What is Princeton House?

One thing that bugs me about blogs, is that sometimes you pop-in somewhere in the middle of a great big adventure, and you don’t know what’s going on. This page is designed to fill in the holes, if you’re interested. I believe strongly that the photographs you hire me to take of you, your families, and your children will be better if we get to know each other a bit, and that is why I share so much of my life on this blog.

With that said, the single most asked question I get is: “What is Princeton House?” So here’s the skinny…

In 2005, I started a blog at the encouragement of some friends. It was a blog about nothing really, and was mostly a place where I shared pictures of my (then) two-year-old daughter, updates of my (then) pregnancy with my son. I shared stories of life as a married/scrapbooking/working Momma, so that my friends and family could keep up with me, and feel connected. I was (and still am) not very good at returning phone calls.

Then. Life changed. I divorced. I moved. And… Well, long story short… Life changed. For a while, the blog was my theraputic dumping ground (be really glad you missed out on that part) as I struggled my way through an ocean of changes. For the record, the kids’ Dad is still very involved in their lives, and we’re still friends. We may not have had the perfect marriage, but we really do have a pretty remarkable divorce, and for that I am very thankful…

In late 2007, I met a Giant named Jeff. I call him a giant because he is nearly a foot taller than me, and the story of how we met is actually pretty comical. By the time 2008 rolled around, we were madly in love. He came prepackaged with two very active and wonderful boys, and in the fall of 2009, all six of us (plus two cats – Simon & Oliver) decided to make a go of this crazy/beautiful life in a place we called Princeton House. We started calling it that shortly after we had moved in, because it was on Princeton Street. Time passed, and the name just stuck. So, when it came time to name my business in early 2010, Princeton House Photography was born.

In late 2010, we added a dog named Mr. Echo ( who is named after the character on LOST.) About two months after that during a weekend get-away in snowy Maine – Jeff asked me to be his wife, and in May of 2012 we made our family official by tying the knot amidst family and friends… In the fall of 2012 we made the very difficult decision to leave Princeton House, and moved to a new home that we tried to name Avery House, and Eastman House, but we now refer to as Princeton House East, because – in the end – no other name but Princeton House seemed to fit…

To me, though, Princeton House is more than just the name of our home – it’s the glue that holds together a family that did not sprout from roots, but instead picked each other to grow with. It’s an experience filled with such joy and chaos that in the rare moments of quiet, I miss it desperately. It is the life that I did not set out to have, but now can not imagine being without. It is the place where with the gentle nudging of my very best friend, I started a photography business. It represents the idea that everything happens for a reason, and it’s loud, and busy, and beautiful all smushed together…

Oh, and most recently, we added a second dog named Tucker, because, well, we’re just crazy.