Stephanie, Overloaded

I've moved! C'mon over!

2009-06-10T20:44:00.003-05:00

I have a new blog! Come visit me at www.stephaniearnoldphotography.com/blog

Don't forget to update your links & stuff. =) See you there!

Maybe a Mini?

2009-05-14T09:07:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking (insert sarcastic comment from my husband here) that I *might* maybe set aside a day this summer for mini sessions. What is a mini session, you ask? A mini session is a short, 15-20 minute session with yours truly, results in 5-10 online proofs, and comes with a small package of your choice.... all for a wee fee. (ha!) A little sampling of custom photography :)

So, any takers? Email me @ stephanie@stephaniearnoldphotography.com or leave me a comment & let me know if you're interested. If I have enough interested... I'll set something up! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T21:33:00.004-05:00

Hubby had to work today but I got to spend all day with the kiddos (happy, happy, joy, joy). Here was the order of the day: mess up the house, clean up the house, mess up the house, rinse & repeat. :) Fun stuff, man.

We did get to have fun yesterday, though... hubby put up the water slide for the first time this year. We bought the water slide about 3 or 4 years ago for around $300- at the time I thought we were crazy for spending that on an inflatable water slide! But the kids love it, and it has held up well!! (Even despite lots of birthday parties, family gatherings, and countless destructive children!) Highly recommended.... similar to this one without the watergun (if you happen to be in the market for a waterslide, haha!)

Anyhoo.... I was trying to get a few quick snaps but couldn't find anyone to cooperate... I put on the ole trusty 70-200 f2.8L & stepped back a bit :) Jackson was smack dab in the middle of telling me "haha you can't get me" when I snapped this one!! =) I double dog dare you to click on it to see it bigger =)

P.S. - In case you were wondering, comments are not illegal. They're appreciated even! ;) PLEASE leave me a quick note & let me know you stopped by!! I'll love you forever for it =)

AWWWWWW! ♥

2009-05-09T09:35:00.003-05:00

I have been DYING to post this picture! I planned this for mother's day, and while it didn't turn out exactly like I planned (*sigh*) I still LOVE it! I got a huge 40x60 2 1/2inch gallery wrap & an 18x27 1 1/2inch gallery wrap for my mom & mother-in-law. They were delivered a bit early just so I could share my excitement! So without further adieu, adoo, a-do (WHATEVER!) here you go... brace yourself....

*I KNOWWWWW!* All together now.... "awwwww". ♥ Gee thanks. Makes a mama proud. Especially since this mama has been trying for a quarter of a century to get a picture of her kids together! =)

Jackson's Birthday Party - Red Barn Stables

2009-05-04T18:42:00.005-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACKSON!!!!

Awww, I can't believe my baby boy turned 5 today. FIVE!!! It just doesn't seem like he should be starting school this year! *pout*

We had, dare I say, one of the BEST parties ever on Sunday at Red Barn Stables in Jacksonville. I've been to 1 other birthday party there & I was definitely sold. I've posted some of the snapshots on facebook/myspace & have gotten a few inquiries, so I thought I'd go ahead & answer a few questions here in case anyone is interested!

1) Are you related to or friends with the people that own Red Barn Stables?
Absolutely not. Met them yesterday. They're VERY nice!

2) Is this a public place?
Well, depends on how you look at it. It's their private property, I'm assuming, and you can pay to have a birthday party there.

3) Where exactly is it?
Jacksonville/White Plains - off White's Gap Rd. Out in the boonies, where farms usually are. ;)

4) How much did it cost?
$175 for 2 hours, $275 for 3 hours

5) What's included?
Well, we got the 2 hour party (it was cut short by bad weather, bummer!) - the 1st 30 mins you do horseback riding, the 2nd 30 mins, you do a hayride (we made a pitstop to feed the catfish), the 3rd 30 mins you have your refreshments, & the last 30 mins you get to go fishing in a little pond. FUN TIMES!

6) How many kids can you invite?
up to 20. If you have more than 20, you have to do the 3hr party.

7) What do they provide?
Well, they provide the horses. And the fish. And a barn. Oh yeah! And there was 4 very large tables & lot of chairs inside the barn. I just brought along 2 coolers full of drinks for everyone, ice cream & cupcakes. And of course I didn't forget the goody bags!

I must say that all the kids had such a good time!!! We usually have a hard time finding that "middle ground" ... you know what I mean... if the older kids like it, then the younger kids don't... or if the younger kids like it the older ones don't! Everyone enjoyed this - even, dare I say, the adults :) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. We will be going back for SURE.

P.S. - I got all the party stuff at Hobby Lobby - they had the cutest cowboy themed party stuff/invitations with bandana print & cowboy boots! Too cute! And cheap!!

Here's Jackson making out with lots o' birthday loot!

Seniors, Seniors everywhere =)

2009-05-02T17:43:00.005-05:00

You guys are probably thinking by now that all I do is seniors, which is NOT SO!!! I have had alot of them lately, though, and have REALLY been enjoying myself. I ♥looooove ♥ photographing seniors. Actually, I love photographing everything. Just ask my husband. I can get rather annoying with a camera in-hand. ;)

Isn't she purrrrty? I had *so* much fun at her shoot with her, her mom & sister! I could post a picture of her sister here in some rather *ahem* interesting attire, but ehhhhh, she might hunt me down & kill me - so for the sake of my children, I'll have to pass! =)

Congrats, girl!!! Hope you enjoy the last few weeks of your senior year! =)

P.S. - On a personal note, my wallet got stolen on Thursday when I was on my way home from the hospital (seeing my Grandad, who is doing great, thanks for asking!) .... So *IF* you've found my wallet & happened to google Stephanie Arnold & came here by some stroke of G-E-N-I-U-S ... I just wanna say :p !!!!!! And I hope the little turkey just TRIIIIIIES to open up a credit card in my name or use my credit cards because when they do... OOOOOH they're in TROUBLE! Okay. Anyhoo. Ta ta for now. =)

Blog-o-rific!

2009-04-28T07:36:00.005-05:00

Look at me! I've blogged like, 3 whole days in a row! WEEEEEEEEE!

So I was sitting here at my computer, running late for work, thinking to myself - I need to BLOG! Yes, you read that right, darling blog readers. I'm ALWAYS thinking of others. *bats eyes*

So because I knoooooow that you have been dying to see yet another jaw-dropping image from yours truly, I thought I'd share one of Jessica! She's another '09 graduating senior & just happens to be my husband's cousin's daughter (ok I just confused myself!) ... anyhoo, she's a KNOCKOUT - & smart as a whip! I'm gonna have to give her mom the credit for that =) She'll be attending the esteemed University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE!!!) =)

Congrats, Jessica!

Lauren - Senior Portraits

2009-04-27T07:58:00.004-05:00

I had so much fun with Lauren & her mom yesterday! I think I did almost as much talking as shooting (ok so maybe that's not so uncommon for me...) - but who knew we had so much in common? Lauren's dad is a Lieutenant at Anniston Fire Department - so is my sweet hubby, Eric! Aaaaand her mom is a RN. Sweet. =)

I drug the poor thing all over, I think she was ready to choke me by the time the session was over - but that's okay. About 99% of sessions end like that. HA! ;) They're always grateful when the proofs come back!

Look at these gorgeous blue eyes - WOWSERS!

Can you say smokin' hot? Okay I probably shouldn't say that. But WOAH!

And here we have Stephanie attempting to eat up Lauren's elbows with gravel. BWAAAA HAHAHAHA. I'm evil like that folks, yes I am.

Hope you enjoyed your sneak peek Lauren! =)

♥♥♥

2009-04-26T23:10:00.005-05:00

How did my day go, you ask?

Ok, so you didn't ask. Let's just pretend that you did, for the sake of my blog post. ;)

Now. How did my day go? Well, let's see. I woke up this morning with intentions of going to church, going to the grocery store, taking Nate to work the concession stand at some ballgame for the Honor Society, cleaning up a bit, shooting a Senior Portrait session, and getting some orders placed. Since I didn't lay out church clothes last night, I woke up a little bit behind schedule, but got up & starting getting everything picked out, ironed, etc. YES, I have to pick everyone's church clothes out. Seems everyone here is either fashion challenged or color blind, other than me (of course). So after fussing & fighting with everyone, ironing 6 different outfits & getting in the shower to discover that someone (named Jackson) squirted out all of my shampoo & conditioner, I resolved that I would not be going to church TODAY. At least everyone else was ready. I figured I would just have to pray on my way to the grocery store.

So. All the boys head to church. Me & Cassidy were about to head to the grocery store, get all loaded up & then UGH! Can't find my darn keys! I was stranded until the little culprits returned... It *is* Sunday right? Not Monday - SUNDAY? Right?

Anyhoo, needless to say, only about 3 things on that endless to-do list got done today... BUT (and that's one big but) while I was stranded I talked the baby girl into a 30 second photo shoot! (now that's what you call a mini session! ha!)

Oh & P.S. - Miss Kaitlin (from yesterday's post) won 2nd Alternate & Miss Photogenic!! Congrats Kaitlin!

Oops, I did it again...

2009-04-25T09:18:00.002-05:00

Didn't post for like, ehhh, 2 or 3 months. I'M SO BAD! I'm going to try to redeem myself one of these days, but for now all you get is a mini post. BWAAAA HAHAHAHAHA! I'm evil, yes I am!

What's happened since my last post? Lots =) We went to Disney World for a week over Spring Break. The kids had a blast but we were all so TIRED when we got home! I'll have to post pics... later. (oh yeah, I just did that).

Since no post is a post without a picture (even a mini post), I'll leave you with this young beauty who's in a pageant this afternoon... Go Miss Kaitlin!!! I have a feeling she's gonna do GREAT!

Hey Jillian...

2009-03-10T23:26:00.002-05:00

...is it rough being this beautiful?

I'm still editing the first few shots of this session, but couldn't resist posting a few... I'm definitely gonna have lots & lots of new website material from this session!!! =) Thanks, Jillian, for making my job so easy!!! =)

Happy Birthday Tucker!

2009-03-08T19:02:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that 9 years ago today, my first child came into the world... on one hand it seems like he's growing up way too fast - on the other, it seems like he's been with me forever. I honestly can't remember what life was like without a child!

We always have a small cake on their birthDAY and then the bigger fancy cake at their party. It's a tradition =) This morning I drug all the kids into the kitchen to sing the birthday song... then we proceeded to have birthday cake for breakfast! That's right folks, I'm all about nutrition.

