sn*w

So I have always thought there's just something beautiful about pictures in the snow...Somehow between Cougar Village and Founder's Hall I seemed to drag my feet and never make it to class. In the midst of my walk to class somehow my camera would tag along and lets face it...taking pictures of pinecones and Cougar lake and the geese that weren't cool enough to migrate is far more interesting than learning about American Psychologist Albert Ellis or the theories of psychology that are no longer in practice today! So, here it is the night before engagement picture taking day, it snowed tonight...it snowed=)

Clearly it's going to be a beauuutiful day!! :)

Whoa!

Wow does time fly when life gets a little busy! Lets see, since October last year I had a little fun with this guy in Nashville

Followed by much needed time with an old roommate and her fiance James...a definite match made for each other and I heart them both!

and what isn't a great time without my lov Whitney...which usually involves unnecessary and expensive coffee therapy


Happy snow flurries tomorrow!

Underground*09

So a few weeks ago we helped out with First Baptist Church of O'Fallon's Underground youth retreat at Lake Sallateeska. The leaves were just starting to change colors, there was a slight chill all weekend...it was beautiful! Aubrey Spears was the guest speaker as he walked us through Great Love. Aubrey and leaders took the youth through Proverbs 7 and the warnings, dangers, and consequences of sex before marriage...but more than that. We were able to discuss with students various ways to truly avoid temptations in the reality of high school. I loved sharing stories with my girls about the lies I believed growing up...one particular had our room laughing prettttty hard the first night. (I still blame Andi Jaeger for distracting me in health class in 10th grade....) I not only hope the youth had as much fun as I did, but I hope they took home the heart of the Message as well. From the begining the 9th grade girls had the most intense game of keep-away I'd ever seen...the guys were, well being guys...skipping rocks or rockin' canoes. SENIOR guys, how are your phones working these days?? It was so pretty over the weekend that the water looked beyond fake in real life! I had a blast and my girls were amazing:) Hope you're all still doing great and stickin' with any goals or standards that were set!!!





Thanks Aubrey!!

live.laugh.loooooove.

Last weekend I had such a great time laughing...err I mean shooting these two's engagement pictures! We had a blast, not that we don't when we're jean shopping in the Buckle! Who would have thought that shopping would turn into taking engagement pictures a month later!?! Charlon I hope you love them and just in time for your engagement party next weekend.

On Deck....

April 10, 2010 can't come any sooner for this couple! I had an awesome time with Melissa and Jared last weekend with their engagement shots!!! This is surely to be a house divided....Cubs and Cards. Their wedding is just in time for baseball's opening game. Best of luck to the rest of the engagement, I just can't wait to share the rest of these pictures with you two!!!

Ladies Night Out!

So last weekend was packed with some of the most intense/fun/relaxation you can put in one weekend! Friday night after the chaos of the week a few of my favorite ladies (minus one)met up downtown for "Sheckys Girls Night Out" in St. Louis. The theater was packed with hundreds of ladies from all around the area trying out all the newest fall trends and products from the St Louis area. We fell in love with our little candies! They don't look like much unwrapped but inside this little wannabe candy is mini-manicure! I think we all took some home with us:) It was a long night of purses, clothes, and trying to find someone who would give us a water...not sparkling grapefruit drink from Target. Seriously...a bottled water was a rare find, but well worth it!





So after much thought...and disappointment I realized that spending 5 years in Japan and 2 in Hawaii as a kid I have missed out on several holiday things...you know, like visits to the pumpkin patch!


And we found a 46 pound orange greatness as our 2009 pumpkin=)

More pictures than miles on our car!

Last weekend was the most intense road trip this girl has ever been on…and it was a blast! Friday at 4am I woke up, Pat and I got our things packed into one bag, and before we knew it we were on our way. I flew into Denver, CO where my parents met Pat and I at the airport…where the winding roads began. This is one long and crazy double date!
We arrived in Denver about 9 in the morning and loaded up the back of my parents SUV and drove to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
First stop was Sacajawea's memorial and grave along one of the highways through WY. I was impressed with dad's quickness grabbing this coin out of the car!


The Cowboy Bar is by FAR the best place to eat in the town and between our Buffalo ribs and the breakfast burritos made on the corner from a guy named “Dog” hands down we had the best meals I've ever had.
Saturday morning we got up early and were off for Yellowstone National Park to hunt for Yogi Bear. Ol’Faithful was awesome, no matter where we drove there were beautiful sceneries from either side of the car (Grand Teton Mountains) and talk about nature...buffalo.elk.moose.chipmunk.galore! Saturday night we headed back to Jackson Hole (which is a tiny ski-resort town in the middle of Indian Mountain and the Grand Tetons) to our ski-resort town-home.
Sunday after a long morning of [me] being sick we headed off to Custer, South Dakota were we would be for less than 24 hours before we headed back to St. Louis. We drove all over Custer State Park, saw a ton MORE buffalo, watched a girl get car sick hanging out of a window as we drove through Needles Highway (the most up/down/left/right road I've ever been on), hiked around Mt. Rushmore, & saw Crazy Horse…then back to Denver to catch a flight Monday night so Pat & I could be back at work Tuesday morning.
A lot of people watching (people seem to bring the best out of other people don’t they??) picture taking, reading, and napping in the back seat of a Honda Pilot. The trip was exhausting, but highly worth it! I would certainly do it all over again if I had the choice!
Thanks Mom & Dad for an awesome trip! Hope you can decide on a few of the 2,600 pictures taken that weekend!