I remember those big brown eyes and blonde hair so long it touched your lower back even in a braid. So tiny and adorable, I loved you instantly. I remember how you and I watched the fish swim in the big tank at the Downtown Disney restaurant while we waited for a table. I remember how protectively your "Papi" watched over you as you lie stretched out, fast asleep, as I ate dinner with your family for the first time. That was 12 years ago now, where has the time gone???
Now look at you! You're all grown up and today's your 16th birthday. It's craziness I tell you ;)
Miranda, you're amazing and continue to make your entire family proud every day. You're so very smart, incredibly talented and have such a bright future ahead of you... and we all KNEW that this is exactly the sort of person you would turn out to be. You couldn't end up any other way, you've always been this amazing person only now you're in a taller, 16 year old package!
Hoping you have a wonderful, amazing, fantastic 16th birthday! You deserve that and so much more. We love you very much but remember one little thing....
... You will always be Uncle Thorsten's "Monkeybutt". :)
I wasn't raised in an overly religious home. My Mom had faith but not quite religion, my Dad was raised in a Catholic-centric home complete with Catholic school education by nuns. Tonight, a friend sent out a Facebook status update asking for prayers. And tonight, without hesitation, I closed my eyes and prayed for her.
I prayed for positivity, for strength, for courage, for small victories and large favors, and of course, for her health.
I read a quote tonight that really touched my heart, and I hope it touches yours as well:
"Fairy tales are more than true, not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they assure us that dragons can be beaten."
-G.K. Chesterton
Rachel, we all love you and are more than ready to help you in whatever way any of us can. You are so loved and know that we support and believe in your own fairytale ending.
Can I first pause a minute here and say that I simply cannot believe it.
I cannot believe that one of my oldest friend's YOUNGEST child is now 3!
Nuh-uh, nope, no way no how not gonna believe it ;)
I mean, come on! Ryn, weren't we JUST sitting in the courtyard at Albritton on those rickety wooden picnic tables waiting for the school day to drag on? Weren't we JUST having sleep-overs almost every night of the weekend at each other's homes? Weren't you just the "Ryn" to my "Stimpy"?Wasn't I just sporting a big fabric 1990's styled scrunchie and soccer shorts- EEP! Did I just admit to that in print?!?!?
Anywho, back to the reason for this post: Jacob!
Coryn's little boy has turned three this week! Ah, the life of a 3 year old... was it so long ago that our entire world revolved around crayons, cartoons and juice boxes too? Jacob, you are so loved, you absolutely adorable little man you! Happy Birthday!!!
And of course, a Coryn blog post wouldn't be complete without showing off her other gorgeous kids: Zack + Kayla!
Love you guys so much xoxoxo
Coryn, your children are so great.
I loved spending time with them and you on my last trip to Tampa. I loved seeing your little ones in action, their eyes lighting up with every camera shutter movement, rushing towards me to see what picture we actually took of them. Love them all, sending you direct orders to hug them IMMEDIATELY because my GogoGadget Arms just will not reach from NC to FL. (sigh)
I can't believe it's been more than a year now since I was a Tampa resident! Crazy how time flies when you're having fun. So many doors have opened to me here thanks to photography, and Tampa is where it all started for me. I want to always keep that city in the loop, and plan on bi-annual trips to Tampa as long as my clients will have me ;)
It's time again for my Spring (-ish) trip, this time I will be there for the first weekend of June. Can't wait to see all of my friends, my old co-workers, my brother and especially my clients!!! Watching your babies grow this past year via Facebook updates has been so great, but I really can't wait to take a million pics of them in PERSON! :) Sooooo excited!
I try to keep the prices pretty standard and reduced for my hometown trips.
Pretty good deal, I think! Cannot wait to see you all soon! And expect lots of blog posts on the photo shoots when I get back to NC! Fun,fun, fun!
Here are a few faves from last year's Tampa shoots, enjoy!!!
