As 2008 comes to a close...

I just want to thank all of you for your business, your friendship, and for reading my blog. I feel so loved when you mention something you've read here, or show your concern when sad things happen. It seems like these aren't just business relationships we're building, and I'm so thankful for that. I hope all of you had a beautiful Christmas and have an exciting New Year.

Speaking of an exciting new year, please stay tuned as I've got some good stuff brewing!!

I wish you all someone to kiss at midnight...

Sad news

I will be out of town for the next few days. My Uncle Randy, who got married in August, lost his battle with cancer this week. He was one of four children, and my mom's "baby brother". He will be greatly missed. I want to remind all of you, especially at this time of year, to hold your loved ones close, enjoy the little things, and as I said before, say what you need to say.

Randy on the right, with his mom and siblings (my mom upper left):

My mom and Randy:

Randy and his new bride, Mary Jo, on their wedding day:

Just a few.

As you all know, I've been swamped lately, so I'm just posting a few from my latest session. Enjoy!

To the Love of my Life

"A day without laughter is a day wasted." - Charlie Chaplin

Well, if this is true, I can honestly say I haven't wasted a day since we found our way back to each other. You make me laugh everyday, even if it's just a "you're sooo ridiculous" chuckle, with your wit, charm and antics. You're quite funny (that's your thing, ya know) with your crazy, but dead-on, accents, synonym singing, and endless sarcasm. Oh, and then there's the boyish grin, the way you talk to the dogs when bathing them, and the goofy ways you declare your love for me. These make me giggle, but in a way that leaves me feeling so blessed.

We always had a deep connection. It was apparent in high school, and even though we were apart for 10 years, that connection was still there. The day we got married I felt like I was going home, to a place so familiar, somewhere I was meant to be. I love that I spend my life with someone who knows me to the core, who sees who I truly am, and loves me more because of it, or in spite of it. So on our fifth anniversary, what I thought to be true in high school, I now know with complete certainty...

Nothing compares to you, Darin. Nothing ever will.


Our beautiful wedding day, November 15, 2003, at the Belleview Biltmore.

Our amazing honeymoon on the island of Nevis, British West Indies.

Sentimental Value

The littlest guy in these photos holds a special place in my heart. He was the first "days old" newborn I ever photographed.

This is my favorite photo from that session. When I laid him in this basket and looked through the veiwfinder, it was a pivotal moment for me...I fell in love with newborn photography.

And here he is at a year and 8 months old.
It was so fun to photograph this family again and see how they've grown. Thank you J and C for being my guinea pigs in 2007, and for appreciating the results enough to hire me again. It does my heart good. :)

Fun mini-session

Aren't these outfits so cute together? Notice both the little girl and the dog (their first daughter) have black bows to accent mom and dad's clothes. Love it!!



And we've decided dad's Chucks should be a theme, which actually started with our first session last year.

I'm a day late...

...ok, technically two days since it's after midnight, to announce the winner of the drawing for a free photo session. Sorry about that, things are a little tiny bit crazy right now (as you can see by the frequency of posts). Anyway, here it is - the winner of a photo session is...

Tina Smith!!

I will be contacting you shortly to discuss details!!

Florida Style Christmas

Living in a southern state definitely has it's advantages. Of course it would be nice to have some kind of seasonal change, but I love that it's November and we're still heading out to the beach for sessions!

Adorable Little Blondies

Why are little girls in dresses on the beach so darn cute??? Mmmm, one of my favorite subjects. These parents thought to bring the favorite stuffed bunnies...what a great idea. I love to incorporate sentimental items and capture moments that will tug at the family's heartstrings for years to come.

I LOVE the holidays!!

