Meet Kaity....

She thinks I forgot to introduce her to you. I didn't. I just thought I did and, well, I didn't. So, I'm sorry Kaity! I owe you! :0)

Meet Kaity. She.is.a.nut. This kid was the mastermind for tee-pee'ing my house last year at homecoming. Yeah. I found out about it when I was creepin' on my daughter on FaceBook. Kaity will get hers this year. I'm gonna pick one tree in her yard and just COVER it. Then sit in the shade and laugh while she cleans it up. Hahahahaaaaa {insert evil laugh}.....

Honestly, though, this kid is gorgeous. She's funny, smart and just plain stinkin' cute! We had a blast and with the Salisbury House as our location, how can you go wrong. In a few weeks we are going to her house to shoot her with her horse. I'm super excited about that!!! I brought along my second photo, Patty, and I haven't seen what she got yet! Yeah....there are a TON of pictures from this shoot so it was hard to pick my favorites!

So enjoy Miss Kaity....

Hee hee.... :0)

I think this is my favorite of the day....there are too many!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Meet Taylor....

You don't know her, but you should. Cracks.Me.Up. Mostly because her attitude soooo reminds me of my own. Taylor has no fear of saying what is on her mind. Good, bad or otherwise. I like that about her. She is one of my Alli's besties and they play soccer together, hang out and, honestly, have both mastered the art of acting "dumb". It's hilarious, while absolutely not even remotely close to being politically correct. I'll leave out those details in an effort to not offend anyone, but they really are very funny.

Anyway, meet Taylor. She has the most gorgeous red/blonde hair and really her smile just lights up the room. When she laughs her eyes close and her nose wrinkles. You'll see what I mean. First the "bloopers"....

Ok....not really a blooper, but I LOVE getting pictures of people laughing!!! :)

Not sure what she is pointing at....Alli is who is she is looking at and I'm pretty sure they are talking about a mom of a kid they go to school with who was walking the track. Not in a bad way, just discussing her son.

She's making a "what is that smelllll?!?!?" face....

Gotta love the wind....

Now for the ones that worked..... :0)

I'll be "getting rid" of the "Taylor H" on her ball in final post production....just love the picture.

She can seriously look right through you. If you don't know her she'd scare you with that look! Those who do know her, know she smiles once in a while. :0)
One of my favs of the day....

Hahahahaaaaa!!! Our town has some pretty cool brick streets. I wanted to do this in the middle of the street, but too sunny. Still funny, though.

My favorite of the day.....

You go girl. I had fun wandering the construction zone and contributing to the deliquency of a minor....then remembering you are already 18 so you were on your own if the cops showed up! :0)

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." ~ Deuteronomy 31:6

Meet Talia....

Meet Talia....we went out on T.H.E. hottest day of the year and only lasted a half an hour (Not even kidding. When I got home, I saw on the news that the heat index was 111!!! I can't believe we didn't melt sooner!). Can't even tell you how pretty this girl is even when she's sweating to death!! We go out again next week, but I wanted to post my favs so far.

My favorite of the day....

Can't wait to see what else we can get on a much cooler day! More to come....

Twelve....

August 20, 1998, my oldest daughter's first day of kindergarten. I'm an emotional wreck. 9+ months prego, very large and in charge, emo to the hilt. It's 5 p.m. or so and we are heading to the hospital to be induced (I had gestational diabetes and this was the day for my induction had I not yet gone into labor on my own). We get there, all is good. Meds started for the induction and they send me into the hallways to walk....and walk we did. Seemed like hours.

We progress and the evening goes well. My oldest daughter heads to my moms for the night. The nurse and my husband are talking about my plan for a natural birth...."she's doesn't want any pain meds," he tells her. I agree, but shiver at the thought. When things get farther along, I decide maybe that was not a wise choice. It hurts. The nurse makes a deal. "I'll go get a shot ready, check on the other moms in the unit and be back. If you want it then, I'll give it to you." I don't see her face for an hour! When she returns I'm magically too far along for any pain meds to help me. "Too late in the game," she says. I know she "left" for so long on purpose. The thought of wringing her neck was fleeting. Oh well. No turning back now.

Time to push. No doc in sight. Nurse says he is on the way. When he finally gets there, I SWEAR he slid into the room he was running so fast. He got there in time (was stopped by the po-po on the way for speeding then escorted to the hospital by the police officer when he found out why doc was speeding!)....got there JUST IN TIME to catch. She had the cord wrapped around her neck. Doc stopped what he was doing, looked me straight in the eye and said "DO.NOT.MOVE" His poker face was left at home in his rush to get to the hospital. I was scared. My husband looked and turned white.

Doc got things back under control and at 12:25 a.m., August 20, 1998, my sweet Taylor Elizabeth was born. She was beautiful! Within an hour of her arrival I was up walking around. In fact, I was tired of waiting on the nurses to move me so I packed up my stuff and moved myself. I felt that good from not having any pain meds. The rest is history....

