Class of 2010: Libby

More seniors, more fun! Thanks for making the trip down from Columbus Libby!

Class of 2010: Nancy

Isn't Nancy adorable? She's an outdoorsy/country girl who's as graceful riding a horse as she is dancing across the stage! Incredible! :)

Down the Aisle: Tyler + Acacia

West Point look out! I was thrilled to be invited back up to West Point to photograph the beginning of Acacia and Tyler's new adventure. I've shot so many weddings up there, it's beginning to feel like my home-away-from-home! It's always an extra treat because I get to see so many familiar faces every time I'm up.... it's like a reunion! Acacia's girlfriends came in from near and far to be part of the excitement. Here, the team helps her get ready.

How gorgeous is this hair bling?!

A+ for teamwork!

We were invited onto private property for some photo opps. Always a welcomed treat!

This particular piece of private property came with a little orange cat.... who wandered info the frame of one of my shots. :)

I loved Acacia's bracelet!

I spotted this moment happening while I was in position towards the front of the church. It was a lesson in patience as I tried to telepathically communicate that I needed Acacia to take one more step down the stairs for the shot to work... (earlier, the ceiling above had cut her off right at the neck... not quite the image I was going for! Ha ha!) Eventually she did, and I managed to score this gem. :)

Blaine was less than enthusiastic about the ceremony once his duties as ring bearer were finished. Ha ha!

Small towns often have surprisingly lavish cathedrals. St. Mary's is no exception! (Here's something interesting from St. Mary's for all you collectors out there!)

Instead of bubbles or rose petals, Acacia and Tyler opted for sparklers! Logistically, that presents a huge challenge, as lighting them each takes time. The solution? A blow torch! :)

The brides maid dresses were gorgeous. They were apparently originally designated as 'Mother of...' dresses, and aren't from the 'brides maid' category. Maybe that's why I like 'em so much?! Either way.... simply fabulous!

You can see the characters I got to work with..... ;)

Let the good times roll!

I thought this couple was especially darling... isn't his smile fantastic!? They were obviously having a great time!

The kids enjoyed a full stock of glow-in-the-dark goodies.... great idea Acacia!

I hope you're all basking in the after glow of a wonderful day! Thank you so much for inviting me to be part of it!

Merki + Apple = Love

Look what was just delivered! Merki already knows a good thing when she sees it.... That's my girl!

Grenada Time Lapse Sunset

More time lapse fun! This is a collection of 159 still images I shot from our hotel room balcony one night as the sun was setting. The rainy season made for a lot of clouds that often obscured the view, but the sun managed to peek through for a short while.

The Day After {Destination Wedding - Grenada}

The day after Annette + Brandon's wedding happened to be her dad's birthday. What better way to celebrate than with a 'day after' photo shoot followed by a BBQ on the beach? My sentiments exactly. :) Bring it! Annette's sister Karen was kind enough to drive us as we left on the winding road journey towards the opposite side of the island. We stopped along the way for photos while keeping pace to make it to the BBQ in a reasonable time. Everything worked out like a dream! The following are a *few* faves. :)

Heading over for this shot was when the rain started pouring down on us.... I grabbed a cover for my camera and we were right back at it!

This is La Carrinage area near the port in St. George... Hello!? Did somebody say British *red* phone booth!? Yes please! (I like to think that I didn't choose to attend the U of Wisconsin-Stevens Point based solely on the existence of the red British phone booth they had on their local 'Main Street,' but it did tilt the scales in their favor..... ;)

I spotted this from around the bend coming out of a hill and couldn't wait to capture the drama of such a scene!

Would you believe we arrived at the beach with time to spare!? We headed for the shore for some more photo fun....

Annette's family insisted that I put away the camera and join them for lunch.... but the scene was just too fun.... I couldn't resist a few more shots. I actually put away the camera and then went back to dig it out again several times because I just couldn't help it. I packed it up, but then I saw that Emir had buddied up with Reese to play in the sand. Then someone else would bust out laughing, so I'd reach for it again. :)

The best moment of them all was when I looked over and saw Len sitting so perfectly on the side of the boat....  I begged him not to move while I ran to the car to grab the camera yet again. Thanks for playing along Len! :)

Maybe we should start a new tradition where everyone has beach-side BBQ's the day after the wedding!? Anyone game!? :)

