Gatlinburg, TN here we come...

We are venturing down to Tennessee for the next couple days for a mini-vacation. We'll be back on Tuesday and I'll have so much to share since the last couple weeks have been very busy. I am excited to share the fun that's been going on along with a couple more photo shoots that I'm getting to as we speak.

Here is where we will be. I'm not sure we will have internet access so if you don't hear back from us by Wednesday... we've been eaten by a Grizzly Bear.

Have a Great Weekend!

Jeff & Stephanie: Engagements

Jeff and Stephanie are so beautiful... they absolutely adore each other, which made them even more beautiful. They are not only beautiful but they are the sweetest couple. I found myself just speechless because their interaction was so natural I didn't have to tell them what to do, they just did it on their own, which made my job so much easier... it was so real and so sweet. I am looking forward to their wedding in October because I know it's going to be so fun and so beautiful!

Thanks for the great shoot... I enjoyed getting to know you both so much better!

The Mother-to-Be

What an incredible time of their lives!

The past couple days, I have been witnessing the fun and the not so fun things about being pregnant. As I am visiting my sister, a little over 8 months pregnant, I have been getting a first hand look at the whole experience. Thinking about having a human being growing within you is somewhat weird, yet intriguing to me. Before my sister was pregnant, and I knew someone that was pregnant or that had kids, I really didn't think too deeply about it other than that I was happy for them. But getting a closer look at the last couple weeks, it makes my heart go out to all the women who have had children. What a sacrifice they go through. My sister has not had the most easy pregnancy, and it doesn't seem to be finishing any easier. At her last Dr. appointment on Thursday, they basically put her on a step up from bed rest... not walking much and basically sitting with her feet propped up as much as possible. They are just being cautious, but she was extremely bummed, and I was bummed for her! I don't know what I would do if the Dr. told me that, I have a feeling I would rebel, but then it's not about me anymore, it's about keeping that human being within you healthy and that's a scary thing! But with all the not so fun things, I think about the whole creation of that child, and it amazes me and is just so beautiful... I'm at a loss of words!

We were able to get a photo shoot in before the bad "take it extremely easy news" though... good thing or else Mike, my brother-in-law, would have not let us do it- Ha! I wanted to take advantage of the fact that there is so much country nearby and so that is exactly what we did. Just drove in the country roads and found awesome stuff on the side of the road. She did awesome too! What a beautiful woman she is... and what a great mom & dad they both are going to be come a couple weeks. Congratulations and I love you both so much!!!!















The next two are two of my favorites of the day...

Lots Coming Next Week...

I know I mentioned I'd be leaving this week, but I wanted to leave you all with a little preview of what's to come. I have had 4 different photo shoots the last 3 days and I'm so excited to dig into them, but feel myself getting a bit overwhelmed thinking about it. So I've decided to just do the last minute stuff to get ready for my trip and hold off on editing. But I couldn't leave you all without something to look forward to.

Mr. & Mrs. Gillett....




Jeff & Stephanie...




and Joe & Sarah...




All were amazing shoots and we had the best weather on them all!

See you next week with more to share... wish me luck for the first and ever baby shower I am to host! Let's hope it goes well!

Happy Father's Day!

As busy as the weekend has been, I need to just take a minute and give a shout out to two important men in my life.

One of those being my dad... thank you for always allowing me to be independent and supporting me and the choices I have made for my life. You have always been positive, encouraging, and always had the sense of humor to make me laugh. Thanks for being a great dad!



Another shout out to my father-in-law... thank you for treating me as though I am your real daughter, not one that married in, but one who has been here for years. You have always been so easy to talk to and to crack jokes with. You even know how to make me jealous... especially when it comes to gummies and ice cream with sprinkles. You have been such a great father-in-law, I am blessed more than words to have two great men to be apart of my life.


(I couldn't seem to find a photo of all three, so Todd will do!)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Jeremy & Amy: Engagements

I absolutely LOVE Jeremy and Amy! We met yesterday morning to do some engagement photos, and they came ready to show the camera they were meant to be together. Their interaction was so cute and so real, like God had placed them together and they just "fit". Not only is Jeremy and Amy so beautiful, but they are also amazingly nice and sweet, it was like I knew both of them for years. We had so much fun! I was a bit nervous because it rained all evening prior to their session and I also had an outdoor wedding I was to be shooting later in the day, but it turned out to be such a beautiful day! I am so excited and the anticipation is killing me now to shoot their wedding in July. If it's half as fun as the engagements were, I'm sure it'll be awesome!