Tucker at 9:
unorganized ~ fights constantly with Nathan (& Jackson, but not quite as much) ~ loves his sister & will do anything she asks ~ forgets to brush his teeth ~ makes good grades ~ always tells the truth ~ is addicted to Nintendo DS ~ couldn't care less about girls ~ fakes asleep in the car when we get home ~ still gives me hugs & kisses ~ thinks his Dad hung the moon ~ is skinny as a rail ~ hates to get his face wet ~ whines about EVERYTHING ~ has freckles across his nose & is getting a few splashed on his neck ~ is the whitest white boy you've ever seen ~ is always inventing things ~ tries to prove himself ~ is still my baby!

Katie ... and some thoughts from today...

2009-03-05T15:44:00.009-06:00

I don't think I ever shared Katie's senior pics! I've always been so bad about remembering to share my client pics.

Katie is one of the most genuine young ladies I've ever met.... and though she's beautiful on the outside, her inner beauty is what really impressed me!

Oh - and we share a love for photography! Who knew?! She's building quite an impressive collection with her new DSLR =)
Loving the light in this one :)
She's got her head on her shoulders, and I'm telling you - this girl is going places.

On a completely DIFFERENT note... today was a sorta weird day for my family.

Who decides what price tag goes on your life? I mean... I can imagine that it's tough enough figuring out what sort of price tag to put on a handmade blanket.... something that you sat & patiently put together one row at a time... you start out with this string of yarn, and turn it into something unbelievably beautiful. So, I can understand how difficult it'd be to factor in all your time, hard work, and attention to detail. But a life... I just don't see how you put a PRICE on that.

I've been pondering over this today, because lawyers for my brother's children reached a settlement today with the insurance company. Most of you know about my younger brother, Chris. He died shortly after a car pulled out in front of his motorcycle back in June. Apparently, even though the lady's insurance policy included a fatality benefit thingy, insurance companies just don't pay up for this sort of thing (I know you're completely shocked) ... anyhoo... they (lawyers for his children) did the arbitration thing today. One lawyer made the statement "I'll be glad if we get $50,000".

Okay. I'd really like to know who decided to put that price tag on my brother's life? Because I can tell you, he was worth MUCH more than that to me. That may sound like alot to some people, but it isn't a drop in the bucket compared to what I'd give to have him back. It just... I dunno, APPALLS me that someone is responsible for determining how much they feel a life is worth... that people actually sat down at a table today & went back & forth about how much they thought his children deserved. Like some sort of auction. I mean, does he get a bonus for beating up that boy down the road that made fun of me? Or wait, maybe you'll throw in an extra thousand bucks if you knew he got on top of a firetruck, in the middle of a bad part of town, yelling through a megaphone to "Come to Jesus!" (okay I had to laugh at that) .... or wait, okay take away a few grand because he had an addiction. Whatever happened to people to keeping their word? If they have a death benefit for $300,000 how about just PAYING it? I'm betting that if the poor lady had missed her premium payment they're wouldn't be any negotiating on her part, would there?

But I digress. In a really weird, nontraditional way... my brother is paying for his kids' college... and if I'm looking for the silver lining here... that's definitely something to smile about.

A rare photo...

2009-02-28T23:57:00.002-06:00

...of me, courtesy of Nathan! I set it up for him, but he composed the shot! Nice work, eh???

Wow, I need a tan!

Payback :)

2009-02-08T16:16:00.004-06:00

Payback, courtesy of my imac webcam. Don't blame me for the gross sepia-ish color. That would be Miss Cassidy's choice :)

A, ummm, fairytale. Sorta.

2009-02-08T15:26:00.006-06:00

Once upon a time there was an evil nanny who was always harassing her beautiful, talented, kind photographer daughter to get pictures of her even MORE beautiful, talented and ki... well - let's just go with beautiful & talented - grandchildren.

Where was I? Oh yeah.

*So*. The beautiful talented daughter decided one day that she would surprise the evil nanny with a lovely picture of her grandchildren. (Although I'm not really sure why the daughter would offer up such a nice gesture since the evil nanny abandoned the daughter with SIX CHILDREN and went to Target.) However, she didn't let this abandonment damper her kind heart. No, no... the daughter was determined to capture the perfect picture of all six grandchildren.

The daughter failed miserably. THE END. Hey, all stories don't have a happy ending =)

After that tragic story I can't leave you without something to make you smile.... my super cute niece & nephew, Trinity & Haden. ♥ them!

And this is not the result of me lying on a muddy ground to please my niece. Promise. She really CAN fly.

2009 =)

2009-01-13T20:07:00.002-06:00

Ok, ok. So I'm a little late to be posting Happy New Year... but hey, what can I say? It *is* one of my New Years' resolutions to stop procrastinating. I haven't gotten around to that yet, but I will. Tomorrow. =)

So what's up since my last post?

1) Santa came. I'm certain that he left the entire contents of his sleigh on my living room floor. It was absolutely ridiculous. (I dunno who's fault that was!)

2) The elves went. Thank GOODNESS. As happy as I was to see them come, I was happier to see them go. Tucker's class elf, Tamara, came to stay with us for the holiday break - and I'm just gonna say that 4 elves in the house along with 4 children is a bit much. And we'll just leave it at that.

3) I visited my brother's grave & saw his headstone for the first time on Christmas Eve. I was worried about how it would turn out, because honestly there wasn't alot to choose from - the cemetary that he's buried in has only those flat headstone things - but all in all, it turned out really nice. For a headstone.

4) Trinity & Haden came up to visit for a realllllllly LOOOOONG weekend. 6 kids in one house, um. Not recommended! Wow! I heart them though :)

5) I'm planning my baby girl's THIRD (yes I did say THIRD) birthday party. Where did the time go?

6) Eric probably broke a rib. Playing basketball at the Fire Department. Yes, he still thinks he's in high school.

7) Tucker & Nate made A-B honor roll. I have to admit, I'm never excited by B's. I hate B's. B's stink. I'm an all-A lovin' kinda girl.

8) I got lots of diamonds for Christmas from my darling husband! A diamond wrap for my solitaire & diamond earrings. I heart him too. :)

9) The new coolest thing in our house is the Wii. We ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! We also got a Wii fit, gotta say that's been a hit as well! Games I recommend (based on adult AND kid approval combined): wii sports (we love tennis & bowling), wii fit (balance games & aerobics get the most use here), Super Mario Party 8, some Zelda game (that is super duper complicated & time consuming), and Trauma Center: New Blood (I dunno who picked that one! wink wink!)

10) We put a down payment on a lot in Mountain View subdivision! We're really excited (by we, I mean Eric) about trying to sell our house in a failing economy, then packing up all our junk, and moving - probably into some nice, quaint (read= SMALL) apartment or something of the like, while waiting for our brand spanking shiny new house to be built. YAY. I can't wait.

11) I switched to Mac. =) Still figuring it out.

12) My sweet, sweet Grandad celebrated his 86th birthday on January 8th. Words can't describe how much I love that man!!!! He is peace personified; the kindest, gentlest man I have ever met. (and how cool is it that he is MY grandad!!! SCORE!) He is never upset or cross about anything. He has the strongest faith of anyone I know. He is past generous. And how he's put up with my grandmother for 66 years, I'll never know.... but he loves her. And I love him!

12) I failed yet again this year to make any new year's resolutions... well, actually I was gonna make some, then new years' came & went, and there I was, still thinking about making resolutions, because I figure - I need to give this alot of thought, right? So around about January the 5th, I decided that I would only make ONE resolution, and that was to STOP PROCRASTINATING. Which - *sigh* - I've still not gotten around to (see beginning of post) but I will. Soon. ;)

No pics today. But soon. Promise! ;)

MIA? Not really.....

2008-12-12T07:06:00.003-06:00

Just been super busy with the holidays... sessions, editing, ordering, delivering, you know the drill!

The boys sang a few songs from their Christmas Play in the mall Wednesday night (you too can have their autographs for a small fee) so we decided to stop by & see the big man himself. Yes, you guessed it, MALL SANTA. :)

Not sure what Cassidy is doing, maybe praying for more presents?

Disclaimer: This photograph is courtesy of Mall Santa's helper elf photographer. :D

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season! What are the elves up to, you ask?? Well you'll just have to stay posted...

They're Baaaaaaaack!

2008-11-15T16:58:00.008-06:00

The kids have been driving me crazy asking me when their elves were gonna come back. Generally, Santa doesn't let the elves come stay with children until after Thanksgiving, but he must have heard my kids begging! They arrived in the mailbox today, equipped with magic pencils (they were HUGE!) and a book for Cassidy.

Ignore the nasty faces, we had just finished eating ribs :)

It seems attitudes immediately get better around here when the elves arrive - here's Jackson sharing PS3 time with Wyndham. <3

A bit of elf history - blog posts from last year :)

Adventures of Wyndham & Axel
Elf-scapade

Spencer

2008-11-14T15:22:00.002-06:00

I don't get the privilege of shooting senior guys so much - but I had such a great time with Spencer! He actually enjoyed having his picture made, I think it shows!

One of my new faves - pretty cool color & angle if I do say so myself! :)

The perfect family portrait

2008-11-09T20:16:00.006-06:00

...is impossible when you have 4 kids. *sigh*

In EVERY.SINGLE.PICTURE. one of the kids (usually Jackson) is running away, blinking, swinging to hit someone, picking his nose, or something of that nature. I did get a pretty funny one after one of the boys ummmm (can I say this on here?) passed gas - Cassidy was holding her nose. I won't mention which one did it for fear of causing him to hate me for the rest of my life. ;)

You know that perfect picture you have in your mind, the one where everyone is just sitting there with beautiful, oh-so-natural smiles on their pretty, clean little faces? Yeah, me too. We didn't get that. Oh well, it's not perfect. Which is *totally* us. =)

Back to work!

2008-11-04T21:48:00.004-06:00

So my doctor wasn't too keen on the idea of me going home on Wednesday with my Potassium still low, but hey, I'm pretty persuasive if I do say so myself! I planned on going back to work on Thursday, but that didn't pan out, so I went back on Friday/Halloween - in full costume of course!

Here's a pic someone snapped at work with their handy dandy point & shoot. This is Shaun, the dead prom queen (kids- don't drink & drive, this could be you!); Lori, the last minute kitty cat =); and myself, as a rather sophisticated Geisha girl.

(Yes, I am mildly retarded, and no, I don't have a clue how a Geisha girl poses for a photo, thank you very much.)

