It is coming....

Life gets away from you & things like blogs remain untouched for a month! Eek! While I have been busy, I don't have a ton to report on. Just a lot of work actually. Lots of shoots, but that happens when summer comes. The warm weather brings clients...and weddings. I have 3 this weekend! Not only that but Sunday is also Fathers Day AND my birthday.

At 2 years old I had no idea what my life was going to be like. I think at that time I wanted to be an astronaut. lol


I will be 27 on Sunday. Man that sounds so old. I remember as a kid I was looking forward to turning 17. I thought 17 was going to be the best year! I graduated high school when I was 17. While I don't have a ton of great memories from high school I did have an amazing Senior year. I wouldn't say those were the best years of my life, but I did enjoy it. The though of being 27 never crossed my mind then when I turned 17. But, 10 years later it happened. Not quite sure how that happened. Those days of Choir & Cheerleading practice don't really seem that long ago. I am happy with my life at 27. It is different than my young self pictured. As a kid I pictured myself living in Chicago. I loved the city. I still do. I feel like a kid every time I go to Chicago. Not a kid as in I am scared in a big world but like the city is a big dream full of endless possibilities. I wanted to live there & be a set designer for shows & movies. I even went to college for Interior Design. At the end of the day though, I always loved photography & that seemed to fit my life better. So I stuck with that & that is what I have made my life about. As a kid I didn't expect to be married with two kids already. I thought for sure I wouldn't get married until I was 24-25 & have my first kid at 27. Instead I had my first kid at 22 & was married 6 months later. I also didn't expect to meet the love of my life at 19 & have him be 6 years older than me. But, you can't plan life. Life has a plan of it's own.

You know what though? I couldn't be happier where I am now. I have an amazing husband, 2 healthy beautiful kids, 2 crazy dogs & a house that we are slowly making our own. I have a job that I love. I can't even call if a job or a career. It doesn't seem like either. I get to spend my days doing something that I really truly love & I get paid for it. I am lucky. That really doesn't happen very often.

So with open arms, I welcome 27 & all that 27 has to offer. As scared as I am to get older, getting older has brought me all the things in my life that I love and all the things in my life that I wouldn't give up for anything in the world.  

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Just a few pictures of my kiddos to share. I swear if they got any cuter, I'd die!

Gay, Straight, Black, White Marriage is a Civil Right!

I am going to get political on here for a moment...or 10! This is my blog, so I shall use it as I see fit. I don't really like to talk politics most of the time. It is a very touchy subject & has caused many friendships to crumble. While I respect that people have different opinions on things, there are some things, that I just don't budge on. One of those few issues is the right for ANYONE to get married. Gay, Straight, Black, White Marriage is a Civil Right!


Recently some Minnesota Lawmakers have decided that they want to vote on Love. They want to make an amendment stating that in Minnesota you can only get married if you are a man and a woman, making Gay Marriage illegal. Since when did we vote on straight peoples right to marry? Oh wait. We didn't. We didn't because the Bible said it was okay. But who says we all have to believe that book. I am not Christian. Why should they force their beliefs on everyone else. That isn't fair. Most of the people that are Christan's don't follow that book 100% anyways. If they did, most people wouldn't have sex before marriage, they wouldn't use birth control & hell, they would be saints. That just isn't it. Sadly, most of the hardcore Christan's that I know, are the most judgmental people that I know. I am not saying all, just most that I know. They are setting a pretty bad example as a Christan because doesn't it say in the Bible not the judge people because that is God's job?

But, I digress. This isn't a post about being a good Christan. It's about Gay Marriage & their right to have the same rights as any other couple in love. Monday afternoon several hundred of us Rallied together at our State Capitol to try & put a stop to this amendment. I love everyone! I feel awful that these people can't marry because someone says it isn't okay. That is just ridiculous! I had to go to this Rally as a straight person to take a stand. To show that just because I am straight, that doesn't mean I am against Gay Marriage. These people need other people to stand up with them! They need people to fight with them for their right to marry the person they love.

Lets digress for just a second again. Back to being a Christan. In the Bible it talks about how divorce is wrong & la de da. So why isn't divorce illegal? If they want to make Gay Marriage illegal, make divorce illegal as well. I bet that would change the tune of many lawmakers who have been through pretty nasty divorces. Wouldn't it suck to be married to someone who you aren't in love with anymore? Maybe someone who cheated, since we hear that far too often. It was even announced today that the reason Senator Arnold Schwarzenegger cheated on his wife & they are getting divorced after 25 years of marriage. That is wrong according to the Bible. So is Gay Marriage. So why do these Lawmakers get to pick & choose what parts of the Bible they want to follow?

