PhotoJenic Photography

Holiday greetings...card style...

2009-01-01T22:24:00.003-07:00

Thanks for all the great feedback on my holiday cards this year, it always makes it so much nicer when people appreciate the time and quality put into the products I offer! I was not looking forward to doing my family card this year and had very low expectations, thankfully it came together and people seemed to enjoy it. I purposely left myself off of it...that got me some complaints too =) I tried to send my card to everyone, but that meant my list was 150 cards...which takes a lot of time and money to send out...both of which I did, but I know I still didn't send to some people, so here's our holiday card this year in case you didn't get one!! It was my first time doing an accordian fold, so I will post it in individual images, the whole card folds and reads left to right...

(If you've spent an afternoon with us you'd likely find the front fold to be so fitting...poor kid, I just blast it everywhere! But how can you NOT love that mischievious face!)

on the back it opens up to this...

Here's a few more client cards. I loved some of the funky colors and vintage looks I did for some of my cards...I think linen was my most popular finish this year although I kind of ended up liking the UV coating I did on some of my own cards...

Where did it go?

2008-12-25T22:22:00.005-07:00

It's over...how does it come and go SO FAST? So...even though I really only feel I got to "get into the holiday spirit" like 4 days ago when I decided to focus on Christmas fully, I'm sad that it went by so fast, at least now it's "vacation time" for me and my family and by vacation I mean...

staying at home

doing home chores

spending time together as a family

having fun with out of towners

sleeping in?

maybe a date night?

working on my new business blog...coming soon!

I'm super excited about all this part, but I wish one year that I could have the WHOLE MONTH of December to just play and bake and shop...I'm sure it's overrated though right?

Today was EVENTFUL...we've been running non stop and after hosting BOTH BIG family gatherings at our house...we have some CLEANING to do! Not to mention SLEEP...we crashed at 3am last two nights even though I REALLY thought we were going to get to go to bed earlier on Christmas eve...oh well, it's always worth it! Here's some pics of the children in the Christmas garb...I got to dress a girl for Christmas for the first time...LOVE IT!

I decided to not be traditional and do PINK! The boys matched in grey and the best part is that it was ALL ON SALE and I got it all so cheap! =)

Emery 10 months

Dawson 4

Brennan 6

Here are my boys...they are pretty funny (when they aren't fighting...)

Dawson wants to do everything Brennan does

I can't believe this is MY LITTLE GIRL!! It's still seems weird and I STILL love every bit of having a girl. She got her ears pierced, is starting to have enough hair for a pony tail and just loves her mommy to death...

I love her to death too...her eyes which just might be brown, her cute little smile and the way that she stares at me from across the room just to see if I will look at her or pick her up at which point she smiles ear to ear and buries her face in my chest...does it get ANY better?

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, and to all a good night...we need some sleep!!

Rainy Day Schedule...

2008-12-15T15:39:00.003-07:00

If I were not stuck to my chair with some head pressure making me want to explode and a to do list as long as Santa's toy requests, I think we'd be on rainy day schedule around here...

the windows would be open (with the heat on)...
hot chocolate would be brewed...complete with marshmallows...
the kids would gear up in jackets for the 5 seconds of a small drizzle they might see this year...
I would make hot, homemade chicken noodle soup with yummy fluffy PILLSBURY biscuits
(cuz I don't make the other kind)
maybe I would clean
Or
cuddle up to a Christmas movie on the couch with the kids
maybe I'd teach the kids thumbs up 7-up like I used to play on rainy days at school
daddy would come home early, cuz rainy days need daddy's around
and we'd have a fire going too!

Instead it was a great daydream (thus the reason for the post)

My hands are icy...so are my toes. I just texted my husband a nice message..."forget it honey...I turned the heat up, if I'm going to be sick and working like crazy...I'm going to do it with warm limbs."

And that's where I am...now back to work!

Halter Family

2008-12-12T14:18:00.003-07:00

I met Michael over a year ago when he came to save us from our super dated home!! Michael was incredibly professional and nice to work with as he completely retextured our home to a nice, upgraded smooth finish including so many untextured, post wallpaper walls! He owns AZ Maintenance and does an excellent job!

He was equally nice to work with in doing his family photos recently and he has the nicest wife and family! Check out his beautiful girls!!

Don't they all just look gorgeous here?

Such a good looking couple.

To view a slideshow of images click here.

Thanks Mike and Gayle, it's been so great to work with your family.

Sleep in heavenly peace...

