It's Almost Over....

It has been over a year now that the love of my life left to live in a world where war and casualties were the surrounding factors of his everyday life. It's was also just over a year ago that Austin and I had to say goodbye to his daddy and wished him only the best as our hero. My husband has done many amazing things in his life, but one of the most amazing things he has done is loved us in a way no words could ever explain. He has sacrificed so much for his family to in the end give us a better tomorrow. I admire his determination, his focus, and his ongoing love for his country. He has always been my hero, best friend, and love of my life. We're now on the home stretch, in six weeks I will be able to hold the one person who makes me feel whole. The one person who I look forward to seeing and the one who holds my heart in his hands. In six weeks Austin will have his daddy back to play and rough house with. Now more then ever Austin needs his daddy and now more then ever Joel needs his son. It will be an emotional reunion for sure as this has been the longest we've been apart. I look forward to being a family again...you know the little things. Watching movies on the weekends, cooking dinner, and seeing again the look on Austin's face when daddy comes home from work. When you have these things everyday, you don't quite grasp the importance of appreciating the little things. Now that's it's been a year without these moments, they will mean even more to me then before. I miss the love of my life and am counting down the days until we're together again...It's almost over!

Joel I may not tell you enough how much I love you, but if I could tell you all the things I felt for you, this blog post wouldn't have an end to it. You are my everything and I am so thankful to have you as my husband, best friend, and soul mate. We're coming up on our eight year mark and while it's seem like a long time, it just seems like yesterday that we fell in love. I miss you so much and can't wait to have you home again. Thank you for all that you have done for Austin and I. You are truly our hero in so many ways!

He's Almost TWO!

I love this picture...I said say cheese...lol! He said CHHHHEEEEESSSEEEER:)) So cute!

I can't believe that my little baby boy is going to be TWO this month. It just seems like yesterday that we announced his arrival into the world. Currently he is Mr. Independent and loves the word NO! He loves cars, chocolate chip cookies, and carrying his blanky where ever he goes. He has his moments, but for the most part he is always smiling and saying hello. He is my world and I am so thankful to have him in my life.

I love waking up to his smile...He has such a bright soul!

I've been busy...

Oh man it's been hard to keep up with life here lately. Between being a mom and an aspiring photographer, I have had little time to just sit and ponder. I will have to say being busy is not a bad thing considering it has kept my mind off the deployment and Joel being gone. Only a couple more months until Joel is home...YEAH! The last couple of months tend to go the slowest, so if staying busy is going to help, bring it on!! Anyhow, I have done several shoots in the last week and here is just a few sneak peaks. Hope you enjoy them!!























OK, I think that's enough for now...still have a wedding to edit and share as well as a couple other child shoots...love being busy:)!

I have so much to catch up on...

Well, I have been SUPER busy with photography these last couple of weeks. I am so thankful for the blessings that have been given to me. In the last two weeks I have had eight photo shoots and two weddings. It's been crazy and hard to keep up with, but I am still so thankful for the business and excitement people have towards my work...it's truly a blessing! I am working hard to get the most recent shoots up, but I could not resist this post. I had the opportunity of photographing a good friend of mine Mark Evitts. Mark plays for Rodney Atkins and when Mark told me that he was coming to Washington, I was so excited! Here are a couple photos from his show the other night...so exciting!!







Rodney Atkins...

It's in the Water...

All of my friends are pregnant and it seems like every conversation I have with a girlfriend now involves the word baby. While everyone else talks about babies and being pregnant, the only babies I am thinking about are the cute little ones that came from my maternity shoots a couple of weeks ago. Even though I thought about it while taking these photos, their are no babies in the near future for me. I am waiting for Mr. Austin to be out of diapers and contained in the terrible two...wait let me rephrase that. I am waiting for daddy to come home so I can have help with the first one...Lol...love you sweetie!! So without further ado, meet Baby K so sweet and so beautiful. Awww what it would be like to have a little girl...ok enough day dreaming back to reality!! Hehehehe:)

When Pigs Fly...

