Busy, busy, busy...

So, I've been really busy behind the scenes getting a lot done. Pretty soon I will be updating with a ton of new stuff. Personal and business. It's a busy time of year and things are good. First we had to readjust ourselves to the daily grind and get vacation mentality out of our systems. There is so much to report... but it'll have to wait until another day. Please be patient, there is SO much more on it's way. I'm really excited to share some of it. We'll have more soon...

Rangel Wedding

These are the first of Joseph and Lyndsay's wedding pictures. It was an amazingly beautiful location and a wedding to match. Everything was perfect...except maybe the intense heat of the day. These are just a few of many pictures I took, (not as the photographer, just as family... for those wondering).

The Location

The Sounds of Music

Matron-of-Honor

Here Comes the Bride

Eternal Vows

Rings in Hand

Floral Finish

Passion in a Kiss

Into a Looking Glass

Swaying Sweetly

A Father's Embrace

Reflections

Family Reunion

The Reynolds family just got done with a wonderful opportunity to travel from all distances and join together in the celebration of a wedding in the family. Not only did we get to share in her joy, but we also got to be together again. Those are the wonderful moments in life. Close to family; laughing and playing, sharing and making memories. I could not be more grateful or blessed to be a part of this family. It is a tremendous joy to my heart. Though we were missing a few, it was a wonderful time that I will treasure and cherish forever.

The Long, Long Train... and other Vacation Adventures

We left for vacation a few days ago, but it didn't really feel like the vacation began until yesterday. To get to our destination we had to go on a 30+ hour train ride from Olympia, WA to Las Angeles, CA. Then we had to catch a "Flyaway Bus" to LAX Airport to catch a shuttle bus to our car rental company to drive to San Diego area. By the time we pulled in it was almost 2 am and we were pretty exhausted. But the trip has its fun moments that make the whole vacation memorable as well.

The next day we were pretty much lazy to say the least. I can't remember the last time I took that long of a nap in the middle of the day. (For those who don't know me... besides pregnancy, I just don't nap.) Then, feeling renewed yesterday, we headed out for a swim with some of our family. Geoff and his cousin Brandon were born just weeks apart and were pretty nearly inseparable from then on. They even got married within weeks of each other. So Brandon, and his wife, Bree invited us to go swimming at their community pool. We also had the joy of having Brandon's sister, which is of course also Geoff's cousin, Brittany, join us until she had to leave for work.

The kids just LOVE the water! And it's beautiful down here, so the weather cooperates for swimming. Kaylana, as careful as she is, gave us a little scare losing control and ending up in deeper water than she could handle. But, being as smart as she is, grabbed onto the side until the moment that daddy rescued her. So, despite a little swallowed water, and a new found love for her hero (daddy), she is none the worse for wear and still has no reservations around the water. Although I think that her mommy and daddy are taking the brunt of the incident and when we tackle the ocean on Friday she'll find us less lenient and very protective. But, I will still have to let her have some fun too. Colson wanted to try out the water in every way that he could. He splashed and kicked and even decided to shove his face in the water... just to experience all that he could. Lots of splashing and plenty of giggles, all-in-all a wonderful time with wonderful people.

Morris Wedding

Well, after a little time away, taking care of kids and the general crazy life... I'm back with a new blog entry. This is a wedding that I did earlier this year, (in February). Some of you might realize that this was very shortly after the birth of my son, Colson. Two weeks to be more accurate. (Yeah, I know... I'm a little out of my mind.) So, juggling my baby and wedding photography, I managed to get a few decent shots for the day. Enjoy some of the first fruits.

Classy Shoe Shot

Beautiful Bride

The Happy Couple

Traditional

Bridal Portrait

Glamor

Perfect Pose

Silent Reverence

Bouquet of Beauty

True Joy

The Big 2!

Kaylana just celebrated her big 2nd birthday on Sunday! I guess she's not my baby anymore, she's a big girl. She proved that by saying her first sentence as well. (Colson was in my arms at church Sunday morning and had been sleeping. He started opening his eyes and Kaylana looks at me and matter-of-factly tells me... "Hewokeup!" Yes, it was almost like a single word... but, she'll get the hang of it fast enough.) Pretty soon she'll be jabbering my ears off. I say that lovingly and with great expectation.

I love this picture. It makes me think of a movie star or something of that sort. She's such a fireball with an incredible enthusiasm for life. She certainly keeps me on my toes every single day. (Some days that same thing can be frustrating, but I'm sure that I have my days as well...) She loves posing for a "pit-ure" with an ever enthusiastic "snmyle" until you take the picture as she quickly runs off in pursuit of the next best thing to do at that moment.


