Another year wraps up

Today I spent some time sorting through personal photos of taken of 2008. Of course none of them are printed yet. Perhaps a New Year's resolution? I wanted to share a few from the holiday festivities I've been enjoying. This is the first year that Tim and I have been married and I have not been shooting a wedding on New Year's Eve. Have a wonderful and safe evening everyone!

Jingle Bells!

Or jingle ball for my cat Nacho. Due to her curiously with paper and boxes I held off wrapping until yesterday evening. I had nice piles laid out to wrap but kept Nacho's two little toys in the plastic bag so she wouldn't find them. A few presents later, I find Nacho in the plastic bag behind me playing with her new jingle ball even though it is still attached to the packaging! It seems as though she couldn't wait until Christmas. I, however, am a stickler for opening presents on Christmas day, no giving in early. She played non-stop with it for at least an hour before wearing herself out. I hope the rest of my gifts go over that well!

Other than sharing that random story, I wanted to also let you know I will be down in Southern Indiana/Kentucky visiting family today through Sunday and therefore will be out of the office as well. I have one last album to deliver today, which means all my 08 clients will have their albums to show off at Christmas! I hope you all have safe travels and sweet memories with your families this holiday season.

Our God-baby!

I was helping my friend Natalie photograph some of her ceramic test pieces from Herron Art School last weekend. Turns out those pieces can take up quite a bit of space, especially when you are making room for a new baby. Well, sweet Ava was over at Grandma and Grandpa's while we tackled this project. However, since my lights were up anyway, I felt compelled to take a few quick shots of little Ava. She is growing into quite the toddler. Just a matter of weeks now until she becomes a big sister!

All Caught Up

It is good to say that I'm all caught up with editing, all of my clients have their proofs in hand and only two couples are waiting for their albums to be shipped out. For the previous two years I have done 3 weddings in December. While holiday weddings have a certain magic about them I am really excited to have the opportunity to soak in Christmas this year. Many ask what do I do in the "off season". There's glamorous ideas of sipping hot cocoa, eating chocolates and watching chick flicks all day. However, this time is when all of the to-do items that weren't urgent earlier get done, such as giving the website some love and refreshing, tying up loose ends with accounting, evaluating next year's business plan, soaking up new knowledge, playing with my camera and much more. While there won't be any weddings for a bit I will do my best to keep the blog enjoyable! Stay tuned.

Ann Arbor Wedding: Kat +Tim

After celebrating "Thanksmas" with the King family near South Bend, Tim and I headed up to Ann Arbor to attend (as a guest) a wedding of Tim's friend Tim. The Tim's spend time together during a summer in Egypt living in a garbage village, Mokattam. This was a time that taught them to see social justice through different eyes, themselves and God. When Tim was in Egypt, we had just recently gotten engaged and after the trip is when the other Tim began really pursuing a relationship with Kat. The ceremony was very sweet with the most genuine, loving and thoughtful vows I've heard. Here's a quote from their program:

"What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen each other in all labor, to minister to each other in all sorrow, to share with each other in all gladness, to be one with each other in the silent unspoken memories?" - George Eliot

Below are a few pictures we (mostly Tim) took at the reception.





























This last picture might seem a little random, but it was such a neat part of the day. As our guest favor, Kat and Tim are going to donate money to various charities that they are passionate about instead of giving something physical at the wedding. We were each given tokens to vote for our favorite of three causes. It was such a great idea.

The Knot - My Real Wedding

Jamie, one of my September brides, recently posted info about her big day on The Knot's My Real Wedding. The whole thing looks just great, and I'm glad they did it. If any of my other brides is interested in posting on The Knot as well, let me know and I'll hook you up!

My Real Wedding from The Knot.

Amanda + Adam

These two are adorable! Giggly in love. Although Amanda seriously does not enjoy getting her photo taken, we managed to still get some super cute engagement pictures. This was my last scheduled outside shoot for the year and the weather couldn't have been better. Such a beautiful pleasant day... Remember those?

Carrie + Michael= One Happy Couple

My dear friend Carrie is engaged and planning for a June wedding all while interviewing for residency programs. (as is her fiance) Busy couple. Before the weather got too chilly we managed to schedule in their engagement pictures and dinner. Here's just a few of my favorites. Needless to say, I'm way pumped about their wedding day.

Back home

Sorry for the lack of blog love lately, but I just got back from an awesome vacation with my hubby! It was our first vacation together since our honeymoon. It was so fantastic to take a break from work and everyday life. You also can't beat 85 degree weather with sunshine everyday. (my favorite!) Tim and I really enjoyed having that special time together. Invest in your marriage, spend one on one time away from everyday life! I find myself trying hard to get back into work mode and wondering if last week really happened or if it was just a dream. For those curious we stayed just north of Cancun, Mexico in an Excellence resort. Enjoy the images!

Olivia+Dave - The Slideshow

Loved this couple! I couldn't help but put up a slide show. My favorite part of the day was by far all the fun we had taking pictures with the wedding party at Holcomb Gardens on Butler's campus. The light was awesome and the wedding party was a load of fun!

The big day started at Olivia's house with lots of people getting ready. The house was literally 1/4 mile from the church...convenient. At the church the final preparations were made and the ceremony went smoothly. I loved that both sets of parents came up front for a blessing at the end of the marriage ceremony.

After a few family pictures at the church, we headed to Butler. It was homecoming weekend, so I really had no idea what we'd run into. Fortunately, we pretty much had the gardens to ourselves. Although a bit on the chilly side, the wedding party were complete troopers.

The reception was in my neighborhood at the Riverwalk in Broad Ripple. Jason Fritz from Pro-Sound Entertainment kept the evening smoothly running. Olivia had candy apples as favors, custom wine bottles as centerpieces and a cake made of petite fours. The fall theme was totally pulled together with all of the vibrant colors of the flowers by Posh Petals. Plenty of laughs were had during toasts and even a few tears during the dances. The party continued on as family and friends celebrated this monumental day for Olivia and Dave. They enjoyed a Hawaiian honeymoon before heading back to their home in Fishers. Congrats you two!

VOTE

Get out there and vote. Do it! Celebrate democracy!
It was awesome to see the polls so full this morning.
Rock on citizens!

Olivia+Dave - Preview

While I'm finishing up with Olivia and Dave's wedding, I'll share just a few. Enjoy! More to come...