A few weeks ago I got a phone call from Michael. He is a friend of one of our recent weddings (Scott and Shannon) and he and his wife were having a vow renewal ceremony in a few weeks. He excited asked me if I was available on their date. And as it turned out it was right in the middle of my Vegas trip for WPPI (wedding and portrait photographers international, or something like that conference). I was truly disappointed when I told him that I wouldn’t be able to capture the memories of the ceremony. But then he got creative and asked me if any of my assistants would be able to do it. WOW! I had never thought of that before. So I told him a tentative yes, and hung up to go and talk to Max and see if my wonderful husband would be able to be there for Mike and Theresa. The rest of the story is Max’s. So for the we have a lot of firsts here and today I have a “guest blogger” to tell you more…

Ah love and commitment. Renewing vows under the cover of God’s sweet hand is such a sweet and romantic event. I could tell that Michael and Theresa loved each other with all their hearts when I saw them together up at the altar listening to Pastor Shalea. I had been told that in theirs, their families, and their friends hearts that this was the real deal and I was very proud to have the opportunity to share in it.
We photographers have one of the luckiest jobs in the world. I think that wedding days are usually, next to the birth of a child, or the purchase of a Ferrari, or being at the Series winning game with the Athletics on top….sorry, got lost on a tangent there… one of the happiest days of some peoples’ lives. And we get to share it….if we’re lucky, more than a few times a year.
I met Theresa shortly after my arrival to the church. She was full of nervous energy. Once I managed to get her to smile, she loosened up a bit and a calm washed over her. I met Michael shortly after and he was beaming. They both showed their nervousness just like a new bride and groom should. You could hear the love they felt for each other when they said their vows. You could also see the raw emotion on their faces… I had to hold back the tears because I’m very much a sap…a very blessed sap that got to take a small part of the 10 year vow renewal ceremony of Michael and Theresa Cox, and their love for each other at 10 years inspired me to want to do the same thing with my wife. I leave you with this quote from an unknown author:

“Love is like the sun coming out of the clouds
and warming your soul.”

Thank you again Michael and Theresa for letting me share in your special day.
-Max

Thanks for looking. Click on the icons below to share this post and also make sure to leave some love for Mike and Theresa!!!

Today we took all the kids out shoe shopping and while it is momentous for all three of our boys to pick out new shoes this day was particularly special for our littlest. He has never really picked out his own shoes. Up to this point mommy and daddy have either gotten him shoes while out and about or we have been handed down a few pairs of gently worn kicks. Today was special though. He picked them out on his very own. Well okay, for the sake of full disclosure I did point them out to him, but from the moment he saw them, it was true love.

“Mommy, I wear,” he said to me. I couldn’t resist. I got down on the ground and proudly velcroed the black micro-suede “skate” shoes on his little size 8 toddler feet and I could feel the energy when he then said to me, “Mommy, I run?” “Yes, Sawyer, go ahead and run, love,” I said to him and off he went. And, well, not to get too mushy, I know that this is how life will be from her on out. I will help him with the getting ready part and when we are done he will run. Sure he always comes back (sometimes we have to chase him) but just the very act of running on his own is such a statement of his little individuality blooming. And I am so proud.

So, what else does a mommy who happens to also be a professional  photographer do to deal with the fact that her little boy is growing up. She takes a picture and then blogs about it. HAHA.

Here are the shoes. Call them a symbol, call them trendy, but my boy calls them “all mine!”

PS. and keep an eye out for a very special blog post tomorrow. While I was away in Vegas (and what happened in Vegas will stay in Vegas because I forgot to take a single picture, LOL!) Max got to photograph a beautiful vow renewal ceremony in Morgan Hill that we will be sharing. So check back tomorrow.

Just a little glimpse into my world today. My office (”where all the magic happens”) is also my son’s play area. Very convenient simply for the fact that he can hang and play and we can chat while I am working. And really I can just kind of keep an eye on the happenings of his day. Oh, plus I can take breaks to play legos or play-doh every once in a while.

Well today, while doing some stuff on the computer I neglected him for a few minutes (shame, shame, right?!?) and turned around to see this:

Haha, I guess it could be worse. LOL!!

