Amy & Andrew

A couple of weeks ago I was blessed to photograph this beautiful, beautiful couple!  Amy and Andrew got married in September, and decided to have an after-the-wedding shoot because they did not schedule a lot of time on their wedding day to take photos of just the two of them.  They wanted to have a fun shoot in a relaxed environment where they weren't rushed and things weren't chaotic ... like they always are on wedding days ...  And what a great excuse to put that beautiful wedding dress on again!  We decided to wait until the leaves were changing, and I am so glad we did because I could not have asked for a more beautiful setting.  We were worried that we might have to reschedule because of the rainy/snowy weather that was expected, but the weather held out, and the afternoon was perfect for a photo shoot!  Amy and Andrew were so fun to photograph ... they are naturals in front of the camera (obviously) and their incredible love for each other was so eminent that it beams in every photo we took.  Thank you Amy and Andrew for such a fun, gorgeous shoot!  

Summit is a BIG sister! Meet River, the new puppy!

About a month ago, my sister and I were driving in the car together when Kayla says to me, "I have something I need to tell you" in a very serious voice.  Immediately my heart fell into my stomach as fear took over me imagining what she might have to tell me.  Finally, after what seemed like eternity, she simply says, "We are getting a puppy."  

PHEW!!! Thank the Lord!  Just a puppy!

So, on Sunday morning Kayla, Cameron, and I (of course I had to go along to document the day!) hop in the car to head up to Mead, Colorado to go get River.  They got him from Crownpoint Aussies ... the same breeder that we got our first dog from as little girls, Sydney, our second dog, Lexey, who is now 13 and still thriving, and our other pup, Summit, who is now 4.  Needless to say, the breeder thinks we are great for we have given her lots and lots of business over the years.  :)

Once there, we waited eagerly as the breeder went over everything, signed papers, and FINALLY brought out the new puppy!  He was a little nervous at first, but his tail was wagging the whole time, and he quickly became excited, happy, and already oh so loving and sweet!

After getting to know him for a bit, we all got into the car to take River to his new home!  The car ride went okay...  He cried and howled and threw up once, but over all, he did pretty well.

And once we were home, he was completely fine!!  Summit and him met (she was a little tentative at first and wasn't sure what to think about him just yet), played in the back yard, and he has been adjusting well!

Summit tried to show off by showing the new puppy her frisbee and fetching skills ... River even was brave enough to run with her to get the frisbee!  Of course, Summit didn't let him have it, but it was a brave try by the little pup!

Here are a bunch of pictures from River's first day at home.  He is obviously so loving, caring, and just the cutest thing EVER.

However, despite his cuteness, we had to keep him a secret ALL day long.  Why?  Because Kayla didn't want to tell my Dad that she was getting a puppy, and so she decided to wait until she had River.  She didn't want to tell him because he has always said, "Two dogs is just crazy."  "Why would anyone want to have two dogs?"  "Two dogs is so much work."  So, Kayla decided to have him over once River was home, and that way he couldn't get mad because River is just too stinking cute to be mad about.  So we called my parents and invited them over to watch the end of the Broncos vs. Redskins game.  My Mom and Dad were out of town and their plane landed just in time for the last quarter of the game so we told them to stop by on their way home from the airport for some pizza and some football.   This was my Dad's reaction as he walked in:

(Excuse the blurriness ... It happened so fast that I wasn't able to get him completely in focus)

But his reaction quickly turned to this ...

And our Mama was obviously very happy to have a new Grand Pup!

Here are some more pictures of the pup...  Can you say CUTE?!

The whole time we worried about how Summit would react to having a new puppy in the house, but we soon found out that there was absolutely nothing to worry about.  If you don't know Summit, she is very dominant and protective.  She likes to play with other dogs, but she is very protective over her own territory and her own toys so we weren't sure how well she would do at first with the new puppy.  But, she has been GREAT! She loves him and plays with him and even snuggles him at night!  What a great big sister she is!  How cute is that?!

