Did your kids enjoy the snow this week? Mine sure did. It doesn’t take a lot of snow to make these kids happy. I missed the last snow (long, sad story of me and a friend spending 7 hours at the airpot, only to come home again) so I was glad I got to capture a few images of the kids enjoying the snow this time. They came in soaking wet from head to toe and frozen, but they had a blast!
Had to post a few images of this little beauty I photographed a few weeks ago. Isn’t she just stunning? Look at those beautiful blue eyes!
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p.s. - Photo credit for this one goes to my son, Colby
I have felt very conflicted about what is happening in
It is heartwarming to see how many people unite towards a common good when something like this happens. Wouldn’t it be something if we all used our "powers" for good instead of evil? If they did, the conditions pre-earthquake would have been different. I have been inspired by stories of people who have gone to help, by those that have given their time and talent to help the people in Haiti and I knew I wanted to help, I just had not sorted it all out in my head exactly how that would be. I even went to the Red Cross website to see if they were still sending people there (they are not in case you were wondering). Then this past Sunday, I received the message I needed to kick it in to high gear and formulate a plan to help. My church just happens to be doing a series right now on compassion and the message I heard Sunday, begged the question, "What are you spending your time and resources on? Are you working towards goals that are of and for yourself or are you leaving eternal footprints in this world?" We sang this song by Brandon Heath, one of my favorites…you may have heard it on the radio:
GIVE ME YOUR EYES:
Look down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touch down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what’s underneath
There’s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work, He’s buying time
I’ve been here a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
I need a second glance
Give me a second chance
To see the way you’ve seen the people all along
I happened to see a friend on Facebook join the group Compassion on Facebook. I went to check it out and from there my plan took shape. This organization has been working in
SO, HERE"S THE DEAL:
I will be donating ALL SESSION FEES during the month of March to the organization Compassion. I will also be offering a special "Compassion Session" for $50 and all of these sessions fees will be donated to Compassion as well. The compassion session will be 30 minutes long with 10 finished proofs and you will receive an 8×10. Additional prints may be purchased, but are not required
So, I know my blog entries have been few and far between lately. Don’t worry, I’m still here and hope to become a regular on here again. As some you already know, my husband’s job has for the past several months required him to travel about 50% of the time and will for the foreseeable future. Whoah! Needless to say, this has rocked our world a bit. I definitely have a new found respect for single moms….how do they do it? This started during my busiest time of year, so for a couple of months I felt like I was just in "survival" mode. It has definitely been a test of endurance (and patience) but I feel that I am finally regaining my footing with my new "normal" and am, with God’s grace, gaining stride each week.. It has made me realize and appreciate even more than I did how helpful and amazing my husband is. I think the turning point for me was several weeks back while I was working one morning at Starbucks. One of the many things I love about my job is that I can take my "office" with me, and I usually find myself at a Starbucks near my house. Besides the obvious reason for working there (to die for, yummy coffee drinks with lots of sugar and caffene!!!) I love the busy chatter of working in a public place. I usually have headphones with me and really do not try to listen in on other people’s conversations, but let’s face it, sometimes you just can’t help it. On this particular day, I sat next to a man who was confiding to a friend that he had lost his job and feared that soon he would not be able to provide for his family. GUILT immediately sunk in to a pit in my stomach. I really did not think of myself as one to complain about Adam’s travel schedule, but I’ll be honest with you, occasionally I had myself a nice little pity party. I sat there though that morning realizing that not only did I not have one single thing to complain about, but moreover I should be thanking God every day for Adam’s job. My job has been a huge blessing to our family and to my soul in many ways, and has provided us with some “nice to haves” but it is Adam’s job that provides our “must haves” and I realized then that while I am very thankful for that, I really had not been showing gratitude in the way I should have. Yes, I was put in my place on that morning in the coffee shop and God had put the exact person in my path that I needed. Sometimes you need a good kick in the pants and that was definitely mine. I said a prayer right then for that Man, that he would find a job. I do hope that since then he has found one.
So yes life is busy right now to say the least, but very, very blessed.
And because no blog post is the same with out a picture, here are a few recent favorites of my own:
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It’s that time of year again - Valentine’s mini-sessions! These sessions always so much F-U-N and if my session fee has held you back in the past, this is definitely your chance!! Mini-sessions are simply a shorter version of a session with me, with only one outfit selection and fewer finished images. They are fast and fun for the kids. They are a great way to get some gorgeous images of your children, prints AND custom designed valentine’s for a fraction of what these would normally cost. These sessions are not ideal for clients who are envisioning multiple outfit selections or who feel their child may need more time to warm up and feel comfortable with me. If this is the case, I would recommend a regular session and investing in one of my new print packages.
As usual, mini-sessions are booked on a first come, first served basis and because of the time crunch involved in getting finished products to clients before Valentine’s Day, mini-sessions are ONLY available on the two dates offered.
Here is what is included in the mini-session:
25 minute session (one outfit selection)
private, password protected, online viewing gallery with 10 finished images
10 5×7 or smaller images
1 8×10
25 custom Valentine’s cards
COST: $300 ($175 savings!)
Dates: Friday, January 15th and Tuesday, January 19th (am sessions only)
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Ok, I’m making up for lost time by posting twice in one day :-) Here are just a few images from the past couple of months. Too many to include, but here are a few:
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WOW, this is the longest I’ve ever gone with out blogging! I am still here, just finally catching my breath from a very busy fall. After we returned from Disney I was in full swing with fall and family sessions and getting cards and prints out to everyone before Christmas. As usual, I had a blast this fall photographing children and families during my favorite season. I will post a few favorites very soon. Here is our Christmas Card for this year. The front, I had envisioned since last Christmas and it took a couple of shoots to get it right, but I loved the way it turned out.
As we head in to this new year I am excited about so many things. I plan to give the website a revamp, complete with new music and will be posting info this week about my Valentine’s mini-sessions.
Happy New Year!
Connie
We just took the kids for their first visit to Disney. I’m on the way home now actually and had to share a few images from our trip. We had a wonderful time and made some great memories. Here are a few favorites from our visit:
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and yes, I do take snapshots too. Here is a funny one:
Colby is quite the budding photographer and took these of Adam and I. The second was with his point and shoot. I think he did a great job. I did help him out just a bit with the post processing, but did not crop these at all.
I will be returning all email and phone messages as soon as possible early next week once we get back and settled. If you had a session last week, I will have your proofs ready this week!
I just wanted to share with you the lyrics to my new favorite song. The actual song is more moving than just the lyrics, but I love the message. Though I think the Author is referring to a loved one in his/her life, I take comfort in the lyrics when I think about the real reason I am never alone. And, if you have both, well then you are all the more blessed…
"Never Alone" by Lady Antebellum:
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it’s time to go home
May you always have plenty
The glass never empty
Know in your belly
You’re never alone
May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win and stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You’re never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I’ll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn’t goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you’re never alone
Well, I have to be honest
As much as I wanted
I’m not gonna promise that cold winds won’t blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surrounds you
Wrap my love around you
You’re never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I’ll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn’t goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you’re never alone
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it’s time to go home
And when hard times have found you
And your fear surrounds you
Wrap my love around you
You’re never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I’ll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn’t goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you’re never alone
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you’re never alone
