I am going to date myself here, but almost 11 years ago I had an amazing thing happen…my best friend and love of my life asked me to be his wife.  One of the happiest moments in my life!!  I remember it like it was yesterday…I’ll have to blog about that story another day because this post is about someone else that had one of the happiest moments in her life just happen…That’s right…Jaimie is getting MARRIED!!  I have had the pleasure of knowing Jaimie for a quite a while now.  She is a fabulous stylist at DollyRockers…which my hubby’s family owns.  She is absolutely gorgeous, but don’t hate, because Jaimie is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet.  A genuine heart and just a delight in so many way…hmmm I wonder why Mike is smitten with her?  I met Mike for the first time at our engagement shoot and what a sweetheart he is (oh and he isn’t so bad to look at either).

Ok, total sidebar right now…when I processed these images I noticed that Mike has the most gorgeous amber colored eyes…I think Jaimie might have found herself a hot vampire…LOL!!

I loved watching him and Jaimie laugh, smile, and get lost in each other!  I couldn’t be happier for both of them!!  Some of these images are my favorites ever…and seriously wanted to just pretend I was Jaimie and put the picture up on my FB, yes she is that beautiful!  Well, I’ll stop blabbing, because I know most of you have skipped over my rantings and gone straight to the images…Congrats guys!!!  Seriously, can’t wait till next year…Jaimie you are going to be one fabulous bride!!

Thank again, you two love birds!!  {HUGS}

Blessings!

Janelle

Yeah…I finally got my sample album!!  I just posted Dave & Amy’s Engagement Session on my blog and I thought they would be the perfect for my sample album to show clients!!  They are the cutest couple and we had some amazing images from our session!!  This particular album is a 10″ leather flush mount album with 20 front and back pages.  I love it!!  Here are a few sample pictures so, you can see too!!

PS…my NEW logo is completed!!  I can’t wait to share it with you…very soon!! 

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday!!

Blessings!

Janelle

I have had the pleasure of knowing Dave for just over seven years now.  He came on to the Glendale Fire Department at the same time that my hubby did and they were in the Academy together.  Well…Dave met a girl.  After a few years of being on the department Dave became a mentor for the new recruits at the academy.  Well, Amy worked in the Fire Science office  at GCC.  What started out as merely friends for six months…Dave finally asked her on a real date.  The rest so they say is history, but more than that they have been each others’ support through the last five years of ups and downs, school, promotions, graduations…they are the best of friends.  Dave’s proposal was sweet & perfect at a cabin overlooking Lake Arrowhead in the mountains of California.  He got down on one knee with their dog Brewer by his side and asked…She said…“yes” (and probably…“it’s about time” haha - I had to add that, Amy!)  They are a perfect compliment to each other and I can’t wait to be a part of their BIG day this September when they say…“I do”. Their wedding is at The Windmill Winery in Florence, AZ and I think I am just as excited as they are because the picturesque scenery is to die for!!  We are going to have so much fun!!  Speaking of fun…we had a ball doing their engagement session!!  It was actually back in December, but I am FINALLY posting it.  We started out at the beautiful Boojum Tree, then headed to Historic Downtown Glendale, and lastly ended up at Station 157.  So, without further babble from me…here are their pics (and yes there is more than normal…we had WAY too many fabulous ones!!)

Thanks so much you two!!  I can’t wait for your wedding in September!!  It is going to be all sorts of fabulous!!

Blessings,

Janelle

Meet one of my brothers and his beautiful family…you have seen them before if you have followed my photography journey.  Well, the big man, Greer turned a year in May and however tempting the tremendous heat is…I was happy to oblige and wait to do his pictures until we had our annual family camping trip up in the gorgeous White Mountains.  Those of you that are wanting a shoot like this…I have yet to find anything like this in the valley, but with a little bit of travel you can find places similar to this not too far away!  I know…I’m jealous myself because it is so amazingly green and beautiful…I want my family pictures taken here…did you here that E?!!

I have so much love and respect for this family.  They are above re-pore in all they do.  Their priorities are where they should be, God & Family.  They are on a new adventure and are trusting God’s guidance every step of the way.  I have been blessed with an absolutely beautiful sister-in-law inside and out!!  She has a sweet spirit that permeates all that know her.  She is a jewel…obviously my brother thinks so too.  I have always felt like a mother hen when it comes to this particular brother.  I was 3 1/2 when he was born and thrilled beyond years to be a “mini mommy”!  I have always had a special relationship with him that I cherish dearly…he is my friend.  In fact I don’t call him by his name, but he is “friend” to me.  My 100% boy nephew that reminds me of both my brother and my son.  We love watching you grow and learn…we love to hear you talk (and seriously this boy can talk…I think he pronounces words better than my 3 1/2 year old!!).  He loves his family…quite obviously.  He is sweet on his youngest cousin, Grace.  He is a lover of books…can’t wait till he can read them to me, but wait don’t grow up that fast!!  He is becoming such a big boy in every sense of the word.

I love you guys so much…thanks for being patient in getting your pictures…when you’re family you tend to have to wait to see your photos a little longer than my other clients!  Here are some of my favorites…these people don’t take bad pictures it was hard to choose.

I think this little man looks so much like his Daddy…

**Favorite**

**Other Favorite**  Seriously, sis you look AMAZING!!!!  Friend - you don’t look too bad either!! 

Ok before I share I have to show you a new photo of my family that my friend Natalie took!!  I am in love with it and I just purchased a nice size canvas that will be arriving on Friday to hang above my desk!!  I’ll post pictures of the canvas when it arrives!!

