Ten on Tuesday

1. I've been anxious. Last night I had a hard time going to sleep. We had "Meet the Teacher" night last night and my daughter's kindergarten teacher wasn't there. She's pregnant and was sick. It was hard with the not knowing who my daughter was going to spend her days. I did get to meet her teacher this morning :)

2. My daughter has been so excited about starting school. She has been talking about going to school for weeks. She had her outfit planned and everything. So, I was excited for her.




3. I didn't know how I was going to react with my baby going to kindergarten. No tears were shed, just heavy weight on my shoulders. Will she do well? Will she make friends? Will she be kind to others? Will her teacher know how special she is?

3. My son on the other hand wasn't quite as thrilled to start school. He's been dreading the standardized tests that 3rd graders take since he heard about it last spring. Thankfully one of his best friends is in his class.



4. While my kids spent their first day at school, I spent the morning at a friend's home having breakfast with other moms. It's the yearly first day of school, mommy stalker breakfast. It just so happens that this friend lives across the school playground. We set chairs out in her front yard and watched our kids play during recess. It's a great time to talk, console etc.

5. Both of my kids exited school beaming so it was a good first day of school.

6. It was also a great last day of summer yesterday. Kids did crafts, played well together. We got a drink at Sonic, went to the park, baked a cake, watched a movie. I could not have asked for a better day. I wish I could say all my summer days had been like that- kids getting along, having fun together.

7. My daughter last week decided that she wanted to make and sell her artwork. We decided it would be best to give the money to kids who didn't have much, so she chose to donate her artwork proceeds to Grace Baptist Joplin Relief Fund. My son also decided to join in and made some art to sell as well. They generated $70. I was impressed with the amount and touched by the kindness.



8. I'm at a loss for what to say next so I will conclude with my gratitudes:



Gratitudes

36. my child's excitement for school.
37. daughter's choices for clothes.
38. childhood friendships
39. routine
40. conversations with my children
41. husband's smile
42 yellow cake with chocolate frosting
43. a smile as my daughter exits the school door on her 1st day of school.

Gorgeous Senior

This weekend I had the opportunity to take pictures of this beauty.



I knew when she walked out of her home, it was going to be an easy shoot.



I loved the color of her eyes. Depending on the background, this gorgeous girl's eyes appear to change color. Are they blue?





Or are they green?



We finished off the photo shoot at one of my favorite places to take pictures. The lighting was perfect.










It was such a pleasure!
Are you a senior and need pics? I am having a special for seniors this fall. 12 free wallets with the session fee. Contact Jen Klamm at bjklamm@msn.com for more details.

Dreamy and Romantic

This sweet, beautiful young lady e-mailed me and asked if I would take pictures of her and her husband for their 1 year anniversary. After corresponding a few times about the style of their photo shoot, I was giddy. I knew the pictures were going to be something special.
We started out in town and took a few shots....





Then we took off towards a park that I thought would be perfect setting to capture the love of these two.





Their first big purchase together was this old monster of a car. I had to include it in the pictures.



We then nestled into a perfect romantic setting with beautiful light. This couple is so cute together I'm having a hard time deciding which is my favorite.

















We ventured to a few more places within the park and then called it quits.







What a treasure these pictures are. I can foresee 50 years from now, these pictures being shown off to their grandchildren and them remarking how much they were in love.

Colorado Trip

Caution there is an overload of Colorado pics.
My blog has replaced my scrapbooking days.
Here we go....our first stop Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs














Next, the Great Sand Dunes













Durango/Silverton Train ride







I'm thankful for the Arby's sunglasses that came with a happy meal. My girl left her sunglasses at home and we needed glasses to cover our eyes from the soot from the train.





















Next stop Mesa Verde
The trees along the way had been burned from a fire a decade ago.
I loved this shot immediately.....



and love it more in black and white...













Our rental home was near a lake.



We saw a black bear cub at the lake. I was so engrossed in seeing it that I forgot all about my camera.

Our rental home was up in the mountains, at the base of the mountains this is what I saw....







Here is my family at the door of the rental home.



This is the seventh year that my husband, dad and brother-n-law have gone backpacking in the mountains. This is a shot from their adventure. It was taken from my husband's Iphone. My dad is standing at the top of the mountain. It's my favorite shot of the whole vacation.



My kids favorite thing to do on the trip was the river rafting (not pictured) There was a section where the rapids were at level 3. That was the best part for them, adrenaline junkies. I was nervous for them, and they were screaming with excitement and wanting more level 3 rapids. Go figure.