It’s a pity that the people who need to see this most (when the site is actually down) will not be able to view it. Our Facebook and Twitter accounts aren’t affected, however, so if you ever find the site not working properly, we’d be so grateful to hear from you to let us know about it! Thanks so much. We’re grateful for you!

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The farthest wedding we’ll be photographing this year looks like it’s going to be Pennsylvania (I’m talkin’ about you, Ashleigh & Steve!), but I do believe we could find some room in the schedule to fit in a trip to some destination near a beach, if our arms were twisted just right. =)

Speaking of the beach, I don’t believe I ever shared any pics from our most recent visit to Destin. These were actually taken with our little Canon point-and-shoot, but I just love them… Great memories!

Our girls love the water!

Storie being cute as can be

Holly and I enjoying another sunset on the beach

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As you may already know, our schedule is typically adjusted back a few hours from corporate America in the Central Standard Time zone (let’s bring Hawaii time to the 405!), so when we had projects every day this week requiring me to be on-location and shooting before 8AM, I emptied my reserves of energy and I’m ready to just sleep for an entire weekend!

I actually fell asleep for a few seconds at a stop sign on my way home today… I was that tired! Thankfully, I woke up before the guy behind me started honking. Oklahoma is the only place I’ve seen someone fall asleep at a traffic light and nobody behind them honked. Seriously, I’ve seen that happen here – no exaggeration!

Today, we were commissioned to photograph the memorial service of a young man we photographed as the groom in one of our very first weddings about five years ago when we were first getting into photographing weddings. It’s really sobering to see a young life with so much potential cut short. Life is short enough as it is… We’re praying for Emily, the Murrays, Prat ts and all of Adam’s friends who are grieving his loss. Those who shared at the service really did a wonderful job of honoring Adam’s life and the affect he had on those around him. I hope someday that people will be able to say such nice things about me…

Well, it’s Memorial Day… Any of you have exciting plans? I may go fishing with a friend. It’s probably been 10 years since I cast a line and it would be fun to get out and enjoy the outdoors again. I actually used to hunt and fish, but it just got too difficult to find time and places and friends to go with.

Don’t forget to honor the brave men and women who have protected the freedoms we enjoy here in the good ol’ US of A. We have our star-spangled banner flying and we’re so grateful for the freedoms we still enjoy in this great country.

And now for my favorite Memorial-Day themed bumper-sticker…

Have you seen that one before? I don’t ever put bumper stickers on my cars, but if I did, this would definitely be in the running for some bumper space!

We’d love to hear what you’re planning for Memorial Day… Maybe you’ll give us some ideas, provided we get enough sleep between now and then. =)

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Thanks so much for spending some time with us, Joy & Matt! We really enjoyed getting to know you both and visiting as we meandered all over the downtown area. =) Congratulations on your graduation, Matt! And best wishes for an exciting year ahead as you both make huge plans for your lives!!

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The most heartbreaking to date was a toddler we had photographed, who drowned.

Right around that time, I was challenged by a master photographer at the national conference we go to each year (WPPI) to consider whether I had all of the portraits that I wanted right now. The honest answer was “no.”  I immediately thought of several projects that I really wanted to do…

First, an old Hollywood glamour / film-noir style session with Holly and me. We have lots of pictures of our kids, but a session like that with just Holly and me would be a lot of fun and would be great on canvas in our bedroom.

And secondly, everyday lifestyle portraits of our family doing what they do. Like the grandparents, uncles, etc. just being themselves. I’ve started this one, and got a few of Pawpaw that I really like, sitting at his computer and visiting around the kitchen table. This sequence is funny… I was using my 24mm lens, so I was sitting really close to Dad, but I’m always tinkering with something, so he didn’t notice that I was actually taking his picture until a few clicks in. Love his expression!!

In these next few, Dad’s engrossed in conversation with some folks from Muldova, if I recall correctly. This is so characteristic of him… a great listener.

I encourage you to think of the portraits that you really want, and make them happen!

P.S. How do ya like the Tilt-Shift? =)

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On an entirely different subject, we set up a new feature that allows you to be notified of follow-up comments to any of our blog posts that you comment on. Commenting is so much more enjoyable when you can read what others after you comment as well… it’s more of a conversation that way. To take advantage of this new feature, all you have to do is check the little box next to “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail” just below the “Post Comment” button.

We had some issues with the comment subscribing feature and I think I fixed it today. If a few of you wouldn’t mind testing it out for us and letting us know if you have any trouble with it working as it should, I’d be most grateful!

***UPDATED @ 11:46pm***  Thanks for the comment help, guys! It’s definitely working now where it didn’t before. Sure appreciate the help! Looking forward to good comment threads and conversations to come! =)

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Doesn't get much better than this!

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We practically drove right under them! When I suggested chasing them to watch them land, our little girls just about exploded with excitement. We got to watch them land and fold up the giant balloon to pack it up, and in the process created two little ballooning fans, I think.

Here’s an iPhone pic I took when one drifted over a neighborhood lake…

iPhone picture

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That said, I’m so relieved that everything actually looks good now that it’s back up and running. If you look around and notice anything not working or looking right, please let us know so we can take care of it! We have some prior commitments that are keeping us from inspecting everything right now, but we wanted to fill you in on what’s been going on since last Saturday.

Next blog post: Ivy & Jonathan’s wedding… Until then, have a great weekend!

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