Office, schmoffice.

So, every day I check out my blog stats to track how many visitors, where are they from, etc. I'm pretty sure if I didn't have proof that people actually READ this blog (before my blog stats, the only way for me to know people read it, is if they leave a comment. I get virtually no comments. Just sayin'....) anyway, if I didn't have proof that people read this thing, I probably wouldn't keep updating it.

But, I have quite a following -- or so I've found out. I have people over in England (Hi Ashley!) and in Wichita, KS (Hi Jennifer!), someone in Fort Worth, Texas, Mountain View, California, Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky. I have readers from my old company, Mead, and some photographer friends I've just met. My best friend's mom in Florida reads it nearly every day and Aunt Leah will read it as long as I promise not to make her cry. My clients follow my blog and so do my friends and family.

In fact, if it were up to my friends and family, they'd make me write a book. I'm not so sure what I have to say is that important but it could definitely fall under the "entertaining" section. For sure. I mean what else would you call shooting out car windows with BB guns or getting peas stuck up your nose?

So imagine my surprise when I checked my log this morning and found this:

Executive Office Of The President. AYKM? And it wasn't just an "oops, how did I get here?" stumble, it's a repeat visitor! I KNOW what I have to say isn't THAT important or that amusing for that matter. Not in the slightest.

But I will admit that, for a small millisecond, it did make me feel pretty good. Short-lived, but it was there.

And while I'm at it, a big "Thank You" to everyone that stopped in check out what I had to say over the course of 2010. It's ok to leave a comment, too, while you're here....say hi, tell me I spelled something wrong, or what you had for lunch! I don't care. I just love hearing from you.

Oops

I still get giddy when it comes to Christmas. Giddy, like a four-year-old, laying in front of the Christmas tree, staring at the gifts as if I would be able to tell what was inside of them with my supertoddler x-ray vision.

I love the excitement of wondering what is inside of each box, delicately wrapped and lovingly tagged "To: Mom". When Taylor was able to start reading, I would tag some of the gifts from funny people. "From: Dora". "From: Scooby Doo". "From: Drake and Josh"......Spongebob......Your Crazy Mom. It's even carried over to Chris and the boys now. "From: Old Lady", ChickenHead (that's what Bryce used to call me all the time), Beyonce, The Cook, The Maid...and on and on and on. It's so funny to watch their faces when they see who it's from. And they must've caught on...I have one under the tree this year from "BooBoo".

And since we've been together, Chris and I have been pretty lax with each other's gifts. There are quite a few gifts that we know about from the other. But, there are a few that we like to keep secret until Christmas morning. You know how it goes -- you're out shopping together and see something that you like, and they respond with the "Ok, get it. But you'll have to wait until Christmas to have it." deal. That's how it was with my luggage set this year, and Chris' digital tape measure.

And kinda what happened with my coffee mug.

I say "kinda" because it was more like an accident than an intentional thing.

He was working away up in his office. I was working away down in mine. He yelled down to me "Did you order anything for $36??"

"No", I said. "Nothing."

"You didn't order anything for $36 from Photojojo?? Are you sure? Come up here and look," he hollered.

When it hit me.

I had sent him a link a few weeks prior for a coffee mug that I had put on my Christmas list. It had to be that.

By the time I had gotten to the top of the stairs and rounded the corner to his office, I had a huge smile plastered across my face. I looked at him, grinned, and he looked back at me all clueless-like.

"The coffee mug I had on my Christmas list was from Photojojo," I said. His clueless look was quickly replaced with a "aw-man-you-weren't-supposed-to-know" look.

"Oops," he said, followed by a smirking "Merry Christmas, babe".

A few days later, a box came in the mail with my "oops" Christmas gift. Since I already knew what it was, Chris let me open it. But, then I had to wrap it and "can't have it until Christmas".

The lady at the supermarket

I was in a hurry.

