Top Secret Info!

One thing I love is a good secret. A surprise of any sort. Unless of course, I'm the out that is out of the loop. That, I hate. : /  Lucky for me, in this business there is a lot of surprises that I am IN on! Like surprise gifts of photography...surprise sessions when the kiddos had NO idea they were getting their photo taken. Surprise baby showers, surprise birthday parties, surprise reunions! Surprise engagements where the Proposer asks me to photograph the occasion from a distance and leave as if I had never been there! {coolest idea ever..cough cough..Jason!} I just love all of the surprises that I get to be "In the loop" for! So...with that being said... I did THREE shoots this week that are going to be SURPRISES! Maybe it's a surprise for YOU!? {insert evil laugh, here!}  Pictures to follow...!

The Girl Next Door!

This little lady brings a whole new meaning to the "girl next door." Okay, so she's not directly next door...but she lives right up the street from us and as I was editing her Holiday session, Joey kept coming to my computer to see each picture. He wouldn't say a word. He would just check the pictures out...smile...and walk away. Such a snipe! But can you see why? She's just as gorgeous as her Momma and the sweetest little thing! She's got the cutest little smile and the sweetest demeanor. I didn't want the shoot to end! But something tells me that we will be spending plenty of time with Alyssa and Mom and Dad in the future! I love her little model poses that she is rocking for me! Check out the red coat and earmuffs and then she switches it up to riding boots and a cable knit scarf, complete clone of her stylish Momma! Thanks Brunner family for a great afternoon! (PS...Adam, you might want to lock up your daughter. Do you know just how many little boys live on this street? )

I can't thank my amazing clients enough for the amazing fall sessions. I love, love LOVED every shoot that I had the opportunity to do and loved trying out new and fun places! 

I've had a personal "restoration" and feel like a new lady! With that, comes an overwhelming amount of creative juices that have been flowing out of me and directly into photo shoots with the most phenomenal clients a girl could ask for. I'm so excited about the fresh babies that I was lucky enough to meet and the gorgeous couples that I photographed to announce their engagements! This Fall was a mile marker for me. I had some amazing opportunities. The most fantastic being lululemon athletica Pittsburgh! I can't even begin to describe my excitement and thanks for the opportunity of this shoot! I am so blessed and fortunate to have had the opportunity to photograph the ambassadors. There is nothing that I love more than the love and adoration of families, sibling love/rivalry, growing baby bumps, committed relationships, the anticipation of senior portraits or a child reaching a milestone. {I'd say that just about covers EVERYTHING!} And, I'm just getting started here, folks. I smell a holiday portrait video...just around the corner! :)

I used Dave Matthews, You and Me for the Fall video because it completely captures how I am feeling right now. A few months ago, I was worried, sick and exhausted. With prayers, love, opportunities behind every door and the grace of God, my family and I are on our way to big, big things. I'm truly a believer that when one door closes {or slams, right in your face...} another door opens up and welcomes you inside. The lyrics in this song, "we can do anything, baby" capture exactly how I feel. With the love of my life by my side and my little boy, healthy and happy...we can do anything! I also love, "Oh, and when the kids are old enough we're gonna teach them to fly!" Because every big dream needs big wings and as I am working towards my biggest dreams and watching the plan unfold for me, I just can't wait to watch my little boy (well, I can wait..no rush in the growing up department!) have the same feeling of excitement and see him make all his dreams come true! 

PS--Turn down the music at the bottom of this page first! :) 

-Blade-Runner-

Joey's new fascinating with roller blading means one thing. Momma is running far more often than before. {Shelly, that bestie marathon might not be that far off...ha!} So while he roller blades, I run the pup! I couldn't love this more! Here are some pictures from some of our favorite adventures of blade-running! I think Buddha could get used to this!!

 Oh, Bu Bu. I love you little pupster! 

 LOVE THIS SHOT! Cutest boys ever! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! 

We had a great Thanksgiving! Here are some pictures before Turkey Day was underway! 

Business as usual....

 Silly family faces! Notice, Buddha ran for it at this point!!! 

 Big glass of Riesling for Momma, and little glass of sparkling grape juice for mini-me!! 

Mini Me!

I always say, Joey is my mini me. While he may look much like Jason, he and I share a mirror image soul and personality. Not only does Joey try to "one up" me on just about everything, he wants to do just about everything that I do. Including photography. Joey is always playing with my camera, as you may know from previous posts! Here's today's picture. Too cute not to share! 

