’s no surprise to me that she would choose generosity for her word for 2015. I have not met Jennifer in person yet, but this word seems so fitting for her. Read more about Jennifer’s word for 2015 here. You should also check out some of her awesome Random Acts of Happiness if you need some cheering up or another reason to smile big.

Bottom row (left to right):

Allyson from Allyson Wonderland Photography: Balance. She writes, “Being a word lover, I had a lot of fun looking for words that would define my 2015. The one that really resonated with me was BALANCE–evenly distributed, equally proportioned, steady. This one seems to work across all areas of my life. I am trying to get to the gym more often, but don’t want to swing into crazy person territory by not giving myself a break. I’m trying to eat better, but I still spoil myself with a bowl of ice cream now and then. I’m trying to plan an economical wedding that’s still awesome. I’m trying to find that mysterious work/life balance. All of these things require finding that happy medium, and that’s my goal for 2015.”

Christine, author of Open Boxes: the gifts of living a full and connected life, and blogger: Patience. Yes, patience is something I need to work on, too. I love how Christine adds the words, “Breathe. Be gentle.” I will be repeating these words to myself every day.

These ladies are awesome. And it’s going to be an awesome year around here. Cheers to you all and to 2015!

This is where I start again.

Here we are again. It’s that time of year when simply looking outside will send a chill through the bones of your body. I want to stay inside, pour another cup of coffee and crawl under a blanket. I feel tired. I know I must move and keep my kiddos moving too. It takes every ounce of my energy to get my children to put on their boots, gloves, hats and jackets. I chase them around the house, making incessant requests to listen to me so we can get some fresh air. I feel lonely. I miss spending hours outside in the warmth of the sun. I miss the little conversations with neighbors and other parents at the park. Those days seemed so effortless and bright. I feel lost. These days are bleak, and darkness comes too soon. But there are resolutions to make and goals to set. I begin to question myself. Am I doing this right? Am I going anywhere? Am I enough?

I wrap my hands around my mug of herbal tea before looking out the window. A layer of hard snow covers our backyard. Hundreds of frozen footsteps make trails from the back porch steps to the trees and shrubs that border our yard. Only a handful of leaves have managed to hold their grasp on the branches of our trees. It’s close to sunset, but the grey sky mutes the beauty of shades of pink and orange. Everything is still. Everything is calm. Too still, and too calm. I feel empty. A dead leaf suddenly catches my eye. The wind has invited it to dance across the snow. It glides 6 inches to the left, leaps off the ground and spins another foot to the right. The wind gently drops the leaf to the ground where it remains still once again. It’s beautiful and brutal to witness.

This is winter. This is the hardest part of winter for me. This is where I start again.

I take a sip of my tea, set my mug on the desk and release my grasp. It’s time to open the laptop and type. It’s time to let my fingers dance across the keypad. I don’t know what I will write about. I feel tired, lonely and lost, but there are beautiful shades of pink and orange hiding behind the grey sky. The bitter cold interrupts my plans and paralyzes me, but after some time, I find my layers and put them on. I open the door, step outside, and I breathe. I put one boot in front of the other. I search the ground and bushes for fallen branches, and I decide to build a fire. I watch the flames twirl in the wind, and once again, I feel the warmth of summer on my face.

Minnesota winters are brutal and beautiful. I want to avoid the cold slap of the wind on my face, but it’s the same cold slap I need to wake me up. I get lost in the comfort of patterns and habits. I build walls and then I retreat. I lose my momentum, and then I feel lost. When I finally glance out the window, I see there are patches of snow that have been left untraveled.

It’s a new year. It’s a new day. It’s time to get out and play in the snow.

This is winter. The hardest part is starting a new routine and embracing the cold. But there are new fires to start. And these fires will warm your soul.

Is your fire burning bright?

Before the blur.

Time goes by too fast. Yet some days, like today, seem to never end. I keep spinning on this tire swing, and everything begins to blur.

The constant bickering between my son and daughter, the complaining, the piles of dirty laundry on our bedroom floor, the Halloween pumpkins covered in snow on my front doorstep, the screaming over having to put on a jacket, the chaos.

Some days feel like they will never end. On these days I like to play a game called, “How long can I last until I pour myself a glass of wine?” I’m pretty proud of myself. I made it to 7:00 p.m. today. But I’m not proud of myself for letting all of the chaos get to me. After cleaning the living room floor for the first time in God knows how long, my daughter knocked over a plant which spilled dirt all over the freshly Swiffered floor. I slammed a cupboard door as hard as I could while I stomped into the kitchen to grab a paper towel to clean the mess up. And then I grunted like a wild animal. That was me trying to hold my shit together. The chaos got to me.

