stella went to her little friend’s birthday and it was a day of tutu’s and pink slippers. we (stella) managed to be the only one wearing blue and orange! i need to show you a picture of her cute outfit but i have yet to edit those pictures! here are some of her friends at the party. they had a dance lesson and enjoyed being little girls. i can’t believe that katie is 3! i took pictures of her mom when she was in her belly! wow….life is too fast.

all lined up in a row.

could not resist these eyes.

hugs

birthday girl wondering what i am doing.

this weekend we set out to the lake. stillhouse hollow is up in belton, texas and it is a beautiful limestone lake that you will never want to get out of. we have been going to this lake with my family for the past 24 years. i have been going since i was 4 years old but have not been in the last 4 years. it was fun going back again…and bringing stella was so much fun. i could not help but think about my childhood on the lake. there were many 4th’s spent at the lake too. i learned how to water ski, camp, and much more out there.

here is the view from our campsite.

stella playing with her sail boat.

and the duck that she did not want to put down.

the view of the crystal clear water.

my sister is hot in her swim wear.

i think this is my favorite picture of stella ever.

driving the boat.

the 25 year old party barge that keeps going.

my sister with her husband.

fire works!

stella is a pro paddler.

this is my idea of relaxing.

the sweetest thing ever. josh and stella are having a bonding moment.

Amber and Brady were married in Port Aransas, Texas last month at the beach. Their reception was held at the Tarpon Inn. It was a wonderful wedding with fabulous details. Here are some wedding vendors that help make this happen: Outside the Box Events, Vincent’s Flowers, Simply Elegant by Raymond, and TNT Photobooth. Oh, and my favorite part was the BAND that came from Austin! RadioStar was an amazing 80’s band and kept the party going to the end! The wedding took place around 7 pm and it was perfect lighting! The sun was going down and allowed for me to have just enough time to shoot the wedding, group formals and some fun bride and groom shots! I love outdoor weddings and it seems that I have done so many this year. i think that I have had 5 and that is a good number for Texas! Amber and Brady are so much fun to take pictures of and it was easy to be their photographer. I have spent some time getting to know them even though they live out of town. This just shows that you don’t need to be in the same city to book your photographer! I traveled to their ranch to shoot their engagement pictures this past spring and then I was in Austin for their pre-wedding photos that you can see here. This was more of a project but it was fun getting to hang out with them. I think that this is really important before the weddings because this allows me to get to know the bride and groom on a deeper level. So lets see the wedding! Have a happy 4th of July! I am heading off to the Lake tomorrow so see you next week.

oh wow! this wedding was amazing….and organic! i loved shooting every second of this wedding. the bride and groom were so wonderful and it was a perfect day! the wedding took place in camp verde, texas. the bride and groom are from austin but decided to get married out at the brides family ranch which was the perfect spot for a wedding. the flowers were beautiful, the scenery was just right, the food was amazing, and the dj was kicking the dance floor up. one of my favorite moments of the entire day was their first dance. i don’t know what it was that happened…the song? or just the love that you felt between the two? but i almost started to shed some tears…and that is crazy! they danced to this song and it was so sweet! the words are touching…”Our house, is a very, very, very fine house. With two cats in the yard, Life used to be so hard, Now everything is easy ’cause of you.” take a look at their photos! there were too many to choose from.

I was excited to be featured on the Southern Weddings Blog the other day! I was contacted by them to put Kelli and Nick’s Wedding on their blog and I was thrilled that they loved their wedding so much! What is not to love about their wedding. They had a perfect Austin, Texas affair! I had my friend and photographer Laura {laura kay} shoot this wedding with me so it was fun to have some rocking images together. I have always wanted to shoot with her so that was fun! Maybe there will be more of those weddings to come! Take a look at this article and have fun looking at the fun ideas! Keep up with the blog….there will be some exciting news soon!

