Welcome to my blog

Hi and Welcome!

When I first began this journey as a professional photographer, little did I know that it would quickly transform my life. What started out as trying to learn how to take better photos of my own fast-moving kids turned into a never-ending quest {read: obsession} to capturing "the" moment. It's that instant in time you never want to forget and you wish to relive over and over again...your newborn's tiny fingers and toes, his half-crooked smile, her misssing two-front teeth, your children's innocence, their laughter & silliness, the deep, abiding love you have for your family and those special relationships that bind you. It's your moment, the moment that defines you. I look forward to the privilege of sharing these moments of the heart with you and yours.

This blog was created to serve as a resource for my clients to get the latest scoop, view previews of their most recent sessions ("sneak peeks"), discover new tips to taking your own photos or neat finds I may come across, and to help provide me with your feedback. (Your comments are always most certainly welcome!) My desire for you in writing this is that you may discover a small slice of "sunshine" to brighten your day or find a helpful tip or two along the way. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my most incredible husband (he is truly THE BEST!) for his amazing encouragement and support, without which, I would not be able to do what I so love to do. Thanks also to you, my friends and family, I am excited to share in the journey ahead.

Blessing.

This lady has a very special place in my heart.  She was my son’s first teacher (and first crush too!).  The joy in their classroom was evident – there was lots of laughter and dancin’ and groovin’ to the music, along with plenty of hugs and kisses.  The joy was a reflection of her, and you could see it in her smile each morning as she greeted the students.  She played a huge part in making his first year at a new school memorable and it comforted me to know he was well taken care of in her hands.  For this I am forever thankful…and I cannot begin to tell or show her just how much she has been a blessing to me. 

Besides being a rockstar teacher, she is also one beautiful mama-to-be!  Her pregnancy glow was absolutely radiant!

Thanks, M, for your patience…I can’t wait to meet your lil blessing soon!

I surrender.

Ok, that’s it.  I officially surrender.  I have given up all hope that this would be a productive summer.  I’ve tried, time and time again, to get me and the kids on a regular schedule the past couple of months and failed miserably.  There are just not enough hours in the day to get all that I need to want to accomplished.  And even if there were, I’m usually too pooped by the end of the day to even concentrate on the task at hand.   Sooooo…I’ve decided rather than devote my energy to fight it, I’m just going with it.  I have a few sessions I need to edit, some orders needing to be placed and a major project that has been sitting on the backburner for about 8 months now.  But I know that will all get done…in it’s own time.  And I’m shifting my attention these last few sweet days of summer to my little ones…who are growing up faster than I can believe.

I just got back from a phenomenal two-day workshop in Utah (more on that to come later…), and when I returned home I was welcomed by my loving husband and two sweet smiling faces, each bearing gifts for mommy to show they were thinking of me while I was gone.  My heart just melted.  I cannot tell you how incredibly loved I felt at that moment.  Indescribable, unconditional, and whole-heartedly.  My son has truly “grown-up” right before my eyes the past few weeks, and my eyes filled with tears as he sang the song he wrote especially for me.  He has such a loving, tender heart and continues to amaze me each day with how much he is just like his Daddy.

“You are more precious than rubies, gold, and silver

And the thing I need to say is I love you.

There is no need to worry, I have your hand.

I have your hand all of your life.”

 

And I am again reassured of what is most important in this life.

Family.

This lil one’s mommy and I go way back…like waaaaaaaaaaaay back, before forever ago.  We first met in Kindergarten and have gone through just about everything in this lifetime that you can imagine.  She has been with me through all my firsts, my crushes, my heartaches, and my dreams.  Growing up, she was my best friend, my sister, my stylist, my coach and teacher on life lessons, and my inspiration to be a better me.  She nudged me out of my glasses and into contacts, she helped clean out my closets, she showed me what to wear and how to put on makeup!  She was my college roomie and my Maid of Honor at our wedding.    She knows me all too well…the good, the bad, and definitely the ugly!  And though she lives on the other side of the world, we somehow manage to visit with one another 1-2 times a year.  Oh how I cherish the time we have together.  Without a doubt, it always goes by too quickly!  But on this visit, I insisted on having a session with her sweet angel…can you blame me??   This is simply perfection…

Um, yeah, that’s mom two months after having a baby…??   I think it has to be a crime to look that good!

Summer Days.

I love this family.  I really do.  Mom’s oldest and my son are the same age, their birthdays are only 6 days apart.  And to think that 5.5 yrs later from when we first met, our babies are no longer babies anymore…makes me want to just cry.  I love that these 5 cousins each have their own individual personalities and sense of style (Hayden!)…but they are all definitely BOYS at heart!

These boys are always fun to photograph…in fact, this family was probably one of my very first to capture when I started out!  It has been a privilege and honor to watch these boys grow up and to be a part of their lives.  Thank you so much for choosing me to capture this precious time in your lives! 

Just a couple for now and more sneak peeks to come next week…I forsee lots of headswaps in my near future!  Bless these boys, it was a super hot summer day and we caught these in the last few minutes of our session.

I seem to be running a bit behind these days…summer seems to be throwing a wrench in my productivity!  Hope to get back on track soon and have your galleries ready as soon as I can.  Thanks for hanging in there with me!