beautiful, colorful family :)

I loved getting to hang out with this beautiful family!
this crazy, high energy, beautiful, colorful family!
n & d are foster parents...amazing foster parents.
(thus the need for the yellow balloons - although these kids are too adorable under them!)
they are patient...creative...disciplined...out of control amazing parents to these two adorable kids.
I genuinely admire both of them very much and thoroughly enjoyed getting to hang with them for the morning!

super funny with the "grumpy" glasses...and super clever! :)

 

just because... :)

footprints...

"some people come into our lives and quickly go. some people move our souls to dance.
they awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom.
they stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same."

today I am a bit sad and nostalgic...
you see today I said goodbye to a good friend.  not forever...but for a new season.
she was someone who taught me that it's okay to love bigger and simply trust Him.
someone who twelve years ago simply decided to be my friend.  just because...
someone who I have simply enjoyed living this crazy journey of life with.
I consider myself blessed and fortunate to call her friend.  and I will miss her.

 (yes, I know a rare sight from me...a "real" scrapbook page!  sorry for the phone pic...) :)

beets. :)

I took a break today.  and I didn't feel guilty...well, okay maybe a smidge...when do I not? :)
but today.  today I got to hang out with two of my good friends and a plot of dirt.
yup.  dirt. :)
today I was a gardener...this may sound silly to those of you who read this who live in any place other than arizona...but it's planting season here.
yup.  planting season.  in the end of october.  craziness, I know. :)
you see, my friends are the proud owners of a community gardening plot in agritopia.
dave is the chef at liberty and I am so excited to see what amazing dishes he creates using vegetables that he's grown from seed to plate!  crazy fresh...he even swears I will like beets...beets?  beets.  we'll see... :)

comin' home... :)

to be honest, this trip wasn't quite as introspective as last years trip...
not to say there weren't moments of rest...maybe because I scheduled more sessions?
who knows.
but...
oh, the sites I did see...
reds, oranges, yellows lit up my eyes...
soft pinks rising across from the east in an early morning sunrise...
deep blues and greys lit up by blasts of white lightning...
and the smells...the smells hit my soul the most this time...
damp leaves being burned late in the evening...
sweet dew on country fields at sunrise...
and chilliness...did you know chilliness has a smell?  you miss those things...and forget they were even
once there until you are reminded by a memory because of a smell...funny thing.  :)
anyways...here a few of the snapshots I managed to capture...

I'm noticing photography for me is trying to capture a memory...a sight...a smell.
so that when the picture is old, it has the power to bring back a memory for me...

I miss you...comin' home... :)

rattlesnakes and a favorite. :)

this girl is a favorite of mine.
she makes me laugh hard, she has a kind heart and is beautiful inside and out!
oh, and by the wayside...
this shoot will forever go down in the record books for me as the creepiest/best location to date!
rattlesnakes, spiders and creepy murder movie abandonded barns...
mix that with incredible lighting, a beautiful girl and unique all ready there props...
that equals one of my favorite locations in my career to date!
yes, this shoot was one of my favorites and this girl?
she will always be a favorite to me. :)

classic + cool :)

he's the kinda guy that looks like he should walk out of a norman rockwell painting...
just classic good looking and seriously cool.
the thing I love most about him is seeing his hard working character displayed whether working hard at liberty market or in mexico building a house for people who don't have one...
like I said, seriously cool guy. :)
thank you for letting me hang with you for an afternoon cody! :)

 

happy festi-fall! :)

do you remember your 2nd grade halloween school party?
I do.
we bobbed for apples.  played bozo buckets for plastic spider rings.
(do you even remember bozo the clown?!)
we ate pumpkin shaped homemade sugar cookies and caramel apples.
and the best part?
the best part was that my mom was the room mom and organizer of the whole party!
yeah, I was living large because I had the coolest mom who thought of
the coolest games for the coolest classroom party.  ever. :)

I'm starting to think that my mom is the reason for my obsessions with holidays.
I love to match everything.  and have everything "just so".  obsessive, really. :)
but in my defense, the detail shots at a party are just too fun! :)

all of this to say, I'm so excited to show you emporiium's new halloween product line!
I'm especially loving the pumpkin bean bag's that my friend kiersten thought up!
if you live in gilbert you can purchase some at liberty market, or if not order them in our store!
and if you love the cupcake toppers, you need to thank our awesome baker, adrienne, at liberty market.
the "twilight" cupcake is fantastic, don't you think!

if nothing else, be inspired to have a killer holiday party and please, share with me...
what's your favorite holiday party memory?
happy halloween! (or festifall...) :)