And now…..it’s time for the other side of the Turnbo family!
Thanks again gang!
It was fun as always!
~M

Beautiful kids.  Inside & Out.

Sometimes, my favorite pix is the pix I take before the pix….ya know?

I grew up in a football-family so I’m not real savy on the soccer-lingo. It was such a treat to photograph Addison “doing her thang” and showing her amazing skills, speed and attitude….but in a “I know I can kick a** kinda way”

Addison is one of those gals I have watched grow up infront of my camera.
Thanks for that Addison.
Keep knocking the snot out of that soccerball and when you’re playing in Plano later, call me.

God Bless Ya Sweetheart.
~M

In the blog previous to this you met the Stouards…now meet the Matus family.
When you get one, you get them both, as their families are best buds – that means you win.

On of my favorites from the shoot. Marc & Holly are amazing parents – their family loves to be to together. Like- they like each other. Every time I hang out with their family I’m a better parent, I’m a better person and I think I’m a bit funnier but that might be because of the red-draws.

Marcus and Macey…I love these kids.

Marcus is a guys-guy already. He is all about the cowboys, the dirt-bikes and…well…dirt.
He is SUCH a great kid though…a great kid.

Macey? This little gal holds a special place in my ma-ma-heart. She babysits my kids, she helped me paint my hallway walls and wallpaper a mural on G’s wall. She and I talked Twilight, boys and fashion (hers…not mine) And this summer she went from cute to beautiful.
Marc…sorry about this pix….the daddy in you ain’t gonna like it…
Beautiful family – inside and out.

I am TRULY BLESSED to call you my friends.

I love you.

Usually these are the easy blogs for me.

Usually I upload the pix I took for my friends and then I plow into talking about them.

Usually I go into talking about the kids and the fun and then I tell a story about them

Normally after I shoot pix for friends one of my favorite things to do is to tell a story so you, blog, can see why the pix are way more than pix – they’re a glimpes into why these people are my friends.

I would tell you why I love these people…

I would tell you how much I love seeing people I love, in love.

Stouards.       Friends.       You rock.        I love you all.

Today we’re all feeling a little blue around the Benoit-casa.

Today we move daddy into his apartment in Farmers Branch.

Today we start the “real transition” of this move.

Shelby was laying around this morning looking well…pathetic…

I looked at her and said “Yeah.  Me too Shelb”

Thanks to everyone for all of the well-wishes and prayers.

We are all keeping all things in perspective on this day, 9/11.

God Bless all of ya.

~M

I was 13 and the fair was in town. Fair weekend was a big deal in Smith Center. It was the week that all of the cute FFA boys showed their cattle, pigs and sheep to sell and that meant they spent the entire day in town at the fair feeding, cleaning & prepping the animals. That was a prime atmosphere for water-fights which was, of course, a prime atmosphere for flirting.

I was 13 and my summer Crush that summer was Chad. He had just moved into town and was the new “it guy” in my class of 31…now 32. I had braces, a baaaaaaad perm and was the definition of awkward, but like all 13 year olds, I had no idea. It was 8pm, getting dark and a group of us decided to brave the Whirlie-Whirl. I strategically placed myself next to Chad on the ride that was basically a metal mixing bowl that threw you up against the sides of it as it spun around and tilted.

I was 13 and I was fearless. We whirled and twirled and whirled again…stepping off of the ride in my state of dizziness I almost fell. The arms of a tall slender man caught me “whooah Whirlie-Whirl-girl…you ok?” the man said as he steadied me.
“HOMERUN” I thought
“Chad is gonna have to almost hold my hand to walk to the end of the line!”
It was only then that I looked at the hand holding me…the very very very dirty hand..

CARNIE!!!!

I was 13 and mortified! Chad? Oh he was already at the back of the line with 4-5 of my classmates! “Thanks!” I said to the dirty hands, turned and literally ran into Jina, my BFF. She and I giggled (we were always giggling) and scurried back to my friends all of which were having fun at my expense and who could blame them. “Whirlie-Whirl-Girl huh?” Chad said, punched my arm and let Jina and I sneak infront of him in line.

That day I decided Chad would make a great friend and I was right.
That day I realized that maybe the Whirlie-Whirl was not for me, right again.
That day I learned that when you get really really really dizzy just look up for your friends, don’t take any hand that is extended to ya.

Here lately I feel like that same 13 year old Whirlie-Whirl-Girl.

I feel like life has given me this ride that I’m on, I’m in a metal mixing bowl going around and around and around and as I look to these next few weeks the ride is slowing down and I’m about to step off…probably a bit dizzy and confused.

My house is on the market and I’ve begun researching school in the Farmers Branch area.
Matt moves to FB (gulp) one week from today.
My post-it-notes are mostly crumpled and tossed away.
My ongoing “to do” list is almost complete.

As this ride comes to a slow-down please forgive me if I begin to feel a bit dizzy.
Please be patient with me if it takes me a little time to steady myself.
Please understand when I look up to search for my BFFs.

And friends, once I’m steady….let’s giggle.
Let’s giggle as if we were 13.

Let’s laugh at the Carnies of life and not let them get us down.
Let’s laugh with and at each other.
I’m gonna be honest friends, I’m gonna need you to be that hand for me as I get off of this ride.
Cause at the end of the day, I’m gonna have to get back in line again….

Ah family – thank you for trusting me with photographing your wedding.  Thank you for the great time we all got to spend together in Colorado and THANK YOU for being so patient.  Finally – your wedding pix are up and online!  :)

I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed shooting them.  It’s one thing to watch “cousin-Justin” grow up, it’s quite another however to watch his wedding day unfold from behind a camera.  I feel like I got an extra special seat on the weekend and it was an absolute joy.  It was humbling.  It brought a tear to my eye.  

So -J&A… here is your wedding day through the eyes of my camera.  We love you both.

I LOVE the “first look” when a groom sees his bride for the first time….this was Justin’s face….

What the photo doesn’t tell ya is that it doesn’t have to be worth a thousand words, cause the only thing Justin could say was “wow…..oh wow…..wow…..oh…..oh….oh wow….wow”. it was priceless, and really, can ya blame him? Andrea – truly – you were a BEAUTIFUL bride.

When I told my dad I was in love with Matt he had one question for me…”can you laugh together?” He said all the rest will peak and valley in life…the attraction, the common interests, the looks, the humor, but if you can laugh at and with each other – THAT is something. Justin and Andrea laughed all day. That is something allright!

They got married in a gorgeous venue on the campus of Denver University. Absolutely perfect.

…..atta’boy Justin.

After the cermony it was time for cake & comfy shoes. And meet my new best friend. I love a girl who can appreciate a good pair of sneakers.

I loved this…Andrea and Justin had everyone walk in holding these….get it….ball & chains?

….and I don’t know who these children are but I HAD to photograph them, they were sooooo cute!

Andrea and Justin. I love you both. Let’s start planning that next get-together and God bless your marriage – I mean that in the lieral way. God Bless ya both.