Trees Talking in Their Sleep

“Listen to the trees talking in their sleep.

What nice dreams they must have!”

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

And the fulfillment of my nice dream continues.

I am thankful 

for a blessed first week back to work

in this new year...

It started off with a special model shoot with

three beautiful young adults.

We had so many laughs as we "goofed off"

together in the studio.

("Goofed off" is code word for having

a relaxed, natural, comfortable setting

in order to capture relaxed, natural, beautiful images )

I then had a play date session with a

fun 3-year old with a contagious smile! 

Mid-week,

 I was able to capture some 

family images

of a dear, dear friend.

 And on Thursday,

there was a much needed rainy day,

so I'm thankful that my shoots that day were indoors 

with two spunky, bright-eyed

basketball teams! 

Keep an eye out for 

the results coming soon...

...and now,

     back to editing :)    

Driving Into 2013

    

 

I love the road I'm on right now.

This journey into the photography world.
 

Researching and purchasing equipment

is better than a splurge in a candy shop.
 And I'm chipping away at my wish list!
 

Meeting with fellow photographers

and sharing our passions together

continually inspires me.
 

And my clients....

well, they just rock my world!

Think about it...

I'm marketing
 

SMILES!
 

And being on the receiving end of those smiles

makes my job one of the best in the world.

 

Like so many others,

crossing over the threshold from one year to the next

caused me to pause

and reflect

and plan.

And the plans for this upcoming year...
well, let me just say,
EXCITING!
The creative juices are flowing,
ideas are formulated,
and the path is laid...
GREAT THINGS ARE COMING.


I'm pleased to say
my collaboration with

continues.
Heather is the yin to my yang...lol...
according to Wikipedia,
"Yin and yang are actually complementary forces,
interacting to form a whole greater than either separate part;
 in effect, a dynamic system."
Yes, we are the dynamic duo!


Also, I'm more than pleased to announce that
one of the best office assistants is now by my side...
my mom.

Her talents that she brings to the table
allow me to focus on my talents.
So, really, we are the dynamic trio!


So,
I am welcoming 2013
with open arms.
My foot is to the pedal
and the road ahead is straight and
picturesque

Come along for the ride!


(Now, for a sidenote to my husband,
forget about those diamond ear candy you may be thinking about...
you know where my wish list is :)

The End of the Year

It's the last day of 2012,

 

and I'm going to go against the

 grain of this blog for this post.

 

No pictures.

 

Just words

 to

create the image

of my gratefulness

that I want to express to each of you.

 

 

To my clients...

thank you for entrusting me with your sessions.

I've walked away from each shoot

with the feeling of friendships made,

and with a

sense of satisfaction

that comes with the

 magic of capturing memories forever after.

You have made my year wonderful!

 

 

To my friends...

thank you for your support and help

and for all of the shared laughter we've had.

You've made the endeavor of my business fun!

The memories we've made in 2012,

I will treasure forever.

You have truly enriched my life this past year!

 

 

To my family...

my heart overflows,

my eyes tear up,

and

a smile spreads across my face

as I think of each of you!

Thank you for your wonderful words of encouragement

and for enabling me to fulfill my dream.

I love the fact that you fall

into all the categories of my life...

family, friends, "clients"

(thanks for being my guinea pigs!)

You truly complete me!

And you have made this past year

memorable in so many ways!

 

 

Clients, Friends, Family...

my life is made more beautiful because of you!

and know that

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on..."

Hal Borland

 

 

 I look forward to

 "going on" with each of you

as we cross over the threshold into 2013,

and

may you experience God's

peace and blessings

as we enter our New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Fringe Benefit

One of the fringe benefits of

long term military life

is this...

when you move from
one duty station to another,

reunions happen!
 

 

 

I'm glad to say that

over the past 13 years,

we've had the privilege of being stationed with this

lovely family

 

 

 

in three different duty stations...

 

  covering 2 different hemispheres,

experiencing different cultures together,

and forming a bond that comes with military life!

 

 

We've been in beautiful Germany...

 

 

 

 

 

...exotic Hawaii 

and now the foothills of the Ozarks.

 

 

This benefit brings with it

a real sense of community

as you say "Oh my Gosh!"

over the growth of each other's children...

 

 

 

...and you reminisce

and reconnect

and relate

with each other

over all of the shared experiences

that military life brings.

 

 

~~

Scott and June,

 

 

 

I want to say

it's a pleasure serving with you

and

having our paths cross so often!

Seeing your children grow

over these years has brought

joy and a feeling of "family" to me...

 

a fringe benefit for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Anticipation Fulfilled

 

Anticipating

 an

event in life

is quite pleasurable.

 

 

 

 

This act of

 looking forward

to something

brings with it feelings of

joy

 

 

 

and

excitement!

 

 

 

 

And when that event

involves the arrival of a

 new member

 of the family...

 

 

 

...that feeling of anticipation

is

 off . the. charts!

 

~~~

 

Now,

let's talk about the

moment in time

 when

anticipation transforms into reality...

 

 

It is a moment of

hope

 fulfilled...

 

 

 

 

...pure happiness...

 

 

 

...wonder...

 

 

 

...and awe!

 

 

 

Fulfillment

is joined hand-in-hand

with

contentment...

 

 

 

and brings with it

total bliss

 

 

and the reality of

a wish

 coming to pass!

 

 

~~~

 

Congratulations,

Tasha and Roland,

on your wonderful bundle of joy!

And, thank you,

for allowing me along on this

ride of anticipation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



EyeCatching

When you have a photographer's eye,

every day 
as you're out and about,
you see things

that make you think,

"hmmm, that would be a great prop!"

And then I saw this little beauty!...



one morning.

Now,

it may have been my imagination,

but when I passed her,

I heard a whisper,

"Use me! Use me!

I will make the shot!"

(A little diva, no less!)

And

who out there would not listen to a

'72 Camero?...

I was compelled!

So

I scanned the crowd

playing the match game...

"hmmm, who owns that sweet ride?!"

Well,

it didn't take long at all

to figure it out.

Man + Car = Muscle all around...

Rodney,

I want to say,

"Thank you!"

for your generosity.

Because this Little Diva

certainly delivered!...

Thanksgiving Eve

During this week,

leading up to Thanksgiving,

I've reflected alot on my list of

"What am I thankful for?"

And definitely,

on that list is the fact that my

business has finally come to pass,

 and

I love it has much as I thought I would!

So I want to take the time

and express a heartfelt thanks for all

of the fringe benefits

that come along with

Memories Forever After...

My husband...

(Charles...far left)

(pic compliments of my mom)

...the behind the scenes man who is always there to help when needed.

My daughter...



...who has tagged along on a few sessions

and has ventured a few shots herself.

She has a good eye!

~~ 

My mom...

...who knows the gift of encouragement,

and who helps out now, even from afar.

~~

I have some fellow photographers

who I have been able to collaborate with...

 Erica

 Jason

Heather

...and then there's a great group of

photog friends

that I get to have fun with.

I've been thankful for the inspiration that they have all brought

 into my life...each and every one of them.

~~

Also, there's been some awesome assistants... 

 Malia

Taylor

...who have made my life

so much easier.

Thank you!

~~

I'm grateful for the 

wonderful weddings

 I've been a part of...

And my family sessions that

bring joy to me each and every time!!!...

~~

And I'm more than thankful that I can spend so

much time out in God's creation

capturing His beauty...

~~

Yes, I sure did alot of reflection :)

And I'm going to continue on with this

sense of gratitude in the years to come.

Because I realize that

without each of these contributing factors

in my life,

I would not enjoy my

MFA

as much as I do!

I'm thankful!