When Adam and I were first dating, 6 years ago, I was in my second year of running this Photography Boutique. I was also in University finishing up my child psychology degree. You know, my backup plan for life.

Being in my young twenties I felt sheepish around my University peers about having a business. It just seemed so very, very nerdy. And like I was the worlds biggest keener. I loved what I did, but I feared that showing the “business woman” side of me, might damper Adam’s feelings of the “cute, bubbly, quirky” girl. Silly I know. When I look back now, I think I pretty much should have had a t-shirt made that said “Im lacking confidence, but dang it, im going somewhere”.

Anyways, while we were dating, I tended to need to disapear (you know, for a wedding) on weekends. The more we dated the harder it was to lie (yes, I lied. Well I told half truths. Whatever, same thing), but ive got good stickwithitness, so I stuck with it. I continued to lie. Or rather, omit huge parts of my life.

He would ask “going home to visit your mom again”? and I would say “yes. see you in a few days”. Then I would put on my nerdy “make me look older” glasses & go shoot a wedding.

Here is where it gets funny. I never told him. SIX MONTHS INTO DATING, my sister (who I was roomates with at the time) had had enough. She just told him. Straight up, like that. Betrayed my trust and everything (you know, because I was all about integrity at this point). She said “Adam, Radelle has a photography company”.

A piece of me died.

He replied “I know. I googled her months ago”

Oh sweet mother of pearl.

I turned 5000 shades of red. I tried to explain “I just….im a nerd….I didn’t want to…..I don’t own a rolex….im still play frisbee in the park radelle”

He just gathered me into his strong arms & told me that it was okay.

I thought about how significant that was that he respected me & my secret enough that he didn’t call me out on it. If you really think about it, there is a remarkable love in that. I knew in that moment that I would be safe with him. Even if he busted me in a lie. Or 6 months worth of lies.

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Don’t forget to enter to win the adorable Clutch that we are giving away!!!

-By Radelle

We’ve had quite a few emails lately asking us to share our “personal” pictures from our trip to

Seattle to photograph Julia & Jed’s LDS wedding

I am more then happy to share our trip with you!

This year I am making a real effort to get to know myself better. I feel like I have a fairly good

grasp on who I am, or rather who I was, but since having our son…I feel like in some ways,

I need to get to know myself again and find out what I like and what im all about. I relate everything

to the characters on friends. Adam compares my personality to a mix between Rachel & Phoebe.

Rachel because im quite easy going & Phoebe  because I can be really weird. Like I love to q-tip

my ears and look forward to it weird.

Anyways, on this trip he got to see that there may be a little bit of Monica hiding in there as well.

We unboarded the plane in lovely Seattle and Adam turns to me and says

“did you rent us a car or whats the plan?”

( I handle the trip details when we are traveling. clearly.) I was fumbling with my water bottle trying

to rehydrate (they say planes really dehydrate you and I hate being dehydrated)

and also my lip gloss (trying to show Seattle my best face).

Anyways, without thinking I said to him “Yes! The itinerary is obviously in my purse,

in the Manila colored folder, filed right behind the flight itineraries and before the hotel reservation page.

It has a tab on it that says car rental. No, that one is the Ferry schedule and Mike’s Kayak Rental Shop

information. Yes, yes, that’s the one. “

I straightened. Was I obsessive? Was I anal retentive? (should I have written that word on my blog?)

I turned to Adam and said “maybe there is some Monica in me”.

He said “maybe, but it keeps us very, very organized”.

I spent a good 10 minutes in introspection thinking “wow, that was weird, who am I???”

I mean I am very easy going…

to this day I would jump in a dirty old dugout (pond) and go swimming without thinking twice.

The bottom of my feet

are often black as I walk around our acreage barefoot.  I am quite a carefree person.

But as Adam said

“you can be organized & carefree, in fact they can work like magic together”.

I hope so Internet, I hope so.

But in that moment I felt so strange. I felt like Monica.

It was all dispelled when we were in our Jeep driving to our hotel & Adam said

“what do you want to do first?”

I said “I want to see the white house!!!”

Clearly geography is not my strong point, but may I just say that in the State of Washington,

I would have expected the White House. It just makes sense to me.

Perhaps I am Phoebe.

You see why Adam & I ALWAYS travel together to Destination weddings?

Flat out—-we NEED each other.

Left on his own, he wouldn’t have a car rented in advance, and left on my own I would have

spent the whole trip driving around looking for the white house.

p.s. Ladies, there is nothing quite like unclipping all of  your Hair Extensions at Security in front of tons

of people and tossing them in the bin to embarrass your husband. Im just sayin’. :)

You can click here to see our personal trip photos!

Some highlights: