Trust.  All the work that goes into a wedding comes down to trust.  Trusting your spouse with yourself...for the rest of your life.  Trusting that the sun will shine for your outdoor wedding.  Trusting that all the details that you delegated to others will be carried out as you expect.  Trusting the Lord as you start out on this new adventure of marriage.

In a short time the Lantzys have become dear friends.  They are raising their kiddos to love the Lord and love people.  They are kind and compassionate and generous, and always willing to lend a hand.  I was honored and thrilled when they asked me to take their family photos! The sunlight was just right, everyone looked great, the kids are adorable and we had lots of fun!  

    I love my cousins.  There are 7 of us.  Growing up I thought that was a lot, but then of course my husband has 17... that redirected my thinking:-)  We would get together often at Gram's throughout each year, for birthday celebrations and holidays.  As kids we were always designated to the other room and the "kids' table" where we had numerous escapades and silliness. We were always our own entertainment, and were content to just talk and laugh.  And then we grew up.  We each spread our wings and grew into 
the people God designed us to be.  College, missions, work, marriage, our own families.  Gradually,  our family gatherings became  smaller....

I am so delighted to have been a part of Israel and Tiffany's special day! They were married at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale, AZ on   June 9, 2013.   Tiffany has been my friend for several years, and I could speak for hours of the quality of her character.  She is beautiful (inside and outside;-), loyal, gentle, and fun-loving.  Above all, Tiffany loves the Lord. She also loves Israel like crazy!  Tiffany and I had numerous conversations on the topic of Israel, so much so that I felt as if I knew him personally.  So....when I showed up for the rehearsal (and I had met Israel a couple times previously) I felt he was already a friend.  Of course I think I was just "the photographer" to him at that  point.   You are a great sport, Israel!

First of all, I apologize in advance..... I will be doing the next couple blogs out of order! Now this may not mean much to you, but I like to have everything nice and neat. I do realize that if I went in order without telling you about my move, the other photo sessions would make less sense. So here it goes... My husband was called to be the pastor at a church in Tonopah, AZ! Within a matter of 2 weeks, we packed up our house in Peoria and moved to the beautiful

I would like you all to meet Sam.  She is one of the sweetest people you will ever know. She is fantastic with kids and loves to run. Sam has a beautiful character to match her outward beauty. Plus, she has one of the cutest dimples known to man!  Sam graduates from Deer Valley this May.  She chose Pure Heart Christian Fellowship for our photo shoot.  This was the first time I had really explored the grounds!  The trees are pretty crazy, and the weather was perfect. What fun!

This may come as no surprise to you, but I just realized that January is almost over.  How did it slip by so quickly? These days are merely a blink, a breath or a vapor... live every day to the fullest.  Live every day with out regrets. Because all to soon, tomorrow becomes yesterday.  If you are not intentional, you will miss out. Here is the DIY collage print I promised.  I found this idea on Pinterest, and slightly adapted it to work with what I had on hand.

I found this super cute 4 Generation Portrait idea on Pinterest!  I love it when an idea translates so well from "Idea" to "Finished Product"!  It was surprisingly easy to put it together too.  So this is what I did for Christmas gifts for my grandparents (Spoiler Alert! If you are one of my grandparents, stop reading now!  You will see in just a couple days.)