Since moving to Washington, DC five years ago, it has become a bit of a tradition for Cliff and I to celebrate the holidays with friends Galen and Tara Munroe. They offer us a warm, loving home, great company and excellent food. (OMG — the food!)

This year, I took the opportunity to photograph the dishes that we've come to look forward to year after year. The menu included:

• Roast turkey seasoned with an herb-butter rub;
• Blanched green beans with butter and garlic;
• Roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta;
• Sweet potatoes mashed with onion and bacon;
• Sausage and herb stuffing;
• Cranberries;
• Twice-baked potatoes with Havarti cheese and caramelized shallots;
• Home-made apple pie with ice cream; and
• Home-made pumpkin pie topped with fresh cinnamon whipped cream.

In case you're wondering, it took three people more than 12 hours to make this smorgasbord of holiday classics. We truly indulged in a feast — all of it made from scratch and with love.

We have so much to be thankful for.

(And because it just isn't the holidays without our furry friends, here's a photo of Sage).

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the cool, crisp air, the comfort of knowing the holidays are just around the corner and, of course, the colors. Living near Washington, D.C., I'm blessed with access to some of the country's most preserved and beautiful forests, and a few weekends ago, I went hiking in  search of the colorful bounty nature has to offer.

The trees found at Turkey Run, along the Capitol Crescent Trail and bordering the Potomac River did not disappoint.

Earlier this month, I shared with you puppy portraits. Larysa, who was recently married, didn't get the opportunity to have her dogs photographed on her wedding day, so I happily obliged. The photos turned out sweet as can be.

But there are two sides to every story.

After cooing over and cuddling with dachshunds Zirka and Gretchen, Larysa threw caution to the wind, and got down n' dirty trashing her wedding dress. We're not talking a grass stain here or a loose hem there. This girl romped in leaves, rolled on the ground, threw dirt on herself and used her teeth, a chain-link fence and elbow grease to rip her dress to shreds.

Her goal: come away looking like a zombie bride.

After an hour of roughhousing, I think it's safe to say she completed her mission. Her look was even topped off with a latex zombie bite courtesy of makeup artist Sev Gedra.  As a photographer, I've never had more fun watching a client pose and primp. This was creativity at its finest!

Few things in life are as special as the bond I share with my best friend and partner, Cliff. He is my rock, my soul mate, and the one person who I love more than any other. It's been nearly ten years since we first decided to call our relationship official, but it seems like only yesterday that we were getting to know each other on the campus of our alma mater, Wayne State College.

We've been through a lot--both good times and bad--but we've always persevered and have come out better because of our experiences. What we go through, we go through together, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

In celebration of his special day, I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos of Cliff and the memories we've made together. 

Wayne, NE | 2007
(Cliff's Stater mug)

Manhattan, KS | 2008

Kansas City, KS | 2008

Silver Spring, MD | 2010
(Our first Christmas tree)

Washington, DC | 2010
(My favorite photo of us)

Omaha, NE | 2011

Washington, DC | 2011
(another favorite)

Cumberland, MD | 2012

Reykjavik, Iceland | 2013

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love animals—especially dogs. Big or small, I go crazy over waggly tails and warm, wet tongues. So when newlywed Larysa mentioned she wasn’t able to get wedding photos with her own dogs, I happily traded puppy time for a few portraits.

The four of us spent a beautiful fall afternoon traipsing around a park in Arlington where dachshunds Zirka and Gretchen hammed it up for the camera. Both pups were silly but loveable and the bond they shared with Larysa was evident.

Like me, Larysa is a huge animal lover. A lawyer by day, she has devoted her free time to improving the integrity of this breed and helping any lost or stray dachshunds find loving forever homes. This year, she even took it upon herself to help organize the first annual Washington Metro Dachtoberfest, a day-long event celebrating these silly little dogs.

Zirka and Gretchen might not have been able to attend their mom's wedding, but it's clear they both have a special place in her heart. Who says diamonds are a girl's best friend?

Few passions in life unite people, communities and families the way dance does. Dance, be it formal or just for fun, has the ability to transform the mind, body, and soul in a way that no other art form can. It transcends cultures, languages, even time.

It is through dance that I first met the Lin Family. Mama Lin, Papa Lin and I shared a class at a tiny, humble artists’ collective on Wisconsin Avenue here in D.C. Though the class no longer exists in its original form, our relationship has flourished and grown over the years—and dance has always been an integral part of the glue that holds us together.

In fact, it was after a performance at the National Museum of the American Indiana that Mama Lin first told me she was pregnant. Like so many others, I was thrilled. After all, when you’re a lawyer + professional dancer and you’re married to an engineer + Habitat for Humanity guru, it’s a given that your kid is gonna be awesome.

Baby Lin, born a year ago this month, does not disappoint. Silly and energetic, she loves music and delights in showing off her newest skills, namely, walking.

So when the Lins asked for family photographs to celebrate the monumental occasion of their child’s first year on earth, I jumped at the opportunity to spend time with this incredible family. We enjoyed an afternoon stroll through Navy Yard Park, and as I watched Baby Lin giggle and romp, I imagined a future for her full of hope, promise, laughter and smiles. Mostly, though, I imagined for her a future full of love.

For Baby Lin, I offer these words of advice:

Dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.

Happy Birthday little one!