*Thankful For*

 Have you ever tried to explain "thankful" to a six year old boy? If not, you should try it. Really. Last night, I sat down with Joey and we talked about things we are thankful for. Joey was telling me about "stuff" that he really liked. I was telling him about love, people, places, family...mooshy stuff. Recently, Joey learned to ice skate and roller blade. He would sleep in his skates if we let him, I'm more than sure of that. So, Joey told me he was thankful for his skates. So, the Mom in me was happy that he was grateful that he owned skates. But, I wanted him to be thankful for the fact that he has legs and strong muscles and the ability to skate. Then he said he was thankful for his hockey sticks and his golf clubs. He is thankful for steak {oh, boy!}. He is thankful for tech decks{mini skateboards} and for his puppy. However, I wanted him to understand the bigger picture here. I wanted him to be thankful that he lives in a country where children have a childhood, I wanted him to be thankful that he is free to skate after school. I wanted him to be thankful for being healthy and that he has a home and not just for the things that fill the house. And, I know that he is. I know that my son is grateful because we are raising him to be an "aware" child of the world around him. He won't grow up only knowing about the few things that are in his general surroundings. He will know about the sick, the poor, the hungry, the homeless and those that fight for our freedom. He will know about the children that live in other countries that live in huts and don't own shoes, he will know about the kids that don't know where they will get their next meal. He WILL know all of this someday. Sometimes, this Momma has to remember that someday he WILL know all of this. It's my job to teach him SO many things that I sometimes forget that he has to learn and discover somethings for himself. So, after we discussed how lucky he is to have skates and legs and muscles to skate, we discussed Grandma. Grandma bought Joey his skates last year for Christmas and provides the best Sunday afternoon entertainment and kisses and hugs. We are thankful for Grandma. Then, we discussed Pop. Pop was in the military and protected our freedom. Pop teaches Joey each and everyday about everything from hockey to saving money. We are thankful for Pop. Then we discussed Pop Pop Timmy. Pop Pop bought the golf clubs that Joey is thankful for and he is a doctor that keeps so many people healthy. Pop Pop Timmy sends us state of the art vitamins that keep us healthy. We are thankful for Pop Pop Timmy. We talked about how every toy and every steak dinner requires work and that we are lucky that Daddy goes to work everyday to provide toys, clothes and yes, steak dinners for us! We are thankful for Daddy. We are thankful for all of our "things" but Joey decided that based on all of the people and things in his life that he is mostly thankful for "being him." Funny. Because this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for Joey being Joey too. Chances are, if you are reading this blog...I'm thankful for you too. Happy Thanksgiving!!
    I blinked.... And we went from this little blonde haired boy who couldn't figure out how to smile for pictures without scrunching his nose....

To this big shot, who's still got his Momma's heart! 

Here are two family photographs... young and OLD! 

Pittsburgh; not the Pitts

So, lately a friend and photographer has been posting these ahhhhmazing photographs taken in the good ol' state of North Carolina. The sunshines there and the grass is green. The sky is blue, sky blue! The back country roads can be transformed into gorgeous back drops and the beach is within reach. (Poet, I didn't even know it! had to be done..) Okay. So, I'm jealous. I'm jealous that 1.) He lives in the South where the smell of winter isn't in the air and 2.) that he has southern "stuff" to work with {old barns, dirt roads, school buses in the middle of a grassy field} and 3.) I'm jealous that there is sunshine. I can't even begin to tell you how many sessions have been postponed due to foggy, misty, disgusting Seattle....oops, I mean Pittsburgh weather. THEN, another friend/photographer who lives even further South commented on one of my photographs from an engagement shoot. She mentioned that the skyline of Pittsburgh made her homesick{she's orig. from the burgh!} I had other people comment that the places I have been using for shoots lately are amazing and that they have been looking for places like these...so...Okay. I guess Pittsburgh isn't the worst backdrop. Gorgeous Skyline, Crazy Steeler fans, amazing bridges and fantastic public parks. Don't get me wrong, I'm still jealous of the beach, back country roads, sunshine and warmth...but I can work with the world around me until I can make it south! Here are a few of my favorite Pittsburgh shots and some surrounding areas that aren't too shabby. Hell, if you drift far enough down Route 8 you can find some pretty COUNTRY looking places in good ol' PA! ha!

Station Square Engagement

 For this amazing couple's engagement session we headed down to Station Square for some fun and unique photos. What we all failed to realize was that there was a HOME Steelers game that day. Ugh! I think I should be stripped of my Pittsburgh citizenship card for this one. Driving down, not only was there more traffic than expected there were Pittsburgh fans overflowing every doorway of Station Square. Not to worry, we managed to get some GREAT shots of this couple with and without Steelers fans in them! I even got some shots of these two exactly where Steve proposed to Katie! They told me the whole story of the horrible storm that they drove through in order to keep the date that Steve had planned. After dining at The Melting Pot {their place!} they checked out the skyline of the city and Steve got down on one knee and popped the question! Not only do I think that the askee should ALWAYS get down on one knee, I'm a total sucker for the sentimental stories! What can be more sentimental than retelling the story at the exact place where it happened?! :) This couple was SO much fun. Any couple that can bust out the robot during a photo shoot is amazing in my book! Congratulations Katie and Steve! I can't wait to be a part of your special day!

 I love the way they look at each other! I caught the exchange of this look about 10,000,000,000,000 times!

Surprise Shower!

