She is clothed with strength and dignity

Proverbs 31. Have you read it? Verses ten through thirty-one describe my Mom. I am blessed to have a mother that embodies what a woman of faith looks like. 

For those of you that don't know, my Mom LIVES her faith. Her faith has been on display for as long as I can remember but it was really tested a little over three years ago. 

Cancer. That horrible word that haunts so many families visited our family in the fall of 2012. I hate that word. The fear it can strike in the heart and mind. Just one word. One evil word. It has destroyed so many families and no matter how common it is, it still hits you in the gut when it affects your loved ones. You know what though? God is good. He's good through the high points in our lives and He's most certainly good in the lowest parts of our lives. After surviving the first bout of cancer, a surgery, a reoccurrence, chemo, and radiation, Mom's faith grew stronger and has been an inspiration to so many. Adios cancer! Through it all, even the worst days, she praised God. PRAISED Him! It's easy to praise God when things are going well in life but to be joyful in your trials? Her mantra, "It's all about the relationship" has been lived out in so many ways. In those hardest days of fighting, she relied on her relationship with Jesus. If you'd like to hear about her journey firsthand, you can read about it on her blog Jacque's Journey. 

Mom and Dad at Ark City's Relay for Life

I count myself so blessed to have a mom who has shown me how to live out my faith. She is truly my best friend! Throughout her experience, her testimony has  encouraged others to make their relationship with Christ number one. Building that relationship makes every trial worth it! The joy of the Lord has certainly been our strength and I continue to praise Him during and after the trials of life. 

This beautiful woman has been a blessing to so many people and continues to grow her relationship with Jesus through prayer. I can confidently tell you that if she says she is praying for you, you are being COVERED! Another of my favorite things about Mom is her ability to encourage people- those of you who are friends with her on Facebook know this to be true! Between her funny Dr. Shirley posts and cat posts, she'll have you rolling!

Mom with Max

Suki wasn't so cooperative

I hope after reading this you have at least a hint of an idea of who this amazing woman is. I know I'm a little partial, but if you know her, you know everything I've said about her is absolute truth! 

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  

Proverbs 31:25 

Love you most.

Love & Music: Austin and Emily

I've known Emily since she was born so it's hard to believe she's a freshman in college now! I mean, how can she be in college if I haven't gotten any older? Anyone? Hello?...  Ahem. Well this beautiful young lady was kind enough to let me photograph her and she brought along her awesome boyfriend, Austin! 

Austin, Emily, and I chose I believe one of the coldest days in December to take photos but Austin kept us laughing so much that we stayed warm!

Emily has such a special place in my heart. I remember babysitting her when she was little. Such a sweet and beautiful little girl has grown into a wonderfully talented and godly young women. Her smile is infectious!

It's no wonder Austin fell for her <3

While I've known Emily all of her life, I just met Austin this year. Both Austin and Emily are music majors and I'm one of their instructors. I've watched as their relationship began! As a musician, Austin has such a gift! I mean, aside from his ability to make people laugh (you should see the snapchats I get!) he can make people melt with his voice.

It's been fun to witness the growth of Austin and Emily's relationship from friendship to much more! They compliment each other so well!

I'm excited to see what the future holds for these two as they continue to pursue their degree. Austin and Emily,  I know God will continue to bless you and I'm glad I get to be a witness!

Engagement Session: Dorothy & Merrill

I met Dorothy about 4 years ago at a job and immediately liked her! She has such a wonderful presence about her; she's warm, loves to laugh, and her smile is infectious! I was so happy to hear that she and her boyfriend had decided to start a new chapter in their lives: Marriage!

Dorothy and Merrill were a blast to work with! Their love for one another is so evident and genuine.  Their shoot was at Veteran's Lake- the setting of their first date! I'm a sucker for romance and was happy to capture some important places from their dating time together.

Special locations like the view on their first date...

or a fallen tree where they sat and talked to get to know one another...

and the picnic table where they shared their first kiss...Dorothy and Merrill, I can't wait to see what God has in store for you! Many blessings to you as you enjoy this special time of being engaged!

After all...

We love because He first loved us 1 John 4:19

Jordan: Senior Pictures

Whoa, what a crazy month and a half it has been! Sorry for not keeping up on the posts but I'll make it up to you by showing you this good looking guy. Meet Jordan! 

Jordan and his family moved to Kansas about two years ago because his dad Bill was called to serve as music minister at our church. Each person in this family holds such a special place in my heart. In fact, Jordan's sister Leyna was my first photo shoot! Check out her and her sweet honey HERE. This family is such a blessing to know so when his mom Penny asked me to take his senior pictures, I was so honored. 

We were able to take advantage of the gorgeous fall weather we were having in November. Seriously, this weather has been amazing! Like, 60 and 70 degrees in December amazing. I'll take it! We started out with Jordan giving in to his mom's request to wear a dress shirt. You know, for the mom and grandma pics that will be put on display :-) Momma knows best- he looks great!

After a bit though the hat and t-shirt came in to play.

If I didn't know better, I'd think he'd done this before.

Hold onto your hearts ladies!

Mom's choice makes another appearance!

Jordan, you were so fun to work with and my job couldn't have been any easier! Enjoy the rest of your senior year! 

Fun in the Fall

Meet the Putmans!

I met Shelley through fellow photographer Betsy Robinson. Betsy is a fantastic photographer and thanks to her I was able to photograph this amazing family. You should really check out Betsy's photographs on her Facebook page, Betsy Robinson Photography. Really. I'll wait...

Because of this introduction, I was able to capture some truely beautiful moments on this fall afternoon. Shelley was great and had some amazing concepts in mind for their family pictures. We scouted out locations and she had every outfit planned to the max. Shelley, you've got great style! Isn't she sassy?!?

She was so organized that we were able to shoot in several different locations- the first right in their backyard! Because of her fellas' love for camo we were able to get a great scene by just adding Old Glory- enter a beautiful Americana photo!

I love seeing a couple who have such an obvious affection for each other. Shawn and Shelley were so relaxed around each other and that made my job really fun!

Can I just take a moment here to brag on Preston? I mean, really! A two hour photoshoot can test the patience of anyone, much less a nine (almost ten!) year old. Plus, he had to watch his parents KISS! Preston, you are awesome and your cool factor is through the roof!

Thank you all for allowing me to capture these moments for you. I hope you look back on these photos in the future and nothing but great memories come flooding back to you!

Role Models

This past weekend was quite eventful: Arkalalah (if you have no idea what this is, we can't be friends anymore- ha!), Fall Break, and a family wedding.  During the wedding I was able to snap some shots of this cute couple. 

Nope, they aren't the bride and groom, they're my parents! These two were high school sweethearts and I must say the sweetness has carried through for over 35 years. Aren't they cute?

One of the things I love the most about these two is their ability to be silly. If you can be silly around someone, you know you've found "the one". I know this because I am a complete dork around my hubster and he still asked me to marry him. :-) Their love for one another is evident in their everyday interactions. What great role models to look up to!

I hope Matt and I are as adorbs as these two when we've been married as long!

Love you two!