I had just enough time to get in and out of the store with the necessities written on the post-it pad in my mind.

a book for Harley's exchange at school
bread crumbs
cheese
chicken

I grabbed a cart and barreled towards the book aisle in the back of the store. My quick pace had me dodging in and out of aisles, nearly running over a wandering three-year-old by the jewelry counter.

I hurriedly picked out a book and went on my way. As I tore around the corner, standing there in front of the cough syrup, I saw her.

Her scarf caught my eye. It was a square of red and blue paisley with fringe around the edges. She had folded it in half to form a triangle, wrapped it around her head, and delicately tied it underneath her chin. Her long, dirty, white hair hung from under it as if it were mocking the fringe.

Over her layers of sweaters and sweatshirts, she wore a brown coat. From the obvious cracks and peeling on the outside, you could tell it was made of something other than genuine leather. Her sweatshirt hood peeked out from the collar and her soiled, cream colored, cable-knit sweater hung from the bottom. She had black sweat pants on -- at least two sizes too small an a hole in one knee -- no socks and grey sneakers. Her shoes were so worn that the soles were an inch thicker on the outside of her shoe than inside by the arch.

She was pushing her own two-wheeled cart. You could see paper bags arranged neatly under the clear plastic wrapped around it and her two bungee cords kept everything from shifting around.

Her face was round and her skin was aged. Her face attired wrinkles and a kind, content smile. She glanced at me, with her tender eyes, as if I broke her concentration, flashed a smile, and quickly went back to her task at hand.

There was a stack of coupons in her gloved hand. If I had to guess there were probably 50 of them in her stack. One by one, she'd take them off the top, find the medicine pictured on it, and place the coupon behind the price tag on the shelf. She was close to me at the end of the aisle and when she moved to the opposite end, to find the Advil Liquigels, I could see the mass amounts of coupons tucked down the shelves. There had to have been at least 3o, maybe 40, coupons sticking up like tiny white flags.

I watched her for a few more seconds, as she wrapped up the medicine aisle, carefully placing the coupon where the next lucky shopper could spot it. And as she walked away, I noticed her feet peeking out of the soles of her shoes.

And in those 20 seconds it took her to walk out of my sight, I felt it wave over me like a broken dam.

Here is this sweet, little, old lady putting coupons on products that she couldn't afford and had no intentions of buying. Just so someone else could reap the benefits. People she didn't know. People who would never know it was her that put them there. She probably didn't have a family to go home to. Or kids that cared that she wasn't wearing socks in her hole-soled shoes in the middle of winter. Instead of worrying about what she was going to fix for dinner, she was probably worried about where she was going to FIND dinner.

I continued on through the store with a heavy heart. I felt bad for her.

She looked absolutely content with what she was doing, and the simple pleasure of exchanging hellos with the passersby in the store. So why did I feel so bad for her? Was it because she hadn't had a warm shower? Or company while she was shopping? Was it because she was helping someone else -- people she didn't even know -- save a $1 on Nyquil?

I get so wrapped up in thinking that I have it so bad. Wishing personal relationships with people were different than what the are, having to deal with bad behavior from a 9 year old, burning the chicken casserole or backing into my husband's parked truck in the driveway. When, really, it isn't that bad at all. I could easily have it so much worse.

I don't know the sorrow of burying my husband of 53 years, or to be bedside next to my dying child with cancer. I don't know the emptiness of having a loved one fighting in a war.

I'm sure it's only human to lose sight of what you do have only to focus on what you don't have or how bad it might be from time-to-time. I'm sure I'm not alone in this either. You get so busy with day-to-day life...work, school, kids, schedules, bills, laundry and on and on....that before long you find yourself in a place that has no roses to stop and smell. Even if you are a positive person, you find yourself blanketed in negativity. Everything has become so convenient for us with our iPhone apps, take-out dinners, and DVR that we take so much for granted. In a way, we just expect it to be there and be perfect. And then when it's not, we act as though the world has fallen out from under our feet.

Our feet with hole-less shoes and clean socks.

So thank you, lady in the supermarket, for reminding me to count my blessings today and actually being grateful for them.

