Yes, I live

Sorry I've not been much of an updater lately, the reason is I have shoots every couple days, weddings every weekend, and trying to edit between those moments.

Here's a quick run down of my life:

• Had a wedding again on Saturday, they were awesome sweet couple and one of the few grooms that'll get out there and really rock it on the dance floor. That was so fun to see and photograph. I took a trillion reception pictures, but I don't care, it was actually kinda fun. (I get bored of dance photos after a couple hours btw)
  
  
• At said wedding, met up with one of my former brides too (they are good friends), and we're going to do a trash the dress! Yeehaww! I'm so excited. First off, I felt like we didn't get enough shots because it was just sooooo hottttt that day. Hottest day this year by far. Second, she seriously could be a supermodel (and he's not too shabby himself lol) so I think the pics will be beautiful.
  
  
• I'm probably going to have to start holding back pics and share them through the winter. I imagine everyone is getting tired of seeing "sneak peek" in every 3rd title.
  
  
• I had a bridal fair yesterday here in town. It actually was pretty good. Good sized crowd, lots of new vendors and I had a huge influx of traffic to my site last night. I have a good feeling about 5-6 of the brides. If that happens, I'll be nearly booked solid next year.
  
  
• We finally got the last bit of the pool emptied yesterday. It's been "empty" for over a month. But it's hard to get the last 2 inches of water out. I walked in this disqusting muck trying to get it out of the pool. We all only yelled at each other 43 times.
  
  
• I haven't had my nails done for so long that the acrylic has almost grown off of them. Which is good because I don't have to soak, but bad because they look like ass. I told Gene last night I'm thinking about going to get a mani-pedi today. He asked me how much, I said "Oh around $200" (fib). He choked.. then said it was ok, go do it. (aww). I then said "you know, I was informing you, not asking." Then he choked again.
  
  
• Despite giving away 5 dozen eggs yesterday to misc ppl, I still have 15 dozen in my fridge! Anyone need to buy eggs? No I'm serious! Email me if you'd like some farm fresh eggs, $1.50 a dozen which is half the price of walmart for something similar.
  
  
• I'm cold.
  
  
• I still have a cold.
  
  
• Taking Gene to a Dr. appt in Kansas City again today. It's been about 3 years he's had this bad reaction to a chemical used in all the stuff he's exposed to at work. He's officially allergic and it's never curable until he quits. He's not really into the concept of working 80 hours a week to make the same amount of money, so he stays ... for now. In the meantime, he gets steriod shots in the rear every few months. He whines about it too... loudly.
  
  
• My house looks like a small explosion went off. I'm tired of cleaning. I'm kinda half serious when I say I'm ready to hire someone to come in and clean for me, of course they'd probably quit the SECOND time they show up and see we have undone pretty much everything they did.
  
  
• I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I think I'm ready for winter. I need to rest.

Do you regret asking how I am now?

Upcoming Maryville, MO Bridal Fair

Future Brides:

You are invited to the 7th Annual Maryville Community Center Bridal Fair to be held on Sunday Oct. 17th from 2pm-4pm. The event will be featuring local vendors and a runway fashion show. Advanced tickets may be purchased for $3 at MCC Tickets at the door will be sold for $5.00.

Please stop by and say hello, Cease Fire Studios will be having a give away!

My article is up! Blogher's Text Ed program

Check out my post about texting and driving that I did as a Text Ed Embassador for the Blogher network! I've posted it on my review site, and you can leave a comment there to be counted towards the .50 donation to dosomething.org

I'm pretty proud of my little article, it brought back memories of when I was a reporter in 19dickety2. Yes, I used to report the *news*. I'll tell you about it someday.

Be sure to check out the other articles on Blogher too, your comment counts there as well.

Lesley and Colby - Engaged! Sneak Peek - Nebraska City, Ne

Lesley and Colby are so sweet and kind. It's obvious that they love each other. They wanted to do something different, and so we ended up in Nebraska City, Nebraska at Arbor Day Farms. This place is golden! No really. I could shoot every day for a year and never hit all the good spots!

A million and 12 more to come.
OK, maybe just 12.

In the meantime, lots more shoots coming up, another wedding, some senior pics, some albums to make, blah blah blah. Calgon take me awayyyyy!

Moooove over

If you've been here more than a week, you probably have already figured out I have some sort of weird fascination with cows. I'm not exactly sure why, my parents never had cows, or even one cow.

My grandfather on the other hand had cows. Not a lot, nothing like a cattle rancher or anything, but it was enough to call it a herd. My parents house used to sit on a single acre, surrounded by a barbed wire fence. On the north is a small wooded area that my cousin and I would disappear into and play like winnie the pooh and piglet for entire days.

On the other side, was a field owned by my grandparents where he kept the cattle. Sometimes, they would come very close to the fence for the "good stuff". You know, that saying "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" comes from instances just like that. I would never get close enough to touch one because the fact remains that I'm still kinda scare of cows. I suppose it's too many stories of mean momma cows protecting their calves or angry bulls bucking off wirey cowboys.

When I was about 9 or 10, I was riding down the road on my bike, going somewhere for some reason I have no idea, and I saw a cow laying in a field. I thought she looked weird but didn't think much else of it until I came back by about 15 minutes later and saw a little baby calf right in the spot where momma was laying moments before. It was the first time I'd ever seen a REALLY newborn calf. I remember being so excited to tell my family and getting a "umm... ok?" kinda response.

The truth is, I have this overwhelming urge to hug a cow, but it's weird, I've never as much as touched a cow my whole life... and I'm literally surrounded by thousands of cows from many different farms miles around me.

Yesterday, Gene took the day off of work, and we both went on an engagement shoot I had in Nebraska City. The groom is local, the bride is from Omaha, and they are getting married here. She wanted something to represent herself and where she grew up, so we went to Arbor Day farms.

On the way, we needed to run an errand at a house out in the country.

NOTE: Never follow directions that tomtom gives you instead of the directions the owner of the house gives you. Especially in Missouri where maintaining rural roads is marked as "optional". Let's just say, it was cool having a jeep for once.

In the meantime, while heading back to the highway, oh, and readjusting my internal organs, I spotted some cows, under a pretty fall tree, alone on a hill in the middle of nowhere Missouri (there's a lot of those places around here btw).

I made Gene back up and after he nearly ran me over (no really, it was run backwards or take a nosedive into a ditch.. wth?), I used the step to get me high enough to get a few shots off of some pretty cows.

I want to kiss them but I'm scared.

More pics of the actual engagement shoot coming soon. After I recover from anxiety from being nearly ran over by my own husband.

I'm sure he was trying to make it look like an accident.