It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I have to admit, I've been feeling the holiday spirit 100% this year. We put our tree up on Thanksgiving, I finished my Christmas shopping the first week of December (I had a serious online shopping marathon on Black Friday), and I've been listening to the Christmas tunes on the radio (I found myself humming Christmas music while getting ready for work the other day). My favorite part of the holiday season so far was a cookie decorating party I had with my sisters a couple of weeks ago (don't worry, the cookies are long gone) where we ate homemade pizza, gave Martha Stewart a run for her money with our cookie decorating skills, and watched Elf.

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season with your friends and family as well. I am taking a little time off from sessions from now through New Year's, but I'll be posting my favorite 11 photos from 2011 very soon, so check back to see if your favorites made the list! :) Until then, here are some photos of what I've been up to lately...

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Check out the hairy gorilla gingerbread man towards the top of the photo, let's just say we took some liberties with our cookie decorating...
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As a kid I always admired those department store Christmas trees with a color scheme, weird, I know. Anyways, my perfectionist tendencies are appeased by this strictly brown and gold tree (although Josh did sneak a Volkswagen ornament in there which he hid very sneakily in between several branches). This year I decided to add a personal touch by printing out some photos of us and Einstein (mostly Einstein) to hang on the tree.
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Kathleen & Brett [Iowa City, IA Engagement]

Kathleen was one of the first people I met through the family I work for (she is their daughter's best friend) when I moved to Iowa City, she was 15 at the time (seriously, this makes me feel so old!!). I remember her introduction very clearly, "Hi, I'm Kathleen, Jess' best friend! You'll be seeing a lot of me." Turns out this was a very good thing, as Kathleen is one of the kindest, not to mention one of the funniest people I've ever known. Last fall I had the pleasure of taking photos of Kathleen and Brett (they modeled for me on a random Saturday), which is when I officially met Brett for the first time. Brett is just as kind and funny as Kathleen, and they both truly have the biggest, most genuine hearts - making them both beautiful inside and out.

I feel so incredibly blessed to know these two, and honored that they chose me to document their big day next August. I had such a wonderful time taking their photos last Friday morning, they are so deeply in love and I think it really comes across in these photos. Enjoy!

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I just love this next series of 3 images...
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I think this one is my favorite, but it's so hard to choose!
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At the end of the session, Kathleen asked if I could get some shots of them walking down the bridge. After walking a little ways, they began to skip. It was so cute, and 100% them. These two images make me so happy, I hope they make you smile too!
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Thankful


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I just wanted to take a minute to give thanks today. I hope you are enjoying your day off with your family and friends & eating delicious food!

Thanks to my wonderful clients who trust me to document their lives and important events. I will forever be grateful for your support, I truly have the best clients and am thankful every single day.

Thanks to my husband, family, and friends who support me no matter what. Thank you for helping me fulfill my dreams.

Thanks to Einstein for making me smile every day, just by being such a cute, furry mammal.

I am so grateful for every opportunity and experience that comes my way, and I hope that many great things come your way too. Happy Thanksgiving.