Miss Kash turns 1

I know, super cool name, huh!?

My brother sent Kate my way when she was looking for a photographer to take her daughter's one-year pictures. Because I pay my brother large amounts of cash to pass my name along, he (of course) did his job nicely.

I was just kidding about that large-amounts-of-cash stuff...

Anyhoo, we all met up last Friday for our session. Wasn't the ideal weather conditions either, I might add. The wind was blowing pretty hard and the sun was out in full force. Like I said, not too ideal when you're a photographer. But we handled it and things turned out pretty well.

Ok, maybe better than "pretty well"....

I want this in a canvas reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally big, hanging in my office. This is one of those "Instant Happy" ones that make me giggle when I see it. No more Monday Morning Blahs with this hanging around!!

And since no 1st Birthday is complete without a birthday cake they get to smash in their faces, we had to have one. This is always fun to watch unfold. You know that they don't get frosting...or heck, even sugar, much when they're this tiny...so to see their eyes light up when they get that first bite....always a fun moment to share. I think her eyes were the size of that cupcake when she had her first taste!

Too cute! Happy Birthday Kash!!

More like family than not.

I've always said that I have an unconventional family....loving people who have been strategically placed somewhere along my path of life to fill a void, or a role, to help make me who I am today.

Sure, I have a mom and dad who are responsible for creating me. But, my mom died when I was a freshman in high school and my dad......well, let's just say he chose not to be around. But I have never suffered by the losses. I've never felt short-changed or cheated.

Because of these 'other' people in my life.

I may not have had my parents in the latter part of my life, but I am fortunate enough to have amazing grandparents -- who have been my parental role models much of my life. I am trying to instill values into my own children that my grandparents molded me by. I want my kids to be thankful for what they have and to not take anything for granted. I want them to appreciate a hard earned dollar. I want the girls to learn to sew and the boys to learn to cook. I want them to learn that discipline will get you everywhere and dishonesty will get you nowhere. I want them to know that manners are monumental. I want them to know, truly KNOW, that our love is unconditional. These are the things I'm teaching my kids because my grandparents took the time to teach me.

I have an Aunt that isn't "technically" my mom or dad's sister, but yet was trusted enough to let me stay long country summers with her and her family. Aunt Leah has guided me thru much of my life -- the good, the bad, the easy or the difficult -- without expecting much in return. She held my hand thru my parents divorce and thru my own divorce. She spoke encouraging words as I nervously sat getting my ears pierced at the age of twelve, and encouraged me to follow my artistic dreams at the age of 25. She has taught me how to be patient with my own kids by being patient with me when I broke her living room lamp when I was ten. I try to emulate her patience and her open mindedness. She inspired me to set my own bar high and has been the catalyst in my zest for an adventurous life. Both individually, and as a parent.

I have incredible friends who are called "aunt" and "uncle" by my kids. They rough-house together, play football together, they share secrets and shopping trips. They fall alseep in their laps and do that armpit/farting thing together. They laugh. They laugh until there are tears. They are loved. They are loved until it oozes from the pores on their dirty, little faces.

There have been teachers that have mentored me without ever stepping a foot into their classroom.

There are band directors that have taught me how to "pay it forward" to those less fortunate.

And there were lifeguards that were my "family" if only for 90 hot, summer days. At a time in my life when the term 'family' was confusing enough...divorces, adoptions.....it was a struggle to fit in. Yet, Randy and Lisa and their little, big family of lifeguards made you feel like that's just where you belonged.

It were those summers that taught me the most about "family", about being accepted for WHO you were and not WHAT you were, and about support. It was that group of neighboring town transplants that all had common ground around an L shaped swimming pool. It didn't matter what school you went to, or who your boyfriend was. "They were brother's that picked on you, sisters that leaned on you and a mom that ran the show....." They proved that friendships get stronger year after year, and bonds remain strong years after you moved on to "real" jobs.

The Anderson's were the core of that summer family. 4 people that poured their heart and soul into the community watering hole. 4 people that made that place my "home"....complete with a screen door slamming and a mom that yelled at you when it did.

They have always held a special place in my heart....like family should.

A few weeks ago, I got a phone call from the Anderson family. They needed family pictures and I was honored to do it. Heather's sister, Holly, was in from Florida so she figured that was the perfect time to gather the families.

I believe that being related doesn't neccessarily make you family, and just because you aren't related, doesn't mean you're not.

Booked!