Fun fact: Me & Shaun, along with 2 others (I'll have to find a pic of them) won the costume contest! Hip hip hooray! =)

Oh, and FYI - A few things I learned during my short stint as a Geisha girl.
1) You can pick up HBO with your hair accessories.
2) You WILL have a mild case of whiplash the following day after you catch the chopsticks on the door facing approximately 7 times getting in & out of vehicles. Ibuprofen works wonders.
3) White makeup is hard to put on & cakes up something fierce. Simply avoid tanning for 6 months and contract some horrendous stomach bug the week prior to Halloween for that authentic pale Geisha Girl complexion.

Happy Halloween! (better late than never, wink wink...)

IN the hospital?

2008-10-29T06:57:00.002-05:00

Not supposed to work that way for a nurse, I don't think, thank you very much! I'm SO ready to get out of here. Not that the people haven't been super nice, not that my doctor hasn't been helpful... it's just I'm stir crazy & READY TO GO HOME. I dunno if I've ever mentioned that I'm needle-phobic (oh, go ahead, laugh, I know you want to...) - but I am, & I'm REEEEEEAAAAALLLLLY tired of being stuck.

I guess if I'm griping, I'm feeling better, right? ;) Please say a prayer that I can go home today, because if I can't, I might just sneak out anyway...

Little Ham!

2008-10-24T07:06:00.006-05:00

One of my faves of the little ham from the 'ham. (Birmingham, that is!)

My job is pure torture, I tell you...

Yee Haw!

2008-10-22T12:19:00.004-05:00

We're drug-free Y'all! [Red Ribbon Week - Day 3]

Hillbilly Nate

Had to get a butt shot to show you guys the back :D Nate's gonna kill me for this...

Hillbilly Tucker (who isn't in the best of moods in the mornings, might I add....)

(PSSSSSSSSSST..... see that poll... over there in the sidebar? <---------- GO VOTE!)

Red Ribbon Week ~ Day 2

2008-10-21T07:55:00.004-05:00

It's Red Ribbon Week at White Plains Elementary!

If you know me, you know I HATE drugs... so we try to be supportive of anything anti-drug in my home. I forgot to take a picture yesterday (Don't let drugs turn your life inside out!) ... but I couldn't let them get away this morning without breaking out the ole 5D.

Today's theme - "Tell me a story of a drug free world!" Mission: dress up as your favorite storybook character. Without further ado, I give you Harry Potter & Jengo Fett -

3 reasons you SHOULDN'T be laughing right now:
1. It's just NOT NICE. =)
2. They decided what they were going to dress as, not me.
2. Costumes are slim pickins' - we had to improvise Harry Potter with a vampire cape (we snatched off some gargoyle thingy), a wand (stick) out of the back yard & some coke bottle glasses that should come in handy tomorrow (HINT HINT). Yes, those bad boys are going to work double-duty.

STAY TUNED...

A promise is a promise!

2008-10-20T22:25:00.004-05:00

I'm literally about to fall fast asleep at the computer, but I told Ayda's mom I'd blog a pic, and a promise is a promise. Can't disappoint! =)

So here's one of the very first shots I took of Miss Ayda (my new friend)... are those dimples TO DIE FOR or what???

I'm dying to proof this session... but my brain is fried! Off to bed - nite nite!

Fall Break? Part Two

2008-10-19T21:01:00.005-05:00

So. My husband gets the bright idea to head to Six Flags even though we already had SOOOO much fun (note my sarcasm) at the zoo on Thursday. "They're only open all day on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday" I remember him saying. Since I'm booked with shoots, & he was working Saturday, Friday was pretty much the only option. We couldn't pass it up, really - we were getting free admission, free parking, and free meal tickets... almost too good to be true.

It was.

So we invite Tucker's best friend Joshua & his dad (Greg). Forecast calls for rain, but we're optimistic people, so we headed toward Atlanta, even though it was drizzling a bit...

and it kept raining.

and raining.

and... you guessed it.... raining.

About 30 minutes into the trip, I *mentioned* something along the lines of "Hey, it's still raining - pretty hard..." Hubby & Greg are laughing away, talking politics, football, random stuff. Just not the weather.

So. We arrive at Six Flags. And it's STILL raining.... and they... well, they look closed? (weird, huh? Seeing as they are OPEN ALL DAY on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, right?) So we decide we'll just take a trip to the Georgia Aquarium (which, by the way, is the largest aquarium in the WORLD). We hop back on the interstate, and I look back at the Six Flags sign that says, in bright, flashing lights "OPEN TODAY 6-11"...

Boy, was hubby glad it was raining. I heard Greg mention something about the Griswald's....

Anyhoo, we made the best of it - it was a really beautiful aquarium. It was SO incredibly packed (guess everyone else had the same idea on a rainy day!) that it was hard to take pics, but here's a few...

I P.R.O.M.I.S.E. that I try to get this kid NOT to point with his bird finger. I've gotta break this habit before he starts kindergarten & gets expelled... *sigh*

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL! =) Back to work for me tomorrow. BOOOOOO!

Fall BREAK? Not exactly...

2008-10-18T21:14:00.009-05:00

Ahhh, fall break. Nate's spending the week with his Mawmaw & cousins, the boys are going camping with Dad... so I took the entire week off with the intention of relaxing, getting some of my photog "stuff" done - and absolutely NOTHING else - no cleaning (okay I can never escape this...), no cooking (I got bored & whipped up a feast fit for Thanksgiving by Tuesday), and definitely NO public outings with the kids. Camping lasted all of one day, because Eric simply couldn't take it any more. We actually got date night on Wednesday - dinner & a movie! By Thursday, we decided to go to the zoo. Naturally. Because boredom makes the brain mushy.

BUUUUUUT, I'm thinking - perfect photo opp, right? Wrong. I didn't charge my battery & my camera died about 30 minutes into our little trip. My husband thought it was quite funny. (I did not. Hmph.)

I decided to snap some shots of Cassidy on the way there while I had her all strapped down...
this is what you call a severe case of P.C.S. (Photographer's Child Syndrome)

Heh. Revenge is sweet....

Ohhhh, I'm kidding, totally kidding. I don't torture my kids with 20 foot snakes. Pinky swear. I did giggle. Quietly, though. PROMISE!

I thought these stinkers would quit fighting long enough for me to get a PERFECT PARROT shot, but noone really felt like cooperating. *sigh* Nice bokeh, though. =)

This little guy was cute (and STILL)... hey, it's not easy being green. (snicker)

The Lorakeet exhibit - the kids LOOOOOVED this!

Tucker was really mad because this one little guy just stayed with him even when his nectar cup was empty. Then - Jackson to the rescue - he yelled & ran him off. Tucker kept insisting that it was his new "pet bird" and he would have stayed with him forever if Jackson wouldn't have run him off. What are little brothers for?

Just showing you that I actually *do* attempt to photograph my children. They just don't cooperate. Grrrrrrr.

And the last shot of my 3 rugrats before the camera battery died (boo!):

By the time we got home, I was so exhausted that I fell into my bed & straight into a coma.... *sigh*

So we planned a 6Flags trip for the next day.... ugh. We never learn.

Playing catch-up!

2008-10-16T21:26:00.009-05:00

With all the web & blog changes, I've been SO BEHIND on posting client images... time to play catch up!

Another beautiful girl in my line of beautiful seniors =) And get this! She brought along a few people to her shoot - a couple shots in, I look over - and WHAT? I see this man I used to work with at Winn Dixie (way back in my high school & college days) ... I'm like, SHOCKED of course, because I haven't seen Randy in years! So I ask her, "How do you know Randy?" ... and she's like, "He's my dad."

WHAT?!?!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..... I can't be this OLD!

But notice I said I was only in HS. He must have already been old or something. HAHA!!! So it TOTALLY doesn't count.

TOTALLY doesn't.

Anyway - I had SO MUCH FUN with Mallori!! She was up for pretty much anything - and had some suggestions herself. I was SO excited that she was bringing along a restored car (camaro I think, but I'm so not a car expert...) - originally we discussed her wearing a poofy prom dress for these shots, but I think the jean jumpsuit really suited her. At least her boyfriend (& all the passerby, & most of the guys - ok ok, ALL OF THE GUYS - on her facebook) thought so. HA! (Daddy watch out!)

Can I brag one sec? OF COURSE I CAN!!! It's my blog!

This one made explore on FLICKR:

A few more of my faves:

Are these two CUUUUUUTE or what?

Awwwww.....

Hope you enjoyed your shoot, Mallori! =)

Notice anything???

2008-10-11T11:32:00.004-05:00

Some of you know, some don't - I lost everything in a hard drive/external drive CATASTROPHE quite a while back. I've sent it to multiple experts in hopes of recovering some data, but so far I've not recovered one. single. solitairy. thing. It was very upsetting... I even put down my camera for a LOOOONG time.

I finally decided, after my brother died, that life is way too short to dwell on the past... we must live each day, each minute, to the fullest. I picked up my camera again, and rediscovered my love for the art of photography.

I'm still rebuilding my portfolio, but went ahead & launched my new website ANYWAY! It's still a work in progress, but I hope you enjoy it.

To kick off my new site, I'm offering 50% off the session fee for anyone who books by October 31, 2008.

Take a peek - www.stephaniearnoldphotography.com - let me know what you think!!!

Introducing...

2008-09-29T19:41:00.001-05:00

... my newest little nephew, Toby Michael Husk.

Congrats Christy & Matt!

The many faces of Jackson

2008-09-28T13:03:00.004-05:00

I love this little stinker. He's CHOCK-FULL of personality. You'll notice his hair, I'm sure, which is actually a grown-out version. He decided to cut his hair "all the way to the skin" & wound up looking like a dog with the mange. So we had to shave his ENTIRE. HEAD.

A conversation we had the other day:
Jackson: "Mama, are we having a birthday party?"
Me: "No, baby, who's birthday is it?"
Jackson: "Well it was yours. And I wanted to invite somebody."
Me: "Well honey, my birthday's already over. I'm not having a party."
Jackson: "Well, when I have a party, I already invited somebody then."
Me: "Who?"
Jackson: "God. He's coming to my party. He comes everywhere with me."
Me: "He does? How's that?"
Jackson: "Because, silly, he lives in my heart. I love him."

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. =) Makes a Mama proud.

The hat

2008-09-22T18:59:00.005-05:00

My best friend, Jamee & my brother Chris at Jackson's Birthday Party, May 2008 - the last time I saw him alive and talking. Notice his hat. The "Jesus" hat.

At the funeral home, one of the guys (Ben) from his singles' group at church told my mom that he'd tried to get the hat from Chris. My mom asked him if he'd like it. This sort of shocked me, because my mother was hanging on to everything she could get of Chris'.