She was my easiest pregnancy, my easiest labor, I felt the best after she was born. Now that she is a pre-teen, though, I hope she doesn't decide to make up for that in attitude now!

Taylor started 7th grade this past Tuesday. My, how fast time flies. Children literally grow up in the blink of an eye. {tears}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET TAYLOR!!! You are a huge blessing to me. Your future is so bright and you have grown into such an amazing young lady. I so look forward to watching you grow into God's plan for you. You are everyone's biggest cheerleader, the one every goes to for fashion advice, the one with the longest legs (my little giraffe!), the one who digs her church group and Jesus, the one who hugs me the tightest (when I get hugs...you're slackin' in that area these days, kid. Pick it up.). I love you with all my heart, baby girl.

My three favorite words when it comes to you?

THAT'S MY DAUGHTER....

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other." ~ John 15:16-17

My God is the God who provides....

Today is a good day. Today is a scary day. Today is THE day.

My husband is on a journey. One of letting go, moving forward, spreading his wings and....FLYING.

Beginning tomorrow, Mark is a 100% commission guy. Selling life insurance and doing investments. Changing lives. It's his calling. His God-given gift to help people with their finances. I've listened to him talk to people and my favorite thing that he says:

"I'll meet you right where you are."

That's powerful and not at all the way the rest of the world works. That's why I believe in him and that's why I adore him.

He's scared today....of letting his "girls" down, of failure, of not doing what's "best" for our family and leaving us in a gap that will be hard to get out of.

I'm scared today....of him not believing in himself enough, of him thinking he will fail (when I know that I know that I know that he won't) and of him losing sight of God's gift to him.

BUT....this is where the rubber meets the road. He CAN do this. He CAN change peoples lives. Getting people on a plan to get out of debt is an amazing thing and I have 100% confidence he will succeed.

Success to me is not him being a major money earner. Even if he only makes $20k a year, I'm ok with that. You know why? Money in our pocket isn't the goal. That's not why God gave him this gift. God gave him the gift of helping others through tough financial times to HELP them. Period.

My husband is a thinker. Thinks too much, if you ask me, but then again, I often times wish I had thought about my next step before taking a flying leap off that 80 story building without a parachute. I'm a jump right in and beg for forgiveness later kind of girl. He is a planner, strategic thinker, think before you speak and know all possible scenarios kind of guy. That's why we work, I guess. Balance.

So today I can't help but think about Hebrews 12:1 ~ "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

I love this verse. In its context it is talking about perseverance and the Christian life. Hebrews 11 lists all kinds of the people before us who have persevered and keep their eye on the end prize. And they did so by walking by FAITH and not by sight. They could not see what God had promised, but they knew He had promised them something so they kept putting one foot in front of the other keeping their eyes on HIM.

In the case of Mark's new journey, I offer this take on Hebrews 12:1....

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses..." The people of the past who have showed us how to be faithful in times of massive uncertainty...they have lead the way. Follow their lead....

"....let us throw off everything that hinders...." Drop your doubt, concern, fear, uncertainty, anxiety....

"....and the sin that so easily entangles...." Your unbelief that God is calling you out, paving the way.....HE.IS.HERE. You may not see Him so clearly right now, but I do.

"....and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Be steadfast in your faith, keep your eyes on Him and believe in the gift He has given YOU.

My God is a God who provides. One who does what He says He is going to do. A God so full of complete and amazing, abundant, overflowing love that He would not lead us astray. His path is straight and narrow. His ways are better than ours and His plan is bigger than we can even imagine.

THE JOY COMES IN THE MORNING, BABE. Let go and let God. I LOVE YOU......MORE!!!

Meet Shane....

Meet Shane. Funny guy. Smart. Into acting. Great sense of humor. Going into the Army after graduation. What a cool kid. These are my favs, although we did take some of him in a suit that turned out nicely too. I'm just more into the casual look!

My favorite of the day! I so love black and white photos.

Shane: GOOD LUCK and THANK YOU in advance for your service to our country. I know your momma is a little nervous, and I know I would be if I was her, BUT she is proud too. We salute you!

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." ~ John 1:5

Jack & Lea Ann wedding video

Have a look-see at what I made for J & L to play at their reception! Soooo love making videos of the pictures I take..... I {heart} ANIMOTO! :0)

{P.S. Don't forget to turn down the music at the bottom of my blog before you watch this!}

Beth &Ty

So just a quick few of my favorites from the wedding I did on Saturday. Cute couple, great wedding, lots of love and good times. Learned a lot and had fun in the process! Could not ask for more. More later but couldn't resist sharing my favorites....

Not one, but TWO "get away" cars!