Despite all the mischievousness, she likes to be a princess too. And oh, she is. A drama queen, princess of my castle attitude to boot. Makes me laugh on frequent occasions, even when I should probably keep it to myself.


So, as for the birthday party, my cheeks hurt by the end of the festival. She had me laughing so hard! When we first put out the cake there was the inevitable chorus of "Mine! Mine! Cake. Mine!" Then, it turned to curiosity, which led to fingers in the sides of the frosting... before the candle was even lit. She had gotten a pretty good snitching in before the "Happy Birthday" song was over.


Then, the cake preceded to travel all over the face and hands. Which of course meant that there was that inevitable dob on the tip of her nose...

...at which point she started going cross-eyed trying to figure the phenomenon out.
That had most of us in hysterics! She made the funniest faces, and it was almost torture as she seemed to find a new face the second the laughter slightly ebbed. And before the cake session was over she decided to give my brother Tim and his buddy Corey a nice coating of frosting as well. What a goofball!



Grandma Reynolds got a new trike for her house that Kaylana found after the party and had no desire to part with. If she could just reach the pedals a little better she'd be on her way! But, she didn't let that stop her, she just used her feet. Already she has mastered steering, forwards and backwards. Oh my, another mode of transportation for my already VERY mobile daughter. I'll be sure to get in shape now.


Such sweet smiles! I love this girl so much. She is truly a wonder to watch and I will enjoy watching what God has in store for her future. But, I wish that I got to watch it happen at a slow pace. I can't believe that she's already 2 years old. It seems like just yesterday that I was pregnant with her. And here I have another one too. Life sure does fly by quickly.

Being 2 must be tiring. Although, I think I've got a pretty tiring (although very fulfilling) job as well, just keeping up with her. Oh, to be young again...

My Friends (the rest of my family)

What can I say? My family isn’t big enough, so we adopt into it. Quite a few of them are slightly related through marriage lines, so we’ve decided that it’s close enough to family. There are far too many to list. Our friends are such an important part of our family and we are grateful for all of them, near and far.

Jacob and Crystal are our children’s godparents. Very goal-oriented and self-motivated they are an inspiration to entrepreneurship, entertaining events, and much more.

Shaina, who has been there for me throughout most of my biggest life moments, I can’t imagine experiencing life without having her to share it with. I love her smile; it’s contagious no matter what mood I’m in.

Blaine and Jessika are wonderful at entertaining, both a houseful of guests and by making us laugh. Hardly ever a dull moment. I’m honored to have been a part of their lives.

Jeremiah “Poof” is generous and extremely helpful. Always has a good attitude to match his big heart. (And he cooks the best Papa Murphy's pizzas around!)

Josh is a bit crazy and controversial, but in a very enjoyable way. His impressions impress us all and keep us laughing even when he’s not around.

Glen and Lilly, and their new addition: Kaylee, are our roommates and good friends. We are blessed to have great people to spend this time of our life with.

Christina is like having a sister, I absolutely love her spunk and tenacity for God and life. Plus, I love her kids like total family, and Dallen is a great friend as well. We are so very blessed with friends we can call family.

There are many more that are near and far, that influence and effect our lives all the time. I wish that I could name everyone, but that would take a lifetime. All these and many more are loyal and loving; they are a wonderful addition to our extended family. And all are important and very dear to our hearts. To all of the friends that we call family: Thank you for your friendship and know that we love you!

My Family (Part #3)

My parents are truly amazing. It took me a few years to realize just how wonderful they really are. I took my mother for granted until I almost lost her in 1995. She had a brain aneurysm, resulting in two brain surgeries (extremely risky) and an eye surgery as well. It was like walking in a nightmare, in that it also didn’t feel real. I knew that it was happening, but the effects didn’t hit me until the years following the event. We all fondly joke about it now, even so much as to tease our mother about having a computer chip installed in her brain (she had a titanium clip put in as part of the process) that the doctors forgot to give her the access code to. Anyways, my mother is very emotional and is known to cry in just about every movie. (Again, I tease with all the love in my heart.) But she and I can hang out like sisters and have many similar interests and hobbies. We are finding ourselves saying everything at the same time… as scary as that is to me. Lol. I am so lucky to still have her.