Down the Aisle: Annette + Brandon {Destination Wedding - Grenada}

Oh my goodness! Where do I even begin? Emir and I were invited to spend an entire week in Grenada with Annette, Brandon and both of their families. The whole thing started when Annette saw one of my photos on her co-worker's desk. After a ping-pong match of emails and a couple of meetings, plans were hatched and tickets were booked! I knew this would be no ordinary wedding right from the start. Annette grew up in Canada, but has strong family ties in Grenada and visited often through the years. The island is the connection between a very widespread &  international family tree, so naturally, it was the perfect location for such a special event! Grenada is a magical place where time and space seem to exist in an entirely different dimension. Even coming from Nebraska where I'm often told by visitors that we're all overwhelmingly friendly.... I was still touched by the open hearts and constant smiles to be found in Grenada. At one point during Emir and I's wild ride through the city, we were hopelessly lost. When we stopped to ask for directions, rather than just pointing us in the general direction and sending us off, the gentleman kindly opened the door to our car, jumped in and gave us turn-by-turn advice from the backseat before jumping out as we passed his destination. Incredible!  I could go on for hours about the fascinating experiences we had and the amazing people we met while in the West Indies.... so if you ever really want the details, let me know. For now, suffice it to say that we had an incredible time, made loads of new friends, and hopefully created some images for Annette and Brandon to cherish for a lifetime. Here's a quick peek!

This is Reese. One heck of a great kid! He was all smiles the whole week. Here, he lets out some energy before getting dressed for the ceremony.

The ceremony was held on the beach on the southwest side of the island, right near Annette's dad's hotel. July is apparently rainy season in Grenada (and rain it did!). Despite a torrential downpour in the morning and early afternoon on their wedding day, the crew still managed to get everything ready in time for a sun-set ceremony. Amazing!

This sweet little dog belongs to one of the hotel staff members who lives nearby on the beach. She enthusiastically joined us all for the ceremony and reception. :)

This is Ann, the one-woman coordinator behind much of the planning and execution of the week's events. There's something very soulful about her. I love the way this image captures her spirit and mannerisms. Now, if only I could've recorded her melodic caribbean accent! :) She embodies my idea of the epitome of a Caribbean woman.... strong, vibrant, loving and always with a smile and kind word for everyone. We just adored her!

The island is one of the world's largest exporters of things like nutmeg and rum. It's actually known as 'Spice Island.' So what kind of Grenadian party would be complete without some of the good stuff? :)

There were so many beautiful people there! Guests came from Canada (Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal), the US (Seattle, Florida, Kansas), the UK (London), and of course, some locals who live on the island.  It was a celebration rich with culture, color and spirit.

Shortly after our arrival early in the week, we came to understand the notion of 'island time.' I was somewhat familiar with this already with my mother being from Cuba, we often tease her side of the family about running on 'Cuban Standard Time.' Grenadian time is pretty similar.... The ceremony was originally supposed to start at 5:30pm. It got pushed back to about 6:30... and I think we were off and running by about 6:45. My only fear was the sun that continually crept towards the horizon... but everything came together to make it happen just in time for a glorious sunset.

As Annette was getting ready to walk down the aisle, this boat of on-lookers floated in the bay hoping to catch a glimpse....

My favorite thing about this shot is the dog in the corner. She had the best seat in the house! :)

The ceremony began with an ocean breeze in the background, carried by the notes from the steel drum... peppered with tears and laughter as Brandon + Annette made their way through their vows.

Little Reese was very involved too. Here he reads a poem written with Annette for Brandon.

Brandon, Annette and Reese gave each other necklaces to symbolize the creation of their new family of three. I love this symbolism!

(lovin' all the active white space here!)

After the ceremony and some quick family formals... the sun all but disappeared into the bay....

Party time!

Annette's dad Len makes a toast to the newly married couple.

The wedding was held on the 4th of July, which falls shortly after Canada Day (where much of her family is from). So we celebrated the wedding and two national holidays with one heck of a great party!

I almost forgot! Annette asked me for a photo of the moon because when she was a kid, she and her uncle spent hours looking at and talking about it. He even gave her the nickname 'moon' at one point. I had actually never tried to photograph the moon before... so this was a first attempt! Not too shabby! ;)

My goodness that was great! I hope with all my heart that you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed creating them. Thank you for inviting us to be part of the family for a week.... you will never be forgotten. Our new extended Grenadian family.....  :)

Grenada: Crab Racing and All!

