Category Archives: JUST BECAUSE
REAL LIFE…:)
Bits and pieces of my weekend. And what I am thankful for on this Monday morning:)
A
You know….perspective. I have been thinking a lot about perspective. It really makes all the difference. Yeah, yeah…I know. We have heard that two million times. But really it does! Perspective is a choice. And that is exactly why I am remembering a few things I have to be thankful for on this August Monday morning. :) What are you thankful for today?
MEET MY BROTHER AND FAMILY
Mike and Claudia. I love these guys. Claudia is a kindred spirit. And Mike. Super brother, he is. You know how spending time with certain people leave you energized and affirmed? Well, Mike and Claudia are that. Time spent with them is so refreshing. They are beautiful people doing beautiful things. BIG things and I am so proud and amazed at ALL they are doing. I kinda think they are starting a movement and this is only the tip of the iceberg of where they are going. Take a minute to visit their blog, rise365.com. I am pretty sure you will stay longer than you anticipated and you will walk away so glad you did and with a lot to think about. Mike and Claudia. You rock. Here is to an epic life that blows your wildest dreams out of the water. Indeed.
A
A
So stinking cute with blueberry eyes…little Jude is such a great kid.
So pretty, Claudia. Seriously.
MY LITTLE SIS’S BRIDAL SHOWER:)
My little sister is getting married! We have been going to dress fittings, brainstorming decor ideas, hand-addressing and tying string around the invitations, shooting engagement photos (coming here soon), trying on bridesmaids dresses, AND planning a bridal shower! All the bridesmaids and several family members planned and pulled off the shower in a few weeks time. We knew Crystal loves natural, organic, vintage, eclectic, and pretty details. Relationships are important to her and she loves intimate time with friends as well as laughter and good food. SO…with that in mind we planned the details. The setting was a clearing in the woods behind our Grandpa’s house. We all pitched in and made the food. We borrowed 55 wooden chairs and antique plates! The silverware used was our Grandma’s. The water glasses were our mother’s Mason canning jars. The mismatched napkins were borrowed from a local cafe…(Amber, my little sister worked there). The fabric thrown on top of the tables? Salvation Army comes through again. The ferns on the tables were cut from the woods. Daryl, our brother, brought in a huge ladder and strong up his lanterns in the trees. The old blue dresser I picked up for $5 and the lace doily on top is my Grandma’s as well as the old dishes and crocks….she has a houseful of antique treasures! We made the bingo cards and party favors and brought in our own serving dishes. All we needed was a nice day. And we did! It was really fun to see how working together, a little handiwork, and the generosity of folks enabled us to pull off the shower with ease. It was such a fun evening!
The vases and chairs were all either are own or borrowed.
My little sister, Amber, made the little whoopie pie favors.
Grace allowed us to use her collection of antique plates!
Crystal! Pretty girl.
Dana! And sweet tea:)
Best friends for like forever…Denise, Krista, and Crystal!
Denise took care of setting up the gift area and she did such a good job.
Chelsea! Crazy girls.
Allie and Kara:)
All the bridesmaids!
Soon to be Crystal’s mother-in-law:)
Me and my two sisters. Love my sisters!
The wedding is coming up in just 7 weeks! And today is Friday and my weekend is brim full of family and time in the sun…which is just what I need. :) Have a great weekend all!
BIG NEWS!!! MEET OUR STYLIST!:)
Experience. It is a buzz word in the photography industry these days. And I have been thinking about it a LOT. A GOOD experience leaves us happy and energized. Excited about where we are going and eager to get there. Motivated. Confident. A good experience validates. It affirms. It is makes us smile. It enables us to see with clarity who we are AND feel good about it! Experience.YES. I will take a good experience any day!
My mission statement states: Guided by our passion to create beauty; we will enable others by esteeming, affirming, and validating.
This passion of mine burns in my soul and it is my goal with each and every client that I have the privilege to work with. This has many levels and layers….however….EXPERIENCE plays a huge role in this. And boy, has this been fun to develop and continue to develop.