So, there you have it.  Can you tell that I love him maybe a little too much?!

The White Girls - DeKoevend Park

Such a cute Fall sister portrait shoot ... could these girls be any more adorable?  Thanks to their Momma who is one of my absolute best clients!  It is always a joy to photograph your beautiful girls :)  

Happy Wedding Day, Chelsie & Chase!

Happy Wedding day to Chelsie and Chase!  You may remember them from this incredibly cute engagement shoot.   I am so, so excited to be apart of their special day!  Congrats to the happy couple!

Sue & Tim's Gorgeous and Fun Wedding: Evans Memorial Chapel & Denver Beer Company

Let me just say that I am beyond blessed that I got to photograph and be apart of Tim and Sue's special day!  I have never had so much fun at a wedding before with this awesomely fun group of people!  They were all so laid back, creative, fun, and seriously made my job a piece of cake!  I can honestly say that Tim and Sue had a blast on their wedding day, and everyone had a great time!  

The Perry Family

Where to start?  Let me just say that the Perry family made my job a piece of cake!  I am always blown away by how much ... hmmmm what is the word ... easier?  More compliant?   Whatever the word, photographing a family with grown children is a cinch compared to what I'm used to.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely positively LOVE the little ones (afterall, it's the kiddos that made me want to become a teacher), but it's always nice to mix it up every once in a while.  While I thoroughly enjoy chasing youngsters around trying to get them to laugh, smile, and stand still, I welcome the refreshing change of photographing a family where every member of the family does exactly what I tell them to do for every single snap of the shutter!  It's always weird when I am going through the original 300+ photos I took from a session, and 99% of them are perfect.  By perfect, I mean that all four of them were perfectly posed with perfect expressions on their faces.  I will admit that as easy as it is to photograph a family like this, it becomes incredibly hard when I am forced to narrow down 300 great photos to a mere handful or two.  Thanks to the beautiful Perry family for a fun, easy-going, refreshing photo shoot!

University of Denver Graduate Business Gala

A couple of weeks ago, I was honored to photograph the business school's graduate celebration at the University of Denver!  It was an amazing event with a fabulous turn out.  I believe around two hundred people showed up to join in the festivities, and how wonderfully fun it was to get to capture it all!  The night was complete with black jack and craps, wine and cocktails, and lots and lots of dancing!  (Not to mention the fun masquerade masks everyone was wearing ... They made my job easy by adding a lot of fun, excitement, colors and uniqueness to the photos!) Everyone seemed to have a blast ... I know I did!  Special thanks to Brandon Gayle and Elizabeth Yovich!  

First Communion!

I know it's been a while since I've posted on here, but boy, have I been busy!  Between grad school, volunteering in schools, studying for and taking huge tests, working, photography, and visiting friends in Boston (blog post to come soon of this short trip!), I can not seem to find enough hours in the day to get everything done that I'm supposed to!  So now here I am trying to get at least one photo shoot posted before I have to hit the hay to wake up early tomorrow and start my not-long-enough day all over again.  I know I said I would have a few shoots posted by today, but sorry to break it to you, that is not going to happen.  Hopefully I can post a few tomorrow between class and work, but we will see!  I'm not making any promises! Anyways, a few weeks ago I photographed the White twins and their good friend CC (you might recognize all these kiddos from family sessions I did last Fall) before their First Communion!  It was a special morning to say the least, and I am so glad that I got to be apart of it!  The girls were excited, happy, giggly, wild, and oh so beautiful in their big, white dresses!  It was also very special to get to include their sisters and Mom's in some of the photos as well.  Reese couldn't have been any more cute than she was in that stylish blue polka-dotted jacket, and little Charlotte was so happy to get to be apart of the action in her pretty dress as well!

Chelsie & Chase Engagement!