O Christmas Tree

I can remember decorating the Christmas tree when I was a kid. My sister and I would spend hours and hours putting multi-colored bulbs on the lower half and then fight over who had more of the silver, stringy, icicle stuff. Then, when we thought it looked too bare, we'd make paper ornaments and hang them on the tree with twist ties we recycled from loaves of bread.

It was always put in the same spot. Year after year it'd go in the front family room (or as my parents called it, the "good" living room -- good for what? is the queen coming over???). Anyway....our house was kind of an open floor plan on one side. The "good" living room opened up to the dining room and that opened up to the regular family room. (Would've been AWESOME for a bowling alley!) Mom liked the tree in the front room so you could see it from the outside....and so you could admire it from the inside at night.

My parents always insisted on a real tree....although my dad would probably beg to differ on that since he was the one that always got stuck on the clean-up crew. But the smell was so worth it. Even now, if I pass a real tree and close my eyes, I can see myself with those silver icicles in my hand. Of course, I can also still feel the prick in the arch of my foot come February when you're scuffing your feet on the carpet to shock your sister.

Now that I think about it, I don't even know where the real tree came from. I don't remember going out to the country tree farm all Griswald-like, trekking miles in the freezing snow, chopping it down and then lugging it back to the car. And I don't remember going to some Mom-and-Pop stop where they were in aisles, lined up like some evergreen tent. Yet, year after year, there it stood, proudly boasting in our "good" living room.

Not much has changed, really, from when I was younger. I still love putting up the tree. I'm finally able to put all of the bulbs evenly on the tree -- not just at the bottom. I just don't have anyone to fight over the icicles with.

It has to look perfect. Like, staight-out-of-Martha-Stewart-Living-magazine-perfect. I traded in the multi-colored lights for only red and white ones. Red and silver bulbs (placed perfectly thankyouverymuch), silver and red ribbon, candy canes, garland and a big white star at the tip top. Perfect.

Since none of the kids were here to help me decorate this year, I dediced to do something a wee bit different. Last year I took one still picture of the final outcome of the tree -- at night, all lit up. But this year, I decided to do a graduation from start to finish.

Any of my friends -- and especially my husband and children -- will tell you what a big, fat dork I am. It's ok. Really. I know this and I wear it proudly.

You'll see.

Cell phone chronicles

Well, here it is November. Summer's gone (Sob! Sob!) And I'm left to relive the past months thru all of the pictures I've taken of our crazy, spring/summer/early fall-ness.

Which would be great....if there were any.

No, I'm serious. I'm literally scouring thousands of images taken from April until now and I'm not finding too many of my little clan. I'm honestly starting to think my imagery documenting skills are falling to the wayside. Did I really work so hard for my clients and not-so-hard for my little HalfDozen? What's going to happen when I put together our 2010 Year In Review slideshow? Will I have to pay models to "stand in"?

I'm actually quite disappointed in myself. I didn't even blog as much as last year. And I know I had more to say. Just not enough time. Chris tells me all the time "you can't do everything". I know this. But I wish I could. I wish I could be every where with everyone and didn't have to let anyone down by saying no. But, it just doesn't happen that way.

I have some pretty cool things lined up for next year. I know some of you -- ok, who am I kidding -- all of you are wanting me to blog more. Wanda, every day might not happen, but it'll be more along the lines of once a week, for sure.

So anyway, back to the cell phone chronicles......I was going thru all of my pictures for 2010 when I realized that I had a gazillion pictures on my cell. Which prompted me to load them into Photoshop, which led to this blog post.

Apparently, the majority of my cell phone pictures are food and beverage. With 3% landscapes and 84% of them have my crazy kids in 'em.

Random can still be good, right?

The Loudenback's

Sometimes, it's a little disheartening for me to do repeat sessions for my clients. No, really. It is. I hadn't seen sweet, little Ava since I did her newborn pictures when she was 5 days old. Imagine the shock I felt when I showed up to their family session last month and she was 8 months old! I know, right? Where in the heck did all that time go?!?? And look how stinkin' cute she is!

