Good Luck Trevor!

Today, my baby brother will be wrestling at districts, and I am starting to get all sappy about it. This will be his last go at it since he is wrapping up his senior year, but I still see him as a little boy. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was rushing home from college to see him in his junior high sports, or watching him lift on his mini weight bench in the basement. He has always been the hardest worker I know. I have always admired his determination. Even though I am five years older than him, I have always looked up to him for this. He is the proof that if you work hard, and I mean really work hard, you can get where you want to go. He has never had the size or god given talent (or the luck with all of his injuries) to be an athlete, but he has made himself one. As his big sister, I know he deserves to go to state, and I want him to make it so badly! But no matter what, I will be cheering him on. He has had a great career and has a lot to be proud of. I love you Trevor! Good Luck - but what I really want to say is kick some butt!

(If you are a little confused, my brother's name is Trevor and my husband's name is Trevor. I know...it gets confusing)



And he is the greatest big brother! He shines when he coaches them. He is a great teacher of the sport, and the little boys love having the attention of their cool older brother.




And I just had to add this...you might have already seen it, but it is worth watching again. It is so funny! I am sure my mom saw me like this when I got my tonsils out and again when I got my wisdom teeth taken out. Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Molly + Tyson | Slideshow

I have been wanting to post slideshows on my blog forever, and I have had the program to do it for months (Showit Web), and finally I just took the time to figure it all out! I am so excited! I hope you enjoy! With these new slideshows, you can order a copy of the slideshow on a DVD or a 5x5 Album of all the images in the slideshow. I love offering more options to my clients, and I hope you are as excited as I am.

To view slideshow, click here!

Molly + Tyson | Anytime

One of my favorite aspects of my job has really been unexpected. I knew I would love taking the pictures, editing them, and marketing my business, but I didn't know how much I would love really getting to know people. I am so thankful to all of my clients because they are allowing me into a very personal aspect of their life. Whether it is a couple or a family, they are letting me see and document their love for each other. And this tells you a lot about them and their relationships.

Sometimes I go into a photo shoot knowing the client for years, and sometimes I don't know them other than our phone conversations about their session. Either way I learn so much about them while I am behind the camera and feel like we will be BFFs afterwards.

Even though I have known Tyson since he has been in sixth grade, and known Molly the entire time they have been dating, I think I finally saw their relationship for the first time. You can see the love that they have for each other as they interact, and I hope that you can see that too through these images. We had so much fun, and again, I was amazed by how much I learned about them. Not only is Tyson my brother-in-law and Molly soon to be my sister-in-law, but they are also my new BFFs!

Molly + Tyson | Sneak Peek

What is a better gift on Valentine's Day than being able to document your love for each other? When Tyson mentioned getting pictures taken of him and Molly, I was so pumped! Here is a little sneak peak, but there will definitely be many more to come. I can't wait for you to see them all!

A Little Extra Love for You!

Every year I tell Trevor that I am really not a Valentine's Day type of girl, and every year he gives me the look that says, "Yeah, right! Every girl says this." But last week, we were sitting on the couch, and I told him again not to buy me anything for Valentine's Day. He instantly gave me that look, and I said, "Really, this is not a trick." Although I still don't know if he quite believed me.

Today I realized that I am a Valentine's Day type of girl though. (Trevor, don't go out and buy me something!) I am just not the long-stem roses, box of chocolate type of girl. There are so many other ways that we can show our love for each other. And as much as I believe that we need to show our love every day of the year, Valentine's Day does give us an excuse to do something a little extra for each other.

That being said, Valentine's Day is not only reserved for your one true love. It's the perfect time to show our love to our families, friends, and to my wonderfully loyal blog readers! My Valentine's gift to you is 20% off your session fee and a 20% off discount on all print orders from your session. This offer ends February 28th, and the sessions must be taken between March and May. Now this gives you another excuse to set a date to show your love to your spouse, significant other, best friend, child, or even your pet. And better yet, to also capture that love forever. How cool is that? Give me a call or write me a quick e-mail.

And here is my Valentine's Day Card from me to you. (It's vintage - and I love it!)

Teddy Bears

The older I get, the more I realize that I am becoming my mother. It seems all of us women go through this at some point. Yet there are always some characteristics that we swear we will never have. Never!! If I had to name one great quality that my mom has given to me, I would have to say it would be my creativity. It is what has led me to my career today.

My mom has always been a creative person, from stitching all of us kids' baby blankets, to creating a twetty bird costume for me for halloween one year, to scrap-booking my entire high school career beautifully. Her talents never end. But the most meaningful item that she has made for me, my brother and my sister has to be our teddy bears. My dad died when I was only ten years old, my sister was seven, and my brother was four. It was a hard time to go through because we missed our Daddy so much, but my mom's strength for us was indescribable. I truly do not know how she did it. A few years after my dad had died, she gave each of us kids a teddy bear made out of our dad's clothing for Christmas. This teddy bear is so precious to me. Even though it has been fourteen years since my dad died, there are still times that holding my teddy bear makes me feel closer to him.

Since that Christmas, my mom started a mini-business of making these very special bears. She not only loves the process of creating each one of a kind bear, but she also loves knowing that she may be bringing a bit of comfort to each person that holds one of these bears close.

I am working on some advertising materials for her and took a few images of one of the bears she has made. If you are interested in more information about a teddy bear of your own, contact Jill by clicking here.

Each bear has a unique memory heart on the butt.

And here is me with my teddy bear!

Beautiful, Cold Sky

I just wanted to share the beautiful, but cold, winter sky I saw driving today. It is gorgeous. Sometimes I take our stunning country landscape for granted, but not today.