John and Linette ENGAGED

John and Linette are getting married in April. A couple of weeks ago I met them at the super cool Scottsdale Waterfront, where they live, to shoot their engagement photos! I was in love with the backgrounds to shoot with and of course this adorable couple that were SO much fun together...they pretty much made my job REALLY easy!

Ummm...LOVE the shoes!

This was inside the clubhouse...aren't they cute?

We passed the store where John got her beautiful ring from so we stopped there to take a photo...

At the end of the session John took us up to the rooftop to see the city and pool...what a great view, we had to take some shots up here too!

Gorgeous couple...

Thanks John and Linette, I can't wait to do your wedding! CLICK HERE to view their slideshow.

It's a hard knock life...

This week my boys have been ultra cute, super rowdy and have had an incredible amount of energy. It's been interesting to watch them and remember how easy and careless it is to be 6 and 3. I wish that life was always so innocent and just plain "fun." It's been a hard week, I might even venture to say the hardest week of my life from a "fear and emotional" stance at least. On Tuesday our home was broken into in a short 30 minute period I was gone. I've feared this type of thing my entire life and I always hoped it wouldn't happen to us.

And it did
and it is hard
really hard.

It's not the stuff, it never is...the stuff is a loss and while I work from my desk right now instead of my BRAND NEW MACBOOK PRO that I no longer posess, the stuff isn't what I mourn! It's the loss of security, the violation of privacy and the realization that people really have no respect and will stop at nothing to fulfill their sense of entitlement. This realization has kept me in fear this week although I know somehow I will overcome this fear and not give up my power to selfish, non working, lowlife people! The problem is, the world is full of these people and I don't really fear the people coming back to my home as much as the average person that is just as crazy as the ones who kicked my front door in!


I'm convinced my mind has thought more this week than it ever has...I am still processing thoughts, emotions and trying to focus on getting back to life. What I have learned and become impressed by is the tender mercies I've experienced despite the violation of my home where we are suppposed to feel the most safe. These are just a few of those things I can be grateful for...

• A friend who was on the phone with me as I walked into my front room and realized that my house indeed was broken into, I'd already been in the home 30 minutes at this point and had no idea if someone was still inside...I do not wish the feelings I felt in this moment on anyone, it still pains me to think about it, but that friend was a true blessing, a "security blanket" of sorts who proactively responded and helped me as I left.
• My neighbor...oh I don't know what I would have done without my sweet neighbor who ANSWERED the door, held my baby as I cried, called the police with me and kept me safe in a very traumatic moment. I still think I would have been a bigger mess if I had no secure place to run to in that moment, Im SO grateful she was HOME!
• My husband who was smart enough to leave the office immediately even though he couldn't understand what was wrong through the phone cutting out and my emotion...I was so glad he was there to hold me when I saw my bedroom and realized they'd been in there.
• My decision to grab my wallet that morning which was randomly sitting on the counter when I left for preschool, it's ALWAYS in my purse, this time it wasn't and as I walked out I stopped, saw it, almost kept walking because i didn't need it, but grabbed it anyway. So much less hassle not losing all the cards, money, license etc.
• My Dawson was crying to go to school that morning, he does this often and I stayed a bit to comfort him...I wish I came around the corner sooner, but I'm so grateful my baby and I were safe and especially that my boys were NOT home to experience the fear of this.
• Friends who came to stay with me so I didn't have to be alone, friends who came to visit so I could take my mind off of it, my brother in law for sleeping here with us the first night, help with my kids so we could work on securing the house etc etc!
• A thoughtful friend who brought cookies over, doesn't cookies make anything better? It helped me to remember that there are wonderful people who are willing to serve!
• Brother in laws...to help secure doors, install deadbolts and install new lighting to feel safer.
• Having cash in my dresser...yes I now think of this as a blessing because I now think it helped them feel they had enough and left quicker sparing my office....which is another huge blessing, it was left virtually untouched.
• A sweet prayer of peace and comfort offered for me by my husband to help me relax and try to sleep, his touch helped me to feel the Spirit in the very room that gave me the most heartache to have violated...

There's so much more I could say, what I do know is we ARE safe and we will be stronger from this! As someone mentioned to me last night, "I don't think fear is of the Lord." I believe this and don't want to live in fear all my life, I'm anxious to get to a place where fear can not reside within me because I do know the Lord has a plan for our lives and he will protect us in his very own way.

And he did...and I have these little munchkins to love and hold still...and as they bounced off the walls cracking each other up, laughing, playing, running through the halls Tuesday night completely oblivious to the events of the day...we were SO EXHAUSTED to deal with the energy, but they provided a distraction and gave us a chance to remember what REALLY matters...

Guess who's getting married...

Ok so it may be "old" news but I'll bet you haven't seen pictures of this great couple yet!! So, it is true...my good friend Russ is finally getting married! Russ and I go WAY back and as the story is frequently retold, he was one of my first boyfriends as a teen and he's continued to be a dear friend to myself and my husband. We are SO EXCITED for him, he just couldn't have chosen a better girl...

she's super sweet and SO laid back

she can be goofy right along with him

not only can she take his sarcasm...

she dishes it right back at him!

she's truly won his heart (he even misses basketball once in awhile to be with her, WHOA now we KNOW something's up)!