Maybe 'disheartening' is the wrong word. It's just that it floors me when you see these little boogers growing up sooooo fast. It's one thing to watch your own kids whiz by you, but to watch someone else's kids do it, is just amazing.

I will say that it's pretty cool for me to know that when Ava is searching for pictures for her high school graduation slide show, these will be top contenders.

Yeah, that's pretty cool.

Today's post is brought to you by the number 34.

It really hasn't been what I expected it would be.

Turning 34 in my mind many, many years ago, I imagined a much more horrific scene. Like already having had lyposuction after birthing 6 kids....hating my job....and receiving my Golden Buckeye card.

Good thing THAT'S not the case. (Although I did get a new Kroger's card this month.)

In fact, turning 34 has been incredible. If there is something better than 'incredible'.....it'd be THAT. To the third power. Times 50.

And to be honest, nothing monumental happened this year. Not like last year. It was just a normal birthday. A day with birthday cards, singing, you know....the works. It doesn't take much for me to be happy. I have everything I've ever wanted wrapped up in my little world. I have a phenomenal husband/father, 4 outstanding kids, so many amazing friends and family. What more could you want? OK, BESIDES Kirk Herbstreit jumping out of your cake??

As a running tally, I have gotten the following "gifts":

1 birthday apple dumpling
206 217 218 Facebook notifications
breakfast with my husband
a super yummy candle from my in-laws
4 homemade cards from my artsy-fartsy kidders
lunch with my girls
1 Bahama Mama
9 singing waitresses with
1 fudge sundae
9 text messages from my homies
2 voicemails
8 cards
1 virtual high-five from Chicago

AND THIS:




Why wouldn't I love my birthday?! =)

Here's some pretty cool facts about the day I was born:

1976 Prices
Bread: $0.30/loaf
Milk: $1.42/gal
eggs: $1.28/doz
Car: $5,418
Gas: $0.60/gal
House: $48,000
Stamp: $0.13/ea
Avg Income: $16,870/yr
Min Wage: $2.30/hr
DOW Avg: 1,005

People born on October 11
1948 - Daryl Hall rocker/songwriter (Hall & Oates-Sara Smile)
1918 - Jerome Robbins choreographer/composer (Tony-West Side Story)
1884 - Eleanor Roosevelt 1st lady/crusader

On TV in 1976
Happy Days
Little House on the Prairie
Mork & Mindy
Laverne & Shirley
Alice
Barney Miller
M*A*S*H
Charlie's Angels
The Bob Newhart Show
The Rockford Files

Hot New Toys in 1976
The Bionic Woman
Evel Knievel Stunt World
Stretch Armstrong
Barbie glamour head
Atari
Marie Osmond TV Makeup center
Little People
Little Professor Calculator
Muhammad Ali Action Figure

The price of gas makes me kinda sick...ok, alot sick. And so does the price of milk for that matter. It's kinda cool to know I share a birthday with Eleanor Roosevelt, but Hall & Oates??? I would totally be DVRing Laverne&Shirley if it were on TV today and Alice. And I can also remember getting the Barbie Glamour Head for Christmas one year (probably waaaaaaay after it was cool to have one).

Funny. NOW I feel old.

Austin turning 3!

It only seemed fitting to me.

I mean, he DOES love fire trucks. And his dad IS a fireman. So why wouldn't we take his 3 year pictures there!?

I met Austin and his mom at the Covington Fire Department bright and early Labor Day morning. (Yeah, I'd hardly call my job "laborous" so that whole holiday is knoll and void for me.) Anyway, Austin recently turned three and his mom thought it was time for some updated pictures to celebrate the milestone. Yeah, 3 is a pretty big deal!

It was the first time for me to do a session at a firehouse, but I definitely fell in love with it. Especially for a kid who loves the place. I have a feeling I'll probably be heading back there to do a few more.

Ain't he cute!?

Presley

I just love this girl.

Presley and I (and her mom, Hi Cindy!) met in downtown Tipp City. I absolutely love the old historical parts of small towns. The knooks and crannies are endless for taking pictures. Old brick building, railroad tracks, or old withered doors....they all have so much character.

