Happy Father's Day!

“Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad” - Unknown

Jen41

When I was a kid and it was time for me to learn to ride my bike without training wheels, my dad was the one holding the back of that pink and white banana seat bike. I remember sitting on it in the driveway (probably in tears) while I balanced on it and he held the back, tilting it this way and that so I would learn which way to turn the wheel to correct so I didn't fall.

When I was learning to drive, my dad was the one that was sitting beside me in the passenger seat telling me to "give 'er some gas". I'm not sure if there were tears, but I know I was probably shaking with nerves. See, my dad, although a great teacher - is not always the most patient person and I wanted desperately to make him proud.

My dad is funny, hard working, and could talk the ear off of a perfect stranger. He's a master of finding "deals" (much to my mother's dismay), is a proud father of 6, and always gives me twenty bucks for the slot machine when we're at the casino together (seriously, it's much more fun to gamble with someone else's money. Lol). My dad taught me a lot over the years, not just how to ride a bike or drive a car (or check the oil - which is a great thing to know, thanks Dad!), but also how important it is to work hard and always do the best you can.

Dad - I hope you have a great Father's Day! I love you.

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Thankful Thursday


eindandelion

I hope you all are having a great summer so far! Summer is my busiest time of year with my nanny job, then throw in a few photo sessions, weddings to attend, and oh yeah...building a house and you've got me running around like a chicken with it's head cut off! My spring was incredible, thanks to all of you guys! I got the chance to reconnect with some clients from last year, and I also got to meet some new clients as well. Everyone has been great, as always, and although a lot of personal obligations will be keeping me from doing too many sessions in July and August, I will have some fun sessions (including one in NYC!) coming up and I can't wait!

Anyways, with so much going on it's easy to feel overwhelmed so I thought I'd take a minute to make a note of some things I'm thankful for on this sunny Thursday morning!

  • Contact lenses. I had no idea how grateful I was for contacts until I have had to wear my glasses for the past three days. I cannot wait until tomorrow when I can hopefully wear them again and feel like myself.
  • The sun! It's finally shining! I kind of forgot how bright it was at 6 AM until Einstein woke me up this morning.
  • Our new house. With just a little over a month to go until we close, things are really coming together. It's exciting to see it progress, I can't wait until they start putting the flooring, appliances, and lighting in to see how everything we chose looks in the house.
  • Frozen sugar free caramel lattes from Corridor Coffee. Delicious.
  • Good books & the time to read them. Summer for me means a lot of time spent under an umbrella at the pool, which also means a lot of time to read (I love to read). Some of the great books I've read? Bossypants by Tina Fey and The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda.
  • Time with family. My family and I went to Fun City in Burlington a couple of weeks ago and had a blast. We haven't taken a family trip anywhere in so long, it was really nice to have everyone together.
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At Kingpins in Fun City

I hope you all are having a great summer so far!

Shannon & Kameron [Iowa City, IA and Cedar Ridge Winery Engagement]

Shannon and Kameron both went to West High together, and worked together as well. Kameron asked Shannon to Prom one year and they've been together ever since! These two are so cute together, and you can tell they both have really big hearts. I especially love the way Kameron looks at Shannon like she's the only girl in the world, and Shannon smiles this huge smile everytime he leans in for a kiss. It's pretty much one of the sweetest things ever. I am honored to be photographing their wedding in October, but here's an engagement preview to get you excited for it too...

We did this session in two locations, starting out downtown and then heading out to Cedar Ridge winery. Shannon had emailed me to see what I thought and I was incredibly excited. I love when clients suggest locations and Shannon did a fabulous job - the scenery was beautiful and the light was ahhh...so pretty.
(Random note: I would LOVE to photograph a wedding here someday! *Hint hint*)
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See what I mean about the way Kameron looks at his bride to be?
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Above photo taken by Josh.

Shannon & Kam - I hope you like the preview and I'm looking forward to seeing you again in October!