My dad and I struggled through my teen years, but I couldn’t ask to be closer to him now. I am definitely a "daddy's girl"! I love having talks with him and I feel comfortable talking with him about almost anything. He is my source of advice and wisdom that I seek on a pretty constant occasion. And on the lighter side, he is the “punny-est” guy around. Seriously, he can joke when people don’t even know he’s pulling their leg. (He’s literally had people come back two weeks after he’s made a “funny” and told him that they finally got it. Even funnier, by then he doesn’t even know what he said!) Both of my parents are extremely wonderful to everyone they meet and are very generous. I love my parents and couldn’t be happier that I got “stuck” with them.

Next my brothers… first of all, I am so proud of each one of them. Though we may not always agree or see eye-to-eye, I appreciate the uniqueness they each possess and special moments I have with them. They also are very deserving of special praise as they are all in the Armed Forces. Tim has already served his country overseas, and Jordan and Joseph are joining the madness by the end of the year. My hats off to them for joining in the midst of the conflict and for being proud to serve their country, even when it seems that much of the country dismisses their services as a much needed help at this time in the world’s history.

Tim has a wonderful way with people. Whether it’s his sense of
humor that really can get a room of people hysterical or the way he holds people on the edge of their seats in an engaging conversation. Very active and always on the go, I love being around him.

Jordan, as I chuckle to myself, always puts a smile on my face. Even if he’s angry, he can make you laugh with the presentation and animation in his voice and actions. Everything is larger than life with him. He is a wonderful daddy and I miss him and his wife and kids.

Heather, his wife, is a red-headed fireball of Irish decent that just adds to the exuberance of the family. She is also wonderful in the kitchen and makes the cutest nephews and nieces in the world, Caleb and Chloe whom I love and miss terribly.

(photo by Heather Wachtman)

Joseph, well, besides being a smart-alec, he is entertaining and always has input beyond what the textbooks even have to say. Hopefully someday we’ll see all of that knowledge put to good use with whatever he decides to do as a career, he truly has an amazing mind that holds everything that it comes into contact with. He is very family oriented and holds close those things most dear to him. My littlest brother with the biggest outlook on life.

I know that my family isn’t small, but each one has a special place in my heart and is an important part of my life! I love every one of them very much and look forward to getting closer as the years fly by.

Overall, my family is crazy, very strange and hilarious on most occasions. Before I end this post I have to share a memory that illustrates just that and makes me laugh every time I think about it. First of all, it was dinner time… and that in my family is where all the craziness comes out. It was shortly after the “new” Star Wars movie came out, (the first or fourth, depending on where you count from) with Jar Jar Binks. (Hope I spelled that right…) We were recounting our favorite moments in the movie and found ourselves talking about the part where his tongue gets zapped by a part of one of the pod racers and it goes numb, hanging limply and hilariously out of his mouth. Sitting at the table, eating… yes, most or all members of my family were commenting with our tongues hanging out of our mouths. During this I thought to myself that it would be funny if someone were to come in at that moment and see us all like that. Of course, that got me giggling and I had to share my thought with everyone else. Then there was a knock at the door. I bust a gut laughing so hard. But, that’s just another mealtime with my family…

My Family (Part #2)

What is family without all the rest that make up so much of life’s joys and moments to remember?! I have an amazing family that I am proud to call my own. My in-laws really aren’t in-laws at all, but rather an extension of my own close family. They are truly wonderful and very giving. Self-sacrificing and hard-working, they have truly added so much to my life already, and I can’t imagine my life without any of them.

My other-nother-Mother deserves special thanks for everything that she does day in and day out to help everyone around her. She is truly an inspiration in many things, but especially how to manage a home and large family. I appreciate everything about her. Thanks Mom.

Dad doesn’t show himself for who he is as often as most, but in all the little moments I’ve grown fond of him as another dad. He is incredibly wise and knowledgeable, a great source for advice and mentoring. He has a huge heart and many hilarious comments with that infectious laugh of his.

My siblings-in-law are a wonderful bunch that keeps life interesting and full of little moments of laughter. I am grateful for the lot of them… and there are a lot of them!

Kevin, who is a bit quiet (until he plays his games) and his wife, Jamie,
who always makes me laugh. I look forward to letting our kids play together and learning about the art of woodworking from Jamie.

Tim, who is great for picking on and letting me pick on him. And thanks to Tim for the hard work he does. He never ceases to amaze me with all he accomplishes. With his most recent aspirations of firefighting, I am truly impressed.

Stephanie is the sweetest girl and the closest thing I’ve had to a sister. I love her so much and look forward to many years of bonding and hanging out. She is also amazing with my kids, and I appreciate every second that she spends with me and my kids.

Paul is growing up and I'm finding him to be a really cool guy. He is really caring and he has his mom's way of taking things in without taking things personally. They just roll with the punches. I think very highly of him and am excited to see where God takes him in the next few years.