For those interested in fall sessions, all of my weekend openings are now booked thru October. I still have openings thru a few weekdays (October) and a few weekend sessions are still available in November. If you're still waiting to book your session, don't wait much longer! Spots are filling up quick!!

I know there are some of you that are wanting to get holiday photo cards done and it's still possible. In fact, if you book a family session October 1st thru November 14th, you'll get 50 free custom-designed holiday cards. Yes, I did say free. And truthfully, what would be cooler than having a holiday card featuring your family!??

If you need more details or need to schedule a date, email me!

And just because my posts are much more interesting with a picture, here's one from a newborn session I did a couple of weeks ago. Remember this little butterbean??

When Facebook brings you clients.....who are long lost friends...

I sat down at my computer one afternoon, logged on to my Facebook, not really expecting to find much. It was raining buckets that day and I was bored out of my mind. The internet always seems to subside the boredom...

You know, I've always said that the Facebook's and the Myspace's are pretty awesome at putting you back in touch with people you lost contact with over the years. That's how I re-met my Mr. Wonderful after 17 years, reconnected with my old high school band director who was a pretty big influence in my life, and Lord knows how many other friends that I lost contact with when Life happened.

I never would have thought that I would gain clients out of it. But it just kinda happened that way.

So....back to the boring day.....I logged into Facebook and had a new friend request from someone with a name I didn't recognize. (Which, let's be real for a second, has happened to me far too many times. You see the name right in front of you but you have NO CLUE what face it belongs to.) So, I was puzzled. I racked my brain for a few minutes and decided to click on the name -- just so I could see a larger picture.

About 12 seconds later, I squealed. OMG! Are you kidding me!?!??! Where has she been? Where is she??? What is she doing?

The picture belonged to one of my best friends from 8th grade on. We did almost everything together....we played basketball together and went to dances. We walked to school together and wrote notes to one another. We told secrets about our bad-kissing boyfriends to each other.

We even had really bad perms and mall bangs together.


Oh yes. That's Staci on the left and me on the right....well before flat irons, tweezers, and suntan lotion. I was so gangly and un-coordinated -- a rubberband had more finesse than I did at that age. So much so that this was the only year that I played basketball. Ok.....attempted to play basketball.

That was 1991. A loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong ago 1991.

Now she's a wife to a pretty lucky guy and a mom of two beautiful children who have her eyes.

And me? I was the lucky photographer who got to take their picture.

Our shoot lasted for a little longer than 2 hours and it flew by like it was only 10 minutes. We chatted about kids, about life, and what happened after high school. We walked around that park like we were back in our hometown walking down Ludlow Street laughing at some of the things we did, the boys we chased, and the memories etched in our brains.

Delicious light and broken rules

While I was posting one of my last blogs, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I did a shoot with my own kids. I mean, I have the big moments on file -- birthdays, games, etc. -- and a few random moments captured. But, I can't, for the life of me, remember when was the last time I took them out and did a fun shoot.

So, tonight I had a couple of hours to kill -- just us "ladies". Chris was at a coaches meeting and the boys were at their mom's house. So, for a little while, it was back to the three of us, searching for a way to keep busy. Any way other than dishes or laundry.

As a photographer, my favorite time of day is the very last hour of daylight. That hour where the light turns into this delicious golden blanket that covers every crevice of the horizon. The kind of light that makes you want to stand facing it, with your eyes closed, just soaking up every last ray. That light does magical things to the colors in the sky and does it's own sort of mojo in images.

That light makes me want to sop that creamy, butter-y mess up with a biscuit.

As a photographer, I have broken more rules than I can count here. I've cut appendages off, I have blown highlights, I've over-exposed my skies (intentionally) and I've broken THE #1 rule.

The Mack Daddy.

"Do not, for whatever reason, shoot toward the sun. Keep it behind the lens."

My professors are probably blogstalking me right now, steamingly irrate at the fact that I've broken the sacred Backlight Law of OIP facilty and staff. They are probably all sitting at a Round Table meeting, severely disappointed, contemplating how to revoke my Golden Gallery award. Ok, maybe not that much.

But I love love love love (infinity) what that backlit sun-full-ness does to my images. I love what happens to the colors, the lensflare, the golden cast that everything soaks up. I just love it. I love it when single strands of hair sparkle and catchlights in the eyes are sparkly. I love the halos of light that envelope your subject.

I do. I love it. And I will continue to break those rules so long as I get these kinds of images.

