Let um be little

I think everyone should have at least one cute little niece to spoil and teach things that just might annoy their parents....lucky for me I have two =) Londyn will be two in December and came in town for the week to visit Nana & Popi and Aunt Mandi and Uncle Pat...and horray for giving her sketti and making faces while eating =) I just love the Lonestar song "Let them be little"

So let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle
Oh just let them be little

The Simple Life

It's the simple things in life that are the most enjoyable that I so often stress over and look past...patriotism in July, running into old friends while driving on the highway, stocking up on flip-flops in the summer so I can wear them year-round, finding ice cream in the freezer after thinking SOMEONE ate it all, riding down the highway with the windows down, and enjoying all the little "firsts" of everything all over again with my husband =) priceless :)

(First 4th of July together) (First time grilling out together!!!) (First "hysterical moment" as my pops would say:)(First Wedding picture I got to take...and actually see!!) (My parent's first time walking into their house =)
(First time at the beach together!)

Kristina & Brad

I love old friends...especially as you get to be a part of the first, and biggest, day of their lives together :) Brad and Kristina are so in love, which makes for a really fun shoot....when we could break Brad of his police officer stare! What a fun couple to shoot! Best of luck during the rest of your engagement! Can't wait till their wedding this fall!! Hope you enjoy your pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!!!

Bridal shower guestbook =)

I have been searching for MONTHS now for something I an make for my guestbook for both my bridal shower and wedding ceremony. I want something personal, something I can look back at and smile, something worth keeping (I hate buying tacky junk for one time use...) I wanted somethng that I could share with my friends when I help them plan their wedding one day but also with my kids so they can know that at some point in time their mom's favorite color was a shade of pink and their dad was a stud...after much frustration from searching around town, stalking other blogs, and not wanting to spend more than my carpayment...here's what I've come up with for the shower:




I cannot wait till Sunday! Family, soon-to-be-family, and friends from across the state will be coming and spending a little quality tea time with a soon-to-be-bride. It's amazing how much I can do while sitting in a hotel room shoveling carrots in my face...This weekend's to-do list include: taste testing, meetings, my close friend from grad school's wedding, make thank-you bookmark before Sunday while finishing these projects:

I love being a girl

Seriously, I can’t imagine what life would be like being a boy. We can be cute, take long showers, and change clothes four times before we leave the house. Our wallets have a place for change (who really likes hearing that jingle every step?) and I can’t imagine having to stuff boxers into my jeans and comfortably call it “underwear.” We get to enjoy shoving cotton balls between my toes and paining my toe nails and not be made fun of and praise God we don’t have to stand around a urinal to use the restroom. Most songs on the radio are about us. We can still get dirty, sweaty, climb trees, and wear guys clothes when we want and not get funny looks (tell me what your facial expression was the first time you saw a guy in skinny jeans….exactly my point!) Some days I want to be comfortable and make-up or my Chi is not on my radar and other days I’m all about layering, matching, and smelling pretty. I enjoy teaching girls about what it means to have a heart after God’s own. Being a woman is mysterious. Guys can’t figure us out…sometimes we can’t figure us out. One thing is for sure: girlfriends are irreplaceable. I am a firm believer that I will have sleepovers for the rest of my life…I’ve figured it out: just change the name from “sleepover” to “retreat” or “trip” and extend the overnight stay through a holiday weekend. I can’t wait till the next weekend these ladies and I get to spend time together...unless they want to come to Springfield any time in the week while I'm in training ;)

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things

Like unnecessary coffee=)

So my friend Meghann and I have basically hit up every coffee place there is in the area...from Lebanon, to Belleville, to St. Louis. I think we need a new hobby...and a few extra bucks to pay for our expensive taste in coffee! Meghann is awesome: she went to school in Oklahoma (although she bleeds orange...not BoomerSooner RED), we both suffered through times of having a degree (or two) yet working at a retail job while waiting for someone in the real world to scoop us up and claim a "career," she loves Jesus, we have a lot of unspoken pet peeves and things that excite us...which leads to a lot of laughs when we actually get to hang out=) Today tops it all...a photoshoot and coffee...my heart is sold! Check out a few of my favorites of her and her brother Tyler (btw, his graduation is only days away, go Tyler!) And in the midst of it all...while at Park Ave. Coffee I learned a little thing or two about wedding albums and met a new friend while at my little coffee shop...where I will have my bridal shots taken here soon;)

Love is...

Neverending!! Let me tell you how amazing it was to photograph BOTH of my roommates from college weddings within 11 months of each other! What a blessing to be with both gals as they promised themselves to the men of their dreams before God and their families on their special day. Trish and James are both artist who have a passion for life, and each other. I wish them many Irish dreams to come:)