Drew and Mel

"i'm falling even more in love with you...
i'm hanging by a moment here with you"
-- lifehouse

Drew and Mel were just recently on here. And I was counting the days until their wedding. Word on the street was that it was going to be an incredible, incredible wedding. Shessh. My expectations were blown out of the water. (Thanks to Peter for shooting with me!!! And Jenny too!)

But, before I get ahead of myself, here are some details:


I was really excited about this one:

That's their cake! Donut tower! And that's their videographer's tie :D I like it.

Ohboy he is cute and sure knows it!

I will never, ever get over "bride beautiful." They really are the most beautiful girls on earth. Mel looked completely gorgeous.

The rest looked pretty sharp too! But still nothing compared to Mel. Sorry :)


Ope. Here's a quick boys shot. Almost forget about them!

And let the fun begin! How awesome was Drew's face when he first saw her, btw. :D :D :D :D

So much happiness....

I would like to pause this marriage ceremony and draw your attention to God's masterpiece which we enjoyed as the backdrop of the ceremony. Resume play...

Al.most.there.

Yay!

And just like that, they are husband and wife - inseparable.

As I said before, Drew is awesome because he is very into photography and graphic design, and knowing that challenges me in a good way. Plus, Drew and Mel were all about having lots of pictures! We had a ball!



Drew and Mel have an awesome story. Drew grew up in Oregon, Mel grew up in Maryland. About 10 years ago, Drew moved to Maryland, and just so happened to live right next door to 14-year-old Mel. No, sparks didn't fly. And, no, they didn't vow ignorant, naive devotion. They didn't really even talk.
Years later they were in small group at church together. And hit it off flawlessy! Eeeh. Wrong. They were merely acquaintances.

Things changed?

Oh did they ever. It actually took a missions trip to Uganda for them to start falling in love. Who knew? I love love stories that only God could write. Not to sound cheesy, but it's so sweet to see two people from opposite locations, families and lives be brought together forever.

(ps. Our planet is sooooooo pretty.)

I loved the light we got for these shots:




Like a magazine cover

:D

Oh cuuuute. Mel is such a cutie head!



This one might be my favorite


I can hardly stand how happy they are. Psh. It's an incredible thing love & marriage is, huh?

Congratulations!!!!!!
(and slideshow is forthcoming. something is working with the program :( )

The Smart Family

One of my most popular posts ever is the Smart Family from last October :D Today I shot them again - and we are only a few weeks away from meeting little Ryder, who will be in pictures soon!

I vote them most adorable family of the year, yes?

Wooow. So very beautiful.

Jess is just the cutest little thing ever! I want to put her in my pocket!

And Nyah has grown up so much this year - she is a stunningly beautiful little girl. Thank goodness she is gonna have a brother to help her dad ward off all those boys! ;D



I love this one a lot.

Boo!

These are nights you wish you could re-do over and over.

Wheeeee!

BabyGap anyone?


Yay for puddles!

Neil and his girls...


ooohlaLA!

This was the result of an artistic/flickr moment of my mind (I like the bird flying through. Def coordinated it with him before hand)


And one last set! Nyah was so funny with these - not really awkward, but like "Alright, well... what's up Kristen?" haha She was like ignoring the white elephant in the room :D haha

I love, love, love you guys so much and I can't wait to see ze little baby! And shooting you for many years! Big hugs!

Michael and Fay

"And then she asks me, 'Do I look all right?'
And I say, 'Yes, you look wonderful tonight.'"
-- eric clapton wonderful tonight

Last night was a moppy, cool Maryland night and the Glenview Mansion had the perfect setting to shoot this awesome couple!


I wish I looked that fantastic when I was just moseying down a pathway. Goodness!

Aw :D Love this one!

Gorgeousgorgeousgorgeous.


I saw this tree and almost did a back-flip - so moody and just plain awesome!

And one last adorable one, with fingers in her hair and all, to close the post :D

You guys were great and your wedding is going to be just fabulous :D See you in a few weeks! Eeee!

Stephanie and Geoff!

"Maybe millions of people go by....
But I only have eyes for you"
-- frank sinatra

Saturday I shot (assisted by the excellent Peter Bang) Steph and Geoff's wedding!

Sheeee is a model. Probably. Secretly. She must be - being so stunning and all!

These are probably my favorite "pre-aisle" pictures ever. Steph and her dad as very close :D So touching :D


I just love her. So happy, so excited, so funny. Geoff, you have an awesome wife.

i don't even know what to say. she is so beautiful.

His message was outstanding! I think my favorite wedding message ever!

Yay! They did it!

Playing with the flower girls :D


The weatherman was calling for rain alllll weekend. I now have a soft-spot in my heart for rainy Saturdays, because even if I am not shooting, I know soooomeone is getting married, and they probably wish it wasn't raining. However, I have yet to have any rain trouble! Even when hurricanes are forecast! Yay! And the same happened Saturday -- the timing was great, and we got some awesome pictures in lovely, dry sunshine!

