Amber and Chuck

I think I should consider French Lick to be a destination wedding! Mindy and I had so much fun taking a road trip to be with Amber and Chuck. It was an absolutely beautiful day. It sprinkled about 10 minutes before the outdoor ceremony began and then went away. I think it was Amber's positive attitude that helped the clouds go by so fast! She just kept saying, "It's not going to rain, so don't worry about it." Everyone at French Lick was so hospitable. What a great place to get married. The little balcony overlooked the gorgeous gardens. Amber and her family have been coming to French Lick to ski for as long as she can remember. She knew all the history and where everything was. Mindy and I even sat with Amber's parents (and their awesome friends!) during the reception. Thanks for taking such good care of us and allowing us to have SO much fun! Here is a slideshow of some of my favorites!

Living in Indy

I'm editing some pictures as I listen to the race online. I love living in Indianapolis. When I go outside, I can hear the the cars from the track! So cool. Josh is there right now with his buddies. If you've never been, it's definitely worth it. I must say, I'm an Andretti fan...go Marco!

Coming soon

Well, it's now after midnight and I'm pooped. I did about 8 or 9 loads of laundry today...I lost track after 5. I'm working on quite a few fabulous projects at the moment. I'll be blogging about them soon. Just wanted to give you a sneak peek!


I can't wait to blog about Amber and Chuck's wedding. So awesome.




We've had such a great time with all of our family and friends in town this week!




I am shooting Brian and Erin's wedding this year! I was able to take family pictures for Mom and Dad's anniversary! Congratulations!




Sweet Cora with Daddy. A quick photo shoot with this little one will definitely make you smile!




The littlest McGuckin has the most amazing blue eyes!




A bridal portrait session with Lisa...soooo fun!

Meeting Elizabeth

What an exciting weekend! On Sunday our family finally got to meet Elizabeth Grace for the first time! We met them at the zoo downtown for a few hours, took a break for naps, and then met for dinner at my Mom's house. Elizabeth is literally half the size of Eli (see last picture below). Although she's smaller...she's much faster! What a blessing to see her doing so well. Big sister Ava was such a treat too. Kylie and Xavier loved playing with her. I've been wanting to do a photo shoot for the whole family for over a year now. Below are just a few of my favorites.

Behold a miracle:


























Here are a few that I took at the zoo. It was such a beautiful day!
















You don't even want to know how many of these I took. This is the best one of the bunch if that tells you anything! Great Grandma Lucy with her 5 great grandchildren!

Roncalli Rebels

Here a just a few of my favorites from Rene and Luke's weddings. Enjoy!

Rene and Luke

Ahhh...they met in high school. He was a bit older. She noticed him. She told her dad about him after a school retreat. The rest is history. I'm sure there were a few minor details that I left out, but the kind of respect and honor Rene and Luke give one another is very evident and very admired. There was a slight drizzle last Friday afternoon, but Rene still let me take her outside in her gorgeous dress to a few "covered" places. I'm pretty sure she smiled all day...and he just looked at her all day. We hope you had an amazing, well deserved time down south in the sun.

Mother's Day

I have a new and amazing friend, Lisa. Isn't it fun making new friends! She even has her own business! She is an extraordinary writer. I either laugh and/or cry every time she writes something. She sent the following letter to me today in lieu of Mother's Day. Pass it on to those you love!


Hi Sweet Friends~

It's Sunday afternoon.
Mother's Day.
3:58 p.m.
I awakened to a kitchen full of bows of soggy cereal and a sign taped to the cabinets...'Happy Mother's Day!'. With a colored paper plate for decoration.
Better than any bouquet I've ever received.
I have four gorgeous healthy kids "playing" downstairs (read: "occasionally fighting, fussing and a loud bang followed by wailing...then some laughter.)
There are half eaten sliced apples on the counter, pieces of cheese on a chair and Claire just told me she was hungry. I suggested looking on the furniture.

A little over a decade ago, I wondered if I would ever be a mother.
Now I, like all of you, can't remember what it was like to be without small people...in the backseat, the backyard, the bathroom.
I am blessed.
They drive me nuts.
Make me weary.
Test my patience.
And remind me everyday that I, like you, am the luckiest mom alive.

20 minutes ago, they were dancing in my bedroom...until the eldest accidentally "danced" over his younger brother. It was an accident. Honest. (yeah)
But they dance.
Even when the last couple years have been difficult to dance through.
They laugh.
Even on days that I am at wits end and get 'loud'.
They still want hugs, kisses and backrubs at night.
Even when they only muster up a high-5 when they see me at school.