SO….let me tell you a little about Grace. Originally hailing from Virginia, with a stop in California, and a stint in Australia, she currently lives in Lancaster, Pa with her husband. She smiles and laughs and her eyes light up. She loves people. And sunshine and the breeze in her hair. She is ORIGINALITY and refuses to imitate. :) Grace has a way of creating beauty where ever she goes. Working magic with shoes and jeans and accessories. Not to mention glitter, garage sale heels, and even packing crates (Check out her blog on that!). Knowing what lipstick is good. How to put together an outfit that is off just enough to be just right on! Color blocking and great hair. The latest on fashion…and what is is good about the latest. This is Grace. Her style is natural, soft, relaxed….with a touch of dreamy bliss. One part classic and two parts free spirit. :)
Grace is our STYLIST and brings with her a love of all things beautiful. She will be adding a stellar element to the experience we are giving our senior clients! She believes wholeheartedly that the best pictures are authentic and natural and takes great pleasure in helping them find there unique spin on fabulous. As a Photography Stylist, her primary goal first and foremost with each and every person is to understand who they are and what makes them happy. From there, creativity blooms and and the fun begins! :) She works diligently with each client to help define and create the entire “feel” of their photos. Bring on the Pinterest boards for inspiration, assistance with planning outfits, guidance with hair and make-up, suggestions on where to shop AND find good deals, easing your fear of WHAT SHOULD I WEAR??:)…and maybe even an iced coffee during your shoot. :) This is Grace. She is awesome. I am so excited to be working alongside her….alongside you.
Check out Grace’s blog HERE and peek at her Pinterest boards HERE.
Oh, shoes:)
In honor of Grace’s launch we are offering a LIMITED amount of TWO FOR ONE SENIOR PORTRAIT SESSION.
TWO FOR ONE SENIOR PORTRAIT SESSION
Two Friends Together for one Signature Style Session with Grace
Here is what’s included:
$475 for a Signature Style Session with Grace
One Vision (how great is that??)
Pin Boards
On going Communication with GRACE, Premier Fashion Stylist, as you plan ALL the details of your special day
Custom Location Selection
Professional Hair and Make-up
Grace AND a Photographer at Your Portrait Session
Individual Photos
Best Friend Portraits (memories that last a lifetime:)
It is summer, the sunshine is warm, our summer is booking up….spread the word….we cannot wait to hear from you! :)
AND check back Thursday…we have some really fun things to share with you!
MY PEOPLE
I have been rather absent from this blog recently. This has not been my intention….I love blogging and writing. However, I am not good at forcing myself to write if I am not feeling the words or have too many other details going on in my life…thus this blog has been rather quite lately. :) Do you ever feel like hiding from the world? I do. I need quite time to to refresh. To gain perspective. And I am learning when I need that and to listen to that. To go with my heart and not what I think I ‘should’ be doing. Learning that, understanding that, and living that out…is….a….process. :)
Andrea from Andrea Marie Photography is awesome and you will be seeing more of her work on this blog soon…more to come on that!!! She took these photos of me and my people! Ah yes, my people. :) The world may be spinning around 100 miles per hour….but these guys keep me grounded and focused.
Corde is one and a half….how did that happen so fast?? He is at an age I love….so much personality and still little enough to be innocent and adorable even when he is throwing around some attitude. I love that I can just look at him and he breaks into a huge grin.
We had no plans of Andrew being in the photos…it was going to be just me and the boys. But since he was with, Andrea pulled him into some of the photos and I am so glad she did!
Mr. Adler is on the left….he all about snuggling, keeping up with big brother, tadpoles, and roller blades. One minute he us a sweet as honey and the next minute he lets me know in no uncertain terms, ‘I AM MAD.” Ah, yes…the life of a six year old.
Riley is the oldest. He is responsible. Loves quality time, playing games, swims like a fish, and wants to be a soccer player. He notices details and retains details SO much better than me. He is starting to notice things about people and life and asking questions like this…”why do big kids and big people worry and babies don’t worry?” He just graduated from SECOND grade. Jeepers.
Hope you all have a beautiful weekend! :) The sun will be shining….soak it up!
LIFE AND THINGS.
So, I have been taking a little blog hiatus recently. A vacation from all things is good every now and then, I think. Do you ever feel like life is flying right by and you kinda wanna panic because you don’t know how to slow down time? I love this warm weather and all. But spring, already? My winter ‘to do’ list is still not finished! Aaaah, well. Enjoy the ride. There in lies true happiness anyway. So what have I been up to?
