Hibbs Family

I've followed Monika Hibbs online for quite a long time.  I absolutely love her blog and have always enjoyed reading her posts and watching her little family grow!  Monika's blog has built a dedicated following across Canada, the United States and throughout the world.  Monika's blog is the place to find her best DIY tutorials, home decor recommendations, entertaining tips, and more.  I've found myself lost on her blog for hours on end, you should really check it out!

I love Instagram, and Instagram stories.

On Instagram, I saw that Monika had posted a picture of our barn on her Instagram story!  Several people sent me DM's about it so I quickly checked out her story and sure enough - there it was!  Our iconic Rose Ranch barn.  She had her husband, Troy were driving down to Canon Beach when they passed our ranch.  She had him turn around to take a picture but unfortunately when she grabbed her camera the battery was dead.  She told Troy that they have to stop back through on the way home so that she can take a better picture.  Well... it wasn't an hour after her post that I sent Monika a direct message on Instagram.  You never know with IG if people will see your message, and I really wasn't sure if she even checks those because I'm sure she gets a lot of them every day!  Anyway, I asked her if she and her adorable little family would like to come back to the barn for a quick session.  I woke up the next morning to a message that said, "Oh my word!  This message just made my night.  IG is such a small world, yes we would love to!"  

So in 24 hours we made plans to get the Hibbs family back to the ranch for a quick session and it was perfect!

We stayed in contact Sunday morning as she and her family were packing up and getting ready to leave Canon Beach.  I'll do my best to put into words how I felt leading up to this shoot.  I was nervous, excited, and in awe over the power of social media.  Often social media can be a frustrating and draining environment, but it can also serve as a space to make new friends and connections that would otherwise never happen.  This story is one of those connections that never would have happened without social media.

Monika was as lovely and nice in person as she is online.

For me I hoped that the woman I was about to meet would be as awesome in person as she is online.  Well, she and her family were that and so much more.  They were kind, genuine, and so much fun!  And their littles Liam and Lilly were just TOO CUTE.  Seriously!  The minute I met them I knew we would have a fabulous time.  I do believe that some of the best memories made ARE the ones that are unexpected, unplanned and on a whim.  This photo shoot was one of those for me and as an artist it's these moments that bring me such joy to create lasting memories for the people in front of my camera!  Thank you Hibbs family for a shoot I'll never forget!  I love making new connections and friendships in this industry and I look forward to connecting with Monika again in the future!  Enjoy this session, friends!  It's definitely one of my favorites!