the reed family is definitely a family that i know for mr. reed is my store manager at hobby lobby and his wife, is also an employee there. so. as you can imagine i was shocked and thrilled to have the opportunity to photograph their christmas picture this year.

the thing that really impressed me with this photoshoot was the mom, jennifer reed. she had things organized to the {t.} there were at least 4 family clothing changes and multiple plans on how each photo was going to be shot in their home and we made them all happen in right at 2 hours!

i am still in awe with her marvelous ability to maneuver her family.

and just because these photos were so sweet...here is another one of my favorites...



so. thank you reed family for letting me come into your lovely home and capture a piece of your gorgeous family.

christina and ryan were one of those couples i instantly fell in love with. their style. their sweet personalites. their excitement. their love for one another was just so contagious that even though they live in oklahoma, i begged them to move to kansas just so my husband and i would be able to hang out with them.

see. i told you. contagious.

and even though, they do live so far away, i am so thankful that i had the opportunity to photograph christina and ryan on their one year wedding anniversary. it was a wonderful experience and i wish you two the best of luck in all your years to come....

...even if you do choose to live in oklahoma.

do you remember mrs. valerie?



well. i recently got a chance to photograph her again but this time with her lovely sisters...



i have known val for many years now but it was so awesome to see her with her sisters. to see their interaction. each displaying their own unique personality but yet sharing such a common bond of sisterhood.

and to hear her dad shout up the chiefs score every so often from the basement made me feel as if i was a part of their home too.

i think even their parents became quite comfortable with having me there because they also joined in the photo shoot.



it was a day of fun and laughter and the best part....it ended with tea, fresh fruit and scones.

thank you val, lish and nat for letting me be a part of your family for a day. it was a delight.

the dieckman family.

when i met them, i could not help but see my own future: a mom of boys. but as i stood there, watching them poke and choke one another, i could not help but smile at this adorable family dynamic.

that is one thing i love the most about photography....is the opportunity to look at people. to see that spark in their eye, the love between a couple, the innocence of youth, a family, a piece of someone's personality coming through.

wow.

thank you dieckman family for spending a chilly, windy fall day with me.

aaron and courtney



looking at these two young seniors in love made me think so much of my husband and i when we were that age. so innocent. so unaware of the responsibilities of life and so terribly in love.

when i met aaron and courtney, i instantly loved them both. their energy. their playfulness and even though i was a bit nervous about doing 2 photoshoots in 1 session, i loved the dynamic of it all. how courtney would hide behind a tree to watch as aaron was photographed and how aaron would cheer courtney on as it was her turn.

so sweet.

and even though, i saw them as innocent, young seniors....my camera lens caught them as a piece of adults...



and



thank you so much aaron and courtney for letting me be a part of your senior year and for letting this 30 year-old photographer remember how exciting and wonderful being a senior is.

i wish you 2 the best of luck in all you do.

i can honestly say that spending the morning with amanda and ryan at the arboretum was definitely an adventure. an adventure that included an employee of the arboretum yelling at us, strange people making noise near our photo sites, numerous clothing changes and stiff hair.

but in the end, the pictures turned out great and the day was light and fun.

thank you amanda and ryan for giving me the opportunity to photograph your enagement. i wish the both of you many years of happiness.

emily, whom i cannot believe is a senior. she seems so genuine. so happy and being in her presence was just a delight.

and she even brought her dog, ginger.

thank you emily for such a fun afternoon and if you are wondering what to do after high school...you can always model for GAP. they could use a cute girl like you.

honestly, i didn't know what to expect when we drove down to oklahoma to participate in my sister-in-law's wedding. in jeremy and my mind's eye, we still saw anna as a 12-year-old; full of innocence and immaturity. but what we saw when we arrived was this young adult, smitten with her husband to be, full of self-personality and an aire of maturity about her.

for the first time, i actually saw her. her as an adult. her as a wife. her as an equal and as i looked at her through the lens of my camera, i saw her radiant beauty that permeated her being.

