Senior Banquets

One fateful day a couple years back a friend of mine called me up and informed me that she had been put in charge of creating a placemat for our churches Senior Banquet, celebrating their graduation. Not knowing what to say I congratulated her on being chosen, and she swiftly informed me that they had picked her because she said that I would make it. And that it had to be done that week, so she was coming over with pictures and a ruff sketch. When she arrived she gave me all the information I would need to know to make the placemat, like the size, the theme of the night and all the pictures and names of the Seniors. Monopoly was the theme so after spending a few hours trying to make a Monopoly board in Photoshop with the dimensions of the placemat, I finally decided to do what I should have done in the first place. Go and take a picture of one of the Monopoly boards that I own. Making it much easier for me, since now all I had to do was change the names of some of the squares to fit with the local hang-out spots, add the pictures, and type in all the names. After a few drafts being sent back and forth with the big man in charge, they finally decided on the one I’m displaying here.

The next year I found out through another one of my friends that they needed help with the Senior Banquet. I really wanted to help but unfortunately I was going to be in Colorado during the time the Senior Banquet was taking place. So I told my friend I would help in any way I could before hand and to just let me know. When she started going through the list of things that needed to be done, one struck me and I knew I had to do it. They needed the placemats made. Despite the interesting way I ended up doing the placemats the year before I had really enjoyed it. The theme for this year was completely different, it was The Red Carpet. It needed to be sleek and have all of the Seniors in at least one picture. Thinking that that would be no problem I took up the task. I soon found out that only two Seniors had turned in pictures on a CD, so I tried to find pictures of all the Seniors without having too many of the two that turned pictures in. You can probably tell the two that turned in pictures though.

And I’ll probably be doing this for at least a few more years to come. Though volunteering can be hard work it’s never not interesting, and that’s what I love.

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Josh 2010

Josh asked if we could do his senior picture in January because he wanted his pictures out in the snow. Which kind of intrigued me because I had never taken or seen anyone’s Senior Pictures done out in the snow. But shortly before I showed up to take his Senior Pictures I started envisioning bad things like he was going to have a coat he absolutely wouldn’t want his pictures taken in or that he would have to take his coat off real quick as we snapped a few shots. But to my delight when I arrived he had a very stylish coat, and had coordinated everything to go with it.

Now I’ve done his family’s pictures before so I knew he was very easy to coach into the position I was looking for. But I have to say he still surprised me anyway. He explained to me that he had done his research and knew what he liked and what he wanted, so all I had to do was point out a good background and he would snap into the perfect pose, making each one look perfectly natural. Never have I had someone so easy to photograph. Way to go JD!

To see more pictures go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192352&id=149661450766&saved

Samara

I had the honor of doing Samara’s pictures a few months ago. And if you’re wondering what took me so long to get them up, well her Father brought her to get her pictures taken as a surprise for his wife’s Christmas gift, so I had to wait till after Christmas to put them up. But isn’t that the coolest thing you’ve ever heard?

Samara was very well behaved throughout the photo shoot. At that point in time she was about 3 months old and unable to hold herself up and didn’t like being on her tummy so we did all of the shots of her on her back, other then the one we did of her and Daddy. I also got to do one of my favorite things a chalk drawing of one of her pictures. Now what else can I say, other then she is completely adorable and I had so much fun!

To see more pictures visit us @ http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192348&id=149661450766&saved

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Yes, Thanksgiving, anyone who’s gone to school and listened in History class knows about how this holiday started. But yet we forget or we don’t understand, what truly was going on. You see “Thanksgiving” means “overflowing with gratitude to the point that you have to give thanks.” And they had so much gratitude that they set aside an entire day to celebrate and express it. They had made it so far and they were hopeful and joyous about what was to come even though they knew it would be a tough road ahead.
Now fast-forward almost four-hundred years and Thanksgiving is nothing more then a day to get together with family, if that in some homes. I’m not saying a family focus is bad, in fact I believe that family should be very high on our list of priorities all the time. The whole point of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for what you have, even when you don’t think you have a lot, and family should be one of the things your thankful for, even if you don’t think you have that great of a family. Some one once said “There is always someone worse off then you,” and it’s very true.
So my suggestion this Holiday season is to try and rethink what you do for Thanksgiving, maybe go and volunteer at a soup kitchen, or ask everyone around your table to share what they are most thankful for. Or maybe you invite someone you know doesn’t have anyone to spend the holiday with, to join you and your family. Maybe you do a couple of these ideas or all of them; perhaps you come up with your own ideas. I know I’m going to do a few of these and I’m also going to writing a thank you notes to some of the people that mean the most to me, I’m going to tell them why I’m thankful for them. Let’s make this Thanksgiving not about us, or food, but about whom it really should be about, the one who gave us everything we have, God. For He deserves all our thanks-giving.