I spent a little over an hour with Presley and had an absolute blast with her. She's so laid back, and down to earth. She knows what she wants to do with her young life and I have no doubt that her independent spirit will get her there. She is funny and content with the person that she is.

There are times as a photographer when I feel like I really nailed a session. Like I showed up with my A Game. This was one of those sessions. The light was gorgeous, the location was perfect and my subject was a dang-near model. Her eyes were this deep brown that the light bounces off of like a mirror. Her skin was flawless. And her smile was nothing short of contagious. Plus, a cute pair of shoes always helps.

Presley, you're beautiful. Inside and out.

Mom, I'm sure you couldn't be any more proud of this audacious, young woman.

'Tis the season....for holiday portraits!!!

I went shopping last week and actually saw Christmas decorations in the stores. Don't they know it isn't even Halloween yet!??

Yeah, but who am I foolin'? It is nice to know that you can get that pesky Christmas shopping done early, huh? Why not cross updating your family portraits off your to-do list?? You know you will be kicking yourself when you're clearing the Thanksgiving table, wishing you had booked in September.

And portraits make such great gifts for everyone in the family! Is Aunt Bee complaining that the last picture they've gotten is one of your 12-year old on the first day of kindergarten? Wouldn't you love to see a fresh picture of the family hanging in Grandma's house without your big hair? Imagine how cool you will look to your family and friends when they receive your custom holiday card featuring your portraits!

Beat the holiday rush with the special below! If you have any questions, just shoot me an email or give me a call! And while you're at it, why don't you head on over to Facebook so you don't miss any more specials!!

Congrats Monica and Curt!

Remember waaaaaaaaaay back when I wore those super-cute boots on the engagement session down on the farm?

Well, Curt and Monica finally tied the knot on August 7th, 2010.

They had a very cute and personal wedding at the St. Louis Catholic Church in North Star and then everyone went back to her parents farm for the party.

And not only do those Batdorf's know how to party, but there wasn't one detail skipped, missed or forgotten. Absolutely incredible. They were very attentive to pay homage to Monica's Mary Kay career, and Curt's important job as a farmer. Right down to the tractors as backdrops and the steer ear tags as name cards.

I'm hoping to get caught up enough to post some of my favorite images from this wedding. There are so many! But until I do, here's a slideshow:

Shawn & Holly 7/3/2010

Shawn and Holly's wedding was one of the most unique and personal weddings I've ever done. She paid attention to every. single. detail.

This was the first wedding I actually covered at the Willow Tree Inn (the other two times I was there was actually attending one). I fell in love with it when I first attended a wedding there a few years back, but I fell in love with it all over again when I was shooting there. The little nooks and crannies were endless for pictures. And the light was gorgeous...even well into the reception.

I've had a lot of questions about this wedding, so I've listed as many links at the end of this post as I could.


It was really hard for me to pull out my favorite images from this day....there were just far too many. But my favorite group of pictures were -- hand's down -- the dancing pictures at the reception. The way these two looked at each other -- ah, so in love! Even Holly's dad was beaming with pride.

Venue: The Willow Tree Inn, Tipp City
Dress: a Maggie Sottero from Emmy's Bridal, Minster
Hair: Chrissy, Traci and Angie from Glamour on Mane, Piqua
Rings: Harris Jewelers, Troy
Caterers: Batdorf's Red Barn Catering, Covington

an APB...on myself....

Yes, I'm still here. In case anyone is wondering...

If I could have skipped over the last few weeks and woke up like it's been a bad dream, I would have already. But it's just not that easy.

A couple of weeks ago, my family lost a little piece of us. A grandmother, a mother-in-law, a mom. The hole that is left has us all searching for ways to fill it. And I fully believe that our rockiest road lies before us.

