I feel so humbled when my clients get featured in print or have TV appearances, especially when it comes to the amazing mom and girl boss, Jen Amplo. This woman is amazing on all fronts!  Not only is she raising three strong and confident young ladies but she is also a constant supporter of her husband's Marquette Lacrosse team AND is running her own highly successful business. How she can do it all we will never know! But please check out her appearance on TMJ 4 Morning Blend and their segment of how to raise strong & confident girls in the 21st century.  

With the summer just around the corner, Dan and I have made the conscious decision to explore more of the great state of Wisconsin. While living overseas has spoiled us with out-of-this-world adventures, we have quickly realized that living stateside year round can render many more quick and rewarding experiences. So this spring, summer + fall, we are in full exploration mode! Any awesome places we should check out?! Towns, hiking trails, state parks, small town restaurants? 

First adventure is officially in the books!  We took a small pit-stop from our usual route back from Minnesota and decided to explore Devil's Lake State Park. Crystal clear lake + breathtaking bluffs; hard to believe this is Wisconsin! ​

Hi friends! I hope you have your coffee in hand and you are powering through the first couple of hours of this gorgeous Monday morning. I wanted to share a couple of fun and hopefully interesting tidbits about myself. ​

I grew up in Poland and moved to the States (Chicago) when I was 9 years old. Even though I have lived in the States longer than in Poland, I still speak Polish and I’m in the process of teaching our three year old. She constantly likes to remind me that she doesn’t understand “Poohhlish" but I like to think it’s her selective hearing, especially when it comes to toy clean up time. 

My husband and I are currently doing the Whole30 diet, aka the "not eating anything fun" diet. Even though I feel absolutely great from cutting out all the processed goodness in our lives, I can’t wait to dig into a cheese pizza. One more week folks! Also if you have recommendations for amazing pizza places in Milwaukee please send them my way! 
In our twenties, my husband and I lived out of four suitcases traveling around the world. Even though we have settled down (having kids and a mortgage will do that!), we still have wanderlust in our hearts and are on a summer mission to explore local Wisconsin attractions. Any fun places we should check out? 
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Truth be told, I don’t feel super comfortable being in front of the camera. Hence, I am nervouly laughing in this photo as my husband tells me to “smile with my eyes.” I am so grateful my job has landed me on the other side of the lens where I can make my clients feel at ease. If not, my husband and I make a traditional homemade Polish vodka, which the recipe has been passed down from my grandparents. So if you need a little more relaxation or pick me up during a session, just ask me to bring some #DOMvodka along! 
Have a great day friends!

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Miscarriage. No words a women wants to hear. 

Not too long ago I was sitting down for lunch with a friend who recently experienced a miscarriage. She told me that one of the toughest times when dealing with loss is in those weeks around your due date. I agree but somehow two of my due dates have come and gone and oddly enough my feelings around those dates didn’t surpass the hurt I felt when we found out we had miscarried. Emotions are interesting. In moments when things are swirling around us, we feel calm focused and collective. Only during those little out of the blue moments is when we fall apart. I am writing this as we approach a year from our first miscarriage. In the weeks and months that followed I felt completely numb, simply going through the motions of life.
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I am writing this with sadness in my heart but also with amazement of how different a year can make a person feel. When we found out I was pregnant last February, I felt nervous and overwhelmed. Eva was only a year and a half, my business was growing and in the midst of juggling parenthood + marriage + a business I seemed to have lost myself.

In a bizarre way, that first miscarriage allowed me to really focus on myself and find a life balance. The second miscarriage (which followed a couple of months later) taught me that all good things in life are worth waiting for. So with this week's not-so-great-anniversary of loss, I have to admit I feel more at peace than I have ever before. Life has an interesting way of teaching us lessons, making us slow down and appreciate small daily blessings. If you told me last year that "things unfolds as they should," I would have probably rolled my eyes and told you to take a hike. However this year I can finally see that those words ring true. Life sucks sometimes. Dealing with loss is an uphill battle but with enough time you do get over the hump and realize it will all be okay. To anyone going through loss, remember you ARE strong, you ARE brave and you WILL get through this one day - one hour - one minute at a time.

13 Day Old Kellan was amazing during his Milwaukee lifestyle newborn session. This adorable little boy slept most of his session only waking up when his big sister, the beloved black lab Gabby, licked his face. I have to admit, Gabby was quite the star during the session! She posed, actually looked into the camera (normally I have to make quite interesting animal noises to get our furry friends to look at me) and didn't want to be left out of a single shot. The session went off without a hitch, it was laid back, bright and airy! Because nothing warms this photographers heart more than two loving parents, an adorable sleeping newborn and a posing puppy! 

Little Preston was born on a beautiful October day. Then all of a sudden we blinked and he turned 3 months old! Honestly, I can't believe I was just photographing his newborn session and now he's a happy-go-lucky 3 month old. Time is flying by! When I arrived at his home, he was peacefully sleeping in this adorable wicker bassinet only waking up to his stunning momma giving him kisses. At first he was a little shy holding on to his momma but then he warmed up and gave us quite a few little smiles and cute glances. He has big blue eyes and adorable little cheeks. And check out his perfectly decorated nursery! I have some serious nursery envy. For real, #nurserygoals ! 

