Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone! Well the day has come to a close and I am heading home for a long weekend with the family! I am very excited to have a few days off so I can get back to my creative side for all those Christmas cards I have to design still. I have a few done and a lot more to do! So bare with me.

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy the time with your families. Eat a lot and take naps...rest up because the next month is running around, shopping, wrapping, visiting, road trips, cooking, cleaning and eating some more! You'll need your energy up! :)

We will be closed tomorrow and Friday and reopen Monday, so if you need to get a hold of someone just send us an email. I will try to check it sometime this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

LOVE love love this age!

How cute are these socks! (and of course the baby too) Mom was changing little Brady and when I saw these socks, I couldn't resist. I just love it! What a cutie! Brady hung in there with us this morning...he had a lot of outfits to model. I'm sure he's sound asleep now...at least I hope for mom's sake!

Brady and I cuddled up on the blanket while mom gathered their stuff, and he just stole my heart. He has the biggest blue eyes and a killer smile. He's going to be a heart breaker for sure!

Oh how I love the little ones

Mr. I and his family were here today and we had a great time! He and his brother carry the longest eye lashes award for sure. I am so jealous! How come it's always the guys that get those amazing lashes?
Anyway, thanks Mr. I and Mr. B for being such gentlemen while you were here!

Big Day!

Today is Tim's interview to get into PA school! As most of you know it has been a long journey to get to this point and we would really appreciate your thoughts and prayers today. His interview process starts at noon and his one on one interview is at 3:45! I know he will do great!
THanks

Funny Faces Special

The last special of the year is coming up quick! December 3rd is our funny faces special and this one is going to be so much fun! Bring your child in (one child per session) and we will capture all of their crazy expressions. This session is great for panels, a tapestry or even a brag book! Sessions are only $25 and they last up to 30 minutes. We are offering a very special discount on our tapestry of $100 off any size...We offer a 20' 24' or a 30'! These are great to make a statement in your home or a fun collage for your child's room!

Give us a call to schedule your appointment. 989-227-8441 These sessions are not guaranteed to be back before Christmas.

Addition to the family

My Mother in Law got a new puppy last night and she is SO cute! We went to the same place we got our dog, so they are brother and sister. Jake didn't know what to think of the new little one. He towers over her and still runs away when she comes near. I couldn't believe what a coward Jake was last night.
When we went out to the farm to get this little one (she doesn't have a name yet) it was like going back in time 4 years. We drove out to the country in the dark, went out to this little barn and when we opened the door, there were 3 little chocolate labs wagging their tales. Of course we said all the way there that we were only going to look, and we couldn't even get a dog for a couple more weeks. As we walked into the stable where the pups were, we forgot every word that was said. They were so cute...we just melted. The baby talk spewed from our lips and instead of saying "thank you for letting us look" we said "How much!"
It was the best impulse buy we ever made. We love our Jakers and I know that Dianne will love her to be named little one too. Here's to sleepless nights, accidents on the carpet and chew toys!
Welcome to the life of a dog parent!

3X Cute

I just LOVE these 3 little boys! They are so polite and well behaved and did I mention Adorable! Mom, you are very blessed!

Name that Tune!

We have been listening to the 90's XM station today and everyone song is a blast from the past. The 90's were the days of high school and college for Andrew and I, so we have a slight advantage.

Songs like Mmmm Bop by Hanson

OMC's How Bizarre


and SO many more.... :)

Here's an image from the other day. It's been so nice out...I'm bummed it's supposed to rain tomorrow and then get cold. Oh well it's been nice while it lasted.

Holiday deadlines

The Holidays are fast approaching and we wanted to let you know of a few important dates coming up!


November 8th: Last day for Hand Bag orders.

November 13th: Cut off for all portrait sessions.(excluding children's sessions) You must have your portrait session taken by this date to get your images back by Christmas.

November 14th: Welcome to our Winter Wonderland! This day is reserved for our Children's Special. Session fees start at $50 for up to 2 kids and $75 for 3 or more kids. The sessions are 30 minutes long and the images are great for Holiday Cards! Packages are available starting at $99.
Give us a call to reserve your appointment time! 989-227-8441

November 21st: Cut off for Children's sessions. You must have your children's session taken by this date to get your images back by Christmas.

December 1st and 2nd: These days are the last days to get your orders placed for Christmas. We have reserved these days especially your ordering appointments!

We will be closed December 24th thru the new year to celebrate Christmas with our families.

Whew...I think that's everything! :) Give us a call if you have any questions!
Enjoy the great weather!

Happy Halloween!

The goblins, clowns and princesses are out today and we had a great time photographing them! Thanks to everyone who came out for our Halloween special.
It was so fun seeing all the kids dressed up.
Well, I'm off for the annual Palmer Halloween Night. The pupkins are carved, the strobe light is on, the fog machine is running and we are ready to give out tons and tons of candy!

Happy Halloween everyone!
Be safe!

Long time...no blog

It's that busy time of the year that keeps me from keeping the blog updated. Andrew and I were just speaking in Chicago about the importance of updating your blog, and then I have a 2 week absence from my own! BAD...slap on the wrist for me :)

Well the past two weeks have been exciting for me! Tim and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary! I know, it has gone by SO fast. We have had such a great time being married. We are so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful friends and family that keep us grounded and in check. I love that we have relationships with our friends that are open enough for someone to pull me aside and say "Jackie, don't work on a Sunday...spend time with your hubby." I know that someone shouldn't have to tell me that, but every once in awhile my priorities get challenged with business.