2008-12-08T22:20:00.001-07:00

I'm finally sharing photos of my little baby girls nursery after months of promising it to my out of town family...I LOVE baby nurseries...there is something so fun and sweet about putting together a place for a new baby to sleep, I always hope to make it a little piece of heaven! This nursery had so much love put into with MANY homemade gifts from people much more crafty than me...thanks everyone for those!

No question who's room this is...she happens to have the biggest room too, just worked out that way since she had to be near our room.

THE BEDDING!!! I couldn't find bedding online ANYWHERE that I LOVED, I was sad, finally having a girl and couldn't find bedding for her. So after some motivation from Marnee and her very talented seamstress mother...I enlisted my mom to make her granddaughter some bedding and she agreed, although I wonder if she really wishes she had agreed once I showed her all the fabric and gave her my "vision."

My mom, Pam and my Aunt Debbie did an AMAZING job sewing it all and we LOVE it!

You'd think a girl could get some pics for those frames...yeah, working on that...really I am, RIGHT NOW!

Emery loves her room and her bed, I just have to walk her in there with a blanket and her pacifier and cuddle or rock her for one minute. She immediately starts humming to herself and I lay her down awake in her bed...she MELTS, cuddles her blanket and rolls over to go to sleep. She never cries, has slept through the night most her life and is so good at falling asleep on her own..I love this because I firmly believe it makes my kids better sleepers, it develops healthy sleep habits early on which will help in the tough toddler years!

She loved her mobile...until her brother's broke it...

I think this picture is telling me something...Reuben's really happy.

Daddy labored many hours to perfect this room, here's the new closet doors he painted and put in along with each tongue and groove wall paneling piece. He's a perfectionist too. Everything was leveled, painted and caulked. We even had to remove the baseboards, repaint them because I wanted cream, not white...then reinstall them over the paneling! I'm sure Daddy's efforts will last many years in the little darlings palace!

SERIOUSLY...this is MY baby.

And a quick update...Emery's 9months old in these pics although she's going to be 10 months in a few days! She's FINALLY getting around by rolling and is still pretty content MOST of the time. She only likes mommy and disses Daddy even if he hasn't held her all day long. She loves to put her fingers in your mouth trying to get your tongue and she loves to grab the skin on your face by the handful and just pull on it...it's especially fun when she hasn't had her nails cut! She's the BEST baby ever and she knew I needed a momma's girl cuz her brothers sure have an obsession with daddy! Love you Miss Emery!

More celebrities...

2008-12-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot about this...go to this link and check out People Magazine's Celebrity Look Alike Contest. My good friend Katie who worked for me for years has a chance to win the contest and be printed in the magazine, wouldn't that be SO FUN! I'm super excited because when she worked for me seriously every wedding people would stare or come up and tell her how much she looked like Reese Witherspoon (I think I should have her back...maybe I booked more weddings because of her)!!

If you look at all the photos in the contest, from a professional standpoint, I think she deserves to win because her photo is a true CANDID shot and many of the others are photoshopped into the celebrities hair/body which isn't truly representative if you ask me! So click on the link above and vote TODAY, NOW...because I think the contest ends today, sorry Katie!

Andy and Bonnie Wedding

2008-12-07T16:21:00.002-07:00

Andy and Bonnie were married at The Farm at South Mountain. They are a great couple and we had a lot of fun working with them. Here's the beautiful bride...

And the handsome groom...

Andy and Bonnie saw each other before the ceremony...a WISE choice especially for Fall weddings when the sun sets early this time of year. Here's a shot just before he sees his blushing bride...

The bridesmaids and oh...this adorable flower girl that I can't seem to get enough of!

See, I told you she's adorable!!

I love the textures and rustic look that you can find at The Farm

Her moment to shine down the isle...

Dad and daughter seemed to both be emotional in this sweet moment...so sweet!

Loved these shots with the parents of the bride...

Husband and Wife...

Beautiful couple! Congratulations newlyweds!

Matt and Heather...part II

2008-12-02T17:25:00.002-07:00

Here's some more images of Matt and Heather! This time I DIDN'T forget my camera and Blake stayed behind so we could focus on just this cute couple and their recent engagement!

Thanks guys...can't wait for the wedding!

Holy Day of Shopping Recap...

2008-12-02T11:46:00.003-07:00

After a wonderful turkey day with both of our families I settled into a short restful night of slumber...3 1/2 hours later it was time to get to work, there was shopping to be had!

