FORREST – CLASS OF 2012

Filed under: portraits,seniors — admin at 1:52 pm on Tuesday, June 26, 2012

I’ve known Forrest’s mom for a few years and we are friends on FACEBOOK. She contacted me about the vision she had for his senior pictures and I knew right away where we needed to go! We met on Market Street in Corning and captured exactly what they wanted out of their session!

Thanks again for coming to Corning and trusting my vision with your pictures!

MIRANDA – BRIDALS

Filed under: just because,love,marry me,portraits,wedding — admin at 11:58 am on Monday, June 25, 2012

Hannah contacted me around Christmas about a gift certificate for her dear friend Miranda – for a bridal session – which are MY FAVORITE sessions to shoot!

AMAZING! Isn’t she gorgeous!

BEAUTIFUL!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shots!

I also LOVE LOVE LOVE birdcage veils!!!

MY FAVORITE SHOTS OF THE DAY! I love love LOVE those shots! I will totally be getting prints for the next bridal expo!!

Hannah – thank you SO much for gifting Miranda with this session! I had such a great time with you both!

Miranda – I can’t wait to see your wedding photos! I’m so excited that I can FINALLY post these!!

KATIE & JOSH – 5.12.2012

Filed under: marry me,wedding — admin at 12:14 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012

I’ve known Katie for a very long time – I don’t even know how long!

I had a wedding in March – but Katie’s wedding was my official start of wedding season!

Katie’s nieces and nephew – show stoppers for sure!

One of my favorite places in the valley to take pictures!!

LOVE THOSE ONES!

WAIT – THOSE ONES TOO!!

Doing our best to recreate a BRIDESMAIDS pose – I think it worked pretty well!

Josh painted the tattoos on their wedding topper! SO AWESOME!

Katie & Josh – we are SO happy for you! Thanks for being awesome (and our very own tattoo artists)!

*V*

Filed under: just because,my family,portraits — admin at 11:33 am on Friday, June 22, 2012

*V* is my cousin. In my mind she is still 8 and a flower girl in my wedding. She will be 16 this year and it makes me shudder. She is beautiful and wonderful!

SERIOUSLY!

MY FAVORITES!!!

She brought her prom dress and we spent some time in our backyard shooting!

I LOVE THOSE SHOTS!

MY FAVORITES!!!

Oh – those ones too!

*V* – guard your heart and be yourself! WE LOVE YOU!

PSALM 46

Filed under: babes,baby barden,bardenisms,birth,expecting,just because,kiddos,love,newsworthy,TMJ,word of God — admin at 1:04 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012

PSALM 46

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Before they diagnosed me with TMJ disorder – I thought I was dying. I thought for sure I had a brain tumor that was pushing my eye out of the socket. A tumor that was pushing on my brain and making it feel like mice were running up and down my nerves. A tumor that was making my arm and face numb – making me delirious from pain. I was sure of it.

I prayed like I never prayed before. I cried. I yelled. I got down on my knees. I screamed. I begged. I cried. I slept. I prayed.

One night I opened by Bible – begging God to give me a verse – to speak to me. Psalm 46 is what I turned to. Verse 5 is what jumped out to me. God is within HER. SHE will not fall. God will help HER at break of day. How many times in the Bible is the word he used instead of she – LOTS! And this verse said SHE. That God would help HER at break of day. Nights were usually the worst for me. After being up all day and carrying around this pressured ball on my shoulders. I came home from working all day and cried and slept. And did it all again the next day. And the next day. I printed this verse out and put it under my keyboard at work – on the wall – in my calendar – EVERYWHERE! Jared helped me memorize it – going over it with me every night.

I said it over and over and over and over again. Cried it. Prayed it. Screamed it. GOD WILL HELP HER AT BREAK OF DAY. That one sentence was my lifeline. I held onto that hope that tomorrow I would wake up. That I would want to wake up – because I can honestly tell you that I wanted to die. I wished I would die. It hurt so bad – all the time. But I would repeat Psalm 46 and hold onto hope.

I started having symptoms in March of 2006 and didn’t get my retainer until August of 2008 – so two years of constant SEVERE pain. Two years of praying this prayer over and over and over again. After I started wearing my retainer – the pain decreased. It’s still there – almost all the time – but NOTHING compared to what it was. On a scale of 1 to 10 my pain used to be a 15. It’s now about a 3 to 4 all the time. GIANT IMPROVEMENT. It’s something I’m used to at this point. When a storm comes through I’m usually pain free. Otherwise – it’s there.

Knowing that my pain was manageable – we decided to try and get pregnant. I’m sure most of you know about that long road and struggle and blessing in the end. Psalm 46 spoke to me then too. GOD IS WITHIN HER – SHE WILL NOT FALL. I felt helpless. I felt alone. I felt forgotten. But I would repeat Psalm 46 – over and over again. And again. And then again. I felt like I was a mountain falling into the sea. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of babies and pregnancies and blessings – that weren’t ours.

Our sweet miracle is now 14 months old – so we are at the point where people are asking (telling really) – YOU NEED TO HAVE ANOTHER – WHEN ARE YOU GONNA HAVE ANOTHER – YOU NEED TO GET STARTED ON THAT. And (sadly) I’m at the point where I say – well – since we’ve had two miscarriages now – I don’t know. I know for some people they can literally just think about getting pregnant and just like that – it happens that month. I don’t know what that’s like. I do know what it’s like to try and try and try for months on end (eighteen for Fitzy) and crash every month you get your period – fall into a heap and scream and pray and cry. That’s what I know. I know what’s it like to lose – not one but two babies and wonder if it will ever happen again. If we were to get pregnant again – would we stay pregnant? If we miscarry again – that’s it. We’re done. I’ve been pregnant 3 times – only once past 10 weeks. Knowing that the next time I get pregnant might be our last scares me. So I repeat Psalm 46 again – for yet another season in my life.

I write this to encourage you. To tell you that you are not alone. To let you know that God LOVES you.

You might need Psalm 46 in your life right now. Know it. Breathe it.

*T* FAMILY

Filed under: babes,family,just because,kiddos,my family,portraits — admin at 11:52 am on Tuesday, June 19, 2012

While Derek and Jessica were home I took some updated family photos for them!

*J* is almost a month old in these photos – such a handsome little boy!

I LOVE THOSE SHOTS! Look at her little dimple!

I LOVE THAT PICTURE – everything about it!

That last one is mu favorite!

It was SO good to see you guys – love you lots!

HOME SWEET HOME

Filed under: babes,bardenisms,just because,kiddos,my family — admin at 11:22 am on Friday, June 15, 2012

In early May my brother and his wife came home to visit with their two little babes!

She is such a sweet girl!

Our updated family photo!

My sister and her hubs – the professor (really it’s xavier – but I like to call him the professor)!

Little *A* and *J* – sweet ones!

COUSINS!! Fitzy loved baby *J* – he wanted to kiss him all day!

Fitzy loves to lick the fruit book! He is a crazy baby!

Reading – Mr. Brown Can Moo – Can You? – it’s Fitzy’s favorite book!

Fitzy likes to bite. Toes. I love this series of pictures because it pretty much sums up the whole time with *R*. He wasn’t sure about sharing “his” grandparents with her and he always wanted to bite her feet. I love the look on my mom’s face and her wagging her finger at him.

We can’t wait for Fitzy to spend more time with his cousins!

 

*W* FAMILY

Filed under: babes,family,just because,portraits — admin at 1:30 pm on Thursday, June 14, 2012

I photographed Ryan & Heather’s wedding – I lose track of time though – I think it was 2 Octobers ago?

They asked me to come down and get some photos of their sweet little girl *V* – she is such a sweetie!

Thank you SO much for asking me to capture *V* for you! We have to get her and Fitzy together soon!

JOSH & DANA – 4.21.2012

Filed under: friends,love,marry me,wedding — admin at 10:54 am on Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Our dear friend Josh married his bride in April – in Charlotte!

My parents kept Fitzy while Jared and I splurged and stayed at The Westin!

I very rarely get to go to a wedding as a guest – so it was a welcome break – but I HAD to bring my camera – just for a few shots!

I LOVE THAT SHOT – but I couldn’t decide which one – so you get both!

Dana – you looked GORGEOUS! We are so happy for you both!

MEET *B*

Filed under: babes,birth,family,just because,love,portraits — admin at 11:41 am on Tuesday, June 12, 2012

*B* came a little earlier than expected – not long after our maternity session actually!

Her big brother has the BEST cheeks in the world!

There is just something special about a daddy and his little girl!

She was such a perfect little model!

I LOVE THOSE SHOTS!!

Jessica & Scot – I can’t wait to watch your baby girl grow this year! Thanks again for asking me to capture this time for you!

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