I had the beautiful opportunity to capture the welcome home of a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! His family waiting for him at the airport. His father acting like an impatient kid on Christmas, wanting to be the first to see him coming down the ramp. His younger siblings staring at him in wonder and all of them with tears at one point or another. I teared up again a few times during editing. So much love in this kind wonderful family.

My second opportunity to capture a lovely spiritual milestone was with the sweet miss Gabby, for her baptism portraits. Congratulations you beautiful daughter of God!

Up first we have Shenouda and his beautiful bride! Their ceremony was steeped in tradition and A great deal of joy! Led in to the chapel by a parade of priests and chanting and up to the podium. There they were joined together and anointed with crowns, robes and holy oil. Near the end they were led to the sanctuary and blessed before being introduced to the attendees as man and wife! The Mother of the Groom let out a wild yell in celebration!

Next we have Ian and Dina. They were so fun and spunky! They met through mutual friends and Dina's love of food. They told Ian to come meet this girl, they told Dina to come to the Greek food festival. He had to compete with the food all day for her attention. Some days he still does! They started the festivities with a cleansing ceremony where the mother of the groom accidentally cracked a coconut above the brides head, everyone had a good laugh and they moved on to the civil ceremony with a Justice of the Peace who joined them as man and wife in the law. They then had a Traditional Parsi rice throwing ceremony with a priest who joined them in their faith. Afterward the reception was filled with dancing, laughter, and avoidance tactics. Trying to steal a moment alone to get food, pictures and kisses.
They are one of the best couples I've met! Congratulations Ian and Dina! May your love see you through anything!

I have been so busy this past month that I am behind on blogging more than I could ever catch up normally. So, I am combining a few sessions. This episode is weddings!
We have Jessica and Brandon to start us out! Very sweet, down to earth couple who are blending their families. Jessica brought one dear little boy and Brandon brought his 2 strapping lads. The boys couldn't be happier and the Couple lit up the world with their joy! They were able to close on their new house 2 days before the wedding and asked me to follow them there after the reception to capture them crossing the threshold for the first time.

Next up we have Kaylin and Devoi! A quirky couple with spunk and originality! The bride made her dress and asked her maids to do the same. the arch they were married under was covered with origami cranes that the bridal party made. They had so much fun out in the August heat that no one even noticed the sweat trickling down our backs and the melting cupcakes!

Last but certainly not least, we have Tasha and Mack! Mack came over from New Orleans a few years ago and started working at a flooring store where he met the love of his life and , of course, made a fool of himself. But now, after 8 years and lots of trials, these 2 have finally come together as man and wife in a joyous celebration of family, friends and fun traditions. The umbrellas and rags used in the dancing comes from New Orleans Parade tradition. It was so much fun to watch!

That's all for this episode of Catching Up! Keep your eyes ope for more coming soon! (4 more bundles to get me caught up!)
Thank you so much for visiting and for all your comments!

This beautiful family welcomed Edward into their lives this summer and couldn't be happier! He was such a good baby the entire shoot, no messes on mom or dad, he stayed asleep almost the entire time. Such a little charmer. Dad is a big golf fan and a wonderful father. Changed 2 diapers and prepared a bottle and fed Edward while I was there. You can see the love this family has for one another glowing through their eyes!
Congratulations Veronica and EJ! It was such a pleasure to capture these precious moments for you.

Upon arrival at the church I went and hung out with the groom and his groomsmen and family. They were gathered around a tablet watching a baseball game while they got ready. Then over to the bride where she had all her best friends and close family gather around her in prayer. They are a sweet and quiet bunch who also like to have fun! After the ceremony filled with laughter and tears from the bride, groom, parents and several others the couple busted out sunglasses and cranked some music, boogying their way back down the aisle. Then at the reception the Bride and her father started with a traditional dance which quickly became a hip hop dance, then thriller and finally mission impossible. The tea ceremony was held in a side room at the church with just parents and grandparents in attendance. The couple stumbled adorably through the ceremony and tearfully hugged as blessings and gifts were given.
Congratulations Amber and Jacob!

These beautiful girls participated in a retreat for body positivity and self esteem growth. Almost everyone of them had only bad thoughts and things to say about themselves when they first came in. They took different classes involving finding something they like about themselves, then they made a list of things they like about a different person in the room and made a visual poster for the other girl to take home to be reminded of the uplifting thoughts of others. At the end I took photos for each of them. They all started out a little shy but most of them got into it pretty quickly. There was one girl who I told she was pretty and she made a face of disbelief. I reassured her that I was sincere and she started to cry just a little. When she was composed again she told me I was pretty too. Such a sweet girl. This was such a wonderful experience for me and for those girls. I truly look forward to the next time this opportunity comes around. It was a joy to feel like I helped someone in such a deep way.

Tiny Baby Beckett! Fresh out of mommies tummy and ready to meet the world. He was awake for most of the session but was an adorable little peanut!

A handful of adults, a gaggle of teenagers and a whole lot of walking in old fashion clothes. You'd never guess that this was one of the best times of many of these peoples lives. Mine included. These wonderful people became my friends and family for a week, some for quite a bit longer. 

We walked, pulling handcarts, for 3 and a half days. Going up and down rocky, rutted hills. We got muddy, sweaty, dehydrated. We laughed, cried,and sang as we journeyed along the trail. 
Along the way we had opportunity to have some moments to reflect and write in journals about our experiences. This was a spiritual and physical workout. 

One of the most special events was the women's pull. A section of the trail set aside where only the girls and female leaders are allowed to touch the handcarts (except in emergency) It is done to honor the pioneer women who crossed the country without their husbands, either because they stayed behind to help others, they went ahead to prepare the trail and the destination, or, far too frequently, because they died along the trail. The men and boys in our company went ahead to prepare to lunch site and to cheer the girls across the finish line. One boy even played his harmonica and others sang to help them bolster up the last hill. 

Despite skinned knees, blisters, and shoes that fell apart......

... We all managed to have a lot of fun!

They had been going through rough times, separately, before they met. They each wanted to get to a good place in their lives, health, career, and love wise. They had been praying for that special one to be brought into their lives while they worked tirelessly on achieving their goals. When they finally met it was magic and it was hard work and it was everything love should be. They see each other with all their quirks and flaws and the beauty for their souls and revel in each others company. 
Congratulations to Britney and Scott!

I was so honored to be asked to join in this celebration. I spoke with the groom upon arriving at the temple and he was just as clueless as I was about what was to happen and where I could stand. He did, however, inform me that no shoes were to be worn inside the building and I would shooting in my stocking feet. The love and pure adoration between these two was only diminished by the adorable concern of the groom about making a mistake during a ceremony done in a language he didn't speak. There was great beauty in the ceremony. Combining their lives with the symbols and traditions of ages past. They walked around the platform to take their first steps as husband and wife and then fed each other a banana. 
I wish all the best to these two! Congratulations!