Engagement - Gavin and Dawn

I'm heading off to Houston in about an hour to shoot a wedding for a great couple. Gavin and Dawn grew up in the same hometown and are hosting their family and friends on Friday. I'm very excited to be part of their day and know that I've got another gorgeous bride on my hands. How lucky am I?

Anyways, here are a couple shots from their frigid engagement shoot. It was December 27th I believe and like minus 20 outside. They prevailed and we had a good time together especially over the hot chocolate and Christmas goodies later at my parent's house. Here's hoping that it will be warmer on Friday! Have a great weekend!

James and Cori-lynn

I met Cori-lynn about 2 years ago when we started working together at Gold's Gym in Prince George. We commiserated over job issues, life issues and became friends in the process. So it was a great honor and my pleasure to be able to photograph what was a beautiful day and the start of an amazing marriage.

We were both concerned when it decided to snow again about 7 days before the wedding. Snow in April in PG can mean many things. And we were hoping and praying that the snow would melt and that we'd have a dry day. Well it did melt, but it wasn't dry enough to expose her dress to the elements. Her yard was a muddy mess and it did rain for a portion of the day so she actually got dressed at the church and her dress stayed clean until the end when we did have her and James pose in an alley. But I think getting the dress a little dirty was totally worth it considering some of the shots we got! (it wasn't really dirty - just some brown along the bottom hem!). Anyways, congratulations James and Cori-lynn - you planned a beautiful wedding, a great party, a what sounds to be a relaxing honeymoon (Costa Rica for a month!!!I'm a little green with jealousy!!). I pray that your marriage will continue to be a place full of love, filled with adventure and a safe place to be yourselves. Keep in touch!

We found a great little spot to shoot and had James and Cori-lynn sit down and take a little break.

I think they needed it!

It was fun to catch them "being alone" amidst the crowd of their families and wedding party!

There are too many photos like this to be able to say that this is my absolute favorite of the day, but it is up there! Just gorgeous!! Sigh!

The light was amazing and the bride was beautiful, you couldn't ask for a better combination.

I caught James in a rather reflective moment!

This is another favorite from the day. Gorgeous!

We found a great alley and had SUCH a fun time. I think that they enjoyed this too. Everyone seemed to really relax and have fun and play (photographers included) Check out Cori-lynn- she was working it!

What's been keeping me inside!

Well, even though it was a rather rainy weekend (and snowy morning!!)I do find myself wishing I could get outside a little bit more. But taking photos means that you need to edit the photos and I am already not looking forward to the fact that I'll be spending some hot sunny days inside when I'd rather be sitting on my deck or in my swing reading or at the lake with my boys. I'm frantically trying to finish editing my last wedding before the next one in 10 days!! So I'm taking a break and am posting what's been keeping me busy the last few days.

These were taken with a lens that is now at the top of my "must purchase" list. Yes I am aware that I just dropped a huge load of money on my newest lens (which isn't even a month old yet!) but a girl needs to be able to dream and to set goals!!

I'll post more of James and Cori-lynn's wedding when I'm done, but wanted to share these with you. They were all taken in the same spot and..... I LOVE THEM!!!! I love how some of them almost look like a watercolor! Anyways, enjoy I've got to get back to editing and playing Batman in the break times.

A Wet and Wonderful Weekend.

As I stare out my patio door I can't help but remember another rainy weekend that took place last summer as my family made an attempt to gather. We decided on a location and then moved it that evening as the rain prevailed and the cold was chilling us to the bone. We found a different campground (RV Park actually) and I was rather disappointed that we were in a campground with no trees, no firepit at our site, big hulking RV's across the path....... where was nature?

Now in hindsight, I am thankful that nature was missing and that we had the comforts of the RV world. I was just recovering from a rather bad battle with my skin and was still needing some comforts of home and this place did it. How many tent campgrounds do you know that have radiant floor heating in their shower rooms? It was heaven in the washrooms let me tell you! Even though it rained for the better part of 2 days and I was cold, the washrooms never let me down. Now the weekend wasn't a bust at all, just kind of wet and cold. We washed our dishes with warm water in the laundromat, ate our meals under a great shelter and the Lord decided that it didn't need to rain at night while we were around the campfire just across the path from our tents. And we got in some great kid-friendly hikes. So even though I know some of my friends are toughing it out this weekend in their tents- sitting around campfires in this drizzle I know that they are having fun and will enjoy their time away.

