Surprise

I have been wanting to photograph these two for several months. They both had birthdays in June and we haven't had a chance to take any pictures since Titus was about a month old. I kept telling my good friend that I wanted to get with them sometime. I felt it was the least I could do considering that Phillip has graciously helped me with several weddings this summer. Sara, being the sweet friend she is, would never ask because she knows we are so busy right now. Last week she mentioned that her sister was going to be in town and they were planning a fun dinner out. I offered to keep the kids so they could actually enjoy dinner. She cautiously agreed. I was already planning our evening together. As soon as they left, we loaded up and headed out.

Emily had a great time and I was worried that Titus might be too upset since Mom was gone to get any pictures.....but he definitely proved me wrong! He was awesome. You would never know that typically he is on the go ALL the time. He sat perfectly still for several minutes at a time and of course Emily loved getting to see her picture on the screen. When she did get tired, promises of Skittles kept the smiles coming.

We hadn't been home anytime before mom and dad came home. Emily didn't waste anytime asking Mom to come see her pictures....so the surprise was revealed a little early but watching Sara's reaction was incredible. Her happy tears that we had captured her precious kids personality was all I needed.


Here are a few peaks for you....


Isn't she adorable....This is one sweet 3 year old!


Little man made us really work for his smiles....but we got em.


She LOVES her "buddy." Can't you just see how protective she is?


She wanted to be done until I brought out my pretty skirt. Then she was game for several more and I'm glad she was....


Something happened this time that hasn't happened before. The little guy was doing well and all of the sudden with a few snaps he went from this.....


to this. He totally blinked a few times and was bobbing his head. For a brief moment he was asleep sitting up! :)


I love getting to surprise people and this was definitely one that I won't forget. We are so thankful to Phillip and Sara for all the ways they lighten our burden. Not only do they help us with wedding photography but even more they partner with us in ministering to our teens at church. We can't imagine our lives without them! Thanks for all you do!

TJ McCloud

Lately it seems we've been getting rave reviews from everyone about the music on our website. Well we would like to give a big THANK YOU to TJ McCloud for giving us the privilege of using his music to set the mood for our online presence. We were first introduced to TJ McCloud when we lived in Nashville, Tennessee while finishing up school at Lipscomb and really fell in love with his music from there. We used the song "Out of My League" in our wedding because his words really connected with our experience and the celebration of our wedding day. When we launched our website earlier in the year, Sara and I both agreed that we would love to use TJ's music for our site and he graciously agreed.

So TJ...thanks for blessing us with your talents and music! Please know that you are also blessing many others even in this small corner of Kentucky!

Click on the picture to check out TJ's website and to find a way to purchase his music. His website is always accessible from the link to the side of this blog as well. One more thing...on our main website there is a music note in the top right corner of each page. When you move the cursor over the note it will provide you with a song title and a link to his website.

If you enjoy what you hear, please consider supporting his ministry by visiting his website and buying some music. Our website wouldn't be as complete without him!

Mike D.

8.8.08 Part II

I've been wanting to post many of the detail pictures from Nathan and Kacey's wedding because everything was so well thought out. There were so many little details that really pulled the whole event together. At each place setting were the programs with notes that Kacey and Nathan had written to everyone who played a part in their special day. They also included a crossword puzzle with random facts about themselves.
Here is an overview picture of the room.


In several of the centerpieces were goldfish. The kids and adults thought this was really cool.

All the floral arrangements were done by Kacey's Nana and they were gorgeous. The arrangements were all unique, but with similar flowers and fillings.


The stage served as the area for all the yummy goodies. Don't those chocolate fountains look scrumptious?

Nathan's good friend, Channing, did all the catering. She was awesome and worked in spite of not feeling well!

One more close up of the chocolate!

Begrudgingly, Nathan and Kacey let me borrow their rings for a few minutes to get a few pictures of them. I think they will be glad they did!

I would love to hear from you.....Which one is your favorite?

8.8.08

Last week was the culmination of lots of planning and preparation. Little did they know, but several people independently began praying for Kacey and Nathan and their relationship back in November after watching them interact with one another during a weekend retreat. I felt God nudge me to pray because I saw such potential for them. In January, Kacey and Nathan finally acknowledged their love for one another and that was all it took to set things into motion. Shortly (a few days) into the relationship they knew they were getting married. Kacey joked that they had been dating for 7 years and forgot to tell each other. It was so sweet to watch two best friends commit their lives to one another. In fact, there are several similarities between their relationship and Mike's and my relationship.

Both of them were so giddy with excitement all week as the final preparations were made for the big day. It is obvious that they were head over heels for each other - Nathan is sweet, considerate, loving, and protective of Kacey. He never missed a chance to tell her how beautiful she is to him. Kacey adores him and gets a silly grin on her face when she talks about how they met and fell in love. She is protective, silly, tender, and much more with Nathan. Much thought and planning was involved to create a memorable and meaningful experience.

All of the planning paid off...Kacey was able to relax and enjoy her day. Here's proof that she was all smiles....

I admire the relationship Stephanie and Kacey have...it is obvious they love and respect each other immensely. Stephanie was elated to help her "little" girl into her dress. What a special moment!

Anyone that knows Kacey, knows that she adores her little brother. She asked that he come and see her before she went to see Nathan. He stated matter of factly, "I will cry during the wedding" and he did.

Kacey and Nathan opted to have a first look so that they could have a moment together before beginning pictures with their wedding party. I feel so privileged to capture these expressions. I had to really focus not to tear up myself as they saw each other for the first time that day.

The boys spent some time praying together just before the ceremony began. I love this and it just attests to the fact that this relationship has been bathed in prayer since the very beginning.

Their ceremony was well thought out and included a time of blessing and worship which made the day even more special. It was unique...Kacey's dad walked her part of the way and after hugs and kisses with her mom and dad, her brother escorted her to Nathan as their parents looked on.

These picture reflect the love and happiness Nathan and Kacey shared as they commit to each other their lives to one another. I adore the way they can't help but grin when they are with one another.

You can't see him, but Kacey's papa pronounced them husband and wife and gave Nathan permission to kiss his bride. After their kiss they just sorta hugged and savored the moment....

Coming soon....the Reception and the detail shots!

Kacey

Secrets are not something that I do well so keeping bridal pictures a secret until a wedding can be really tough for me. I have been "patiently" waiting to post these until tonight. We just enjoyed an incredible wedding. There will be lots more in future post but it is after 2am and I need sleep for now!

Kacey was a gorgeous bride and Nathan a handsome groom. They and their parents are some of our closest friends so it made the whole day that much more special!

This is the chosen portrait that was displayed tonight.....




It wasn't an easy choice though as there were MANY to pick from. Some of the other favorites -





In coming days you will see many more details about this awesome event so stay tuned.....

Busy, Busy

Life has been incredibly busy the past few weeks. We have been living in fast forward and I keep wondering when it is going to slow down. I'm not sure it will anytime soon! However, many evenings I get to hang out with fun families like the one below. You will probably recognize several of these friends. We took these photos a few weeks ago when the grandparents in town. Now Christina's sister and family were in town from New Mexico so we met up again. These kiddos were alot of fun and we got some great images. Just look....





I told you they were precious! We had fun and it slightly cooled down just before we met. I even talked mom and dad into a picture. I'm so glad I did - they are definitely photogenic.

Both daughters and two granddaughters....


Thanks again for giving me the priviledge!