He Makes Me Smile

You Know You're Tired When...

You rock your child to sleep and fall asleep before they do.
You decided to take a quick nap while you're little one is sleeping.  Ten minutes later you wake up to their cry, and have no idea what time or day it is and don't know where your baby is.  (Yes, that really happened, don't worry I found him! :)
When your head hits the pillow each night, you're out within seconds.

But... it's so worth it!

Yay!

For a while, the weather was cool and I was wondering if it was ever going to warm up!  Well, warm up it did!  We had a storm blow through last night and Hannah came over to wait it out before returning home after work.  I'm glad she stopped by because Nathan gets bigger by the day it seems like!  
While she was playing with Nathan, she told him that he's going to have a new cousin!  YAY!!!  I've been waiting for this day!  I am SOOO excited for her and my brother!  I know they will be wonderful parents!  
Here is one of their engagement pictures I took of them in the summer of 2007...


Congratulations Ben and Hannah!  I love you!

Paige and Jesse: Married

Here are some photos from a wedding that I helped second shoot at in late May.  Paige and Jesse got married at Hidden Acres Christian Camp in Dayton and it was a beautiful day!




 

 

 

 


 

Good Reads: Part 2

I am very aware that when you give birth to a child, they do not come with an instruction book, titled "All About Me!"  
A couple of weeks ago, Jerod and I went to Barnes and Noble in search of a baby book for some advice.  Instead of getting the book I came for, I left with "The Duggars: 20 and Counting!"  When I showed it to Jerod he said, get it... she's done it 18 times and she's a Christian.  
I finished the book this past Monday night and will say that it was full of great advice.  No, we don't plan on having 18 kids, but I have always been interested in how they do it!  Really, my one child is a nap in a hammock under a shade tree compared to their crew!  
One piece of advice that I thought was really great (and unusual for this day) is that they don't borrow money for anything.  If they want something, they save up the money for it, ensuring that they don't go into debt.  (This principle reminded me of book The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, but that's a whole nother post!)  The Duggar family sticks to this principle from the verse in the Bible "Owe no man anything, but to love one another."  -Romans 13:8  Great advice if you ask me! 
I was really impressed how the kids are all so helpful to each other and to their parents.  They do everything together, from cleaning the house, schoolwork, fixing meals to even building their 7,000 square foot house (which is paid for!)  
This was a really great book to read since I didn't have to "think" so much! :)  Scattered throughout the book are family recipes, interesting facts and answers to emails they have received.  It was great to learn about a family that loves the Lord and each other!

Also, on Monday morning on the Today show, they announced that the oldest son and his wife are having a baby girl!  I thought this was a creative idea.... cutting a cake and the inside frosting color tells you what you're going to have!  
Later that night, I checked out Gabriel and Carlie's photography blog.  They are a husband and wife team out of southern California.  Check out their exciting video.... IT'S. THE. BEST! :)

Hole Shots

On our way to church this morning we drove past the motor cross track that is only a couple miles from our house and saw that it was race day. 
Jerod and his friend Scott used to race a few years back.  So they're always up for catching a flight or riding their motorcycles across country to see a good race.   2 years ago I went with them and watched the race at Millville, Minnesota and I've been hooked ever since.  I can sit and watch Dust To Glory over and over.  So after church, of course we went to the race!
Nathan really wanted to take a nap after church, but we took him to the race instead!  :)  As we walked over, another group of riders were getting ready to go.  Ok, if you've never been to a motor cross race, the hole shots are the BEST!  I can't even describe the sound and smell, you just have to be there in person!!  (Click here to get an idea) Nathan did cry on the first one, but after that he watched with the rest of us.  

And if you're wondering if Nathan ever got his nap in, yes he did. :)

Like A First Day On The Job

One thing I have always enjoyed about a new job is the learning process, simply because... well it's new!  I have always been one to catch on pretty quickly by watching and learning from others or following the pace of what was done before me.  
Now with a new photography business, things are a bit different.  I don't have someone to follow or follow me like with my first waitress job.  And since this is a new business, I'm starting from square one.  There are no files one the computer showing me the best method of organizing photos and invoices and I don't yet have a speedy way of post processing.  I'll be honest, I'm not THAT fond of sitting in front of a computer for hours!  Which can definitely drag on the learning process. 
But, I am bound and determined to get it!
So, if you're a photographer and have a great tip on what helped you learn the in and out's, I would really like to hear it! :)

The Raddest Photo Trip Ever

Ok, so one of my favorite things to do is travel.  Outside of the U.S. I've only been to Mexico, Canada and Brasil.  I had the chance to go to Thailand in 2002 with a couple people I worked with, my friend Beth and our manager who is Thai.  Beth and I were to go and help watch their kids.  Long story short, we couldn't get off work at the same time so neither of us ended up going.  
I came across Bobby Earle's  blog a while ago and have since been reconnected with it when he left a comment here on my blog the other day.  And then I saw this...
The Raddest Photo Trip Ever!  
If you have a couple minutes, sit back and watch the video he and his beautiful wife Lindsay created from one of their trips!  After showing this to Jerod and asking him if he wanted to go, his answer was YES!  
Be sure to check out his blog too as he has posted pictures from a recent trip to Africa!  Mo, I think you're going to like this! :)

Meet Bill

As some of you know, Bob is no longer at the farm.  But... meet Bill.  He is the cutest little kitten and has pretty blue eyes!  Hannah got him from one of the guys she works with.  She always wanted an orange male cat!
Hey Jerod, maybe you could get me one as a late birthday gift?!  Just an idea!  ;)

29 years and 4 months

It really is June isn't it?!  With the year almost half gone, I'm reminded of how important it is to live each day to the fullest!
On Thursday, Nathan turned 4 months old!  Jerod and I took him in for his 4 mo. appointment.  He did a great job and the shots didn't even phase him.  He was more interested in eating, which he does a lot of!  :)
I didn't bring my camera with me, although I wish I did.  There was one point when the nurse was measuring his head.  Nathan was sitting on the table (with the help of dad), in just his diaper, belly hanging out, tape measure wrapped around his head, and eyes open WIDE!  It was really cute!  
Yesterday marked my 29th birthday!  My Uncle Bill from Texas has the same birthday as me, and I feel blessed to be able to share such a special day with someone that I love and respect very much!  (I won't say how old he is! :)
I also made sure to thank the Lord for all that He has done and where He has placed me.  And thank you mom, and dad, for raising me and loving me, and Ben, for putting up with a sister like me! :)  I love you!  And to top it off, I enjoyed a piece of french silk pie with a pink candle, baked especially for me by Marie Callender!  
 
I know my mom is looking for the pictures of Nathan... so here's one for you!  On his 4 mo. birthday sitting in his dad's truck!  

Learning From The Pros

Yesterday I was blessed with the opportunity to shoot a wedding with Jodi and Rodney of Gehman Photography who are a husband and wife team based out of Kalona Iowa.  They were the photographers for my brothers wedding in September '07 and they ROCK!  
It was such an exciting experience to watch them in action.  Jodi has some amazing vision when it comes to posing people and Rodney gets shots from angles that I wouldn't even think of!  And they are super fast at switching out lenses.  I was impressed! :)  They are so inspiring and I am very thankful that I got the chance to learn from them!  
I will post a few pictures from the wedding soon but for now go check out their website and blog.  I highly recommend them to anyone!