I apologize to those of you who are waiting for galleries, albums, or even an email from me. As many of you know, I have always, and will continue to place my family first....before myself, and even before my career. Please know that my time away from my "job" has been spent with my family, who needed me.....and who will continue to need me. I've tried to notify most of you, but if I have failed, please know that I'm doing the best I can do with the circumstances before me. I am working a couple of hours each day to clear the backlog.

Thanks to everyone who sent messages, texts, called us or simply prayed for us. We sincerely appreciate all of you who have supported us over the last couple of weeks. Chris and I are absolutely blessed to have such amazing friends and family.

Tutti

The calendar tells me it's been 17 years, but the pings in my heart tells me that she's been gone much longer. It's a milestone that I never wanted to reach, and when I realized that I would be one of the unfortunate ones that would have that notch on my proverbial life belt, I refused to believe it would come this fast.

But it has.

The day my mom passed would normally come and go, just as any other day. The sun would rise and the sun would set regardless of the empty pocket in my soul. But this day is earmarked just for her. To remember her, to honor her. To laugh at her, and to miss her.

But this year took more than a day. It took weeks.

For over two weeks, heck, maybe even longer, it hovered around me like cigarette smoke in a billiard hall. Every thought led back to her, something she had done, or what she would have said. There were obvious reminders, and subtle triggers....the ones that sidle up to you without warning, emerging from every corner, tapping you on the shoulder when you thought you had other things on your mind.

I remember getting a card from one of my dearest best friends when she passed away. The front of the card read "Time will ease your pain". Time hasn't done anything for my pain at all. All time has done is made her laugh faint in my mind, the sound of her voice fade, and the smell of her perfume unfamiliar. I missed her more this year than I had any year, any day, in the last 17.

I felt like I was grieving for her all over again. Except this time was worse.

I'm sure I'm no different than anyone else that's lost their mother young. You reach these milestones and her absence is painfully obvious. Either consciously or subconsciously, you once imagine all of the important milestones you will reach in your life, and expect her to be there. And when she's not, not only are you mourning what was lost, but you're also mourning what will never be.

I missed my mom when I got my drivers license and had no one to take a cruise with. Or when I graduated college, or when I got my first job promotion and wanted to make her proud with the news. I miss her when I'm sick, or when I can't remember what works best on insect bites, or when no one else cares how rude the lady at the supermarket was to me. Whether she would have made me homemade chicken noodle soup or mailed me Calamine lotion and cotton balls if she were alive isn't really the issue. The fact that I can't even ask her for them is what makes me miss her all over again.

And now....now I have officially lived longer without her than with her. There's a sad beauty to this really, that my mom will remain forever young in my mind. I'll never have to watch her grow old or worry about her care during old age. But it also means I'll pass her before long. Up until this point my adolescence and hers were strikingly similar: we loved our parents but disagreed with them, took tests in public high schools, and fell in love. But I married at twenty and the choices she made at that age -- to remain single and go on to college -- are the ones that have separated our adult experiences.

Truthfully, my friends whose mothers are still alive can say the same thing. Daughters often surpass their mothers. That's just fact. But many of my achievements have been tinged with bittersweet because they're things my mother only hoped to accomplish but didn't' get the time to do. I graduated college, have visited foreign countries. I attended my sister's wedding and watched her children being born. I saw the first day of a new century. And one day, I'll turn 40.

More than anything I mourn who she would have been in my life today. I know at some point we would have crossed a threshold of Mother-and-Daughter, to a Best Friend relationship. There are times when I'm around my best friend and her mom and am green with envy. Jealousy consuming my whole body and wanting that relationship so badly with my own mom. Instantly I think about how things would be if she were alive today. I know she would come over in the mornings for a cup of coffee. She'd sit at my kitchen table with her steaming cup of coffee in one hand, cigarette in the other, bouncing her prosthetic leg up and down. What would we talk about? What kind of advice would she give me? Would she tell me I'm a good mom? Would she give me a better recipe for zucchini bread? Shopping plans, charity projects, overnight visits for the kids?

