VOTE!!!!!!!!

Ok, so I entered a photo of be being goofy into a contest (well, 2 photos). The idea was to take a photo of you doing a crazy exercise. WELL ....


Photo 1: yoga in the garden. Me doing the side plank. Ok, so truthfully, it was the first time I did the side plank, but the other positions wouldn't look too good in the visual sense, which is why I went w/ this pose. To the left is my strawberry patch. Directly in front of me is the lettuce, and at my feet is the zucchini. :) Oh, the ground is green b/c I mulch w/ grass .... I hug a LOT of trees. ;)


Photo 2: Me weightlifting paint cans atop a chair that is on my "to do" list of projects. So, the can's aren't really full, but it shows painting CAN be a workout! One day, my right arm was all sore and I couldn't figure out why. Well, I remembered I painted walls the day before .... which was probably why I was sore! Interesting, no?

I get a lot of duff from the "Move it Monday" crowd, but my comment is ANYTHING can be exercise. I go mow the lawn, that's 45 minutes worth of pushing/walking. I want to rent a movie? We walk to the Redbox .... anything can be made to move the body in good ways! :)

I realize I might be splitting my vote by having 2 photos, but GO HERE and vote ... I'm voting for Yoga in the Garden!

Wedding book ....

My friend, Anne, put together this awesome project .... photographing Vegas wedding chapels on Valentine's Day.

CLICK HERE to read her awesome blog post about it. :)

Time to vote!

Ooooooook people.

I stalk a few blogs regularly ... and Davina tries to encourage photogs to get fit + healthy. I enjoy checking in on her blog.

Ok, so I put in a few pieces of advice ... and she used 2 of mine. SO, please GO HERE and vote for me! I voted for #4 ... I don't think I'll get to pool the votes for me. It's either/or. ;)

I wouldn't say I've turned into a health nut (I just ate my tiny raisin cinnamon rolls), but I certainly am motivated to keep my body from falling apart in 50-ish years, that's the ideal.

Wedding photos from Heather!!!!!!!!!

Oooooooooook peoples, Heather has posted some of our wedding photos on her blog. To check out the images, CLICK HERE! Oh, be SUUUUURE to leave a comment and tell her what a super-fabulous job she did! Ttuly! I think her record for blog comments is 12 ... but I'd love to see us leaver her WAY more than that. Ok?


But the photos have been up on our proofing site for quite some time, so if you want to access them, CLICK HERE.

YAY! On Heather's Blog!!!!!

FINALLY! At long last, there is ONE photo from oru wedding on Heather's Blog (scroll all the way down to the bottom)! Granted, it's on why it takes so long to get photos turned around .... yikes!

Mike and I have a way shorter process, but as Heather said, every photographer is different. I have the luxury of having Mike to help me do all of the heavy lifting. :-)

In a funk

So, sometimes I feel like blogs are like Christmas letters. All happy, happy, joy, joy.

Not that people lie on them, but that it's all about personal accomplishments. But how much of our lives are actually big accomplishments? I'd guess less than 5% of them. The rest is just the little in between moments. The nothings. But if you have lots of nothing, isn't that something?

I found this incredibly poignent post from athlete Brianna Glenn via Jasmine Star's blog this July (side note, I love, love, love reading J*'s blog. Her writing style is so fresh, fun and playful ... and her images can only be described as eye candy).

Justin and Mary have a particularly vulnerable post lately, too

I appreciate that some people share the valleys, because there are lows in life. Just like there are highs. It also somehow makes people feel *more real* and multi-dimensional to me (if that makes any sense).

So ... today is one of those days. More particularly one of those last 5 hours. I've just been in sort of a funk/pity party. Which isn't entirely like me at all.

Do you ever have those days when you question who you are and what you're doing? (if you don't, I think you're lying to yourself). ;-)

Who am I?
What am I doing?
What is my purpose?
Does God REALLY have a plan for me?
Am I even close to fulfilling my life's mission on this earth?
How will I KNOW what that mission is?
Maybe I'm wasting my time.
Maybe I'm wasting God's time (now THAT's a scary thought!).

But I am blessed. So blessed.

I have a husband more amazing than I could have ever imagined. A super yummie dinner at a little hole in the wall pizzaria certainly helped to improve my mood.

So, then I come home and start to mope again (what gives?).

And I start to question. And wallow in self pity.

I miss my friends.
Why does S live in Atlanta? It's too far away. I want to go have coffee w/ her RIGHT NOW.
Too bad Robin's throat is all sore and she can't talk. I could use some sister love.
Why won't my kitty come and cuddle with me? (I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with me throwing shoes at her yesterday for scratching the carpet on the stairs).

