live and learn

a couple of things...

  to say it's been crazy lately, is an understatement! but i have to add that i love it for the most part. especially knowing that it's a busy season, it's not like this will continue after the fall rush. there have been so many things that i've wanted to share here, but i haven't been able to gather my thoughts and time to get it done! so i'll just break it down into completely random bits:

• when tom and i were in washington, my cousin erika took us to a great little town with some really fun shops. my favorite was today's country store and now they have a blog! and they were so sweet to email me the info. i absolutely loved everything about it. one of the things i really admired, was that they are constantly rearranging and re-staging the store. so according to erika, every time you go there, it looks different. that is a really cool thing. sort of like a really great restaurant, that is always doing cool new things on the menu. not just settling in to the same things. if you live in the area, or plan to visit, check this quaint shop out!
• i miss my music. there is something about the combination of photos and music. i may go back to the playlist playing automatically.
• kaitlyn has added photos from our session to her etsy shop owl people. plus she's added some great new stuff!
• the church shower for brooke and grey last night was lovely! chelsea did a beautiful job with the food and decorations! i haven't loaded the photos yet, but i'll get them loaded and post tomorrow.
• update on mom. she's feeling about the same. her diet is really limited, but she's doing pretty well other than that. please keep praying!
• my friend becca is a relentless fundraiser for jdrf. she is selfless in her efforts. i admire her so much for all she does. she is hosting a crop for jdrf in a few weeks. ALL proceeds go to jdrf. ALL. every cent. check it out and sign up. it's a super fun way to spend the day too!
• dancing. i do not enjoy the pasa doble. so last night's show wasn't all that, for me. tom tivo'd it and i skimmed through it quickly. even maks didn't make me swoon! next week will be better, right?

how's that for all over the place! i just felt like there were too many loose ends lately! i've been in too much of a hurry when i post. so there you go!

and the title of this post mentions couples. i've been doing quite a few shoots of couples lately. i have had so much fun doing this series of different engagement shoots with garrett and katie. the next shoot with them will be their wedding! unbelievable! i think this last shoot is my favorite. we always have a good time...well, i do anyway. they are just so easy to photograph. makes me really anxious to do their wedding!

stunning couple, right?

and then on a less serious note, homecoming was this past weekend and i got to do a few couples for homecoming -

my cute nephew trev and his girl lauren-

when lauren stepped out of the car, harper thought she was a princess. well, she did look like one!

i love, love, love this shot! i set it up, sure....but they pulled it off!

i also photographed my friend suzy's kiddos, lindsey and keith & friends:

lindsey's friend's date just happened to be connelly, our friend jeanine's son. small world.

sharing lots of images today, because i'm leaving tomorrow for LA! i'll post again tomorrow with some recent family shoots. thanks for looking : )

have a great day and God bless you and yours!

seriously....

how do the weekends fly by so quickly? and for that matter, how does time fly by so fast? the weeks seem to just disappear. even when i'm trying to really live in the moment, i can't seem to really grasp it.

friday, tom and i took the day off to drive across the state and check out the *junk jaunt*. the name is entirely appropriate. we sifted through tons of junk to find a few treasures. it was an awesome day for the two of us regardless. we drove 500 miles, and just being in central nebraska, forces a person to slow down. i hadn't been in the sandhills for years. tom rides the sandhills every year, so i think he enjoyed showing me some of the highways they ride. i took my camera with, but didn't pull it out once. i did put all of our finds together to snap a photo.

and because all of us who dig junkin' know, you have to share how much you spent...that's what makes seeking and finding the good stuff even sweeter. i only spent $32! i can't wait to put the little pink chair in my studio! and the frames will go up on the frame wall. i've collected vintage sporting goods for years and years, and have quite a collection. i hope to use it all in our basement family room some day. i just don't want it to look like applebey's! so i haven't put it all up yet! i do adore vintage sporting goods.

saturday was a super busy day with photoshoots and a quick shopping trip for supplies for an assignment and a shower gift. plus the nebraska game was on....but we won't talk about that. can't wait to share some photos from saturday. lots of fun.

yesterday, tom and kirby went to kansas city for the nascar race. i envisioned getting lots of work done while he was gone....well, i did accomplish a lot, just never as much as i envision! i went to church, got my hair done, did a family shoot, and finished 2 assignments. our pastor is such an awesome teacher. i have been taking notes and i just feel like i'm learning so much. and i love to learn. plus, i'm just so thankful for our church in general. tonight, they're having a baby shower for brooke and greyson. i think it's sweet that they are having it for a 4th baby.

