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Erin and her best friend, October 2009

Thanksgiving

In honor of tomorrow's holiday, I want to take a moment to be thankful.

For my wonderful husband, for always loving and accepting me, and for always always being there.

For my amazing children, for teaching and challenging me every day, and for loving me unconditionally.

For my family, the one I was born into and the one I was lucky enough to marry into, for constant love and support, and countless lessons about life, love, and forgiveness.

For my friends, who have stood by me through everything, and whose love I treasure deeply.

For living in a country where I worry about the quality of my children's schools and whether there are pesticides in their food, not whether they will have schools or food.

For a beautiful universe that never ceases to be full of discoveries and revelations.

The image above prompted me to write this. 

There are several moments at every wedding where I cry. At vows, because commitment is so bold and crazy and beautiful.  When parents dance with their children, because the cycle of life is so profound, and I think how soon I will dance with my own tiny children at their weddings. And at women and their best friends, for their closeness, and for a hole in my world.

I am blessed with incredible girlfriends- friendships that have sustained decades of changes, and continue to grow stronger.  These women stood by me at my wedding, with one heartbreaking exception.

One of my dearest friends, Julie, died of cancer when we were 23.  One moment she was a healthy and happy college senior, full of life and joy.  The next she was striken with leukemia, and in an instant devastatingly ill.  Within twelve months she was dead.

It will have been nine years this winter, and I don't think I will ever get over it.  I cry at every wedding when I see women embrace their dearest friends, for I will forever miss her, and forever lament that I never got to embrace her at her wedding, or she at mine.

So in closing I wanted to compel anyone reading this today on Thanksgiving, or whatever day it may be, to embrace the ones you love a little more tightly, and to step back for a moment and stop to take it all in, because it can all be gone so very quickly.

Favorite images from June 6th Wedding

Thanks to Leah and John for such a gorgeous day...

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Huntington Wedding

Leah and John had a lovely and unique June wedding in Huntington- here are some images that really stood out for me.

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People built this

So, suffice it say there has been a lot going on here, and I haven't been blogging. Sorry. You missed me, right?

Also, I felt a bit lost with the direction of this blog- not liking the vibe, not sure why.

Then I realized the problem is that I just want to talk about the images, what they made me think, feel, etc.

All of my subjects, couples, clients, etc. are lovely, and have fabulous stories, but I think this is reflected in the images. I can't tell it better than that.

So I'm not going to try. But I will talk about the images- I can do that fairly well.

This is the interior of the Catholic Cathedral in Wheeling, WV.

My breath was literally taken away when I stepped inside. As I walked around, and later as I was editing these images, one idea kept floating through my head.

People built this. People built this, with their hands. A long time ago, with much more primitive tools than we possess now. People built this.

Can you believe it? In a world so often dark and sad, people built this, to glorify and inspire. And is truly stunning.

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Cassidy and TJ's Wedding

Cassidy and TJ got married on February 21st, and we were lucky enough to document it!

They are an adorable couple, and it was a perfectly beautiful day.

And, as a perfect ending for the snow-loving Cassidy, flakes began to fall as they pulled away from the reception- a cinematic finale.

Cassidy made personalized sneakers and wore them throughout the day- it was a great personal touch, and set the tone for their elegant yet fun celebration!

Getting Ready

I love when couples give each other cards before the wedding- it's so sweet! And makes for great emotion for photographs!

The groomsmen unwound by playing Guitar Hero while waiting for the ceremony. I've of course heard a lot about it, but this was the first time I've ever seen anyone play- I'm not much of a gamer. It was extra funny to see guys in tuxes playing :)

Cassidy's sister got through some pre-wedding nerves, Cass and her Dad had a bit of a cry, and then the gorgeous bride was ready to go!

At the start of the ceremony they turned all the lights down and played a lovely slideshow- it was a beautiful moment.

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The Ceremony

The wedding took place at Cassidy's family church in Kenova. It was a beautiful old building, and the perfect setting for their ceremony.

Cassidy and her Dad are very close, and shared a special moment just before walking down the aisle.

TJ's face was so elated when they finally made it!

The church was packed- even the balcony- I don't see that very much. It was a lovely testament to how many people love and care about this couple.

After the ceremony Cassidy was embraced by her family- clearly such a loving group.

Then we took some awesome night portraits, and some fun indoor ones, before heading to the reception!

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Reception Favorites

Their reception was at the Pullman Plaza Hotel in Huntington, and was elegant and huge- there were so many people there!

Everyone had a blast.
Some of my favorite images from the night: Cassidy's Mom Pam and her best friend Barb- who also happens to be my daughter's preschool teacher- hi Barb!

Cassidy and her Dad shared an emotional dance, TJ's Dad gave a great tear-jerker of a toast, and TJ and his grandmother tore up the dance floor.

Cassidy and her sister both wore special sneakers- so cute!

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Almost Spring!

Well, it's been an unusually busy winter around here!  Which is great, because we've shot tons of fabulous and exciting events, which will be posted here soon. 

And not so great, because this new blog habit has seriously fallen by the wayside.

But not to worry, we're back on the horse, and promise lots of fun new blog posts soon!

Happy days...

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Early December 2008

Carly's Newborn Session

I had the honor of shooting both maternity and newborn photos for Michelle and Sean and their sweet baby Carly.  It was so fun to see the progression from a pregnant belly to a tiny person- and what an beautiful baby!

It was such a great shoot, and I'm excited to get to document the rest of Carly's first year!

 

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Early February 2009