a very special sunday road trip

turnagain arm.  chugach mountains.  seward highway.  girdwood.  kenai peninsula.  

glorious girdwood

i used to make this drive on any given gorgeous day.  since moving to the valley nine years ago, it no longer happens on a whim, and certainly not as much as i'd like.  our last trip south was march of 2012, after our return from hawai'i.  we visited the sea life center, ate a hardy lunch and enjoyed tuckered-out (see: snoozing) children all the way to anchorage.

on this sunday, jackie and i left the valley before 8 am to journey on down for a day trip.  my very dear friend is expecting a boy mid-september and asked me to take some pictures of her super-sweet expanding belly at her farm, nestled in the kenai mountains of cooper landing.

i feel completely honored.  her road to motherhood began well before mine, and while i don't feel comfortable divulging her entire story, i will say she has more angel babies watching over her than any one woman should - in countless lifetimes.  she is SO brave, stoic, admirable and a true inspiration to me and everyone that knows her.  she's the definition of perseverance.  i am ELATED that her story has not ended in heartbreak and am overjoyed when caught up in daydreams of meeting baby boy harpe.

we hope to meet again to capture dada in the belly mix, but until then, here's what we captured on that very memorable sunday afternoon.

29 weeks of pure beauty.

 five, i repeat, FIVE first-rate border collies

jen muttered something about her mother not approving of pictures like these, but i was too busy enjoying myself... ha!  but oh - this is her element.  this has been her life.  animals!  she loves all her fur-babies; i'm tickled to think how much she'll love her smooth-skinned baby!  

 love this look.

it's a shame she's not more photogenic, am i right?!  what an absolute stunner.  one of those natural beauties that wakes up looking like this.

and if playing photographer for 2+ hours wasn't reward enough, she sent me home with some poultry plunder:  

jen, i know you've said how much this trip meant to you, but i still can't wipe the smile off my face.  i guess i didn't realize how much i missed you until we had this day together.  thank you for letting jackie chase everyone around for 4 hours.  tell them all to rest up - we'll see you in a month!