Sorry for the lack of all things blog lately. I've been living in a fog of blah this month. Nothing exciting, nothing terrible, nothing to report at all. I'm entering the final leg of a four month stretch of graveyard shifts and it's definitely wearing on me. I move back to day shift in March and I hate to say this, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm not a huge fan of anything to do with early mornings, but it'll be nice to have a break.
Aubrey and I haven't had a whole lot of work since before the holidays, so we're ready to get back in the swing of things. We've had one family and two engagement shoots this month and they've been great, but we like being busy.
Anyone need any family/child/senior/wedding photos? We're looking for work so give us a call!

Tonight we said farewell to our Beloved Prophet.
It's strange, because I almost can't remember a life without him guiding our Church. But I'm not sad, I'm jealous.
If anyone deserves to be in Heaven, it's him.

I finally have an exciting story to tell!! I delivered a baby!
Ok, only on the phone, but still...my first one! It's a boy and his name is Tanner. He was born in a minivan on the side of the road and I was there (in spirit and voice) the whole time!
I always have wondered what my first one would be like. All I can say is that Mom and Dad were very calm (it was their 5th!), Baby came very quick, and it was all over very fast.
Now Walker and I can swap stories. Although I'd be very afraid if he remembered his.

I'm proud to say that we survived. Barely.
Driving up to Park City, the temperature display on Aubrey's car said 6 degrees. I don't doubt that for a second.
We were very lucky that Main Street is full of shops that didn't mind us standing inside for a few minutes to thaw out. Annalee and Buck were troopers! They changed outfits a few times and only got to wear their jackets in between shooting. I felt so bad for them watching their ears and fingers get more and more red.
But I can definitely say it was totally worth it. Their photos turned out amazing!! Here's a little preview.



I haven't finished all the editing yet, so check my photo blog in the next few days to see them all.

Hooray! We have officially booked our first wedding of the year. We met with the client today, things went great, and we got the contract signed. We should have two more official bookings this week, and there are a couple of maybes in the works.
Tomorrow we have two, count em, two engagement sessions and the temperature is supposed to be a grand total of 18 degrees. We're gonna be outside alllll day long. Park City in the morning and a farm in the afternoon. I really hope it works out okay, because I don't know of any couples who want red cheeks and runny noses in their wedding announcements.
I am really gonna feel bad for the couples. Aubrey and I can bundle up to high heaven and not give a crap about what we look like. We're not having our photo taken. I can't imagine trying to look cute in sub zero temperatures.
I'll definitely keep you updated on how it goes.

Sophie has the blinkies.



I'm trying to get better at off-camera flash and who better to practice on? She begs me to take her photo and goes all super-model on me when I pull the camera out.

If it were only that easy...

The child cannot, CANNOT, keep her eyes open when the flash goes off. It is absolutely impossible for those little eyelids of hers.

I tried threatening her. "If you blink one more time..."
I tried tricking her. "Close your eyes. One, two, three, open!"
I tried begging her. "Please, PLEASE keep your eyes open."

As you can see, none of my tactics worked.



These are just a select few from this evening's adventure...there were many more.

We finally resorted to this.



And this.

I am officially under the weather.
It's one of those "vicious cycle" kind of illnesses. I've been fighting a cold for the last week, so the congested, phlegm-ness doesn't help anything. I woke up with a killer headache this morning, so I took some magic pills. Well, now the magic pills are making me nauseous. I haven't eaten since yesterday, but I don't want to spend the whole night throwing up either. What to do...
(AND Mom made spaghetti for dinner tonight, complete with GARLICKY garlic bread. In one way it smells divine, in another way I'd rather go curl up with the dog. My nose and my stomach aren't agreeing on anything.)
To make matters worse, it's one of my very few days off. Why couldn't I get sick on a day that I work? Not fair.
I thought my flu shot would be enough to keep illness at bay. I was wrong.

In other news, Aubrey and I made it official last night. We're going to WPPI! That's Wedding and Portrait Photographers International for those of you not in the photo world. We'll be spending March 16-20 in Vegas Baby! We're rooming with an "internet friend" from Wisconsin. We're so psyched! It's going to be awesome and we're going to learn so much. You'll definitely be hearing about it in the months to come.

(P.S. Give it up for my 200th post! Woot!)

The best thing about siblings: They have to model for you. All the time. For FREE!




Click here and here to see them large.

SONG OF THE WEEK
Snow Patrol-Chasing Cars

As a new year is beginning, I feel I should do some reflecting. I've been reading one of my favorite photo blogs tonight and there are words and feelings in it that strike me from half a world away. (Seriously, read the whole thing and tell me you don't want to stop everything to hug your family.)

I feel that I've grown as a person a lot this year. I've had trials and tears, happiness and joy, and everything in between. There are times I get lost in the day to day, but lately, I've become a person who can stop and look around. I notice beauty everywhere. I notice the grandness of the clouds, the way the moon peeks over the mountains, the way snowflakes sparkle in the sunlight.
I notice little things I never would have. I love that the best part of my day can be a phone call from my Dad or lunch with my Mom, watching a movie with Walker and Chloe or helping Sophie with her reading.

I'm so grateful for so many things.

I love that my parents still love each other. I love that they will always take care of me. I love that I'm on my own, but I know I can always come home.

I love that Taylor is my best friend. I miss him terribly, but I know he's where he's supposed to be. I love knowing that he misses me too.

I love that Walker is growing up. He's becoming smarter and more mature every day. I love that we hang out. We didn't used to.

I love that Chloe is girly. It makes me want to be more girly. I love that she gets excited when I buy a new purse. Boys are never excited about new purses.

I love that Sophie is at all. I love that I can spend a whole day with her and be happy. I love that every scrap of paper floating around my car has a Sophie drawing on it.

I could go on, but I think I've summed it up. I have a lot of blessings in my life. Great friends, a good job, an awesome hobby/business. All of my needs are met, but without my family, I have nothing.
It should be a great year.

I guess it's time to take down my Christmas Wish List.

5 for 8. Not bad.
Overall, a pretty good holiday season. Ya, I had to work Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day AND New Years Eve. But hey, I got all Thanksgiving off. Counting my blessings I guess.