As huge Toy Story fans, the decorations were so stinkin' cute! As farmers, they chose the RIGHT colors as well....GREEN AND YELLOW ALL THE WAY BABY! :0)

Thank you, Beth & Ty, for letting us be a part of your day. Can't wait to get through the rest and get them to you so you can smile as much as we did. HAPPY MARRIAGE!

A special thank you....

Today is my mother-in-law's 65th birthday. {HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EILEEN!! -- she doesn't read my blog, but I had to say it anyway...} I'm having a hard time forming my words here, but I know I have a desire to share her with all of you. So, bear with me. The point of this post will come eventually.

Eileen is home bound and she is at the end stages of her life. Getting around is not easy on her. Her breathing has diminished to the point where the act of getting off the couch is a labored event. At 65, she should not be in this stage of her life. She's just too young. Eileen relies on others to do most everything for her. She's grateful for the help, but I know she'd rather be more independent. Who wouldn't, right?

I've seen old photographs of her with her family and friends and I've laughed at the "remember when..." comments that almost always follow a memory being triggered. Funny how one old picture can start an entire room laughing 'til your side hurts.

I've heard stories of her and Tony (Mark's dad) livin' it up, dancin' the night away and how they could throw a mean party back in the day. I've heard that she was rough, yet loving, honest but not at all afraid to speak her mind and quite simply hell on wheels when she wanted to be. You didn't ever want to get on her bad side, though. She was a momma bear always ready to protect her cubs and letting go of a grudge was not in her vocabulary.

I never knew her like that, though. I never got to meet her when she was wild and crazy and I'm not so sure she would have liked me. As I write that, I realize that's a pretty silly statement, because I've also heard that she loved everyone that walked through the door. Didn't matter your color, your financial status, your addictions or your hurts. If you walked through her door, you belonged to her.

She's still that way. Loves company, greets you with a big smile and can't wait to hear about your life. She'll surely tell you how she's feeling or ask you to do her a favor here and there, but she mostly just wants you to talk with her. Be her friend, let her love on you and just love on her right back. You'll be glad you did.

So today I feel like I need to say out loud....THANK YOU, Eileen. For being a good momma, for raising your son to be a real man, for loving people you don't even know and for never seeming to be afraid of who you are. With you, one never has to guess where you stand. I like that. Better yet, I respect that. Thank you for accepting me as if I've always been there. For allowing me to serve you in ways that I never though you would. Thank you for teaching ME a lesson or two about life.....it ain't always about what's happening around you, it's about what's happening in your heart.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET LADY. I wish you many, many, many, many, many more birthdays filled with love and your family surrounding you.

(My husband, Eileen and Tony - August 29, 2009....my wedding day.)

"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age..." ~ Psalm 92:12-15

Walk the line....

He walks the line....every day.

Keeping his anger in check, being quick to listen and slow to speak. Doing the right thing and nearly agonizing over what that really is sometimes.

My husband walks the line. But...don't mess with him.

'Cuz I have no fear of walkin' a little crooked.

I'm angry today.

My husband is dealing with a messed up situation. He's getting treated like a second class citizen. Oh, yes....he's angry, too, but in a much better way than me.

He's a great man of God. He knows that justice will be served. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it WILL be served.

This message is cryptic on purpose because it's his story to tell. All I can do is express my 100% support of him and encourage him. NO MORE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Walk away and hold your head high, baby. WE WILL BE OK....wait....WE WILL BE BETTER THAN OK. God has opened this door....He is letting you out. Walk through it and move ahead. The decision has been made and now we can work on the next steps. No more limbo, no more wondering, just....no more.

My fierce loyalty gets me into trouble sometimes and I'm totally ok with that - FYI. I know what Mark knows, too, about justice being served in God's time. It's just hard for me to watch him struggle and be treated this way.

He 's a much better person than me.....'cuz he walks the line.

Privileges....

I do not take for granted...not for one single second...the privileges I am given when I am asked to shoot a family. For someone to let me "in", to see them for who they really are and to allow me to show the world what I see when I look at them....what a privilege.

Meet my friend Jean (whom I affectionately call "Jeano"). This is Jeano's family.

They are adorable...I am sure you will agree.

What a privilege....to call you my friend, Jeano, but more importantly for getting to see your sweet family in a different light. You, my friend, are a great momma. I smile when I see you all together.

(I had to throw this in....she is still "wobbly" at times and cracked me up when I saw it!)

The "finger".... :0)

Nope. Gotta go dad....not gonna sit still!

WHAT A SWEET BOY. So good, loves his sister and was an adorable cheeseball!

I LOVE THIS. Cracks me up. I have a picture almost exactly like this of my oldest baby. So funny!

My favorite of the day....

They were running to Jeano. I L.O.V.E. the looks on their faces. A momma's dream right there!

If this doesn't make you smile, nothing will....

"Please momma? More candy?"

Second fav of the day....

THANK YOU JEANO!! Can't wait to watch these sweet babies grow. You have been blessed beyond measure....

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." ~ Proverbs 22:6