In my running around today, I was able to stop by at a SURPRISE baby shower for a very dear friend of mine. I didn't think I would be able to make it since I was supposed to be in Ohio but when my plans for the weekend were tossed around I figured that I just had to stop by for a bit to see the growing belly and the girls! I love surprises because there are always crazy stories that everyone has to tell to get the ball rolling. Not to mention, the look on the guest of honors face when he/she arrives. This surprise was definitely pulled off perfectly and I have to say, it was given to one of the most deserving and amazing Momma's ever. So, here are a few pictures of baby Elijah's surprise shower with the amazing Perko family and the cutest cupcakes I've ever seen!

 Gotta love the Perko girls!!!

My little protector

The lack of blog posting hasn't been entirely due to laziness, though that has played a part. For the most part, I just haven't been feeling up to it. I've been feeling too tired to blog and coughing too hard to do anything but veg. So, instead I've been mixing a self prescribed dose of Sex and the City reruns, Robitussin, Kleenex and hot, very steaming hot showers. Breathing in the steam is practically heavenly to me at this point so I've certainly logged some time in my shower over the past two days. Tonight, after a busy day with an engagement shoot this morning and getting some errands checked off my Thanksgiving travel list this afternoon, I came home to a sweet little cuddle monster, Buddha. Now, the boys {human variety only, Jason and Joey} are in Ohio visiting Grandma and celebrating Uncle Michaels 21st (uhoh!) and they are due back any minute! However, after catching up on my typical blogs and reading a few emails, I started coughing and couldn't stop. I tried drinking warm water, cold water and Gatorade but I couldn't stop. I went upstairs thinking that breathing in the steam might help a bit. As I got in the shower, continuously coughing I heard a little cry outside the curtain. When I looked down, I saw the cutest little bugger ever peaking in to make sure I was okay.  He kept crying until I stopped coughing long enough to reach out and pat his head and say, "I'm okay Bu!"  It's good to know that ol' Buddha is around to check on his germy Momma while the humanboys are out. I couldn't resist grabbing my phone and snapping a picture. Of course, the steam fogged up the lens and it's not a great quality, but man o man, the puppylove is cute! 

Our Dreams...Well they are made outta real things

Today I had one of those days that was flawless. I got good news from a few different sources and had a lot of longterm prayers answered. It's funny how God enters at the darkest times. At our house we have a bulletin board covered with 3x5 notecards with sayings, quotes, phrases and poems that mean something to us or to someone that we love. The catch is that we have them (the author or person who suggests the quote) handwrite the quote and then stick it where they want it on the {homemade} cork board. Jason wrote "It's always darkest before the light" and stuck it in the top right corner of the board. I couldn't help but think of this quote today as I was getting job offers and good personal news. I like the way that we use bible quotes and inspirational sayings to get us through the hard times and I love that Jason has my back no matter what. Jason has always been my rock and he steps up and in when other people step out. I thank God everyday for that man!  People (ones that I know and random blog readers) have been telling me lately that I should write a book & since my life has been quite dramatic and whirlwind I hope to follow in my Grandfather's footsteps and do that someday. But for now, I'm glad I have blog readers and quotes to live by and my wonderful family to get me through the "darkest" days so that I can make it to the "someday" that I can write a book. Here's an unedited picture of my love and I from last night that Joey managed to snap...man, I love my Krieg Boys! And, I love that when you have the power of prayers and the power and love of your family behind you, you can make it anywhere. <3

Krieg Boys

 Tonight we headed out to Hartwood Acres for some family fun. Just really to walk the pup and throw the ol' pig skin around. Of course, the 4th family member(my camera) tagged along and I managed to snap a few pictures of my Krieg Boys running around with Bu. I love being able to get away with the boys and spend an hour hanging out as a family. I love that Joey is back on track with his behavior because he thinks Santa is watching...I mean, because Santa IS watching. I love that the smell of winter is in the air and that winter means teaching Joey to ski and snowball fights and building an igloo in the back yard!!  Joey smiles bigger than I've ever seen him smile when he is just playing catch with his Daddy! Which makes Jason smile, which makes me smile and hey...when we are all smiling, things simply run better! So, after the football and dog walking, we relaxed on a picnic blanket for a few minutes and tried to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Hartwood Festival of Lights going up. Success! They usually do a test run a few days before hand and since the lights officially open up on Friday, I figured it would be a good night. Check out these pictures that I took and one of the four of us that the self timer managed to catch!

Oh, Bu...please stop growing. I promise, I will find you a girlfriend dog, a bigger house and a bigger yard if you will just please, slow down! 

 How much do Joey and Jason look alike in these next two? Twins.

And, for the self timer picture...I adore how hard Joey is snuggling Buddha...even if Buddha isn't so happy about it!!!

   As for the lights, sometimes, crazy as it may seem...I just love playing with camera settings in the dark and seeing what I can capture. During our free sneak peak of the lights, while Jay was driving I let Joey snap a few pics. I love that Joey likes to play with my camera and that he plays with the settings...seriously. He gets it! He knows aperture and all the bells and whistles. Well, maybe not ALL of them. But he is six! Check out his skills!

 Joey dubbed this one..."a scribble drawing by a baby."  I don't think I could have come up with a better name!