As I look out the kitchen window now and see the glowing blanket of snow in our backyard, I find it hard to believe that it was only three weeks ago when my family took a walk to the park together to escape the clutter of boxes and piles of things with no place yet in our new home. My husband and I had been preoccupied with unpacking for several days, and the kids wanted nothing but our undivided attention. We decided we needed a break from housework; our kids needed us to take a break. The four of us crowded around the front door, we stumbled into each other as we put our shoes on, we locked up the house, my husband held our son’s hand, and I held my daughter’s hand. We walked two blocks to the park in the afternoon sun, and as we all took a deep breath of the fresh, warm, fall air, I could sense a wave of peace settling in our hearts and minds.

The walk was short, but it was just enough time to breathe. It was just enough time to bring me back to the moment. Yes, we needed to unpack so we could settle into our new home, but the truth is, we were already settled.

“Mommy, you’re it!” My son yelled with glee as he ran toward the playground. “Mommy, push me,” my daughter demanded with joy as she climbed onto a swing. “Someone come sit on the tire swing with me,” I shouted with excitement. My son came running toward me and I scooped up his heavy body and sat him across from me on the swing. My husband gave us a quick, hard spin and we screamed as we held on tight while watching everything else swirl around and around behind us. The trees, the sky, and the playground turned to a blur. I looked at my son. Everything behind him remained blurred, but I could see him clearly as we continued to spin.

His wide smile. The joy in his eyes. It melted my heart.

In that moment, time stopped. It stopped long enough for me to breathe in the chaos and breathe out peace. It stopped long enough to remind me that the blur of it all is simply part of the background. Time stopped long enough for me to acknowledge that things will never stop moving, growing and changing around me. It stopped long enough for me to see that all that mattered was that I was there on that swing with my son. We existed. We existed not in the background, but in the foreground—before the blur.

“Wheeeeeee!” We screamed as we continued to spin. Time stopped for a moment, yet, it flew by so fast. Within seconds my son begged me to stop the tire swing. He jumped off laughing, stumbled around for a few steps, caught his balance, and then he was on his way to climb up the ropes.

Times goes by so fast. Sometimes I spin so much that everything around me turns into a blur. Sometimes the blur is all I can see, and it slows me down. But when I think about that moment with my son on the tire swing, I am reminded that the blur is simply part of the background. I exist. My kids exist. My husband exists. And we are settled on this tire swing together.

Minnesota is nice.

Well, it’s not very nice right now with the threat of snow, chapped lips, little sunlight, and chilly temperatures. But the people are nice. They are kind. They are generous. They make you smile.

Sometimes I forget about how nice it is to meet new people. As a mom who stays home the majority of the week with her two young children, I don’t often have the opportunity to meet new people. Usually I am okay with this since meeting new people triggers all sorts of anxiety, but other times, I start to feel quite lonely. I begin to feel like I live in a bubble –the parenting bubble. Parenting is always on mind; I will never stop being a parent. But I am also more than a mother. I forget this sometimes.

Meeting new people makes my palms sweaty. I trip over my words. My face blushes. I make really strange comments. Sometimes I barely say anything in order to avoid making really strange comments. My cheeks get really warm like I have just chugged a glass of red wine. It puts me way out of my comfort zone. In these instances, I count on my kids bailing me out. Oh, sorry, gotta go, my son’s trying to pee behind the tree over there. Oh, I’d love to hang out with you at this birthday party, but there goes my daughter throwing a tantrum. It’s been one of those rough days with no nap and we better just leave. But in those rare cases when I am in public alone, I am forced to become more than a mother –it’s terrifying.

To be honest, I almost didn’t attend the Minnesota Blogger Conference this year because I didn’t know anyone who was going. Sure, I had met a few other bloggers before, but we had only shared brief conversations. I certainly didn’t feel comfortable enough finding them in a crowd and saying, “Hi, remember me?” Well, I survived. As difficult as it was, I forced myself to go. I knew that if I didn’t go, I would miss an opportunity to meet other people who care about writing. I would miss an opportunity to learn about something new. I would miss an opportunity to grow and to learn how to become more confident in myself. I would miss an opportunity because of fear. And that’s not what living the superhero life is all about. So I went. And I met some really nice people. We talked about why we were at the conference and what we had hoped to learn. We talked about our interests and goals. We even talked about parenting.

I survived. In fact, I felt very much alive. It was a good feeling to awaken other parts of me that I often allow to keep snoozing. It was a good feeling to do something out of the norm and to force myself to take on a new challenge. It was a good feeling to focus on myself for eight hours. I grew from that experience. Most importantly, I met others who were there to do the same thing, and they were so nice. They were happy to be there. They were excited and nervous to meet new people. And they were interested in blogging!

Minnesota is nice. When you get out and put yourself out there, you will meet people who are kind. You will meet people who are generous. You will meet people who can make you smile. Let me introduce you to one of these nice people.

Meet Allyson from Allyson Wonderland Photography:

{Photo of Allyson by Hollywould Designs}

I had the pleasure of meeting Allyson at the Minnesota Blogger Conference after she had kindly offered to take a picture of me and two other awesome ladies at the conference. She broke the ice, and I worked up the courage to make small talk with her. I learned that she is a social worker and photographer. While speaking with her, she made a comment that really caught my attention. She had mentioned that she started pursuing photography because she wanted to be able to think about something more than her day job in the middle of the night. I love that. While she enjoys the challenges of her career in social work, she also enjoys being able to give people moments they can remember and cherish forever through a photograph. Last weekend, Allyson did just that for me.

{Photo of Allyson by Hollywould Designs}

After the Minnesota Blogger Conference, I discovered that I had won a free mini photo session with Allyson. We met at Cherokee Heights Park last weekend, and for thirty minutes she quietly and thoughtfully took pictures of me with my husband and kids. I was nervous because my kids (and husband) are not at all interested in sitting still for pictures, but Allyson made us all feel relaxed and comfortable. We played at the playground. We threw leaves at each other. We played in the dirt. And we had fun on the swings. My kids didn’t sit still at all, but Allyson didn’t mind. She played along. She smiled. And she allowed my family to be. There was no pressure to be anyone but ourselves. And you know what, she captured some moments that I will cherish forever. I told my family that all I wanted was to be in a picture with them, but Allyson captured something much greater than a picture. She captured us.

My son, he is always up for an adventure. My husband, he knows he’s in for a crazy ride.

Me, my heart is full of joy to be with these three. And my daughter, well, she is her own woman, but she sure loves the comfort of her family too.

Allyson took some other great photos of us, but these were some of my favorites. These pictures make my heart feel so full. These pictures have put a big grin on my face.

So who is Allyson? Well, besides amazing, I interviewed Allyson to get to know a little more about her story. Here’s what she has to share with you:

If you could go anywhere for a day just to take pictures, where would you go and why?

There are so many places I’d love to go! If we can assume for a minute that teleporting is a possibility, then I would make it a jam-packed day full of places I’ve never been. I’d start with a sunrise over the Grand Canyon, swing over to the Pacific Northwest for brunch and pit stops along the coast, and end my day in Canada with a picnic in Banff and the sunset from Jasper. It would be a crazy day, but can you imagine the photos?

At what moment did you realize or decide that you were ready to take the leap and start pursuing photography and your photography business?

Photography has never been my career — I work full time as a social worker, so photography has always been something I do on the side because I enjoy it. A few years ago, after years of enjoying photography, I thought it would be fun to take photos for friends & family. To be honest, I still have no idea why anyone let me behind a camera with no experience, but that’s why friends & family are so great — they trust you & are supportive of the things you love. I just started taking photos for free until eventually people I knew started offering to pay me, and then people who were acquaintances started asking me to take their photos, and when someone I’d never met asked me to do their photos for the first time, that’s when something changed. It didn’t feel like a business until then. I still haven’t taken “the leap” into making it strictly a business. I’d love to do photography more in the future, but for now, I love having a hobby that allows me to be creative & meet new people. 

Do you have a favorite local spot that you like to photograph, take pictures of others at, or go to for inspiration? 

If I had to pick one local spot, I’d say the Franconia Sculpture Park. It’s a little bit of a drive outside of the Cities, but I am never disappointed with a trip there & the installations change pretty frequently. If I need to get inspired, I usually find myself outside & exploring. Nature inspires me, so it’s great creative inspiration for photography or otherwise. 

What is one way in which photography feeds your soul?

I’d say anything creative fills me up. I’m one of those people who has a lot of creative outlets — too many, probably, because I’m not particularly great at any of them. I do love photography, but I also love crocheting, baking, trying to play guitar, blogging, painting, music, sewing, writing, etc. I think the rigidity of my full time job makes me appreciate having the ability to let loose in other areas in my free time. It’s all about the balance.

What did you enjoy most about the Minnesota Blogger Conference? Since attending, have you made any new commitments or goals as a blogger? 

This was my 2nd time at MN Blog Conference, and I always leave extra inspired & strive to be more intentional with my blog. I always think I should blog more, but I really just want to blog better & be more intentional about fostering community. I have a few goals that came out of the conference this year: 

1. Only blog when I have something to say. I know I’m supposed to blog more consistently, but the pressure to churn out posts makes me feel less genuine & helpful. I’d rather spend two weeks writing a really killer post that I’m actually proud of than to have posted 6 times and no one cares because I didn’t, either. 
2. Collaborate more. I love meeting people at the conference and get a lot of great ideas, but then I go home and forget all about it. I really want to be more involved with the blogging community outside of the conference once a year. 
3. Chase big ideas. The conference this year gave me some big ideas — bigger than just my blog. I’m always a little nervous to put myself out there, but I really want to push myself to do something with those ideas. Here’s to accountability! Hopefully you’ll see more about this one on my blog soon.

If you are interested in learning more about Allyson and her photography, check out her blog and portfolio. Better yet, schedule a session with her so you can meet her in person and enjoy some beautiful, memorable photos of your own.

{Photo of Allyson by Hollywould Designs}

Minnesota is really nice. We have some great people living here. And they sure know how to make you smile.