3:40am - alarm sounds, nausea and disbelief set it, I can't possibly get up this early to SHOP, ugh!
4:15am - arrive at Walmart to a parking lot FULL, park at the back and take book it inside.
4:40am - all of our group (5 total) take our assumed positions around the store to get our items.
5:00am- I'm LITERALLY on the ground in a pile of people (this was a first for me) wrestling pretty good with my arms around an unnameable item...don't worry, I came up with it only for Elisha to point out the pallet a few feet away of the same item that NO ONE knew about therefore it was untouched...oh well, my way was a much bigger high, even if I did HATE being in a dogpile with WALMART shoppers!
6:00am - off to Target, more great deals and the store wasn't even that busy, YIPEE!
8:00am - Breakfast break at Paradise.
9:00am - More shopping, Costco, Old Navy, Children's Place, Bath & Body etc etc ( I bought myself an early present at one of these stores, maybe I'll post a picture later!)
1:00pm - Stop for lunch...man I am TIRED
3:30pm - Can't do it any longer...off for a pedicure then ditched the girls to go home and SLEEP!

The remainder of the weekend was just as busy, a visit from Janelle and Jill which was such fun, Russ's wedding most of Saturday and then an honorary girls night since those girls were in town...Sunday morning I finally crashed at 4am and honestly I am STILL paying for the lack of sleep, I think today I finally feel a little more normal!

It was a whirlwind, but I got a LOT of Christmas Shopping done, had tons of fun and saved a lot of money even though I think I countered the savings with spending that I wasn't planning on...oops, just don't tell my husband.

Needler Family

2008-11-24T17:08:00.003-07:00

Yes, it's going to be a 24 hour blogging record for me...first and last I am sure. Without further ado...meet the Needlers...

Such a cute family and also dear friends. Alisa has become quite famous for her "cliff jumping" (aka havasupai fall and helicopter rescue) I'm confident that someday she'll be known again for her warmth and personality first, not just for the "accident" she was in...but here I am contributing to it just the same!!

(on a side note she has done A M A Z I N G in her recovery. After not walking for 3 months she "took her first steps" again in September and is now fully RUNNING again! Her docs are amazed at what she's done with the extent of injury she had from the fall! We're all so proud!)

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...her cute little family!!!

Miss Morgan...LOVE this girl and her attitude!

Payton

And Corey, such a handsome guy!

And I couldn't resist another of Morgan, isn't she so CUTE?

Thanks Jason and Alisa for the fun photo session!

To be two...

2008-11-24T15:34:00.003-07:00

Isn't two just fun?

Seriously, if looks could kill...

CORRECTION

2008-11-24T10:09:00.001-07:00

Ellen's show is on at 3pm! Thanks Nicole!

Gearing up...

2008-11-23T21:05:00.002-07:00

Calling all "HOLY DAY OF SHOPPING" FANS

I'm gearing up for another year and another fun and crazy shopping event! I'm already bummed, some places are opening at midnight, others at 4am...when's a girl supposed to get her beauty sleep?? I'm sure this year won't disappoint because really its more about the fun with my ladies than it is about the sales! Holy Day of Shopping would NOT be fun without a group of girls (and of course NO KIDS ARE ALLOWED, some people are CRAZY to bring those little ones).

Thanks to Janelle for sending me a link to the ads early...here you go for your viewing pleasure...

If you're unfortunate enough to live in a depressed family where people sleep in and don't venture out to the stores, leave me a comment and I'll tell you where to join us Friday for our before sunrise madness. And when I say madness, I promise that we will have none of this!

I mean it, you have to go with trained Black Friday shopping professionals, cuz we have a system!

Now taking...CELEBRITIES

2008-11-23T17:47:00.003-07:00

Yes, that's right, I'm moving up into photographing celebrities...!! Remember Janelle one of my best friends who recently debuted on my blog? Tomorrow she'll be having her first (certainly can't be her last) tv appearance on the Ellen Show!!!!! She was the lucky girl chosen out of 4,000 (yeah...totally rigged) audience members to do an audience gambling segment when they taped the show in Vegas!

Janelle is the most hilarious and animated person I know and Ellen is the perfect show for her to get on...so go set your DVR and watch Ellen Monday afternoon (in Arizona its on at 4pm) so you can see what happens. And if you want to read Janelle's account of getting to hang for a bit with Ellen, click here.

Check out my handsome date...

