it’s been a while…  she was busy kicking breast cancer’s @$$.  here’s her last post on the blog.

and the next chapter in her journey, which i’m honored to document, is adoption.  with all that cancer business behind her, she and tim are ready to start their family, and adoption is the road.  we got to hang out a bit, and it was so cool to see their excitement about everything in their world these days… adoption classes, creating a portfolio, home visits… the whole process is a bit overwhelming just to hear about.  for sure, they will be formally prepared for the baby they will some day call their own… much more so than many of us who have planned or unplanned babies. 

she is the short quirky, spunky, artsy jelly to his tall methodical, electrical engineering peanut butter.

of all the things cancer taught them, it seems obvious they it must have given them an appreciation for carpe diem and finding humor wherever you can.  for sure they know how to laugh at me

and each otherand themselves.and i’m sure, while most of us take such things for granted, they learned to admire each other’s uniqueness so much…“Bridget, tell Tim ‘i hope our baby learns to have your….”“and Tim, ‘Bridget, I hope our baby learns to have your…”

i don’t know what was whispered after the “…”.  that’s for them:

to be reminded that before everything, there was the new immature love they had for each other.

 and since everything, there is the strong mature love they have grown thru’ their struggles and time together. 

what i do know is that they are waiting, planning, hoping and praying for a baby.  if you or someone you know is pregnant and considering adoption, perhaps the Beattys would be the right match.  a little girl with a B name or a little boy with a T name will soon change Bridget & Tim to Mommy & Daddy.  I cannot wait to share that chapter with you all!

We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance. {Japanese Proverb}

p.s. just so you all know, going in with your friends for a limo to prom/homecoming is SO cliche.  all the trendsetters are going in on custom photo sessions.  just sayin.

still here?  great.  so i don’t always do mushy features about my engagement couples’ history.  i just happened to be chatting while we shot and julie mentioned something like “i didn’t even believe in love…” and all of a sudden my ears perked up because i used to be that same girl.  the girl who has it all figured out, who knows everything, and is quite sure that a man is the last thing she needs to complicate her life and her plans.  as she told me the rest of the story of them, i thought it was pretty sweet and you all might like to hear it.  i texted her this week to ask if she could send me a quick recap so i didn’t mess up details, but forget about me giving you a summary.  i can’t let this gem go to waste, so here it is verbatim.  i checked my inbox for a note from julie.  instead i got this tear jerker direct from seth!

{Julie and I found out in March of 2010 that our best friends were getting married. This of course meant that we were going to be walking down the aisle together. My friend called me and said that I HAD to look up Julie on Facebook to see who I was in the wedding with. When I finally found her I couldn’t believe my eyes. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. So after a few anxious days we started talking a little back and forth online and eventually one night I asked for her number, and to my surprise she gave it to me. After that for the next few weeks there wasn’t a moment we weren’t textingor talking. We would stay up till 5 in the morning talking about anything that came into our minds. Come to find out, Julie was not aware that I had recently moved to Florida and we were literally 1,000 mile apart. This made things even harder as we got to know each other more and more. Then, one night after another 7 hour night of talking on the phone, I called her back and told her I Loved Her. After that we both knew that we were meant for each other. 2 Months later I finally got to come to Kentucky for the wedding and I stayed with her the whole week I was here. Even though we had only talked on the phone it seemed as we had known each other for years. Leaving to go back to Florida after that amazing week was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. After a few weeks away from her I knew what I had to do. I quit my job and made the long move back to Kentucky and moved in with Julie and [her son] Kole. To this day I don’t know how we were ever apart for so long. Its hard to believe that less than a year ago I didn’t even know her, and now I have an amazing family and am about to marry the girl of my dreams. When Julie and I first started talking, we were in shock at how quickly our friends were getting married. I told her “Maybe they have found something that neither you or I have ever felt”…who knew we would find that feeling in each other.}