Now.......if I could just get the boys to give in to a shoot like this....

Edit:

I'm not sure when they got to be so gorgeous. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've always thought I had cute kids, but when did that transition happen with Taylor???? Have I been in a coma the last year and been completely unobservant of the whole thing? She went from "cute kid with dimples" to "daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!" right before my very eyes!!! Seeing these images makes me want to lock her in her bedroom until she's 40 or beat her up just so the boys aren't interested in her amazing green eyes and darling freckles. What will the next 10 years be like for me?!!??!

Seriously.

Cuteness in a striped dress...

If I could take a big ball of a wholelotta cuteness, dip it in some animation and giggles, put some dark curls on top and wrap it in a striped dress.....this is what it would look like:

If I dug deep enough, I would find pictures of me, my sister, and Miss Ella's mom, Amy, back in high school running around together. Now we're old (remember when you thought people in their 30's were old?!?), and have kids, mortgages and car maintenance to think about. Funny how fast life happens, huh?

Miss Ella is going to be a big sister before long! Hopefully I'll get the chance to catch the little guy with his big sister!

Zach & Amber Part 2

A few more...

I love the look on their faces just after the pastor announced them as Mr. & Mrs. for the very first time.

The staple formal shot

The bands

The first dance (always has and always will be my absolute favorite part of the wedding)

more of sweet Leila

I'm still working thru the shoot with this sweet little baby but had to share a couple more...

(babies always have the best lips)

Little Tiny Leila...

Gina, an awesome co-worker of mine, had a baby earlier this month and yours truly got the incredible priveledge to go shoot this little butter bean a couple days ago!

A 12 day old baby. The smell, the sounds, the sight of such a tiny little thing.....

*Sigh*

I have quite a few of images yet to edit from this little shoot, but I had to post one real quick. This was the last shot of the day.

The.

Very.

Last.

Shot.

Shootsac

I spend a big part of my free time researching other photographers....what they're shooting, the gear they're using, the clients they love. It's a way for me to challenge myself creatively, continuously learning techniques and lighting tricks. I have learned so much by fellow photographers...it still amazes me how helpful other photographers are. It's like this big community that's always paying it forward.

I've been following this photographer ever since I entered the wedding biz 4 years ago. She has an amazing eye and captures phenomenal images.

She also has this really cool side business making the Shoot Sac --this handy bag with pouches to hold all of my gear while shooting. I've had my eye on one of these for a little while and today, the UPS guy delivered mine to me:





This baby will definitely come in handy. And the super cool part of it is I can change up the covers! Right now I'm digging the metallic floral number....

*sigh*

....it's pictures like these that make me want to have more babies.

For about a minute.

Until I realized that there is just no way possible to squeeze any more time out of my already crazy-busy life.

BUT! If I did have more babies, I'd want 'em to be this cute. (I think all of my clients are cute!)

Brairen, meet the internet. Internet, Brairen. His parents are good friends of ours and we had gone over last weekend for a little BBQ....beer, burgers, cornhole....you know, the usual. I had just finished up a shoot with this cutie and this handsome family and still had all of my gear in the truck. So, while everyone was playing around, I busted out my camera for a little fun with this butter bean.

(Big fat cheeks and drool.....don't it make you want to bury your face in his neck and kiss him??)

His eyes are the most amazing colorS...yes, colors -- with an s. They start out this greenish, slate grey color and then turn this amazing, orangish brown.

This cute-ness should be illegal.

I'm shooting his 1st birthday party in a few weeks. Can't wait to see what he looks like with cake on his face. Delicious!

Little D...round 2

So, remember this little guy?! My first session with D was when he was only a month old. Now, he's 3 months and twice the size he was then! I couldn't believe how much his looks have changed since I last saw him. He's so alert now. And happy!!! MY GOODNESS was this kid happy. He just kept smiling and laughing and smiling and coo-ing.


I love this stage of babies. When they're just starting to notice their surroundings and react to you. They find their hands and feet for the first time. When they smile like this it makes me wish there were some way we could jump inside their minds to know exactly what made them smile.

Isn't he cute!?

Couldn't wait!

Ok.....I'm not even half way thru editing the session I did with Jaime, Jason and their son, Jayden, but I couldn't help but post a quick peek. I absolutely loved this little man. He had such character!