It's supposed to be a "job". You're commissioned to work for a client, to deliver to them a service. You invest your time, your mind, your all to this one day.... and it doesn't FEEL like work.
It feels amazing.
It's as if I feel the need to pinch myself because I was the one chosen out of any number of people to be responsible for capturing the most important day of their lives thus far... it's insane, really.
Insanely amazing.
I feel so lucky to have been able to capture these moments in time for Ali + Joseph. Congratulations on a beautiful wedding and a happy marriage!
(PS I wish I had video of Ali breaking into song during the prep time, she has an INCREDIBLE voice. This was the song she wanted to sing to Joseph. You should totally play this in the background while scrolling through!)
Early that morning, I headed into Wilmington to the Hilton to meet up with Ali + her girls as they got ready. Three words can sum up the next few hours of photos: sisters, happiness, anticipation!
(Raise your hand if you find it a little unfair that our bride looks like this BEFORE she has her hair and makeup done. Just sayin')
This was a gift given to Ali by her Maid of Honor, Summer. So incredibly beautiful and thoughtful. Because Ali's father is no longer with her, Summer had this anklet made for her so that he could walk Ali down the aisle on her wedding day.
Kala Owens of Bent Tree Hair Salon in Clayton, NC is a friend of Ali's and she did such a great job with all of the girls' hair and makeup. Ali's word of the day was "ethereal" and I think Kala went above and beyond in creating that look for her.
I adore the shoes by Nina Shoes! They are gorgeous!
I'm going to pause for a second and point out the obvious here:
Does anyone else see the resemblance between Mrs. Bagwell and Ms. Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham)???
Okay, back from my momentary distraction.
Elephant in the room is now out in the open ;)
Lashes for miles. I mean really....unbelievably beautiful!
While I was having a blast with the girls all morning, Thor was acting as my 2nd shooter and spent his morning hanging out with the boys. He did such an amazing job. I really love working with him! It's nice to be able to work with someone you trust completely.
Doesn't he look so happy? Love this one!
Family shots always kill me... love this one too!
And before we knew it, all the time on our prep-stage clock had run down and it was time for those BIG moments!
Can't you just tell by the way they're looking at each other that there's nowhere else in the world that they would have rather been? They've found their match. It's so obvious...
(And I'm sorry, but this Father-Daughter shot deserves a close-up!)
Possibly my favorite shot of the day. I love the way her hand lies on his chest. The clarity of her ring. The curl of hair on her shoulder. The hint of their faces smiling at each other just out of frame.The graphic print of his tie and pocket square. Seriously, LOVE this.
STAY TUNED FOR THEIR AWESOME RECEPTION SHOTS in the next blog post update!
I used to call your cell phone, just to hear your voice telling me to leave a message. I remember the day I called and everything, even that recording, was gone. You take things like that for granted before you've lost your first loved one: voice, time, "always"...
One minute you were here. One minute we were arguing over how quickly I could figure out my life as an adult, over things I can't even remember the significance of now. The next minute I got that phone call, the one telling me you were lying in a hospital bed. The next minute I was internally screaming a thousand "I'm sorrys" into the deafening silence of your room.
It's Mother's Day again and I don't think it's ever going to get easier. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe one day when I hold my own babies in my arms, I'll celebrate how I've come full circle into my own. Maybe one day I'll sit my children down and show them our home videos of you, let them hear that voice I wish was still on the other end of the line...
We don't talk about you. I don't think any of us can really, but I know we all think of you every single day. We all think of you.
We think about your laugh. The laugh that ended in watery eyes and gasping for breath. Usually not just yours.
We think about your smile. The smile that you hated to show in pictures even though it was such a beautiful feature.
We think about your strength. How is it possible that the strongest person I know was the first of us to lose her fight?
We do think about you, on this day and every day, you're in our thoughts. We love you always.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you amazing moms out there! You have no idea how deeply you are touching your children's hearts, but believe me, you're there to stay. Wishing you all the most wonderful of Mother's Days!
