I'm no good at blogging..

OK guys - blogging is a lot harder than it seems! Well, hard isn't the word - more like time consuming. I've been so busy since we got back from vacation in Maine that I haven't had time to blog at all. Nothing is really new since my last blog...on July 4th. OOps!! It's now August 19th - holy crap time is flying! I guess I do have some news - I'm ENGAGED!! But, most of the people who read this blog obviously already know that. The wedding is pretty much planned...now I just have to wait! :) I am so excited! Keith proposed at our favorite restaurant during our weekly date night. He's just too sweet -- I'm one lucky girl! I've also been blessed with two twin nieces. They will be here sometime in December and I'm already having so much fun spoiling them! I can't wait to see their beautiful faces, and of course photograph them. They might steal the light from Carson and Hannah, but only for a little while! I hope that the few followers I have (one, maybe two people? lol) take time to check in and see that I've updated the blog.. The only thing I really have to blog about lately are pictures from vacation. I had an absolute blast taking pictures in Maine. The coast is beyond beautiful -like it has been for the past 23 years. I could move there in a heartbeat. I took over 1,800 pictures - shocker?! Not to me! I knew I'd be snappin' away at every little thing. My camera went everywhere with me - I took TONS of pictures of Carson and Hannah and my pretty pregnant sister Erin - she's just glowing! The pictures turned out awesome - I even framed some for my sisters. I think I'm getting pretty darn good at this picture thing, but when I compare my work to famous photographers I realize I have a lot of learning to do! Here are a few of my favorites (which were hard to pick out of 1,800!). I hope you enjoy them. Be checking back for pictures from our Estes Park, CO trip that's coming up this Labor Day weekend! Until then, don't waste your time checking my blog. I probably won't update it. hehe!

4th of July

This 4th of July was just ho hum. Growing up we spent every 4th of July in Maine. We would head to town for the fair/circus/trash that would come every year. We would ride on rides that hurt so bad, but yet were so fun we'd walk out of the ride with tears of laughter and pain. One year Erin, Julie and I put raisins in our teeth to fit in, if ya know what I mean. :) After wasting money on painful rides, we'd find our seat in the lawn next to the water and wait for fireworks. When I was younger, I'd lay in Erin's lap and, like the extra loving sis she is, she'd plug my ears every time a 'moon' went off. A moon firework is the big white balls of nothingness that are SO LOUD. I was scared of them when I was younger because they hurt my ears. She was so good at plugging my ears on time so that it wouldn't hurt. I love my sisters so much. They are the best part of my life, among other things, but they are ranked pretty high. The Moons don't bother me now, but they do make me squint and flinch. The fireworks show that the town put on was nothing less that amazing. They lasted about 45 minutes, were shot off right on the water (one year we watched from a boat - so cool! but so cold!), and had the grandest finale I've ever seen. Now that I'm in the 'real world' and have a job where I can't spend 2 months in Maine (bummer!) I spend 4th of July in OKC and head to Maine at the end of July. T-8 days til I'm there!

This year I met my bff Sam and her family in Bethany, OK to see some Fireworks. I wasn't planning on watching any fireworks, but then I remembered that it is a once-a-year photo opp that I had to take advantage of. The fireworks were just OK. I think they l lasted about 7 minutes, and I don't remember a grand finale. Others might have enjoyed them, but I have high standards from my Maine memories. I took a few pics - they turned out aiight. Nothin' to write home about..or blog. But, I'll post them anyway.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th! This summer is flying by sooo fast. It's so true: Time flies when your havin' fun!

TGIF everyone. Have a great weekend. I'm gonna go sit my Bj's-filled belly on the couch.

peace.

Sunshine, water, and 2 precious toddlers

I'm on a roll this week! Currently it's about 80 degrees, dark, cloudy, and raining and I'M LOVING IT! We aren't lake people, so our 4th of July long weekend isn't getting ruined by the rain. I had a very busy June, so it's nice to relax, nap, read, and play with pictures/blog on this long, rainy weekend. Keith is smoking some delicious smelling brisket and ribs as I type - the smell is making my stomach growl! I can't wait for dinner tonight!

A few weekends ago I went home to visit my family. We didn't do much but relax in the backyard, swim, bbq, and chit-chat. It was great! I also got to practice my photography skills. It helps having 2 model-like, well-behaved, gorgeous, blue-eyed toddlers that I love so much to practice on. Hannah is in the cutest stage right now - she's starting to walk and be more verbal. She hasn't said 'Auntie' yet, but one day soon, one day...

I mean, look! Can she be more perfect and precious? My sister and her family are so blessed! And I'm a blessed and proud Auntie!
One thing I have noticed lately is that Hannah is a Daddy's girl, for sure!! If she's not near him or on his lap, she's looking for him and reaching out to him. It's so adorable. Carson loves his baby sister, too. He spent the majority of the weekend in the water - he's a fish!

In a couple of weeks (13 days to be exact) I will be in the great state of Maine with these 2 kiddos and the rest of my family. I am beyond stoked to get up there and snap away! New England is so pretty and I am already making a list of the people/places/things I want to capture on my camera. I might have to buy an extra memory card! I am planning a special 'photo shoot' for Erin and James and Julie and Clint, so I can't wait to do that.

I hope you enjoy these photos. Feel free to click on them to make them larger!










Happy 4th of July! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and be safe! Fireworks pictures coming later...

Bing da ding da ding ding ding!

You're laughing out loud if you understand my title :) Onward with this post I go....

My super good friend Janna and I love to photograph together. We were both craving a photo session, so who better to photograph than her awesome, adorable family? Where better to photograph them than at the University of Oklahoma campus? Ok, so you probably know I HATE OU, but, I will swallow my pride and say that the campus is beautiful, especially the awesome, retro phone booths! Take a look-see at how the pictures turned out! It's easy to snap a few pictures and make them look good when the family is just adorable. And you probably can't even tell that Chad, Janna's hubs, HATES taking pictures, kinda like someone I know, and won't mention any names (Keith. Oops).