Later on, Chris' daughter informed my mother that she wanted the hat. So my mother went on a search for this hat, trying to find an exact replica. I don't think she ever found one.... and I think Trinity forgot about it.... so the hat was all but forgotten.

Then yesterday, I saw where one of his buddies from the singles' group, Andi, lost her aunt. My heart went out to her. Andi has been so kind to me & my mother since losing Chris. I sent her a message telling her that I was thinking of her. And this is what I got back:

Thanks girl. I hope you're doing well. Chris' hat gets passed around to people who are having a bad week. He's still bringing joy to us! Maybe I'll get it this week. :) Love you! .

Yesterday was 3 months since his accident. I have struggled so much lately. What's bothered me the most is that I feel like people will forget him. And then... this message from Andi... that I feel sure was sent as a reminder that noone will EVER forget him. =)

And just for kicks, here's a picture of Jamee & Chris before the Who's Who Dance in 1994... 14 years ago! =)

I sure do miss my little brother.

Trinity in a WHAT?

2008-09-20T20:30:00.004-05:00

A tutu. Yep! I have photographic evidence. :)

If you only *knew* my neice, you'd think this was virtually impossible. And it almost was - until she thought that "some other little girl" could just be on my website in the tutu... she was happy to oblige... even though she's not exactly the tutu "type". =)

No, Mom...

2008-09-03T23:36:00.005-05:00

...I don't stand out in front of the school picking out the most beautiful girls to photograph.

...the beautiful girls just come to me! (I think my 3 boys will hope to be saying that one of these days, ha!)

P.S. - My birthday is coming up! I know, I know, it's not a national holiday. I realize this... I'm petitioning Congress as we speak. In the mean time, you're welcome to send cash, check, money order... or heck I'll even take charge via paypal. Or gift certificates. Or jewelry. Or... well... you get the idea. ;)

Kathleen's Senior Shoot

2008-08-31T08:43:00.004-05:00

Okay, seriously - could I have a better job? I looooove shooting gorgeous people.

I had a session with Kathleen last night, this girl is unbelievably beautiful. And really, really, GENUINELY nice. Which makes everyone hate her, I'm sure. ;) Only joking! (well, half joking...) I'm posting a quick one before church - I'm definitely gonna have a hard time picking a fave here!

My baby

2008-08-23T19:21:00.006-05:00

Snapped this one of my baby before I went to work yesterday morning... when I uploaded, I thought to myself.... "WOW, she looks so much older in this picture!" - but just chalked it up to not wanting my baby girl to grow up. Then Jackson walked by the computer and says, "Mama, is that what Cassidy's gonna look like when she's older?" Guess it's not just me. =)

P.S. - I'm back to working on my new website, so you'll be seeing lots of changes 'round here soon =D

Carter turns one

2008-08-16T11:19:00.006-05:00

Carter just turned one. Carter has big, beeeeautiful blue eyes. Gotta love that!

This little guy wasn't in the mood for sitting still...

...so his mom & sitter employed torture techniques. After all, this is your PHOTO SHOOT!!! And you *WILL* act accordingly...

Soon after he straightened up & was blowing kisses...

Ok, ok, so I'm lying, but it does look like some crazy limb-from-limb-pulling-freaky-torture technique, doesn't it? Ha! They were just helping the little guy up. DISCLAIMER: No babies were harmed during this photo shoot.

2008-08-13T22:55:00.005-05:00

I'm in love with these pictures... for reasons that I'm certain everyone else doesn't see. No, the composition isn't perfect, the lighting is bad, and I'm confessing to the world that I use - *GASP* - paper cups & plates for parties! Good thing I had already resigned to lose the Hostess of the Year award. ;)

This is my Mom & Mamaw. You don't see them much, because they both hold firm beliefs that the camera is an evil torture device, and if you pause for a picture, you'll surely have your eyes burned right out of your sockets. Or something along those lines.

I love these two women *SO* much... and I love to see them laughing together. I admire their strength, their courage, and their love for each other and their family. Unfortunately I inherited ALOT of their little quirks (crunch ice around me & I'll punch your lights out... NO, seriously!) ... and a few of their physical traits (thanks for the green eyes, but you can have this BUTT back!) ... but when all is said & done, I can only hope to be as great a role model for my family as they both have been to mine.

She held it together nicely - I wouldn't have expected anything different - but I know it must have been difficult.

I can't imagine what it's like to lose a child, and I hope I never, ever have to find out. Sometimes I get upset just thinking about everything my mom has gone through in her life - it doesn't seem fair that a person so kind and tender-hearted should have to go through so many heartaches & trials in one lifetime.

I wish I could fix it. But I can't. And that stinks.

I love you, Mom.

Gilda, Take 3 - and a bit of ranting...

2008-08-11T06:49:00.005-05:00

Isn't she puuuuurty???!!!! I'm still not done with her senior portraits, partly because of my vacation. :D Can't say I regret doing that though, EVERYONE knows I needed it.

Now, totally unrelated, but just on my mind this morning... Warning - rant ahead.

Why is it that you can bend over backwards for some people, go allll out of your way... and then what do you get in return? Nuttin. Nada. Zilch. I take that back - sometimes they'll even go to the trouble to say some snide remark, which is basically just a slap in the face. I can't tell you the times in my life this has happened - and every.single.time. it shocks me. I wish I could be the kind of person that could just let things go... that could say "you know what - you aren't gracious, you don't appreciate me, and you don't DESERVE what I'm doing here..." but I can't. I can't bring myself to say it, because it's MEAN. I just keep on doing, doing, doing - apologizing, trying harder... because when it comes down to it, I think that their actions are just proof that I'm not doing *quite* enough.

Seriously?? Who am I kidding? Why spend energy on people who could care less? Yet here I sit, feeling guilty...

I think it's time for a change. Time to expend my energy on people who care, on people who recognize it, appreciate it, and express it. Time to kick the people off my priority list that haven't put me on theirs, and time to move myself up on my own list.

/rant

:D Happy Monday!

Gilda, Take 2

2008-07-31T23:53:00.006-05:00

Get ready for a whole lotta pictures. I'm too tired to pick through them & figure out which ones are my faves, so I'm just posting the few I've edited so far.... I'm betting I won't get any complaints ;) Especially from the fellas!

Enjoy! I'm beach bound in the morning.... WOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Cheer up? Maybe...

2008-07-30T21:14:00.003-05:00

I think that one day I'll be able to look back on this dark period of my life and learn some valuable, mind-altering, earth-shattering lesson.

But right now, all I wanna do is cry. Alot.

The past 6 months of my life have been an absolute roller coaster of emotions. Memories that I'll never, ever forget.... and some that I wish I could.

I'll admit that I'm not the funnest person to be around right now. I try, I really do. I honestly feel sorry for my friends - those that have cared enough to stand by me through it all. [you know who you are...] Everyone has their way of trying to cheer me up, and although I can't say it always works, I am MOST appreciative of the attempts.

I will say, this puts a smile on my face every time though....

If Chris were a girl....

2008-07-24T04:00:00.012-05:00

he'd look just like this.

Meet the female version of my brother Chris - his daughter, Trinity. =)

She's so outgoing, confident, & just... well, SASSY.

We're so proud of her! She's been auditioning for parts, commercials, etc... her most recent trip was to Las Vegas & she got 8 call backs! She's going to LA in January. :D

Chris used to aggravate her all the time about getting her autograph... he'd say "you better go ahead & give me your autograph now, so I won't have to pay for it when you're famous!" She told me at the funeral that her daddy wanted her autograph but she never gave it to him, and wanted to put it in his casket. So of course we scrambled up a pen & paper, & she obliged... in bubble letters. ;)

Oh & P.S. - Congrats to Gilda, her mom called last night & apparently she won Miss Photogenic in the Miss Motorsports Pageant. YAY! :D

Isn't she lovely?

2008-07-22T08:32:00.004-05:00

Oh great... now I have that song in my head. *sigh*

Anyway! I have a shoot with this lovely young lady for senior portraits on Sunday - These were just quick shots for a pageant she's in. This was our favorite...

She makes a girls' job super easy =) GOOD LUCK GILDA!

2008-07-20T23:17:00.003-05:00

We had Haden a birthday party at my house yesterday... it was alot of fun, but bittersweet. I kept thinking how much Chris would have loved it.... and wishing he was there.

But one look at his kids, & I knew he was. I see so much of Chris in their eyes....

My how you've grown...

2008-07-12T11:44:00.004-05:00

I've been all nostalgic this morning, looking through old blog posts & stuff... & realized, I'm such a slacker! I used to be soooo good about posting - & it's so nice to go back through & see how the kids have grown. Here's a quick shot in the backyard of my baby girl - taken back in April - the wind was blowing that kids hair EVERYWHERE. Not the best shot of the bunch, but I never did edit any of the other ones - BAD MAMA! Gotta get to that.... just as soon as I clean up the water she just poured in the floor - ugh! =)

2008-07-02T00:03:00.002-05:00

Thanks so much to everyone for the sweet comments & emails. I can't claim this picture... but since some of you didn't know my brother... I thought I'd share a snapshot. This is him goofing off at church during game night :) It's *so* Chris. It makes me smile.

I love you, Chris. I miss you so much it hurts. :(

Making it...

2008-06-26T19:51:00.004-05:00

I made it through the last few days. Which I'm counting as an accomplishment.

I won't say that I did "good" or "alright" or whatever.... what is "alright" when you've lost your little brother? I'll just say that I made it through, and I'll give myself lotsa credit for that.

I've done some things in the past few days that I never thought I'd do in my lifetime. I strolled around a casket "showroom", looking at all these caskets, thinking to myself, which one would he like? When I was hit with the realization that NOBODY LIKES A CASKET. Hello! All the sudden I felt like a total idiot. But yes, the charcoal gray one with the pewter looking accents, yes, I thought, that one will do nicely. I talked to some really nice flower lady who told me that she would coordinate the family casket flower piece with the sister flower piece & the kids flower piece & it should all look very nice.

I'm not sure exactly what I thought I'd be attending, but with all the preparation, I guess I thought everything would be lovely. I couldn't have been more wrong. It didn't matter how pretty the casket was or how nicely the flowers coordinated or how expensive his suit was, it was still CHRIS - my little brother - dead. Nothing could have prepared me for the way I felt when I walked in that stupid room full of all those stupid flowers with that stupid gray casket. I bet I said a thousand times, "I don't like it". I was being nice. I HATED IT. I hated every minute of it. I hated the fact that my 30 year old brother wasn't going to see his children grow up. I hated that his name was plastered all over the cards of the flowers. I hated to think that Jackson & Cassidy may not remember him. I hated that my family was so upset and there was nothing I could do or say to help them. I hated that they had his hair combed all wrong and that they put makeup on him that was 10 shades lighter than his normal color. I hated that he looked so... I dunno. So wrong. So lifeless. So... gone.

