Yesterday I got to spend some time with a old friend and her family. There were no cell phones, no email, no facebook distractions - just good old fashioned catch up. It was one of my favorite days.

Since yoga teacher training in 2011, I set a personal goal to be present in all that I do. Whether it's catch up times like these, time with my family, time with my clients, or time editing my work, my goal is to be there fully. Yes there are times when I'm waiting on that one phone call, and yes I do still keep my phone within reach, but overall I am there, able to prioritize who I am with and what I am doing over some future anticipation or dwelling on something that's already happened. My personal happiness has increased exponentially, my friendships are deeper and I feel like I can connect even with strangers pretty instantly by just lending a listening ear and a present mind. It's not about "unplugging". I love social media. I love my texts with friends. It's about knowing the appropriate time and not letting those things take over when you actually can be face to face. I encourage you to try fully for one day and see how it feels. You can comment below if you'd like.

And, amazingly, my dear friend is starting out on a new photography adventure herself, so of course we spent some time with our cameras, chatting about gear we love and photographing my favorite sitting room in her mother's home.

For those of you aspiring photogs out there, these were all shot with my Canon 5D Mark III and my Canon 100mm f/2.8 L and Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art lenses. If that's interesting to you, check out my What's In My Camera Bag Pinterest board.