Patrick and Liz might be renamed Barbie and Ken... no joke. I was actually Liz's history teacher when she was in 11th and 12th grade (a very young hip teacher:), so it was so fun to photograph her and Patrick and see how life has changed from high school to college to getting married! Patrick and Liz have 2 dogs that are like their children (Rudy and Bella) so we made sure the dogs made a guest appearance in the engagement session, too. It was so sweet to see them interact and love these dogs because it was like watching them as future parents. After having some fun on campus and downtown Athens, we went to a place Liz had explored and recommended we use for the session. I cannot be more excited about having gone to this area. What was even better was when Liz told me they wanted to go in the creek for some pictures, which I thought made for some absolutely dreamy photos. It was really fun because I got to go into the water, too (so glad we don't have pictures of that!) We also trekked up a steep hill to get to an abandoned railroad track (which happens to be the famous railroad track used for an REM album) and Liz and Patrick just walked straight out onto these tracks that are pretty high up. Seriously, this was an all terrain engagement shoot. I can't wait for their wedding in December at the UGA chapel... you guys are such a beautiful couple and I'm thankful to capture your sweet and loving relationship. Thanks for asking me to be a part of it!
these are some BLUE eyes! and that's not because I did some fancy editing- that was straight from the camera blue!
and Patrick and Liz being such cute parents to Rudy and Bella....
and the famous bridge (which we also took pictures on top of from the other side- pretty crazy!!!!)
Front porch where Brent proposed... and where he tickled Rachael to get her to laugh:)
this is a super random picture, but I had some fun HUGE balloons that I've been playing with in photographs and so Rachael and Brent did a "I'm about to fly away with this thing" jump. Brent looks like a balloon ninja.
Rachael will be moving to Charlotte once they are married, so this picture is in honor of their new home together... Ironic that we took these pictures in Athens (home of UGA) but Rachael wore a UNC Chapel Hill hat- that's love! You guys are the cutest. 
this was the lovely couple and me, the third wheel, spinning around. I wish I had a picture of what it looked like from the outside looking in (me with my camera around the other person's neck and running in circles). Mostly just for fun but I do love Rachael's expression in some of these shots. It's all part of trying to really capture people's personality and have fun.
you guys are the cutest- thanks for asking me to be a part of everything!!!
March 11, 2008 was the day I first met Ethan and Ethan first met the world. He was born at Athens Regional Hospital 3 weeks before my due date and weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. I never knew how much love I would have for this kid or the intensity of emotions that he would bring into my life. And this past weekend we celebrated his 4th birthday by having a little bug party at Memorial Park. He had told me months ago that he would like a bug party, and that he wanted to dress up as a spider. This is how I know he is my child... he loves to dress up! So Ethan had in his mind that he would be a spider and other kids could come dressed up like bugs, too. The bug party included spider oreos and a spider cake (that my mom made- she wondered whether it looked more like a crab and her thoughts were confirmed when Ethan said, "hey! that's not a spider but a crab!"). He did tell her that it smelled really good, though. Each kid got a magnifying glass and got little bugs to mush around in a bag of bug juice (a project idea I got from pinterest). The bug juice was just hair gel mixed with food coloring in a plastic bag. We had a spider web the kids had to crawl through and some other little bug capsules that were supposed to grow when you put them in water but didn't actually work because I didn't realize the water needed to be hot. One of my favorite parts of the party was when the kids all went exploring in the green field next to the pavilion. They took their magnifying glass and went bug hunting, and then just ran around like wild animals. It was so precious to see and such a beautiful picture of childhood. Ethan had so much fun and wanted to know if we could have another party the next day. When we got home that evening he took out all his presents and looked at them, and then walked over to me and hugged me. He said quietly, "I love you, mommy." I could have melted. I laid in my bed that night with a really peaceful feeling. I've had this specific feeling at least 2 other times I can remember: after a wedding shower and a baby shower. I remember feeling really loved and a strange sense that at that moment, all was right in my little world. I've had a lot of not so great feelings as a mom, including feeling like I'm going crazy when Ethan hit me with a sword while I was peacefully eating my dinner or driving cars over my face at 7am while I'm dreaming of sleeping in. But this was one of those days I'll always remember as a time when I could tell that this little family of mine was building memories that we would all cherish. I was really tired that night (actually that day by 3pm!!!), but it was the kind of tired of a day well spent, a good tired. I have sloth tired days (you know, days where you never feel like you actually woke up even after 2-3 cups of coffee...) but this was a 'use your energy for the joy of others' tired kind of day. I am so thankful that Ethan came into our world 4 years ago and am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate his life with costumes, sugar, and magnifying glasses. I'm learning more and more how true it is that children are a blessing from the Lord.
Ethan's newest cousin baby Charlie came to celebrate, too... we love this little guy!