So many people came. And there have been so many people leave messages on his obituary... the lady at the funeral home said that they out of everyone they had ever done, Chris had the most comments. He'd be so proud of that. Always the popular one, always the clown. Every time I log on to check the guestbook, I hear him saying, "Take a look at that! 4 pages of comments, BABBBBYYYYY!" ...and it makes me smile. :)

You can see his obituary & sign his guestbook @ www.cmgfh.com - click on Stephen Dennis. You can also view his memorial slideshow there... but beware, if you chose to watch prepare for some really bad hair days from yours truly! :)

Chris Dennis 3/29/78 - 6/21/08

2008-06-23T23:04:00.004-05:00

It is with a heavy heart that I post. This is mostly just for my benefit, to remember things, because the past few days have been nothing but a blur. If you continue, prepare for a whole lotta rambling.

I got a phone call early Saturday morning from my Dad. He said that he needed to get in touch with my mother, that my brother had been in an accident, and he was critical. To be honest with you, I think the hospital pretty much knew what the outcome was going to be at that point, but wanted to spare delivering the news over the phone. Noone could reach my mother. I had all the kids piled up in the car before I finally talked to her. She was a basket case. She kept saying "he's dead isn't he?" I kept telling her no, that I wouldn't lie to her, that noone had told us he was dead. She insisted.

Luckily my mother was very close to the hospital. She arrived much sooner than I. I had warned her friends that were with her... he may look really bad. He may have lots of tubes. He could be in a coma. He could even be brain dead. Don't dare let her go in there by herself. By that point, I had discovered it was a motorcycle accident. As a RN, I know that motorcycle accident + critical condition = not looking good here. I think I prepared everyone but myself.

I was still an hour away when my step-mother called me, "Your mother needs you". I remember asking... "Where is she?" What a stupid question.

"With the chaplain." The chaplain? This isn't good at all....

"Is he brain dead?" I still have no idea why I asked this question. Out of all the questions I could have asked, why this one? On the phone?

"Yes."

I don't think you could have shocked me more at that very moment. I remember feeling absolute and total despair. I have never, ever felt anything like that in my life, and I hope I never do again. I wanted out. Out of the car. Out of my body. Out of a world that was crumbling all around me.

I started to think of my mother... my dad... my grandparents... his children... and I came to the conclusion that the doctors had to be mistaken. And that I was going to figure out what was wrong with him, and by george, I was going to have them all fix him when I got there. I was convinced.

I remember Eric finally parking the Tahoe and basically running to the ER, but he wasn't there. He had been moved to Neuro ICU. I was greeted by some nice lady from the Organ Center. WHAT? The organ center? Uh, no. I'm going to fix him, thank you very much. Shoo.

My mom & dad were waiting on me, of course, because I'm the only "medical" person in the family... then the chaplain begins... "Dr. Melton was just in with your family, and she doesn't pull any punches." Ah, yes, Dr. Melton. I remember her from the ER. One of the best trauma surgeons, PERIOD. But she must have missed something, because he can't be brain dead. "Chris was in a terrible accident. He has multiple skull fractures. He's lost alot of blood. He's broken alot of bones."

The whole time, I'm thinking, I can fix this. We're going to fix this. Because I am not going to watch my mother go through this. I will fix it. Because that's what I do. "Can I just see him please?"

I walked into his room. The first thing I noticed is that there were 4 RNs with him. Oh noooo. This is never good. 1 on 1 is bad enough but 4 on 1? Well, I didn't really care. Because we're going to need alot of help if we're going to fix this, right? Right.

Then I saw his blood pressure. 59/27. WOAH. I'm introduced by the chaplain as a RN. The nurse begins... "He has severe head trauma. He has parietal, occipital, and basilar skull fractures." Me: What did the CT show? "Midline shift." (Which tells me what? Brain herniation. CRAP.) "He also has C1 & C2 displacement (that's the top 2 neck bones), compound fractures of both tib/fibs & femurs, a crushed pelvis, both blah blah blah, 24 units of blood already, blah blah blah...."

I really wasn't listening to her much because she didn't sound like she thought we could fix it. And wasn't that what my family had called me for? Wasn't that my job? But did she REALLY say midline shift? I think I heard her say midline shift...

I went to look at him. His eyes were taped shut. There were so many tubes, everywhere. But you know what? I could see past it. He looked so handsome, just like always. He had one scratch on his head, and one scratch on his chest. But all these freakin tubes everywhere. And no shirt on... and his chest was fine! There he was breathing in, out, in, out. Yeah, well, it was the ventilator, but his chest was moving up and down so I was satisfied. Okay.. now for fixing him...I cleaned the blood out of his ears. I'm not gonna even think that was bloody spinal fluid. I knew it was, but we aren't going to worry about that right now because ... wait. Did she really say midline shift?

"Did you say that he had a midline shift?"

She nodded. Whatever.

"Did you say he had gotten 24 units of blood?"

She nodded. Oh, God. The only patient I had that I had EVER given that much blood died.

"Did you say he had a C1 & C2 displacement?"

She nodded again.

I just started crying. Because right then... I almost thought for a minute... that I MIGHT not be able to fix him. She might not be able to fix him. Dr. Melton might not be able to fix him. Because God may not want us to fix him...

I went back into the family room to discuss organ donation. Then my mom told me that she had talked to him and she thought he heard her. I about freaked out... did he blink? Weren't his eyes taped shut? Had I missed something? Hold up, organ lady...

They brought the nurse back to me in the hall. I had her go over all of it again. I have never felt so retarded in all my life. I honestly couldn't remember a thing she had told me. I kept asking... did you say he had skull fractures? Did you mention something about his neck being broken? It was like I had a sudden case of amnesia or something. I remember telling her... I know you told me all this a minute ago, but for the life of me I can't remember a word of it. She was so sweet, so patient, and so informative. She kept telling me how horrible it must be to know all that stuff.

"Didn't you say something about a midline shift?"

She nodded. Deja vu.

"So they are expecting brain herniation?"

...and the words I'll never forget... "he ALREADY herniated".

From that moment on, I don't remember much to be honest. I knew at that point that there was no fixing it. I know that I went over it in my head like 900 times. And I couldn't figure out any possible way to fix it. I felt absolutely helpless and hopeless. My brother was going to die. No - my brother was already dead.

We consented to organ donation because we knew it was what Chris would have wanted. He was able to give both kidneys. Soon after we gave consent, he became very unstable and they were unable to keep his blood pressure up. Because of that, coupled with the severe trauma, they were unable to use any of the other organs.

But I say... if you were the person in need of a kidney, you'd think his last gift - not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

We found a notebook Chris had written in. He had recorded his life story for an exercise on 4/15/08. At the top, he wrote "I'm not proud of my past, I've made some mistakes, but it's how you finish that counts." I know he'd be proud that the last thing he ever did was offer precious gifts to 2 lucky people.

What an amazing finish. I've never been prouder of my baby brother.

If only...

2008-03-30T22:15:00.004-05:00

...I was this beautiful when I was pregnant. *sigh*

I was ecstatic to find a memory card that I hadn't deleted yet! There are lots more photos of Meredith on there,but I was so excited that I just ps'ed the first one! My beloved HUGE external drive is STILL in the computer hospital (*sniff sniff*) ... I'm not even going to go into the details but let's just say I have my left kidney for sale on e-bay if anyone is interested in helping me fund data retrieval.

Happy belated Easter!

2008-03-29T13:54:00.002-05:00

It seems I can't do anything on time lately... with 4 kids running around, I literally have to schedule time to brush my teeth! =) But happy *late* easter anyway... I'm becoming such a slacker with photos lately that I thought I'd post one, taken with my handy dandy point & shoot.

Get ready for some OUTSTANDING photography...

*drumroll please*

TA DA! ;) (giggle) ... I really, REALLY need to pull out my 5D. Somebody slap me! =)

My First Post of 2008????

2008-02-27T19:14:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe that I haven't posted one. single. solitary. blog. in ALL of 2008. Nevermind it's only been 2 months.... well, heck, almost 3! Needless to say things have been CRAZY! I'll give you the short version, in chronological order.

Santa picked up the elves & left a mess of toys under the tree.

The new year rang in while I was asleep. (yeah I'm *that* wild!)

The boys started karate lessons & are now yellow belts!

Cassidy got bangs. Don't ask.

After undergoing drug tests, a home study, criminal background check, & endless meetings with lawyers, a judge awarded us full custody of Nathan - he's adjusting well by the way! =)

My desktop computer CRASHED. Bang.

We booked a trip for Punta Cana in June! YAAAAY! =)

Jackson developed this new incredibly strange habit of licking the bottom of his feet. No clue where that came from!

Cassidy turned 2, still can't believe that one...

We celebrated Nathan's 10th birthday on 2/20 - we're having his & Tucker's party together this Saturday. They are super excited!

I got a new little Canon point & shoot & I've been using the FIRE out of it. It's awesome not to have to lug my 5D around everywhere.... I haven't been shooting much at all to be honest & I miss it. I think I'm *almost* ready to start accepting sessions for the spring... Thanks to all my past & prospective clients for your phone calls, I promise I'll be back in biz before you know it! =)

I went through THE WORST state survey at work. EVER.

Cassidy got the flu. Jackson got the flu. I got the flu. Tucker got the flu. Nate got the flu. Eric got the flu. FUN STUFF. Six coughing, sneezing, aching, feverish, puking, snotting, hacking, flu-ridden people in the SAME house. You wanna know misery? Yeah, it's right there, buddy. Eight days worth.

My best friend filed for divorce.

We finally joined Grace Baptist Church in Oxford. Love it!

Tucker & Nate got saved. They're gonna be baptized (or "bab-a-tized" per Nathan, and "vaporized" per Tucker, just depends on which one you ask... ha!)

And drumroll please......

I GOT MY COMPUTER FIXED! YAY ME!!!!!!!!! WOOT WOOT! Happy dance!!!

....and I guess that's about it in a nutshell. =) Promise to drive you crazy in the near future!

NOTE TO CLIENTS

2007-12-12T08:10:00.000-06:00

To my AWESOME clients (notice how I'm buttering you up)...

I appreciate your patience with me this holiday season. You all have kept me EXTREMELY busy & for that I am sincerely grateful! I never dreamed in a million years that I would ever be so busy with photography... you guys make a girl feel loved =)

As you may have read, I have welcomed a child into my home who is coping with the death of his mother. I've read all about this sort of thing - "expect behavior problems", "expect resistance", "expect mood swings", etc.... let me tell you... it's one thing to read it, it's another to live and experience it.