For nearly 13 years I have been looking at my mother as if she were a mirror -- a place to go when I need a benchmark of my progress as a mom. I look at her and try to identify the similarities and differences between us maternally. But I realize I'm working with limited material. On one hand, I'm comparing myself to a thirty-nine-year-old Tutti I know very little about, and on the other hand, I'm comparing myself to a woman that never ages. When I turned nineteen, she was thirty-nine. And now I'm thirty-three, and she's still thirty-nine. My mother will remain older and more experienced than me for only 6 more years. Then what? Who will I compare myself to then? Yes, I have maternal instincts. But when I doubt those, my fail safe has always been "what would Mom do here?". So many things I have done with my own children simply because that's what my mom did with me. The way I discipline, having the kids lay their school clothes out before going to bed, leaving them notes in inconspicuous places. What will happen when I need to talk to them about sex, or help them learn how to drive? Who will I compare myself to when I'm wedding dress shopping with my daughter? How will I know I'm doing it right?

I can say that I truly believe that God has a plan. He may have taken my mom young, probably to spare her the pain and agony of living so sickly, but He also gave me my Grandma. In many ways she IS my mom. And who knows....maybe I wouldn't have had the incredible relationship with her if my mom were still alive. Or the other numerous people that have willingly stepped in to fill her shoes in my life.

I have also come to realize that there is no timeline for the grieving process. No one can say "in 22 days you will be over it" or "hang in there, this time three years from now you won't feel a thing". It takes time...lots of time.

Landon, 6 months! Already!!!

I just can't even believe this little guy is 6 months old already. It's one thing to watch your own kids grow up and reach those important milestones...but when you watch your clients doing it -- it just seems like life is going waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too fast.

Landon's been my client since he was in his mama's belly. And again when he was born. And when he was 3 months.

And now he's a whopping 6 months old.

And, to boot, his mom had enough nerve to schedule his 9 month session already.

Torrie, you are smooookin' hot!! Those other two guys are pretty cute, too. =)

How can you not giggle at this picture!? Just look at that face!!!

Landon's dad does this thing with him....he'll pick Landon up and eat him like an ear of corn. And Landon just goes crazy laughing!!!

So cute.

See you guys in a few weeks!!!

Ross and Michelle

I love weddings.

I have documented over 25 of them in my career, and they never get old. I know the routine, where to stand for the best possible kissing shot, and have memorized I Corinthians 13:1-13.

But it amazes me how different each wedding is. The details are all there but so different. And it's really cool for me to see how each couple personalizes their day in their own way. Some name tables after places the couple went on dates, some add their favorite sports teams into the cake, and some even add in their high school rivalries.

Ross and Michelle's big day was clear back in June. (Yes, I know it's August.) And I think up until that point, it was the hottest day of the year. And even though it was sweltering outside, their bridal party was incredibly patient....and absolutely hilarious!

Yes, I'm still here....

I know, this is so unlike me. I haven't blogged in 20 days....about anything. I even had a client call to check on me!

Well, it's not a lack of material, I can tell you that. In fact, it's just the opposite. I have all kinds of things to share:

Ross and Michelle's wedding
My sweet Landon turned 6 months old (already!!!)
a twins' family session
Shawn and Holly's wildflower wedding (that caused me to have bizarre dreams)
a session of two cute kids
vacation in the Smokies
and a few other ramdom things I can't think of right now

So see, it's not a lack of subject.

If you follow me at all on Facebook, know that I'm already booked up thru October. Since my job as a mom comes first, I only open my schedule up for a limited number of sessions from August - October. As a mom of four, it gets pretty crazy and my calendar is sheer chaos: my two son's play football, my daughter cheering and my oldest daughter is running cross country. My husband coaches football and I'm a Team Mom.

Taking on a full workload on top of my already crazy life, means that my work as a photographer will be rushed, uncreative and downright crappy. I have certain expectations of myself as an artist -- the same expectations that you have as a client -- and by me monitoring my workload means that I can stay fresh as a photographer. That keeps you happy, me happy and of course my family happy.