Hand-holding is just adorable in my book.

So in love!

We also ran into Union Station really quickly. Loved how they turned out!



They caused quite a stir....



That's just plain romantic.

Let me skip ahead to the reception and make a note about their first dance! They naaailed it! They are greta swing-dancers, but not only was it very fun, it was very personal and deep. I had a hard time not watching them!

Funny toasts are the best!

And my job is also the best! wootwoot!

:D

Congratulations Geoff and Stephanie! I loved celebrating with you!

Enjoy the show!

Hannah and Robert

Gah. I.love.Robert.and.Hannah.
Yesterday I shot a wonderful, relaxing engagement shoot for these two in Old Town Alexandria (ps. any husbands/boyfriends who read this: take your wives/girlfriends there. SO cute and SO fun! I wanted to stay longer just to walk around the city!)

I had a ball with them as we talked and walked around in the wet, quiet town. We talked about their work (he's going to be a pulmonary pediatrician and she works at NCI and is working on her PhD - meaning they are about 34 times smarter then me.) We talked about music (more on that coming later), and wedding plans and traveling and more. They are SO sweet and easy to talk to.

She is the girl everyone wants to be friends with. LOVE her.

Robert wanted to stop at this little door - good call! If they whole doctor thing doesn't work out, you can come shoot with me! haha

6 months until wedding day! Woot!

We were looking for "open brick." Nailed it!

My "imageisfound" picture...

Pretty day :D

After the shoot they wanted to take some pictures at The Birchmere in front of these colorful murals. I had no idea what they were talking about, but the first time we met, one of the first things Hannah said was that she wanted pictures here. And on their contract they told me one of their favorite things to do together is go to The Birchmere. So, you bet we went to The Birchmere!

What is The Birchmere? Well, in my book it is now officially the coolest place ever. And I can't believe I had never heard of it. It's a venue for about 200 people to watch concerts, but dinner-theater style. It's small and tucked away in a little random nowhere. AND, it has awesome murals painted on the outside!
(Hannah is from LA and Robert is from PA!)

On our way out Hannah and Rob started talking about different people they had seen perform here.
"Oh! Last fall we saw Col...bie... Caillat... is that right? Have you heard of her?"
"Um, YES! I loooove her!"
"Yeah, she was great. It was a wonderful concert and this guy opened for her. HE was great too."
"Wait, Jason Reeves?"
"Yes! He was great!"

I wasn't sure if I could love them more. hahah Just knowing they liked and watched an artist I love so much made me so excited!

Ha! Love it!

Reason #142 why The Birchmere is awesome:
There was a little sign that said "What to expect inside: American Music -- Souvenirs and CD's -- Shirts, Hats and Pickles"

I loveeee pickles. lovepickles.


It just so happened that the night before they had seen Jackopierce perform there - so, here is the slideshow brought to you by an awesome Jackopierce song! Enjoy!

I had so much fun with you guys!!! Thank you for being so friendly! You guys are going to have an awesome life together and I can't wait for your wedding! Hugs :D

David Jay :D

I never blogged about the Free To Succeed Tour I was able to attend last month. Considering all the drama going on with DJ and Canada right now, I was freshly reminded that I should blog :D
(ps. I loved this - the hotel where the Tour was at made the signs wrong. Like, if you could pick just one word to define DJ's business philosophy, it would probably be "Free." Free up your life, don't be bound to our work, etc, etc aaaand they missed that one word haha That's ok :D )

I have shared this story before, but, I will say it again. Way back in the day, back when I was a sophomore in highschool, I stumbled across David Jay's website. The next few months were life-changing and career-determining. I honestly don't know if I would have done wedding photography if I hadn't seen Jessica Claire and David Jay's work. Once I saw their stuff, I knew I had to try. It was kind of daring, but I would kick myself if I didn't just try.

I haven't known anything besides DJ's "photography philosophy." The whole idea of giving, and helping each other, and supporting other photographers and being friends with your clients - all of it - has been pounded into me through his blog, videos and conversations. He has been such a friend, so encouraging and so caring about a little unknown photographer like me. I could rattle off time after time that he has blessed me. And I am willing to bet that almost every photographer who has interacted with him feels the same way. I don't feel looked down on, or like I am this little wannabe tagging along. I SO appreciate the genuine relationship DJ builds. I know that there are a few (75ish) upset photographers in Toronto, and I do feel bad that they paid and didn't see him, but if you look at the life of DJ, it's so clear that he is others focused.
Don't be disheartened, DJ :D You are doing a great job and are probably more kind than you should be! haha Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Ok. Now La Tour. My awesome friend Dre:

Another awesome friend, Peter:

Kate and Ryan - Wedding Edition

"100%"

Kate has been on my blog many a time :D As senior, girlfriend, fiance' and today she appears as bride.