1. Well for one thing, my little sister is getting maaaaried! I am so excited for her. And yeah, I will admit…I am just a little excited to help her plan this wedding. 2. I met Jamie for the first time this week. And I am so glad I did! She inspired me and she is a sweetheart and this made me truly happy. 3. I am running! This is good. I used to be a runner. And then the business happened and I stopped doing things that didn’t demand to be done. Well, now I am learning this is no way to live life. If I don’t have time to do ‘just for fun’ things…something has got to change. I forget how much energy and creativity running gives me. I am training for a 10 miler! Am I crazy? I am up to 4 miles. Wish me luck. Best part is, I am training with Andrew. Corde runs with us…in the stroller, that is. The other night we were running and I saw this sunset and hay wagon scene. NO, I do not carry my camera with me, crazy. But I DROVE back with my camera to get this photo. It said peace to me. 4.Yesterday I was honored to witness an adoption. Truly beautiful. Colleen is a friend of mine and I am so happy for her and her new daughter, Bella. 5. Coffee like this and strategic planning AND a dear friend all at once?!! Loveliness. 6. Boys:). 7.Don’t forget…if you are in the area and want to see Katie’s goodness, stop by the studio tomorrow morning! 8. And food for thought. At least it has been my food for thought.
That’s all for now. It is FRIDAY. Sweet weekend time to you.
I *HEART* A GIRL NAMED KATIE.
For one thing, she is adorable. And sweet. She is a creative. One of the finest. And a entrepreneur. She is motivated. And determined. Her style rocks. She has huge dreams and is taking the steps to get there. And, I dunno…she is just cool. And I admire her. Meet this creative and take a peek at her interview at below too.
Over the past few years, Katie has joined me on quite a few shoots as an assistant and I have grown to love her. When I said she was a creative and an entrepreneur AND one one of the finest…I really meant it. Katie has founded ‘a girl named katie.’ You like bags and accessories? You will like this. ‘a girl named katie.’ is a line of indie-inspired handmade bags and accessories. YES, she even makes stuffed mustaches!:)
How did ‘a girl named katie.’ start? ‘a girl named katie.’ has been something slowly pieced together throughout time. I began selling tote bags and t-shirts to friends in high school. It has always thrilled me to make a bit of cash off something I created. The summer after I graduated high school I began spending more time developing ideas and designing some bags adorned with ruffles for myself. Others quickly noticed and began requesting similar bags. I prepared an online store and began creating an inventory. I also decided to get involved with local craft shows and do some of my own home show parties as well.
What is the most challenging part? The most challenging part with any craft is organization, time management, and social networking. I often find myself with too many ideas and feeling like I do not have enough time to complete everything that I want to do. And of course, as a starting business, getting the community to know you exist is hard and takes a long time for the word to get around, especially for those starting on a tight budget.
What were your inspirations? I would call ‘a girl named katie.’ indie-inspired. I love certain elements of that style such as the feeling of vintage and simple design.
When and Why did you learn to sew? I learned to sew between the ages of six and seven. My grandma and mom taught me when I decided I wanted to be involved in 4H. I began making projects to enter in the county fair and won awards for my sewing projects.
What makes ‘a girl named katie.’ special? ‘a girl named katie.’ is special because each bag has hours of passion sewn into it. I personally make each bag that is sold from start to finish. The bags are often made out of fabric materials that may be washed following the care instructions. I also accept some special orders, which allows the customer to help design their own bag.
What do you love most about ‘a girl named katie.’? What I love most about ‘a girl named katie.’ is being creative and constantly thinking and working on new projects. New products are added every month.
When did you know were an artist/maker? I knew I had a flair for the creative side at a young age, I was always making something. When I was in 8th grade I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer and have my own boutique, and years later I am still working towards that same dream.
Adore Katie as much as me? :) See more here:
Website: http://www.agirlnamedkatie.com/index.html
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-girl-named-katie/105866349497031
Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/agirlnamedkatie?ref=si_shop
Katie is having a show *HERE* at the studio with all her goodies! Come and get some for yourself. The show will be at the studio on March 17th from 9am to 1pm. If you are in the area…stop by! Email Katie or myself for more details.
