jayla...2013 prom affair winner!

jayla was our winner this year for the 2013 prom affair!!!

i had the opportunity to shoot jayla at her senior prom on saturday (on a short break i had from the wedding i was shooting...ahhhh! busy day!)

it was so great to see jayla and her handsome date eric.

as many of my seniors, i have had the opportunity to watch jayla grow and change in many ways this year.  i'm so proud of her!  the person that she is...all she accomplishes...her drive...and her beauty that is defined only by what she believes.

jayla, you looked as amazing as the heart that you have inside that strong little body.

xoxoxooxox sweets!

all prizes that sweet jayla won for prom!:

hair: kari, studio 55

make-up: katrina duncan, studio 55

flowers: brady street florist

spray tan: bronze elegance

mani/pedi: merle norman boutique

$50 gift certificate: nicole's niche

$50 gift certificate: luigi's ristorante

$50 gift certificate: buck's pizza

home and living...

did you ever have a time in your life that you know the people brought into it were brought into your life for a REASON?

in my life, that has happened, even a few times.

it happened just a few weeks back actually, and i'm so excited to share a bit of this person with you now.

(i know there are way too many parenthesis, but have you read "heaven is for real"?  he and his wife rebecca are part of the book!)

stephen is the son, of honestly, two of some of my absolutely most favorite people on earth.  (if you know me personally, you have heard about charlie's uncle earle & aunt sylvia).  every few years, the "guys" come together (earle is from indiana & stephen & his son are from colorado), to go back to the homestead of sylvia & my mother in law.  there's great hunting on the hill & i know the homecooking is a great draw too :).

the story in a nutshell is, this november on their hunting trip, stephen suffered 5 heart attacks.  the outcome looked grim for quite a while. 

he not only pulled through, he pulled through with grace and even more wisdom, and is actually releasing a book about it.  he contacted me a bit ago about setting up a trip to colorado to chronicle his life.  

a life he gets a second chance at living...a second chance to tell the story of...

so Charlie and I flew off to Colorado....right into the arms of a family and a church that i wondered if we could leave. 

this man has the integrity of my own precious husband, the wisdom of his amazing father, and the heart of my dad that i miss so much.  

and as so many of my projects pan out, this project took my heart in a great, great way.  i shot stephen in many aspects of his life...

at home....

at work...

with his family...

and just times being...stephen...

i came home with thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of images.

and as the trip weighed on my mind...as the images came back to life...as the story began to unfold...

i met grief.

i held hurt.

i saw love.

i witnessed peace.

i shared hope.

and the story has not ended.

please visit my dear cousin, Stephen...his wife, his family, his ministry and his story at

http://www.greeleywesleyan.org

and this is just a tiny snippet of who he is...

"My newest book ... 'To Bind the Brokenhearted' ... will be available Memorial Day Weekend. I wrote this book while recovering this past winter from five heart attacks followed by open heart surgery in which I had three by-passes and one valve replacement. With complete honesty and none of the, "too holy to be angry at God" stuff, I confront my feelings of fear, anger, frustration, and doubt. This book is a great read for anyone who has gone ... or is going ... through some of life's toughest moments. You will find this book to be encouraging, enlightening, and hopefully - uplifting as you deal with the inevitable difficulties that are part of all our lives. 

To purchase your copy please contact my office at LynnK@greeleywes.org and ask for your copy of To Bind the Brokenhearted. If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to sign it for you before sending it back ... just let Lynn know that's what you'd like.

Thank you ... and may your heart always be whole!"

he's my cousin and a new treasured friend...stephen e. wilson.

xoxo stephen and the entire wilson clan :)

courtney...be your own beautiful

courtney received her shoot as a christmas gift :)

she is the sweetest thing ever....and so so beautiful!

xoxoo

perfectly pure....baby harper

there is nothing sweeter than a brand new baby...

simple and pure

beautiful baby harper

NYC, Great Friends, and oh yeah, Matteo Setti

it was really a whirlwind trip.

we planned it quickly, got there quickly, shot there quickly, and home again!

but honestly, a once in a lifetime experience...

shooting Matteo at MSR Studios in Times Square (that would be NYC :)))...

i shot where for over 30 years, the best of the best have performed and recorded..

with my dear friend, krissy gasbarre (Director of Operations, North America / 

Matteo Setti), we shot and memorialized this magnificent occasion.  

Matteo Setti has now been introduced to NYC and the USA!!!  

look out italy, i'm not certain you will get him back!!!

joy joy joy :)

one of the greatest joys in life is being their aunt

xoxoxooxo

presenting..."be your own beautiful" story

it's just me that people open up to.

it's just me that gets to see the changes, that gets to hear the joy and to see amazement when an image shows a new perspective.

and it's just me that gets to wake up every morning, bursting at what my day may have in store...who i will get to talk to, whose life needs a lift, and how i can help.

i get it, that it's just me.  

that if i give only and all of what i am, that stories are told, outlooks are changed.

it's part of MY story, that i get to share yours...

i'm proud, honored and humbled to introduce "Be Your Own Beautiful Story..."

meet gabrielle...

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