i recently took photos of brooke's friend krista's kids. so adorable! you may remember her daughter from the cape photos-

   

what can i say? they are precious.

i had never done a photoshoot on a tuesday morning at the museum garden before, so i didn't realize that tuesday morning was a work day for the volunteers. what a wonderful group of gardeners! no wonder the gardens always look so beautiful!

on thursday, my friend lisa aka glue came over with sammy, and we took a few photos. we also had a nice lunch and talked scrapbooking. so refreshing! it made me want to scrapbook!

funny story about the vintage truck. i had taken one of the girls to my vet and noticed this amazing vintage orange truck behind the vet's office. my pal donna works there, so i asked her about the truck. she tells me it's dr's. so i proceed to ask him if i can use it as a photo prop sometime, and he says that would be fine. so on friday, glue and i decide it would be cute to put sam in the truck. we stop by the office, to ask if we can use the truck. donna takes me back to what i'm assuming is going to be his office, but it's not his office. doc looks up from his stool, where he is operating on a very knocked out cat! i will forever have this picture of that cat in my head! eek. so we drove to doc's and proceeded to use the truck as it sat, in front of doc's house!

i have so many more photos that i am anxious to share. so i'll be back with more tomorrow. i know some of you are patiently waiting for your sneak peeks. thanks for your patience!

have a great monday! God bless!

thinking positive...

well, i'm trying anyway, in spite of the nasty cold i have. i hope with all the vitamins i take, that it will move along quickly and be gone. when i'm sick, i generally just carry on as usual, other than trying to warn people i'm in contact with, that they may not want to be around me!

today is another full day, so i hope i can do what i need to do and rest when i can. tonight is the kickoff of our favorite fall tv night! so i know i'll be relaxing tonight. my only complaint is that all the best shows are on thursday night-i wish they would spread it out a bit. tom and i will watch survivor for sure, and hopefully i can tivo "the office", and then i'll go up to my studio and watch grey's, while i work on some projects. survivor is the only show (other than nebraska football), that we watch together...so i can't give that up!

this past weekend, we had lots going on, so i took lots of photos. i'm sort of pleased that i've continued to hand my camera off from time to time. saturday, tom golfed with friends, and then all of us girls met up with the guys at a little bar/grill out in the boonies, called "big fellas". it was an experience. i don't think we'll be going back any time soon! but it was great fun just experiencing it with good friends!

on sunday, we celebrated jake and alexis' birthdays, after jake's football game.

alexis' gave us a little viola concert. so, so sweet. love the grainy images.

just a few favorites from the afternoon.

and here are some other recent shots of our little people:

this guy is growing up way too fast! he's filling out and making eye contact, and smiling. love that little face!

 

modeling his awesome custom amy tangerine t-shirt! i would love to have grey meet crew ...and both wear their amy onesies for a photoshoot!

big g and i spent some quality time together this week taking turns taking photos of each other. i won't be posting the shots he took. i was not looking very cute that day! but he was!

harper's new stance that i am in love with! i finally caught her doing it when i had my camera. SO stinkin' cute!

after the birthday party, we met up with travis, sarah and ella. when i saw ella i think i may have gasped! i love her outfit so much! yesterday, at bagels, denise's ella had the pink/red butterfly version on, and it's darling too!

i love her full little lips! her and griffin would make quite a pouty lip couple!

i adore all of these shots...she is just so sweet....but this last shot, just grabs me. i think it represents this age so well. one year old-from babe in arms to taking steps of independence. love it!

tomorrow, tom and i are going on a little adventure in central nebraska. it's called the junk jaunt. i had heard about it before, but recently when i did a shoot of kaitlyn's awesome capes, she was telling me more about it. i can not wait! the drive will be beautiful with all the fall colors and we may just come home with some treasures!

have a great day and God bless you!

a quick family photo share...

this past weekend, i did a photoshoot of a good friend of jared's, and her family. alex is living out of state now, so since she was back for a visit, they decided it would be a good time to have a family photo taken. we did the shoot at their family cabin, which is on this beautiful land next to the river, with a lake nearby, and lots of woods and pretty scenery all around. perfect backdrop for an all-American family photo-

i had the best time catching up with them, and seeing how well they are all doing. once again, thankful to be doing what i'm doing!

