Jenny and Kyle

The rain finally stopped during the ceremony for Jenny and Kyle. We had such a great experience with everyone who was a part of their day. Lisa Gorman of Memory Makers Event Planning ran everything so smoothly. She has an entire staff and wears many different hats! Jenny's hair was done by Glam Etc. and just looked beautiful. I especially loved their makeup. Beth of Champagne & Lipstick did such a flawless job. Jenny actually made all of the flower arrangements for the day. She's not even professional! She just figured it out and did it. Amazing! The groomsmen and grooms kept us laughing as we heard stories about Captain Morgan (see picture below guys) and other fun adventures. Jenny's sister gave a teary-eyed speech that was so beautiful. Here are some of my favorites from the day...with your song attached. It's one of my all time favorites too :o)

Outdoor Adventurers and No Rain: Kari and Chris' Wedding

What a great date to get married...6.7.08! It was such a treat to be around Kari and Chris all day Saturday. With all of the flooding happening in Indiana right now (Kari's Aunt couldn't even get to the ceremony) the skies cleared up just in time for Kari and Chris. The day's events were all held at the Mavris Cultural Center right downtown. My second shooter, Brian McGuckin, rocked the night with some amazing pictures. I couldn't have done it without him. All of the details of the day just showed how sweet and adventurous Chris and Kari are. Plus the toasts got me a bit teary-eyed (not the poopy pants one :)Dave and Rae, one of Indy's favorites, were rocking it out at the reception. Kari and Chris, I hope you are having fun in the sun. Thank you for sharing your special day with us...we were honored.

2 close families + lots of amazing friends = one fun wedding!

Mark and Erynne were such a treat to be with on their special day. We started out down south with the girls at the house where Erynne grew up. It was amazing. It seemed like every nook and cranny had a memory in it. Each bridesmaid had their own robe with their name on it. We arrived just as they were getting flowers put in their hair. Every detail was thought of. I just loved how everything was put together. Big thanks to the "M's" from Fashion and Custom Creations Inc. for taking care of everything so we could just take pictures! Yay! I rode the trolley with the girls to the church...yes, I said trolley (see pictures below). Once we got to the church we met up with Mark and his crew. He has the most amazingly sweet family...and they all have great eyes! Erynne fits right in with her gorgeous blue ones. After the ceremony, the whole bridal party rode the trolley downtown. It had been raining the days before the wedding (imagine that), but we had nothing but beautiful skies downtown. The reception was at the Scottish Rite...but they did things a bit differently than I had seen them before (I just love surprises). There were food stations all around and the band, Zanna Doo, was rockin' it all night long. Mindy and I were totally dancing while we were taking crazy dance pictures. Erynne and Mark, we hope you had an amazing and relaxing time in Greece. I can't wait to hear about your adventures!

I've been tagged!

My friend Kelly (of Kelly Powers Photography) tagged me...this is my first time doing this, so I hope I do it right.

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules in your blog.
3. Tell about 6 fun quirks about yourself.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.


* I don't really like potatoes, but I love french fries. I can occasionally eat tater tots...but I usually just bite the ends off of them. (I only started eating eggs when I was prego).

* I'm pretty sure that if Jennifer Garner lived next door we'd be best friends. I think we're kindred spirits.

* I was born the night that IU won the NCAA title. My Dad watched it with me in the hospital (3.29.76)

* I've lived in Scotland and Australia. I worked as a secretary in Scotland and went to school and played soccer in Australia. I've traveled all around Europe loved every minute of it. PS these are good things to do BEFORE children :o)

* I always set my alarm clock to a number ending in 1 or 6...yes, I'm a weirdo.

* While asking my husband to help me out with number 6, he says: I have abnormally small feet and often wonders why I don't fall over, and when I say "We" need to fix something...I really mean "He". These are both true.

tag, you're it...
Amanda
Jen
Joni
Brandy
Morgan
Brian

Not "IF" but "WHEN"

My husband always said this phrase to me about my computer crashing. I always felt sorry for "those people" when I hear that they've lost everything. Well...my "when" finally happened last night. Luckily, per my hubby's suggestion, I always back everything up on an external hard drive (and discs which I know is old school, but it just makes me feel better for some reason). So now, I have to "recover" my computer from scratch and then make sure everything gets put back just the right way. So here is my lesson of the day. Even if you're not a professional photographer and a gazillion high res pictures on your computer, chances are you have some pretty important pictures of some sort just sitting on your computer. If your computer crashes today, would you have those backed up somewhere, or would that be it? It's like the old thought that if your house was burning down and everyone was safe, you'd make sure to grab your family pictures on the way out! It's the same thing with pictures in the digital age. You have to back up important documents/pictures on DVDs or external hard drives etc. These safety nets are so inexpensive these days, it's silly not to do so. So, my challenge for you this week is to copy your favorites documents, pictures etc. from your computer and put them in a safe place...or even a different location! Because WHEN your computer crashes, you DON'T want to cry your eyes out! Signing off from my friend's computer...Kiera

Xavier being 2

We were in the Emergency Room this Sunday with our Xavier...not quite how I wanted to spend a Sunday afternoon. He was playing out in the garage and figured out how to turn on the grinding wheel (could you even ask for a more horrible name?!). He put his little thumb in there. Josh came into the house and said we needed to go to the ER. He had been out mowing earlier, so I just calmly asked if everything was still attached. He said yes, so I got into this teacher mode and grabbed everything we needed (except a diaper of course). This all happened during nap time, but Xav was so brave. The whole top of his thumb looked like an episode from _____(fill in your favorite hospital show here). Although he has a slight fracture on his knuckle, none of the tendons on the sides of his thumb were damaged, which help to bend the thumb. Josh didn't let him go the whole time in the hospital. The hand surgeon performed surgery in the ER, it was a huge blessing that he didn't have to go into an operating room. He fell asleep during the surgery :)

We're amazed how quick a 2 year adapts without the basic use of one hand. He's back to pushing more buttons (not on heavy machinery this time), jumping on the couch, and saying, "I want," instead of, "May I"...2 year old stuff. I'll take that any day.

Squeeze somebody you love a little harder and a little longer today.

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~