well, i am back from maui and i had a blast! it was beautiful in every way. we stayed at the grand wailea at their home rentals and it was beautiful. we had an ocean view and ate dinner outside every night! it was wonderful and i was enjoying every minute that i forgot to blog well, i did think about it but it did not happen! i do not think that a blog entry will suffice in summing up my vacation but i can show you some fun pictures that i took and fill you in on some fun activities that i did. a lot happened in 7 days and it flew by too fast. here are a few items that were on my list: went surfing, drove on the road to hana, sat on the beach, drove in our jeep to fun beaches, looked at plants, ate at mama’s fish house, went sea kayaking with ron bass, jumped in a waterfall pool, hiked (a little), ate some mangos, drank from a coconut, attended a luau at the feast at lele watched stella play lots, laughed a lot with my husband, swam in the amazing hotel pool, went to bed early, made sand castles on big beach, tried to swim at big beach (almost died!), and much more! i have to say that it was a fun vacation and i can’t wait to go on many more.

here is the view from our balcony

josh’s dream home. i thought it was a fun ride. wonder if it runs on vegetable oil?

our first morning on the island. it was around 6 am. stella was up at 3 am!

here is a shot of the volcanic rock left behind from the volcano. there were tons of rocks and little vegetation.

stella loved to ride in the jeep! we were going up and down some hills.

surfing for the first time. it was fun! big wake huh? photo credits to john and sol photography.

big beach looks beautiful but it is scary out there in the water!

an after dinner ride with the best friend.

self portrait on the road to hana

stella is enjoying herself at a waterfall

me again! just seeing if you guys are reading this! it is not me…just a local surfer on a lunch break!

my little assistant! she loves to take photos!

we are here!  what an amazing place.  i can not believe the views that are in front of me.  we are staying at an amazing hotel/villa and it is beautiful!  i got to go surfing today for the first time and it was so fun, josh and i got up on our board on the first swell.  it was amazing.  i walked away with a minor injury to my knee but other than that i was in heaven.  what a work out.  no one need to go to the gym when you have the ocean.  i can see why they all have wonderful bodies here! stella is having a wonderful time too.  she took to the ocean pretty well.  it was funny seeing her run away from the waves at the first visit!  she thought the ocean was going to eat her.  well, i wanted to blog to let you all know that i am here and will be gone for a week.  i will get back to working when i return! here are a few snap shots from our time here. more photos of us soon.  i am having too much fun to work!

nicole was a blushing bride and eduardo was… is there a term for a blushing groom? if there was one he would be it! these two were so fun to photograph. not only were they easy going but they were completely in love. they got married on may 3rd at st. anne’s catholic church and had a lovely ceremony. their reception was held at the courtyard at st. james and was beautiful. here are some of my favorite images from the day.

it has been 6 straight weekends in a row that i have shot a wedding. two weddings in one weekend for one of the weekends. i have to admit it was crazy but fun! i realized a couple of things during this this time…

1. texas is really hot.

2. every wedding is unique and different! there are lots of similar traditions, but not one wedding feels the same.

3. i love what i do.

4. i love capturing the first dance!

5. i love taking pictures of the bride and groom alone.

6. i love a free weekend with stella and josh because i have yet to have one with them for 6 weekends!

this weekend we did nothing! i love that. i have gone to bed early and hung out with stella and josh lots. it is always fun to not have to go anywhere and do anything. this weekend we played outside and had fun. josh decided to climb this massive 100 year old tree in our back yard to hang a swing. i got to help! take a look at these funny picture. i was in my pjs that morning belaying my hubby. there were only a few minor scrapes from this challenge. my sister paige took most of the pictures of us climbing. i was not going to risk his life to document this. paiges boy friend ellis was over too… stella loves playing with them.

yesterday i went to see the movie sex and the city with my friend. it was one of the best movies that i have seen in a long time! i was hoping that i would not be too far gone during the movie because i did not start watching sex and the city until after the show was over. i rented a couple of seasons at the movie store and found that they were wonderful! so i was excited to see what the movie was like. i encourage all of you to go see this movie for the fashion, friends, and the wonderful lessons learned. take a look at sarah jessica parker as a bride. she is stunning. i also love how her bridesmaids are all different colors. that part of the movie was funny. they started calling the girls by their color instead of their names. brace yourselves for a 2 hour and 15 minute ride of excitement. it was pure bliss to be watching this movie. you will be sure to have lots of laughs.