All the Way {wedding photography}

Ryan & Kyle

Covington, KY Wedding

January 7, 2012

Last Saturday I photographed my first wedding of 2012! Ryan & Kyle were two of the cutest people I've ever met. Instead of writing traditional wedding vows, they wrote letters to each other that were read during the ceremony. Ryan and Kyle kept their words a secret from one another, yet when they were read it could have been from the same letter. They spoke of a love rooted in friendship and playfulness and romance and adventure - all things important to keep a marriage young.

On my way to Ryan & Kyle's wedding a Frank Sinatra song came on the radio - All the Way. It's not one of my top five Sinatra songs, but just like with most of his music as I listened to the melody the words began to come to me. With weddings on my mind, I reflected on the last six years of my own marriage. I realized how true the lyrics are...

Who knows where the road will lead us
Only a fool would say
But if you'll let me love you
It's for sure I'm gonna love you - all the way 
All the way

I think the unknown of life is one of the most exciting aspects of a marriage. Ryan and Kyle have no idea where their road will lead, but they know they'll be on that road together.

Wedding Ceremony & Reception: The Madison, Covington

Hotel: The Embassy Suites Rivercenter, Covington

Bridal Hair & Make-Up: Noah's Art

Groom's Grooming: King's Court Barber Shop

Flowers: The Blossom Basket

Cake: Tres Belle Cakes

Wedding Gown: Mori Lee, Bridal & Formal

Time Flies When You're Raising Babies (& Having Fun!)

I can't stress enough how quickly children grow-up! I know it's cliche, but they really do change in the blink of an eye. This whole process is accelerated by the fact that I...like most mothers...feel like I'm going day-to-day (sometimes moment-to-moment) just trying to survive life with three under three.

There are days we're on top of things...my daughter gets to school on time (in a matching ensemble), my house is clean, I have happy twins, get some work done and manage to cook something only semi-frozen for dinner. These days make me feel like Superwoman.

Then there are our normal days...I'm late getting my daughter to preschool (in my work-out clothes that shift to lounge clothes when I don't ever make it to the gym), my house is a disaster, my twins are fussy, and we eat a buffet of condensed soup and frozen noodles for dinner.

Even during these disaster-days of spit-up, screams and self-loathing...I try to remind myself that I'm doing the best I can & that's all I can manage. And even in the midst of wrecking havoc on our home, my beautiful girls will smile or laugh or give me a kiss...and I remember why I do what I do.

Like I said earlier, I can't believe how the last six months have disappeared. My twins are developing their own personalities and traits, and Bianca is three going on thirty. She is so smart and funny and opinionated.

We took the week off work and preschool to visit my dad and grandmother in Paducah. Here are my girls. The three most amazing faces I get to wake-up to every morning and tuck in to bed each night.

It's a miracle! Everyone is looking toward the camera & no one is in tears...yet.

Some of my favorite pictures I've ever taken...ever! My Brooklynn Rose is actually smiling (she's our serious baby:)

The best big sister...rocking her self-cut hair-do!

Miss Hazel B LOVES her feet...

And Brooklynn Rose loves tummy time. I can imagine her saying, "Yeah, I spit-up...So?"

I just adore these kids! And I know they adore me...right now anyway. As Bianca says, "Mommy, I love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very much!" And then she giggles uncontrollably.

Boston {gallatin county senior portraits}

It has been an amazing few months of senior portraits! I love senior portraits because I get to spend time with young women and men on the verge of the most exciting adventures of their lives...college, the millitary, adulthood. (I also like hanging out with young people because it keeps me feeling young.)

Boston is such a neat young man! He's the kind of guy you want around. He could fix your car, go out and hunt or fish for dinner & probably cook it if needed. He likes wearing ties with his blue jeans, is a wonderful role model to his three younger siblings, and has a love and appreciation for vintage cars.

Boston's uncle's Gran Torino became the backdrop and theme for our photo shoot, and we had a blast on his family farm.

Boston, Good Luck in All you Do! I know you'll make your mom proud! 

