A Place I Can Finally Call Home

I have arrived. I am now "one of them." I can finally call the Northwest home. After moving here from Kansas, it only took me one month to learn how to drive in a city. Two months to become an avid coffee drinker. Three months to accept that it is okay for guys to wear skinny jeans. Six months to become a lover of shoes (Yes, I finally broke down and bought the pointy shoes and now have a closet full of pumps). One year to chop off my unstyled, boring hair. A little over a year to accept that it is okay for guys to take longer to get ready than girls and that the fauxhawk is actually quite interesting. Three years to become obsessed with tofu. About the same to develop my love for red wine. My favorite foods are now Japanese & Thai. Three and a half years to finally begin decorating my place. I guess I can't always be ready to pack in under an hour and load my car to go back to Kansas. And now it has been exactly four years and I can finally claim the title "Portlander" (even though I live in Vancouver). It is the unconditional love I have for my new assistant, my companion, my best friend...my new mini weenie, Ezekiel.

Yes, I have become one of those crazy dog owners. I knew it was true when I had to resist the urge to pull out a photograph of Ezekiel whenever a proud parent shows me a picture of their child. When I got offended that I could not take my pet everywhere I go - who knew it was against the health code in restaurants and grocery stores? Why, I certainly can't leave my puppy home all alone:) But what really tipped me off is that my print order came in yesterday and I am still sitting here trying to decide who to mail these wallet sized pictures to - my mom and dad, my niece and nephews, my dogsitter... after all there are only eight!

Autumn & Kevin: Wedding

After much anticipation, Autumn and Kevin's wedding day finally arrived. After a few tears and a lot of rain, the stormy Kansas skies behaved long enough for a small town backyard to become for one day the perfect backdrop for Autumn and Kevin to say I do. Friends and family came to show their love and support and take part in making it one of the happiest days of their lives.

Here are some of my favorites from the day:

With the storm approaching, Autumn's family begins to set the scene...


Mom, Grandma, & Sis begin transforming Autumn into a lovely bride. I love how her nephew is so carefree and irreproachable in riding the hobby horse as they are rushing to have her ready on time!


Some beautiful details...




Every wedding needs a weenie in a tux!







And a wedding crasher wearing nothing but what? a speedo of course!



More delicious details...




And finally a few moments alone...






Congratulations Autumn and Kevin! I wish you a lifetime of happiness:)

To view more images in an online gallery click HERE.

The Brown Family

While in Kansas I had the opportunity to photograph the Brown family. Like Candace, Jamie is another childhood friend of my sister's. We were on the same little league softball team and I remember spending hours riding four wheelers through the county fairgrounds. I can still hear her distinct laugh. Since then I have been a guest at her and Kyle's wedding, got my haircut at her beauty shop, and have awed over her beautiful baby girls, Graycyn Lea and Kinsley Lynn. They have grown so much since I saw them last in October.

Here are some of my favorites of the girls at Gunn Park:














I just love this little sequence of the twins...





To view more images in an online gallery click HERE.

Deidre & Phil

After meeting online , Deidre and Phil's first date consisted of dinner and bowling. I don't know if it was Deidre's smile or Phil's mad skills, but immediately they knew that this was the real deal. About six months later, Phil got down on one knee at Kauffman Stadium where the Kansas City Royals play and asked Deidre to marry him. With 32,000 people cheering them on how could Deidre possibly decline? She said "yes" of course and they are tying the knot this fall in her hometown of Fort Scott, Kansas.

Here are some of my favorites from our e-session:
















Visit their wedding website

To view more images in an online gallery click HERE.