Yesterday I had the ridiculously fun job second-shooting for my bff, Lydia Jane. I love second shooting because you get to pay attention to little details. This post is going to be short, but I had to put up a few of the faves!

Here are a few of the flower-girls and a ringbearer.... quite impressed with the chocolate fountain!

I love this one a lot. These little girls were, um, a-dor-ab-llllle.

Kate's grandfather worked, worked, worked so hard to cater the day - and he did an outstanding job! It was so sweet when he came out and gave her this big ol' hug :D

Hi pretty people!

Hey hey! It's Keara from two posts ago! She was a great little flower girl :)

Aw :) That's quite a moment in life. Quuuuite a moment.

A peaceful moment during the ceremony.
(Oh! Story! Ok. The pastor told this story during the ceremony, so I had to share.
Basically, when Ryan first starting liking Kate, he knew real quick that she was "the one." Everyone says that you do "just know" and he did. He told his family and friends. One night when Ryan, Kate and a group of friends were hanging out, even had a fake wedding where Ryan married Kate. He was being pretty obvious about his interest :D Kate was clueless, sure they were just friends. Anywho, they started dating and he told her that he was 98% sure that he was going to marry her. She was like "oh.oook.uh." and really didn't feel the same way. A few months later Kate and Ryan's mom where chatting and his mom asked where she stood. She grabbed a napkin and wrote 100% on it. On her next date she told Ryan just that - that she was 100% sure. He was so startled/excited that he just stopped driving. Right in the middle of the road! But now that napkin is framed and hanging in their house :D)

Do they get any happier???

Yet another adorable flowergirl - (who is Liz's cousin's kid... or something. Bethy. I missa you. And this is a little blog hello/love from me :D)

Kissssesss!!!!

And a happy dance moment (in 2 pm Maryland sunshine :D - but we don't complain because it was an AMAZING day with great, great weather!)

Congratulations guys! I hope your day was all you dreamed of and that it only gets better and better :)

ps. This is Kate's younger brother. And he was my little buddy at the reception. There was lots and lots of dancing and when a certain song came on I was like "Ohkay, ok. I have to dance this one!" Well, he came up to me on the dance floor, held my hand and looked up at me and smiled. "Hi! I want to be with you. Will you dance with me" :D Too cute. We had a little adventure looking for the s'mores he was smelling (never found any) and getting stuck inside of sheds. Thanks for being awesome, kiddo!

And thanks, Lyd, for having me along! Muuuauh!

angie and juan

On Saturday I had the honor to shoot a very elegant, formal and drop-your-jaw-beautiful wedding for Angie and Juan.

Here are a few of the boys :)



Some little wedding guests - looking mighty fine I would like to add!


Waiting for the wedding to begin...

Ta-da! Here she is, being escorted by her grandfather, Congressman Clay. Her entrance was very powerful - the setting, the music and how amazing she looked....








The Congressional Club is iconic in Washington DC, and very beautiful!

The lady who sang during the Unity Candle was very good!

Yay!!!!


So peaceful and so happy :)

Even though this is more formal than usual, I loved how grand and "White House-y" it looked!

I love how newspaper this one is. I don't even mean to take it - I was just holding my camera over my shoulder talking! And I saw it and was like "Score!" haha

The cocktail hour was great fun! Everyone was so cheerful and upbeat and excited!


Seeeee.... I told you it was amazing!

They are like a royal couple! Just stunning!

The toasts were excellent...



As was the first dance - they really tore up the dance floor! It was SO fun to watch, but I was jealous I couldn't dance!

Congratulations!!! I am thrilled for you both and so excited that God brought you two together!

Drew and Mel

"I've been known to take my time,And I don't know if I'm your type...But you are always on my mind"-- kalai

Can I announce what the world of photographers has long-known? It is awesome to take pictures for another photographer - awesome, awesome, awesome. I felt a good, healthy pressure creativity-wise and it is just so enjoyable to work with people who want their pictures taken! And who like it! Drew is actually a graphic designer, with a serious photography hobby, but still. Art is art :)

I am trying to decide how to start this post. Hmm.
Alright. It all starts when we were trying to pick a place for the shoot. Nothing was really working quite right - and Drew wanted the perfect place. He told me that for dates, he and Mel love to just get in the car, drive to the country and just wander around, lost.
I was allllll for it! So, at 4:45 we met up and over an hour later, we found the perfect field.

It was a yellow-bean field. And the sun was, hello, stunning!




Since I was able to drive with them, I got to hear the "long-girly-version" of their story. And it's adorable - worth hearing the long, girly way. They both told the little parts that were special to them.

I think one of the sweetest things was when Drew was telling me about a time before they started dating.