2008-11-21T17:31:00.004-07:00

I went on a date last night. My date was a perfect gentleman. He told me great stories with lots of fine details, most of which were made up. He held my hand and he even held the door for me once! He did really like to flex his muscles for the camera though, I didn't tell him this wasn't good date etiquette

cuz I liked how he smiled when he flexed.

(don't be jealous of my 1.0 megapixel camera phone...if the mean people wouldn't have taken my point and shoot camera, I would've used that!)

We went to As You Wish to paint some pottery. After steering him away from the snakes and dogs that wouldn't have a good place to sit in our home (I know I know...who's date is this?), we settled on the perfect piece...a football helmet piggy bank! Perfect for his sports themed room and much better than the empty peanut butter jar he is currently using.

Daddy had warned me before we left that he didn't think Brennan would like this date and that I shouldn't get disappointed if he doesn't. Brennan raved about the date the whole night and LOVED painting. I did realize that maybe painting isn't my thing, I'm sort of a perfectionist and it's pretty frustrating to TRY to just paint a helmet 2-3 colors without them bleeding on each other when people around you are creating beautiful masterpieces! Oh well, I got over it, and I'm sure the helmet will look great when we get it back from the kiln.

This is his "I'm an ASU football fan pose"

The whole drive home I told my date all the reasons that I love him. Then I surprised him at the end with a chocolate shake. That was his favorite part...

oh wait, when I told him he didn't have to share it with his brother

that was actually his real favorite part.

And my favorite part was the whole thing, but especially the end
because I got a kiss goodnight!

Matt, Heather and Blake Part I

2008-11-12T20:03:00.006-07:00

We recently ventured out for what was supposed to be an Engagement session...but what do you do when you show up to work without your name tag...or if you're like me and you show up to work and you forgot your CAMERA! Yes, it DID happen, first and LAST time I'll ever do that! I had the back up equipment, lenses, memory cards...just not the batteries or main camera! I thought I might DIE when I went to grab it out of my car at our shoot in Scottsdale and it wasn't there, you see I had left it right where I set it when I grabbed water on my way out! OOPS! Thankfully my assistant Elisha's fabulous husband Eric saved the day and met me halfway with it...we had just enough light left to shoot part one of this session which was some shots with Heather's son Blake.

Blake is a fun loving boy with his own agenda when it comes to photos...he's all about the faces and what he really wants to do is bypass the real smile above for one of many goofy faces he has in store, here's a few of my favorite Blake shots...

Heather and Matt are getting married next February. I'm really excited to shoot their wedding and work with them. Matt was ultra easy going even though he does have to do TWO engagement sessions instead of one, thankfully they live a few minutes from The Scottsdale Civic Center where we were shooting so at least they hadn't driven an hour to meet me!

Heather works with my husband and is super sweet, laid back and fun to be around. She's such a good mom and has patience I could only dream of! I'm really glad she's getting married and can't wait to do more photos of the two of them next week and at the wedding!

This last photo cracks me up...Blake gets it, even though it's their engagement session, he knows life's really all about him and he's happy to show off for his moment of fame!

CALLING ALL PROCRASTINATORS!!!

2008-11-07T09:46:00.003-07:00

From one holiday procrastinator to another...here's your late chance...

Holidays are here...not coming...they're here and it's past time to schedule your family photo session!! I will be doing a limited number of additonal holiday family sessions over the next couple of weeks before Thanksgiving and am offering up a holiday special with reduced pricing from our standard session rate. Normally the pricing is $300 with a $150 print credit, however, for sessions in the month of November only you can book a holiday session at a rate of $200.

With this package you will recieve the following...

Single family session at a location of our choice (dates and times are limited)

25 double sided 5x7 holiday cards with images from your session

1 - 11x14 linen finish mounted print from your session

If you are interested in booking a session email me right away jen@photojenic.net to reserve your spot as I only have a few dates starting NEXT WEEK! Sessions will be during the week in the afternoon and locations vary throughout Phoenix and/or Scottsdale.

And because I can't end this post without a picture...here's little miss Emery sporting her new love of sitting up...gotta love her!

My Vegas Family

2008-11-04T18:23:00.005-07:00

A couple weeks ago I went through Vegas on my way to St. George for a small wedding and family reunion. It's always fun to pass through Vegas to visit one of my best friends ever, Janelle. I heard that her family was heading to St. George too in hopes to get some informal family photos! I jumped on the opportunity to take photos for them as it had been SO long since they had any professional photos done! Thankfully they got up in the WEE hour of 4am to get to the shoot before I had to be at the wedding, thanks guys! The family didn't disappoint choosing a great location and some fun colors to wear, here's some of the shots from our session...

