"I Finally Did It!"

Congratulations on your graduation,

Opening a door not easily reached!

Now go through it: on the other side

Great mountains become hills, and then just fields

Rolling eastward towards a rising sun.

All now is success and celebration,

The music of deeds done and barriers breached.

Underneath, uncertainties still glide

Lean and hungry as the sweet day yields,

And golden moments through your fingers run.

The rock on which you stand is your creation,

Illustrating what your teachers preached

Of learning and the provenance of pride.

Nor need you fear the wind, as knowledge shields

Such as earn it from what storms may come.


Tonya has finally finished her schooling. What an awesome accomplishment to know that in one short month she will be walking across the stage to receive her Master's Degree. All the hardwork, sleepless nights, frustrations, and all night study sessions are almost over with and all that lies before her are the fruits of her hardwork!

Congratulations, Tonya! I wish you all the best in your new journey in life!

Bonnie Blue Butler

It's extremely rare I get the opportunity to photograph a child in a costume with such beautiful scenery; mountains, cattle, horses, a buggy, and Bonnie Blue Butler from Gone With The Wind?

Anna contacted me back in January about taking pictures of her daughter in a costume her mom made, for a parade Alex was in. I never knew the costume was going to be so AMAZING! I seriously did not want to stop taking pictures of Alex. The costume alone was incredible! The scenery was perfect, and Alex was a photographer's dream! I am looking forward to the next opportunity I get to work with Alex and her grandma's costumes!

The entire shoot was amazing! Oh and how can I forget the ride in the buggy, actually if I remember correctly it's called a buckboard...I think??? to the site, the kids and I had a total blast!

So I think Alex was a little burnt out by the time I took this picture back at the stables, but I absolutely love it! It is even one of my favorites!

Who's Expecting Baby Boy Number Two????

Take a look inside my lens and you will see!

Big Brother Trent couldn't be more excited his mom, Jill, is giving him a new baby brother, and what a perfect age Trent is to be shedding the baby persona and taking on the role of "Man of the House".

He just turned 3, that is big boy status now! He is all boy and loves having fun! He definitely is quite the little character and charmer, I might add.

Let's just hope Jill can handle having 3 VIP men in her life!

I'm sure she will do just fine! Jill seems like she is already doing something right! She has an extremely friendly, loving, happy son, who would give her the world if he could...

...and a boyfriend that can't keep his eyes off of her! You can definitely tell through Raymond's eyes, Jill is everything; and his new son he is dying to meet, he has already fallen head over heels for!

Life doesn't get much better than that!

"Soon to be an empty nest, but there will always be an open door"

After 25 years of marriage and 3 grown kids, Ted and Lisa are finally getting ready to see off their youngest son, Jay, who is getting ready to leave for the air force. Their two older kids have already left home so when Jay leaves their nest will finally be empty.

Lisa contacted me a few months ago after coming across some of my work. You know how there are just certain people in this world that have such a warmness about them that you feel like you have known them your entire life. This is Lisa! I went to the appointment so at ease and excited because I felt like I was going to see my longtime friend. This entire family was amazing! They had a very strong family dynamic, and most importantly they knew how to have a good time together; laughing, playing, just being friends!

At the beginning of the appointment while I was setting up a place for the kids (I feel really funny calling them kids, considering I am only a couple years older) to play cards, I couldn't help but wonder what it was like growing up in their house. Devan, Teddie, and Jay all seem to have a respect for their parents that is hard to still see this day in age, and a lighthearted relationship amongst themselves. Just watching them interact and tease with each other was a blast. I can only imagine all the mischief the three of them got into with each other!

The strength in Ted and Lisa's marriage and love for each, definitely held this family together throughout the years. Lisa talks about Ted like a newlywed would, but the one thing that stood out to me most, Ted is her best friend! They make time to get away every weekend and enjoy the bond they have between themselves! They are doing something right, something I hope my husband and I will be able to hold onto for our entire life!

Doesn't Ted and Lisa just look like a blast to be around? They were all very full of life!

So it has been rare for me to have people like Lisa come to me with a bunch of ideas and props, she was a dream come true! They brought their bikes along and we had a blast incorporating them into their pictures! The reflection picture I absolutely love!!!!!!!

"LOCA RYD" Awesome! I caught Lisa and Ted in the tail light admiring their Harleys!

The kids had some down time to play cards, and what's a game of poker without the Patron! Cheers to you guys, good luck with those shots!

Lisa brought this idea to me of her and Ted watching their kids reflection walk away. It really was a cool idea and very sentimental to them, the perfect way to end their preview!

Teagan= Talented, Entertaining, Adorable, Gleeful, Amusing, and Not a Baby Anymore!

Ever since Teagan was born she has kept her personality 100%. I can remember back to when we were taking newborn photos of her and how strong and determined her personality was at just a few weeks of age. She has always been so aware of her surroundings and incredibly bright! Her spring pictures were no different. I was completely amazed by how little her personality has been warped over the last 15 months of life. She really is a neat little girl, who has always been so full of life! Our shoot was a total blast. It was so fun to just sit and watch Teagan be Teagan. She is an amazement; very very grown up, and who can resist those adorable pigtails!

Teagan asked her best bud, Cole, to come along and play with her. They were so cute to watch interacting with each other. You definitely can tell that Teagan calls the shots!

Cole was such a cutie! Everytime I pointed the camera at him he had a huge smile on his face!

So it appears that Teagan is going on an Easter egg hunt, but what really was going on was she was determined to keep all the eggs from Cole unless she wanted him to have one! It was pretty funny!