Thank you Jeremy and Amy for allowing me to catch your love through my images!







This last one is my favorite, I love how the color turned out and they make this photo look extra vibrant with their steamy kiss!

I'm so ready....

Believe it or not, I have been looking forward to next week for about 4 months now!

As many of you know that my beautiful sister is pregnant with her first baby, which is huge for us all because it'll be the first grand baby within our immediate family, and it's only my sister and I. So this is so special! I'm so excited to become an aunt for the first time and I am so eager for the little baby girl to come into this world.

I have been looking forward to next week because I have planned a somewhat "extended" vacation to go to Indiana to visit with family, take maternity pictures of the baby belly, and most importantly, hold a baby shower for my sister. I have never planned anything like this before so this is huge for me, and a lot of work, stress, and excitement all wrapped in one. I know it's unnecessary stress, but I'm the planner so this is very serious and I need things well planned out. But it's sort of difficult because I'm planning it 5 hours away! Ha! But it's almost here and I know it will be a blast! I have some fun stuff planned, and I love the theme I'm going with... animals! Can't go wrong with them!

These next 3 days are going to be the busiest days I have ever been through, considering I have 3 engagement sessions, and a wedding to shoot all from Sat-Mon. I will definitely be a bit overwhelmed with lots of work. But I am glad to be doing what I love, so no complaints at all! I will try and post a few photos from each of the sessions, but no promises to how many!

Enjoy the weekend!



P.S. No, they are not real flowers... they would probably be dead by next Sunday when the shower is if they were! Haha!

Little Sable Point Light

Our last and final stop for the mini-lighthouse tour was within Silver Lake State Park, about 30 mins north of Muskegon, MI. This lighthouse was really hard to get to considering we had no idea that you had to have a parking pass to park right by it, so we parked a bit down the beach and "tried" to walk the beach to it. Little did we know that it was like a tornado out there. All day the wind would pick up each one we stopped at, and this one was by far the worst.

We walked down a little bit and the loose sand kept blowing so strong that gusts of sand would just pelt us over and over again. Todd had to stand in front of me with his back to the wind so that I could get my camera ready and then he'd lean over a bit holding on to me really tight because I couldn't even hold my camera straight. You can even see in the photos that the white blur in the sand was all the loose sand blowing right towards us. Let's just say we couldn't even walk up that close to it because the combination of the wind and sand made it almost impossible to even get near it. Good thing for telephoto lens's. Gotta love that 70-200mm.

These are the best I could do from the distance, but it was such a fun trip! We've gotten 4 down... 100 and something left in Michigan to see! Haha... maybe one day we will see them all.

Manistee North Pierhead

Our third stop was in Manistee, MI. This lighthouse was my absolute favorite, but also very challenging for me for a couple reasons:

1. We were racing against time because half the sky was blaaaa the other half was amazing, plus the wind was picking up even more.
2. In order to get out to this one you had to walk along the amazing LONG catwalk, which having heavy winds and nothing but water surrounding you can make someone a bit nervous. I thought I was going to fly into the water with my camera... I didn't care about myself too much, I know how to swim, but my camera I was concerned about, HA!
3. Being surrounded by all water and having a HUGE imagination that I have added to my slight nervousness, and I didn't know how deep it was and to be honest, water that I can't see the bottom kind of just creeps me out. But I survived!

The lighthouse itself had so much character to it, just sitting out in Lake Michigan by itself, such a peaceful feeling. It was old and rusted, yet amazingly beautiful. The waves would come in and the wind would blow, and those sounds combine can put you right to sleep. I find myself being so attracted to these structures for some unknown reason, maybe the thought that they are usually on the coast near water, or that you can only find them near the water, or something to do with being by water and I find bodies of water so peaceful, even if it can make me nervous! Ha... I'm not sure that makes sense, but oh well! They are beautiful and I love them!

Happy Wednesday!

Point Betsie Lighthouse

Our next stop was Point Betsie Lighthouse which is right by the Michigan Dunes and also fairly close to Traverse City. As we pulled up literally within SECONDS fog started rolling in and we didn't know if we were going to stay dry or not. It was the most erie feeling, but looked really cool! Not only did the fog roll in, but the wind got even stronger. I couldn't believe that just a few minutes before we got there, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I guess those clouds were the storm we got Sunday. It's a possibility because it looked pretty crazy, and the storm we got was pretty crazy!

