This is a way to get new books for yourself while getting rid of your old ones.  The only cost is shipping to the person you are sending your book too!  It’s so cool, I’ve gotten 6 new books already in the past week! Oh - and you can also trade CD’s, DVD’s and video games.  A great idea for Christmas presents with shopping season coming up…

Enjoy!

One word describes this senior - CRAZY!  OK, maybe two words - add FUNNY in there.  I never know what to believe when this guy starts talking, but he just cracks me up :)  We had a blast walking around downtown and listening to his crazy stories.  Justin is in a band and can p-l-a-y the guitar (a big thanks to Mr. Mullins for letting us borrow one).

All in all I think we got some great shots.  I hope you like these Justin and stay out of trouble dude! LOL

Gavin came in for his 2 year old session.  This little cutie is SO full of personality, he had me rolling laughing, he did not want to have his portraits made But with mom’s help, we still managed a few smiles anyways…..

Christie, Thanks for bringing him in and we’ll see you guys again soon!

Miss Kayla is a sophomore at Hudson.  This beautiful girl is a cheerleader and came in for our cool new “Sports…Illustrated” sessions.  We have some awesome new products designed with athletes in mind and have some samples at the studio for you to look at. So if you are any athlete or have an interesting hobby this is a great way to showcase your talent.

Anyways, Kayla - it was so nice to see you again and to meet your mom and family…. Enjoy this sneak peek!

Ty’Shea and Miracle came in last week for a session.  This cat is so beautiful! And though she was a little scared of being in a new place, she was a great poser!  Ty’Shea sang for me and danced for me, this talented young lady is on the praise dance team at her church and is involved in choir and track at LHS.  Good luck this year and it was a pleasure meeting you and your family!

I’m behind on blogging I know, after the hurricane and my FIL being in the hospital (thank you for all the well wishes and prayers), it’s been a little crazy around here.    So to start out catching our faithful blog readers up  to date, here is Jessica and Mikeal, they are getting married next month!  This was such a fun, down to earth couple….. you can see not just the love, but the friendship when you are around them.  They love to laugh and that made for a fun afternoon.  Congrats you guys and we’ll see you soon!

We had a “playdate” with Rhett & Claire recently.  These little cuties are so full of energy and really love each other so much!  They warmed up to us so fast and we were all best buddies when we left. Their little personalities are just so precious!  We stayed around their beautiful home on the lake as there was a abundance of great locations around it!  I look forward to seeing you guys again and thanks for sharing your home with us….

Of course at the last minute the storm turned and our home was not damaged at all.  So this time we are on the other side of this - watching all the evacuees come into town.  Our church, Southside Baptist, is one of the shelters and I went up there tonight to see if I could help with anything.  Things seemed very calm and organized.  We had an amazing time of worship!  With lots of “guests” attending it was  very moving. I know there are lots of churches and schools being used for shelters and I think that is awesome!  Thanks to all the volunteers who are helping these people, you guys are amazing.

Anyways, I am not used to having nothing to do, I was supposed to be in Galveston for sessions this weekend, so I’ve just been catching up on news.  And I have to say that I am just fascinated by the Republican VP choice.  Not the fact that she’s Republican or Democrat, but just by how utterly amazing she is!  I saw this video from CNN back in April and this one clip just shows me the character of this lady.  So win, lose or draw, she is my new favorite female role model - Mrs. Sarah Palin:

This family has been part of our family for years.  Duane and Edwin have been friends forever, having grown up in church together.  And Dawn’s family has gone to church with my family since I was in high school and she was, well not yet in high school :)  She has grown into a beautiful woman and it is cool to see these people  together that Edwin and I both knew before we even knew each other.  Dawn is a fan of black & white photography so that’s why none of these are in color…  Thanks for coming in you guys, and happy belated Mothers Day to you Dawn!