Did you know that for a good portion of our 20s my husband and I lived overseas?! We literally lived as nomads and bounced around the world with 4 suitcases and a camera. We were very fortunate to have lived and worked in Europe, Asia and South America. In those years abroad we wrote a travel blog to keep our family and friends in the loop. Since the blog hasn't been updated in a couple of years, I decide it was time to transition it into a book format for our little family to remember our adventures. I also thought it would be fun to feature some of our most memorable stories and photos as a "fun travel series" to break up my photography blog. Hey, we all need a little more travel in our lives! So sit back, take a sip of your morning coffee and enjoy this first post of our time spent in Oviedo, Spain. 

I don't know what I expected from Northern Spain, it's not an area that gets much world recognition or gets put on the "must-see" or "must-travel-to" lists. Everyone that I talked to that has traveled to Spain has instantly fell in love with the culture, food and way of life. But for me, for the first time in our six years abroad, I wanted to keep my guard up and not experience the country through other people's stories. I wanted a completely clean slate - no research - no travel advice - just me, getting on a plane.... and seeing what this Spanish lifestyle is all about.  

​Oviedo is a charming town, nestled between the Cantabrian Sea and the Cantabrian Mountains. The city is the capital of the Asturias region and has about 200,000 inhabitants. It's covered with colorful houses - purple, olive green, blue, yellow and red - some tiled and some painted. The colorful houses are supposed to bring joy and color to a city in which winter months can be overcast and rainy. 

Oviedo has old world charm with cobblestone streets, fountains, historical buildings and it's famous cathedral. The Gothic cathedral of Oviedo, is a prominent structure in the city skyline. The light yellow cathedral was restored in the 12th century, on the grounds of a pre-romanesque 9th century church. The original parts of church are still visible inside the cathedral's cloister and are even listed on the World Heritage Site list. The Oviedo Cathedral is not only stunning to look at but legend has it that in 718, the King of Spain Alfonso II brought the cloth that was used to cover and clean the face of Jesus after his crucifixion to Oviedo. The religious relic remained hidden for years and finally on March 14th, 1075, the chest containing the cloth was officially opened and has remained inside the cathedral ever since. This religious relic, along with many others is housed inside the Holy Chamber of the cathedral.

Life in Oviedo moves slowly, stores are closed between 2-4, people stroll down the cobblestone streets often holding hands. Coffee is sipped at a leisurely pace, sitting at a cafe or restaurant watching the world go by. No one is in a hurry, even people stuck in traffic seem content. No honking, flashing lights, and remarkably, even letting other cars go in front of them. (Such a foreign concept to me being from Chicago and being used to aggressive driving!)

Pedestrians always have a right of way. 

People work to live, take in every moment and seem content doing the simple things in life.

Food is fresh and wine is cheap. It is totally acceptable to drink wine or the local Asturian speciality of sidra at lunch and then go back to work. Tapas and pinchos are served when one orders drinks (Even at discotecas!).  Food and drink are enjoyed, not swallowed quickly. Dinner can last a couple of hours with no one being in a hurry. Conversation is always plentiful and laughter is abundant. 

People are friendly, open, welcoming and willing to help. It has been remarkably easy for us to make new friends and even snatch a couple of dinner invitations along the way.

Once you leave the city all you will see is rolling hills with grazing life stock; sheep, horses, and cows with big Swiss looking bells. There are deep valleys with jagged rock formations covered by lush forests. 

When driving through the countryside one can notice an abundance of Asturian storage huts attached to houses or converted into garages. These elevated part wood - part stone structures, serve as excess food storage during the winter months and prevent any critters from getting in to the food supply. 

Northern Spain is friendly and full of culture. It's rich in it's traditions of fishing, farming and cheese making. The mountains and coast line make it  a unique natural retreat with hiking paths, outdoor sports and a plethora of beautiful scenery.

During our time in Spain, we have learned to slow down. To eat dinner and lunch for a couple of hours at a time. To take siestas in the middle of the day and stay out till 3 am. We learned that life is not about how much you aquire but it's about the experiences you have along the way. Our Spanish life has reminded us that the best pleasures in life are simple.

Sushma + Vamsi were married in India two months ago. This adorable newlywed couple put on quite the festivity in their native homeland with a wedding celebration for 3,000 people. They celebrated their love surrounded by family and friends in a traditional South Asian wedding that lasted three whole days. They exchanged traditional vows, celebrated, feasted and even danced the night away to a choreographed Bollywood dance. 

Together with Colleen from Capture Life Moments, I was able to photograph Sushma + Vamsi as they started their life together in their new hometown of Milwaukee. They were laid back and simply wonderful during our oh-so-cold and windy Wisconsin photo session. They held each other close as the wind blew through the warehouse district. Their traditional South Asian attire contrasted beautifully against the wintery Milwaukee backdrop and cream city brick. Welcome to Milwaukee dear friends!