First of all I just have to say that I cannot get over how gorgeous the Wichita’s are. I’ve of course been out there before, but haven’t done a session in the area and the scenery was just beautiful. I am already looking for another excuse to head out that way!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know that I had a less than stellar high school experience in Lake Forest, IL. I moved there just before my sophomore year, and it took me quite a bit of time to get adjusted and find my people. Senior year ended up being the best of the 3 years I spent there, and it was largely in part to Erin Harrington. My memory fails me as far as at what point we met and became friends, but I know we grew closer in the spring of senior year when we both threw shot-put and discus together (there’s your fun-fact of the day – it was the only way I could get out of P.E. and it required the least amount of running humanly possible!) Erin made leaving Lake Forest difficult, but what we didn’t know was that our paths would cross again years down the road when she was interviewing for a program in Experimental Psychology at Oklahoma State! She ended up moving to God’s country soon after, which is of course where she met her fiancé, Jarrod! I love how she describes it –

“We immediately bonded over both being northerners (he’s from Wisconsin) coming to Oklahoma (which we both consider the south). I thought he was SO cute but really, what were the odds we both end up at OSU? Well as luck would have it, we DID both end up at OSU! We became inseparable our first few weeks in Oklahoma and were officially dating by October 2015.”

Erin and Jarrod are an incredible couple. One of the things I appreciate about them is how much they love being active, being outside, exploring, trying new things, and ultimately just taking advantage of where life has them and making the most of it. It would be so easy to move to Oklahoma and think, “there is nothing here”, but these two have had the best time seeking out new experiences together. They love going to breweries, taking care of their cat, hiking (they got engaged at Robber’s Cave this summer!) and grabbing tickets to a concert (their most recent favorite was Mumford & Sons!). They describe themselves as “nerdy” but if that’s the case, then it’s in the most endearing way possible. They are playful, intelligent, and love to laugh together! I did my best to try to capture their similar senses of humor and goofiness – I had the best time celebrating them for their Wichita Mountains engagement photos!!

Their wedding will take place next fall in Madison, WI (halfway for their families!), and are ready for whatever adventure comes next!

I’m so proud to call Erin and Jarrod my friends!!

P.S. – don’t miss the AMAZING throwback photos at the bottom of the post from when Erin was one of my very first models! She literally help kickstart MFP in high school!

Of course can’t forget to include a couple of classic throwbacks to when I photographed Erin in HIGH SCHOOL! She hasn’t changed a bit – SO beautiful!

This was at a graduation party senior year! BABIES!