Dog Tags

So I heard about this great little company called Fetching Tags and I just had to pay them a visit. Once there I couldn't resist having a tag made for Pilgrim. While there are many dogs in the world who love to lick, I have to say Pilgrim takes the cake when it comes to feet. The boy can't resist when he sees a bare foot about. He must give it a taste test that quickly turns to a foot bath. It's ridiculous!

I just had to put a warning on him so here is his tag...


and here is the damage he can cause.

The D family

What a great family! I am so blessed with such wonderful clients. These folks were no different, I felt like part of the family by the time it was over. Family is one of the greatest blessings we have and I am grateful to capture it on film.

Baby E

Back at the beginning of March I put up some maternity shots of a beautiful young woman who was so ready to greet her little bundle. Well on April 3 a beautiful bundle arrived, healthy, happy and full of love. I couldn't wait to snap a few shots of the new addition.

Big Sky Country

From the ages of 6-12 I lived in Wyoming... BIG SKY COUNTRY. I loved it. I know it is where I gained my appreciation and love for deep blue skies filled with puffy clouds.

This here is the ranch house (my home) on the ranch in Wyoming on the Henry's Fork river where I spent those years.



Isn't it quaint? And look at that sky and those clouds, how I loved those skies and still do to this day. It meant a long day of work ahead but it also meant cool breezes and happy animals.


This picture here shows a bit of the ranch further down the river. That pasture was the oat field (because they used to grow oat there) and the one further down was the new field. The new field because it was "new" as we had cleared the land and planted the field. Lots of hours spent with a shovel trying to get the water to go where we wanted it to. We didn't have the modern convenience of sprinkler systems, we had to flood irrigate from the river. You can see some of that handy work in the meadow to the front of the pic.



It was a beautiful place full of many secret places to play and wildlife so abundant you would have thought it was a reserve.

I loved the years of my life that were spent there.



Well I am all grown up now... although that is debatable some days... and I live in a beautiful valley nestled among the mountains of Virginia and just a couple of days ago I woke up to this...



Yes this...

This beautiful blue sky filled with puffy clouds...

Did I make a trip to big sky country and not know it...

Wait am I dreaming...

I think I might be losing my mind...

Nope they are really out there and it is really that beautiful and I am really that blessed...

And I thank the Lord everyday for it.



I hope this day brings you something that reminds you how blessed you are!

Dreaming of Summer during the storms of Winter

This past winter in the Shenandoah Valley was historic. We very rarely get a storm before Christmas that amounts to anything and this year we not only got the normal small storm that passes through but also were pummeled with a huge 18 inch storm. Of course we knew at the time that there would definitely be more because we usually get our snow in Jan. and Feb. and sure enough come Feb. we got a huge 26 inch storm. Well in VA when is snows like that the world shuts down so what does a mother of four do when her crew is home and she is losing her mind?

She disappears into the quiet, peaceful confines of the craft room and puts together a scrapbook she has been waiting two years to do. What you ask did we do two years ago that would get it's own scrapbook? Well we made a trip to Hawaii with the whole crew in tow, mind you not only our family but my brother-in-law and his family as well.


This is the beautiful place we rented on a private beach.


This is the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is incredible.


Some beach time.


This is the family at Waimea Bay, beautiful spot and famed for large wave surfing.


This is the reason we went. My niece graduated from BYU Hawaii and we took the opportunity to support her and enjoy a little beach vacation.


This beach was different from most of the beaches we went to. It was incredibly rocky and full of pockets of water some deep enough for swimming, others only good for wading.


This is the finished product... well I still need to add the journaling