Tear… we cut my baby’s hair today. And he looks like such a big boy now. I never cease to amaze at him, he did incredibly well and looks like a different kid now. I can’t get over it. My sister is the hairdresser in the family and she kindly came over on her way home from work today to cut his hair for us. Thanks “antie necie” for being so patient and awesome with hi, he looks great.

Please excuse me as I share some of the images from today. They are not perfect (it was so dark I had to use my flash and some indoor light too) but they are sweet memories for us.

A before image, who lets their kid’s hair get this wild? haha!

The first cut!

My awesome sister!

And the final image, the finished product, he is so handsome!

Exciting news! While other parts of the country are still buried under feet of snow and ice, it is a nice and sunny 70degrees here today. And so in honor of our lovely weather we are having a…

Excludes weddings, commercial photography, and any session that would be considered out of the ordinary. Email me at kristy@kristylynnphotography for more information.

I am going to be launching a new boudoir website sometime in the next few months and I need some fresh faces!! Check out the post on the other blog: http://kristylynnphotography.com/boudoir/ .

Here are all the details. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Baby A. is a fighter. Born 5 weeks early, she was technically only due the day before out session. And she was a sweet as can be. Typically the older the baby the harder it is to get sleepy poses, but she worked it out like a champ and let me get some great shots of her while she slept, and then she was adorable while she was awake too. She really was a great baby!

So thanks a million M family for letting me come into your wonderful world for a few hours. Here is a sneak peek of the images from our session together. I can’t wait to show you the rest!

You can use the links below to share with friends and family via facebook or digg! And be sure to leave a comment for the adorable Miss A.

This was a really fun wedding for me to be the photographer for. I have known Scott (the groom) for about 7 years or so. He was the youth pastor at the Santa Cruz Church of the Nazarene right before I was the youth pastor there. But I think I even knew him before then because of mutual friends and stuff. So when I heard that he was engaged to Shannon on Facebook I all but stalked him to get him to let me be his photographer. You think I’m kidding…

Well, it didn’t freak them out at all and they hired me for this past weekend. It was a gorgeous day. You would think that January would be dreary and cold and wet, and it can be, but not this day in January. It was perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed getting out in the sun for some of their couple shots. It was so absolutely clear to me and our team that Scott and Shannon are madly in love with each other. I am beyond blessed to have gotten to be a small part in their special day!

Scott and Shannon, I hope you guys are having a blast in Mexico. I have no idea if you will get to see these before you get stateside. If you get a chance to read this, remember you are supposed to have an adult beverage for me. haha.

And now on to the story of Scott and Shannon’s wedding day:

The next two are Max’s pictures.

Another one of Max’s awesome shots!

You can leave a comment below or share this post using the handy-dandy links!

I have taken too long of a break from my blog. We had quite the event-filled Christmas weekend!

I wanted to announce the recipients of the wedding giveaway on Christmas Eve, but the time to do so eluded me. But I am here to make the announcement now.

Ashley and Chad have been together for almost 5 years. Through what seems to be a million trials and tribulations they have stood by each others side to come out victorious in love. What impressed me the most about their story was that they have found a way to work through all that life has thrown at them. They have worked for positive solutions to all of life’s sticky situation. I am inspired by that. And I am drawn to that kind of love.

Ashley and Chad will marry on 10-10-10 of this year. It is day that we will all be looking forward to for months now. And it is a day that will not easily be forgotten in the future. Can you imagine forgetting your anniversary when it is as easy as 10-10-10?

So thanks to everyone who submitted a story. I wish to you all the happiness and love imaginable in your future.

And to everyone reading this I want to wish to you a happy happy happy early new year! Oh and my little guy wants to wish you a happy New Year too!

He is all mine. I went into the living room this morning and he was just chillin’ on the couch with the headphones on… they were not plugged into anything. He is so funny sometimes. I grabbed my camera and we had a little lifestyle mini-shoot.

I <3 him.

I played with the processing on these and also I played with texture. If you like or hate it or just want to say, “hi” leave me a comment below. I love comments.