here's a quote i'll leave you with:

"many people are not reaching their full potential because their thinking patterns are defective. you cannot think negative thoughts and expect to live a positive life. you can't think thoughts of failure and expect to suceed. your life will follow your thoughts." joel osteen

and this:

"a good man will obtain favor from the Lord, but He will condemn a man who devises evil". proverbs 12:2

God bless your day!

little updates...

around the house. always brightens my day. i haven't seen the show *dress my nest*, but i love the sentiment! i could putz around the house for hours and hours and never be bored. i spent an hour or two working on updates around the living room and dining room on saturday...and it feels good-

i've been collecting frames for years. i am usually drawn to the most beat-up, well-loved...but recently i've enjoyed painting and NOT distressing the frames i find that are ugly gold or silver-like the huge one painted aqua on the wall. i like the mix. i'm really happy with the addition of the drop-leaf table too.

i thought the couch needed a table to ground it. so i moved this little wicker number across the room and restyled the top-and i love it now!

my sweet little luray dishes that i picked up for $1.50 at a garage sale.

happy, happy. just give me a nest to dress and i'm happy : )

and speaking of happy. i was thrilled to have a project to work on in my studio last night....so i could watch new fall tv! first dancing and then boston legal! woohoo! i think this season of dancing is going to be much better than the last season. for one thing, maks is back! loved watching him and misty-may. i just thought it was a super entertaining show all the way around...cloris leachman at 82 was hilarious(i didn't think i would enjoy her at all, but she was really funny), also enjoyed maurice, the new female dancer lacey, and warren sapp(he's not emmit, but he has some moves). i missed toni braxton and rocco. looking forward to watching again tonight. i've watched boston legal since the first season, and even though sometimes i question if it's a waste of my time....all in all, i find it intelligent and laugh out loud funny. last night, it touched a little close to home for me, with the topic of lung cancer. they even mentioned asbestos and other carcinogens during the trial. they do take on all kinds of topics. i watched so little tv this summer, that i have to admit, i'm really looking forward to settling in and catching the new fall episodes of all my shows.

i did a shoot over the weekend of another super cute family. they are actually cute overload. including mom and dad!

   

i wish you could have the heard the giggles that went along with this last photo! we were playing peek a boo around a tree and he was giggling so hard! one of my favorite sounds in the whole world!

i hope you have a great day. God bless!

seasons....

i have fall on my mind today. and not just fall, but the seasons in general. i'm even thinking about Christmas already. yesterday, as tom and i drove all over the countryside, we talked about a lot of things and one of the things we chatted about, was our annual Christmas party. this year, i want to make it even bigger. i don't always think that bigger is better, but in this case, i just think it's a great way to get to see everyone who we don't get to see often enough. we always have good intentions, but to actually get together, is another thing. i'm not sure tom bought it. he is always much more conservative about things like this, than i am. one thing for sure, is that this year i want to invite our neighbors. we have not been the best neighbors since we moved to this house, and i really want to make more of an effort to get to know people on our block and in our neighborhood. i haven't been reading nearly as many blogs as i used to, but i did check out ali's blog this morning, and LOVE her December daily idea! i SO want to do this!

okay, perfect segway, without even meaning to be. i had the opportunity to photograph a family in our neighborhood last week. they are the cutest, most connected little family. i've been trying to put my finger on what it is that was so refreshing to be around....and i think i finally figured it out. they let their kids be their own little people. i think that's sort of rare now. they let the kids explore- and actually encouraged them to be adventurous. SO refreshing to me! they weren't telling them not to get dirty or fussing over every little detail about their appearance-i could tell that they are very comfortable being outside and free. they let them run ahead and check things out, without constantly instructing them on every move they made. i think these two little souls are going to have tons of confidence because of their parents. they weren't controlling at all. that's my 2 cent philisophy : )

anyway, they're an adorable family!

see why i want to get to know my neighbors better?

invariably, when i gush about a family who i've photographed, i feel as if i need to add a disclaimer. i admire any family dynamic where i see the love. there are so many styles of parenting, and i am blessed to see family dynamics in a way that lots of people miss. i am just in awe of families who love on each other, however that is displayed.