(wow, I'm being pathetic + whiney!)

But ... life swings up again.

Ok ok, so I'm a HUGE GEEK. We all know this.

A few weeks ago, I signed up w/ Google Analytics. Yeah, yeah, I should have done it a long time ago, but life keeps running away with me. Heck, I don't even really know all of its capabilities, but it's pretty stinkin' cool.

It gives all sorts of information/data. I really need to learn all of the capabilities.

But it's super cool to be able to see how many *new* people are coming to your site. And how many are coming from searches or online listings.

AND because I'm a super nerd, it's cool to see where they live (I SO need a life!).



Here are the top 25 cities our main site visitors are from:


And on the map:



(HELLLLLOOOOOO, Alaska!)

We even have some international visitors:


I can guess who I know in Canada and Kenya, but the rest of the international peeps, dunno how the heck they made their way to our site.

They also calculate the percent of people who are brand new versus returning visitors on the site. Cool!


Here are the percents from our blog:


The countries who visit our blog:


And the top 25 cities:


It's super fun to look at these because I know some of these are friends, and I mentally say "hi" when I see your city's name. i.e. when I see Coffeyville, I think "HI DOUG!!!!" (not Douggie).

And when I see places in Iowa or Wyoming, I"m all "Hi Erin + Joe!!!!" in my mind.

(I'm a dork).

I'm trying to NOT wet myself ....

... but I"m not doing a very good job. ;-)

Heather keeps sending along teasers ... and they DO tease me in EVERY way possible!

The birdcage veil was the best idea EVER! Seriously! I LOVE it!!!!!!


Erik's FAVORITE:


Me looking FIERCE:


And a little classic:



She hasn't done so yet, but I *think* Heather will be posting images on her blog. I'll shout when they're up! :-)

Photo kudos!

I was blog stalking the other day ... and saw this fantastic photo on Kitty Maer's blog.

Check out the entire post by CLICKING HERE.

I'm not sure if Esse boo would be quite so agreeable in sitting still for photos.

Nail on the head!

This morning, I woke early (kitty was scratching at the door UGH) and just couldn't go back to sleep. So instead of tossing and turning and possibly disturbing E, I crept out of bed, am down at my trusty Mac, listening to streaming NPR, trying to stay warm with a tiny space heater and blog stalking.

Let me talk about WHY I love reading Jasmine Star's blog. This girl is REEEEEEEEEEEEAL! She shares the good, the bad and the not so pretty on her blog. I've referenced her blog before HERE.

Just ONCE I would like to write something poetic about one of my sessions, the way J* does EVERY day.

Oops, I'm on a tangent.

Ok, so today, I was reading J*'s post HERE and it describes perfectly how I I knew Erik was THE one:

"I don’t think that one day you just know that the person is right for you; it’s that you slowly begin to lose every bit of protest within you and accept that the person is less and less wrong for you, and then you know."

Is this just me, or is this GENIUS?!!?!???!!!

So .... post a comment and let me know how you knew your spouse was THE one! (I'm really looking forward to reading these!)

YOWSAS!!!! — part 2

SO, I posted photos from Joyce and Billy's engagement session with Nicole and Brandon Parigo about a month ago.

Joyce and I went to high school together, and we have many, many fond memories. She and Billy were married two weeks before Erik and I. It worked out amazingly well, because we were both able to attend the other's wedding. AND Joyce helped Cousin Jen rock the guest book table for us!

On Saturday, I found the top photo as the sneak peek on the Parigo's blog. WOW! Niiiiice image! (I viewed the double rainbow from the ground).

I enjoyed Joyce and Billy's wedding on SO MANY levels:

Firstly, it was fantastic to see an old friend marry someone who's been an important part of her life for years.

Secondly, it was an amazing reunion with some high school friends who I don't often see.

Thirdly, I got to wear my killer gardening galoshes (it'd spent the previous 5 days raining, and the wedding was in Joyce and Billy's big, beautiful backyard). I was in HEAVEN!

Finally, I was able to totally kick back and BE A GUEST AT A WEDDING!!!!!!! I drank wine, chatted with friends, drank more wine, enjoyed the lovely afternoon, had more wine and shared many laughs with Joyce's family. And then more wine was consumed. ;-)

But seriously ... Nicole and Brandon totally rocked it! I enjoy watching other photographers work. It's interesting to see the similarities and differences. It was such a joy to watch this duo work their booties off to produce killer images for Joyce and Billy. Seriously!!!!!!!! My mom always said she enjoyed dinner more if someone else made it; I guess I can understand that more now. I LOVE documenting weddings, but there were SO MANY friends around, I would have missed out on catching up if I had to actually work. It was awesome to watch someone else do all of the hard work! :-) Plus, they did an AMAZING JOB! I'm not pumping hot air, either. Even though I'm a wedding guest, I totally have to admit I watch the photogs. I've seen some who ... didn't shoot the way I feel is appropriate and I felt *bad* for the couple because I saw the photographer miss so many nice moments. This is SO NOT THE CASE for Joyce and Billy.


