Baby Cullen

Baby Cullen’s arrival date was said to be August 4, 2012. Friends and family of the expecting parents were invited to baby shower…

We met up at the community center in Buena Vista, GA. The venue was decorated super cute! It was a cute jungle theme. They served lasagna for the meal and I must admit it probably was the tastiest lasagna that I have eaten in a good while. The guest played many games and then gifts were presented and opened. I bet that is gonna be one of the best dressed babes around. Those little outfits were simply adorable.

Welcome to the world Baby Cullen and Congratulations to Timothy and Elizabeth!!!!

Janice & Tony

Janice called me one day after someone referred me to her. We hit it off right off the bat! We friended each other on Facebook were she listed her workplace. One day, I was at the local thrift store and I seen this lady that had a shirt on that had the logo of Janice’s workplace on it and also her name was on it. I introduced myself to her and sure enough it was my client. I still hadn’t met her fiancé at that point either. On another day I was putting gas in my truck and I heard someone holler and it was her.  She hollered at me and also introduced me to her fiancé.

The day of the wedding I got there early to photograph her and the rest of her crew getting the ball rolling for the awesome wedding that was fixin’ to take place. The church was beautiful …REALLY! Simple but elegant.

I photographed Janice getting ready…she is gorgeous to begin with BUT once she got her makeup on and her dress…OMG she was a princess! STUNNING!!!!!!!!!

The wedding went great…the church was packed…so packed that people were actually standing in the back due to all the seats being taken.

After the wedding we took a BIG group photo and then headed to the Josh Gibson Center for the reception. I have photographed quite a few events at this venue. I can honestly say I have never seen this room look as spectacular as it did this day. The colors were gorgeous…chocolate browns and green. 

The food was yummy…the guests ate…they danced and had a good ol’ time.

Janice started out as client but I can say now she is a friend…I am glad that I met her! She has been in my prayers A LOT here lately. About a week after this gorgeous bride and her husband were married, she had a stroke. She spent a good minute in the hospital and went through physical therapy! She lost function of her left side BUT she was able to still talk. I know that she has a long road of recovery in her future…I know she is a strong lady and she will overcome this. Janice I love ya!

Congratulations Janice and Tony…I wish you a long and happy marriage!!!!!!!

Megan

My daughter Megan, lives in New Jersey during the school year. I do not get that many photos of her. I see her cell phone photos she posts on Facebook which is cool BUT I do like my own photos of her.

While she was here for the summer I took her to the Coca Cola Science Center in Columbus Ga. We had a good time. Afterwards, she and I walked over to the railroad tracks not far from there. I needed to take photos of her and this was a cool place. There was gazebo there too, I got a few shots there. I didn’t feel these were really what I was wanting.

I am so not familiar with downtown Columbus…so on the way out from the science center we came upon a cobblestone road in the historic district. I told Megan that we would drive down it and I thought that would be a cool spot to do photos. There was very little traffic (none) on the road, so we go out and I had her sit down in the middle of the road.  the road had islands that divide up each direction of traffic flow. I had my back to where I couldn’t see cars coming up toward us. I told Megan to jump up and let me know if she saw a car approaching. That little brat didn’t and next thing I knew there was a police car right there. The officer politely tells me “you  know you can’t take pictures here!”  I start apologizing and explaining I had no clue since I didn’t live in that town and had never been in that area before….He then got a big grin on his face and started laughing…he told me he was just kidding and he was just trying to have some fun while he worked. I thought I was gonna die…Megan thought it was so flippin’ funny!!!! We got a good laugh about it…our day was full of laughs…her fave was when she was a tow truck that said “Happy Hookers Towing”! I got some cool shots of my beautiful daughter that day!

Megan…I love you to the moon and back! You are an awesome young lady and remind me of me at your age. We may not look a lot alike but you got a lot of my demeanor, artistic ability, and personality! Do not ever let anyone push you into being something you don’t want…if they can’t accept you and your individuality then you don’t need them in your life!

Voice Mail...

To my family, friends, clients, and potential clients…Yes, I know that my mailbox is full…there is a perfectly good reason for that in my head…and it’s the reason I don’t have my number changed to a local Georgia number, too.

I honestly think that having voice mail on my phone is pointless…

I am one of those that really dislike having to leave a voice message on anyone’s phone…so I don’t expect others to leave me a voice message.

My dad passed away a little over 4 years ago…I still have messages in my inbox from him. It’s really nice hearing his voice from time to time.  I only listen to my messages once in a while because I am afraid of accidentally erasing his voice…I listen when I need that pick me up, when I don’t feel loved or I am really missing him!

My favorite message my dad left is "Hey Babydoll...I love you!"

I do know that kinda sounds nutty…but how many people can say they get to listen to an angel in heaven’s voice?? I can…and his voice is a reminder of the good and bad that we shared…his voice is a reminder that through all I have been through...I am still here on Earth accomplishing all that my God has and is throwing my way.

