Catching up with you

Since I've been getting inquiries lately from some of you, I thought I'd share what's been going on :) I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, so my apologies. Weddings have slowed down and I have been keeping myself busy with portraits. I promised one of my loyal stalkers (yes, Tiff, you know who you are :) I would post some photos of all of the Browns on Halloween. We had a great time on the Saturday evening at the party with our neighborhood. Halloween night was spent in the driveway with the firepit as we passed out treats to all the trick or treaters. This is the second year in a row we've done that and it's a lot of fun. This year, however, we had to bring out the umbrellas because it rained off and on all evening. Misty and Carson came over and joined us for a while and we toasted marshmallows and got a chance to visit with people in the neighborhood we typically only see in passing.


I also went to the polls today with Ali and voted for our favorite candidate! I just cannot believe what an amazingly historical election this is! I became a news/CNN/political junkee over the last six months and although it's been exciting, it will be nice to have all the rhetoric over (at least for now :). As I'm typing this I'm watching CNN and the prediction is that 85% of registered voters will be filling in their ballots today. I was thinking yesterday about what an incredible thing it was for Obama's grandmother to be able to vote for her grandson before she passed away; our country really is a land of opportunity and I hope this election proves this to the world! Since Ali was away at college in '02 this was the first time she got to vote in person, and I cannot express how EXCITED she was!! She is definitely my political junkee. Much to her grandfather's dismay, she is registered in the opposite party as he, but she is passionate about her choice and will always practice her right to vote!

The 1st was also a special day in my family because it was my parent's 50th anniversary. I couldn't attend the celebration they had planned in Colorado, but I sent something special to them that I hope will be enjoyed for a long time. When I realized I couldn't attend the party, I decided to dig up some old photos and get to work. Since mom and dad live in the fifth wheel full time, as they travel the country, I have become the keeper of the family photos. I wanted to create an album for them that would document the first 50 years of their marriage. After scanning some of their slides and photos and the photos I have, I contacted their closest friends and asked them to write something for my parents. This book could have easily been a hundred pages or more, but my task was to keep it small (since extra weight is always an issue for my dad as they pull their "house" around the country). It was fun looking back at all the times we all shared with them and look at their lives unfold on my computer monitor. From my parents' grandparents, to the newest addition in the family, my neice Emma, I hope I was able to grab a piece of their past that will put a smile on their faces when they open the album.
Although you can't read what everyone wrote, feel free to take a look at their slideshow and revisit the first 50 years of their life. My mom is definitely not a pack-rat, but she has kept some things of sentimental value. I scanned in their wedding invitation and a napkin from Nov. 1, 1958 and used that as a background of one of the spreads (whoever thought a napkin would have sentimental value :).
Mom and dad, I wish I would have been there with you, but you know how much I love you. Thank you for understanding about my commitment to my clients and how my career doesn't always make my life flexible. I'm still working on the flight for December, so hopefully I'll see you soon!!!