On top of those issues, there is also my regularly chaotic life. My other 3 children need me now more than ever. I have a full time job. I have a husband. I have Christmas to plan.

Add to my normally chaotic life - dealing with lawyers, judges, DHR, social security, behavior issues, crying spells, a new school & troubles adjusting there, family members, siblings.... you can imagine, I am PAST Stephanie, overloaded.

I am now Stephanie, overwhelmed. I haven't had much time to think lately, to really sit & ponder things, but one thing I do know now more than ever is that my family needs me and I need them. I am asking you all to please understand that while I may not be giving you 100% of my attention like I usually do, that there is a VERY good reason for that. =) I feel terribly guilty that I can't devote time to answering emails, questions, etc. like I normally do, but I simply can't add more hours in the day. I have been sleeping, on average, about 2-3 hours per night. I simply CANNOT continue this trend. I need to be strong for my family.

I will complete all sessions that I have scheduled until December 31, 2007. After that time, I will be taking a break- indefinitely. I will continue to work on my website and I hope to begin taking sessions in the spring, if at all possible.

Any orders will need to be placed before that time. Along with the new website will come new session prices, portrait rates, & business policies. These changes will take effect January 1, 2008.

Again, I thank each & every one of you for your understanding during this time. I have enjoyed each one of you & I wish you all a very Merry Christmas & a Happy 2008!

Elf-scapade

2007-12-10T07:25:00.000-06:00

Update: Nate has come to live with us. We have retained a lawyer & are petitioning for custody - GUESS WHAT?!? Yep, he wants an elf. I'm worried.... we have enough mess to clean up with Wyndham & Axel running around - adding a third one to the mix?? EEEEEK!

Good thing I had my car keys hidden -

I dunno who gave them permission to party... but they invited their friends anyway...

And here - Axel heard me playing the piano one day & wrote a note to Tucker saying he thought he could do better! Wyndham - oh, Wyndham, forever the mischevious one - he rearranged the nutcrackers & stole one of their swords!!!

Ohhhhh..... the morning I woke up & found this, I just about CHOKED the little devils!!! They made "elf angels" in the "snow" .... aren't they cute? *rolling eyes* Hardy har har.

They even made a snowman out of marshmallows. Crafty little boogers, I tell you.

Never a dull moment with these guys around... but I have to say, I might miss them when they're gone. ;)

Heartbroken...

2007-12-03T21:42:00.000-06:00

I wasn't going to blog about this... I prefer a happy, cheerful blog myself... but on this day of complete and utter shock, sadness, anger - I can't be cheerful. I can't be happy. I need a release of some sort so here it is.

Some of you know Nate's story... some don't. Let me give you the cliff notes version. Meet Nate... (taken back in the summer on his first day of school)

Eric's cousin is Rodney. Rodney marries Diana & has 4 children, the youngest of whom is Nate. Rodney drowns in a horrible accident 5 years ago. Diana begins using drugs. Fast forward 5 years...Nate is 9, lives with his mom, but mom has a serious drug problem at this point... he begins to shuffle back & forth between relatives. He fails the 3rd grade because of failure to attend school. Then ... we get a phone call.

Nate is coming to live with us.

We're a little nervous, a little scared.... not sure what to expect. What do we get but a surprisingly well mannered little boy who is wise beyond his 9 years. I guess you have to be when you're acting as the parent. We enrolled him in school, he was doing great - then BAM! Mom comes to get him.... "nothing I can do" we're told. "She has full custody". I was absolutely heartbroken to see him go, simply because I knew in my heart it wasn't in his best interest.

We have spoken to him on a few occasions, and he recently came back to live with us again at her request. He insisted on going back with her - to be honest, I think he worried about her all the time - if he couldn't find her, he would cry. He told me that there were times he couldn't wake her up... and that he was afraid something was going to happen to her.

Well, this morning, something did.

Nate's mother was found in a hotel room, dead. A suspected accidental overdose. I have no words really - no words to describe how I feel.... I'm angry that she would put her children through this - the death of BOTH parents in 5 years. I'm desperately sad for the children - even though I know that in some ways, they are better off without her. I'm frustrated with DHR who has refused to do anything about the reports for the past 2 years. I'm really... just... heartbroken.

Please keep them in your thoughts & prayers.

Need your help...

2007-12-03T08:08:00.000-06:00

Okay, guys.... I'm about to wrap up my Christmas sessions & take ALL of January off (YES YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT!) I'm exhausted, to say the least. My clients are super - calla - fraga - listi - fantastic, but I miss my family! I've had such a great time & I've met so many new people... I know it's super cliche` - but whatever, I've had SUCH a good time. =)

Anyhoo, back to the point of this post. Of course after I take about 3 days off, I'm gonna be itching to do something (I'm a workaholic!) - so I've been planning on taking this time to completely re-do my website (I got a blu! yippeeee!) - my price list (ut oh, haha!) - my logo, pretty much everything in general. Originally I had decided on "Southern Couture" for my new name - now I'm undecided again. Hey, I'm a woman, I have the right to change my mind ;)

So here's where you come in... what do you think? HELP!

Finalist #2!!!

2007-11-28T06:29:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited!!!!! :D

I got my second finalist at Better Photo with this picture:

Linkage for those who care to see =) I'm such a happy camper!!! =)

Playing in the leaves...

2007-11-25T12:34:00.000-06:00

This little guy was soooo much fun, he had a few posing pointers for me. Hey, I need all the help I can get, right? ;)

And his cute little cousin... I think I see a bit of mischief in those eyes =)

Where do they get their good looks, you ask? Well, from their mothers, of course =)

The Adventures of Wyndham & Axel

2007-11-22T10:06:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with elf magic - but if you aren't you need to check it out!

Basically, Santa lets your child adopt an elf - but only for a limited time. I mean, we can't have all the elves checked out of the north pole when there are toys to be made, right? Right. We're having such a great time with them here that I wanted to share the whole experience. Read at your own risk - long post ahead =)

I had just gotten home from work Monday night when we heard the doorbell ring. We wondered who in the world would be coming to visit at 8pm! Tucker & Jackson answered the door & discovered 2 little boxes sitting on the front porch. There was a note inside that said these were 2 of Santa's elves sent by the big man himself! Of course, we all were bummed that we missed Santa... heck I even took off running down the sidewalk, looking for him down the street, to which Tucker informed me, "Duh, Mom, he wouldn't be riding down the ROOOOOAD!" *insert eye roll here* Oh yeah. I forgot! But no sign of him in the sky either.

Now - these elves are very special & come with a little container of North Pole Snowflakes. At night, you put the elf on the kitchen counter & sprinkle him with snowflakes & he comes to life!!! You can write them little notes or questions & then at night, they write back to you. Fun stuff! You have to leave him crackers & water to eat because he gets really hungry - we were out last night (Axel broke into the pantry!) so we left them some Nerds. Apparently they really like candy. ;)

Meet Wyndham, our little troublemaker:

He's Jackson's elf. The first night he was here, he pulled off a whole entire roll of toilet paper & hid in the bottom of a side table! The next night, he broke into Jackson's room, pulled all of his clothes out of his closet & was swinging from the hangers... Jackson had locked the door, but alas, when we found Wyndham, he had the doorkey stuck in his belt. Smart little elf!

This is Axel, Tucker's elf:

I think Axel is a pretty good elf... he tries to play by the rules for the most part, but he *is* an elf, and elfs by nature are rather mischevious. He's already raided the pantry twice, eating up all the Little Debbies & crackers. He got into Tucker's PS games & threw them all over the floor... we found him in a drawer with the controller to the PS3, so we knew it was him. Then another night, he hung every pair of Tucker's underwear on the Christmas tree!!

And this morning, look what we found in the freezer:

Those crazy elves wrote that they were missing home so they went somewhere cold. Thank goodness they decided not to leave a mess tonight. They left a couple little presents instead =)

P.S. - Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Is it wrong...

2007-11-21T08:33:00.000-06:00

that some of my favorite shots from this session were of big sister Sydney being a "toot-head"? HAHA! She still so stinking cute when she's crying, I couldn't resist snapping a few...

The real star of the show, Xander -

That would be the ONLY sleeping photo of the entire session, hahaha!!! =)

I almost feel sorry for the little guy - wait till the newness wears off, then he's in trouble!!! Living in a house full of estrogen will be pretty interesting I bet. =)

I thought Mom looked so glowy & beautiful here =) Look at him checking me out...

Congrats Grace!

Feed Just One

2007-11-17T00:29:00.000-06:00

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." -Mother Theresa

I recently learned about this small organization - Feed Just One - through my Aunt Rhona. Basically, these folks pay for the shipping cost for food to starving children. For a small donation ($10-$15), you get a cool t-shirt, & can provide shipping cost for up to 3 months worth of meals!!! Here's a couple pics from their store's site.

I'm feeling a bit like Sally Struthers here ;) but... it's just beyond my comprehension WHY a child dies every 5 seconds from hunger. HUNGER! Unthinkable!

The season of giving is upon us - I think this is a fantastic gift idea! I bought several tees for people in my family. =) PLEASE, please, if you do decide to get a tee, leave me a comment & let me know. I'm hoping my little blog can help with a few & I'd love to know if it actually does. THANKS! =) Now what are you waiting for, go feed just one!

Outtakes

2007-11-15T23:25:00.000-06:00

What's a session without a few outtakes, right? Meet my nephew Riley. I really WANT to call this an outtake, but um, well... it's "his" look. I don't think that technically it qualifies as an outtake does it?

Well, except for the fact that I giggle every single time I look at it. I love this next picture of Riley... but what in the world is he doing with his hand? Is this his interpretation of the robot? Or am I about to get back handed? What?

And now for his lovely sister, my neice Bethany. Sadly, I can't take credit for any of these genius poses, she thought these up herself.

Bet you wouldn't have known if I didn't tell you, huh? Apparently these are Ariel poses... hey, you can't argue with a mermaid.

Summer in the fall

2007-11-14T00:58:00.000-06:00

You know how you hear someone's name & you automatically get this picture in your head of what they look like? No? Well, okay then, maybe I'm weird. Anyway, when I booked this session with Summer's mom, I had it dead set in my mind that summer had blonde hair. Even so much so that I was thinking how beautiful her hair was going to look up against the huge fountain at the falls.... so she gets out of the truck, and....

