Ana & Aaron | Carriage House at Rockwood Park | Wilmington, Delaware
First, Ana and Aaron are married!! Secondly, how has it been six years since I first met them! If you followed Ana and Aaron’s engagement session, you’ll know she’s one of the two roommates I had while completing my Master’s degree in Lynchburg, Virginia.
First, Ana and Aaron are married!! Secondly, how has it been six years since I first met them! If you followed Ana and Aaron’s engagement session, you’ll know she’s one of the two roommates I had while completing my Master’s degree in Lynchburg, Virginia. Ana and Aaron were basically high school sweet hearts with a few twists to their story. Eventually, they were brought back together and all of Delaware (and Virginia) celebrated with them.
Like every #kncouple, Ana and Aaron centered their wedding day around things that were meaningful to them. From Aaron wearing Ana’s Grandpa’s cufflinks, to the romantic and earthy flower crowns Ana and her bridesmaids wore, to Ana surprising her Grandfather with a dance during the reception (and there was not one dry eye) – it was incredibly them.
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We're Pregnant! | Charlotte, North Carolina | Film Photographer
Remember when we moved to Charlotte/Slash when Nate moved to North Carolina and I joined him two weeks later? Well I found out I was pregnant when I was still in Lynchburg. RIGHT before I was flying out of Richmond to spend a week in Chicago.
We’ll story-tell later on how I kept the news from Nate for a whole week and how I ended up telling him – spoiler alert, it’s all on video. For now, though, we’re excited to share this miraculous gift with you and we’ve answered some commonly asked questions below!
Photo by Halee b photography | Film School '17
Remember when we moved to Charlotte/Slash when Nate moved to North Carolina and I joined him two weeks later? Well I found out I was pregnant when I was still in Lynchburg. RIGHT before I was flying out of Richmond to spend a week in Chicago.
We’ll story-tell later on how I kept the news from Nate for a whole week and how I ended up telling him – spoiler alert, it’s all on video. For now, though, we’re excited to share this miraculous gift with you and we’ve answered some commonly asked questions below!
How far along are you/when are you due?
15 weeks today! | April 10, 2018.
How are you feeling?
Well there’s a good dose of extra hormones coursing through my body which makes me feel things even more deeply than I already do. Navigating them has been new for both me and Nate and he’s handled both of us like a champ. As far as straight-up sickness, I have some off days/moments where I’ll feel incredibly nauseas but won’t throw-up. You know, the pain without the relief. And sometimes I get reaaaaaaal tired. I like to describe it as if you drank a whole bottle of NyQuil and you’re ready to fall asleep for three days but, surprise!, it’s daytime and you have to function. My sense of smell has turned into a superpower and poor, sweet Nate has had to change body wash 5 different times.
While I want to share what my experience is like, know that I’m not complaining about this child. I have friends living far harder stories with miscarriages and infertility battles and my heart is for them and their families. As well, I get the privilege of automatic perspective living with my sister Kathryn who has HG and my pregnancy is nothing near what she’s experiencing.
Will you find out what you’re having?
Actually, we already know. Thanks to our friends at Sneak Peek, we’ve known since I was 9 weeks (Which is Craaaaaazy). We’ll be sharing the gender of Baby Schwenk soon. And you guessed it, it’s on video!
Will you still be shooting weddings?
Um, Absolutely! This little baby has already been to 6 weddings, multiple family sessions, and had a root canal...okay that was just me. We’ll continue doing families sessions as well as The Ordinary Workshop in early 2018. I will take some time after the baby is here but I’m open for Pre-Spring, Summer and Fall 2018. So hit me up here to get your date on the calendar!
Wait, I thought you couldn’t have children?
Honestly, we didn’t think we could either. Shortly after we got married I learned I had an allergy to the protein in the semenal plasma. In short, an allergy to sperm. With this diagnosis we assumed it would be painful on my part to have kids but it could still happen. However, after meeting with specialists in Charlottesville, we learned that my body literally would not let an egg become fertilized – that it would self-sabotage to protect me from something it saw as harmful. There were a couple medical intervention options we could try but we decided to hold off for a while. So while we were trying and praying that getting pregnant could/would happen, we were still shocked, stunned, and overjoyed that it actually did.
If you have any other questions, drop them below! We're excited for this new season and even the unknowns that it brings. Thank you so much for being part of our community -- online or in person. You're part of the celebration and that makes it more full for us.
So much love, Kelsey, Nate, #ourdoghenry, and baby.
Deyo Family Session | Forest, Virginia
After the rain cleared, we headed outside to their beautiful backyard to get photos that I think are the epitome of Summer. I will forever love how carefree and fun this session was and how happy I am that they have photos that mark this time in their lives.
We had been married for two weeks, had just moved from Vegas to Lynchburg, Virginia, and I was on the job hunt. If you want to have large transitions all at once, that’s definitely one way to do it. During this time, I interviewed for an admin position and Adam Deyo became my boss and family acquaintances turned into friends. Eventually I quit my job to do photography full-time and Nate actually swapped scenes with me to work with Adam in the same department. The only reason we live so far away from this incredible family now is well, because we moved to Charlotte.