God, in his infinite wisdom and mercy gave me these children.
And gave you yours.
The children who pull our bodies, our minds, our sanity, our hearts.
He knew I needed to let go of myself, so He planted someone inside.

On this rainy, cool mother's day, I know some of you will not get a lavish display of Happy Mother's Day.
You won't get a manicure.
Get to see a movie.
Go out to eat.
You'll make them lunch they won't appreciate,
slice apples that sit on the counter,
and wonder why the ironing board is sitting in the middle of the family room floor. (seriously...what ARE they doing?)

Or, you'll remember the days when you had ironing boards in the middle of the floor.

But,
whatever your season...
in the midst of it all,
or welcoming the next generation of characters...

Thank you for being a wonderful mother...even when you feel you aren't. It gives me hope.
Thank you for walking this path of insane joy.

and,
may you have a blessed Mother's Day.

with love,

Lisa

Kylie-isms

Okay, so I'm pretty sure that's not a word, but she's just so great.

1. She says "Scun Screen" for sun screen and it always makes me laugh

2. I took the kids around town with me last Friday to get a few things done. They did such a great job. My favorite part of the day was when I went to the post office during lunch on a Friday (was I born in a barn?) Kylie stated, loud enough for the WHOLE line to hear, "What is taking so long?" Luckily, everyone agreed that they should possibly consider having MORE than 2 workers helping.

3. When we got home later that afternoon I told Kylie thanks for running errands with me. She tilted her head to the left, put her hands on her hips and said, "We didn't run to Aaron's today!"


Picture by amazing Amanda Elpers!

Quote of the Week

Stuart Mackenzie: Alright, give your mother a kiss, or I'll kick your teeth in.
~From So I Married an Axe Murderer~

HAIR: cut, chop, slice, butcher, sever, slash

Let me just preface this post by admitting, yes, I'm a dork. Yes, I thought this through. And yes, self-portraits are hard to take (see below!). I've been wanting to get my hair cut and colored for a while now. My stylist, Melissa, has been along my side for over 8 years now! I love her. She always takes such great care with me. And I totally admire her as she just started her own business! Just check out my site for more of her information. I was supposed to go in last week, but the Mini threw everything off and I knew I just needed that ponytail to survive!

It's weird to think that some of you only know me with short hair (post college, pre-babies), and some of you only know me with longer hair (pre-"adult" life, post babies). And then there are those fortunate few that have been with me through the good times and the bad (remember the perms, the bouffants...and the ever classic 80's chili bowl!?)

Well, today was the day to start fresh! I decided to do some before/after pictures. My favorite "before" pictures are when the woman is slouched over with no makeup on and looks like she's about to kill someone. Her "after" pictures are when she's sitting up straight with a big smile on her face and has had her make up done by Glamour shots! I tried to do it that way, but I freaked myself out after looking at the yucky picture! Here are a few of my shots today. Apparently I should have wiped the goo off the mirror before taking the pictures...

Jeff and Bobbi Take 2

I'm on a roll. Now that I have my slideshow program working again I'm going crazy! Here is a slide show for Bobbi and Jeff. You'll definitely be able to tell how much fun and relaxation we had a couple of weeks ago! You guys rock!

Layna's slide show!

I had Layla's slideshow done right after the pictures but I couldn't get my program to work! I finally got things going and I just had to show everyone how amazing this party was! Deneen (Mommy) is beyond talented. The details of the day were found around the entire house. The menu alone blew me away (she printed it out and everything was themed!) The cake was completely made from scratch (the eyeballs were donut holes!) I was SO impressed. I told her she needs to start her own business (maybe when the kiddies are older?) Please enjoy the happiness of the day!

I DID IT!!!

Well, it's official. I've run 13.1 miles without the whole keeling over thing. You know how most people you meet, run the mini and love it so much they say they're going to run it forever...well, I am NOT one of those people. I made my goal of not stopping, and getting under 2:30, and now I'm all done. It certainly was a great experience and I'm really proud of myself. Some family did get some pictures of me, so after I get those downloaded, I'll share. Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and love throughout this whole process...WAHOOO!!!

Bobbi and Jeffy

I don't really know why I call him Jeffy...we went to high school together and played soccer together. The last time I saw him he was 16...now he's getting married (that sounds like a country song or something). I guess he'll always be Jeffy to me. Bobbi was the most laid back bride I've ever seen. She was fabulous! She was so beautiful and natural. Mindy and I had such a blast taking pictures of them. Here are a few of my favorites from the day. I promise a slide show soon! WC in the house!