...she's not a blonde. ABSOLUTELY gorgeous, but not a blonde. I was kinda shocked, it was almost like I had made up this pretend blonde Summer girl, but Summer was here, and Summer was - in fact - brunette, and HECK, she was even born in November.

Which leads me to the question.... Stacy?? Why did you name her Summer? HAHAHA!!!!

I'm totally kidding, of course! Well, about most of it anyway. I did think she was blonde for some strange reason! =)

Seriously, Summer is ONE GORGEOUS girl. I mean, she's got gorgeous eyes, a glowing complexion & perfect white teeth. On top of all that, she's SKINNY. Ugh. Perfect little package. Somebody slap her! ;)

I'm still deciding on my fave from the session - but this one is a DEFINITE contender. Loving the light here..... Summer, you look FAB, girl! =)

Look out college boys ;)

Say it ain't so!

2007-11-11T12:37:00.000-06:00

Anybody that knows me knows that I'm *kinda* girly. For example - I don't do dirt. Dirt is for BOYS! I wanted to scrapbook until I realized that I could, possibly, get glue on me. I have probably 15 different shades of lipstick. I change my purse depending on what I'm wearing (duh, can't wear brown shoes & carry a black bag, can we?!) I like Gymboree and polka dots and silly monogrammed stuff and sometimes even *GASP!* smocked dresses!

I'm not exactly sure why I went through all that, but anyway... my point is, I'm girly, and I always wanted a girl so that I'd have a girly pal. I'm not altogether thrilled with the fact that my daughter is preferring swords over dolls at this point. But hey, I'm still safe, because I get to put her in all the cute little girly dresses, right? Uhhh......

I came home from work the other day & found this. MY DAUGHTER! In one of Jackson's tee-shirts from the fire department, paired with the top to her Dora tankini that I *sooooo* didn't want to buy but she loves Dora better than Mommy & was pitching a fit in Wal Mart & I was tired & I had to make her stop so I gave in.... okay that was totally a run-on sentence. Anyway! At least she had the decency to pick out a red bow. I guess I'll look over the fact that it's VELVET. *sigh*

I think she inherited her Dad's sense of style. I'm scared. Really scared.

The next GAP baby???

2007-11-11T10:57:00.000-06:00

I dunno.... I'm thinking, maybe Leighton has a shot!

I mean, I know she's my neice & all, but c'mon, this kid is CUTE!

And here's her cousin, Kayleigh - I shot this last year, but it's still one of my all-time favorite shots... Mom ordered a few just in time for Christmas, I say EXCELLENT choice! =)

Sneak Peek for Jennifer =)

2007-11-09T08:34:00.000-06:00

{{*SLAP!*}}

That's me slapping myself.

Now usually I don't resort to physical violence on myself, however, I have been so sleep deprived lately that I have totally forgotten to post Jenn's sneak peek. So I must be punished. She's been so sweet & hasn't even bothered me one single solitary time. (unlike some other people, *cough*JOANIE*cough*)

I must say that Jenn & her hubby Danny were great. He actually missed golf to have family portraits made. Definite brownie points. Good thing he was there because I think Miss Addi is a bit of a daddy's girl.

I may just have to post some outtakes from this session, I must admit there were a few that are pretty darn funny =) But for now, I'll leave you with gorgeous eyes & a grin from beautiful Miss Addi....

Brotherly Love

2007-11-03T19:44:00.000-05:00

I'm so SUPER evil that I haven't even posted one single solitary wedding photo for Joanie & Chris to see... (cue evil laugh) BWAHHH HA HA HA HA!!!

So her new hubby starts harassing me, now she starts harrassing me, GOOD GRIEF. I mean, do you two REALLY want photographic evidence that you DID actually go through with this thing?

So, you 2 stalkers, when I got the last friendly reminder, I was working on this one, so I thought I'd share it. This picture TOTALLY cracks me up. Isn't this what brothers are just *MADE* to do??!!

And just to show you I did get one of you guys looking semi-normal:

And P.S. - Joanie & Chris - I'm *totally* kidding. I love you guys! You're the best :o)

On the boardwalk

2007-11-01T19:11:00.000-05:00

Trying a different look... I'm loving the VIBE lightroom presets from Renee. I used grandpa's bite on this one...

I honestly cannot believe that I ever lived without lightroom at this point - it has made proofing so much quicker for me, because I can see what each "action" (preset) looks like on each photo just by running my mouse over it! Super cool... if you haven't tried lightroom yet, what the HECK are you waiting for???!!! I wish I'd done it ages ago! Thanks again Renee for twisting my arm =)

Ashley Annabelle

2007-10-29T00:25:00.000-05:00

I think I photograph Ashley about, ohhhh, every 2 weeks or so. HAHA! Seriously - her mom is my best friend from high school, so I do take muchos gracias lotsa pictures of this kid. (Ya'll didn't know I was bilingual did you? Yeah, well, I'm not. Whatever.)

Back to business here. I took Ashley's 9 month photos a few weeks ago, and oh my gosh, can I say I LOVE this age? They're so animated, and able to sit up, but can't run away yet. Although I give her kudos for tryin! Yeah. She's *THAT* cute. I thought my grass & fence made a nice colorful background =) All that picture takin' makes a kid hungry... what's better to snack on than little baby fingers?? =)
Alrighty, if you made it this far, you're a peach! =) That's all folks!

Just my bunch...

2007-10-25T00:25:00.000-05:00

I had good intentions... I set out on a mission to get a few pics of the kids for the GAP casting call - too bad it ended before I had a chance to sit down & enter, but ANYWAY, I did get some funny pics.

Don't let the innocent look fool you, folks.

At first I thought "oh my goodness, she's gonna give him a kiss!" I was about to enter a state of shock when I realized...

she was just perfecting her choke hold.

I'm so proud of Tucker, he made the A Honor Roll on his first report card!!! He definitely got his brains from Mama. This is him "not smiling" for the camera... he's trying SOOOOO hard to be serious...

he couldn't help but crack a grin =)

And last, but certainly not least, my mischevious little stinker "Shackson" (as he likes to call himself). He informed me today that the next time I got on to him, that he was "just going to be Nanny's mama". LOL!!! I'm thinking he's trying to disown me or something???!!!

GoldieLocks... the male version

2007-10-21T15:07:00.000-05:00

I said I needed to post more client photos, so I'm trying to be a good girl & *DO* it.

I had so much fun following this little fellow around... he's such a cutie with those golden locks & blue eyes! It's such fun to watch this age explore - everything they find is a treasure. I bet he handed me enough leaves to populate the national forest! HAHA! So cute... I love it when they're still so innocent & sweet. Watch out Mom, those days are numbered =)

Notice the BIG catchlights. Yeah that would be ME. =)

And I *LOVE* feet! Don't look if you're one of those weirdos (eh hem.... CHRISTINA)who hate feet. =)

Alrighty roo, that's all for now.... I have a wedding to proof! EEEEK! =)

Overloaded = Overlooked

2007-10-18T07:05:00.000-05:00

I hate being rushed, but I usually am. If something is due at 12 noon on Saturday, I generally start worrying about it, oooooh 'round about 10am. On Saturday.

Which means I can sometimes overlook shots like this.

How sweet is a snoozing newborn with a teddy bear? ;o)

Blame it on the Ren

2007-10-16T08:08:00.001-05:00

It's all her fault...

She twisted my arm & made me download lightroom & now I can't stop playing.

YES, it's 8am- YES, I'm supposed to be at work. BUT I CAN'T STOP. Who cares?! It's just money, right? But wait, I do need some way to pay for all my toys...

Gotta go.

As promised...

2007-10-16T02:16:00.000-05:00

another beach pic. I'm a WOman of my word. This is kinda different for me but I liked it =)

I finally downloaded lightroom to try... it's actually pretty cool. I used Renee's presets & it makes everything SO much easier =)

Another lightroom edit:

Daddy's Girls

2007-10-14T20:21:00.000-05:00

I've been so terrible about posting client photos lately. I apologize!!! Each & every session certainly deserves a post & I need to start doing that :)

Anyhoo, I had the pleasure of shooting this family today. I did a session for Mom & the girls about a year ago, when Dad was still overseas. It was really fun to see how much they've grown up. I couldn't wait to get home & proof this one as soon as I shot it! She's only 6 & was soooooo much fun - a natural poser & LOVED the camera. I think the camera loves her too :)

And here's little sister, otherwise known as "Queen" or "Sleeping Beauty". Just ask her. :)

Looks like they're glad to see one another huh??!!

Poor guys, I hope they make it through their teen years because these two are gonna be HANDFULS! :) You guys were lots of fun & thanks to Dad for being such a good sport!

Opinions, Please

2007-10-13T14:46:00.000-05:00

Anyone remember that I was changing my website? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Anyway - I started the whole "update my website" thing, then I decided hey, let's get a blu. Then I thought, heck, if I'm getting a new website, I need to change my logo around. And if I'm going to change my logo around, then why not just rename everything? See how my mind works? I'd like to put my brain to sleep sometimes!! ;o)

I'm going for a clean, modern look since I'm planning on adding WEDDINGS to my resume. Let me know what you think!

We're Baaaaack!

2007-10-11T22:07:00.000-05:00

So just in case anyone missed me, I've been at the beach! :D My mailbox was FULL FULL FULL, but I'll have everyone answered by tomorrow... so if you don't hear from me... I DIDN'T GET YOUR EMAIL. For some reason I've been having some issues with godaddy's email - a couple clients didn't get my emails - & now I'm a bit nervous about the whole issue, so if I don't answer you, don't think I'm ignoring, I just didn't get the email - or you didn't get mine :D

Sharing a couple from my trip. Promise there will be more... you'll be sick of beach pics in the fall in a few days, I'm sure! ;)

Notice the different bathing suits. I think I packed ooooh about 3, then I bought 3 more. EEEEK! Is it wrong? I just thought the green would be cute for pics. LOL! It was on sale... Well, heck, you have to admit I was right... I mean, look at that! She's so flippin' cute I can't stand it. That's Eric & the boys she's looking at :) And YES I put sunscreen on her but she did get a bit pink! :o

This is definitely one of my new faves.... I LOVED shooting on this day... the sunset was absolutely FANTASTIC.

I've heard of putting your foot in your mouth, but someone elses? GROSS. At least it's plastic, LOL! We were shopping, this is what happens when boys get bored...