They were good friends, but Mel was getting suspicious (and hopeful!) that he was starting to act different then "just friends." Drew told me "So, one night I just called her. I didn't have an excuse. I had no reason to call. Nothing to say. I was just sitting there and wanted to talk to her sooooo bad. I knew she would know I liked her, and I didn't care."
So he called, she didn't answer. "Um, hey Mel. What's up? Alright talk to you later!"
"Kristen, it was the lamest message ever." And they both sat in the car, laughing and holding hands, remembering the cute little moments :D

This is how he feels on the inside...?




He specifically asked for a blurred black and white - this was my favorite:

Oh, I do like them a whole lot.

:)



Guh, LOVE!

The benefits of driving around the middle of nowhere!


And here is the show! I am completely thrilled to be shooting your wedding, guys! I had a complete blast with you yesterday!!!!

Josh, Kelley and Company

Every single Friday afternoon, for 4 straight years, I could be found in a little home in Saybrooke, learning about Literature and being taught by Kelley.

In 9th grade, Kelley taught our us an "Intro to Lit" class. She was completely single. Over the summer she started going out with Josh (and all of us little students were thrilled) and by the end of 10th grade she was engaged.

We spent one whole class "planning" her wedding, looking through magazines and hearing how he proposed just one more time. In the fall of 11th grade, she became Josh's wife.

And shockofallshock, over the next summer she found out she was pregnant with a baby girl.

12th grade proved to be a big learning experience as Kelley had an emergency c-section right before Christmas - a few months before her due date. Little Keara was small, but thankfully healthy! And 3 weeks ago, Josh and Kelley welcomed baby JJ to their sweet family.

It is so special to me to see Kelley, the lady and friend, who taught me about Mr. Knightley and Mr. Darcy and explained To Kill A Mockingbird and Cheaper By The Dozen, and watch her with her husband and children. She is such a lovely example of devoted, caring wife and mom! And I have had the privilege to watch her as she took a step into each new season :)

I love you guys!

Here are some more of my favorites, plus a slideshow!




















I had a great time with you guys! And I hope you didn't cringe too much at all my grammar errors and sappy song choices, Kel :D

Boisvert Family!

"Through the laughter and the madness
And every moment in between
Oh, I
I want you with me"
-leann rimes

A few weekends ago I was able to shoot the little Boisvert family :D Joe and Rakel have a sweetie-pie little daughter named, Faith, and girlie Number Dos is on her way!









Joe and Rakel are so sweet, because they really are so in love. I remember the first time I met Rakel. I was at a birthday party for Joe's younger sister, my good friend Emily, and Rakel came in. Absolutely gorgeous. Loud, friendly and talkative. I don't think Joe stopped looking at her once. I was only in middle school, but my little "Interest Radar" turned on. And sure enough, those two started dating and quickly later were married. And they are as happy as can be!


Here is the slideshow! With a happy country song :D :D

Amanda and Paul

" that you take your eyes off the ground
and see that someone is looking right
back at you..
maybe that someone's me"
I love Amanda and Paul so so so much. I love that Paul proposed on a swing set by his house. I love how well they complement each other - Paul is a gentle, quiet police officer and Amanda is a lively, friendly interior designer. I love how much they love their families. And, of course, how they love each other.

Let me tell you a little more about how exactly they love each other. These two met a little while back, right when school was starting for Amanda. She was busy, motivated and excited about her career - and had much to do to prepare for it. She told me that she knew she wasn't ready to be a wife or support somebody just yet, and honestly, wasn't really looking for anyone to be a wife to!

The only problem was that Paul was pretty - actually VERY - sure that he had found his wife. He fell for Amanda quickly and sincerely. What's a boy to do? She wasn't quite as fond of him and wasn't ready to get married, even if she had been head over heels. His situation reminds me of the line in a classic Beatles song "Hey Jude, don't be afraid// You have found her, now go and get her." Paul did go and get her. He won her heart and seven short months after they began dating, Paul proposed. Amanda eagerly accepted!

That was three years ago. To serve Amanda, he was willing to wait three whole years to be married. As long as that ring was on her finger and she was promised to be his, he could wait. She has now finished school, and is doing great in her job! And was ready to be a wife, to this patient, devoted man.

Finally, Paul and Amanda were married - on a day I can only marvel at. Hurricane Hanna dropped rain upon Maryland for almost 7 straight hours, on Saturday. Sunday - wedding day - was dry, clear, fresh, green, bright and beautiful. How kind of God! Let's rewind real quick to the start of the day...

Did I mention I love Amanda?

Oh, ya know, a raw Duponi silk La Sposa gown. No big deal. (It was incredibleincredibleincredible)




Ta-da! Her mom told me that she always pictured her walking down her stairs, as a bride. I hope it was exactly as you dreamed, Mrs. Rogers!

Even though I personally don't think I could handle a 3-year-engagement, maybe Paul knew what he was doing - Amanda is a little too beautiful for her own good and would have gotten snatched up! haha!