The day of the session, it rained – typical Lynchburg – but that didn’t matter because we knew we wanted to get some lifestyle shots around their beuaitul farmhouse and I love how they turned out! We hit rooms that had a lot of natural light and Kelley wanted to make sure we captured their beautiful ordinary – things that they normally do like hanging out in the kitchen while she prepped dinner.
After the rain cleared, we headed outside to their beautiful backyard to get photos that I think are the epitome of Summer. I will forever love how carefree and fun this session was and how happy I am that they have photos that mark this time in their lives.
*For photographers – because I wanted to shoot color inside under low-light conditions, I did use a mix of digital and pushed film for the inside shots along with black and white film. Both mediums served me well in this session!
So, We're Moving!
We didn’t expect this to happen so fast so we’re sad about the things we didn’t even realize we’d miss. It’s like even though hearing people chew is my NUMBER one pet peeve (To the point where I get angry), I find myself saying, “Lynchburg, I don’t care if you chew with your mouth open, I still love you!”
We’re moving to Charlotte, North Carolina.
We didn’t expect this to happen so fast so we’re sad about the things we didn’t even realize we’d miss. It’s like even though hearing people chew is my NUMBER one pet peeve (To the point where I get angry), I find myself saying, “Lynchburg, I don’t care if you chew with your mouth open, I still love you!”
Yesterday Nate and I talked about how there wasn’t time to mentally prepare for all of our “lasts” here. That if we had known that it was our last time at the Market, our last snow day, the last time our community group met, or the last time enjoying our favorite meals with friends then we would’ve savored those times more. But maybe there’s a sneaky lesson in there – not the cliché live every moment like it’s your last – but live in every moment because that’s where joy is found. In the ordinary moments that are so familiar, they are often overlooked. When we learn to embrace, pause, and welcome them, we’re freed up to live in joy.
Lynchburg is all our marriage has known. I mean we moved 2 days after we got married! Lynchburg is where we grew our business – where we met incredible #kncouples and were privileged to celebrate the start of their marriages. It’s where #ourdoghenry joined our family. It’s where people we love live.
The great news is that Charlotte is the ONLY airport that Lynchburg flies to aaaaand if you play your cards right, you might get stuck there. Now, you’ll have a friend to call when you do.
When are you leaving?
Okay take a deep breath with me. We’re leaving tomorrow – as in Saturday. Nate starts his new job on Monday so as soon as this post is up, I’m going to finish packing the kitchen.
That’s not enough time?!
I KNOW. But we’re still okay with it. It’s been about 10 days since we were 80% moving and 5 since we were 100%. If we had any doubts that this isn’t what we’re supposed to be doing, I would protest. But we know that we know that we know that this is our next step.
Will you be back?
You can’t keep us away from this little slice of off-highway heaven. Again, people we love live here and we still have sessions and weddings all over Virginia. AND there’s a workshop that I’m over the moon excited about.
Will you still run your business here?
Absolutely! Since I have sessions, I’ll be back up for a week at a time until December. So my “goodbye” is drawn out and I’m okay with that. We’ll still service Virginia (Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, DC) while expanding to Charlotte. SO – if you know people in Charlotte, start sending them our way!
And The Ordinary Workshop?
So glad you asked! It’s still happening and you can early-bird it and sign-up here!
Where will you be living?
We’re moving in with our favorite 16-month-old, Linus. My sister Kathryn and her husband Drew have so graciously opened their home to us while we search for a new #schwenkspace. This makes transitioning so much easier because we’re not forced to reactionary buying. It also means that we get to be a part of Linus’ growing up and that is invaluable. We’re also looking for renters to take over the best loft right on Lynchburg’s Main Street – you can e-mail me here if you’re seriously looking!
What will you be doing?
I’ll still be doing this! Families, couples, weddings, and film photography – that won’t change! We’ll still do wedding films (as in video) as well! Nate will be working full-time at Elevation church managing the social media for Elevation Worship. I’m incredibly excited and proud of him as he continues to grow his gifting and passion for communications and marketing.
And finally, why Charlotte?
Because it’s the happiest place on earth! Just kidding – that’s the beach. We knew we wanted to stay on the East Coast because being close to family is a priority for us no matter where that is. (Check out this article that solidified our thoughts last year) Moving further north was not an option because winter. We wanted to still be able to service VA with our business and live close to an international airport. When Kathryn and Drew moved to Charlotte, we already knew eventually we would make our way down to the Carolinas. I just never thought it would be this soon.
I’ve felt the feelings in a week I normally feel in a month; so if you catch me tearing up, you know why. We’re excited, incredibly hopeful, slightly overwhelmed with packing up our loft that we’ve loved so much, sad, and confident. We’re confident that this is our next step and new home. And really Charlotte isn’t that far…from anywhere because there’s an airport that has more than one airline which will be one thing we will NOT miss.
So if you’re reading this, chances are we love you and are grateful for you investing in our lives and we’ll see you soon.
Much Love,
Kelsey, Nate & Henry.