Trinity

2007-10-02T08:12:00.000-05:00

I'm loving my new camera... but I'm REALLY REALLY loving my new lens :) I haven't learned all the ins & outs of the 5D yet but I'm working on it... so far I like what I see :)

This is my niece Trinity. She's such a mess. I don't get to see her alot but she always cracks me up! We had the funniest conversation, went something like this:
T: "I have this knot on the back of my head where my brain got bigger."
Me: "Wow, really? How did that happen?"
T: "Well, one day, after they made me do some math, I went into the bathroom and there was a big knot where my brain had just kinda popped out because it got so big."
Me: "Woah. That's pretty cool, huh?"
T: "Yeah. I got another one on the other side now."
Me: "Hmmm. Wonder how that one happened?"
T: "Spelling test."

Guess what I got???

2007-09-24T08:14:00.000-05:00

You'll never guess what I ordered last night!!! =) A whole shopping cart full of goodies! I'm so excited... I've been drooling over this CAMERA for ages now! Yes, you heard that right, A NEW CAMERA! The Canon 5D to be exact. I also got a SWEET little lens to go along with it... the 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM =) And of course, you gotta have something to carry all that gear around with, so what could be better than the Crumpler 7 million dollar home??? Oh yeah, baby! (I got a eye one monitor calibrator, too, but that's not nearly as exciting, LOL)

MY 100TH POST!

2007-09-13T02:16:00.000-05:00

Woo hooo! And to celebrate, I'm having a contest!! Check out the details here.

Ha! Okay, I admit, I didn't actually know it was my 100th post. =) It did sound good though, didn't it?

My "other" stuff

2007-09-12T07:52:00.000-05:00

Notice the new linkage!!!! ----------->

If you know me, you know I'm a photoshop addict. I mean, can you really BE a photographer these days and NOT be a photoshop addict? =) I'm always fiddling with logos and graphics & stuff.... needless to say, my husband isn't exactly thrilled with all the time I spend on the computer so I've decided to create another little blog with my stuff for sale.

Hey, it's my best attempt at shutting him up.... ;)

To my clients...

2007-09-11T07:33:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let you know that if you'd like to schedule a session & get your portraits back for Christmas, you need to do so ASAP! The last date to schedule a session & get your order back in time for the holidays is November 11th. As of this morning, I only have 3 session left in October, and 2 in November. Email me for more details - stephanie@stephaniearnoldphotography.com - I look forward to hearing from you! =)

Just one more...

2007-09-10T08:40:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist - wanted to share those gorgeous baby blues =) Plus, who wants to look at a dirty baby bum all day? (Besides me? haha!)

Dirty Bum

2007-09-10T01:17:00.000-05:00

Trying to edit some of *MY* photos ... these are from July =) We were at Mawmaw's house & Eric put up our water slide - naturally we didn't *know* he planned to do that, so Cassidy swam in her diaper a bit before it *BLEW UP*! Ha! Then we put some panties on her - doesn't she look cute? For the record, we are NOT potty training yet. She's my baby, I don't like to think about it! =(

NO, it's not poo. It's just dirt! =) I LOOOOOOVE it! The little stinker kept running away....

OH! P.S. - I'm working on some Christmas Card templates!!! I should have them up in the next day or so on my "other" blog - Totally Tickled. Check it out... you'll get a taste of my new website colors =) Let me know what you think!

How to make a fish face...

2007-09-09T18:06:00.000-05:00

...as instructed by Jackson:

I love this kid. Throwin' in a color one for good measure =)

Look at those grubby little paws... =)

Tagged!

2007-09-08T08:38:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Julie to post youtube videos of my 10 favorite songs. I'm gonna break this up into 2 posts since it's kinda LONG. I've gotta say, this is super hard for someone like me who absolutely loves music! I really believe that music, like photography, should stir some emotion in you. If it doesn't, it's not working! These are in no particular order... haha, I sound like Ryan Seacrest or something.

1. The Eagles - Hotel California
No explanation needed!!! =)

2. Rob Thomas with Carlos Santana - Smooth
A good latin beat, awesome guitar, and Rob Thomas. Does it get any better???

3. Charlotte Church with Josh Groban - The Prayer
This song gives me chills every time I hear it - these two have the most beautiful voices... Half of it isn't even in English, but I *feel* it - did I mention I'm really, really into music? haha!

4. Josh Groban - To Where You Are
This song just breaks my heart...

5. MercyMe - I Can Only Imagine

Okay, so how's that for diversity?? HA! =)

A Big Congrats!

2007-08-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to share with you all that my bestest bud, Julie, placed at Better Photo! I am SO, SO incredibly proud - I have more than my fair share of talented friends!!! =)

And without further ado, the winning image:

Offical BP link: "Princess Snooze"

CONGRATS, JULIE!!! I'M SO PROUD!!!

Jessica, overloaded?

2007-08-28T07:09:00.000-05:00

I know, I know... I keep posting pics of Jess - some of you probably think a name change is in order by now. But I can't imagine anyone getting sick of this beautiful face! =)

More of Jessica...

2007-08-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

Isn't she lovely??? And so much fun to boot! =)

You'll have to pardon me, I was in tilt mode extraordinaire... =)

Disclaimer - I can't be held responsible for the crick in your neck... so don't look too long =)

Changes Underway!

2007-08-25T09:31:00.000-05:00

Website update underway!! Of course with my hectic schedule it may take a while, but it *is* in the works. Pinky swear! =) Here's a peek at my old one...

Alrighty roo - I've been tagged by Renee to list 8 interesting things about me. Not sure these qualify as interesting, but here goes!

1) I'm an award-winning pianist. The awards were from when I was younger, but I can still count them, right? Honestly, I think I played better technically when I was about 10, but now I've got soul, sister! LOL!

2) I'm proud to say that I have saved a life, many times. =)

3) My hair is naturally curly but you'll rarely ever see it that way.

4) I have an insane phobia of spiders. Seriously.

5) I secretly worry that I'm a terrible mother and I'm going to scar my children for life.

Okay... I'm not sure any of these are qualifying as interesting, LOL! But I'm plugging on...

6) I've never met some of my bestest buds in person. They live in my computer. ;)

7) Eric & I have acquired a 4th child, Nate... we live from day to day without knowing if or when he's gonna leave us. We're growing quite attached. LONG STORY. And big, big, SUPER thank you to Jenny Ress. YOU ROCK!

8) I'm addicted to lip balm. Specifically Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb or Fig. I'm thinking that people I work with get sick & tired of watching me apply it. ALL DAY LONG.

Now I've gotta tag 8 other photogs. Jenny, Erin, Meg, Julie B, Marla, Renee L, Heather, Amanda - YOU'RE IT! =)

Proof...

2007-08-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

"Babies are God's proof that the best things do come in small packages." -Unknown

I've gotten to photograph a few newborns recently - not that I'm complaining! =) I'm just not used to them. Isn't he a CUTIE?! I wish they could stay like this forever.... *sigh*

Jessica Who?

2007-08-21T07:49:00.001-05:00

Jessica Simpson? Naaaah.... I think it's high time Jessica WORTHY became a household name! =)

I still can't believe she's 15! EEEEK!

Carter's Sneak Peek...

2007-08-13T00:58:00.000-05:00

If they could just stay this little forever....

Extortion by Extraction?

2007-08-09T07:35:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I haven't blogged about the newest addition to our family - that's definitely a whole 'nother story for a whole 'nother post! Anyway, meet Nathan - "Nate" - he's 9 years old & has been with us for 2 weeks now. He's super fun to have around, but is eating us out of house & home!!! I'm amazed at how much a 9 year old growing boy can eat! =)

So... I come home from work yesterday & Vickie, my mother-in-law, informs me that the boys have devised an evil plan to get some extra money.... Extortion by Extraction. Yes, you heard that right. Each took a turn pulling a tooth from the other! Where in the heck do kids come up with this stuff???

On the flip side, she did say that they had been fighting all day EXCEPT for the last hour while they worked on their teeth, HAHA!!! =) Here we go - pardon the snapshots ;) By the looks on their faces, they endured lots of pain & suffering...

Totally unrelated, but little brother was getting jealous of all the attention the big boys were gettin'!

Did their evil plan WORK??? =)

Yes, I realize...

2007-08-06T22:45:00.000-05:00

that it's August. YES, I went to New Orleans/Cozumel/Costa Maya in June. YES, I posted like 1 picture, HAHA! ;) I really did forget to post more after I'd gone through a bit. I went a little bonkers with bw, but I'm finding I really, really like it lately. =)

I loved all the clocks - I really like this "old-timey" black & white (does anyone say that if you don't live in the south?)

Cool jazz statue in the casino-

That's all for now! =)

Fresh From God

2007-08-03T04:51:00.000-05:00

"I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing, when they, who are so fresh from God, love us."
-Charles Dickens

Proud sister -

I'll be doing a "real" session with Carter very, very soon. =) Can't wait to hold that precious boy again! Congrats Frank & Casey!

Surprise!

2007-07-31T08:09:00.001-05:00

Guess who's a big sister???

That's right, Madison has a baby brother =)

Mom & Dad...

Baby Carter arrived yesterday - I don't have all the details, but I'll be sure to post them along with some newborn pictures I hope =) If he's half as cute as his sister, I'll be in hog heaven ;)

Living up....

2007-07-29T22:05:00.000-05:00

I'm totally living up to my blog name, guys. I'M OVERLOADED. Way. I'm in the middle of proofing 4 sessions, I'm having photo lab difficulties (grrrr) ... and I've gotta work in the morning. I didn't sleep last night & wound up with a migraine this morning (I HATE THOSE!) .... took an excedrin migraine for that, then of course my ulcer acts up... LOL!!!! If it's not one thing it's another.

Anyway... wanted to share a quick couple from a session last week. This young lady is a brand new mommy to this beautiful baby girl, Kirsten. Her husband is a Marine stationed in Iraq right now... bless her heart! She misses him sooo bad, I really feel for her...
Kirsten was born premature - she's now almost 2 months old but only weighs 7 lbs. She hasn't gotten to meet her Daddy yet, but when I look at this picture, it makes me think she's sleeping peacefully because she knows he's watching over her :) Awwwwwww.

I've got so many things going on right now, I'll probably be on posting overload this week :) I'm thinking about redoing my website (shhhh, don't tell my husband, he'll SCREAM, ha!). Guess I better get my plate cleared off before I go piling more mess on, huh? ;)

Where'd my baby go?

2007-07-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but I used to post pics of Cassidy all the time... mainly because she was the only one I could get to sit still. Well NO MORE. Oh my gosh - this kid is lightning fast now - running everywhere. I cannot catch her. I managed to get about 3 minutes of shooting time with her today (such a DIVA). Anyway - got back to the computer & uploaded - WHERE did my baby go? I about died when I saw this - she looks soooo big! But stinking cute. STINKING CUTE!!!!