I'll start to wind down now. But not before I talk about Joyce's dad. I <3 Dr. Barba!!!!! He's just the sweetest man EVER!


He has 5 daughters, and it is SO clear his girls respect and adore him! (I know *I* sure do!)


Ok, I'll stop rambling now. But DO cruise over and check out the post of Joyce and Billy's wedding on the Parigo's blog!

Sexy & Sassy!!!!!!!

Sexy.


Sassy.

To check out more of our wedding images on the Heartland blog, CLICK HERE!!!!!!

A GARGANTUAN THANK YOU to Heather and Mike for TOTALLY rocking our wedding photography!

ps-please be sure to leave some blog love (comments) on the Heartland blog! They TOTALLY brighten up a photographer's day! :-)

R3 — recycle your SUIT!

I can't claim I came up with this blog post on my own (I saw it on Anne Ruthmann's Blog) ... but it's too good to not share! And since E and I were just married and the fellas were decked out in their suits, this is a great time to share this!

Through October, Men's Warehouse is doing a National Suit Drive.

So, if the drycleaner has "shrunk" your suit, or you have a new suit and your old one isn't getting as many miles as it used to, consider this!

In addition to being a form of recycling, you'll be helping to get these suits to those who need them. "During the National Suit Drive, every one of our over 550 stores will be collecting gently used professional attire to benefit at-risk men and youth transitioning into the workforce. All clothing we receive will be distributed throughout the community by local nonprofit organizations." Isn't that awesome????

Items accepted are: suits, sport coats, slacks, ties, and belts.

In addition to helping someone else out, plus you'll get 10% off your next Men's Warehouse purchase.

#1 — Marry the man of my dreams

CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yup. Erik and I are hitched!!!!!!

Yesterday was AMAZING and we were blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who lifted us up with love.

Thank you to EVERYONE who came to celebrate with us, and also thanks to those who joined us in thought and prayer.

Please cruise over to the Heartland Photography blog by CLICKING HERE to check out the photo preview and writeup by Mike. I'll post here when more photos are up, as well as the kickin' slideshow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And DO leave comments on the Heartland blog. We call them "blog love" and Mike and Heather deserve a TON for all of the hard work they did yesterday!

Oh, and I love, love, love the photo at the top of this post!!!!!!!! Seriously. It is my favorite. Mike pulled a few faves to show at the reception, which is always a delight.

When planning the wedding, I knew I wanted something visual for our exit from the church. I'd seen this before with multi-colored petals ... and we opted for red. I don't know about you, but I think it looks FABULOUS! The best part about doing this is as the couple, you can walk through and ENJOY it as opposed to run like hell to avoid bird seed or wheat or whatever people throw at you. Believe me, as the photographer, we end up with it on and in us as well .... it ain't pleasant. This was WAY cooler and MUCH more visual!


And I grabbed this image from Mike's blog. I don't have a direct link to the post, but to visit Mike's blog, CLICK HERE.

Mike IS correct ... I didn't pick up a camera all day. It was tough, but they did a killer job. What he DOESN'T know is I snapped a few images when I dropped my dress off at Erik's hotel room Friday afternoon. After seeing Heather work, however, I might have to consider switching careers and joining the circus ... because I think her images will put any I took to shame. ;-)

Phew ... I'm really chiseling away at this 101 in 1001 list!

I'm *dying* to post this ....

but am not supposed to post anything from the Hindu/Christian wedding I helped shoot a few weeks ago until Jessica from D.C., the main photographer does. I'll let ya know when official posts are up, because I KNOW there are some readers out there who want to know!

Gustav

Ok, time to talk about spot news.

Yesterday afternoon as I was driving around Wichita, running errands like a maniac, I heard a piece on NPR about Hurricane Gustav and its effects on a small town in Lousiana called Houma. "So what?" you might ask. So, one of my college colleagues, Matt Stamey, lives down there and works as a photographer for the Houma Courier.



(photo by Matt Stamey)

Matt is chronicling the events via the Stormtracker Photo Blog, but he also has some brief updates on his personal blog as well.