it was hard to focus without tearing up.

i mean i had seen anna grow up for the past 13 years. never had i seen her with a boyfriend-or even talk about boys for that matter- and when she called and told us about sean, whom we never met, it was hard for us at first. once we met him and saw them together, however, i knew it would be alright. that GOD would bless them in their marriage and that anna had indeed found her soulmate.so here's to anna. my sister-in-law. the beautiful bride. the great woman and a gem in my heart.

may GOD bless you always.

brenda. my co-worker. the b in the creative trio gtb. a girl with a contagious giggle but most of all brenda, my friend.

it was a great sunday afternoon that included a lot of photos, lots of giggling, and even ended with some delicious mexican food.

thank you brenda for letting me practice my new camera on you and i hope you enjoyed your birthday photo shoot.

....
to view the rest of brenda's album click here.

dennis is definitely the great american cowboy. just looking at these photographs, i can visualize him on a horse. living off the land. driving cattle through the open-range.

thank you dennis for giving me this opportunity. it was very nice to meet you and spend a saturday morning with you.
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to view a sampling of dennis's photos. click here.

the moment i laid eyes on these 3, i could tell they had a great family dynamic and once i started shooting i could tell that my first instinct was correct.

this tight knit family was such a pleasure to take photos of at the gorgeous overland park arborituem. the weather was ideal (since we had to cancel our previous appointment due to SNOW!} and i believe everyone had a great time.

thank you beth for giving me this opportunity to photograph you and your lovely family.
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to view a sampling of their album click here.

spending saturday afternoon with baird, reminded me so much about the workings of an 18-year-old. the energy. the style. the carefreeness of youth. the ambitions so strong they can be viewed through their eyes.

baird is definitely one of the coolest seniors out there..he plays guitar. he reads numerous books. loves urban life. goes 'extreme' hamacking. he is just the epitome of cool.

thanks baird for letting me spend a saturday with you.
...
to view a sampling of baird's senior photos click here.

little did i know 5 months ago when i took melissa's pictures that i would be taking pictures of her sister, jessica, as well.
jess is an amazing person. ever since i have known her, she has been very reserved and extremely kind. today when i looked through the camera lens at her, i not only saw these charachteristics but i also saw these gorgeous dark eyes and this breath-taking look about her. she was very relaxed and even though i was dealing with some lighting situations she was patient and easy-going.
thank you jess for such a wonderful photo shoot. it was such a nice way to spend a sunday afernoon.
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to see a sampling of jess's pics click here.

i have always known meredith to be a fun-lovin' easy going girl with a smile that can light up any room. what i did not know, however, was what an amazing experience i would have while photographing her in her 8 month of pregnancy.

i will admit. i was nervous about this shoot. i felt their would be a lot of "weirdness" but meredith was so awesome. laid back. full of ideas and excitement. eagerly waiting to view every picture in the LCD screen and giggling every step of the way.

thank you meredith for such a wonderful sunday and good luck for the months to come.

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to view more of meredith's pics click here.

i never thought i would be the type of person who 'gushed' over a baby but after meeting this adorable bundle of joy...i was. she was just so precious with those large round eyes and those irrestable toes. the moment i saw her, i knew it would be fun to get this darling, well-loved baby on film.


thank you serena for allowing me this opportunity. it was a pleasure meeting you and your family.

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to view the album click here and here.

sunday, i had the awesome priviledge to take photos of my friends, rip and val. there friendship is so dear to me and i was so excited to be able to capture them on film.

it is always so amazing to me the things i see when i am looking through the lens of my camera. it is like i see something in people. something i have never seen and today was no different.

on sunday when i looked through my lens, i saw how gorgeous val's blue eyes are. how much they adore their dog, emma. how patient rip is. how both their spirits shine through their eyes when they laughed.

but most of all, i saw some great friends who let me share my passion with them.

thank you rip and val for an amazing sunday.
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to see the rest of rip and val's photo shoot click here.

and here.

and here.

and finally here.

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