Here Comes the Bride

On November nineteenth my niece, Chelsea married Francisco and it was my task to capture photographic images of the day. Chelsea was very laid back and grateful making my job much easier and more pleasant. Getting some photos of the bride and groom was the fun part. They were so happy that the camera could easily catch their emotion.

My sister was the mother of the bride and my brother-in-law was the father of the bride. Both seemed to enjoy their roles and did a great job. I told Cindy that morning that being the mother of the bride was one of the best days of my life and I hope that she had the same experience. All the big smiles tell me that it was an amazing day for the entire family!

Happy Thanksgiving

It was a great Thanksgiving holiday! I got a head start with Wednesday night Mohawk hockey in Mason City followed by a very relaxing Thursday morning drinking coffee with Dan and Jill. Then I headed across town to celebrate and feast with my sisters and their families. We had a delicious meal together then quickly cleared the table, did dishes and kicked off the Christmas season.

Decorating Christmas cookies after our Thanksgiving dinner is something that we have done in the past and enjoyed. It was fun to do it again this year. Yes, there were men at the family gathering too. They are in the living room gathered around the big TV. It felt good to enjoy a traditional family holiday in Mason City. There is so much change in my life right now so I greatly appreciated the opportunity for tradition and family!

Wedding Photographer?

A wedding photographer, I am NOT! But I love my niece, Chelsea and was willing to do what I could to help with her special wedding day. Thanks to my advisor, Ashley, my co-photographer, Dale and some good luck, I think we got some nice photos to capture the memory of Chelsea and Francisco's wedding day. It was pretty stressful at times. The lighting was a huge challenge and my camera hand actually got sore. I was so focused on the photography that I had to ask Dale on the way home if there had been a message or sermon during the ceremony! It was a great experience and I am glad that I could do a little bit to help. I will post a few photos later after the bride and groom have gotten a chance to see some!

Swimmers

How fun to be with some girls from Cedar Falls Swim Team...ten years later! Ashley's friend, Mollie hosted a baby shower in Waterloo last weekend. It was a wonderful celebration and reunion including some of the moms and some new friends too. It is such a blessing to have connections with old friends!

Horizontal Family

Some families may sit around but we tend to lay around. We are horizontal often when relaxing together. It's probably a good thing that we tend to buy couches, sectionals and love seats rather than lots of chairs. I took these photos when we had a chance to lounge around in Waterloo recently.

November Snow

There are tiny patches of the first snow still left but most of it melted last week shortly after it fell. I loved the look of Fall being kissed by Winter!

Family Shower Photos

Saturday was the family baby shower hosted by my sister, Sandi. If I didn't realize it before Saturday was a reminder that we are surrounded by truly amazing women! Nearly everyone in the room is related to this new baby boy and a few have been such close friends for so many years that they feel just like family!

The first guest was my dear friend, Kelly, my friend for forty years! Darlene has been a dear family friend for fifty years! Friendship has been an amazing blessing and to have these women join us to celebrate the upcoming birth is a true joy.

This precious little Lexi is a cousin to the baby boy who will be born this winter. We love cousins! Some of my cousins and Ashley's cousins were also at the shower. I do realize how fortunate we are to have close relationships with cousins (and sisters and aunts and grandmas.) I am not going to label all the photos, just let me know if you are wondering who is who! On Saturday it was just one huge female family gathering! Thanks so much, Sandi!!

Family Shower

Sandi graciously hosted a wonderful baby shower in honor of Ashley's first baby on Saturday. It was so much fun and such a joy to celebrate with so many wonderful women. There were women from the Nonnweiler, Wreghitt, Schrage and Alexandres families and a few life long friends too. I will post more photos soon.

Mowgli Mornings

Weekend mornings are a luxury but weekend mornings in Waterloo are even more luxurious. When I wake up I always invite Mowgli to jump up in bed with me when I am visiting Ashley and Travis. It's a treat for him too. . . just when I am in town! With baby showers, birthday parties and baby prep I have been there lots lately. I enjoy my snugly mornings with Mowgli!

November Bike

After work I hit the trails on my bike. It should be twenty-five degrees colder tomorrow so today was a good day to enjoy the trails. I wonder if I will be riding again this year.