Use it now.

Today I spent some long overdue and much needed quality time with my dear, dear friend Sarah. We have been planning to take some fun friend portraits for almost a year now, I think, and we finally got around to starting today. Little did we know when we planned on shooting today that the weather would be absolutely beautiful (almost 60 degrees in January!!!), the light would be perfect, and just about everything would work out the best it possibly could.

My mom sent me a New Year's email this morning that resonated with a lot of the struggles I've been having in my life lately, and while I'm not in a place to adopt all of the positivity of the letter, one piece in particular was quite applicable to my day with my gorgeous friend: Use it now.

It seems in this life, we find ourselves frequently using the phrase, "I'm saving it for a special occasion." In 2009, let us instead find ourselves realizing that every single day we are blessed with being alive is a special occasion. Let us never forget that life itself is a special occasion, that those we love are the most important things in our lives, and that there is something beautiful to be seen, heard, smelled, touched, tasted everywhere, everyday. Let me never forget.

Here are just a few of our many exciting photographs from this delightful day. Enjoy. <3