8.31.2009

It's almost my birthday (month)!!

I love my birthday! I look forward to it every year, and get excited about the month of September and everything it brings. September means fall is just around the corner, and I can look forward to brisk walks with my camera and leaves changing colors and crunching under my feet. September is amazing. My birthday is smack in the middle of September (the 18th to be exact) and I love it! I love telling everyone it's my birthday and feeling special. I love spending time with my family and friends and reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the next.
I'm trying to decide what gift I want to give myself this year. Last year I bought a reflector for my photography which I use all the time and LOVE! This year I'm thinking I will buy either a new lens for my camera or a new portable hard drive. Hmmmm... oh the choices!


Eeek... I can't wait!

8.29.2009

Yay!

Things I am Thankful For Today:

~A productive day at work
~Kids telling me thank you with great big smiles
~4 days on, 4 days off, 4 days on... I can do this!
~Time spent with my camera
~Having a social life again!

More Wedding Photos!

I've been weeding through (and working on) more photos, and came across these gems :) I just had to upload them to show off my beautiful family some more...

I adore Joie's hair in a bow. She looks like a cross between Minnie Mouse and Pebbles from The Flintstones.Kalen adores being an uncle so much.


She's getting so big! I need to hold her and squeeze her again soon!
Always playing with her hands, and making noises :)
Hahaha... My dad said that she's just like Jed's dog, Dodger; they're favorite toy is a water bottle.
I played around with textures in Photoshop with some pics that I took of Jillian and Blake:


These two are so funny! Love them both so much.

8.24.2009

More Wedding Fun

Jillian and Blake's wedding photographer was Heather Dillon, and she did a fantastic job! I "stole" some of our family, and my favorite portraits of Jill and Blake :)

Boy, there's no telling the three of us are related huh?
Joie was getting restless, so I asked Jill if it was okay to entertain her with the mirror. Jill was hesitant, but then said it was all right because fingerprints probably wouldn't show in the photos. OOPS! I went on a hunt for windex pretty darn quickly!
Mom made this cute dress for Joie, and she was darling in it!

Some of my favorite people right here... Uncle Lauren, Aunt Janet, Jill, Blake, Jared, and Jordan.
Umm... it's really sad how obvious it is that no one likes Joie ;)
All of us :) Jill had this great idea to have Heather capture a photo of everyone at the wedding with her and Blake as they came through the receiving line. The images will go in her guest book alongside the guests' well wishes for the couple.
I love this picture. Dancing the night away! I realize now that I look just as silly as I feel when I'm dancing.
A very large, very non-sober family. Kalen was sent for ice during the formal family portraits, so there wasn't a group photo of our side of the family. Near the end of the reception Jill was insistent that we try to get at least one shot with everyone in it. The result was drunken angry (because they were taken away from the alcohol and the dancing) people on a stairway, but you know what? That pretty much describes our family in a nutshell, so it works!

We were laughing over the horrible photos we were getting with my camera. It was pretty much pitch black, and we had all drank a bit too much, so the results were usually just the sky, or the table... it was pathetic.
The glasses on the table give nothing away.
Mr. and Mrs. Blake Chamberlain!

8.21.2009

The Last Day of Summer...

Well, today was the last day of summer programming at the Club, and therefore my last day of working there (for now!). Amazing things are ahead, and I'm excited for what the future holds, but today, I'm reflecting on the past and allowing myself to remember the amazing people I met this summer...


We're tough... don't mess with us!

My mornings were filled with these amazing smiles... jealous aren't you?!
Ahhh.... these are some great kids... ps, I want Hailey's (right) hair!
Oh man, this girl is Fab-U-Lous!
hahaha.... Love it!
This kid crack's me up! He won "best personality" this summer, and so totally deserved it!
awww, I heart this kid so much! Mark my words, he will be a rock star one day.

8.19.2009

Bittersweet

Oh man, it's almost over...

Pros:
~I will be able to sleep more than 6 hours a night
~Back at the gym starting next week!
~Time for my friends
~Time for my art

Cons:
Less time with these amazing faces...
Just for a bit of silliness, I thought I would add some photos from our recent fundraiser, The Great Dolphin Dunk. You can see more pics, and read about it here

Thanks!

Things I am thankful for today:
~Summer winding down
~New friendships
~Getting over it, and moving on
~Fall coming soon
~No school for me!!

8.04.2009

Wedding Weekend

My cousin Jill and her fiance (now husband!) Blake got married this past weekend on August 1st. It was a beautiful wedding at her parent's country home, and it was so much fun to get dressed up and celebrate with them! Although I am not big on weddings (too much pomp and circumstance for my liking) I have to admit this was a beautiful one.
I wasn't Jill's wedding photographer (we discussed it back when they were engaged. I decided that I would rather enjoy her wedding rather than being stressed out by the pressure of taking pictures, and she fully agreed) but that didn't keep me from snapping a few shots :)


First shot is of everyone's favorite part of weddings (let's be honest folks!) the bar! Come on, who doesn't partake in the free celebratory alcohol?!

The first dance as husband and wife

Uncle Kalen and Joie. Kalen loves being an uncle and it is so awesome! Most guys would be afraid of looking like a whimp or something, but I had to wrestle Joie out of his grip most of the time to get any snuggle time!
Mom, Joie, and Grandma. There is no way she can deny being part of our family. She definitely takes after my mom's side of the family!

My dad and Joie. Dad would have smiled if he knew I was taking this picture, but I was trying to be sneeky.
I love that smile! Her mom, Danielle, was jumping up and down behind me and Joie was laughing so hard. She almost fell over a few times, she was laughing so hard. haha!
I love her hands... she is so expressive with them.
The beautiful family. My brother Jed, Danielle, and Joie. I wish they would move closer so I could see them more often! (They live in Southern California)
Hahahahah! I love the expression in this one. She looks so serious!
Me and the babe. The one bad thing about being a photographer is there are hardly any pictures of me at these things. I asked Kalen to snap one of me and Joie, and he wasn't patient enough to wait until he had her attention. Oh well.
This is hands down my favorite picture of Joie yet. I love that she is playing with my mom's pearls and scrunching her nose at me. I love that my mom isn't paying attention either.
Love those eyes!
Oh what a sweetheart! She loved to sit in the grass and pull out single blades, then just inspect them. I wish it would have been a flower in her hands... that would have made this picture just that much better...
Ahhh, yes... the gorgeous bride...
One of my favorite photographs ever.

Jill's older brother, Jared, was the best man. Blake and Jared were best friends growing up, and it was so special to have him be a part of the wedding. His toast was beautiful, and gave true sentiment to the special relationship he has with both Jill and Blake.The girlies (after waaaay too much alcohol!) Danielle, me, and my "Aunt" Saleen. (She hates being called "aunt," it makes her feel old.
The kiddos... Jed, Danielle, Me, Kalen, and Saleen.
The Bride, me, and Danielle.
And one more of Joie for the road :)