a letter to my husband & an announcement...

What a year it has been, 'eh? Lord knew that marriage wouldn't be easy, but I never thought we would face so many joys and challenges in our first 12 months.

The mountain tops were high: We rented our first apartment together and made it our home. We traveled the states and beyond. You completed your bachelor's degree - with flying colors! We found a great church community and made lots of new friends together. We joined one of my best friends as she said "I do" and witnessed as other dear friends jumped into forever with each other. You began your seminary journey - Yay Greek! We shared the joy of adding another little nephew to the family and celebrated with our families during great accomplishments.

The valleys were terribly low as we stood with family and friends during heartbreak and tragedies, carried the casket of one of your best friends, experienced deep grief and confusion, juggled broken cars and pinched pennies, sometimes with only our trust in God to carry us through the days and weeks.

Merging two lives together has been an exciting, difficult and rewarding thing.

As I proudly and confidently took the leap into joining you as your wife, I am now finally taking the leap into rebranding as Jenn Anibal. Thank you for loving me, supporting me, laughing with me and holding me when the days were too much to bear. It's been a crazy dance through the minefields, but you are the best dance partner I could have. I love you, hubs. Don't give up on me.

Becoming Jenn Anibal... from jennanibal on Vimeo.

"i do" are the most famous last words, the beginning of the end. but to lose your life for another, i've heard, is a good place to begin. because the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down and i believe its an easy price for the life that we have found.

we're dancing in the minefields. we're sailing in the storms.

this is harder than we dreamed, but i believe that's what the promise is for

we bear the light of the Son of man so there is nothing left to fear. so i'll walk with you in the shadow lands until the shadows disappear. because He promised not to leave us and His promises are true. so in the face of all this chaos, baby... i can dance with you. don't give up on me.

the announcement . . . 

I alluded to "something big" happening recently on twitter. To all of you who thought I was pregnant... I'm sorry, you're wrong. Ladies, gentlemen, friends and family. This concludes my journey as JennWebber Photography. It has been a rewarding path, but from this point forward, I will be walking on a new path. Don't worry, I'm not putting the camera away, this is a simple rebrand that has been a year in the making... 

Change your bookmarks, folks. 
You can now find me at:

 www.jennanibal.com

etsy.com & the chasey family

I have to admit something. I have a recent fetish with etsy.com and all things etsy. It started when I was planning my wedding - oh the wonderful ideas and crafty pieces - I wanted it all. Now, even in the past couple months, I still find myself wandering to etsy.com - just because. Last week I attended a local home tour and even found a fabulous new store in Grand Rapids - both featuring etsy artists. In another life, I think I'd even love to be an etsy artist. But for now, I'll ooh and ahh over intricate pieces and fancy crafts and then hang it on my wall and secretly be extra-happy because it's from etsy.

Now, confession over... I HAVE to tell you about a fabulous etsy artist named, Heather. I met Heather a few months ago when her little babe Analiese was just about 2 months old. Her and her husband invited me into their home to capture some moments with their first little one. As soon as I stepped into their house, I knew that Heather was a creative soul. That was confirmed when I received Analiese's birth announcement a few weeks later - a beautiful, handmade card designed by her momma. When I heard that Heather was opening up her own etsy shop, I was thrilled! The shop is called { pipe|up } and she specializes in custom card designs for life's special events - birth announcements, save the dates, wedding invitations and even holiday cards. So, looking for a fun way to share some of your favorite portraits or engagement pictures with your loved ones? Order a custom design from pipe|up and send them some love or holiday cheer. To check out Heather's store, just click this cute little button here:

Speaking of Heather.... her fabulous little family of three joined me for an autumn session a few weeks ago. I couldn't believe how much Analiese had grown! She is now a bubbly 9-month old and as cute as ever. Heather had lots of fun ideas for the shoot - including bringing some homemade pieces to add some flair. Together, we bounced ideas and locations back and forth until we landed on the perfect setting for their session. It was hard to narrow down favorites, but here are a few...

megan & jake {engaged!}

Occasionally, while walking around town during a photo session, I may run into someone I know or that my clients know. Its always a nice surprise, but not out of the ordinary as my connections in West Michigan continue to grow. However, during this engagement session, we ran into one of my best friends, Kate. This was very out of the ordinary though, because Kate lives on the other side of the state. That evening, we just happened to be in the exact same spot in the city of Holland! And then... a few minutes later, we also happened to run into Megan's little sister on the Hope College campus as she was walking to dinner at the exact moment we were walking through campus. Oh, coincidences :)

Anyways, without further ado, let me introduce Megan and Jake. This wonderful couple will finally be tying the knot this coming summer after seven years of dating (yes, seven!!). Until then, here are a few of my favorite images from their autumn engagement session...

alison {senior 2011}

Well, autumn is quickly fading. It seems almost all the leaves have fallen and the days are become chillier and chillier. Part of me is mourning... you see, autumn is my favorite season and as quickly as it comes, it also departs. But the part of me that is hoping for snow any moment is not sad. I do love snow and the change of a season - especially as we enter into the holidays.

But, let's not rush it. We still have Thanksgiving to finish off autumn... and, I have a few more fall sessions to share with you! One of those sessions is a beautiful 2011 senior named, Alison. Alison is the sister of a former groom, so I was thrilled when she contacted me! Together, we braved a chilly autumn morning for her senior session - laughing and talking about college plans.

 

This is "her" coat... she's known for it! We had to grab a couple sassy images of her in this sassy jacket!