An excerpt from Day 1 of the Stormtracker Photo Blog:

"Wow, that was intense.
Being from Kansas, I had never seen anything like I saw today as Gustav made its way through Terrebonne Parish.
As the wind and rain increased, I wanted to see first hand what a Hurricane felt like. It didn't take long to realize that standing in the middle of town during a hurricane wasn't for me. "

And this is an excerpt from day 2:

"I felt whole again, I was finally out shooting. For a while, I forgot that a hurricane had just passed. We were talking with a couple of guys on their street and it felt like any other day. We were out there getting photos and stories of the people who live in our community.
If it's a story of a kid at a science fair, or story about a man and his batman collection or a story about someone who just lost their home, the concept of gathering the images and story remains the same."

What I just love, love, love about Matt is how genuine he is. He moved down to Houma a few years ago and just dove into the community. He truly became a part of the community, and whenever he talks about it, it is SO evident. I wish I could have become part of the community at my first newspaper .... and truly called it home. Stamey has done that, and I have to tip my hat to him for that.

Let's rewind a bit to 2005 and Hurricane Katrina. Matt was beginning to call Houma home, and was also in the biggest national news event of the year.

Having the heart of gold that he does, Matt wanted to help. And thus "Faces of Katrina" was born.

He explained to the K-State photographers: "my main goal with this project is to get families back together. It kills me when a little boy comes to me and asks if I've seen his dad. Any little bit I can do to help, I will."

So he went to a few shelters and photographed the refugees, posted it on the Courier's Web site, and hoped families would be able to find their loved ones.



(photos by Matt Stamey)

You can view the project HERE and HERE.

Matt is so awesome that he put together a year-anniversary project, too. You can check it out HERE.

I also think he put together a DVD about the project ... where he spoke about the project, his thought behind it and the results of it. He presented it to us at our annual K-State photo gathering .... and I just wept when I saw it. It was so truly beautiful, and you could tell it was so heartfelt (I'm all tearing up as I'm typing this now!). I'm not sure where you can get it, but if I find out, I'll add it to this post.

So ... be sure to go leave some encouragement for those in Houma at the Stormtracker Photo Blog!

LONG Labor Day weekend!

This weekend, I scooted out to California to assist the lovely and talented Jessica Del Vecchio document Bhavna and Corey's 3-day Hindu/Christian wedding.

I have had ZERO extra energy to look through any photos (and as a professional courtesy, Jessica will first post a slideshow/her photos before I share any of mine).

Anyhow, I'm UBER thankful to Jessica for asking me to assist her this weekend. It was an invaluable experience.




Also up on the Heartland blog is the slideshow from Jessica and Chris' wedding in Los Angeles! (Doesn't Jessica look TOTALLY hot here????????)

Crossover — Senior Portrait season!

Cruise on over to the Heartland blog to check out !Drew's Sizzlin' Senior Portraits

I had a blast and hope to do more in the upcoming months!

Invites are IN!!!!!!!

I picked up the wedding invitations at the post office this morning ... and they are STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!! My friend (and killer designer), Heather, did a kickin' job on them! In all of her free time when she's not doing photography, she runs Posh Spot Designs.

I'm so jazzed to send them out in the next week and a half. But because I am mean, I am not going to show them to you here, dear blog readers. Yup, I'm a meanie. I want them to be an awesome surprise when they come in the mail!

YOWSAS!!!!

My high school friend, Joyce, is getting married 2 weeks before Erik and I are ... and I'm SO EXCITED to go to her wedding and "just be a guest"!!!!!!!

Friday, she forwarded her engagement photos along, and as I prowled through Nicole and Brandon Parigo's blog, checking out photos of Joyce and Billy, I kept saying "oh, that's TOTALLY them!"


It's such a treat to see images that capture the essence of people near and dear to my heart .... and I only hope the work Mike and I do does the same for the friends and family of our amazing clients!


I don't know many KC photogs, but I certainly am looking forward to saying 'hi' at Joyce and Billy's wedding! Just more people to swap ideas and "geek out" with! :-)

Pumping Canon — I mean iron!

I'm feeling lazy (AND just returned from one HOT, western Kansas wedding), so I'll share this from Melissa Jill's Blog.

Melissa says:
"camera = 7 lbs.
camera bag = 37 lbs.
# of hours shooting = 9-10
# of hours spent standing = 8
# of squats in 9 hours = 70
what I've decided I need after every wedding = a massage"

AMEN SISTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know in the past I *should* have worked out more, but what people don't understand that being a photographer IS physically taxing! We stand, squat, crouch, wiggle on the ground on our tummies....we move a TON!

But now that I live in Salina, and Erik is a wonderful influence, I'm at theYMCA several times a week. Erik is a regular weight lifter, and he's gotten me to start (I know I need to so my bones are strong and osteoporosis doesn't get me!).

But Erik's horizons are getting broadened, too! He's working on his yoga technique! :-)