Visit us on Facebook to see more photos from our shoot!

Nothing's Scarier than a Three-Year-Old!

It's been a frightening weekend...full of shrieks and screams and cries. I wasn't at a Haunted House or Halloween Party. No, I was at home with my daughter.

Our weekend started out pleasant enough. Bianca had a Halloween Party at school so she dressed-up in her costume and we walked to school singing cute little songs and laughing. After school we decided it was too cold to attend the Monster Mash, so we opted to stay home and watch Casper.

This is where our weekend went south.

I'd stepped into the other room for what seemed like one second when I heard Brylee let out a horrible cry from her swing in the living room. As I came running, Bianca took off in the other direction. I knew she'd done something, but I wasn't sure what. When I tried asking her, she immediately started repeating, "I didn't do it! I didn't do nothing!" (That's always a dead give-away. I really think it's comical when she tries to blame one of the dogs too.) When I saw the empty Mickey Mouse cup on the floor by the swing I was pretty sure what happened, but I wanted to hear it from Bianca. "Bianca, did you try to give Brylee your chocolate milk?" I asked. "No mommy. I gave Brylee her white milk from the kitchen," she answered. As I lifted Brylee out of her swing, the brown liquid dripped from her sopping bottom. Brylee got a bath, Bianca got sent to bed and when I woke-up Saturday morning I was pretty sure our weekend could only get better.

Boy was I wrong.

Saturday night our little princess, angel, sweetheart decided that the best way to get the hair out of her face would be to cut it off. Let's just say her new nickname is Billy Ray, because she has a full-on mullet. Fortunately, it's not too noticeable as long as she has her hair in a ponytail. Unfortunately, my daughter doesn't like to wear her hair in a ponytail. I can't be mad at her though because I did the same thing when I was little, and my mom was quick to remind me that I not only cut my hair but I also cut all of her clothes.

So we woke-up Sunday morning and I was determined to get our Halloween Pictures taken that we'd been planning. And wouldn't you know it, my girls actually cooperated...for a few minutes anyway. So the moral of this story and photograph is....Looks Can Be Deceiving!

Happy Halloween!

See a Man About a Horse

What's the first rule of photography? ALWAYS have your camera with you, because you never know what you'll see.

I first saw Ricky Hall, his horse actually, while waiting in the McDonald's drive-thru. Despite the distraction of my three screaming girls, the Paint parked by the Play-Land caught my eye and sparked my curiousity. It's not everyday you see a horse hitched to a parking spot. But the rider was inside and my daughter was not willing to wait any longer for her chicken nuggets, so I drove away from this prime photo opportunity. Not that my circumstances mattered, because where was my camera? It was in my camera bag, securely locked in my studio.

Imagine my surprise when I spotted the same spotted horse outside Wal-Mart a few weeks later. This time I had no kids and my camera was in my trunk since I'd just finished a shoot. The rider exited the store and began loading merchandise into his saddlebags.

I was a little apprehensive approaching the man in the wide-brimmed cowboy hat. Tall men with dark glasses and moustaches have a mysterious aura. But Ricky Hall greeted me with a smile, as if he'd known me forever.

(I love the oil change advertisement. I think Oreo's just fine with grass!)

Ricky and I got to talking as I snapped a few photos. I told him how refreshing it was for me to see someone utilizing their horse for daily travel. Ricky explained that he rides out of necessity because he is legally blind and unable to pass the eye exam for a driver's license.

(Oreo is Ricky's eyes on the road.)

Ricky explained that he has more of a right-of-way on the roads than drivers in vehicles. Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Ricky is allowed to use his horses as seeing-eye horses. Ricky trains them from early ages not to spook at sudden movements or loud sounds found on the road. Honking horns and revving engines shouldn't phase Oreo.

Although Oreo is trained to handle sudden situations on the road, Ricky said it's still upsetting to see people purposefully try to spook his horses or run them off the road. So the next time you see someone riding their horse, take a moment to do the right thing - yield. It just might be Ricky & Oreo.