Lovely girls :D







I guess we should have some of the guys, too :D


And now its wedding time! Yay! Yay! Yay!

:D

Putting those wedding bands on :D

I think I like shiny aisles!

Wooohooo!

One of my favorite formals ever!

I am thankful for color, because it is just so wonderful! And cheerful!

Pretending I am Amelia Lyon :)

Oh cute!

They are so in love it gives me goosebumps

Forehead kisses cause that's the best!

One last one that makes me smile

Ok, I have already spent way too much time on this post, but I had to give a little blog love to Amanda and her dad who riiiiped up the dance floor! They swung to Frank Sinatra and were too fun!

Mom's watching on :D

A sweet end to an amazing day....

You two, I have to tell you that I respect you so much! Thank you for being wise and mature when it came to your relationship. So many other's will selfishly rush to get what they want, instead of doing what is right, and usually more difficult. You two are so devoted! And I am just thrilled for you!


And the slideshow! With one of my favorite songs ever!

jenny and bobby

"nothing's bigger than love
oh oh
all you need is love"

Bobby and Jenny are such rockstars. No, really, they are. At least Bobby is. He is the drummer for a band called "My Favorite Highway" - and they are incredible!

He is used to being in front of the camera for band shoots. And, Jenny? Well, she is just drop-dead gorgeous and so sweet!




LOVE this one.

Don't they look like a glam celebrity couple? These next few are my "paprazzi" shots haha




:D i love cute, happy heads :D


How sweet is her little laugh? Oh, too cute!




Enjoy the show! And especially the music, brought to you by "My Favorite Highway," of course :D

Congratulations you guys!!! CanNOT wait for your wedding!

Danna and Sam!

"i'm lucky i'm in love with my best friend"

Sometimes shoots just happen perfectly. Sometimes they are a little more difficult and you have to really, really work hard to get good results.

Danna and Sam's five-year-anniversary shoot was a perfect one. It was SO easy, and SO fun. The light was amazing, they looked amazing and everything just worked out so well :D

If you look back at Joe and Beth's wedding from June, you will see a picture of Sam on a video message from Iraq during the reception. He is home for a quick break, and in a few days he heads back to serve our country in Iraq. I am so glad that you two were able to see each other, and also so grateful for how you serve, Sam!

Danna is a good friend of our family - she actually was my boss last summer, and my dad is her boss. They work at a federal proposal company and, oh.my.gosh. let me tell you, nothing made me want to do photography more then working a "business job." I don't like to say hate, but I hated it.
My co-workers were all awesome - we had a great time together, even pulling "The Office" pranks on one another. But, goodnessgracious, that was not the job for me. Danna was the sweetest, most positive, and nicest boss you could dream of! And I respect her about th---------IIIIIiiiiiIIIII------ssss much for working so hard at that job! Big round of applause for you!!!

They are cute little humans :D

This is very WW2 era to me - I don't know why....

Their kids are going to have THE most beautiful eyes on planet earth. Goood night!

Who doesn't love a good construction site for pictures?





And a few more out in the sun! Yay!



The next two are my favorites from the day:

Something NEW!

Ooooook, the long worked on website is finally up!!!

Notice I did not say done - cause its not. I stayed up till 4 or later for roughly a week trying to finish it. But, I couldn't. So, it will be all fixed and totally done a few days from now :D

But please check out the NEW Kristenleigh.net !!!!


It was like my 19th birthday present! Haha I have had a ball putting it together and using ShowIt sites - the program is the awesome.

Alright, what else? Hm. Well, I just got back from family vacation! We went to Pennsylvania. My family of nine visited Amish Farms, saw Brian Regan (a birthday present AND dream list accomplishment!) and rocked Hersey Park for two full days.

So, before we continue this post, I need you to know a little something about my family. We are awesome. Ok, excellent. Now we may continue.
We have a 10th child - I guess it's more of a grandchild? Anyways, Shannon has a "baby" that she plays house with, named McKayla. And this baby gets a real baby car seat, with real baby bottles, pacifiers, blankets and stocked diaper bag. No joke. She even has a seat in our Suburban and Shannon is very particular about her being buckled "safely."

I am going to miss it when these two grow-up :( I love them like this

After our two cars, and all 9, er 10, of us were ready to go, we set off for lovely Lancaster!

I must admit, the Amish fascinate me. It is amazing that they live the way they do - very inspsiring!


When we arrived at the farm, we got to take a little train ride through the country.
My dad was very, very impressed with the train. Everytime it would ride by he would "toottoooot!" at it and wave to everyone. He announced that he would like a train of his own, to ride around our backyard in ;D

It was so enjoyable to ride around the miles and miles of green countryside!
All of the kids sat together and we had a good time talking and teasing each other. At one point Dude broke one of the seats and no one would help him hahah poor little guy ;( He was so cute, but I couldn't help but laugh and laugh - he was so nervous!



Keeeevs!