i really, really wanted to post photos of my living room. i spent some time on saturday, changing things around and updating. but it's way to dark to photograph today so i'll have to do that another day. friday night, when tom and i went to the antique mall, i found a little painted dropleaf table that i loved. we had the car so we couldn't get it then. i continued to think about it, so after our day in omaha, last night we headed to lincoln and picked it up. tom made a good point. normally if i see something i like, but don't buy, i forget about it....but that little table wouldn't leave my mind...so it needed to come home with us. it fits right into our living room now. and the price was right. i'll try to photograph it later today if it gets brighter out.

i hope you had a refreshing weekend-God bless your day today!

a listmaker...

i am convinced. i know that writing down what needs to be done, frees up my mind to think about other things, rather than continuously repeating over and over in my head, the list of things that i need to do. why did i get out of the habit of list making? i love it. i love the feeling of getting it down on paper and letting go. i love checking things off the list and feeling a sense of accomplishment. HOWEVER, with my personality, i have to be careful with listmaking. i can easily fall into the trap of making my life all about the LIST. and become a slave to tasks, rather than living freely, and enjoying the moments. SO, i've decided to try to keep myself in check with the listmaking and hopefully experience the positives of it, and not get so into it, that my perspective gets warped. i really did accomplish a whole lot yesterday with my list.

tonight, tom and i are going on a sort of date. we're heading in to lincoln to see kirby, amber and addie, and we're planning to hit the antique mall too. plus, i have the new "marie claire idees" magazine, which i plan to savor on the drive. i can't read french, but the visuals in that magazine are over the top! i think i need to step away from the computer and regroup. our weekend is going to be kinda crazy-but lots of fun-tom is golfing tomorrow and then all of us girls are meeting up with the guys for dinner afterwards. we're going to a little hole in the wall bar/grill which has the best bar burgers! plus we have a birthday party and i have 3 photoshoots.

i did a shoot of michaela recently. love her big brown eyes and freckles! the light was beautiful and she's photogenic and i had so much fun doing these photos!

i love doing senior photos! thanks michaela and mylee!

time to get to work. i hope you have a great friday! God bless!

grace again...

i love to hang out with people who are more knowledgable than i am, on different topics...like literature, movies, politics, photography, design, cooking, etc...i just love to soak up info. i asked my friend tammy, who happens to be a journalist, and has written for the local paper for many years, and knows good writing, about books and authors. she talked about max lucado, and how she loved his writings. when i was at goodwill, after that conversation, i found a yearly devotion book by lucado and picked it up. it is so rich. at first i was a bit indifferent to his writing style, but after almost a year, i must say that he has grown on me. in my readings today, i think i reread this paragraph 5 times:

"let me be clear. hatred will sour your outlook and break your back. the load of bitterness is simply too heavy. your knees will buckle under the strain, and your heart will break beneath the weight. the mountain before you is steep enough without the heaviness of hatred on your back. the wisest choice-the only choice- is for you to drop the anger. you will never be called upon to give anyone more grace than God has already given you."

is that not powerful? the thing is, i don't think i'm a hateful person-BUT, i recognize how insidious anger, bitterness and hatred are. being aware of how hanging on to that destroys a person. i don't want to even let a tiny bit of it in. i've seen the effect of bitterness on too many good people. reading this, made it so much more clear to me. i think it's because he writes in a way that i can visualize. when i see a spirit of hate in anyone, it breaks my heart. hate destroys. whenever i think about this world and all the hate, i think about billy graham. he seems to always rise above the hate, and is ruled by love. and if you read the Bible and read of Jesus' life, it's all about love...not this ugly self-justifying hate, that so many well meaning people have going on. i pray that i can live with that kind of attitude. recognizing that i will never be asked to show more grace than God has given me.

yesterday, i posted about how i really enjoy meeting with people i'm going to be photographing, and trying to get into who they really are, before i shoot. when i sat down with bekah and keri, before shooting bekah's senior photos, i immediately got the vibe that she was a classic kind of girl...the kind of girl who could fit right in, in the 40s, or 50s, as well as being totally hip now. very fun girl. smiley, quick to laugh, complex, well adjusted attitude, pretty much an all around great girl-

oh and she's gorgeous too!

classic beauty, right?

i am really behind on my family photo editing. i haven't even edited harper's 2 year photos from july 15. wish tara lived closer. i was looking through some shots i took one day recently when brooke stopped by with the kids. i love them.

this is him. his temperament is just like this. calm, content, sweet.

if you don't insist on having them all in one shot, they'll usually all join in on their own.

and i need to get some recent shots of miss addison may edited-

she thought it was fun to throw the chalk.

