Goal has been reached!!

I have met my "big" weight loss goal! Now what? lol I need to maintain this weight as best I can. I know that fluctuating within 5 lbs is normal, and I am ok with that. I am aware that when I go back to MI in a few weeks that I won't be as conscious of what I eat (come on it's vacation!) and will probably gain a bit. These things don't bother me. It's returning to the point where I felt not so good about myself.

This was May of 2010. I had already lost about 30 lbs and was feeling so good that I could fit into my wranglers again. Of course they were a size 14...huh. Looking at this photo I remember feeling so much better, but no where near how I feel today!

Just took today! (Don't mind the blocks and mess the only full-length mirror is in my Son's room) I feel GREAT! I am now in a size 9 and haven't been here in YEARS! I only have two pairs of pants the fit me at the moment though.

Like I have mentioned before, ANYONE can do this! Three meals a day, healthy snacks, fruit, veggies, and portion control! If I miss breakfast, I constantly graze and go over my points allowance. Skipping meals has never been in my plan anyway, I love food too much, hehe.

Hang in there, those of you on this same path. Time is your friend! This took me two years, and that's ok (gave me some time to save money for new clothes, hehe). I now know I can stay this weight and still enjoy life. I never wanted my life to revolve around food, calories, restrictions, etc. I think about what I eat when I'm hungry, and some days I do fall off the wagon (especially when baking!). It's all part of it.

Most of all ENJOY LIFE!! Do something that makes you happy to help you lose the weight! Make sure you are satisfied with the way you are living, and LIVE!

"The only person who is with us our entire lives is ourselves...be alive while you are ALIVE!"

Wyoming Family Reunion

I was asked months ago about photographing a family reunion. I had never done an event like this, but went into it as I would a wedding. Many people, chaos, lists, cards, etc. There were A LOT of people!

Things seemed to run pretty smoothly. The hostess had a nice backdrop set up with a bench, her brother-in-law had built a western type fence, and they had little family signs hanging up. There were twinkle lights, but alas one thing will always be forgotten.

There were MANY little ones running around

I was organized as much as possible and the families were easy to work with. Though I don't specialize in indoor photography, the natural light coming from the large doors made for some amazing lighting. With it being 95 degrees outside...indoors was best!

Overall a great experience and I met some really nice people. Hoping to work with some of them again in the future.

Sapphire Point Wedding

I was so excited for this wedding when the bride contacted me a few months ago. I had looked up other photographer's at this location and immediately was inspired! Rain or shine this location would shine!

~C~ contacted me about her intimate wedding back in March. She had mentioned her fiance's family was from Germany, and it really intrigued me. Working across the state is one thing, across continents, quite another! She was living in Pennsylvania at the time too! I love a challenge! Not that it was, we were very open with each other and sent emails frequently, and spoke on the phone if we needed to.

Having not been to the location before, I was a little weary the day of. But as stated above, this location was absolutely beautiful. I was a quick and sweet ceremony with the occasional tourist making his/her way down the hiking trail.

While taking photos afterward the chipmunks came out to beg for treats. ~E~ (the groom) was fascinated by them. We tried to get a photo of one of them eating from his hand...but they weren't THAT cooperative! lol Getting the entire group together wasn't as hard as I had anticipated either, everyone was willing and ready for all the photos I needed them for.

Overall, a great day! Look forward to possibly working with ~E&C~ again in the future, if they ever make it back to Colorado!

~A~ Senior 2012

I am so excited to have more Senior shoots this year! I love bringing out the personalities of these young people and seeing such bright futures ahead of them.


My first this year was ~A~ she is one of my trusty wedding assistants and is such a wonderful young lady. She had all sorts of ideas, and so did her Mother. I love it when the clients come with their ideas in hand, I want to make their shoot their own. We got my horse out for her to show her cowgirl side, she wanted to get into the irrigation ditch, which I thought was awesome!






 This is only a portion of her session. She wants to get some more while things are green, then get some when the colors change in the Fall. I love offering this option, as I want Seniors to get the most out of their photos.

Know someone graduating in 2012? Send them my way! Not only will they receive 20% off their session fee AND 25% their print order (if session booked in August or September) but you will get referral bucks!!

Wedding 7-16-11

 Can I just say I love shooting weddings! The atmosphere, the love, the drama, everything about them makes me giddy. To tell you the truth, I stress pretty much the whole week before hand. Even small, intimate weddings. I just know one day I am going to forget something and need it, even though I pack almost my entire inventory of bodies, lenses, stools, checklists, water, etc. It is in my nature to be over prepared! Which isn't a bad thing.

Recently I shot a very small intimate wedding in a meadow by a creek. It was such a dreamy place, that I fell in love with it immediately. (Ok, this happens a lot, lol) There were lots of ant hills in the ceremony area, so that was a bit of a challenge, or workout depending on how you look at it :-)


Q&A finally tied the knot. Like I mentioned before it was in an open meadow surrounded by aspen  trees and a following creek. Their friends and family watched with teary eyes, and big smiles. These two are so cute together, and it was a true pleasure working with them.


Location~  Gould, CO
Venue~ Gould Community Center
Dress~ Handmade by bride's Grandmother

I look forward to working with them again in the future!!

~S~ Expecting!

I met with ~S~ and her husband last Sunday for her maternity shoot. It was a HOT and actually humid day in City Park, but we made the best of it! I love taking maternity photos, Mothers glow and ~S~ was no exception!

 

he park was pretty crowded but we ended up finding this great open area with nothing in the background. The ground was a little damp, but cool, so there were no complaints about having to sit (or lay) down.



I always tell my maternity clients "it's all about the belly!"

You know I couldn't go to City Park and NOT use "the" bench! We were lucky enough that no one was sitting on it. I could find a way to use this bench for any type of session!

~S~ was adorable and quite agile for being 34 weeks along. She was game for pretty much anything I asked her to do. They were a very fun couple to be around. I can't wait to meet their little boy next month!!

Mommy & Me

I had the pleasure of taking photos of my sister-in-law and her daughter. We had a GREAT location at her Aunt's home. She has the most beautifully landscaped yard I have ever seen. I wish I had a yard like this, it would be my studio! There were so many locations, we just walked the whole time. Benches, waterfall, hammock, you name it we had it to use!

I just love the feeling of this photo...

Little Diva

I loved this waterfall and loved this shot!!

Little ~C~ was so good for the camera. I think the atmosphere helped her relax, there were so many things to look at!! I hope to capture many more moments for these two. I love them dearly.