Guh. I love them - more then they will ever know!

Waving to other trains!


I didn't know they carried submarines made out of water-balloons!

When we all finally got off the train, we had to jump onto the see-saws. I was glad Timmy was much heavier then me hahah

Hi pretty head!

There were a ton of little activities to do at the farm, and we did them all. Even if we didn't want to, mom would have made us :D She is all about that kind of thing.
We were being so crazy in here that the little worker boy had to announce over the whole intercom "Family that is in the ball-cage, I know you are having fun, but please be careful and calm down." I didn't feel too bad since my dad started it ;D

Oh dear. I am not doing this again. At least with Timmy being the "mechanical" part of the mechanical bull. I ate dirt!




After the wild bull incident, we ran off to "go-karts."
Being the family that we are, we were shocked to find out that you had to pedal your "go-kart." I opted out, you know, so I could take pictures.


Dad made it around twice, then almost died. I was proud of him :D

Here's a cute little racer!

Alright, mom. Mom mom mom. She is where I get any sense of adventure from. The whole tough, Army thing rubbed off. I don't have a picture of this little story, but, just imagine. One of the activities at the farm is this big, giant, huge, huge inflatable pillow. Its like a moonbounce, but 4 times as big, with no walls or ceilings. Just a large hump filled with air (in otherwards, awesome). All the kids were jumping on there and having a good ol' time. Mom wanted to join the fun. My dad tried to talk her out of it. "Sue, you are 50. You really can't do these kinds of things."

Ha. 50 is the new 30. Anyways, she chucked her shoes, ran through the sand, with this huge grin on her face. So thoroughly excited to be getting on with us! She put one foot on the bounce-pillow and then flew back in unreal slow motion. She landed right on her backside, covered with sand. She was red from laughing so hard. Mothers who were watching gasped. Little children were pointing and whispering in shock. My dad was sitting behind the fence shaking his head. Because she is the best, she got up and came and jumped for a good 15 seconds then had to get off because it was too much for her stomach :D
But I love that she tried so hard! I am determined to be like that I am a mom! Love you mommy!!! Thanks for the memories!

Alright, last for today. We saw Brian Regan. I was flippppping out when I opened a card on my birthday and it had a ticket inside. I was SO happy. So so so so happy.
(ps. Mom has a hard time with 1.4 lenses. We are all gonna pretend it's in focus. She did her very best ;D Thank you mom!)

The theater was beautiful!

And this guy. What can I say. I haven't laughed that hard ever. Two straight hours of laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing. I couldnt even get any more laugh out. If you ever get a chance to go see him, please do!

Alrighy, off to coach now. I have lots of new posts lined up, so keep coming back this week!

Kurt and Naomi!

"its you and me
and all of the people..."


On October 31st 2003 our church hosted our annual Harvest Party for the little kids. Typically the highschoolers put it on. It's always a crazy time - loud games, sugerfied children and crowded rooms. I remember that I was coming to look for some people from my group, because our game was severely understaffed and we had no idea where everyone had gone! After looking for a bit, I found Naomi, an older girl in my group. She was in the basketball gym talking to Kurt and seemed quite happy. "Hmmmmm....." ;D

Well, fast-forward five years, and these high-school-sweet-hearts are going to get married! Yay! I was SO SO excited when I found out they were finally engaged! It's been a long time in coming, and is just so exciting!
LOVE this one:



So, Kurt and Naomi are pretty much a really, really, really good-looking couple. They were giving me their J.Crew poses :D



This one seems so playful to me! Like two little kids running around playing tag! Or skipping rocks! Can't you hear the birds chirping? I can :D



She is just too beautiful!

Of course we played the "face-game." And Kurt was officially awarded "worst-face-game-player-ever." This was his scared face. Apparently it's really exciting to be scared... and by exciting I mean creepy....?

But thanks to his lack of skill, we got some awesome, relaxed laughing shots!

Oh so cute!

Did you ever read those "color books" when you were younger? Like, the first page is blue and has a blue house and a blueberry and the sky. Just random blue things. And the the only word on the page is "Blue." I felt like I was writing one of those books or something like that. They had awesome red outfits and every time I saw "red" I made them stop and pose for me hahah "Red door, red flower, red truck. Red!"









We skipped across the street :D

And we haaaad to get a ring shot! Kurt did a great job - Naomi absolutely loves it!

And here is the slideshow! Enjoy!

I am so happy for you two! And CAnnOT WAit for your wedding! :D :D :D !!!

Treasure

As you may or may not know, my "theme verse" for photography is Luke 2:19 which says

"Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

I have been reading through an excellent book and I came across a paragraph in it that was about Luke 2:19. It says

"The word 'treasured' translated in Greek means 'to keep carefully; to preserve, keep safe, keep close.' In the midst of having many responsibilities... Mary took time to contemplate what was happening in her life and to meditate on what God had done.

