so… since then ms. annie received a proposal and will be a mrs. annie soon   perfect excuse for another session, and for me to meet the other boy in her life.  enter dustin and his grandDad’s pickup truck.  *swoon*

seriously? don’t stare too long, those eyes look like they could cast spells!

“the forest” as they say.  her family’s horse farm is amazing.  more of it later on her son’s blog entry.  promise again.

dusty wanted a pic with the outhouse.  who am i kidding, so did i.  how cute are my boy and girl icons? my clients are such great sports.  {fun fact, i actually painted boy and girl icons on my front bathroom door at the BD house}

i guess i’m behind on trends, or maybe annie and dustin are just very fashion forward.  her ring is uhhhMazing!  rose gold and amethyst.  i’d never even heard of rose gold. *swoon again*

here’s to maybe a little baby Flynt one day congrats A&D!

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

how. adorable. -8 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -9 -10 -11 -1

good luck with the next chapters of your cute little fairytale.  thanks for choosing me to play illustrator for a day!

in other arranged marriage news… sarah and casie have been bff since middle school. they have matching haircuts, matching cars and now, matching babies if all their dreams come true, meadow and colin may some day get married for real. i spent a beautiful foggy morning at an abandoned amusement park capturing their young love. here’s a little preview of what’s to come!

k, so sorry if it’s overkill and you really can’t take all the gorgeousness of {to-be} mr. and mrs. donaldson.  i tried to keep it under control i really did.  but when you start with 17o final images and narrow it down to 40 top faves, posting only 20 of those is like having to decide if you will only have air, water or chocolate for the rest of your life. k? please forgive.hello beauty!!!!!!!

all my best wishes to you both!!!  i can’t wait to have an excuse to photograph you again

BD’s first surprise proposal session

**lyrics***
One, two, three
Counting out the signs we see
The tall buildings
Fading in the distance
Only dots on a map
Four, five, six
The two of us a perfect fit
You’re all mine, all mine

And all I can say
Is you blow me away

Like an apple on a tree
Hiding out behind the leaves
I was difficult to reach
But you picked me
Like a shell upon a beach
Just another pretty piece
I was difficult to see
But you picked me
Yeah you picked me

-amazing music by a fine frenzy-

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