My favorite part of being a photographer....ok, well, there are many, so let's just say ONE of my favorite parts of being a photographer is capturing personalities in my images. If I laugh out loud when I'm editing a session because I see an image that comes alive, I know I've done my job. There were quite a few times while I was editing these images that I just chuckled, out loud, at the expressions on Jayden's face...like I could almost hear his cute little giggle. Absolutely adorable, this kid is!

One of my other favorite parts of my job is trying to figure out what it takes to make my clients smile. I've done some pretty radical things to pull a smile out of the frowniest (I'm sure that's not a word). With Jayden, all it took was a high five. I'd high five him, he'd smile. We had it down pat.



Check back...I'm sure I won't be able to contain myself while I process the rest of the images!

I absolutely love my job!!!!!!!!!

xo,
e

Proof....

....that I wasn't lying when I twittered that I was on a rootbeer float kick lately...

Stay tuned....last weeks sessions are almost done!

"It has senitmental value!"

So.....I've realized -- and admitted -- that I have a packrat issue. I have a serious problem trashing things that I've deemed having "sentimental value".....even if I long forgot what that sentimental value was.

Last night I was going thru our storage down in the basement with the goal of getting rid of some of my "stuff". We've started this whole "put it in a garage sale" phase and I was on a roll last night. Now, mind you, I've moved 3 times in the last 3 years and there are boxes that I chose to just move instead of going thru them and pitching what needed to be trashed. And that all stopped last night. It's a more massive nightmare than I had originally anticipated. Waaaaay more massive.

I blame my mom and BEING a mom with this whole problem. After I lost my mom when I was younger (15) I wanted to save every single thing that reminded me of her. I feared that if I threw away something that had a memory of her attached to it, I'd begin to forget about her. I'd forget the smell of her skin, the way her eyes would light up when she'd smile, the sound of her laughter, or the way she made her j's when she'd write. So I saved everything.

And when I became a mom....well, let's just say it had a violent shove into overdrive. I have 3 boxes of Taylor's school papers from preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade. 3. What on earth do I need 3 boxes of that stuff for???! I saved every coloring book, every doodle, every time she tried to write her name and every napkin I traced her hand on. You name it, I saved it. I wanted to preserve her being my little girl....so when I pulled all these papers out years and eons from now (which was then), I'd remember how her dimples were deeper than her eyesockets, and how her toothless smile made her s's and f's sound funny, and how she used to say "juice bosk" instead of 'juice box', or "yogrit" instead of 'yogurt'. So....again....I saved everything.

So, back to last night.... I was doing a pretty good job of consolidating things I could bare to part with, things that we had duplicates of, and things we just simply do not use. I had a pretty good pile going when I pulled out a square flat box that read 'girls clothes' and the word 'save' written on it. I opened it and found this:



And my heart melted with the memory of Taylor in these red shoes.

One of my best friends, Martha, bought them for her before a trip to Chuck E. Cheese one afternoon. Martha was the best aunt to Taylor when she was little (not that she's not now). She'd call on Friday nights and ask if Taylor could spend the night with her. Martha and my other best friend, Heather, had a bond with Taylor beyond anything I could ever put into words. They taught her words to N'Sync songs and how to dance to Fifty Cent. They'd take her shopping and buy her sparkly belts and cute shoes.

Taylor wore these shoes continuously. And by that, I mean she even wore them to bed. The instant she got out of the bathtub she'd put them on. Even if they didn't match her outfit, she had to have these shoes on. She wore them to the point where they had no tread on the bottoms....you could even see where her little toes were. They are permanenty curled and the rubber is pulling away from the canvas. I bet I bought 6 pairs of shoestrings for this poor pair of shoes. I knew it was finally time to retire them when she couldn't walk normal. Her toes were so smashed in the ends of them that she went from walking heel-to-toe to more of a waddle. She refused to give those shoes up.

And for the first time, what I wanted to happen when I opened one of these boxes....when I saved something that was going to remind me of my past.....did just that. 7 years later....

Do I take it as a sign???

The last few days my inbox has been crammed full of spam. Typically, I don't pay much mind to it and just delete it if I don't recognize who it's from (or it's not website related). But lately, I've really been paying attention to the subject line. I'm really starting to think that someone is trying to show me a sign of what I should do. Or maybe someone is just playing a sick joke on me?

Ha Ha. The joke is over already.

Remember in the movie Bruce Almighty when Bruce is sitting at his computer and tries to answer everyone's prayers by email? THAT'S what I feel like is going on here. Except I feel like it's God sitting at the computer sending me all this spam just to point me in the right direction.

