I get to be the MATRON OF HONOR in one of my bestest friends' weddings!!

Actually, TWO of my best friends'..... they are getting married to each other.

I cry about it every time I think about how amazing they are together.
Two of my best friends getting married... I just can't get over it!

Even though I think "Matron of Honor" sounds like "pregnant lady," I am THRILLED to be in the wedding...



LONG story short... Sarah and I have been friends 2nd grade through college (and went to all of the same schools, even college-- not on purpose, but just because it was the right school for both of us). We were captains of the tennis team, and were in orchestra together too. We lived together during college a couple years as well.

Dan and I became friends through our mutual friend, Marie (another one of my best friends!). When Sarah and Dan's paths crossed at the perfect time, something perfect happened... they started to like each other.

I'm going to be a MESS at the wedding a year from now... So I'm going to start practicing not crying now, until then! :)


I don't have any photos on this computer from when we were younger... but here are a few from the college years:
Sophomore year(Sarah's in the lime green on the right & I'm in the back::


Junior Year-- Steph(my 2nd shooter!), Me, Sarah, and Corrie:


Senior year:)

(We were all bridesmaids for Corrie's wedding-- the one with the red hair-- and now we're all bridesmaids for Sarah's wedding! YAY!)

My wedding, July 2006 (Sarah was my Maid of Honor:)).



Hittin it off at the 2006 into 2007 New Year's Party at my place (although... I didn't even notice, but Johanne said, "Sooo... what's up with Dan and Sarah...??)
Haha!


And so, the timing was perfect.

The both came over to my place for "24" nights (we are Jack Bauer fans!), and then they started flirting via facebook, and they started going out to things together, and then they were a couple...

Like I said, long story short, especially since Sarah and I have such a history.

I am so just SO excited for these two.

I get to go dress shopping with Sarah tomorrow!! EEEEE!

A song for us... A song for Julie

I am feeling very sad today, and very aware of life's unpredictabilities.

Please visit this link to watch the SLIDESHOW that Daniel Snow put together....



The song is perfect.



Please view my post below to read about Julie Steiskal.

Julie Steiskal will be missed.

A friend and fellow photographer died last night.
Matthew texted me, "Did you hear about Julie?"

You know it is never good news when those words are used.



(Photo by Daniel Snow.)


.



(Photo by Johnny).


...Life is so short....


(Pic by Daniel Snow...my guess... setting up the shot for Julie to sit there. Who knew it would be such a powerful image. It makes me cry.)



Here is the LINK about the accident.


She was trying to save someone.
If she hadn't tried, she may be alive and living with guilt of, "What if I had only tried?" But I'm sure she didn't give saving that girl a second thought.

I'm having a really hard time with this. But I can't imagine how her closer friends and her family are handling it.. especially those who witnessed it, and the pastor, who tried to save her... When tragedies happen, I put myself in the shoes of a bystander (not intentionally), and I replay, over and over what they might have seen.

Julie was a member of Open Source Photo forum (a forum where photographers meet and share stories, questions, and give advice). I met her in December at an OSP gathering in downtown Minneapolis. After the event, she drove me to my car so I didn't have to walk in the cold, and we sat in her car and talked for over an hour.

On her OSP profile, she had this quote listed:
"Life is short. Hold the apple."
(An inside joke between Johnny and her.)

Please pray for those affected by the death of Julie... She was an incredibly sweet, thoughtful, helpful, and loving person-- Someone who loved God, and her job as a photographer.

If you would like to get to know what Julie was like, stop by HER BLOG. She had a great sense of humor:)

Here is the bio from Julie's photography website:
"When i was six, i walked into the empty kitchen, looked behind me, stretched my arm as far as i could and borrowed my mother's camera for the first time. and when i was done with it, i quietly slipped it back on the counter and went back to my book with a smile on my face. today, as then, i find beauty in the eyes of those i love, in the details of God's creation, in laughter, in light, in wonder.

i like my garden. i like my front porch and my little old house. i like knowing my neighbors and i like crossing my street to get the mail. i like a good book, a movie that makes me laugh, a song that makes me sing. i like food. i like thai restaurants, good pasta and the tacos that come out of my kitchen. i like the smell of the grill on a warm summer night and i like my mother's cheesecake. i like the water. i like the smell of rain, the sound of a creek, the infinite possibility of a lake and the dampness of dew. i like falling asleep and waking up to thunderstorms. i like the sound of my nephew's giggle and the feel of his brother's hand in mine. i like that my family includes some of my best friends.

my life is both simple and complicated. it is a peaceful spring morning, it is a commute surrounded by people i don't know. it is finding the quiet in the chaos, it is knowing how to be alone in a crowd.

i think you, your child, your dreams are beautiful. i know that time is quickly passing. i want to help you capture the moments of your life that you never want to forget.

this is what i bring. this is who i am."

Erin & Matt's Wedding: A few faves!

Here are a few favorites from Erin & Matt's Wedding!

Erin getting all prettied up!


The hot shoes!


First meeting!



Pic by Steph. The handsome groom..


The blushing bride...


Pic by Steph:









Love this dress!!




Some tears...



The big exit!


The reception was gorgeous... Erin put SO much time into planning all the details!





One of my favorite things at the reception... yum!!

One of my favorite moments at a reception... feeding cake to each other! *Giggle*



This was the most fun wedding party dance I've seen-- They did kind of a hoedown blue grass song-- loved it!

Loosening up the tie a bit...

Everyone was enjoying themselves:


They have been married the longest and got to dance while everyone watched. What a beautiful witness that marriages can really last! She danced while holding her ring hand out the whole time... one of the cutest things I've ever seen!



Erin and Matt, thank you for allowing me to shoot the most important day of your lives! It was truly an honor, and I had a blast!

(For those of you who missed it, there are a few more photos in the previous post from the day. Check 'em out!).

Erin & Matt's Wedding.... Wedding Party Fun!

It's pretty awesome to do what I love.
Fellow photographer and friend Erin contacted me out of the blue one day (we actually weren't friends yet, and had never spoken to each other), and said she wanted me to shoot her wedding. She had been following my old blog for a long time, and mentioned that she was a photographer herself, and shared some of her work with me. She rocks! I was completely flattered that she asked me!

Needless to say, though, we pretty much couldn't have had any more fun shooting her wedding. Steph was my 2nd, and Jessica Person brought her camera along for the day as well!It would have been a shame not to!

(Erin works for Jessica at First Day Photo now, and Erin also has her own business).

Here are just a few fun photos from the day! I will definitely post more soon!







April showers bring... bright colored umbrellas and crazy wedding parties!




After we were done shooting the reception, Steph and Jessica and I sat down out in the lobby to look over some of our images and chat a bit before we headed out. I was telling them about this goofy technique I wanted to try to make the subjects have more of a natural reaction than just a posed smile--- I told them to smile so I could show them. Well, these were the images that occurred... the first two were on accident, because my flash was spent from the reception... but I am SO keeping them! HAHA!


And now a normal photo....:)


Matt and Erin came out from the reception room just after we took these pics, and we realized that WE hadn't been in a pic with them!(Matt and the 4 lady photogs:))




Stop back in a couple days to see more photos from their wedding!