Last Sunday I photographed this fabulous couple!  I am so blessed to have met these two, and am honored that they put their trust in me to take their photos not only for their engagement, but also for their wedding in October!  Thank you Chelsie and Chase!  Oh, and by the way, aren't they a GORGEOUS couple!?!  Even though these photographs do not have the amazing mountain view sun set like we had planned for, I think that these capture the love that Chelsie and Chase have for each other!  Their fun, loving, easy-going personalities made my job so easy!  

Whitney & David Engagement

Last week I photographed this picture perfect couple.  I've known David since I was twelve years old and I'm so glad that I've been able to stay in touch with him all this time.  I met Whitney a few years ago, and could not be more happy for the two of them!  They got engaged a couple of months ago, and are planning a wedding for the Summer of 2014!  I am so happy these two are tying the knot!

Adventure Series #1: Bulgaria

After going on a lot, and a lot, and lot of adventures in this wonderful life of mine, I realize that I am not the best at blogging about them.  Sure, I occasionally posted raw, unedited images from these adventures right after I got back from them or maybe blogged about them a long time ago, but most of you have probably never seen what came of them.  Some of these adventures, especially if they are from over-seas, were never shown on my blog after I edited them.  So I've decided to make a series of blog posts in honor of my adventures.  These blog posts may be from Africa or Europe or Mexico or might even be up the road in the Rocky Mountains or possibly even from my backyard.  Wherever they, near or far, they all tell a little story about myself and remind me of the great times I've gotten to spend exploring this incredibly world that we live in through the lens of my camera.  All these little adventures have a special place in my heart, and that is why I am going to share them with you! First up is a little country that goes by the name of Bulgaria.  Have you ever been there?  I chose to start off my Adventure Series with this beautiful country because it is one of my all time favorite places I have ever been in the entire world.  It's a place filled with beautiful landscapes, wonderful people, loving children, and lots and lots of sunflowers.  I hope you enjoy!

I also couldn't resist posting a few photos of me while I was there.  I spent my time in Bulgaria tasting fresh honey, going on a jeep safari, playing with the beautiful, fun kiddos at the orphanage, and let's not forget, taking a MUD BATH!  Oh how I wish I could go back!

Happy Birthday Mama!

My beautiful Mama is 50 today!  (I'm sure she's going to get mad at me for telling everyone that she's 50 and for posting these goofy photos from the 90's when I was a baby, but oh well!)  Isn't she one beautiful Mama?!  She sure is a rock star!  I just love her so much... Happy Birthday, Mom!  

Before & After

I recently learned some new portrait editing techniques and thought I would try them out on some old pictures since I'm sitting at home bored tonight.  Bored?  Did I really just say that?!  To clarify, by bored I mean I really was just finding every possible way to distract myself from studying and doing homework.  With the amount of studying I need to do, I don't think it's possible to EVER be bored.  Well, at least not for the next year or so until I finish grad school.  Yet, here I am procrastinating doing my studying by editing old photos!  I'm going to post a few before and after photos so you can really see the difference between the unedited and edited pictures.  Here we go!  

First up is little Emmy Jane from way back in 2009.  I snapped a few pictures of her while playing dress up when she was all dolled up with bright red lips!

Next up is my beautiful big sister from her undergraduate graduation day also in 2009.

Here we have Emmy again with her big sister Anna from 2011.  Can you say cuties?!!?

This was a little boy that I met in Bulgaria while studying abroad in 2011.  I went to visit the orphanage he lived at for the day, and we quickly became good pals.  We spent the day together playing outside on the playground!

And last but not least, we have my little adorable cousin, Rylea!  Isn't she the cutest thing you have ever seen?  I took this picture while we walked around Williamsburg when I went to visit them in Virginia this past fall!

Isn't it amazing what a little editing can do?  Sometimes it even amazes me, even though I do it all the time!  These were all pictures that I would have never took a second glance at because I shot them quickly either with my phone or a little point and shoot camera.  I would have never thought to edit these because I never would have thought they could look like professional pictures in the slightest.  But, it's amazing what a little procrastinating and a little editing can do, isn't it?!

Baby Westin

A couple of weeks ago I was honored to meet and photograph the Tinniswood Family!  Mom, Dad and big brother, Landon, welcomed perfect little Westin into their family a few weeks ago so, of course, this photo shoot was centered all around him!  Westin wasn't a big fan of having to pose for these photographs all by himself, and was much more happy and comfortable in the arms of his loving Mom.  I mean, what two week old wouldn't be, right?  He was also a little apprehensive about the flash as well, but I think we ended up with some precious moments for sure!  Could he be in more adorable?

Good Morning! Happy Thursday!

When I woke up this morning, I didn't want to get out of bed... I had a headache, was a little congested, and could have probably slept the entire day away if I didn't have things to do. Oh how I just love mornings! I knew that I needed to get up and get a move on with my day...I have a lot to do today... but I also have a serious waking up problem. However, I forced myself to sit up, reach up high and get out of my warm, cozy, delightful bed! After all, it is only Thursday, and since it's a Thursday, I have a full days of work to get through, a meeting this afternoon, photos to edit, papers to file and hours upon hours of homework to finish all before tomorrow morning. So, after I got out of bed, I meandered upstairs, and what did I find?! A light, glistening snow that covered the grass with the sun beaming so bright and beautiful through the trees outside the window, and I thought, "What an incredibly beautiful Thursday!" This beautiful weather (which is my favorite by the way... when snow is on the ground yet it is sunny), reminded me that there is always something to be thankful for, even when the to-do list is stacked higher than you can possibly reach. So, I just thought I would take a moment to say "Happy Thursday" to everyone out there, for it is a beautiful day and a great day to be alive! (Lexey Lou [the old, old, old pup in this photo] is also thankful for this beautiful weather, and it is her favorite type of weather as well!)  

The Fierro Family

I recently had a fabulous family portrait shoot... but it wasn't any ordinary family portrait shoot.  In fact, it was one big family portrait session consisting of three families smooched into one hour, and what fun it was!  I photographed these three separate beautiful families who are all related, and then also photographed the entire family as a whole!  It was very special to get to capture the entire family together, since it doesn't happen very happen as three of them live in England!  Also, congratulations to Anthony and Andrea who just welcomed a perfect, beyond beautiful little baby girl into the world a few weeks ago, and it was the first time that all of them all got to see her!  As well, it was so great to get to photograph Grandma Kathleen with her three absolutely adorable grand children!  What could be more remarkable than that?!  I was very honored to be able to photograph this family!

Merry Christmas: Thoughts, Reflections and Big Changes

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas to all my friends, family and clients.  Without all of you, I wouldn't be who I am today, and I'm so grateful for every single person that has touched my life.  I think in the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season, it's really easy to take Christmas for granted.  It's a challenge for sure to take the time to realize what the holiday season is all about, and really say a genuine Merry Christmas to the people around us.  Last night I watched the Grinch Who Stole Christmas (well, to be honest, I only watched a couple minutes of it... we all ended up falling asleep on the couch for most of it ... we must have been tired!), a Christmas classic now a days, and in the words of Cindy Lou Who, "l look around at you and Mom and everyone getting all kerbobbled. Doesn't this seem superfluous?"   Every year when I watch this movie, I'm reminded that Christmas isn't about presents and getting all "kerbobbled".  The great Dr. Seuss reminds us in this movie that, "Maybe Christmas perhaps doesn't come from a store, maybe perhaps it means a little bit more."  

In two weeks from today I will be starting my graduate degree at the University of Regis to get my Masters of Education in Elementary with an Art Education Endorsement. Because of this week being Christmas and next week being New Years week, last week was my last official week of babysitting.  After being a nanny for almost 7 years, you can imagine how life-changing this was for me.   As I reflect on my last week of babysitting, I realize that I am so blessed to have been able to work with all these children for so long.  It is because of these kids that made me want to become a teacher in the first place.  Without them, I'd be lost.

I also realized this week that I don't take enough time to ever slow down and really cherish every moment that surpasses me.  Often enough, I speed through life, and find myself wishing for time to go by faster, and all the while I forget to live in the moment, and sometimes, even, take too many things for granted.

The tragedy that occurred on Friday, Decemeber 14th shook me to pieces, completely shattering my heart.  The events are so unimaginable and so unbelievably sad that I have woken up every day since then with the heaviest heart, aching for all the parents, families, children, students, teachers and lives that were affected.  I don't want to talk about gun control or media or mental health, and don't worry I won't... It breaks my heart that, as a country, we divide straight down the middle when a tragedy occurs and argue about issues that are arbitrary instead of coming together as one in order to heal broken hearts, mourn, grieve and be the nation under God that we are supposed to be.  We will never agree, so why do we even bother.  All I want to do is mourn with the people that lost their children and loved ones, and maybe also change the way I live my life.  Slow down, take a deep breathe, remember what it is actually important and most of all, cherish every moment we have with the people we love.  If you are anything like me, you might feel the same way I do right now.  Because of the Sandy Hook tragedy, I've had a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit.  As I sat and cried and talked with one of the Mom's of whose kids I babysit, she said, "I don't know what to do, except be the best Mom that I can be and love my children and every moment I spend with them."  I think that's very true... that is all we can do.  All we can really do is become better people because of this.  Love a little more and try to stop taking things for granted.  Make sure everyone you love knows that you love them. a lot.

As you can imagine, this week was an emotional for me.  Instead of wishing time would go by faster and flying through this week (like I often find myself doing), I cherished every second I spent with the kids I babysit.  I cherished the moment when Fisher (age 2) screamed "TOUCH DOWN!" at the top of his lungs while playing imaginary football, and the moment when Caroline said, "Emmy Sitter I just love you", and when my little Emily Jane got home from school and jumped in my arms and begged me to stay and play even though her Mom was home, and the moment when one year old Charlotte stood dancing in the family room with the biggest smile on her face, and when the girls and I drank our "sleepy time tea" before bed while singing Christmas carols.

All these little munchkins are the sweetest most darling kids, and they all have taught me so much about who I am, who I want to be, and most importantly, about what really matters in this world. So, in the last few days I spent with them we did a little more singing and dancing around the house than normal, turned the TV off and played more games, gave more hugs, read a few more books before bedtime, and sang songs and snuggled for a little longer than usual before turning off the lights for the night because even though I am just their babysitter, I hope that they always felt cared for, loved and safe when I was around, and it is because of them that I want to become a teacher, which I am now on my way of pursuing.

Since the Sandy Hook tragedy, I have been asked a couple of times if I'm sure I still want to be a teacher.  This got me to thinking about how awful it is that teaching has now become a "dangerous" job.  Even more sad is the fact that elementary schools aren't safe anymore.  Its terrible that one of the places where children should feel and be completely safe and secure isn't safe any longer.  It's even more saddening that many children may be scared to go to school now.  So, to answer that question, yes, of course I still want to be a teacher.  On that terrible Friday, I was at Gold Rush Elementary School helping out in my sister's wonderful second grade class, when we all heard the news.  We were sitting in the teacher's lounge eating lunch when the news spread.  Every single person in the room stopped eating, lost their appetite, and were shocked by the news of the shooting.  And instead of the teachers there fearing that this could happen to their school or being relieved that it wasn't there school, they talked about how this is not okay ... it's not okay for children to fear going to school everyday, which may be the case now.  It's not okay for elementary schools to not be a safe haven anymore.  They talked about how they would do everything in their power to make sure that every single one of their students feels safe coming to school everyday, and would do everything in their power to protect them while they are at school everyday.  I believe that all of these teachers and most teachers out there would give their lives for any one of their students, and that's the way it should be.  I want to be a teacher to make an impact on children's lives, to educate them, to make them feel loved, needed and cared for.  I want to be a teacher because deep in my heart I have a love and a hope for every child in the world.  I truly believe that with the right support, education and love each and every child will grow up to make a difference in this world, and I want to be apart of making that happen.  We cannot live in fear... we must, instead, live in love to make a positive impact in this world.

Thank you Anna, Emily, Caroline, Ryan, Patrick, Mac, Charlotte and Fisher for being such a joy in my life.  You have all inspired me to want to work with amazing kids like yourselves for the rest of my career and life. I love you!

My thoughts and prayers are with all of the parents, families, teachers and kids that were affected in the tragedy. May God bring you comfort and peace in this difficult time. Oh how I wish I could give all of you a big hug right now.

I wish a Merry Christmas to all my friends and family... may you spend time with loved ones and remember what is important this Christmas.

P.S.  To all my photography clients that might be reading this... I still would love to be your photographer for any and all occasions. I will still be booking sessions while I am in grad school, and even hopefully once I become a teacher as well!

Sawyer Eve

Last weekend I was so incredibly blessed to get to meet the adorable baby Sawyer.  At two months old, she is one little bundle of joy!  Her Mom and Dad, Ashlee and Ryan, are two very lucky, blessed parents.  It was so great to get to meet Ashlee, and you might remember Ryan from the Heifferon family shoot I did in early November.  Unfortunately, Ashlee and baby Sawyer could not be apart of that shoot, which is why I took their pictures this past weekend instead.  Of course, I was more than honored to get to take their first professional portraits as a family. I know that the weather in Colorado has been uncanny for this time of year, and up until last weekend it was actually extremely warm here, but, of course, as it always seems to happen, the day before this photo session, the weather finally turned a bit colder, and since Sawyer is such a little one, we decided to do most of the session inside where the baby would stay cozy and warm.  It ended up being an extremely cute, Christmas-themed shoot, and I enjoyed every minute of it!  We also ventured outside for just a few minutes to catch a few outdoor pictures.

Thanks so much to Ryan, Ashlee and Sawyer!  You were all a joy to photograph, and congratulations on your little baby girl!

The Duran Family

Last weekend I was blessed to meet and photograph the wonderful Duran family.  I have to give out a big kudos to this family for not rescheduling their shoot due to two unfortunate circumstances.... The first being that Cecilia (the oldest of the two sisters) broke her arm a week before our photo session, and two, it was 25 degrees outside with snow on the ground the day of our shoot.  Fortunately, Cecilia was able to cover up her cast pretty well, and Adrian (the Dad) has an incredible office in downtown Littleton with really cool brick walls so we were able to take some indoor pictures instead of having to stand out in the freezing cold for an hour.  We did, however, venture over to the Littleton Historical Museum to take a few outdoor pictures, and I was amazed and impressed that not one of the members in this family complained about the cold, especially since they didn't even put their jackets on.  I, on the other hand, was all bundled up in my North Face fleece and giant scarf).  Only when Reese (the youngest of the sisters) tripped and fell did we have a few tears shed, but she cheered right up with the promise of a cup of hot chocolate if only she smiled for a few more pictures.  This shoot turned out much better than I could have ever imagined, and all the credit deserves to go to the Duran family!  Thank you Mandy, Adrian, Cecilia, Reese and we can't forget Otis, the adorable model-savvy pup!

The Heifferon Family

I have known Brittany for a very long time now, and she is one of my dearest friends so, of course, I was thrilled when she asked me if I could take family pictures of them.  This entire family is so fantastic with two beautiful ladies and three handsome men!  This family photo shoot was one of the easiest shoots I have ever done in my entire life.  They were so willing to do whatever I asked of them even though they probably felt really cheesy, and Ryan even fell into the stream to try to help me get across it.  All five of them contributed to an extremely fun and outgoing shoot.  I'm sorry to Phil who broke his phone while jumping through the trees, and I'm sorry to Ryan who had to have been hurt after that fall, but I really appreciate your guys' enthusiasm and willingness to help make this a fun and exciting shoot!  The yellow leaves and beautiful Fall colors made this shoot beyond exceptional, and I couldn't have asked for a better family to get to know and photograph.  Thank you all for such a great time!