My girl - she's got MOXIE!

Carli played in a soccer tournament this weekend. These are some of my favorites I took. She's not only fun to watch, but it's kinda cool to sit back as a parent and watch your kiddo seriously grow right in front of your eyes. One of her games was a serious character ("MOXIE!") builder. Another tested her ability to leave it all on the field. All of them taught her a big lesson - who you are as a player is not only defined by how you play on the field, but even more importantly by how you walk off of it. She knew she could have done better, but she left it at the field - and came back and played better and stronger because of it.

That makes it worth the sunburn, long hours and not getting anything else done. I'm one proud momma.

Two quick, funny things....

First, my daughter Carli....She is 8....and a half. Can't forget the half. This weekend while in Muscatine for my oldest daughters soccer game, we were driving around looking for the fields. Mostly because I know me and at 7 a.m. I won't be awake enough to try to find fields so I am better off finding them the night before then going half asleep in the morning with a little clue of where I am headed. That and I won't sleep all night if I didn't actually see them before I went to bed. I have neurotic tendencies. Anyway....I digress....

Wherever we are, we always find a good radio station to listen to...preferably christian rock. We found one and as we were driving the announcer guy is talking and he says something about salvation and Jesus' sacrifice. He then says this "When they nailed Jesus to that tree...." Carli says to all of us in a very commanding voice, "IT WAS A CROSS, NOT A TREE. Where did they get this joker?" Dead silence in the car for a full 3 seconds. Then Alli and I just busted. Once I explained what he meant, she was like...."Geez. Why didn't he just say that?? What a joker." The poor guy was just not gonna catch a break with her! Out of the mouths of babes.... :)

Earlier Saturday I was hired to take actions shots of a little boy (6 or 7 years old). Soccer is clearly not something he really cares too much about at this age so the pictures have turned out pretty cute regardless. Just saw this one....I LOVE IT. He had fallen and bonked his knee. He wasn't too hurt and got up pretty quickly but in this photo I think it looks like he is praying. Maybe something like this...."Hey God. Please help me be a good kid, play better soccer...oh...and that we have good treats after the game. Thanks big guy." :) If you have any better suggestions on what he might have been praying, let me know!!!

JC is my BFF....

Soccer stars....WATCH OUT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER!

Here is what turned out from the shoot of 60 soccer stars and their teams Monday night. Learned a few things and it's your lucky day....I'm gonna share them!

1) 9 year old girls are WAAYY more well behaved than 9 year old boys. I guess I knew that before but only having girls, I truly am clueless as to the difference in maturity levels between them at that age! Only wanted to hurt one kid.... JUST KIDDING....sorta....

2) If you try to be organized, you won't be. I only know about 6 of the 60 kids so I was seriously worried about matching Johnny So&so's order with his cute little picture so I wrote each frame number by their name on my roster. Only thing is...I didn't figure out that was the way to go until I was over half way done. Der...have I told any of you lately that I am blond?? And proud of it, by the way, but blond none the less.

3) If you do it, they will come. Really....my dream of a photography business is NOT lining up a bunch of kids in poses and charging their parents reasonable fees to do something they certainly could do themselves. It appears that the "posing and printing" business is a good money maker, though. Huh...while I'd rather be taking shots of the beauty in our world, God has given me several opportunities lately to do shoots that make me money to pay the bills. Who am I to turn that business down (ok...truth is I asked for this gig)? God has a plan, God has a plan, God has a plan....that's my battle cry these days. :)

4) Yes....I have mad skills on PhotoShop. DO NOT ASK ME FOR TIPS. I just closed my eyes clicked here, clicked here and the above "Memory Mate" appeared. God is soooo good to me. :)

That's it. All orders are printed (I pick them up today) and will be delivered to parents next week. I still can't believe how smooth this has all gone. AND...I got to hang out with all the little future MLS stars. I will be keeping these on file so when they are famous maybe I can get a gig taking their posed photos then too. :0

JC is my BFF....GOOOOAAALLLLL!

Funny stuff....

So this might not be funny to you....but it made me and my daughter laugh! Alli (she will be 16 in a few short weeks....I KNOW) is goalie for a two soccer teams....yesterday she played in Johnston with her high school team. Most of you don't know my daughter but she is a NUT. I mean that in the nicest way possible. She has a personality that I happen to love very much....she is a lot like me. :) We are both (mostly when we are together) goofy and cracking each other up with stupid comments, faces, etc.

She has a knack for using her two front teeth in bad ways. She once, while playing hide and seek at her friends house a few years ago, tripped and landed with her two front teeth IN THE GROUND. Not kidding...totally true story. We thought it was a freak thing, but evidentially she has a talent for it. A week or so ago, while trying to get me out of the drivers seat so she could drive, she ran SMACK into the drivers side window...WITH HER TWO FRONT TEETH. I never laughed so hard. Then yesterday, while in the goal, she came flying out to stop a ball, landed on her face and spit out dirt and grass. I KID YOU NOT. She really does have a talent for it. Below are photos.....You gotta love that kid. Her response to the whole thing? "Grass and dirt don't taste as bad as you'd think, mom"....that makes me feel better. At least she will never go hungry. :)

JC is my BFF!