Enjoy... and the one tomorrow was my favorite of the day!

Charlevoix South Pierhead

Our first stop was in Charlevoix, MI. Like I said earlier, this lighthouse was literally right by our hotel. We walked down in the morning, and the sun was still rising all the way. But it was so nice because the sky was extremely blue! It was beautiful! The only pitfall was the wind. I've come to realize that no matter where you are on the coast, it's going to be windy. We got lucky and there was a tour boat going out, which they use a draw bridge to get out into the lake... pretty cool!

Enjoy... and see you tomorrow!

Aubrey's Wedding/Lighthouse Mini-Tour

This past weekend we made our way up to Charlevoix, MI for a "Destination" Wedding of one of my good friends from college Aubrey Pepper. It was one of the most beautiful and intimate weddings we've ever been to. They originally wanted to have their wedding in Ireland, which if you've ever been to Ireland is absolutely beautiful. It's funny because both Aubrey and I went to Ireland in college on a photo trip, and it's filled with stone buildings, green everywhere, country, and just breathtaking scenery. But instead of traveling overseas they found this place up north called Castle Farms, which is an old castle that the owners restored and is used for numerous things, and has such a Irish feel to it. It was so good to see her, and a couple other friends from school. I even got to see and hang out with my good friend Bratch and her boyfriend Frank (my photo didn't turn out of us all so I have none to post, but it was great to see them all) Both Todd and I had such a great time! Congratulations Aubrey and Ryan... we are so happy for you guys!!!!


(The photo was taken by our point and shoot camera, and it was not being very cooperative, half of the photos I took did not turn out, but usually if we are not shooting the wedding we do not bring our "other" camera)

Since we were going up North and the wedding was on a Friday, we decided to make a weekend out of it. Last summer when we went to North Carolina, I saw my first lighthouse EVER, in person that is. I never really thought too much about them until I stood right in front of one and was amazed by its beauty. I fell in love with them and have wanted to see more since then! So we decided to drive down the west side of Michigan and visit just a couple of the many lighthouses in our state. I never knew there were so many. I found out that there are at least 100 different ones. I couldn't believe it! We picked a couple of the cool ones, and I will be posting each day a different lighthouse, so come back often this week and see where we went and what we saw. I wanted to visit more, but there's only so many you can visit in one day. I'm sure there will be more trips to see them and more photos to show of them.

Here is a map of our trip.... the blue is our trip on Friday and the pink is our trip Saturday



...and a preview of the first lighthouse we saw which was in Charlevoix, right by our hotel that we stayed at. Gotta love the wind blown hair and sun blaring in our faces huh?! That's what you have to do to get the photo you want right? haha!

Mr. & Mrs. O'Malley

Does life get any better?

We have had the best couples this year! Maybe not the best weather this year, but hey I'm ok with it if we contiune working with such awesome couples. It called for rain yet again, but luckily it stopped before we went out to do photos... which was so nice!

If you remember Quinn and Julie from their engagement session back in December, yes it was freezing, but they were troopers and we bared the cold together. We had been looking forward to this wedding for a while now because they were absolutely the sweetest couple and having such a sweet couple makes you really look forward to working with them again.

Quinn and Julie were married at the 1st United Methodist Church in Dearborn, MI and their reception was at the beautiful Lovett Hall at the Henry Ford Estate. Both venues were excellent places and just right down the road from each other. Their day was beautiful and we had such a great time. They had so much unique things added to their day to make it more intimate and personal. I thought that they did a wonderful job and it was such a beautiful wedding!

Congratulations Quinn and Julie, thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your day... we had so much fun and are thrilled for the two of you! Enjoy Mexico... ;)




I loved that Julie put this shamrock on her garter, hence the Irish last name "O'Malley"... how cute!



Getting help with her dress... she was so excited!



She was such a gorgeous bride... despite the tornado-ish wind... I think the wind effect adds to this photo... just lovely!





And all of her girls were awesome...



Quinn was very handsome as well...





And all of his guys were awesome...











After they were announced husband and wife, and they made their way down the aisle, the whole crowd just cheered so loud... I've never head anything like it, that just goes to show that everyone was so excited for them and it was definitely meant to be!



Such a wonderful couple, on a beautiful day!