DawnMarie + Franco = Perfect Wedding Day + Wonderful Life Together

I could write paragraphs upon paragraphs about the wonderfulness of yesterday. Everything was amazing. It was truly an honor to photograph the wedding of a dear friend of mine, Dawn Marie. DM (as she's known) is an amazing person. She's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. She's funny and smart, and can grab the attention of room full of people and keep them entertained and engaged for hours upon hours. Good thing she's a facilitator for Dale Carnegie Training!!! But, most importantly, she's truly a good, good person. Kind, generous, and caring. She's kind of person who drops a card in the mail just because. And when you open the card, it's filled with beautiful, bright words. The meaning of the words are bright and beautiful, but they're also visually bright and beautiful - carefully written and created with bright and vivid markers and pens. DM- I hope I'm not embarrassing you!

So, when she she told me a few months back that she was getting married to Franco, I was so incredibly excited for her! He's the perfect match for her. And the highlight of the day was the ceremony, standing on the rocks overlooking Lake Michigan. With the warm sun on our shoulders, and warm feelings in our hearts, DM and Franco shared their promises for their life to come in a way that was, well, totally them. Perfect.

This is just a small collection of moments and details of the day.

First Day of School

Wow. A first grader. That's my baby. Well, at least she was a baby. Now she's reading, skipping rope, and doing those hand slapping and clapping games that little girls do... you know, the ones that are the grown-up version of patty-cake. I say every year how time flies. And it only seems to go faster. So, I apologize for saying it here. And, I'm sure I'll be saying it next year. But, all parents feel the same way.

Today, she lined up with her old friends from her kindergarten class and the other kids who will be new friends by the end of today. Together, they walked into the school, put their backpacks in their locker, and started their year. It made me proud.



And here she is with one of her very dear friends in the neighborhood.

What my kids will be wearing

When I shop, I'm always thinking of what I can pull together for photos of the kids together. And, I admit, it's hard! Even stores that have both boys and girls clothing never coordinate their lines. Girls have bright colors, boys have muted tones. So, here's what I pulled together today. It's really a sneak peek, because I just placed my order today from Mini Boden. As of now, this is one option that my kids will be wearing for some fall photos. While I ordered the bunny shirt that's shown below, I may opt for a solid blue shirt for the photo session. I'll also layer my son in a blue shirt as well. So, there you go - coordinating outfits that aren't too matchy-matchy.

Outfits below from Mini Boden:


And, if I were doing a family shoot, I'd throw my husband in a casual blue button down and some khaki cargos, and I'd wear jeans and a sylish brown jacket or sweater with cropped sleeves (you know the kind?) and some a pink long sleeved shirt. I haven't shopped for that.... yet. :)

Don't you just love back-to-school shopping?

Fun family session

Do you ever have a million things that must be done, and yet, you just can't resist doing something that doesn't quite qualify as a "must do". I'm having a moment like that right now. There is laundry to be done, stuff to organize, outfits to pick out, suitcases to pack. But, I'd rather post some of these images. I had such a fun time with this family, and we got some really great images. Check out a few below: