Time flies like Santa Claus.

Ahh! What an amazing Christmas! I can't believe I'm just posting about it now...but everything of course seems to speed up even more than you ever thought possible AFTER the fact!
We had a wonderful little Christmas eve party with a couple families and did one of my favorite pastimes ever...singing together with the guitars. I don't think I've ever heard more beautiful Christmas Carols! :) *unfortunately I don't have any pics from that...but here are some of Olivia and JuliAnna modeling their Christmas gifts from me:)
Christmas morning we woke up far to early...but of course you can't fall back asleep once you've woken up...especially on this morning! We always crowd at the top of the stairs waiting for the ok to run and get our stockings(which usually ends up being our *VERY unhealthy* breakfast. lol!
The older I get the more that presents really aren't as HUGE of a deal as when I was little and I really didn't want more stuff, so I told people not to get me anything;) lol...but of course they had to...so..I got stuff to re-do my room and my favorite new pair of shoes Uggs(pure heaven I might add).
After all the gift exchanging and watching one of the gifts(Bourne Ultimatum; AMAZINGNESS!!) we headed up to my cousins house for our first Christmas at their new house! It was WONDERFUL and we didn't end up leaving until 2am - entertained by playing the wii, watching Mission Impossible and playing a crazy new game called "would you rather?" so it proved to be a Christmas WELL spent!! I hope you all had an amazing holiday and took some time to remember the true meaning of it;)
Love you all!

Family Time

Ahh! I finally got some time to put together the different video and pics from our trip to the Wisconsin Dells! It was SO much fun and it was wonderful just chilling! I do have to say though...we are already talking about family reunions because trying to get 9 people anywhere at a decent time in pretty much a miracle in itself...we have been doing smaller vacations at different times rather than the whole clan because there are soooo many different interests and places to go to! But I'm glad we were all able to go out and have fun together for a little bit...even though the scene may look like a scene from Survivor most of the time..haha!
One of the nights we were there my mom had us make children's books because they are SO stinking easy...it could just be a word on each page and a colorful picture and the kid would think it is a NY times bestseller! lol! You'll see my book(in which I was trying to give my mom a subliminal message with;) in this slideshow as well some other highlights!


We also got a lot of fun video like last time so here are some of the highlights from that too!


I hope you are all having a WONDERFUL Christmas Eve! I finally finished my Christmas shopping yesterday(which is a miracle because I only started on Saturday!) and now for some MAJOR wrapping presents time! :)
I'll post more tomorrow about my thoughts on Christmas...but until then...ciao!:)

You only live this life once.....

...so dye your hair pink!
Ha!

When I was alot younger I ALWAYS wanted to dye my hair pink...I really don't know why..but I was kind of a punk so that went along with the style I guess! lol!
I actually dyed it pink when I was probably 13 and my mom wouldn't let me out of the house until I washed it out..hehe!
After going into business I kinda got a little more classy because I didn't want to look like a 12 year old! ;)
Anyways..my cousin and I went to get our hair done the other day and I left with PINK hair! AHH!! haha! It's actually blood red but usually just looks pink!
With having red hair and getting it dyed to look like an auburn red it has to start REALLY bold because it fades alot....so I finally got my wish for pink hair and I think I like it! Thankfully I don't have any weddings for awhile though;) hehe! I think it goes along with the Christmas theme pretty well! hehe! :)

Washington DC wedding!

Ahh! What an absolutely beautiful wedding we shot on Saturday! I was blown away at how in love Jasmine and Warren were and that love flowed seriously to all the guests..Kristen and I were pretty much "awwwing" the whole entire wedding because of how adorable everything was! Jasmine and Warren had their incredible wedding at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia which was a perfect place for a winter wonderland wedding! :)
They chose to see each other before hand so that we could get pictures in the day light around DC and I think that is THE BEST way to do things! I was about to cry when they first saw each other! It is just so special. Plus they were able to have some time by themselves beforehand instead of being so rushed after the ceremony! :)
I was SO proud of everyone trucking around DC to get some sweet shots even though it was probably in the 20's! HA! But sooo worth it! Check out their amazing wedding!!

My little pilot.

My not so little brother John just turned double digits today...the big 10! I remember when I was little it was SO cool to turn ten because then when people asked you how old you were you could just hold up both hands and not hold any fingers down! HA! The small things in life that were exciting!:)
John has always been my little buddy and I remember I watched him being born and even cut the cord which I thought was just so cool! lol.
I know he has such an amazing call on his life and I seriously can't wait to see it all take place. He has such a tender heart but is VERY strong at the same time. He also wants to be a pilot soooo that we'll be convenient when I want to travel to fun places;) LOL!
We went out tonight to Red Lobster for a fun birthday dinner for him which is always fun...especially since the family doesn't all eat together as much as we used because we've been SO busy to so this was extra special!:)
I love you John!
PS...The picture is actually from a year ago...but I haven't gotten around to do a family shoot in a LONG time:( I'll have to do one soon!

Why do I love you so much??

Yay!! Finally some time to catch up on cyber world! ha!
I just barely made it out here to DC on Wednesday....but thankfully I was able to get home wash my clothes, gather all my camera gear, get a wedding out, catch up on projects, run errands, and re-pack all in 3 hours! ahh! It was so worth it though! I LOVE DC so much! I feel like everywhere I go is my new favorite place! It's so much fun!
I'm staying at my AMAZING friend(and intern) Kristen's house with her super fun family that reminds me exactly of mine since it is completely identical with mine, 7 kids, home schooled, ect....:)
We've had the most amazing time and as always the best adventures...which my new life's motto is: "Always an adventure." HA! Because it is just so true!
We got back earllllly this morning from the wedding we shot last night we drove through torrential rain and cars passing us by the thousands...or what felt like thousands..lol! Finally to get home at 2:30 in the morning..but of course we laughed the WHOLE way! :)
This afternoon Kristen and I went out with one of my favorite people(besides Kristen of course;) that I've met her friend Natalie....we were laughing so hard that I was running into walls, crying, and "accidentally" writing on my clothes???
One of the BEST quotes of the week is "Why are you so beautiful?" "Because God is kind." lol
I'll post the SUPER fun pics from the wedding tomorrow hopefully but until then...I love you all AND your faces!:)

Snowed in!

We are in the Wisconsin Dells right now.....snowed in!! We had an amazing time up here swimming, going on insane water rides, and sitting in an outdoor hot tub in the FREEZING cold that reminded me of Colorado's hot springs! Pure heaven!
Anyways, we were supposed to leave this afternoon for home from our little vacation up here to a waterpark resort. We found out right before we left that they were warning people to not even get out on the roads because it was so dangerous and pure ice! So yay for us because we got an extra night of vacation which is always wonderful! We had already checked out of our other hotel so we decided to head over to another waterpark resort that everyone had told us about. We're here for the night but have to head out tomorrow at 6am so I can catch my flight for Washington DC! Ahh!! I'm praying I make it!! Oh..adventure...the fuel of my life! :) haha!
PS...we got some fun video from this trip so I'm sure I'll post that soon!

A whole new element!

Ahh!! I feel like I've waited for MONTHS to release this!
I have been pursuing music photography alot more and have realized that it is a huge passion of mine that I just can't let go of! I seriously LOVE it and everything about it!

Sooo to build up my portfolio more(which I realize I have mostly girl artists right now...lol) I decided to offer the first 5 artists/bands to sign up - a free shoot! So if you're in music email me right now!!! Or if you have friends that are in music send this to them and we'll try and work something out! :)
Who: Bands and Artists that actually have recorded music and are serious about going somewhere.
What: Shoot includes day shoot with Sarah Barlow, a disc of the images, a slideshow of the favorites which is PERFECT for publicity. Also this is for those who are looking for a different style in their photography. More documentary photo journalistic style than strictly posed. We want to see the REAL you! :)
When: Any time your heart desires(as long as I'm available;)
Where: Travel is covered in the Chicago and Nashville area but anywhere else my travel and lodging have to be covered:)
Why: The fans want to see YOU and it's always cool to have sweet pictures to show that!
Here is a photoshoot that I did for one of my former brides who is just getting into music! She is AMAZING!! Her name is LindseyJo. Check out her slideshow!:)
Also, my LIFE section on my website is all nice and updated with new music pics too! Check it out!

Alive again!

YAY! I finally resurrected The Dear Natalie blog! I was a major slacker over the summer but am back to posting regularly! I put it on my to do(which HAS to get done) to write on it once a week. Then once I do that maybe I'll write even more! We'll see! There is a really important **post** up right now that you should check out! Especially with the new year coming up soon!:)I love you all!

PS...oh yeah...I just added up all my blogs and realized the reason why I might be slightly slacking on some posts...I have 9 blogs that I'm on!! ahhh! I think I need to work on simplifying now;)

PSS: For those of you who don't know what the Dear Natalie blog is...it's a blog that I basically started for my sister, to write advice and things that I've learned over the years so that her road might be a little less bumpy and to learn from my strengths and weaknesses! But I think it's so much better to share it with everyone too! So I put it into blog form! I definitely don't get to write on it as much as I'd like...but I'm working on it:)

The baby bug

One of the reasons I went up to Michigan was to do a little family shoot for some of Joy's friends.They just had their first little baby girl, Lily. I don't think..besides my brothers and sisters;)...I've seen a cuter baby!! She is so absolutely beautiful and sooo precious! And of course has captured the hearts of her adoring parents. I think it's the most amazing thing to watch brand new parents because just a few weeks earlier they weren't parents, then the baby arrives and all instinct kicks in and their whole world changes forever! It's incredible!
Sooo Joy has the biggest baby bug right now....and I don't blame her, I think her and Pete will have the most amazing kids! Sooo to "hopefully" ease her desire a bit we edited these pics together probably about 6 times, definitely didn't help her baby bug....or my lack of one! ha! We "awwwed" together for hours over this adorable baby! So cute!
I just loved meeting Matt and Laura, Lily's parents, they are some of the funniest and down to earth people! It was wonderful getting to know them! Here is their slideshow!

Yay! Back in one piece! :)

I seriously LOVE how adventurous and non-stop my life is...it's so highly addicting! I FINALLY arrived home today from Michigan after a 7 and a half hour train ride! It was adventurous alright! It was the same route and time that the other train crashed the other day so they were taking their time...which is good I guess;) lol! It so wonderful being home even though I had such an amazing time in Michigan with Joy and Pete! I don't know what it is about Joy and my relationship but I'm determined we were destined to be business partners...haha! We've been creating business and "brilliant" ideas since we were 4, so of course age will never stop our pursuit for creating solutions! hehe! Since we are in a new phase in our lives where we don't necessarily need a **puppy** now... we talked about when we have kids and how we are going to train them! lol! We sat for hours on our computers mapping out exactly how we are going to do this! So brilliant!....not that I plan on having kids ANY time soon! haha! But it's good to be prepared! Then we of course found a way to market our idea so we can spread it out to the masses...;)
I totally felt like I was staying at a hotel staying at there house because they both work at hotels so they KNOW how to do it up right! I love it...and soooo can't wait to go back!
Ok...have to head BACK downtown tonight so I gotta run! I love you all!!