Just Because: Kevin and Jocelyn + kids

I'm sitting here trying desperately to remember when these photos were taken. It's just not coming to me. I don't know why it matters anyway. Sometime in October? Early November? No clue. They were taken. That's what matters. And here they are for you to see!

Once we arrived at our location, someone noticed that someone else was wearing the "wrong" jacket. Said "someone else" had to then return home and find the proper one - which took longer than anticipated because it had been put away for the season. Once "someone else" returned with the correct jacket, the baby decided he'd had enough and that was the end of that. But we managed to get some good ones! (Of course!) Easy enough to do with this group. (I think the last one is my most favorite!)

breathing it in

I'm always excited when December rolls around. It means Christmas is almost here and I LOVE Christmas! I love Christmas baking (the actual baking, but mostly the eating), Christmas family gatherings, Christmas music (hooray for Roger Whitakker's Christmas album!), Christmas decorations, Christmas parties, Christmas stories... I could go on. My favorite though, is the Christmas feeling. I know you know what I'm talking about. The happy-smiley feeling that seems to permeate everything this time of year. There's excitement in the air. There's giving and sharing. There's love in the air. I want to breathe it in and let it fill me up. I love it.

Favorite of the month: November

My last post this month...It was a good month. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but I'm okay with that. Who really gets everything done anyway?!

I thought the light was really pretty this month. (You think it's funny of me to notice? That's okay.) I don't know why I never noticed it before. It just struck me as particularly pretty most days. Even though everything has been bare and brown, the light has brought it all to life, glowing or sparkling or shining prettily. I noticed that this month.

I came across this picture just today as I was searching for the picture I thought I would be using. I saw this one and just fell in love. I couldn't help myself! Look at the expression on his face! He looks so happy, so carefree. It makes me want to jump in there with him. (Plus, it shows off that beautiful light I was talking about.)

Just Because: Jason and Debra + girls

These pictures were taken on Thanksgiving (just to clarify for my American readers - Canadian Thanksgiving). It was a little chilly, but the lighting was great! We used their backyard which was perfect - wouldn't you like a forest in your backyard? I would!

In addition to family pictures, they wanted some pictures that would be suitable as replacements for the girls' school pictures. So one at a time, each of the girls ran out into the yard with me - no jacket - and I quickly snapped a few pictures before their smiles froze. Then they had to do it all over again for the family pictures. They were troopers. All of them:) Fun and easy to work with... what more can I ask for? Thanks, guys!

Here's a few of my favorites.

This one was taken especially for the one making the rabbit ears - love it:

Aren't they sweet?

smiling in the dark

I like to be on time and I like things to be "just right". I'm not crazy about it or anything, but it bugs me when these things don't work out.

The other night I was bugged.

Long story short - I was missing a vital piece for a project I'd wanted to finish. I had picked up a substitute that I thought I could live with, but as it turned out I couldn't. It wasn't "right". I was stressing over how I could now fit this setback into my schedule when I looked over at Jonny and an idea formed.

"Will you be downtown tomorrow?" I asked.

Without turning his gaze from the television he said, "I wasn't planning on it."

I kind of tested the waters with him a little more, but he wasn't biting. So I told myself I would just have to finish this later than I'd planned and deal with it.

Later, as we were lying in bed, he said "I can get those for you tomorrow." I turned and looked at him in the dark and smiled.

He knows I like to be on time. He knows I like things to be "just right". I felt so loved by that offer. I laid in the dark, thinking about how good I've got it while he rolled over and went to sleep.

Tim & Nicole: part 2

I had hoped to post this last week, but the cold/flu season is here and making its rounds throughout my house. Last week was my turn and while I am still dragging myself around, I am feeling a whole lot better than I did.

Anyway, here's some more on Tim and Nicole's wedding. (If you missed part 1, just scroll down a little.)

We started the day at Nicole's sister's house while the girls got ready. From there, we went to Whiskey Dix to meet the guys and wandered the Exchange District a little (you can find a small sampling of these in part 1). On our way out of the city, we stopped by some railroad tracks, paid a visit to A Maze in Corn and then family pictures and a few minutes of down time at Tim's parents' place before heading out to Niverville for the ceremony. Busy, yes. But oh so much fun!

I couldn't resist this:

music + art = good time

I'm headed to the winnipeg art gallery tomorrow afternoon for a winnipeg jazz orchestra concert featuring my sister! She's singing with a trio as part of the wjo's big band series. It's going to be fabulous! I love big band music and I love my sister - total win/win. There is a show in the evening too, so if you can't get tickets for one, maybe you can for the other. And you totally should get tickets, because, like I already said, it's going to be fabulous!

I took these head shots of her for this express purpose. It was rather impromptu. She was over for a birthday party and we left the group for a few minutes to quickly shoot these off. The pictures are a little unlike me - a little more formal than I usually am, but I figured that's what the wjo would want, so that's what I went for. (Sometimes you gotta go with the flow.)

