Paula & Philip | Kansas City Engagement Photographer

This one is my favorite!
















Thank you Paula & Philip for a great shoot! I had a ton of fun and can't wait until your wedding!

Happy Turkey Day...

Today, in honor of Thanksgiving and all the food I ate, and because I forgot to blog my Word on Wednesday last week, and because I had a great time at the Open House night in Sabetha on Friday, and because I'm too tired to get out of my pajamas this morning, and because I had an amazing time with my mom and sister at the KC symphony last night, AND to mark the beginning of another holiday season, I'm giving away a photo shoot!

HOW TO ENTER

To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in a comment to this post:

What is your favorite part of the holidays?

I want to know what your favorite part is. The music? Being with family? The food? Tell me about it!


THE RULES

Entries will be accepted up until midnight Tuesday, November 3oth.

The winner will be accepted at random and announced in my Word on Wednesday blog post.

This shoot includes family, children, engagement or maternity shoots. No weddings, sorry.

So enter now!! Good luck!


Oh, here's a pretty picture since I don't like to write a post without giving you a photo!



I printed this photo and 2 others on cards to sell on Friday. If you'd like some, just write me a message for more information!

Sneak Peek

I'm going to give you all a quick look at the photo sessions I'm currently working on. I didn't have as productive of a day as I had originally intended because I've been taking care of a sick husband all day and I'm still working on things for the Open House in Sabetha on Friday. So here's a few photos to tide you all over until after the holiday! That's better then nothing, right?

Paula & Phillip's downtown Kansas City, MO engagement session...


Carissa & Kevin's beautiful Lake Shawnee wedding...


Kale & Brooklyn's amazing Hiawatha wedding...


And Lilly's 18 month photo shoot in Lawrence...


Be sure to check back often to see their full posts and many others to come!

And, did you notice my new logo?!?! I think I kinda love it!! It was designed by Jenni Molhollon of Jenrik Designs based out of Topeka. Thanks Jenni!

Sarah | Hiawatha Senior Photographer

Meet Sarah! We took her photos in my hometown of Hiawatha on a great overcast day. I love Hiawatha's leaves in the fall! They're perfect for pictures! Here are some of my favorites!









These two are definitely my favorites from the session! I love the colors and beautiful light!











Sarah and her momma, Carolyn, who did my hair I think most of my life until I moved away.

Whatever Happened...

... to people who could sing like this...



Watching this video and listening to them gives me giganto goosebumps. I am a "Gleek" and loved it a couple weeks ago when Rachel and Kurt sang this together and I wanted to watch the original because I am a HUGE Judy Garland fan. (I can't wait to pull out my dvd of "Meet Me In St. Louis" so I can watch when she first sang "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"!!!) I hope you enjoy it!

Word on Wednesday

I'm going to be totally honest with you... it hit me about 10 minutes ago that today is Wednesday. It completely snuck up on me! So here goes nothin' at the last minute.

1. The weather is changing here in the Kansas City area. It's been drizzly and icky and almost snowy all day. Which means my husband, the trooper, will most likely not get home on time. This is one of the things that I had to get used to with his job. He definitely does not work a 9-5 everyday job. His shifts change weekly and can change at the drop of a hat depending on whether he has to go to court, whether he has to work a special event or if it's just been an unusually busy day. It totally cramps my style (and when I say style, I mean social life!! I used to have one!) sometime, but I'm getting used to it!

2. Funny little embarrassing story about myself. This evening I decided all I really wanted for supper was a baked potato and I thought what the heck, if I'm going to heat up my oven, I might as well do some extra taters and make some amazing baked potato soup tomorrow. So I threw my potatoes in the oven and went back up to my office to work until they were done. A while later I heard a pop (which of course freaked me out because I'm home alone and it sounded like someone was trying to break in) and so I went downstairs to check things out. No strange lurkers, no one knocking down my door. Then I looked in my oven and one of my potatoes had exploded! It completely just jumped out of its own skin! Then it hit me... I didn't fork them. Whoops! I kind of pride myself on being a pretty good cook so I'm a little embarrassed. I think someone is a little overworked and sleep deprived. *hand raised*

3. I'm dog-sitting again this week. I think I should open a side business! But I really do love having another little soul around. This week I have Mambo, our good friend Kody's little Jack Russell terrier. She's our "niece" and we really do love having her. I took this picture of her last Christmas when we all lived together. No she wasn't hurt, but she did look at me like I was nuts.

4. On Sunday we took the Rieger family photos! And when I say we I mean me. It was interesting! But I bought a fun little wireless remote for my camera and had fun with it. Poor Lily and Ben probably thought we were all nuts telling them to look at a camera on a tri-pod with invisible aunt Linnie behind it. But they did great and I think the pictures turned out awesome! I'm hoping to have them done by Thanksgiving to show you all, but here's a peak. I think we're a good looking bunch!*my hand is in that position for every single picture, downside of the remote... oh well! And for those of you who know my husband at all... yes he is wearing a button-up UNDER a sweater! I can't believe I got him talked into wearing that... I don't expect it to work again.

5. Over the weekend, I worked a wedding in Topeka that was actually some friends of ours. The groom is a fellow trooper and so it was a lot of fun 1. for me to have Luke at a wedding I was working, and 2. to be able to eventually put my camera down at the reception and party! It was a really great evening and it was SO great to see all of our Topeka law enforcement buddies who we don't really get to see anymore since we moved.

6. This coming weekend we have another friend wedding. I'll be taking the pictures and Luke will be an usher! It's the wedding of our good friends Kale and Brooklyn, whose engagement photos I took this summer. Kale was an usher for our wedding and Brooklyn handed out our programs. They're really good buds and we're so excited for their big day!

7. For all you Glee watchers... I loved last night's episode with Gwyneth Paltrow! I thought she did an amazing job and I loved the songs they performed.

8. Next week is Thanksgiving already! I can't believe it! Luke and I have Thanksgiving dinners with both sides of our families and then will be stuffed for days. I can't wait until we finally have a house of our own and I can host Thanksgiving dinner. That's my dream.

9. I've gotten our wedding photos printed and framed so now I can actually show some pictures of our semi-completely decorated little house. I don't have any right now, but maybe in the next day or two I'll show you. I think it's cute and cozy! My office on the other hand is a disaster! Editing, blogging, burning discs, preparing orders to be shipped and getting ready for two different fairs has turned my office into a pit. When I dig myself out, ya know sometime next year, I'll show it to you!!

Seeya next week!

Haley | Hiawatha Senior Photographer

Michaela & Jason | Overland Park Wedding Photographer

Michaela and Jason were married on a beautiful fall day. The weather was perfect and I was glad we were able to take advantage of the Marriott and its grounds for their photos. It was a very emotional day and I even caught myself getting teary behind the camera a few times. Congratulations guys!