See what I mean:



"I found you a new job"....."WORK FROM HOME!"....."Ready to quit your J.O.B.?".....business cards.....Granted, I can't really explain the AARP one -- not even sure how I got that one. I've been to Photography School so you can cross that off. And I always wanted to be in forensics until I learned I had a weak stomach. And of course, who wouldn't love an extra $3,000 or a new washer and dryer. (I'm not even going to touch the "1 carat diamond ring" one -- Chris, you're safe...for now.)

Those of you who know me, know that I've had this internal struggle for some time now of "do I go full-time with my photography business or not". It's a scary place and an exciting place all at one time. It's a big change to go from a steady paycheck to....not. Don't get me wrong...I like my Corporate America Big Company job but it's nothing I want to make a career out of. And I love the people there. My co-workers, my boss...they've all been very good to me. I just feel like I'm wasting my talent by going in there day in and day out. Like I'm doing myself a huge disservice by not following my passion. Photography makes me happy. I absolutely love putting a smile on my client's faces.

I've weighed every side of it and have listed the pros and cons about 6 different times. Yes, it'd be awesome to work from home....in my pj's if I wanted to. It'd be great to make my own schedule -- take time off whenever I needed it. And let's not even start on what it would do for my family! That's a list in it's own right. But then, the doubt creeps in....do I have what it takes? Can I do it? If I build it will they come?

I'm finally in a place where just about everyone in my life is behind me on this (all but my Grandma who has been thru the recession and saw firsthand how hard the economy can be). Chris has been a godsend to me where my business -- and life -- is concerned. He sees the passion I have for this and how each shoot makes me giddy. And he supports that with no equivocations. He encourages me to pursue it and believes in me. Same thing for Heather. "...it has nothing to do with believing. I KNOW you can", she said. Even Martha has said "even when I don't think you can amaze me any more, you do".

I'm busier now than I ever have been and haven't done the first lick of advertising so far. So, my thinking is, if I'm this busy now...what would it be like if I were to advertise?!

Everything is just pointing one way.

So, I'm going to follow it.

Starting August 1st, I will be what I've always dreamed of being. A photographer. And with that comes a promise to my family, a promise to my friends, and a promise to myself. I WILL make my dream my reality. I will work hard at building my business and balancing my new found career with my home. I will be smart about making decisions and disciplined to bear the load. I promise to keep refining my creativity and challenge myself to stay fresh. I will continue to educate myself and learn from those before me.

Starting today, the fear subsides and excitement takes over. I have faith that everything will come full circle and I will get out of it what I've put into it. Because this is MY dream. And I'm going to live it.

Kase and Aunt Pretty Girl

It's funny how life goes faster the older you get. When you're younger the days just drag on...hour by hour. But when you're older, you could swear it's only Tuesday when it's really Saturday. There's bills to pay, a career to follow, a house to clean, a yard to mow, groceries to get, friends to see....and then you factor in the kids and it goes ALL haywire....field trips to chaperone, parties to plan, practices to make, and the games that go along with it, laundry to wash, socks to match, and loads of homework. Haircuts, parent-teacher conferences and doctor's appointments.....Holy schedules, Batman!

Most of the time I'm pretty good at these things, but it never fails that the one that always gets shoved to the back is the "friends to see". Everyone gets so wrapped up in life that our visits go from every week, to twice in 6 months. Crazy.

Heather and I have been best friends since elementary school. From that point on we have been virtually inseparable. We've seen it all, done it all, been thru it all, said it all and laughed a good majority of the way. She has been my rock nearly all my life.

And even though we talk nearly everyday, we'd both tell you that we don't see each other enough. Admittingly, up until this past Sunday, I haven't seen her since Christmas. Awful, I know.

BUT! Chris and I went over to her house on Sunday for dinner (she makes killer macaroni salad) and a quick photo session with her almost-two-year-old son, Kase. Stinkin' cute....that's what this kid is. He's ornery and adorable wrapped up in one little man. He has these unbelievably long lashes and trouble-making dimples.

The entire afternoon we were there, Kase called me Aunt Pretty Girl. So, apparently he's pretty smart, too. Just kidding...kind of. "Pretty Girl's drink"...."Pretty Girl up?"...."Pretty Girl silly" I could listen to it all day long. I don't think I'm ever going to tell him my real name.

Kase is going to be a big brother, too. So, you'll be seeing more of him and his momma (and the baby!!!) around here soon!!