Tim & Nicole: part 1

There was love in his look. Every time he looked at his bride his face shone with love. I loved it. I loved seeing her excitement as she waited to get ready. I loved it that she was so preoccupied with seeing him that she forgot all of our pre-laid plans. I loved it! I could've photographed their love all day... of course, I very nearly did.

At our first meeting, Nicole told me she wanted a focus on the pictures. She had already planned on using most of the day for picture taking with 4 different locations in mind, not including the ceremony and reception. LOVED it! LOVED her! Tim even threw in a suggestion for a location - which could be my favorite of the day. LOVED him!

I've broken this post into two parts because I had so many picture to share. So without any further "love"-ing, here's part 1:

Happy November!

Ahhh... November. I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I had a clean slate. Like this was the month for me to start again. October felt like some kind of crazy. Seriously. Towards the end, I thought I was going to go nuts. This is the month to fix that. This month I'm going to be organized and calm and not get all crazy when things are out of my control. I'm going to catch up on all the things October made me fall behind in. I'm going to get a head start on all the things that will need to be done next month. That was the attitude that I awoke to Sunday morning and it's Tuesday now and I'm still feeling pretty good.

So, to get started on my "catching up", I'm going to share this post with you that I wanted to do last week.

It was my son's class halloween party last week. Now, my son is a little bit reserved in large groups. He's quiet and keeps to himself and he's comfortable that way. And yet, he went dressed to this party as Elvis.

That's right - "the king". Uh hunh.

White and gold jumpsuit, cool shades, silk scarf - he was the best looking little Elvis I've ever seen. But I think he felt a little conspicuous on the playground. I mean, a white and gold bell bottomed jumpsuit kinda jumps out at you, y'know? He didn't quite know what to do when a couple of older girls came over the check out the little Elvis. And I saw him look around for an escape route when they came back with some more friends. But he survived. More than that - I think he enjoyed it. He got to spend the morning in the spotlight.

Most of us can appreciate that when it comes our way - even the quiet ones.

Favorite of the month: October

Okay, now you may be thinking I'm crazy here - having this image as my favorite for the month.. but it's my blog and I can do what I want! No, really, this one is my favorite because of the story it tells about me. Let's see if you can figure it out. (Don't worry - I'll help you along.)

So. There are two pairs of rubber boots. They are adult sized boots and one looks slightly larger than the other. The owners obviously take their boots off differently, one is maybe a little more dainty about it perhaps? (if rubber boots can be removed daintily) I think it's safe to assume that these boots have been out together. Perhaps they were in the garden working together, although they don't look too muddy, do they? Well then, perhaps they were happily walking through the rain. Perhaps they walked through a wet forest because they had nothing that was required of them and a walk seemed like a nice idea. If we can't assume they were out together, we can at least assume that they are now together. And their feet are dry:)

Alright, I'll let you in on the best part: mine is a family of 5.

And this is a picture of 2 adult pairs of rubber boots.

Jason & Jacelyn

It's about time I posted a wedding!

I had to really concentrate to keep the names straight for this one. Even so, when I would call one, the other would turn - I guess it could've used a little more concentration.

We spent some time wandering the streets and got in some good shots (in spite of the mosquitos and threat of rain) before we headed to the church for the ceremony. I loved the church with its high ceiling and stained glass windows... beautiful. As was everything else about this wedding.

Two Birds With One ... Quarter?

We went grocery shopping the other day. That's right: "we". I took the boys. I usually do. I wouldn't say it's the hightlight of my day - towing along 3 little boys, but it's usually manageable.
This particular shopping experience was . . . a little more trying. I think I was just tired. Tired of little boy car noises. Tired of loud boy sounds. Tired of trying to make a decision about whether or not we would all be in agreement with the vegetable crackers or the cheese crackers while refereeing who gets to ride on the cart.
Everything is worse when you're tired.
One of my boys was complaining about how his brother had found a penny and why couldn't he find a penny too? While I couldn't do anything about the boy noises and the fact that only one boy fits on the back of the cart at a time, I thought I could do something about this. So when we made it out to the parking lot and went to load up, I put a quarter on the ground and then asked my son to come help me unpack the cart. When he came over and saw that quarter, his face lit up and the excitement there was enough to make even me smile - and banish my case of "Seriously Tired and Grumpy".
And all it cost was a quarter.

Just Because: Kevin and Jenn + kids

I'm way behind in my posts here, and I'm going to start somewhere in the middle with Kevin and Jenn. We had a lovely day for pictures and we made the most of our time together with Jenn directing where to go and Kevin making sure we got there. Although the kids know me, I don't think they like me with a camera. They were a little unsure, but they gave me some beautiful smiles!
Here's a few of my favorites:

favorite of the month: September

I find it funny that as a wedding photographer, I often choose landscape pictures as my favorite of the month. My reasoning is that it would be unfair to post a work picture because then I would be choosing one client over another and that's not nice.

