savannah: day 2

tybee island lighthouse:





springtime flowers all around the city! tulips and azaleas.

savannah, ga

mom and i are on spring break in savannah! we spent most of our day today walking around the historic district. the live oak trees are gorgeous. river street is hopping with restaurants and shops. the architecture is immaculate. i'm looking forward to taking more pictures tomorrow, but here are a few from today.

Bruises, Band-Aids, and Grass.

"A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last weekend I spent part of my Saturday running through a park, chasing a boy, and clinging to my camera while trying to snap buttons on it as quick as I could so that his parents will be able to remember this age. Not that they will ever forget the things that Noah does, or the things that he says, but maybe these shots will help to bring back some fun memories for them years down the road.

Warning: Noah is ALL boy. You may or may not see bruises, band-aids, and grass all over him.  :)

And yet this is a prime example of why I love photography. There was nothing to impress. Nothing to make things perfect. Just a day in the life of a child.

Enjoy this first series of images as he struggled to get his gun to work! I love it.











I hate to say that he never succeeded and just threw the gun onto the ground. Onto the next thing! Why not roll down all of the hills?







JOY.



I'm thinking Noah should produce his own CD and use this as the cover!? :)



Hello gorgeous brown eyes.



I'm in love with how this captures the end of our time together. I think all of our faces were similar to his! We were worn out from having so much fun together!



Thank you, Kelley, for allowing me to take pictures of your precious nephew. And to his parents for being so laid back and amazing to be around! I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

finally. spring is here!

this morning i woke up and immediately opened the windows in my room. i went for a longer walk/run than usual. i sat out on my front porch. i ate my lunch outside. i laid out in the sun for 2 hours. and i spent an hour chasing a little one around fletcher park for a photog session this evening.

HELLO SPRING. i am so excited that you are here. you make my heart happy and content. thank you.

and to satisfy your own craving for springtime, enjoy these gorgeous blooms!


and you'll be seeing more of noah on the blog in the upcoming week or two. we had a blast!

living life by the grace of God alone.

it has taken me a while to write this post. i'm not sure if i just don't know what to say or if it's just so close to my heart, or what, but i've just struggled. i will preface what i'm about to say by telling you that the story you are about to hear has only been lived out by the grace of God. and the life of this couple for the past few months has brought about many emotions, highs and lows, for the both of them, as well as for their family and friends.

i know chris and marie from my time at nc state as well as from being part of the same church. i'll never forget when marie and i and some other girls drove 14 hours to florida for spring break one year. we had a blast. and i'll never forget pretty much everything that chris says and does. he is hilarious. these two are the most loving, genuine couple that i think i've ever met before. they are welcoming and full of joy all the time. it has been a gift to know them.



they got married in march of 2007 and then found out they were pregnant with their first child last fall. oh, the excitement of them both that they would be blessed with a little one very soon! at their doctor's appointment in january, they found out that they were going to have a little girl. but they also found out that there were some things looking a little bit different than usual on the ultrasound. there was fluid in her body and the chances of her making it were slim. if she did make it full term, she would be born with turner's syndrome. marie went back for weekly visits to the doctor and they were blessed to hear her heartbeat several times in the following weeks through the ultrasounds.

in the midst of all the news and the reality of what was taking place, sweet chris and marie asked if i would be willing to take some maternity pictures of them with hannah. of course i felt privileged to do so. we went out to yates mill park and had such a joyful time together celebrating hannah's life that God was blessing them with for the time.

a couple of weeks later, hannah went to be with Jesus. and although the loss is tremendous for chris and marie, God's love and grace has completely overwhelmed them during this time. i wish you could read each and every "update" email that came from marie as they trusted God and consistently spoke of his goodness and love and peace that came only from Him. but you can know that they are faithfully following God's perfect plan for their lives and their family.

and so now i introduce you to marie and chris and their precious little girl - hannah marie:

i'm in this place.

the question comes frequently. and various words come flowing from my mouth each time i try to answer. but really i should just start saying, "i don't know," and ending the conversation there. because who really knows anyway? i keep trying to know. in my heart i literally long to know. i want to know so bad where i'll be in 6 months, a year, or 5 years. sometimes i spend hours of time just thinking about where i'll be. kind of hoping that maybe, just maybe, i'll have this crazy revelation where someone will just yell out my future. i will hear the words that i want to hear. yes, katherine fallis, you will be a full-time photographer. because that's what i want to be when i grow up.

but there's so much in my life that keeps me from jumping. i love the kids that i teach. i'm a teaching fellow and i owe the state of nc two more years of teaching in their public schools. i'm afraid of failure. i don't think i have enough money. i know only a little about owning a business. i might waste time if i don't have a set 8-5 schedule for work. and even if it weren't for any of these things, am i good enough?

these are not little things. these are the things that are filling my mind day by day. and yet while i go through life worrying about the future, God graciously fills my mind with reminders of Himself. he is loving, he always provides, he conquers all, he is my rock, he comforts those who need to be comforted, he gives new mercies every morning, he created the world, he knows the number of hairs on my head, he sings over me. why should my heart be filled with worry when God has allowed for me to know him and be able to trust in Him alone? my heart should be filled with joy!

and from now on, when the question is asked, i will say, "i don't know. i don't know if i will be a full-time photographer or a teacher or a mom or anything else. but i know that God is faithful and he will have me where he wants me and i will praise Him for providing exactly what i need."

so for now, i am in this place. this place where God has me. teaching and taking pictures. and if he gives or takes away tomorrow, then i'll be ready. i will be ready.

how about that for a sunday post? love you guys.

providence college class.

a couple of weeks ago, i took some pictures during providence's college class in the delta lake center. they are looking for some photos to update their new website that's in the works. here's a preview for you.








i hadn't been to college class in a while and it was a joy to be back there and see how the Lord continues to work. i was encouraged by the teaching and the singing!

Daddy/Daughter Date Night

One of my sweet roommates, Katherine, is the one of the marketing directors for 2 Chick-Fil-A restaurants in North Raleigh. She works at the Falls Village store, as well as the Capital Crossing store. And if I may say so myself, she is AMAZING at her job. She loves Chick-Fil-A and markets for those stores very, very well.



They recently had a "Daddy/Daughter Date Night" at each of the stores. The special evenings included seating, photos, and activities for dad and daughter. The place was decorated with table cloths, balloons, cows, and many daddys and daughters enjoying a night out together. I had the privilege of being the photographer at both stores. Some of the little girls came dressed in their favorite princess dress arm in arm with their proud daddy all dressed up as well. It was precious. I loved being there.

Here are a few shots from the night:

Katherine all ready for the guests to arrive.

Cow/Balloon decorations found throughout the store. Each little girl left with a cow, coupon, flower, and some balloons. The dads received Truett Cathy's latest book. 

One of the daddy/daughter couples!


If you are ever in need of some chick-fil-a for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and you're in North Raleigh...go visit Katherine at one of her stores. And if you are looking to order trays for anything or find out about future events, you can go to their website www.mychickfila.com and order online!