If ay any time, I see my schedule slowing down, I will open my calendar back up for more sessions. So, just because I'm booked now, doesn't mean I'll stay that way! Keep an eye on this blog, or you can always check Facebook!

Senior Rep, Jake Stewart

Everyone, this is Jake.

Jake, the Internet.

I first met Jake in May when I was volunteering at The Overnighter -- an incredible two-day event for elementary students put on by an organization of parents. Although, I wouldn't say I technically "met" Jake then......every time I went to introduce myself, he vanished.

And I totally know why.

Jake has an amazing gift of working with kids. They suck to him like opposite magnets. Like pantyhose and skirts on a winter day (Sorry, Jake). They idolize him and breathe his energy like helium from a balloon. He's the type of high-schooler that you WANT your kids to emulate.

When Jake isn't fratinizing with the 5th graders, he's playing baseball and football for Covington High School. And collecting shoes.

Yes, that's what I said. Shoes. And not just some run-of-the-mill-every-day shoes. But Jordans. Of every single color. You'll see.

And not only does he have a lengthy shoe collection that would make most of my girlfriends jealous, but he has a smile that is absolutely infectious. Just looking at him smiling makes me smile. Even when I'm already smiling.

Jake, I hope you enjoy your senior year!! Best of luck to you and all you set out to accomplish! You have a bright future adhead of you (bring those shades)!

All my best,

e

Heather, the Contest Winner

Remember back in April when I had my contest? Well, Heather won. A few weeks later, I met up with her --and her darling family-- so she could claim her prize!

Heather is married to her high school sweetheart and has two beautiful twin girls. Alani and Tegan are the first set of twins I've EVER photographed! And I couldn't believe how different they were despite looking exactly alike. (On a radom side note, Heather did give me the inside scoop on how to tell them apart. But for the life of me I couldn't remember which one was which so I had to study her Facebook pictures to make sure I had it right!)

I had an absolute blast with this family and loved the character in the girls. So cute!

Here are a couple of random facts about Heather:

• We used to work at the local newspaper together and had front-lobby conversations about anything...and EVERYTHING!
• We had a system in place of calling each other if we got stuck with an annoying customer.......or co-worker (even though our desks were 4 feet apart!!).
• She loves anything Lisa Frank.
• Her weakness is pens, pencils, and little note pads.
• One year, during our career at the newspaper, she got me a cute little box with an ornament in it for Christmas. I still have that box on my desk in my office. And the ornament still gets hung on my tree.

Hi Tegan!!

Alani and her dimple.

There is just something about a twins' bond that facinates me. Lovelovelovelovelove this!!!

Senior Rep Trey Stewart

Trey is one of my senior reps from Covington High School....the same high school that I graduated from. (Only 15 years ago. But, that's another blog.) Trey is in the band and plays the drums....just like I did in high school. And he is in Chef Training at the JVS. So cool!

Trey, his mom, and I met up a couple weeks ago to get his senior session done. I had scouted out a couple (ok, maybe more than "a couple") of great places and was so stoked to see them in his session. I absolutely love it when my clients are willing to do whatever I ask of them to get a good shot. Trey was at my mercy and, as long as there wasn't any bird poop, was willing to do anything I asked him to do.
Trey and I are pretty much alike on a few things. Not only do we love the drums and the marching band, but we aren't really good at serious looks. It's so hard for me to "go serious" when I want to smile. I just can't do it. I usually end up laughing hysterically. I have to think about my cat dieing, or someone eating the last ice cream sandwich.

I happened to catch him in action....but he still could nail the serious look. Nice work, Trey. Oh, yes. Nailed it.

On a complete random side note, I usually feel bad about showing up for a session in my ball hat and flip-flops. Sometimes I feel like I should look more professional. But then, other times, I realize that I dress down for a reason. I have yet to do a session where I'm not rolling around on the ground, jumping ontop of dumpsters, or sitting in gravel. And during Trey's session I TRIED to miss a huge mud puddle, but missed.

So, don't feel offended when I show up in old clothes...chances are I'm just taking precautionary measures for my coordination and my willingness to get a great shot. =)