Today, I photographed a wedding that was said to happen "when pigs fly." OK guys what's up with not wanting to tie the knot after being together for years on end? This couple was so sweet and so in love. Now, I guess I should put a warning out that there is a pig flying out and about because this man said "I DO!" Congrats to Rich and Amy:)

Oh yes I must add this "saying" was so true because the father of the bride wore a bow tie with pigs on it...So stinking cute!

One More...

SUPER HERO...



For those of you who don't know what this means, Austin LOVES to pretend he is flying around like a super hero (i.e. the arms out and behind him). It's soooooooo cute to watch!

Pics for the Family...

So, I've been in trouble (not really) with my husband and mother in law these past couple of days for not posting new pictures of the little man, so for my love and best mother in law in the world, here you go:)

One of Austin's favorite things to do on vacation was play in the water and sand. I quickly found out that he loves the water and has NO fear around it. By the end of the two weeks, Austin was jumping in and acting like he owned the pool...seriously it was so funny to watch...hahaha! This set of pictures was taken at our last trip to the beach. I was always so afraid to take my camera around the sand, but I figured it was my last opportunity to take some photos of Austin loving the water. So here's a bit of a sneak peak...more pictures to come!









Oh yes, my sister took this photo of me while on a boat trip of the Napali Coast Line

I did it...I DID IT...

Rocks, cliffs, river crossings and all I hiked the Napali Coast Line. For all of those who know me...including my husband...lol, know that I am very much a girly girly. My form of camping is staying in a cabin and maybe camping out in an RV. Well now I can know prove that I can do it...because I did:)

We started off on our hike at 10am to beat the heat and in the first mile going straight up a rocky cliff line, I thought maybe I couldn't do this and should just hang back, but I decided that I was going to concur this hike a 100%. After putting my mind to it, it seemed to get easier or so I told myself...lol! Anyhow, two miles in was a secluded beach which could only be reached by foot or boat. This beach was so beautiful with it's crystal clear water, rocky edges, and surrounding mountainsides. It was truly breathtaking. After hanging out at the beach for a bit, we headed back onto the trail for an additional two miles up to the grand finale. This hike was an epic adventure to say the least for me, but it was so worth it when we reached the waterfall. I have never stood so close to a waterfall so amazing. It was just like in the movies where you had a beautiful waterfall with a swimming hole underneath it. We did get in, but did not stay in for long...it was FREEZING! After our dip in the water, lunch, and a small break, we headed back for the four mile return home. This morning needless to say I am sore, bruised, and well nearly paralyzed from the eight mile adventure of the Napali coast line. Let's just say that I am super stoked for the catamaran trip today that we are taking today...Relaxation at it's best and views of the Napali coast to recap my victory I accomplished yesterday. Hope you all enjoy the pictures!!









This was our bathroom accommodations...Trust me I held it for the eight hours! YUCK!!

What a great day...

Today I was able to spend some quality time with my sisters. My sisters and I have been all over the map in the last couple of years and while we are still close, it's still sad to see that we spend more time apart then we do together...I suppose that's just part of growing up. Well anyhow separation aside, we had a great time exploring the island of Kauai together. My mom kept Austin which was so nice...thanks mom:) We started our afternoon with a small map of Kauai and basically closed our eyes and pointed in the direction we were going. Our first stop was the beautiful lighthouse that sits on the farthest point of the island. It was so breathtaking to see the water and mountains come together. It was also fun to see an active lighthouse in action!! Our second stop was a quiet beach near Princeville. It so awesome to be on an island where you can visit the beach and feel like you are on an excluded island. Kauai is not like any other island in Hawaii. It's not commercialized and the island is still maintained by the locals and family owned businesses...it truly feels like paradise! Well I will stop yapping and let you enjoy the pictures of my sisters and I together:)













So far, I have had a wonderful time with my family here in Hawaii, but even through all the fun, I am missing a huge part of me...my best friend and husband. It's so hard to think that this time last year we were vacationing in Alaska together with my family and without him, a large part of me is sad not to have him here. So sweetie, I took this picture for you...I love you and miss you to the sky!!

Got one of me...

As a photographer it's very hard to get your photo taken so when my sister captured this photo of me in front of the falls...I was so excited because normally I only get me head...lol!