Oh and if I change my number to a local Georgia number I lose my existing voicemail box and I lose my dad’s voice. I am not ready for that …

I know it’s quirky BUT it’s one of my quirks and that makes me who I am.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

Dr. Seuss US author & illustrator (1904 - 1991)

Another Cake by Lisa Marie

My good friend Lisa called me and asked me to photograph another cake. She had made this one for a little girl, named Sophia. Sophia was turning a year old. The theme of this cake was based on the little girl’s room…the same color there was even a window with curtains that had the same print as the little girls curtains<- ---these little curtains had cute little flowers  handpainted on fondont. There was an owl on top, trees and cherry blossoms! It was astonishing!!!!

Lisa works a full time job and has a family too…she finds time in her busy schedule to do these amazing cakes…she is pretty much self taught but the one thing that no one can ever teach is how to put love into the art of it. Seeing Lisa’s cakes you can tell there is A LOT of love in each and every one of them.

Happy First Birthday Sophia!!!

{*Janice and Tony*}

Janice called me one day after someone referred me to her. We hit it off right off the bat! We friended each other on Facebook were she listed her workplace. One day, I was at the local thrift store and I seen this lady that had a shirt on that had the logo of Janice’s workplace on it and also her name was on it. I introduced myself to her and sure enough it was my client. I still hadn’t met her fiancé at that point either. On another day I was putting gas in my truck and I heard someone holler and it was her.  She hollered at me and also introduced me to her fiancé.

The day of the wedding I got there early to photograph her and the rest of her crew getting the ball rolling for the awesome wedding that was fixin’ to take place. The church was beautiful …REALLY! Simple but elegant.

I photographed Janice getting ready…she is gorgeous to begin with BUT once she got her makeup on and her dress…OMG she was a princess! STUNNING!!!!!!!!!

The wedding went great…the church was packed…so packed that people were actually standing in the back due to all the seats being taken.

After the wedding we took a BIG group photo and then headed to the Josh Gibson Center for the reception. I have photographed quite a few events at this venue. I can honestly say I have never seen this room look as spectacular as it did this day. The colors were gorgeous…chocolate browns and green. 

The food was yummy…the guests ate…they danced and had a good ol’ time.

Janice started out as client but I can say now she is a friend…I am glad that I met her! She has been in my prayers A LOT here lately. About a week after this gorgeous bride and her husband were married, she had a stroke. She spent a good minute in the hospital and went through physical therapy! She lost function of her left side BUT she was able to still talk. I know that she has a long road of recovery in her future…I know she is a strong lady and she will overcome this. Janice I love ya!

Congratulations Janice and Tony…I wish you a long and happy marriage!!!!!!!

{{Andria & Corris}}

I met this awesome bride-to-be a few months back…she is such an amazing young woman! I could tell when I met her that she is going places in life. She is such a strong black woman and you don’t see that much in people her age anymore. Besides being strong, intelligent, and gorgeous she exudes love to her friends and family…and you can totally tell that her friends and family absolutely adore her too.

I was asked to photograph a bridal shower that was thrown in her and her fiancé’s honor at a local church in Phenix City, Alabama. Ya’ll know that I am super simple and very country and here in my area I have been to the little country churches…the church this shower was held at was OH-MY-GOSH gorgeous. I have never been in a church as big a beautiful as this one. 

Her family had decorated the fellowship hall with handmade decorations and the simplicity of those decorations made them even more pretty…lots of love went into those decorations.  Her mother made her this stacked cake with fresh strawberries and lots of whipped cream. All the food was delicious.

I ended up with some amazing photos…and the best compliment I received was when they asked me to photograph another shower. The next shower for her was at a salon in Columbus, GA. This was a luau theme and also a little more adult then the last. Everyone was asked to where white…all the ladies in attendance looked awesome. There was a vendor there called “Slumber Parties” which sells adult toys and enhancers. Those ladies had a blast!

I took many photos (portrait type) of these lovely ladies since they were all decked out in their white ensembles. Her and her family asked me to photograph the wedding rehearsal back in July. Again, you can see and feel the love in the room. I took many amazing photos that night. I didn’t get the job as wedding photographer since she had one booked way before she met me. I hated that I missed that wedding…I had another wedding to photograph on the same day as hers.

I chose to do her rehearsal photos a little different than all the others I took. I used a Photoshop filter that gives a little more dramatic feel to those photos. I felt that Andria would be getting photos of her wedding that were gorgeous from her photographer and I didn’t want the same type photos only with the people wearing different outfits. Plus after I looked at her rehearsal photos they seemed like snapshots and were kinda boring. I like telling a story when I photograph an event…those didn’t have that feel. Once I edited them with the filter those photos came to life. I think they came out awesome…Here are some of the photos from both showers and the rehearsal.

I would like to wish Andria June and her now husband Corris a long and happy marriage…CONGRATULATIONS!!