Chris and Carrie

Last weekend, on a gorgeous September day, Chris and Carrie said their "I do's" on the front porch of her parent's house. This beautiful day followed a week of typical Kentucky, mid-summer, upper 90's. The weather smiled on them that day.

And this front porch of her parent's house? More beauty. One of the bridesmaid's said -"Think, Gone With the Wind." That's a pretty accurate description, I'd say...

But mostly, as we discovered at their engagement session, Chris and Carrie make pictures beautiful.

Carrie and her gals got ready at Magnolia's salon and spa. Its literally an old house. Loved it!
Carrie was cool, calm and collected.
A few details.
Great shoes!
Their rings, all tied up with a bow.
Loved their flowers!!
This is Angela's (what a great assistant you are!) view of their first look.
I just like something about this one.
Always love a shoe shot!
A portrait. Aren't they good looking!?
And if that's not enough proof that they are beautiful people... the bride.
And the groom.
Modern day Scarlett and Rhett.
The next two are Angela's view.

My view.
This may go down as my favorite of the day. Can we have every wedding beside a field of wildflowers, please?
Many thanks to Chris and Carrie! And much happiness to you...

Nathan and Amanda, Shenanigans in Chicago #2

More of Nathan and Amanda...We spotted this great little phone booth, don't they look like they belong? Such naturals!
Pedestrians provided a hilarious commentary for this scene. Love this shot!
So pretty!
Once again, the feel of this one just gets me.
THANK YOU, Nathan and Amanda. The great photos ops were just a cherry on top of getting to know you two! Many blessings.

Nathan & Amanda, Shenanigans in Chicago, # 1

Such a fun weekend with Nathan and Amanda in Chicago last weekend! I met Nathan over the summer during my internship in Michigan. He is also a photographer and had recently met another photographer (Amanda) and they quickly realized that they had more than taking pretty pictures in common.

I realize that "shenanigan" can have several different meanings – we are going with "high-spirited behavior" here. :) You'll see why.

Being asked to photograph two photographers is a compliment that I appreciate, and it also comes with some pressure, I'll admit. But Nathan and Amanda were beyond gracious. They even let us use two of their cameras during the shoot. And they know how to make a good photograph, it doesn't matter which side of the camera they are on, clearly! :)

Without further ado, the shoot. It was pouring rain when they got there, and they were such troopers! They said, "Lets do it!" So armed with umbrellas, away we went.
Just love the natural chemistry between them... Doesn't Amanda have a beautiful smile?
When we said it was raining, we weren't kidding! Wind, thunder, the whole bit! Unfortunately, I don't think their umbrella made it through the shoot.
But, Nathan and Amanda made it through the shoot very nicely. They rolled with it in style!!
Their first date was in a coffee shop, so we had to find a Starbucks...
But, although we really wanted the coffee effect, we didn't want to buy drinks just for the few minutes that we needed the cups...
So, my dear, resourceful cousin Amanda (and photo assistant for the day) went dumpster diving. Yes, the above, picture perfect cups might just have someone else's lipstick on them.
Loved the light in this area...
I fell in love with Amanda's 1.2 lenses that she let me borrow. "Beautiful bokeh!" - Nathan
Love. love. love. This shot is just so natural and TRUE.
There are so many more where those came from... you'll be seeing them again shortly.

Welcome Mollie Erin.

This is my new little niece, welcomed into the world on September 1st. She is absolutely precious. Her cheeks are just right for kisses, her little fingers curl around yours, she snuggles in... There is just nothing like a tiny little baby. Especially when you have aunt privileges. Enjoy.

On being the intern.

As you may have read here, I had the opportunity to intern with Life Action for 6 weeks this summer.

I. loved. it.

There are so many reasons why, but here are some highlights.

1. The media department took their creative license seriously. This sign may have appeared outside the department one Friday afternoon after we all left early. An average day may have included games, pranks, and "Hot Dogs Plus" for lunch, just because they could. I had once imagined that there were creative teams out there like this...
Did you do any work at all? you ask. This environment (and a steady supply of Starbucks coffee) is very conducive to work. This website is one of the projects I helped with.

2. The Gospel is central. One of the first things I noticed during my tour of the building is that on the name plates, where the prestigious title belonged, were only Bible verse references. Prayer, chapel and conversations about the work God was doing in your heart happened regularly.

3. The people. Though I learned much in regards to graphic design, the real learning happened from being with people who were just living their life in service to God. My main purpose for going was to see how graphic design and serving God mixed, practically speaking. I saw it first hand. Those are the lessons that Hennepin Tech can't teach me. Those are the lessons that money can't buy. And for those lessons, I am eternally grateful.

About 4 weeks into the internship, I was surprised and delighted when they offered a position on the team. The weeks (months?) following the invitation were an assortment of tears, hopes, desperate prayers for direction, and the struggle to surrender. Long story short, the answer came. And the answer was no.

I don't understand why, but I do trust my Saviour. I am so thankful for a God who speaks, for a God who doesn't give second-best... I have no answers for my future beyond graduation, but God, who has directed me so clearly thus far will continue to do so.

As a photographer, I took precious few pictures around the media department that I spent most of my time at, but here are some pix of the camp that I bunked at. Looking for a GREAT family camp? Check it out.

They have a blob!
Met with God many times by that lake. It just seems right for that, doesn't it?Another major highlight was being with the college (and younger) age girls and guys who travel with Life Action, staff the camp, and just love the Lord.
I could go on and on, but suffice to say that the summer of 2010 will go down as one of the best yet. Such a gift from God.

Forrest and Emily

Okay, what to say about this wedding? I feel so privileged to be able to attend these kind of events... I'll just let the pictures do the talking. But if I had to sum it all up, I'll say what I said to my family when they asked- "The whole wedding was Christ-honoring". And thats something!

Before the craziness of the day started, they had a girl brunch. No wedding talk, just enjoying each other! There was lots of laughter, some tears, great looking food and a special devotional given by a good friend of Emily's.

I can't think of a better way to start the day!


Doesn't she look beautiful!
The ladies. Trust me, their faces looked even better than this, but I just love this shot!
Forrest, looking pretty good himself...
Love this!
Then we come to the ceremony. The first few minutes of the ceremony were worship time. A time to thank God for His faithfulness. I had "Jesus Paid it All" in my head for days afterward.
First things are still first. Even on the wedding day. Wooee! It did my heart good just to be there and soak it up.


Forrest requested that everyone remain seated as his bride came down the aisle so he could actually see her walk down the aisle... how sweet! Here she comes.
HERE SHE COMES!!!
Pronounced Mr. and Mrs.
They seem happy about that!
The whole gang.
Married!
Love the feel of this one.
And this one.
You may remember from their engagement pictures. They rock this look. :)
my. favorite. and it becomes even more so every time I look at it.
First dance.
Love the happiness in this one.
Honeymoon bound.
May He continue to bless you two as you run after Him. Thank you.