Ella at 8 Months | Gardner Child Photographer

Little miss Ella is 8 months old now! I can hardly believe it! Here are my favorites from our third photo shoot together, enjoy!

Paula & Phillip | Seneca Wedding Photographer

Just to warn you, I loved this wedding. And I now totally have a thing for April weddings. The light is just perfect and everything looks so springy! And there are tulips!! What more can a girl want!?

Paula and Phillip are amazing people. Paula is as bubbly and fun as can be and was no different on her wedding day. I think all brides should aspire to be like her. I think I could have ran over her bouquet with my car and she wouldn't have cared... okay that might be a stretch, but really she was that cool about everything! And Phil just adores her and it totally shows.









Tulips are my new wedding favorite, I think.


Their first look...








Yup, they're that cute!










They were married at St. Bede's Catholic church in Kelly, KS. I'd heard of it and how amazingly gorgeous it is since I grew up in the area, but I was completely blown away by it!




And here's a quick shot of their first dance that I thought was adorable.

ceremony | St. Bede's, Kelly, KS
reception | Knights of Columbus, Seneca, KS
hair and makeup | Greshiene Smith
dress | Mia's Bridal
florist | Seneca Florist
dj | John Price of PowerPlay
catering | Donna Wege of Donna's Cakes and Catering

Word

1. I have sad news. My dog-niece, Mambo, died last week.


I miss the little poop.


2. Last Friday, all of us at my office were treated to spa treatments for administrative assistant and nurse's day. We went to Par Exsalonce and got to pick either a massage, a facial or a mani/pedi. I had a massage and it was AMAZING! I would definitely recommend them anytime!

3. On Saturday, Luke and I had a double date night with our buddies Katie and Branner. We had dinner at Mi Ranchito with some amazing margaritas!


We liked this side of us better...


Katie and Branner...


Our margaritas!!


After dinner, the guys dropped Katie and I off at Home Goods and I bought the cutest pillow (I'll show you later) and after looking around getting ideas we went to Orangleaf for some self-serve yogurt! So fun!


And the boys!


We didn't get a photo of Luke and I, so this is the only picture we have of him. He's such a party pooper!

4. Here's this week's wee bit!



{one} what profession have you always admired?I think teachers. They have one of the hardest jobs and aren't appreciated enough.

{two} what would the title of your memoir/biography be if it was written today?"The Life and Times of a Smart Ass"? I have no idea!

{three} how far do you commute to work?About 20 minutes one way in good traffic.

{four} are your earlobes attached or detached?Detached.
{five} do you eat the unpopped kernels of popcorn at the bottom of the bag?Ew no. I feel like I'd break my teeth.

{six} what is the strangest gift you’ve ever received?A wrapping paper tube filled with batteries. My brother went through a lets-see-how-stupid-a-gift-I-can-put-together phase.

{seven} what is one tv show that you wish hadn’t been cancelled?Accidentally On Purpose. It was on last year and I thought it was hilarious!

{eight} what is something that you are saving money for right now?A trip to Colorado (we think) next summer! Oh and a bike for me.

{nine} what hobby would you like to take up?Sewing. I can't sew a square pillow, but I want to learn and be more crafty!

{ten} how many times a year do you get really dressed up?Ummm... the last time I got really dressed up was probably my friend's wedding and before that was probably prom, other than my own wedding. So not enough!

See ya next week!!

Jessica & Neil | Gardner Portrait Photographer

Meet Jessica and Neil! These two will be married September 3rd in Troy, near my hometown. Here are my faves from their engagement session. Enjoy!

Word

1. I have now survived almost a month driving to and from work in Kansas City rush hour. My conclusion... all of Kansas City needs to go back to driver's ed, and I think my husband would agree. I've gotten through without any fender benders or incidents, and I've even been able to keep my road rage at a manageable level, except for the day a guy tried to turn into the lane I was turning into and almost pushed me into oncoming traffic... he got a few choice expletives yelled at him. Now I just have to un-learn how to signal, properly merge and change lanes and use my blinker, and I'll fit right in with the rest!

2. Luke and I were back in Hiawatha again last weekend. Friday night we went to our niece and nephew's preschool open house where they showed us their classrooms and all their fun projects. Saturday I had a BEAUTIFUL wedding in Seneca (see #3) and then Sunday we went to my nephew, Marcus', 4th birthday party! He's such a big kid now! I can't believe it!

3. I traveled to the Catholic church in Kelly, KS on Saturday for the amazing wedding of Paula & Phillip. It turned out to be a gorgeous day and they were so fun and so overwhelmingly happy that everyone around couldn't help but be giddy right along with them. And Paula is probably one of the funniest people I've ever met. And she was one of the most laidback, happy-go-lucky brides I've ever had. It was just a great day! Here's a little teaser for them...

There will be more of them on here in a couple weeks!

4. Here's this week's Wee Bit!



{one} when was the last time you used a pay phone (if ever)?I've never used a pay phone.

{two} did you ever fail a subject in school?I never failed, but I never did well in algebra and more advanced math. I remember my 8th grade pre-algebra teacher threatening to put me back into regular math because I was awful at algebra.

{three} where do you go to get your favorite hamburger/cheeseburger?That's easy... Dairy Queen. But now that we're city folk, I'd have to add Five Guys to that list.

{four} have you ever served jury duty?Nope. I was called to serve once but I was 2 hours away at college and got out of it.

{five} how old were you when you moved out of your parents’ house?I guess when I was 18 and went off to K-State.

{six} what is your favorite color to wear?Ummm I'm not sure. But if you looked in my closet, black would be the answer.

{seven} do you have a pair of shoes that you wear all the time?My boat shoes. And now at the office I wear my black ballet flats from the Gap all the time.

{eight} do you enjoy talk radio?Not so much. I have to have something to sing to!

{nine} if you could turn one unhealthy food into a healthy one, what food would it be?Anything Mexican. I LOVE Mexican food.
{ten} who is the best speaker you’ve ever heard in person?I'm not sure. I haven't really heard many famous people speak in person. I went to a Leadership camp one summer for high school and the pastor they had speak there every year was really great.

See ya next week!! Oh, and I'm thinking of renaming this little Wednesday update... any ideas?