The hurried, hectic, harried pace of our culture can be addictive and intoxicating. Many of us find ourselves giving into the temptation to to fill every waking moment with noise and activity. We get in the car and turn on the radio; we walk in the house and turn on the tv or computer or pick up the phone. E-mail, voice mail, cell phones, music and mass media threaten to fill every bit of available space and leave us emotionally and spiritually shallow.... We must take time to be quiet - to be still - to ponder and reflect on God and what He is doing in and around us."

A simple English definition of "treasure" is "to prize, to hold dear." And I love the words the Greek translates it to as well. Preserve. Keep close.

As I read the description of a hectic life, I realized that how much this described me! My life is so go-go-go-GO! And while I love it, and love everything I am doing, I have to make sure that I am not losing sight of the most important things. I need to make sure that I am consistently grateful for my life. I want to make sure I treasure the little things and don't let them fly by unnoticed.

I have to post some of the things from this past week that I have specifically treasured.

I am training for a triathlon and have been very focused and determined when it comes to training. When I go to the pool, its to swim my 400 meters and then jump onto a bike. I used to bring my siblings with me, and play with them, afterward, but that has fall by the way side.

One day this week, I was going to only run. I was on a schedule, I had somewhere to get to, and I was not in the mood for little children asking little questions. I was basically ignoring Shannon and Lauren who I hadn't seen all day.

"Where are you going Kristen?!?"
"Running."
"You are going running! Are you going running here? Or are you going to the pool too?"
"Just get of my room, ok. I need to get ready."

A minute later, God allowed me to look out my window for just a second. I am so glad He did.

Lauren was dressed in her adorable little running gear and was stretching in the front yard. I took a couple pictures, then went out. Both girls jumped up when they saw me and asked if they could run with me, and they promised to not get in my way. I felt like the worst sister ever. Hahah. I wanted to whisk them up and hug and kiss them and figure out some way to let them know how much I love them. Even when I am mean and busy, I really really really do love them.

So, we ran :D They went a marvelous 0.2 miles, but we ran and chatted and they told me about their day. And Lauren giggled adorably at something she was saying. And Shannon jumped when the neighbor's dogs barked - and she almost fell over she was so startled. Those few minutes of running with them was better then any distance I could have run alone. Thank you, God, for reminding me to treasure them.

A different day, I was driving home - I don't even know from where. I was just thinking about all the things I needed to do. The radio was on and some annoying voice was telling me about a mattress I needed to buy. But the noise in my head was so much louder than the radio. As I drove through my neighborhood, God gently wow-ed me again.
It wasn't anything spectcular, but, it was so, so spectacular. It was a quiet, beautful evening. I stopped my car. The radio instantly turned off. I just got out a looked at where I lived. It was silent. It was beautiful. I literally was stopped dead in my tracks - I am a blessed, blessed girl. I really am! Thank you God for reminding me to treasure all I have been blessed with!

And, lastly, the fair. Oh boy. The fair.
I was able to go with a group of friends on Monday night and I can't exxxxplain how wonderful it was. I was walking in and started to cry. I mean, it just hits you sometimes that your life is amazing! Not everyone gets to go outside on warm, silky, summer nights and laugh and play at the fair! Some are hiding from enemies, some have no water, some are miserabley sick, some have been abandoned. But for some reason I am not!

(pc: Lydia Jane)
My life is just amazing! Anything I think is hard, is NOT hard. Anything I can complain about is NOT worth complaining about. I have a family who loves me, friends who care for me, a job I love, a church I adore and a God who pours out His kindness on me.
Even the night of the fair, I was fighting such a terrible attitude, because my dad wanted me to come home and have dinner with my family! I was being asked to feast on delicious food, that I didn't pay for, with the people I love the most, and Iiiii wanted to go to the fair earlier.
It's ridiculous how easy it is to lose focus on what matters most!

(pc: Lydia Jane)
But, thank you God, for reminding me to treasure my life. Each and every little thing.

(Photo credit for the fair pictures goes to the AMAZING, and FANTASTIC Lydia Jane!!!!!)

So, please, find something today to treasure :D You'll be glad you did.

David and Hannah!

" Have you been waiting long?
Oh, when did you fall in love with me?"

Oh Hannah and David :D You two make me quite happy :D

You may remember these two love-birds from their engagement shoot - they have liked each other since they were about 13 & 15. A very long time. Especially for teenagers. But for almost 9 years they have liked each, fallen in love and wanted to get married! Now, in their 20's - they literally had their dreams come true!

So, lets start at the beginning with some details! (and you must be warned... this post is long)






I loved the look on the flower-girls face as she watched Hannah put her veil on :D Someday, little one, someday :D

This was also sweet: Both David and Hannah's moms were a little emotional when they saw her too :D

What was all the fuss about? Well, here she is - the absolutely gorgeous bride!


She is just too cute for her own good!