OH, KELLY MOORE.
Oh, Kelly Moore. You make me happy.
It is time for my ‘ol Canon bag to retire. It has served me WELL for 4 years. My Canon Bag has traveled with me hundreds of miles. Not to mention he has had a few adventures of his own. You see, I am absent minded. And because Canon Bag is too bulky to hang on my shoulder as I shoot, he is carried with me and then set down. And we do this over and over on a shoot. He has been left behind a few time. Yeah. Until it hits me and then I run with terror (he holds hundreds of dollars of gear.) to find him again. I will never forget one time this happened. I left him behind. I ran back to retrieve him. Although just a few minutes had passed…he was GONE. I was sick. The location was an old factory. Not the most friendly of locations. I looked and looked. Nowhere. And nobody around to ask. 24 hours passed. And then my cell rang. A gruff voice asked if I was missing something. Aaah, yeah. So he gave me his address and I found his house….way out in the middle of nowhere. He said he worked at the factory, saw the bag, picked it up, thought about selling the contents on Ebay…but instead found my business card inside and decided to do the right thing. Judging by his appearance, the strewn beer cans, and the run down house, I don’t doubt that Ebay was a very viable option. Lesson learned. So….my WPPI take-home piece was a Kelly Moore camera bag. It will fit snugly on my shoulder and be comfortable enough to shoot with it there. They were sold out of the bag I choose at the WPPI trade-show …so mine just arrived thanks to UPS yesterday. It is smooth and soft and a pretty shade of cloudy gray. Just the right size…not too big and not too small. It will carry my camera body, two lens, and other essentials such as chap stick, water bottle, cell phone, gum, and jotted notes.
This bag is my Vegas souvenir. I have it sitting in the studio just ’cause it is so pretty and I like looking at it. As soon as the sun is a little warmer we will start romping the country side together and I am thinking we will get along quite well. Haha. Oh my.
I plan on spending my entire weekend with my family. May you have a beautiful weekend also.
GIRLFRIENDS
There is a famous quote by Jim Rohn…”You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” I am thinking this is pretty much truth. I am thinking others have more impact on me than I give them credit for. Whether I consider it a good thing or not…others play a huge role in who I am. I believe we were created to need relationships. SO, if the people you are hanging around with are bringing you down…consider an upgrade. Haha. I don’t know about you, but relationships kinda feel like oxygen to me. I need them. In a big way. They help me keep my heart alive and dancing. The impact these girls make on me is well, huge. I am quite certain I am not even aware of the fullness they impact me. I have known both of them for years. We go waaaay back. And you know, there is something that happens when a friendship remains true and strong for many years…it turns to GOLD.
So…a few quick Christmas card photos we pulled off.
Ann with her family. They are a little crazy. In a good way.:) We got one where they were all smiling at the camera…but we still liked this one.
Cheney….;)
Angel and her beautiful family! The little man on the left is Riley’s best bud.
As iron sharpens iron. ;)
These are my girls (and their families:). I am so thankful I can claim these ladies as friends.
INTENTIONAL.
Intentional. This word has been ringing in my head recently. I want to be intentional. Conscientious of when I go and when I stop. Intentional about keeping my finger on the pulse of God. Intentional about jumping a little higher and leaping a little farther. Intentional about looking fear in the face. Not letting insecurity be my boss. Intentional with taking time to go for a run…even if I don’t think I have the time. Intentional about not procrastinating the hard decisions. Intentional with my time. My day. My relationships. My 2012. Playing ball with Corde. Setting aside my “gotta get’er done list” so I can actually play ball. Trusting my gut. Hearing His voice. Smiling at others. Intentional. Life has a way of running over me and passing me by if I let it. Haha….does that sound intense? It would be. It could be. But actually, it is not. I am SO thankful I am rather insignificant in the whole scheme of things. I am here for a purpose. And that purpose is not about me. :) I may (edit…WILL) fail along the way…that is ok. My so called ummm…”brains”, are not needed. I lay it down…and you know what? I am thinking my purpose will take place in spite of me. I like it!