Butt up, face down....graceful little thing, she is, but she does get the job done...

She got the ball...and you can see by her face she is reacting to the grass and dirt...I bet with a little ranch dressing she'da swallowed it. :)


Her teammate explaining what she saw....

And Alli's reaction when I told her I caught it on camera....At least she can laugh at herself!

Toilet paper, soccer and a double header photo shoot!

WHAT A WEEKEND. It started Friday morning when I got up and let the dog out. I could only laugh at the sight that was my yard. There, in two of my trees and all over my car, was toilet paper. Yep....it was homecoming week and we got TP'd. Alli had warned me the night before that it might happen but we live about 7 miles outside of town so I thought the odds were against it. I initially told her I'd be mad if we did....but I just laughed. As I was pulling away on my way to work you could see little pieces of toilet paper fly off my car....I looked like someone who had just walked out of the bathroom with it stuck to their foot. Ugh....having a teenager! Wouldn't trade it for the world. :) Oh....and by the way...they TP'd MY car and barely touched hers which was parked right next to mine. Pay backs....they are so fun.

Saturday morning was the Fall '08 KinderKicks clinic for VSA. I have worked it for the last several years and this year Alli was a coach. See pictures below of all the kiddos who attended....nothing like a bunch of 4, 5 and 6 year old kiddos to wake you up in the morning!!!

Then on Saturday evening I had the pleasure of taking Senior pictures of two seniors from Waukee. I have yet to get through all of them but we had some funny ones I wanted to share. These two girls (Kelsi and Steph...or as Kelsi spells it "Stefff") are beautiful, funny, smart and will 'fo sho' make an impact in this world somewhere, somehow! One is interested in being a special ed teacher and the other doesn't know yet but her mom was talking about pre-med classes in college. Whatever they do I know it will be awesome. Can't wait to sort through the pics and see what we got. I learned a lot....I do know that I very much like getting to see a quick glimpse into the future of the kids I shoot. Gives me hope that our next generation is going to do great things! And don't worry girls....I will put your good pictures up here too. :)

JC is my BFF!

Huh...

What a weekend. I spent 6 hours Saturday shooting action shots at a 3v3 soccer tourney then spent an hour or so with an adorable 2 year old and his parents. So many things happened I can't even begin to get my head around it all or even know really where to start.

First -- the 3v3 tourney. I just walked around taking random shots of players and coaches so that we can use the photos in next years promotional materials. As I did that I had several teams ask for team photos. Many asked me if they would be for purchase...gave them my card and said send me an email. :) In the last few weeks I have been thinking about getting into wedding photography...scares me to death as I've seen one too many episodes of "Bridezilla"! Having never done a wedding, it's hard to get someone to hire you without examples/experience so that is a hurdle I have to overcome if I decide to go down that path. About halfway through the day a lady walks up and asks me if I do wedding photography! Gave her my card and told her I hadn't done one but was looking into the possibility. She seemed excited and she said she'd call.

God hears us when we talk. I just know it.

A team of about 14-15 year old girls walked up shortly after this and asked for a team photo. One of the parents yelled "Tell her about the ribbon on your socks!" so I bit and asked what it was. At closer look it said "R.I.P. JJ"...I had immediate goosebumps as they explained that a 14-year old friend of theirs had died last Wednesday from an accident on a 4 wheeler. They were going through what no teenager should ever have to and it was tough to watch them. Totally my pleasure to take their team picture....see below. What a cool group of girls.

I honestly believe that God puts people in front of us to remind us of certain things or show us how He is working on our behalf when we don't even realize it....you know....making our "crooked paths straight." Looking back at the 3v3 tourney and what has come out of it, I see God molding me and allowing me to show Him in me to those who cross my path. What a blessing for me!

Later that evening I spent some good time with a 2 year old named Dylan and his parents at a park here in Waukee. He was absolutely adorable.

We were almost done with the shoot and there, at the other end of the park, was a beautiful hot air balloon getting ready to take off. You should have seen his face! Then....God's timing is so good...a firetruck pulls up to make sure the hot air balloon is going to go up ok! WHAT A DREAM! A firetruck for a two year old boy! We were allowed get some shots of Dylan and the truck. The photo above is Dylan after he got to sit in the firetruck and one of the last photos I took. You are probably wondering how I see God in this but I certainly do. I've got a new photography business going and not that the shoot was going bad at all, it wasn't, but how many times does a photographer get a setting like this one without setting it up! I believe that God has a master plan for me and my business and He is doing things to make it easier for me to get my job done well.

And I'll take all the help I can get!

JC is my BFF!