Oh, and of course, SHE has a name...

J...E...N! So of course, what's not to like about this special girl that won him over??

Here's a few pics from their engagement session, and let me just add how COOL I think it is that they just look SO right together! You know when couples just look like each other and are such a great match...that's Russ and Jen and I love it!

I'll definitely miss a few things from the "single" russ...
long chats analyzing girls and relationships
late night phone calls, (he's been a consistent night owl with my husband and I), we'd often call each other into the midnight hour for random conversations...

But, I'm definitely looking forward to fun times with the two of them...
double dates...
couples game nights!
a new friend at Evergreen company activities!
no longer being the brunt of the Evergreen jokes having dated two of the employees...
traveling? hopefully we can join them on a trip sometime.
dare I say babies? can't wait to see Russ with a rambunctious boy as he tries to jump from the couch...bring on the grey hair!

Congratulations!! Thanks for letting me take your pics, I know it was harder to relax in front of the camera with Elisha and I! You did great and it was definitely cool to get to see your love through my lens...I'm so happy for you both! To view their slideshow click here...

Without further ado...

As if it didn't take me long enough to edit this SUPER COOL wedding then I take super long to blog it too (nevermind all of my computer problems including my email being down completely right now ugh!). So for any of you that wanted to see Heather and Josh from my lovely San Diego wedding...here we go, and yes, they get a SUPER LONG blog post full of pictures to enjoy (including a slideshow at the end with more photos)! The morning started at the hotel with some primping, here's Heather's beautiful locks...

Off to be wed...notice the gorgeous glow she's got...

Such a great looking couple

Love this shot, they are both SOOOOO HAPPY!

Even Pam, mother of the bride is glowing

(I'm guessing it has a little to do with excitement AND RELIEF...)

Even though Heather lives in Phoenix, she always wanted to be married in the San Diego temple where she grew up as a little girl and her extended family still lives...how sweet to have that dream finally come true.

A miracle shot in itself...Carter's looking at me! Love this family!

The girls...yeah you can hate their guts for their striking beauty!

Lunch to follow was here with the most beautiful view ever!

Since you marry your best friend, I couldn't pass up this great advice for the newlyweds...

Now for the beach stuff...love this!

Little Audrey...

And big sister Grace...what beautiful girls...

Is there anything more fun for a little girl?

The reception was held a few weeks later at The Wright House here's the bridesmaids

Loved the hanging flowers...

Thanks Heather and Josh for letting me capture your special day! You were troopers through it and it was SO FUN to work with you! Congratulations!!!

To view more photos from this wedding, watch their slideshow here

Houston, we have a problem...

My two life lines on my computer, photoshop and email...a couple of days ago my photoshop shut down and would never re-open stating it was an "unknown error" and unrepairable. After a torturous day without it (you feel bad for me don't you?) my sweet husband worked on it when he got home after 11pm. No luck...so in an effort to get me working by the next day, we wiped it clean to start over...and then we couldn't find our original program!!! So, after downloading a 30day trial to buy some time...we loaded up most of the actions I use when editing (a few were lost), and I was back to work, and my husband was able to hit the sack close to 1am...

and then there's today...My other life line is now out, my email! I have to admit I feel super out of touch without my email...it's like being in a desert without water, I can't really live without it...
So here we sit after midnight and my husband is hoping to figure it out...cuz he knows maybe then he won't have to hear me complain without it all day tomorrow!! So...in case you sent me a message after Saturday afternoon...I'll be getting to it soon...I hope!

Stokes Family...a new baby...

In keeping with my goal of catching up on forgotten blog posts this week...here's a post I somehow missed from this summer during my whirlwind of newborn sessions! Jeff and Nikki were expecting their first baby and called me to do some maternity photos...here's a few of my faves

Can't you just tell he is going to be such a great daddy!!

This next photo just makes me happy, what better gift can you give a child than a mommy and daddy so deeply in love...

And since this is a "forgotten" post, here's little Kendall after her arrival...

Didn't I say he'd be such a good daddy? I love the cuddling with his baby girl...
And we can't forget mom...those moments are always super precious...

Welcome to the world Kendall, it looks like you'll be in good hands.

To view more photos from this session click here

You're FIRED!

That's what you should tell me...I should officially be fired from blogging with my recent blogging history! I'm hoping this week is my redemption week...but maybe I have said that before? Well, at any rate, I have THREE GOOD REASONS my blog has been neglected lately...

1...EMERY

2...DAWSON

3...Brennan...(especially his baseball schedule, who would've known the committment it would be)!

Yes, and so it goes...the kids are keeping me busy and not surprisingly, good help is sure hard to find!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am working on it though...

In the meantime before I fill up my blog with new entries of old and new stuff...here's a little something to hold you over...

Emery is now 7 months old...and even though we are STILL working on that thing called ROLLING OVER...

We are getting started on sitting up...

(Note to self...don't let 6yr olds be the baby catcher for new sitters...she fell after this happy shot and he just wasn't fast enough, oops, sorry baby!)

Now tell me, who would pass up this sweet little face to get more blogging and work done....
Yeah, I knew you would understand!