I know, I am all over the place! Forgive me! Back to the Rally. So I headed down there with Karie (Kegan stayed with my aunt as I thought it would be a little too difficult to bring both my crazy preschoolers to an event with so many people. I knew however, that I had to bring one of the kids. Karie showed interest. She insisted that Captain Hook was going to be there. She thinks he is Gay because he wears a dress & she is okay with that because "Being girls is pretty coo & if I was a boy I would want to be a girl too." lol I love my kids. We should all think like them in some ways. They are born only knowing love! They are taught hate & discrimination!! So I brought her & met up with a high school friend Abby & the two little ones that she nannies for. The oldest is Karie's age & the youngest isn't a walker yet so she just hung out in the carrier most of the time. Worked out great. The kids sat around & ate snacks while Abby, myself & the rest of the hundreds of people there made our voice very well known!

There were many chants that went on.

Gay, Straight, Black, White Marriage is a Civil Right

No Amendment

Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho
Bigotry Has Got to Go

Not to mention the crowd breaking out in song singing "All You Need is Love" by the Beatles. It was nice to be apart of something I feel so strongly about! It was great to see so many people Gay & straight fighting for something in a none violent way!

I planned to take a ton of pictures but I am too busy fighting for equal rights!

The kids did great as well! I really hope that we made a difference. I think we did. We will know tomorrow if the amendment passes to go on the 2012 ballot. I hope not. I don't want to see a year and a half of awful commercials about how Gay marriage is bad. I don't get why people think that. Why? Why is Gay marriage so bad? Why do people care about who other people love?

Fine don't call it Marriage then. I know that word freaks a lot of Christan's out when talking about Gay Marriage. Fine, call it a Civil Union then if it freaks you out. Just let them have their RIGHTS! As a matter of fact, I am not married in the eyes of God I guess. Just by the state. My husband & I did not have a religious ceremony. Religion did not play a part in our wedding. So, I had a Civil Union then. But, it was easy for us because I am a woman & my husband is a man. It should be that simple for any other couple. Don't vote on equality. Haven't we already gone through this enough? At one point in time women couldn't vote. African Americans were held as slaves! That is insanity!!!! WHY IS THIS EVEN AN ISSUE ANYMORE?! WHY CAN'T WE JUST ALL GET ALONG?!

I don't want my children to grow up in a world like that! I have always taught them, and will continue to teach them that EVERYONE is equal no matter who they love, what color their skin is or if they have a disability. We are all equal.

In our Constitution it says "All men are created equal." So let EQUAL win!

The joy of nice weather!

Anyone who knows me, knows that winter is my least favorite season. I pretend I like it, but really, I downright hate it. I hate being cold. I hate jackets, I hate boots, I hate hats & mittens. I pretend, but, I hate it. It is has been a cold Spring. Several days with snow, lots of rain & insanely windy. Those few warm days we have we spend most of it outside. That includes meals even! I love grilling so any chance to do that tickle's my soul. I love it!

Yesterday was so nice! I was so excited to stay out & stay out late. The kids got dirty, they chased the dogs, looked for bunnies & helped pick up sticks for the bonfire. Kegan loves to climb so it was no surprise he climbed up the tree stump. Even less surprising was him jumping off...over and over again. He jumps off everything!

He is such a boy!!! Although he does not like to get dirty. He is getting better though. If he is outside, being dirty is okay. It is okay because at least we are outside! Inside & dirty is a whole other story! lol He is my boy though. I adore him. He is oh so handsome!!

How can you not love that face?!

Then we have Karie...aka Mimi. Or Moo. Those are her nicknames of the moment. Her names are often changing for whatever the mood is. Moo is there all the time. Not even sure where that even came from. But, it's there. Karie loves to be outside too. She loves the dogs. She would spend all day petting them, chasing them & loving them!

More than anything she wants a dog of her own. Hawk loves her only when he can't cuddle with me. Kooper loves everyone but he is so big & goofy. She wants a little dog to love. Someday it will happen.

She is silly however. She is always making funny faces & saying the funniest things. Well, and dressing pretty silly too. See her leggers & rain boots? lol Silly girl! I love her.

I am truly blessed for such amazing kids. I adore them!!!

Monday Mingle, on Tuesday.

