Thankful

Thanksgiving is my all-time favorite holiday! So many people always ask “Why? Isn’t Christmas your favorite?” Don’t get me wrong, Christmas rocks, but Thanksgiving was always the time of year where I got to see my entire family! I didn’t grow up with my grandparents right down the street from me where we saw them every Sunday like so many of my friends did. My grandparents lived 6 hours away! So going up to Covington, VA to see them was a huge deal! It didn’t matter if I spent Thanksgiving with my Gammy and Pawpaw and the whole Dressler side of the family, or if we went and had a delicious meal with my Meemaw and Papaw and the Folks family; we got to spend time together. To me, that is the essence of Thanksgiving. Spending the day with the people you love the most. There are no expectations (except that the ham better be a Virginia spiral and not honey baked), but just hanging out with my amazing cousins, my hilarious and usually always crazy aunts, hearing the best stories and having stimulating conversations with my aunt and uncle…these are the memories that have literally consumed my childhood and now adulthood. 

So now that I’m done being mushy, here are some special reasons why I am so thankful this year. 2011 has been a pretty fantastic year; not just for me personally, but also in pursuing my dream of becoming a photographer. So I am going to leave you with a couple of pictures from each of my sessions this year. Whether it was completely smitten couples, big bellies, crying babies or the big day, I have grown to love all of my clients. You all are so incredibly special to me! I’m thankful for each and every one of you!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The Hamrick Bump

I know I stated that Fridays would be “One Frame Fridays” and they will, as long as I don’t have an awesome post to share with you guys!

I am loving Ashley and Steven’s maternity session that we did a few weeks ago! Apparently, Steven is not the coziest with the camera, but to be completely honest, I didn’t know that until after I saw a post on Ashley’s wall! One of her friends or family members couldn’t believe that Steven actually did a maternity session! 🙂 That just shows you how super sweet they are! He probably knew that it would mean sooo much to Ashley…and perhaps to their little boy one day! (I bet he didn’t imagine he would be the center of this post either!)

On with the pictures! We headed out to Campbell Station Park and it was just as beautiful as it was when I had a session there last time! Plus, Ashley looked absolutely incredible for being 34ish weeks! Ugh…some women! 🙂

My favorite two pictures from the shoot!

I can not wait for Little Mr. Lucas to get here!!!

One Frame Friday : the bump edition

The Tingle Bump

So I have been waiting and waiting (patiently I might add) to edit this session! I try and be good and edit everything as it comes in…no cutting in line, my elementary school teachers would be so proud!

Carla and I have known each other for a few years now; we are in a elite scrapbooking club together but haven’t seen each other in MONTHS!!! So let me tell you how surprised I was to find an email from Carla asking me to do a maternity session…FOR HER!! I was literally beside myself! As I read her long, very long, email, I realized that I HAD to do these pictures! I didn’t care where I needed to go and what I needed to do, I just had an overwhelming want to do this. So off I went to Oak Ridge…almost the day after getting the email! 🙂 Let me just say I almost died when I walked in Carla and Tony’s house! Seriously, if you guys don’t know how much I love the Biltmore…well, I don’t know what to say, but I obviously do; so when I saw this sofa…I literally almost tripped walking in the door! I instantly knew it was a winner…and to top it off; it came from Asheville…and there is almost, if not exactly, a sister to it IN THE BILTMORE!!! I almost died for the second time in 10 min! Anyway, on to the shoot…lets just say this sofa was my love affair for the next hour and a half! Throw in a beautiful momma-to-be and a smitten dad-to-be and I am a happy girl! Let me know what you guys think!

Yup, this is my shot of a lifetime…I can’t get over it!

Not to mention these yellow walls.

We headed outside to take advantage of the oh-so-yummy light! Carla, you two are so adorable!!!

Now Carla and Tony already have a full house…5 dogs to be exact! This one was my buddy…I tried to stick him in the van, but he wouldn’t fit!

Love this happy family and can’t wait for the new little guy to get here!!

The Bowers’ Bump

So I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was when my awesome cousin Micah and his beautiful wife Heather told our family that they were expecting! Little bursts of screams were heard all around Knoxville and Virginia! And lucky me got the priviledge not only to go to her baby shower (even if it was an 8 hr drive in an automotive clad mini van with a broken foot – me, not the van), but Heather asked me one of the best things you could ask a family member…to shoot her belly! Well, you guys know what I mean! Maternity shoots are one of my favs! Not only because it is one of the most laid back shoots (what 8 month pregnant woman wants to run around to tons of different locations?) but also because these are pictures that really will be cherish for a lifetime! One thing that Heather and Micah decided to do was keep the name of the baby a surprise from everyone…I think it has leaked to a couple of people here and there, but in the end they want to go with a name they love and I couldn’t agree more…

Oh and it’s a GIRL!!!

I am in love with the next three pictures…I couldn’t settle on just one…or two! 🙂

And this is why photographers always want to shoot at sunset…look at that yummy light!

I can’t wait to be Auntie Kayla to a new member of our amazing family!