Although we haven't traveled to exotic places, lived in a big home, or even had the excitement of having a family, I feel we have been extremely blessed in our 5 years. We just enjoy being around each other...even it's just watching Seinfeld together once we got home from a busy day. It's the simple things that we value.

So simple in fact, that we get excited this time of year just because Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer comes out! I know it's silly, but to us it's the simple things in life that make it fine :)

yummy


The next five years hold a lot of changes for us, and I look foward to each of them. Tim will finish PA school, we want to start a family and will probably move somewhere with some land so we can add to our dog family.

Here's a video my uncle took on our wedding day of our first dance. We practiced a lot, and if you watch closely you can even see Tim counting :)
It's in infrared for some reason

It's that time of year again

Hey all you youngsters...
On October 31st, Halloween day, we are having a day dedicated to Halloween in the Children's Studio! We will be scheduling appointments every 15 minutes...Bring yourself, your costume and your smile! This is for the kids...and yes, you can even have all your kids in one image. Please no babies that can't sit up on their own :)
Packages available are:
2-5x7's and 8 wallets for $25
1-8x10, 2-5x7's and 8 wallets for $35
4-5x7's and 16 wallets for $45
2-8x10's, 4-5x7's and 16 wallets for $65

You can add an extra sheet for $10 too!

Call us NOW to get your appointment time.....and bring that trick or treat bag for some candy!

Up north again...

I went Up North to Boyne City again this weekend and took two of my good photographer friends with me! We had a very relaxing, energizing and creative weekend. Something we could all use.
On Saturday, we had Lindsay come over to do a bridal shoot. Her wedding was a couple weeks ago, so now we could photograph her anywhere and not worry about hurting the dress. Technically this was a TRASH THE DRESS session, but we didn't come close to trashing it.
It was a gorgeous evening and we got SO many gorgeous images. Here are just a few...more to come later!
Linds! Thanks for letting us drag you all over the woods! You are a trooper nd So beautiful!

:)

Love this look :)

Fall is here!

Brrr....it's a little chilly today! Good thing the fall special was last week when it was warmer. I can't even tell you how much fun the fall special was! We picked apples, ran around, stopped on tall grasses, and ate cookies! Who could ask for anything better? We will definately do this again next year!
Thanks to all of you who come out.

Time warp!

The other night I went with my niece to a roller skating party she had with her school. I LOVE roller skating! We walked in and it was like walking back in time. Are all skating rinks the same? I grew up in Texas and when I was a kid, every Friday we would go skating. It was something we always looked foward to. We would pull up to SKATING AMERICA, run to do the door, pull it open and the music and freezing air conditioning would pour out. We couldn't get our skates on fast enough. I had routines to songs like "Thriller and Footloose" and would love to out skate the older kids playing bat chase. It was great! Emma and I got our skates on and worked our way around the rink. It took me a little bit to remember how to balance and work the wheels, but once I got the hang of it, it was like old times. They even played the same songs I was used to. Thriller came on and man it brought me back. Emma held onto my hands as we skated together. She was all smiles, and seemed to really like it! I can't wait to go again. I think we should bring back a skating revolution! Anyone with me :)

Week up north!

I just got back from my week vacation with my family and little Parker. It was so great and I can't explain how wonderful it was seeing Parker and getting to know him. He is such a great baby. He needs to work on sleeping a little bit more, but other than that I think he's perfect! :) He has this little porcelain face, with great big blue eyes. He just lights up when he smiles. The whole family just sat around watching him all week. He was our little entertainer.

It was hard to say goodbye to all of them. I don't get to see my brothers enough that is for sure. It was just wierd thinking that the next time I see Parker, he will be a toddler...I hope he doesn't forget me.

Going to see Parker!

Hey everyone! I'm finishing up a few things here and then I'm off for a week to go spend some much needed time with my brother, his wife and Parker! Parker is already 6 1/2 months old and I haven't even met him yet! I know...let's just say, I'm going to take so many pictures.
Oh...I can't wait!
:)
Here's a little one that I photographed a couple weeks ago...He was such a cutie!

Anthony + Lindsay 9.13.08

Anthony and Lindsay
September 13th, 2008
Traverse City, MI

I was really excited to photograph Anthony and Lindsay's wedding! I have known Lindsay for a couple of years and knew that her wedding would be really fun! Lindsay has a great personality and has a way of making people smile.
Unfortunately the rain came and stayed throughout the day, but it broke for an hour so that we could get the beach images that they both wanted. I love it when things work out that way.
Thanks Lindsay and Anthony for inviting us to be a part of your wedding. I can't wait for our Trash the Dress session!

Friends near and far

My friend Allison Watkins of English Photography in Utah was here visiting this week. She came to speak and hold a SNAP for our local group. She was fantastic!
It was so nice having a new friend around to spend some time with. She stayed at my house for the few days she was here so we had lots of time to chat and catch up on things. She inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry and taught me so much. I miss having that connection with people. I spend so much time working that I tend to miss out on a lot of things. My goal this year is to work on those quality relationships that I may have let slip over the years. Don't get me wrong, I love my clients :) Love love love my clients...but what I learned this week is that my family is not only my family, but my friends are my family too. And they need quality time too.
Have you ever had one of those weeks that you just feel not worthy? This was my week to go hide under the covers and never want to come out. It's amazing how God throws people into your life just at the right time. There is a huge list of people that hugged me at the right time, thanked me, and even complimented me when I was feeling the lowest. Thank you to all of you...I think I'm out of my funk!

We have a wedding this weekend in Traverse City and I'm SO looking forward to it!
I'm going to shoot my heart out even if it is supposed to rain...bring out the umbrellas!

Thanks Allison...you saved me :)