Everything about them - the food, decorations, music, the good cheer. I love the gift-giving, and I even love the gift shopping and buying. However, what I hate is feeling like all of my gift options are foreign-made. Times are tough, everyone is struggling, trying to budget, cut expenses, etc. And even though you may not be spending a lot on Christmas, you'll still be spending something. There are many reasons the economy is in crisis right now, and one of those reasons is the loss of domestic jobs to foreign competition. Well, here's my "good-will" thought for the season -- if you spend your dollars on goods made here, you're helping out your fellow Americans by helping them keep their job and put food on their table...and maybe even a few presents under the tree. On another note, the safety issues with products from China have not been resolved, there are just bigger stories in the news right now. With that in mind, we really need to make the extra effort to buy domestic when possible. I know it seems like a daunting task, so I'm making it easier. There are many resources out there that I've listed below. There is also this wonderful man, Roger Simmermaker, who wrote a wonderful book, "How Americans can Buy American", and takes the time to write email newsletters on the subject. You can view his website for a long list of domestic links, and while you're there, go ahead and purchase a copy of his book for yourself. You'll be amazed at how educational it is.

Here are some links:

One stop shopping:

http://www.madeinusaforever.com/
http://www.buyamerican.com/

http://www.zebulonusa.com/index.asp

http://www.shopforamerica.com/home.php

Toys/items for kids:

http://www.lainaline.com/ - adorable kids clothing

http://www.greatstuffforkids.com/

http://www.toysamerican.com/

http://www.fractiles.com/

http://www.cubbyholetoys.com/

http://www.lindenwoodinc.com/

http://www.howtobuyamerican.com/content/ba-toys.shtml - toy list from Roger

Clothes:

http://www.bamboosa.com/ - Natural bamboo clothing for children and adults

http://www.alore.net/ - sportswear
http://www.islandslipper.com/ - sandals made in Hawaii

http://www.venus.com/ - bathing suits are made in Jacksonville, FL, but the clothing is made in various places around the world.

http://www.whitedressshirts.com/

http://www.wickers.com/ - great products

Gifts/Misc:

http://www.femailcreations.com/ - interesting gifts made by women
http://www.tinwoodsman.com/

http://www.prairierose.com/ - wooden laser-cut frames, can be personalized

http://www.obrienschridde.com/ - gorgeous frames, perfect for those PHOTO gifts. ;)

http://www.radacutlery.com/

http://www.rowepottery.com/ishop/
http://www.recycline.com/
http://www.vitamix.com/

http://www.cooltote.com/

http://www.drifterbag.com/

http://www.spireusa.com/ - Love their laptop bags
http://www.sfbags.com/

http://www.toughtraveler.com/
http://www.faribaultmills.com/ - woven blankets

http://www.counciltool.com/

http://www.metrovacworld.com/
http://www.longaberger.com/
http://www.peterborobasket.com/

Arthur Murray's Newest Dancer

Well, she can't dance yet, but she already loves the music! She's such a cute baby, and you should see how these two bounce and dance around the studio with her in tow. Her first steps will probably be the tango. ;)

I love candid beach images...

...and it's a good thing, because sometimes the weather makes it nearly impossible to get posed family portraits. The wind was a big problem on this shoot. It's a dual-edged sword - for candid photographs it can be powerful, making the viewers almost able to feel the breeze themselves, but the annoying side is when you've posed a family and finally gotten everyone to look at the camera and smile, and at the very moment the shutter clicks, a gust of wind blows hair in someone's face. Quite frustrating, and it seems to be a theme lately. The "bright" side (my mom always finds this side of life) is that the images below are why I love photography...

Before and After

Two sessions in one post! We barely got the pregnancy session in before baby "C" made her debut, but I'm so glad we did. Enjoy your sneak peek!






Look at those precious lips!

Beach Beauties

This family spends a ton of time on the beach, so for the photo shoot, they took Darin and I on their boat out to an island. The light was gorgeous, and the subjects...even better. It was a great idea because the spot is perfect for photography, especially since it is free of those hideous high-rise condos. And it was so peaceful and pretty. We'd love to go back sans the cameras and just relax! So B and C, you've got our number, and we've got the beach towels ready!