Julie said, “My days got brighter and my nights got longer with every text and phone call made. I could no longer function with out my phone by my side. With long distance we did things different then most people.  The deep conversations about life, love and family brought us so close that at one point in a conversation we had I remember laying on floor (as I did most night we’d stay up on the phone talking) with my legs up in the air on the wall and thinking…..I’m going to marry this man…”

“…Finally July 7th 2010 I met Seth and what no one can understand is that although I was meeting him for the first time it felt like he was away on business and coming home from work. It was just so natural and comfortable, and just felt soooo RIGHT. We shared our first kiss and it was like the butterflies in my stomach were having a party. They didn’t stop that entire week =)”

these next two are my special gift to little Kole while we were shooting, a bunch of guys in a landscaping crew were chiming in with their suggestions on spots we should hit.  then a 12 news video guy asked if HE could shoot US doing our thing.  apparently julie+seth is a universally irresistible combination .  too bad i don’t watch the news, might have missed my only 15 seconds of fame  

thanks guys… for having me and for being awesome and making me get happy butterflies for you.  excited to meet Kole one day so he can be in a shoot dressed like his new ”Pops”. 

and while i’m being all mushy and emotional anyway, let me just get it out of the way and say i have THE BEST CLIENTS IN THE WORLD.  i love sharing in your stories, i love that you make me break my professional boundaries and keep you all as friends because it would be my major loss if i didn’t.  i love that i get to relive my own story and life milestones thru’ yours.  i love that you keep my passion burning with super generous affirmations and compliments.  like i said before, you make me love my job even when i’m cross eyed exhausted.  you make me smile all the time and then you share me with your friends so the crazy love friendship photography ball keeps rolling.

grateful grateful love love {pregnancy hormone disclaimer if this is over the top} love. goodnight!!

i bet if ashley gave you her top tips for a great e-session like hers, she’d say bring a cute boy, have an adorable smile, and oh yeah, if it’s 20* outside don’t forget to wear socks with your leather boots.  who does that ashley?!  luckily i had gone overboard and had an extra pair to give her when she got uncomfortable enough to complain   what can i say?  i’m the kind of photographer who will ask you to climb crazy rock ledges and stand in the snow, but  i’m also the kind of photographer that will give you the socks off her feet   i love real looks like this.  how your partner looks at you when you don’t know it, or the things they say about you when you aren’t around… my fave.of course we always have to work in a little american gothic mock

i had a great time running around and checking out your favorite cinci spots.  so happy for you two and hope your outdoor april wedding in the park is gorgeous!!  no rush, but call me when you start your family

p.s. brenton is not a bad idea for baby BD if we have a boy huh?!

ok, not really.  but Meadow’s mama has this great friend, who has the cutest little boy.  they play together all the time, and he’s not 2 yet so he can’t really speak for himself, but Meadow’s says that’s her boyfriend.  both mamas agree it would be storybook perfect if they grow up and get married.  so we decided to take a little trip to an abandoned theme park to illustrate the story they dream about a girl is not her best without her best guy right?coming right up ms. meadow Meadow just turned 2 herself so until i saw it with my own eyes, i thought her affections must be a little exaggerated, but she seriously adores him! 

if this does all pan out, the bar is set high for you colin   you can’t turn back once a girl gets Tiffany&Co in her bloodthey’re so sweet.  it was a super cold morning but they were just happy to be together.

best wishes to you all  :)  good luck with the story

“You don’t have to go looking for love when it’s where you come from.”
Werner Erhard

p.s. Kirk, about that cinci skyline art you commissioned me to do earlier in the year? those last two images of you guys were custom made for you to put on ginormous canvases and place right where the skyline pic was intended. k? k!!!

i seriously wish you guys the best.  keep on being easy to respect; it’s not a trait that’s all too abundant in our society.  derek, good luck with your ministry Live Past Life …i’m listening online as i post this. and michelle, keep me posted on that baby making

that is the funniest answer i have ever heard!!!  i can totally see it, but i’m gonna go with an improved version of John Mayer.  and Halie is just her own brand of gorgeous. 

now, if i were choosing which one to hang BIG in the house, it would be this one.  i’m just silly like that though. 

which would you choose?