I look forward to this post every year. The chance to pause and reflect on the journey and accomplishments, both personally and professionally, is one I appreciate as life so often blurs from one day into the next. Personally, 2017 was a year of refining and redemption. After 2016 broke our hearts we welcomed our rainbow baby, Annalise Mina, with joyful hearts and open arms. She has been a true joy and the light of our life. We also moved from Los Angeles to Yucaipa to be with family. Living with my family has provided the opportunity for me to stay home full time with our little one during this…

I am deeply grateful for each and every client that opened their hearts and homes to me. Documenting your heart and soul is my passion. I am truly thankful to tell the story of family, a sacred, beautiful and powerful force. It is all an undeserved grace and a story that can change the world. In addition, we have been deeply blessed with our own beginnings of family. Our precious girl is our world and reminds me daily of the thousands of reasons I have to give thanks.

From cozy sweaters on the racks to pumpkin lattes at the coffee shop, everything is screaming fall is here. This Southern California area heat on the other hand makes me think summer adventures will last forever. While we are holding onto some last remains of summer and having adventures in Yucaipa and Oak Glen, sadly our summer loving is over for the most part. Since it is over a 100 degrees today though I am going to pretend it is still the carefree days of adventure and share a few of my favorite images from the past few months. Park days were a staple of our summer. Baby Annalise loves…

Last week’s celebration of breastfeeding during World Breastfeeding Week had me reflecting on the experience as a new mom and gave me a chance to share some beautiful images of my amazing clients. See it all here.It also made me think of a few of my favorite things that make this commitment a little less daunting. Below are a few of the things I have come to love and appreciate. I would also love to hear from you. Let me know your nursing must haves in the comments below. Please note these are not affiliate links, they are simply things I love and want to share with you all. Madela…

After typing the title I am now singing “Ch-ch-ch-changes! Turn and face the strange changes. Time may change me but I can’t waste time” (be very glad you can’t actually hear me singing). Okay, now that my cameo as David Bowie is over, I am so excited to share some major changes happening over in the Captured Grace by Erin world. First, we moved! Our family is now located in the beautiful hills of Yucaipa, Ca. Having lived in the heart of downtown Los Angeles for the past 7 years this is quite the change. Birds replaced helicopters and trees replaced skyscrapers. I am not complaining. The Yucaipa sunset is…

Every new year you think, this is going to be THE year. The start of a calendar year is always filled with so much hope that we try not to think that it could be the year that brings hurt and pain. Yet, I have lost count of the number of times my husband and I have turned to each other and mentioned how hard 2016 has been so far. A year filled with personal loss and deep soul searching, a year of being tossed by the waves. It will be “one of THOSE years” for us forever. Yet, in the struggle there is always beauty. I have found a deep love for…

We recently experienced a death in my husband’s family as we lost a family matriarch after 92 years of a life well lived. As I sit with the family the conversation turns to how to best celebrate her life during a memorial. Images are a meaningful part of the celebration, a handful of images are all that we have. These photos from her life are being gathered from various boxes and computers, each bringing up another memory and revealing a different aspect of her life.  Yet I find it so sad to hear each family member wish they had more to remember her by. Why is it that we so often…

Oh dear friends, how I wish this was a much different story, one full of joy and anticipation. Sadly, it is not. It is my story though. One full of heartbreak and shattered dreams presented to you as an offering of hope. These words are my small way of dragging the darkness, the pain, and the guilt of miscarriage into the light. I offer our story humbly as one still grieving, praying it falls as comfort on other hurting hearts. My heart has always bent towards motherhood; it is woven into my DNA. I played mom with my dolls and little brothers as a child, volunteered with preschool kids at church,…

On a beautiful Southern California day my beloved and I woke far earlier than we would on any other day spent playing hooky from work. This day was special though. It is a day we talked about our entire relationship together and one we finally made happen. We were headed to Disneyland! Coffee in hand we were like giddy school kids setting off for an adventure, determined to spend ever minute we could exploring the park. We maximized our time at Disneyland, from the minute it opened until the park shut its gates, and were not disappointed. Disney was decked out in slender for both Christmas and its 60th anniversary party.…