The girls of the family

Quinn is such a sweet little girl...

Grayson...

And Benjamin, he's such an honest boy, I jokingly asked his favorite aunt and favorite uncle...he answered maybe honestly and quite possibly offended some aunts and uncles present...oops!!!!

Pay attention gents...

these gorgeous ladies are SINGLE........

the fabulous and beautiful Jill

Here's Janelle, isn't she beautiful...her smile is incredibly infectious!!

Brother Brent...

Collette and Jared, parents to the adorable kids that this family just ADORES!

Mom and Pop...such a sweet photo of them

Thanks guys...I'm so glad I got to see you all and take some pics for you!

Joe, Emily, Colby and Parker

2008-11-03T14:15:00.003-07:00

My good friends came by awhile back and we did a few quick photos of them before heading out on a much needed double date...I sort of forgot about these photos all together until Em reminded me (sorry guys), so here are a few of the quick family shots we did with their new little Parker who's only 3 weeks older than Emery...

Joe is such a good Dad..I thought he'd never want kids after a few of our visits to their home with an active toddler...

he's definitely adjusted well and is REALLY cute with the boys!

Emily and I were married within 2 weeks of each other and although we started sooner, they have followed right behind with two boys and HOPEFULLY they keep following to get that ONE little girl for the family!!

Emily is also a good mom, she's super creative and organized and has the most RESPECTFUL little 3yr old around...he needs to spend more time with his friend Dawson, I know he could learn some things from Colby for sure!!! I just LOVE the face on little Parker in this one, such a ham!

Halloween and birthday party...

2008-11-02T16:33:00.007-07:00

With school parties and sweets and candy and ending it all with a birthday party and cake...I can safely say it's time to get back to the gym!! Here's our weekend...

being the avid baker I am...I whipped up these fancy treats for school handouts...yes, I know you are jealous of my wonderful skills! The boys actually were a huge help and LOVED this little project...and at the end when bedtime was WAY PAST DUE I suggested that Daddy was a good spider cooking maker too and begged for his help to wrap up our night. The next morning the boys proudly exclaimed to our cousin every bit of the details of our cookie fest...

Brennan "my DADDY made these super cool spider cookies and they have 8 legs and red eyes..."

Dawson "yeah, my Daddy made these cookies, you want to see..."

Me "who made those cookies??"

B & D " DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!"

I guess having the idea, getting the supplies and working on them for over an hour doesn't count...you just have to join (against your will) the last 10 minutes or so to get ALL the credit!

Halloween brought us to my sister's house where there's always great chili, cornbread and over 100 kids trick or treating...and the occasional mom (yes I'm serious mom's with bags that WEREN'T their kids bags) we set up camp out front around a cozy fire in case the weather dips below 80 and our toes become slightly chilled! This year there was a precious pink poodle...

she had her eye on a cute little dalmation...

it was love at first sight, a perfect pair...until....

he really liked her tag...

oh and those eyes, he really liked her eyes, a little too much...

our pink poodle was super sad after the attack...

but the dalmation moved on, there were more eyes to be had!!

thankfully we found some other friends....

for the record two dedicated moms spent countless hours visiting countless stores and calling many others to find tigger and piglet costumes...you'd think that would be EASY!!!!! In the end, our "free" pooh and eeyore worked out well even though at the last minute Pooh decided to be more true to HERself and changed into a beautiful tinkerbell...

Oh yeah, word on the street is that a really cute red headed, RED NINJA was racing through the streets of Texas with his cousins and Grandpa Friday night! I wish I had a photo to share...at the very least he had the TIME OF HIS LIFE on his first solo vacation! Thanks Grandpa, Annalee and Husk family for taking him in =)

OK, last but not least...check out this cute boy who just turned ONE! Here's a few pics from my nephew Aidan's party

Have you ever seen a better looking pinata? You might want to wait before you answer that...

It's a bit disturbing when he comes apart...

Don't worry, we're providing counseling to any scarred children...

Aidan was the best cake eater...first he did it without his hands...

he quickly gave up and just sucked the life out of that frosting...

the finished product...Happy Birthday Aidan!

John and Linette ENGAGED

2008-10-26T17:37:00.006-07:00

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...

2008-10-24T10:00:00.005-07:00

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...

2008-10-20T14:27:00.002-07:00

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...

2008-10-13T00:45:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-13T00:26:00.006-07:00

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!