What a fantastic set-up! Annette's dad's restaurant served as home base for the entire family (plus us - they treated us like family.... so great!) the week we were down there. We gathered for breakfast and dinner each day to share stories and swap jokes. The corner of the balcony was a sweet spot for picking up a nearby wi-fi connection. Emir's ipod touch was put to good use!

During our life-altering escapade behind the wheel on the left-hand side of the road.... we journeyed into St. George on our attempt to drive the outskirts of the island. Note: If you ever find yourself in Grenada with an itch to try your hand at driving.... wait until Sunday when the roads are less crowded. You'll thank me later! :)

A view of the port.....

As we made our way around the island, we encountered lots of little shops such as this. You could buy cell phone cards, coca-cola, and fresh mangoes pretty much everywhere!

When we first arrived to our room, we found this yummy treat waiting for us. I love the design of the wrapping paper....

During an outing to town we got thirsty and found some new things among the tried and true.... The middle drink is a peanut-butter juice box. Fantastic! And peach & mango milk? Who wouldn't want some of that? Yum! Starbucks? Well.... sometimes you just have a craving. (Note: Refreshingly, we did not actually see a Starbucks in Grenada. I bought this one at a Grenadian grocery store.)

One of the bonuses of spending the whole week on location is that we were able to be part of and document the rehearsal dinner. It was held at the family restaurant and included steel drums....

and.... a crab race, naturally!

A professional bookie arrived with a collection of athletic crabs. Each had a number written in chalk on its back. (We bet on the first race and won 2 Eastern Caribbean Dollars! (That's about.... $0.80 USD).

Here, the boys look on as they try to decide which crab to bet on....

A large circle was drawn on the floor and the crabs were placed in the middle. When the bowl was lifted, the goal was to have your chosen crab be the first one to crawl outside the circle.

The competition was fierce! A real crowd pleaser for sure!

Pics from the actaul wedding coming soon!

Beach, Sun, & Snorkel

Greetings from Grenada! I'm on location in the Caribbean for Annette & Brandon's 4th of July wedding and couldn't wait to share some of these pics. We're staying at Annette's Dad's property the Grand View Inn and it's simply fantastic! We truly feel like part of the family and are thrilled to be documenting the beginning of their new adventure in only a few short days. So exciting! WAY more to come after the wedding, but here's a sneak peek of some of what I've captured so far with my lil' purse camera and the corresponding underwater housing.

I shot these just this morning at the beach behind where we're staying. We were the only ones there this morning.... heaven!

In my earlier days, I was a competitive swimmer (I used to be quite serious about it actually!) I swam competitively from the age of 5 until I was about 15 or 16. Needless to say, it's been YEARS since I've trained in the water.... but Emir dared me to see if I still had the moves.... I'm kind of surprised actually! Not too bad! One of my strongest events was the 100yd butterfly and the 200yd IM. Here I demonstrate the butterfly stroke. :)

Today, we decided to hit the boats for some snorkeling. It was Emir's first time... too fun!

Grenada is home to the famed Underwater Sculpture Garden. We found our way to some of the pieces....

In Grenada, you drive on the left side of the street. Wednesday, we had the abitious thought that we'd score a car and drive the circumference of the island. So, our first stop was the neighborhood police station to get our official Grenadian driver's licenses. (The bowl of fruit you see in the corner is filled with wax apples. Delicious! The officers actually shared some with us!)

We paid the required $15 US Dollar fee, and were given change in the local currency, the Eastern Caribbean Dollar. I'd never heard of it before... but it's beautiful! Look at the coin with the curved floral shape! Amazing!

I'll spare you the details of our escapade driving the island on the left.... suffice it to say that we decided that we don't belong behind the wheel here. Ha ha! (Thankfully, the locals are among the nicest and most understanding people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. They rescued us from ourselves countless times yesterday! Ha ha!) More to come upon our return!

Down the Aisle: Adam + Jill

These two re-define the phrase "happy in love." Watching them interact all day was a sweet delight! Thank you for inviting me to be part of your day guys.... and if I don't see you at the airport tomorrow (in the very, very a.m.), know that I am wishing you all the best for a safe and wonderful honeymoon!

Adam and Jill's wedding was held at Southwood Lutheran Church. It's a relatively new building with tons of great windows and natural light!

The DelRay Ballroom is a swanky spot for a reception. Always beautiful!