The Hammond family came in today while dad was in on leave.  He is a member of the British Marine corp.  While he is deployed Carene visits her family in the States, but usually this family lives in England.  I have been surrounded with British accents the past week, so I may have a new accent myself next time you see me

Here is some of their family session and my faves of sweet baby Ethan, who is just a precious doll with his little mohawk hair!  Thanks for coming in Carene and Jon, it was a pleasure meeting you guys!

Pandora Radio.

A FREE new way to create your own radio station. You can go to Pandora and type in your favorite artist, song, or composer and it will not only play them, but - get this - they will find similar music that they think you will like! And just play your favorite music! You can create several different “stations” or mix them all up.

And even better than having your own personalized radio station on your computer, you can also download an iPhone app, again FREE! And it will have your list from the computer and vice versa…..

What WILL they come up with next?

Babies just keep coming in and we are loving it!  Keep them coming :)  Baby Grayson came in today and he was wide awake, we tried after a while to get him to sleep but he was just too busy to sleep.  Dad had no trouble sleeping though, he napped during some of the session when it wasn’t his turn LOL

Britney & Joseph - thanks for bringing him in today, I hope to see you guys again soon.

Jansen came in for another Baby’s First Year session. He turns one next month! This little doll is the fastest little crawler! And he is all boy… We chased him all over downtown and finally finished up in the air conditioning. I hope you have a happy birthday!

We are heading back to the beach soon! Labor Day weekend we are booking appointments for Saturday and Sunday (August 30-31). Sessions are $150 for family, engagement or individual. And SENIORS - this is a great start to your Four Seasons plan - have your Summer Session at the beach. Now is the time to get started on your Four Seasons if you are wanting that plan. It was very popular last year and is the absolute funnest way to capture your whole senior year start to finish. You get a full one hour session in the summer, fall, winter and spring. Lots of our seniors have chosen to add their families to their last session as well, to have one last family portrait before heading off to college and we love that idea! So we are offering that option this year as well.

So call today - 936-699-3774 and schedule your beach session, we have a limited number of spots available.

I traveled to Austin last weekend for this beautiful, intimate wedding in the hill country. The location was amazing! Chapel Dulcinea is on the edge of a big hill (a mountain to me!) and overlooks the most beautiful view! Anyone looking for a different venue (and it’s FREE to use as well!) should check into this site.

The bride was simply stunning, the groom so handsome and all the British accents flying around I found myself speaking with an accent as well …. then had to remind myself I’m Texan! I also had the opportunity to work with one of my online photographer friends for the first time. So it was a fun evening!

Here are a few of my favorites, I know most are of the bride but she was just so beautiful they are some of my faves

Friday night, 08-08-08, was a popular night for weddings. Linda and I drove to Port Aransas (near Corpus Christi) for this intimate beach wedding. The water was gorgeous, the weather great, and the wedding party so much fun! These girls and guys were up for anything and that makes for a great wedding album, I can’t wait to start on the design!

Their reception will be next month in Austin and I look forward to hanging out with them all again…. After the ceremony, Alyson and Danny were up for a small Trash the Dress session, and don’t worry, no wedding dresses were harmed during this shoot. Here are some of my favorites from the night.

Congrats you guys and I’ll see you again soon!

Congrats to Kara Goodson for collecting the most backpacks, she is the winner of a Four Seasons session plan! And to everyone who helped and showed up today, I am SO proud of you guys! What you helped with will make a difference in the life of a child as they prepare to go back to school. You guys are the best!

Aunt Nancy is my favorite person in the world! She keeps sending all these precious babies my way! Nancy - I truly thank you for your referrals, that is the best compliment anyone could give us - sending their friends and families our way.

Baby Reed came in with his Aunt Sissy and Grandma (until we figure out what she’ll be called). This sweet little boy was SO good ….. he has the best little disposition, he would smile and coo… just a doll! Thank you guys for sharing him with us and bring him back on his next visit! Enjoy the sneak peek…