Yesterday was busy. I was also too busy to do anything with my hair other than putting it up. I also didn't do my makeup besides some glass & eyeliner. So today I did my Monday Mingle. A day late, like last week.

So try it out yourself. I love making these videos. They are fun!

I am getting married...again!

You did read that right. I am getting married...again. But wait you ask, aren't you already married? Yes, I am married. 4 years. 4 happy years. We are however, getting married again. We are renewing our vows next year. April 7th, 2012. Where you ask? Sedona, AZ. A little random yes, but insanely beautiful! Neither of us have ever been there before. We were orginally thinking Vegas but after googling Sedona, that totally changed our minds. This place looks just amazing.

Of course being a girl, I dove right into planning. How could I not? Being a wedding photographer this is something that I think about a lot. I love the idea of doing something different. I don't want that typical wedding feel. I did that once. It was boring to me. Nothing stood out. I want this one to stand out. I want to be proud to display those pictures on my walls & have it be something that we will for sure we taking about many years later. Don't get my wrong, I loved my first wedding. I love standing there with my husband telling him that I love him & that we'd be together forever. I loved my dress & the food. I just wish it was a little more...fun. That is what we plan to do with this wedding.

I have a folder where I have saved inspiration pictures. Dress, shoes, hair, makeup, flowers....er lack there of. One thing I am really excited about it my bouquet. I am making a brooch bouquet.

How amazing is that? I want bright colors. The ceremony is going to take place in the red rocks (think Grand Canyon) so I think bright colors will stand out. I can't stop thinking about it. I am going to make this piece. Buying something like this can run as high as $1,500, at least from what I saw, and that is CRAZY to me. Plus, I LOVE being crafty. I will buy the brooches myself & make it. I also might ask friends/family if they want to donate a brooch. That way some will have a special meaning. So I am really excited to start work on this one!!!

So far I am just have one Bridesmaid. Angel, who is my Maid of Honor. Love her! We aren't sure if we will be having anymore than 1 on each side. We will figure that out ASAP. I want to make sure we give people enough time to plan since this isn't your typical wedding.

I am decided against flower bouquets for my girl(s). Not a Brooch one either. I am thinking a Parasol. I love the look of them & I think not only will it be fun it will also work great where we are getting married.

No flowers for the guys either. Not at all for them. Since they aren't wearing tuxes, there isn't a point. Think more beach attire. Nice khaki pants & white button ups. Not sure on shoes for those guys. That is something the man will have to decide on.

Wednesday I am starting the great wedding dress search. Of course I had to do something different & am choosing to do a short dress. That isn't easy so thankfully I have time to look. Of course I also have really expensive taste & the dress I want is $8,500. Ouch! That isn't going to happen but hopefully I can find something just as awesome!

So that is just a glimpse in our wedding planning! Super excited!!

Spring, where are you?

Last week, on Tuesday it was close to 70 degrees outside. After my hair appointment in the morning we spent the rest of the day outside. We grilled dinner & had a bonfire that night. It was awesome. I really though that Spring might finally be here. Yesterday it was a high of 44 degrees. Ew. While I was sad it was cold, we played in the backyard & I saw some signs of Spring. I was so excited despite the cold.

I thought for sure things were on the up & up. Nope. Mother Nature has been really emotional lately. Not sure what her deal is, but she really needs to chillax. We woke up this morning to snow. Yes. SNOW! Snow in April. What the heck!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently Hawk & I were the only ones not impressed by the snow. Both kids were excited & so was Kooper. Pretty sure that dog should live where it snows year round. He would love to do nothing but sleep & run around in the snow...and eat the snow too. lol

The kids wanted to go out in the snow, with no jackets. It lasted all of about 30 seconds before they got cold. I tried to warn them that it wasn't warm out, they didn't care. They didn't want to play, Karie said "We just want to walk around & see if for a minute." Um okay. I grabbed my camera & snapped a few pictures of them just to document the snow. Ew. I really hope this is the last snow we see until WINTER!!

According to our local weather man it is going to be 62 & sunny on Sunday. Minnesota seems to always have crazy weather. Keep it warm now lady! We are dying to get outside & play. Plus the kids want to play on their new play house that Kyle is building. He started building it last weekend & of course since it got so cold & now snowed, he can't work on it.

I personally would like to get out there & weed. My gardens need it badly. I also want to plant. I have the itch. I want to get my backyard ready for parties & get together. We have so much planned for the summer!