Laura

Laura is quiet and reserved, but I soon discovered she was quite at home in nature, and had a quiet playful side. We apparently chose quite the day for taking pictures, the park we went to was full of Photographers, all of us dancing around each other, to get our pictures without disrupting any one else. None of use could blame any of the others for coming to the same park it was absolutely beautiful, with vibrant colors from the trees; every shot had such great added possibility. Laura has what I call a quiet strength, she’s cute but when you look in her eyes you can tell there is something more. And there is so much more. Laura plans on going into Forensic Science, sure we’ve all seen them on TV and its strongly dramatized but she plans on doing the real thing. Talk to her for five minutes and you too will know she is more them smart enough, and quite cut out for the task. And I for one would want her on my side if I was ever falsely accused of murder.

You can find more of her pictures at; http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=175585&id=149661450766&ref=mf

Kyndra's Story

They say if you want to get to know some one you should go right to the source. Kyndra is my first “My Story” session so I’ll let her tell you about herself.

"I like a WIDE variety of things, but I think they all have one thing in common. Creativity. I like to make things, with my hands, with my voice, with my movements, I love it all! I like to figure things out and look at stuff differently. I don’t usually like to be normal.

I’m pretty unusual as it is. My family takes care of Goats and Llamas. We shear them every year and then I make yarn our of the Fleeces. I can decide whatever shape, size, and color to make the yarn. Then I can take my creation and weave it, knit it, felt or crochet it, I love the endless possibilities!

And it doesn’t just end with animal hair; I love people hair too! Especially the curly stuff! I cut my brother’s and sister’s hair all the time, usually on the back deck. There I have a beautiful view of the countryside that surrounds my home.

Lots of wide, open space filled with animals, creeks and beautiful trees! You’ll have to come visit some time in the fall, right when all of the trees change colors. It’s gorgeous! I’ve painted many pictures of fields surrounded by colorful trees and brush. That’s right! I pain and draw too! Ever since I was little, I’ve been sketching and doodling all over the place. It was just one small step from drawing to painting. And what description of me would be complete without MUSIC? All kinds of music! Jazz, Classical, 80’s, Christian, Piano, Classic Rock, Broadway, you name it. Something about music just gets me “right there.” It moves me. Somebody once said, “When words fail, music speaks” and I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

I love old movies, because not only is there music, but there’s also dancing! You can not watch Gene Kelly or Fred Estaire without wishing they’d ask you to join them!

I also like to bake. Nothing is better than the look on people’s face when they small that fresh baked apple pie on a cold fall day or getting your sister covered in flour while baking cookies. J It reminds me of family- of community.

Speaking of family, where would I be without mine? I love my big family. They’re such a bunch of Goons! I have two younger brothers and two younger sisters, an older sister and (of course) Mom and Dad. Each of us might be a bit of a troublemaker when we’re alone, but boy look out when we get together!!

I like to read books with my younger sisters. One of our favorite series’ is “The Chronicles of Narnia.” The girls will stop me in the middle of the chapter to ask all sorts of questions. Though it ends up taking us all of story time for just one chapter, we spend some precious moments together reading those books that I’ll never forget.

Thought I love all of these things, there in one thing I strive to love above all- my God. He gave me these talents and all of the people in my life. His grace has amazed me and carried me when I couldn’t stand. He saved me from myself and I would be nothing without him. He gives me the freedom to Laugh, to cry, to give hugs, and to love the people he has put in my path. In these coming years I want to stay close by his side and pursue the dreams that he reveals to me always resting in the fact that wherever I am, I am right in his arms.

Thanks for reading!!"

Love, Kyndra


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Family

What is family? For everyone that question has a different answer even to two people in the same family. To me family gathers around each other maybe not all the time but when there together there happy to be with everyone. Sure sometimes there are fights and disagreements, but they just make the sweet times sweeter. And I have to say I had a great time photographing this family. To be perfectly honest I was a little scared when I heard how many people would be there, I’d never worked with that many people other than at a Wedding, and at a Wedding everyone’s focused on the Bride and Groom, and not normally the photographer. But as soon as I arrived at the quaint house in the country I started to realize I had nothing to worry about. They all made me feel right at home as if I was and had been part of the family for a long time. So thank you for you cooperation and welcoming hearts.

To see more pictures got to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=166579&id=149661450766&saved#/album.php?aid=166579&id=149661450766