She makes us THREE | We're adopting!

I want to introduce you to a very special little girl! This is our precious daughter, whom we are in process to adopt! It is crazy to think that we didn't know of her existence a month ago... and then four days after an unexpected late-night phone call, she came home.  

“our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on that which we are waiting for.”

— Charles Stanley Ross

O sweet girl, we have waited and prayed for you for so long. You were well worth the wait. My heart is so full. Our joy is great.

In our culture, we want instant gratification and answers. We want it, want it now and want it our way. But this isn't how God works. He loves us too much to reward our tantrums and foot-stompings.

As a loving father, he teaches his children to trust him. He teaches his children to have patience and to be thankful in all things. He asks his children to bring their worries to him. He shows his children that he is quick to comfort and support. 

He teaches his children contentment—in both the asking and the answer.

In waiting, there is contentment. In hoping, there is still contentment. In infertility, there is contentment. In trusting God with your tender heart and your big dreams, there is rest and contentment.

I don't know what you're waiting and praying for in your life, but I want to encourage you to unfurl your white-knuckled grasp and place your heart's desire in the gentle and loving hands of God. 

If I know one thing about God, it is that he is good. He is good and he wants what is best for you—sometimes this looks differently or comes at a different time than we might think is best. He is worthy of your trust and he knows even better than you what you need. 

If you're interested in following along with the unfolding story, check out my personal Instagram (@andiejael) or my Insta-story on my photography instagram (@avisualanthology)!

Baby Sam's 6 Month Portraits | Lake Oswego Portrait Photographer

Oh boy, this happy little chunk has a smile that will melt your heart and hair that... well, just look at it! He's the perfect embodiment of sophisticated charm. Here's to anthologizing the milestones of life!

In our digital culture, it's rare to get to see actual prints. Typically, images are captured, logged and saved on a USB or a mobile device. But here at A Visual Anthology, I am not just in the business of capturing your memories, but preserving them... safeguarding them from the ever-changing digital archiving methods. What was cutting edge technology 30 years ago? We call them blasts from the past. What will the the norm 30 years from now? I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that prints will never become obsolete. No matter the evolution that digital undergoes, your prints are safe from the tides of change. They are heirlooms.

Hana Haugen | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

I would love to introduce this very dear young lady: She is my cousin, Hana. Last week Taylor and I got to vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with a bunch of family. All week, I couldn't wait to take an evening to capture her beauty through a lens. 

Hana is one of the most gentle, caring people I have had the pleasure of knowing. She feels deeply for both mankind and creature-kind. She's one of those people that intuitively knows the emotions of everyone in the room. She is loyal. She is honest. She has a laugh that makes her nose crinkle in the most charming of ways. She holds her head high and walks with enchanting poise. 

Basically, I would like to say, she is absolutely breathtaking, inside and out. I hope you know and believe this, Hana. Never doubt.

We Steal an Hour from Study & Care

“when breezes are soft and skies are fair,
I steal and hour from study and care,
and hie me away to the woodland scene,
where wanders the stream with waters of green,
as if the bright fringe of herbs on its brink
had given their stain to the waves they drink;
and they, who’s meadows it murmurs through,
have named the stream from its own fair hue.

while o’er them the vine to its thicket clings,
and the zephyr stoops to freshen his wings,
I wish that fate had left me free,
to wander these quiet haunts with thee,
till the eating cares of earth should depart,
and the peace of the scene pass into my heart;
and I envy thy stream, as it glides along,
through its beautiful banks in a trans of song.”

— W.C. Bryant, an excerpt from Green River

Thank you, Lauren, for inviting me to join your afternoon of exploration and play! It was such a breath of fresh air... quite literally.

Abigail Graves | West Linn High School Senior

Abigail. You took my breath away over and over again. Not only during our shoot, but the whole time I was processing these images, I kept gasping at how incredibly beautiful you are—literally breathtaking. Your kind heart and joyful voice are a delight. Thank you for letting me capture some of the beauty that is you.