so every day this week, i've been a shopping enabler-but today, i'm just going to share something that might inspire you creatively. check out the fiskars project calendar for september. a new project every day...and i think there are some really great projects! here's mine from september 17:

i'm still lovin' my canvases! so free and fun to make.

the week is flying by! i hope you're having a good one! God bless!

never ever bored....

i love the diversity of photography. i find it so hard to believe sometimes, how many different types of shoots i've had the opportunity to experience. and it's not always just the types of photography that i'm doing, it's the challenge of identifying the personalities and capturing the heart of the people i photograph....sorry if that sounds super cliche, but it's truly how i feel about what i'm doing. it makes it very interesting for me. i couldn't do the type of photography that is dictated by specific poses over and over again. i would be bored with that.

one of the only times in my life that i've been bored, was when i worked at a local antique store. you would think i would have loved that job...and i did love certain things about it. the store's focus was on antique and rare books, which i love, the only problem was, i couldn't read them. i was surrounded by all these awesome books, but i wasn't supposed to read on shop time, even when the shop was empty. all i was allowed to do was dust. i couldn't rearrange vignettes around the store either. and if i did, they would re-do them. i would be all excited about a little area that i had arranged and the next time i would work, it would all be changed around. a little control issue, i think. but maybe it taught me patience? and maybe i learned to be comfortable with too much time, and only my thoughts to keep me company?

last night, while i was waiting for photos to load, i took a right-brain/left brain online quiz. the results were not a huge surprise to me. i was 90% right brain. one of the only left brain traits i think i possess, is that i am into details...but that would be more visual detail, so maybe that sways me to the right. one of the questions on one of the right/left brain quizes, is whether you prefer a dog or a cat. i answered dog, which was a left brain answer...but i love cats too. that one was not very telling in my opinion. i mainly answered that way, because i have dogs, whom i love. i know i am very visual. i know that i have a tough time focusing on one task at a time. it's a blessing and a curse. i think that's why tom and i got together. he balances me. as i read each question on the quizes, i thought about tom and realized that he would probably be answering every question the opposite  way i answered. that's cool. because i realize that the way our brain works, isn't the same as not valuing the same things. i think what makes *us* work, is that in spite of our many differences, we share core values. plus he's cute.

guess what? yesterday, i think i found some balance! plus i was super productive! i invested time in people, i got things checked off my *to-do list*, did two photoshoots, and even relaxed with tom on the deck for an hour at the end of the day(well, it was the end of his day, not mine) we keep such different hours....he gets up at 3:45 am and tries to go to bed early, i stay up until midnight or 1 am and get up at 7. i love mornings, but i am slow in the morning. my brain power at night is much better. if i could find this kind of balance every day, i would be so happy! sure there were things i didn't get done, like working out, but overall, at the end of the day, i felt like i lived according to my priorities for the most part. and that's a great feeling.

my first shoot was in the morning, the weather was gorgeous, the concept was awesome and i loved every minute of it!

kaitlyn has this adorable etsy shop called owl people. she contacted me a while back about helping her out with some photos of her wares. and adorable wares they are. i appreciate good workmanship so much, and her superhero capes are so well-made! i provided the models (other than henry, kaitlyn's cutie patootie son) and we let the kids imaginations rule-

a new favorite of grif.

grif's cute friend kalli

this is henry. i love that name.

there is something about putting a cape on a child. instant transformation to imagination land. the capes are so well made and sweet, and they're really affordable too. i think harper may be a superhero princess for halloween. cape, tutu, tights, tiara. i think that would be perfect! get over to owl people before she sells out!

it occurs to me that i've been quite a shopping enabler this week! i'm good at that! when you shop for real with me, i'm the type who will help you justify your spending.

have a great day and God bless!

i love IT...

a while back, kelly asked me to be the guest designer for her kit club it kit studio. knowing kelly and her good taste, i of course said "i'd love to!" the october kit is fab! i made 3 layouts and can't wait to make more with the stuff that's left over. i have a lot left over too- you get a lot for your money. i love that some items are non-consumable and one of a kind. the stamps in the kit for example. love them! here are the layouts i made-

the journaling stamp on the layout above is an itkit stamp. love it!

these papers did it for me : )

the kit came with cool rub-ons for "all about me" layouts, so since i haven't done one of those in a long time, i decided to give it a shot. now, i just realized that i need to date it.

i hope you check itkitstudio out! you'll like it. have a great day and God bless!