Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Merry Christmas!

I am listening to James Taylor Christmas music, drinking a glass of wine, and wrapping the final gifts to be given to loved ones.  It is Christmas at it's finest.  Not to mention I am now off work for 12 days!  I just wanted to wish each and everyone of you a very Merry and Blessed Christmas.  I hope you are surrounded by family and friends, and your heart is filled with joy, and that you remember the true reason for the season! 

I am headed to Texas tomorrow to spend the holiday with Dwyatt's family, and I am so excited!  As we prepare for our vacation, I thought I would share a few photos of my decorations this year...

 Dwyatt gives me an ornament for our tree every year... this was last year...

 This manger scene was given to me by my grandmother.  She bought it in Germany over 50 years ago...


Merry Chrismas everyone!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Moments of Peace

This Christmas season has been one of the busiest I can remember.  Perhaps its because my work schedule has been crazy, working nights and weekends to get Devon's gas plant started.  Perhaps it's because I am in the middle of finals and all my evenings are consumed with studying.  Or perhaps it's also finding time to edit photos, and design wedding albums.  With everything going on, I find myself thinking, "Ahh!  I still have to go shopping, I still have to send Christmas cards, I still have to wrap stuff, I still have to make cookies, I still have to clean, decorate, and attend Christmas parties!"  The list goes on and on...

I find myself in the middle of all this hustle and bustle, and I just stop and think, this is not what Christmas is about.  I feel like I can hear the Lord whispering in my ear, "Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  So I stop, I let the world melt away, I listen to my favorite Christmas song, smell the fresh pine scent of my tree, I hug my husband, and cherish the moments of peace and pure joy when I can feel the presence of the Lord all around me.  And I remember that this, this perfect quiet moment, this is Christmas.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Hand Family Portraits - *Oklahoma Portrait Photography*

A few weeks ago I had the honor of spending a few hours with a wonderful family.  Although it was freezing, we bared the cold.  Ok they bared the cold... I had my big coat on :)  Despite slowly turning into popsicles, I was surprised how happy and excited the little girls were!  Kielyn and Taylor ran all over the place, and Kielyn held my hand and helped me pick out all the best places to take photos!  And when they weren't running around they were clinging to their brothers' sides. 

This was an opportunity to capture a family, at a moment in time, happy and full of life!  I found out during our session that Ben, who is in the military reserves, is actually getting ready to leave for Afghanistan for the next year.  Knowing this it makes me love and appreciate my job so much more.  I hope that these photos are something they can hold on to during their time apart and I pray that time goes quickly and that Ben comes home soon! 

Hand family - Thank you for the sacrifices you are making to keep this country free, and thank you for letting me be a part of capturing your memories.  Enjoy!





 Throwing leaves!  Kielyn picked this spot :)


 It's easy to see why they have such beautiful children...


Also, I want to share with you all a new feature!  I am now able to create slideshows and put them right here on the blog to let you see a lot more pictures!  So, if you are interested in seeing a bunch more photos from this session just click play below.  My favorite feature is that you can also email the show... at the bottom, under the controls bar, there is a little envelope.  Click that and you can send the slide show to anyone you want to share it with! 

Happy Friday everyone!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Coming Soon

I am in the process of finishing up the portrait session of a beautiful family.  We took these pictures over Thanksgiving weekend and I wait to share them with you, because there are so many cute ones!  I couldn't help but share one of my favorites with you...

Enjoy!