The little ring-bearer wasn't too thrilled with all the camera-stuff, or the girls trying to get him to smile :D But I love this pic!

Pretty girlies!


Meanwhile, the boys were getting ready!

And here is the dapper groom giving me his "Jason Bourne" face. I think he nailed it.

Such rock stars...




One of my faves ever...




I realized I had a ton of pictures of the guys, but I have to admit, I had an unusually good time! Normally I do not like doing these shots, but everyone was so good! And up for anything I asked! It was excellent!

Ceremony time!

Waiting for the love of life :D

Giving away his oldest daughter...

I loved the worship at their wedding - it was so well done, and I know brought God so much glory!

I loveee first kisses!

Wooohoo! They did it!



Oh boy, middle-school is just a good age :D




It was so, so, so very sunny, but we did the best we could!


Aw :) They are precious :)








I really like this one :)












The transportation of choice? A rocking red Hummer. I was thrilled to ride in it! Oh to be wasting gas and feeling cool! Hahah

Soooo, the reception. The bridal party had a contest for "best entrance" and they all did a great job, but I have to post Hannah and David. He was being Cupid and shot a little arrow at her :D It was pretty cute!

The whole bridal party got so into it!

The best man's speech was absolutely hysterical - so, so funny!

Hannah and David's first dance was quite romantic! I think they are pretty happy, don't you?







Hannah's first dance with her dad was very sweet, but SO sad! I cried! They danced to "I Loved Her First" (which surprisingly, and thankfully, has never been used at any of my other weddings!) but man, is it a tear-jerker!



A popular wedding tradition is the "Anniversary Dance" and I completely love it.
For those who don't know what that is, it's a dance for ALL the married couples in the room. Throughout the song the DJ will dismiss couples who have been married for less then 5 hours, less then a year, less then 5 years, etc until you have one couple remaining.
This sweet, sweet couple have been hopelessly devoted for 65 years! Everyone was on their feet cheering! David had just taken the garter off of Hannah, and they had this couple put it back on :)

One last sweet moment...

And they are off!

Congratulations you two!

A Tale

The world we live in is awesome.

I often realize this when I am in an airport (oddly enough.)

But, seriously. Airports are such an interesting place to be! The whole concept of flying and airplanes already boggles my mind. I know airlines mess up all the time, but that we are sending big, metal, vehicles filled with people into the air hundreds and hundreds of times a day - without explosions or crashes or wrong destinations, well, I think that's pretty cool.

Ok, besides marveling at flying, airports are awesome because of the random people you will come across. Think about it. You rarely find a more random mix of people. Everyone there is going somewhere for a reason. Some for business, some for travel, some for fun, some are headed home, some are fleeing home. But everyone has a story of where they are going! It's pretty cool!

While I was waiting for a flight the other day, I started snapping pictures of stuff going on at the airport. So, here is some of my trips a la cellphone pics :D

Alright, this was a bouquet of fresh flowers in the airport bathroom. Couple things crossed my mind, but mostly, why are they here? Is BWI just becoming a homier, better smelling airport? Or did maybe some man get them for his wife, but then found a better bouquet and bought those instead? Hmmm....

Once at my gate, I sat down to read (which is not normal) and after about a chapter or so, I was bored, so I started looking around. There was a newspaper next to me, so being the culturally aware girl that I am, I started flipping through it. And the weather section made me smile :D Ladies and gentleman, it is hot and sunny everywhere in the United States! Woohoo!

Well, then I looked up and saw a man swinging his arms around. I was thinking "Whaaat on earth...?" Watching a second longer, I realized he was practicing his golf swing. Showing off? Just making the best use of his time? I don't know. But it was a little weird.

And then he started doing squats. I didn't know what to think! Like, we are talking middle of gate, right in front of the place where you board... surrounded by people! Doing squats! It was brilliant.

As I was sitting there, thinking about how weird people are, I looked down at my suitcase and I noticed a keychain of President-head flashcards. I don't know how they got there or where they are from, but if you ever need a some info on Lyndon Baines Johnson while traveling with me, I can help you out! (Honestly, I didn't put this on my suitcase... I just looked down and there it was)

This is possibly the worst picture taken this year, but, I loved this little girl. She had a lisp, and pink glasses and was on a trip with her grandma. She was reading the very first Boxcar Children book and it brought back memories of my childhood - I LOVED the Boxcar children :)

Last, but not least, is my favorite airport picture :D When I got off the plane, my ride, Amanda, was waiting for me with a sign. A sign! Guh! It made my day!!! I felt like a delegate or a queen or someone who rides in a limo! I was so excited! hahah
ps. Amanda is an excellent bridesmaid and may or may not be my new bff.

Wedding pictures from Cleveland will be up tomorrow! Woot!

Dance Party :)

Because sometimes you can only edit so many pictures?



Happy Thursday and remember to dance like no one is watching!
(am I motivational or whaaaat??)