Interesting facts about my Best Friend Heather:

* She and I have been best friends since 3rd/4th grade. She was in 4th and I was in 3rd (even though our birthdays are less than 3 months apart). We met on the playground.

* Heather idolized Laura Ingalls. When she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, the answer was always "Laura Ingalls". And that's what she did, too. She has cows and cans applesauce, for crying in the mud! How much more 'Little House on the Prairie' can you get???

* She ran over my foot with her 1st car -- which we referred to as "the peanut".

* She taught me that just because you are related to someone by blood, doesn't make them family. And even if you're not related by blood, doesn't mean that they aren't.

* She loves the smell of her own upper lip.

* She named a calf after me for my 32nd birthday.

* We used to be cloggers together.

* And we used to be lifeguards and bartenders together, too.

* We used to live so close to one another that I could yell out of my bedroom window and she'd hear me.

* She has tried for the last 20+ years to convince me to write a book about my life.

* She's, undeniably, in love with Justin Timberlake. She once entered a Nabisco contest to win backstage passes to one of N'Sync's concerts in hopes that she'd meet him and persuade him into marrying her.

* She can do the wave with her belly. (Well, pre-pregnancy.)

* In her own mind, she's best friends with the stars. I can remember one time when she called me to complain that Brittany Spears didn't call her first before releasing her pregnancy news to the press.

Things are so crazy-busy for us, that Heather actually booked me for her son's 2nd birthday party. So, I'm guaranteed to see her in the next 40 days, which is a heckofalot better than 6 months.

xo,

e

Trying something new...

Ok, so I've been tossing around the idea of slideshows for presenting clients their gallery in addition to the online gallery I already publish for them.

It just so happens that Danielle was the lucky guinea pig...metaphorically speaking, of course....








I'm not for sure if I'll keep it, but for now, I'm liking it.

xo,
e

Indy again....with the gorgeous Danielle

When I shot Rhea's pictures in Indy, her best friend Danielle came along with us on the shoot. 2 days after I got back to OH, Danielle contacted me and asked me to come back to shoot her senior pictures. Are you kidding me!??? Of course!!! I was super excited!

So, on Saturday, I headed back to Indy to meet up with Danielle (and Rhea and her Mom) at Southeastway Park -- which was her 'home base' for cross country. It's so neat when my clients include places of significance in their shoot. It makes me feel like they're letting me in on this little secret that no one else gets told.



Gorgeous girl! She has this innate, sweet, personality that just oozes from her. She's bubbly and absolutely hilarious. And her beautiful red hair in these voluptuous locks....so jealous!



From there we went back to the Lilly House -- which was one of the places we went to with Rhea. The weather could've been a little more cooperative, but I don't think I'll complain:





Danielle, thank you for giving me the opportunity to capture your senior pictures! I had an absolute blast with you and the gang (and the Pussy Willows!) and can't wait to share the rest with you!!

xo,
e

Catching up

Ok....so as promised, I have some making up to do.

This weekend was jam-packed with all kinds of deliciousness. As ironic as it might be, all of my plans for Saturday fell through, so Chris and I were able to spend a much deserved day doing....well, whateverintheheck we wanted --and by that I mean mowing the grass. Which never happens, by the way (the days with no plans, not mowing the grass). In fact, it so rarely happens that we had that feeling like we were forgetting something. You know that feeling when you've driven to a store, gone in and shopped, and as you're checking out, digging thru your purse, you realilze that you've locked your keys in the car? Yeah, that feeling. THAT was Saturday.

So, anyway, last week my best friend asked me to design her step-daughter's graduation open house invitations. My lovely mailman delivered these on Saturday:



And then on Sunday, I had another shoot with one of my favorite clients EVER! This is the 4th shoot I've done for Miss Amanda and have a feeling it won't be our last. I'm not even halfway thru editing her images, but I had to post a quick peek:



You might recognize Harley (the cute little lady on the left) from here. Yes, she was in their wedding....and looked stunning in pearls.

After their shoot, I went to hang out with my Aunt Leah and her family for her husband, Mike's, birthday. Her grandson, Lucas, turned one the day before, and I couldn't resist. But seriously, with eyes this big, what was I suppose to do?? Plus, it didn't help that he was a COMPLETE hambone in front of the camera. He literally smiled and posed the entire time I was focused on him. Too cute for his own good!





PS. I really don't miss that whole "teething" stage.