So here you have a fall-ish shot of some corn, with the beautiful September skies we were blessed with this month. It was taken at A Maze In Corn a few weekends ago. We went with friends of ours and I was very disappointed to have to take the "family-friendly" way out. (Meaning, we didn't finish.) But I'm sure if we'd stayed much longer, we'd have regretted it - the kids would see to that. However we finished, it was a good time. The kids were troopers, they loved the petting zoo, the weather was perfect and that's all good in my books.

Favorite Day

A while back my sister asked me a question that almost made me laugh out loud:

"What was your favorite day this summer?"

Here was my thought process:

"Favorite day? How am I supposed to pick a favorite day? I can't remember what happened last week, nevermind last month...wait a minute...last week. That was a good day, wasn't it?"

So here are the elements that made up my favorite day of the summer (or, at least, from one summer week).

• we were out at the lake
• the weather was warm and sunny; the first after a few cloudy and cool days
• the boys got to do all their favorite things - gator rides, playing in the water, fishing, running around outside, berry picking
• we had ice cream with wild blueberries for dessert (I LOVE wild blueberries)
• we went cruising in the boat before bed time (the boys' bedtime)
• I got to play with my camera at night and managed to include my hubby who actually enjoyed himself
• oh, and I was wearing my favorite summer dress (because, as you know, everything is nicer in a summer dress)

Can you pick a favorite day?

Previews

I know.
I've been absent. (I've missed you, too.)
I won't bore you with excuses - we'll just skip right to the show. And maybe in a little while I'll have more to show you.

letting go

Things have been a little crazy around here lately. We sent our oldest son to school last week. His very first day of school - pretty big milestone.

When he was a baby, I thought school was too far away to even think about and then, as a preschooler, I thought "school can't come fast enough!" (in a pull-my-hair-out-losing-my-mind sort of way) But these last few months I've been thinking about how much I'll miss having him around.
So I was prepared for missing him. I wasn't prepared for the "letting go". When I dropped him off that day and walked away from him, I found myself getting all choked up. I wasn't going to be there to make sure he was okay. I was leaving him all alone.

I knew that came with parenthood - letting go - I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be so impacting. And now I'm wondering - does it get easier every time? When he goes to summer camp, or gets his drivers' licence or goes to university or when he gets married or moves away, will it be easier than that first day of kindergarten? Or will I still feel like I am letting him go? Maybe that will be a good thing...

Sigh....

Today was the day.

I was going to have to clean the bathrooms. It has to be my least favorite job. Seriously.

But it needed to be done. So, dressed in my favorite summer dress (because everything is nicer in a summer dress), I gathered my courage and - decided to take some pictures of the cookies I'd just baked - they looked so good! (I can't pass up a photo op!)

So, after the pictures were taken, I gathered my courage and my resolve and went to the bathroom - where I noticed my cleaning supplies were totally disorganized. And, as a matter of fact, so was my bathroom closet.

So, after the cleaning supplies and the closet were somewhat tidied, I focused my courage and resolve and began to clean.

It becomes pretty anti-climatic here: the bathrooms were cleaned.

I wish I could say they were cleaned so well that every surface sparkled and there was a glow about the whole room; that I was crowned queen of the loo and there was an angelic "ahh" after I'd finished and surveyed my throne.

But there was nothing like that. In fact, before I'd officially finished cleaning, someone came and used the bathroom.

And so it goes.

At least I have my cookies.

favorite of the month: August

So. Here we are, at the end of August. Summer is almost done for another year. I confess, that makes me a little bit sad. But I do enjoy fall, and winter has its good points too, though I don't want to be thinking about them just yet.

I took a lot of pictures this month - it was hard to choose a favorite. But this one here makes me smile so the honour goes to it. (I LOVE wild daisies!)

It must be LOVE!

I love my husband. Have I mentionned that before? It's worth saying again.

I love my husband.

The other night, he was washing the car and I was here, at the computer. (Typical.) He came in and casually said "It's a nice night. There's some fog north of town. Maybe you'd like to take your camera and go for a drive." And I was like, "oh"- in a surprised, pleasant sort of way. Of course, I grabbed my stuff and went.

It meant a lot to me that he was thinking of me and my photography. He's not really into pictures. He appreciates a good one, but the whole "hunt for the best photo ever" he's not really into. And that's fine. We can't all be like that:) So I really appreciate it when he shows an interest in my photography and suggests to me that I go do something I love. Because it means he loves me.

Just Because: Roger and Colleen + kids

I had the pleasure of spending some time with this lovely family the other evening. Just a little bit of time - the kids don't have a lot left to give at the end of the day:)

I love it when I get to have some say in the where and when of picture taking. Roger and Colleen were gracious enough to allow me to plan the shoot to my specifications, even though I'm not the one with a hungry four month old and a two year old nearing bedtime. Thankfully, the kids were into it too.

I think it went rather well, don't you?