1. How you inspire me.
2. The way you challenge me.
3. How you encourage me in everything I do.
4. The way you teach me that I can be wrong sometimes…..although not too often
5. How you can make me laugh.
6. That you laugh at 30% of my jokes.
7. The way you give more than you take.
8. That you love more than you expect in return.
9. Letting me sleep in on Saturday mornings.
10. How you always leave the last bite for me (you don’t admit it, but I know that’s why you leave 1 bite of every meal).
11. How you let me win at Words with Friends.
12. Your soft kiss in the morning when you leave for work.
13. The way you love Ashton.
14. Your simplicity.
15. Your depth.
16. Your consistency
17. How creative you are in everything that you do….writing, painting, photography….
18. How you could eat breakfast for any and every meal of the day
19. That because of you I have a coffee addiction.
20. That because of you I know what sushi is.
21. How you dream with me.
22. How you listen to my detailed explanations when all you want is the big picture.
23. That you are trustworthy.
24. That you have integrity.
25. That we can talk about anything or nothing and that conversation still doesn’t get boring.
26. How you pretend that I am funny.
27. How you finish my sentences before I begin.
28. You love me for me.

I love you sweetie!  Happy Birthday! I pray we have many years of laughter together!
{wedding photos by cameron ingalls}

Some people were born to be engineers, others artists, and others chefs. I, however, have always known that I was meant to be a Dad.
There was an indescribable moment when my wife and I were seeing our child through an ultrasound for the first time and heard the words, “It’s a boy,” that my world changed forever.

My son is the smartest boy I know. He is my light, my reason to be better, and my heart. He is MAGIC and defies all definition of ordinary.
He has taught me to live more selflessly, to take life less seriously, to build a future that is for him and past myself, and to be the man I want him to learn to be.

Being a father is amazing. Having my son in my life is like reliving the childhood I struggle to remember. He is a series of firsts and joy that make everything I do worth doing.

We had an awesome opportunity to spend a week away from home, away from work, and away from routine. There is something wildly magical about abandoning routine: the moments you discover that otherwise would have been clouded with keeping busy or maintaining efficiency. In a quiet, snow fallen haven, I had the opportunity to watch my son discover his first experience with Snow.

He could have cried- he could have fallen apart or hated the cold- but my son touching snow for the first time was like walking into Narnia. It was the unfolding of innocence and absolute purity.

While he first screamed and fought mittens and a warm hat, he soon begged to put them on. He wanted to be sticking his toddler paws into the snow, shoveling ice into his face, sticking his tongue to the bricks collecting snowflakes, and bending down to stick his face in the slush. He signed “please” repeatedly while reaching for the door handle to go back outside to head knee deep into the snow. Forget the shallow end of the snow, he wanted all in.

Innocent magic. Uninterrupted, undisturbed moments of achieving what I was meant to do and be, my son’s father.

I had a blast! Here’s what I came up with. Enjoy!



Christion (a friend I work with) wanted to give his interpretation of what “cool guy” meant.

I’ve been accused of not sharing any photos from my “adventures” (as Allegra and I like to call them), so I thought I would start with our most recent adventure to Boston and Rhode Island.

Last Christmas Allegra’s Uncle & Aunt gave all 13 cousins a trip aboard their boat, El Encanto, a seventy-seven foot sport fisherman yacht adorned in luxury and activity. While the boat is a 4 state room hotel on water, it cannot quite comfortably fit 13 twenty-somethings (I’ll fit myself into that category even though I’m just a hair older). The 13 of us were split into groups of two; we were part of group two: Myself, Allegra, my sister-in-law Britton, Allison, Ryan, and Brooke. We flew into Boston, Mass. and met at the boat’s docking, station mere steps from downtown Boston.

Downtown Boston was exactly as I pictured it: full of history, charm, and character. We were amazed to see so many parks, trees, and lush landscapes in the middle of an architectural haven. We spent a full 24 hours bike riding, walking, duck-tour-ing, and photographing all we could, over-indulging not knowing if we would ever have the luxury of returning. By day the city was a buzz with joggers, tourists, and locals alike.

By night the city was aglow with rows of lamp posts and bridge lights. At night, my art was challenged as I spent hours in the crisp and chilled East Coast air focusing on night photography (my first attempt). What I came away with were not only memories to savor for a lifetime but an education and confidence. To capture the mood of night is something I have wanted to do for a long time. It gave me a thirst for more!

Sad to depart from Bean Town but excited for the mystery of what lay ahead in Newport, Rhode Island, we set sail at 3am. Five hours post departure, we were awoken by a rapping on the door and the announcement that humpback whales could be seen just yards from boat. Tired and incoherent we crawled above and into a world that can only be found in dreams: Open water and unrestricted nature. Humpback and Minky whales broke the water’s surface left and right- at least a dozen. For three hours we idled in the water mesmerized every time they would enter our world and share their majesty with us.

Saying goodbye to “our whales” was sad. You’d think after hours of repeated oohs & ahhs we would have been ready but would anyone ever be ready to leave that?! We were finally on our way to Newport. Sailing through Cape Cod Allegra found her dream town and realized it is how she imagined it in her dreams. Picket fences, shingled houses, and sea grass really do exist. It was our introduction to what Newport would be: a picturesque town of cobblestone streets, church steeples, and perfect homes. My wife was in her worldly heaven. To share this together was nothing short of mesmerizing. To have this in our shared heart for this lifetime was nothing shy of a dream come true. Thank you, Uncle Brandy & Aunt Dorine. THANK YOU!

Life. It’s a lot of work and often we become swallowed by it. We fall into routines that often bypass quality time. With this being said, we’ve been busy. Working often 7 days a week and more than the average 9 hour days, we have taken little luxury to enjoy where we are today. We realized this today as the date reminded us that our son is now 4 months old to the day. How can four months feel like an eternity and feel like a brief minute all at the same time?
Today we took our passion for photography and focused it on a moment in the life of our family. How blessed we are!

- Christan and Allegra

Weddings are a big deal. They aren’t just a big deal because of how much time, effort, and money that goes into planning one but because of the commitment the couple is making. In today’s day and age it’s easy to forget what a BIG DEAL the reason for the wedding actually is.

While I have been honored to be asked to capture the big day for a bride and groom, it is also an honor to be asked to be a guest. As a guest, I feel like I am being invited in to witness the commitment and to serve as support to that couple throughout their marriage. I know this is how my wife and I felt when we invited our guests. The reality is every couple will hit bumps in the road and who you have surrounding you, when it happens (not if it happens), is important.

This weekend I was invited to be a witness to my cousin’s wedding. It was a peaceful reminder of the reason for weddings. It was a chance to refuel with love and admiration for couples who choose to commit to each other forever. It was a beautiful moment to stand as a witness to my cousin and her now husband and say in my heart that I support them and will be there throughout their marriage.

Perspective in life is the backbone to how we function. I loved having this moment to refresh myself with the perspective of being a guest. Whether I’m working a wedding or attending one I am a witness to one of the most important commitments we can make in this world and it’s a blessing to be there in any form!

After our wonderfully delicious (not so much) coffee and Danish breakfast, we went out and took some pictures to document this once in a life time day. As usual, Ashton was sleeping throughout the entire time of us handing him back and forth taking turns taking pictures with him.

Here are some pictures that I took for Allegra (she gave me permission to post them) and a few from Mothers Day.

-Christan

Here are a few that Allegra took of me with Ashton