Carson Family | Abbotsford Family Photographer

How do I sum up in a few sentences, how thankful I am for the person who changed my life? I don’t think I can, and I may have already tried a few times…but I will try again. A year ago I was overweight, stressed out and not very happy with myself. Our little family of five had had a few rough and stressful years, and they had left their toll. Somehow Jody convinced me to start coming to the gym…and my life and the scale started to change. It’s crazy to think it’s been a year and 40 pounds ago that this journey started. I’m pretty convinced that I have never felt better in my entire life. Not only am I healthier and fit on the outside, I also feel so much better on the inside too…I have more energy than I’ve had in years, and I can honestly say that exercise is pretty much the best anti-depressant ever . I won’t lie and say it was easy. It’s still a choice I make every day to put healthier food in my body and to find the time to go to the gym, but it’s definitely been worth all the time, sweat and (maybe a few) tears.

I know I couldn’t have done this without Jody…she truly has a special gift as a trainer. She is someone who motivates and encourages and pushes you to work harder and give 110%. She has overcome some pretty big hurdles in her own life, which makes her even more inspiring. We like to give her a hard time about the ‘torture chamber’ and the crazy workouts she puts us through, but secretly we love it. We love how hard she pushes us (and by us, I mean the amazing group of women who I am so thankful to call my friends. They too have been a big part of my journey) and that she’s always finding new ways to challenge us and push us harder. So while ‘thank-you’ seems so insignificant, I am beyond grateful for the impact that this amazing and talented lady has had on my life. I know God places people on your path for a reason, and I know without a doubt that He placed Jody in my life. These images are just a very small way that I can say ‘thank-you’ to her for changing my life.

Enough about me and onto the pictures of this fabulous family. I was pretty thrilled when Jody and I started talking about doing a photoshoot….Not only are they a gorgeous family, but they have a beauty that  is more than skin deep. What I really love to do is capture a family’s story, and this was a truly fun, thoughtful and awesome family that I loved having in front of my camera. I’ve had the chance to get to know Jody over the last year, it was so neat to get to know her family too and I loved seeing her with the three most important people in her life. I spent a lot of time cracking up at the jokes, one liners and the facial expressions going on, and I really enjoyed seeing their family dynamic. These kids have some spunk (they come by it honestly!) and the silly glasses were the perfect addition to their session (Dylan especially loved being able to pick his nose! haha). Jody and I had spent some time scouting locations, and we found some new-to-me spots to use for their session. I will also add, that this was the last nice and sunny day that we had before the  monsoons rain started. It was perfect!

Thank you Carsons, it was truly an honor to capture your family. There are many many more images to come…it was extremely hard to narrow down my favorites to share! Can’t wait for you to see them all. In the meantime, here is a little taste from your session:

So glad we were able to capture some fall colors!

Loved the blanket that was made by Jody’s grandma!

And umm…one seriously hot couple! You guys were smokin’ hot!

I could have photographed them all day long. Can’t get over how gorgeous they are!!