8/31/2006

Favorite Image of the Day

I'm going to start something new. Within a day I go through a LOT of images. Usually there are a few that stand out. So, I am going to start posting my favorite image of the day.

Today's image is of Ailey. I was editing her session when I saw this image and immediately had to post it. She is such a sweet and animated little girl. I spent 3 hours with Ailey and her mom. Most of it was spent chasing Ailey - it was so much fun! She loves making faces - anything from surprise to many different animals. I will post more of her session when I am done. For now, enjoy this one - I think it was her surprise face.

Erika & Shawn

I am finally posting a few of the shots we took with Erika and Shawn in Virginia Beach. It was an amazing day. We will be photographing their wedding in Virginia Beach in October. I can't wait! Thank you guys so much for speding the day with us. We had a blast!








8/30/2006

The Shasteen Family

I recently photographed the Shasteen family. It was time for new family portraits, and Jaiden just turned 1! You probably will recognize them from previous posts and my portfolio. I photographed Jaiden a few months ago, and Joyce and Jason were the first couple that booked me for their wedding! They are such an awesome family that I am blessed to be friends with. We went all over town for several hours. Thanks you guys!







8/29/2006

Josh & Casey

Josh and Casey were married August 5th on the East Lawn of the Merket Alumni Center. It was such a gorgeous day! Thank you two so much for letting me photograph your day!























8/21/2006

5 Years and Counting

There is a good reason I haven't been posting lately, I've been gone! My husband, Daniel, and I just celebrated our 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY in Virginia Beach! It was AMAZING! So, this post is dedicated to our little escapade. If you aren't interested in the details, just scroll through the pictures...it is a gorgeous place. If you are interested, read on.

Day 1 - August 10th

Well, our trip started at 3:45 a.m. on Thursday, August 10th. We actually stayed up all night and worked then hopped in the car at 3:45. When we originally started looking at flying to VA, it was quite expensive; so, we checked the prices for flights departing other airports. Well, it turns out that the cheapest flight was from Midland to Baltimore, MD. So, we drove to Midland starting at 3:45 without ever sleeping that night. Needless to say that we arrived exhausted. We flew about 6 hours (with 3 stops) to Baltimore where Daniel's grandfather, Granddaddy, picked us up. We spent the afternoon with family. We then borrowed a car and drove 4 1/2 hours to Virginia Beach.

Here we are in the plane - not too bad considering we hadn't slept.
Your typical looking out the window shot.
Here is Daniel's grandmother, Mom-mom, with Stephanie (Daniel's cousin's daughter - does that make sense?). She has such personality!

And here is Stephanie's sister, Alexa. What a cutie!

Some fun shots...

The newspaper Mom-mom gave us in the dashboard.
Going through a tunnel.
Ahhh, we have finally arrived!
Day 2 - August 11th

Today was very overcast; a nice change compared to the warm weather in TX! So, of course, what do you do first when you get to the ocean... you go to the beach!

Here we are at the beach.

My footprint about to be washed away.
We started off at the busy, touristy (is that a word) beach.

The beach has a boardwalk that runs along it with a walking path and a bike path.

The street that runs alongside the beach... where all of the stores are.
During lunch, we asked our waitress about a more secluded beach, and she recommended that we go to Sandbridge. So, we made the trip. It was beautiful. Sand dunes and tall grasses gave way to a less crowded beach!


The sea was angry that day my friends.

Ok, I had a few goals for this trip. First, spend time with my husband. Next, take some cool pictures. Then, find sea shells. I only found a few small ones here.

So, our trip was not just for fun. We did work while we were there. Daniel booked a wedding (he is a videographer) in Williamsburg while we were there. So, we had to go to the rehearsal tonight. When we got back to the beach, the moon was beginning to come out. Here is a shot as it just begins rising above the tide.
A shot from the beach looking back at the hotels and resorts.
Day 3 - August 12th

Today we videoed the wedding in Williamsburg. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception. So, we didn't really have time for much else. More pics the next day!

Day 4 - August 13th
We started the day off at the beach with breakfast.

Here is Daniel at our table anxiously awaiting his pancakes.

We spent a few hours at the beach wathcing ships come in and out of Rudee Inlet. There were also quite a few surfers in the area.



Looking back at the resort area.


The afternoon and evening of the 13th, we wpent the afternoon with a wonderful couple, Erika & Shawn, that found me on the internet. They are getting married in October at Sandbridge (see Day 2). We spent the day having lunch, touring, and photographing their engagement session! (I will post their engagement session separately - I am not quite finished with the files!)

Day 5 - August 14th

At the recommendation of Erika and Shawn, we woke up early and photographed the sunrise on the beach. There was almost no one there. It was simply breathtaking! I got a little carried away with photographing it...so please bear with me and enjoy the pics.










This is the old lifeguard station.

Daniel... my honeybee!

After sunrise, we had breakfast and took a nap. Then, we went on a dolphin tour. I didn't take my "real" camera with me because I wasn't sure what to expect with the water and the boat. So, I bought a cheap, one-time-use camera. I know... I am so embarassed. I will get the pics from it tomorrow and post them. Anyway, the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin is very easy to see this time of year. They were everywhere! They would swim up around, behind, in front, and beside the boat. It was amazing.

Then, we bought a boogey board and went body surfing for a few hours!

We also rented bicycles and rode up and down the boardwalk. It was amazing.

Day 6 - August 15

Today we spent the morning and afternoon at the beach!













Later that evening, we made the drive back to Maryland.


Day 7 - August 16th

We woke up and had breakfast with family. I spent a little while walking around the beautiful property Daniel's grandparents live on and got one last shot of a pear. We flew home that afternoon and drove back to good ol' Lubbock.

It was such an amazing trip! I am so thankful that we got to go. Thank you Mom-mom and Granddaddy for taking care of us. Thanks for letting is use your car Roxanne!

Oh, be sure to check back for those engagement and dolphin pictures.

If you ever have the chance to visit Virginia Beach, I highly recommend it!