a new chapter

happy october! ... o my goodness! where has time gone? it's been so long since my last post. i have so much i want to share with you!

this year is my last semester at k-state. i should be graduating in december with an architectural engineering degree! who would have thought?! now that it's fall, its definitely crunch time! halloween is near, which means my birthday is coming up (nov. 2), then off to thanksgiving (we have a whole week for break this year! woot woot!), graduation, christmas, new year, WEDDING, and then...

some very exciting news...

christopher got accepted into grad school at kettering university! he's starting as a distance student this quarter and then after we get married, it's off to michigan for the both of us!

i am so excited to move on to another chapter of my life. i thank God everyday for giving me such wonderful opportunities. i take them all for granted so many times. i don't even realize all that He has to offer. i am truly blessed. i am so scared yet so excited at the same time! michigan is so different from kansas. i haven't lived anywhere but here! there are so many what if's...

what if...

christoher can't find a job up there?
i can't find a job?
my love and knowledge of photography doesn't have room to grow?
people won't accept my photography?
we can't find a good apartment?
we get snowed in?
we live in a bad part of town and didn't know it?
we don't make any friends?
we can't get a loan?
it affects our marriage for the worse?
i lose contact with all of my friends and family?

there are just so many thoughts floating around in my head that i've only gotten about 1 to 3 hours of sleep per night. no bueno!

though my mind may be racing with all of these negative questions, i can't forget about all of the positives. i believe God is just providing me with another opportunity. a challenge. an answer to a prayer. only He knows what will come.

baby audrina

ahhh my cousin, marie, has the cutest baby ever! i wish i was in wichita right now holding audrina. she's so precious. featured are first time grandparents and uncles!

macy's 1st birthday.

i have good news and bad news. the good news is macy turned one year old this past wednesday!!!! :) the bad news is that i uploaded my maximum number of pictures i am allotted for the month on flickr. so i have to find another way to upload my pictures to put onto this blog... if you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment!

back to macy's birthday... christopher and i went to a little dog shop off of pontz by the mall. it was such a cute little store! we bought her a birthday "whoopie pie" and some toys. then the three of us headed out to the new dog park and let her have at it! it was a great time.

first, presents.

her first bow.



some daddy love.



a couple of new toys.







and then it was cake time!





we tried to break up the cookie for her, but it was solid!







seriously, how much cuter can she get?!



after we got her all cleaned up, we headed home for a much needed haircut. i spent about 3 hours in the bathroom cut off all her hair. i can assure you i shaved off twice as much is on her body now. she looks 10 years younger!

these aren't the best pictures of her haircut, but i'm sure i'll get more macy pictures up!





she's such a cutie pie! i love her to pieces. this morning, we woke up and i found her curled up to my back, so i rolled over a bit just to lay on her, and she just stays there! she's the best dog ever. i don't know what i'd do without her.

camping.

this past weekened was glorious. my wonderful fiance, my cute puppy, and i went for a much needed camping trip at tuttle creek. i do believe this was our first exclusive camping trip together.







my own cowboy... ;)







the hamburgers were absolutely delicious!



and here's the beauty we woke up to









macy just wanted to explore...





and here is my first ever attempt at a panoramic...

chase | olathe, ks

hey followers! for a while, i was feeling pretty down and began questioning my ability to learn how to be creative and how to grow in photography. but since class started, several people have told me they keep up with my blog and facebook group page. this warms me up from the bottom of my heart! it really gives me such a boost of encouragement and sense of worth to know that even a handful of people are enjoying my work. thank you SO much! learning photography really means a lot to me.

it's more than just a picture. it's about capturing emotion. but instead of bottling up and keeping it forever, the happiness spreads everywhere! when you see a picture full of emotion, you are encompassed by that emotion. you want to spread the love you see when a father wraps his protective arms around his little girl. you want to reach out to the person overcome by grief and tears. you want to know the story beyond the lens.

here's an update on a photo shoot i did in shawnee, ks. my friends asked me to come up to the kc area to do a family portrait session. i was so nervous! but with a beautiful and loving family like this, you just can't go wrong. i have some pictures of the youngest: chase. he will be celebrating his one year in about a month. when i went to photograph his family, he was already walking! he's honestly one of the most adorable little boy you will lay eyes on.

















next up is the rest of the family. I wanted to get these to Jessica so that she could get them printed for chase's birthday.

happy soon to be birthday chase!

Happy first day of class all you K-Staters! I wish I didn't have to be back... One more semester!

On a happier note, here's the 16th hole at Colbert Hills.

Koch 55th Anniversary

this is a looong overdue post, but i was waiting to get all of my pictures from this shoot done before i posted. what with a summer course and work, i didn't seem to have any time for my pictures. but i had a week to myself to just work on pictures, so now i'm very excited to be sharing them with you! here are robert and mary's 55th wedding anniversary party. their whole family came together in st. george, ks to celebrate!



Here are some of their super cute great-grandchildren.









and when all the world is spinning around you... just keep smiling.