Now, I just have to share something…I was doing a shoot a couple of days ago for an amazing couple that just celebrated 25 years…a peek at their session in a couple more days, but I had photographed their family last year for Christmas.  We were talking about my business and what has happened in the last year…changes, growth, etc. and I was suddenly compelled to tell them that I didn’t really care about the “business”…WHOA!!  It’s not that I REALLY don’t care about my business, but in this day and age a business can come and go…it’s not my life and it’s not who I am.  Do you know what my business is to me?  This might sound crazy maybe business suicide, but this is me!  My business is a vessel…a vehicle to be with people.  I LOVE people!  This life is short and our relationships are what it’s all about.  For me relationships are the foundation of who I am…my relationship with the Lord, my relationship with my husband, my relationship with my kids, my family, my friends, my clients…people!!!  So, it’s not that I don’t care about my business because of course I do I just care about people more…I pray that my business grows where God wants it to grow and not because I did anything more than care and love on people (oh and that I take a decent picture too I guess!).  I hope that my clients can see the joy in my life…and the joy I have that I get to do something I love with them…capturing their family, wedding, whatever with my camera!!

So, speaking of relationships…how about one of the most important ones if you are married…your spouse!!  So, my hubby and I are going to celebrate TEN years in January…it feels like we were just in high school!!  We have had our shares of highs and lows as we all do in relationships; especially marriage.  We have had some tough bouts that we’ve had to work out with help…we have had some amazing joys like bringing three beautiful children into this world.  I have learned that nurturing my relationship with my husband is so important and yet it is really hard sometimes too.  The day to day is almost exhausting enough…between my kids, my business, whatever…sometimes he get’s put low on the totem pole and yet God didn’t design it that way.  He should be right under my relationship to the Lord and then after hubby comes my kids, my family & friends and then my business…wow!  So, since most of you reading/looking at my blog are women I want to share something fun with you regarding all of this!  I bought a book this last week called “The Husband Project” by Kathi Lipp.  The tag line under the title reads “21 Days of Loving Your Man - on Purpose and with a Plan”.  Well tonight as I was peeking onto Kathi’s website I saw that she has a Blogger - 5 Day Mini Challenge!!  Although this blog is mostly used for business purposes I also use it for my personal thoughts too.  Since I am in the business of loving people I thought this was awesome!!  I want you to have amazing relationships with your spouses…why not give it a try??  You may even win a book from Kathi!!  You can also purchase the book here.  Well, even if you don’t try this mini challenge…I would love your encouragement…I am going to be doing the whole shebang!!  Inbetween some of my client sneak peeks I’ll let you know how it’s going!!  Oh one more thing…this is a SECRET…don’t be telling my hubby if you know him (or yours if you do the mini challenge!) - thankfully he doesn’t look at my blog all that often!!  So, here is a little info on the book and the author…tomorrow I will post the first challenge!!  Hope you are up for it! 

Short description of The Husband Project

Do you feel like your marriage has gone from “I do” to “What did I do?” Recapture the romance that made you and your husband fall in love in the first place. The Husband Project provides 21 days of fun activities to show love and honor to your husband.  Kathi Lipp will help you discover:

* Proven ways to return fun and flirting to your marriage.
* Inner assurance to meet your husband’s unspoken emotional needs.
* Increased confidence when it comes to meeting your husbands sexual needs.
* New levels of warmth and tenderness in your relationship.
* A deeper sense of security with your husband.
* A greater ability to boost your husband’s belief in himself.

Author Bio

Kathi Lipp helps women renovate their life with projects for the soul. She is a national speaker and author who inspires thousands each year to take beneficial action steps in their personal, marital, and spiritual lives. Her wit and wisdom will give you new ways to:

* Avoid settling for less than God’s loving plan for your life.
* Develop new levels of warmth and tenderness with your spouse.
* Return fun and flirting to your marriage.
* Boost your confidence to follow God-given dreams and goals.
* Create an environment of encouragement in your friendships

Kathi is the author of The Husband Project: 21 Days to Loving Your Man on Purpose and with a Plan and The Marriage Project: 21 Days to Reigniting Your Relationship (coming Fall, 2009). In addition, her articles have appeared in Today’s Christian Woman, Bay Area Parent, Focus on the Family, Discipleship Journal, and Christian Parenting Today.

Church leaders and women’s ministry directors rely on Kathi to help women move from living out of obligation to enjoying godly passion. She shares her cheerful humor and biblical insights over 45 times a year at conferences and retreats.

Kathi and her husband, Roger, are parents of four teenagers and live in San Jose, California. They are members of Church on the Hill where Roger is the programming director of the worship arts ministry.

Renovate your life with a project for your soul!

Author Mini Bio

Kathi Lipp is a national speaker and author who inspires women to take beneficial action steps in their personal, marital and spiritual lives. Her wit and wisdom will give you new ways to:

* Avoid settling for less than God’s loving plan for your life.
* Develop new levels of warmth and tenderness with your husband
* Return fun and flirting to your marriage
* Boost your confidence to follow God-given dreams and goals.
* Create and environment of encouragement in your friendships

Life is always full of surprises…like falling in love when you weren’t looking for love.  For Charlene & Curtis that was a pleasant surprise.  A courtship…an engagement…and soon a wedding!!  I met Charlene through a long time family friend who passed my name along.  Charlene has been so gracious & patient as I am just getting this wedding thing going…

They came up to my neck of the woods for a couple of photos for their wedding invitations…I just loved the pretty light coming through as the sun was setting.  Charlene had requested a shot on the railroad tracks to symbolize a new beginning…a new adventure.

I look forward to being there when they say their vows in October…