I am very thankful for the good weekend with my family. My boys never complained at all, only when I made them wear hoodies and raincoats! We did have some sunny and kind of warm periods and that was when these photos were taken. Strangely I have very few of the adults from the weekend, not too sure why, maybe the kids were more fun? Who knows!

I actually do plan to start to post some photos other than my family, but am in the middle of a big edit and need to finish it, so I'm filling this space right now with already edited photos. Perhaps the next entry will contain some wedding stuff.

Rachel making yet another face - as you'll see a few pictures down her sister does the same thing - I'm thinking their mom has something to do with it!

Josh inspiring the others to jump - nobody was ready to follow quite yet, maybe this summer?

Yet another cousin making a face - could it be in the blood?

Tys and Carsen - what can I say? Rylen - a knight fighting with his sword. I love this shot - the light, the color, the sky, the little boy. Wow!

My new lens and a weekend away

So we added to our family the other day - nope... not pregnant - I bought a new lens!! It is officially now another one of my children! It probably weighs close to what Tys and Ry did when they were born! It was a huge decision to finally decide to buy it quite similar to deciding to start a family except this time I needed to talk Garth into it instead of the other way around! I'm rather like a new mom right now - "No, just look at it please, it's okay I'll hold it, don't worry about it I'll wipe it!". I haven't been able to play around with it as much as I'd like, so you know by the end of month (just in time for my next wedding) the boys are going to be sick and tired of seeing it!! They already make comments when we head to the park "Mommy can we go without your camera today?". ha!

I did however get to use it last weekend as we took a little retreat with some of our co-workers at the church. Our conference holds a pastor and spouses retreat at Harrison Hot Springs Resort every year and after last year's hiatus, my parents willingly offered to watch the boys and our church graciously made it possible for us to go.

It is definitely a weekend to look forward to - Garth and I love the time away and come back refreshed and renewed and sometimes rejeuvenated. (I have a tendency to not want to nap the afternoons away but rather go do stuff). It's a time to spend quality time together as a couple and as a pastoral team - we spend 8 hours driving one way and get to catch up on eachother's lives, laugh, share, try and plug Garth's nose while he sleeps, you know, the usual travel stuff. This year's conference was no different and did not disappoint. We decided to stay an extra day and it was exactly what we needed. Naps in the afternoon, working out in the hotel gym (doesn't sound relaxing does it?), soaking in the hot springs, eating fish and chips at a little diner, playing Trivial Pursuit in the fireside room for two hours all made for a great extra night.

We did spend quite a bit of time just as a couple as well, and Garth and I came away realizing that we need to do this more than once a year - so Mom and Dad are you free to watch the boys again?

Garth and I find ourselves blessed by the amazing team we are part of at Westwood - we work with a group of people who are faithful and model so many things to us. We find ourselves crying tears of laughter, sharing tears of joy and sorrow and falling on our knees to lift them up in prayer as they do for us as well.

Mark and Jennifer spent most of the time on the walk throwing a frisbee at whoever was or wasn't willing. They stopped for a moment and this was it!

Mel and LaDonna ran ahead (literally) of the group and we found them snuggled on a bench.

Craig and Lisa "volunteered" to try out a few poses for me, but due to Craig's fashionista tendencies we couldn't wreck his linen pants. Yeesh! :-) Just kidding! He DID NOT complain having his beautiful wife sit so close to him! Forget about the pants!

Okay so I saved the best for last - check out this hot guy! Nope no couple shot here - I was behind the lens remember? Sigh!.... the tragedy of a photographer - never a shot of you!

Here I am!

As I make my first blog entry I can hear that Batman, Robin and the Joker are battling it out in my living room. Batman is held hostage by Joker and Robin is attempting a rescue while "Eye of the Tiger" is being hummed! Aaaaah, such is the life of a mom of boys!! My life is full - I have an amazing husband (Garth) and two little boys who hold open doors for me, ask me to be their goalie for hockey and still want to snuggle, friends who put up with my inconsistencies, family who are extremely supportive and encouraging and a Lord who puts up with all my mistakes and still loves me. I am blessed.

This is a new thing for me - blogging - and I hope to be able to share myself, my passions and especially my photography through this.

I am in the middle of starting up my own photography business that I took over from someone else and decided that a blog would be good in the interim while a website is being worked on.

I'd love to hear from you! But I need to head out now, the boys are going to learn a little more about the democratic process while I go and vote!

I look forward to posting, you reading, looking and commenting! So in that spirit until I can get my stuff in order, here is one of my favorite shots from last summer in Manitoba. Tys and Ry on a hilltop.