Mokapo PhotoBlog

My Big Girl!

2012-01-25T11:50:00.002-06:00

That's right, my baby is now a toddler. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, so I do a little of both. Kya is smart, funny and beautiful, and I am one proud mommy!

This was the picture on our Christmas cards this year and I absolutely love it!

We had Kya's first birthday party at the Science Spectrum, and it was so cool. They recently remodeled their kids under 5 area and it is fantastic.

She loved the market and the little roller-coaster...

But our favorite room was the music room :)

Happy Birthday to me, YAY!

So I was worried that she would get cake all over her dress. As it turned out, she got the cake all over me.

Presents!

Great party, mom!

Christmas at our house, complete with morning hair :)

With cousin Reesy...

Christmas goodies, including a xylophone. Sweet!

Kya is walking now, this is her "I'm concentrating" face...

Check out my cool Christmas jeans...and my hilarious expressions, ha!

Playing outside on a sunny afternoon...

Pushing my car around on the driveway is awesome!

I have to say it again, best baby ever!! Thanks for stopping by the blog! K

Lissa & Gil: Married

2011-12-31T10:24:00.002-06:00

One more post before the year is over!

Meet Lissa and Gil. This gorgeous couple got married a few weeks ago in Petersburg, a little-bitty town about 40 minutes from Lubbock. The ceremony was intimate and lovely and, being catholic, quite long :) I love all the rituals and traditions of a catholic wedding!

As always we'll start with the dress.

Dress + Porch = Yummy Picture...

Possibly my favorite shoe picture ever.

Getting ready...

Lissa makes an absolutely beautiful bride, don't you think?

I love first looks :)

Getting the veil on...

Flower girls make me smile.

It's Time!

Opening prayer...

Relaxing during the scripture readings...

Vows + Rings.

Gifts of the arras and a bible from the padrinos and madrinas...

And the traditional lazo, lovely!

Ready for communion...

...and married!

Gotcha ;-)

At the reception...

Newlyweds!

Rings + Details...

First dances...

Gil and mom :)

Bubbles!

Time for cake...

...and toasts!

Flower toss up next!

Gil will now demonstrate the proper way to remove a garter...

Kisses from mommy :)

Happy Family!

Lissa and Gil, thank you so much for sharing your very special wedding with me. I wish you and your little family all the best! K

The Bixler Family

2011-12-09T21:42:00.001-06:00

Otherwise known as my second post in a week, after a 7 month absence. Feast or famine!

So I got this lovely couple and their super handsome and cool dog, Benz, in front of my camera last Sunday. How lucky am I?It was a quick shoot, just enough to get a couple of nice pictures for their Christmas cards. Enjoy!

One of my faves from the day...

Merry Christmas, Pace and Laura! Thnks for choosing me for your holiday pictures! K

A Really Long Blog Post

2011-12-02T18:30:00.001-06:00

As you can plainly see, I am horrible at keeping up with my blog. I can't believe it's been almost 7 months since my last post. The time is just flying by! So I'm going to get you all caught up (mostly) with this, the longest blog post. Ever. Get your scrolling finger warmed up!

We'll start with Kya, 11 months old already! Really? How does that even happen? She's almost walking, she loves music and dancing, she babbles and sings all the time, she's learned how to throw a really good fit, and I don't think we could adore her any more. She's perfect :)

first official photo shoot, by Jessica. Thanks, Jess!

5 months old...we were in Pittsburg meeting Grandma!

now 6...

and 7...

then 8...

9 months...I love these, her personality just shines through...

10...playing peek-a-boo with daddy...

first Halloween...yes I dressed my baby up as a pumpkin and went trick-or-treating!

and 11 months old...I really like mommy's phone!

I'm sure you'll agree that Kya is probably the cutest baby to ever exist on earth. I may be a little biased in my opinion ;)

Next up, two of my favorite shoots from this summer. First meet Ashley and Amanda, sisters, both graduating from Tech. Amazingly enough it took us almost a year for the three of us to have the same day available to get these pictures done! The timing turned out to be pretty good, though, just in time for Mother's Day.

Love this staircase...

Ashley

Amanda

I think it's a rule that you have to take a picture in front of the seal...

Favorite :)

And this is Monica, my sweet sister-in-law. We did these while on vacation in Pittsburg, which has the most fabulous spots for pictures, all within walking distance of her house.

at the little park a block down the street...

purple arbor/gate in front of a neighbor's house? Yes, please!

absolutely love this backdrop of a gorgeous old church! Fave!

And last but certainly not least, my latest wedding. Trista and Brandon got married on 11-11-11 (coolest date ever) at the chapel of First Baptist Church, which is lovely, and had their reception at the beautiful Baker Building. Trista and Brandon are both gorgeous, inside and out, so the combination was perfect. It made narrowing down the pictures for the post really, really hard!

As always, first up, the dress. And the shoes, yummy!

Our beautiful bride had all the women in her life sign the bottom of her shoes so she wouldn't be "standing up there alone"...

The chapel, ready and waiting...

The couple decided to do a first look, which I love! Here's Jessica's (my assistant) view...

and here's mine...

If you're going to do a dip you should always practice beforehand...

We caught these when they thought no one was looking :)

Trista with ring bearer, Bryce, and flower girl, Raya...

Couldn't pass this one up, so sweet...

It's almost time! Getting the veil on...

The guys are waiting...

Moms light the candle...

And here comes the bride!

Love the way Brandon is looking at Trista in this one :)

The pastor addressed the crowd and had them say vows of support, lovely!

Trista, was the pastor telling you to obey your husband? ;)

Time for the rings...

And the unity candle (Jessica, you seriously rocked this shot, I LOVE IT)...

Married!

A quick group shot...

Don't forget to blow out the candle...

Off to the reception!

Seriously, who else do you know that is this cool?

I love this, a tree with thumbprints for the leaves instead of a guestbook. Perfect...

Cake time :)

My favorite shot of the rings...

Toasts from the maid of honor and best man...

First dances...

LOVE this shot of Brandon's parents...

This is what the end of the night looks like...

Unless you're the flower girl, then it looks like this...

11:11pm, time to go!

Brandon and Trista, Best. Wedding. Ever. Thank you so much for sharing your day with me!

Yay, you made it all the way to the end of the post! Thanks for sticking with me. I promise not to wait so long before posting again. Stay tuned for Kya's birthday and Christmas pictures! K

Valeri & Sergio: Married

2011-04-26T19:12:00.003-05:00

So I'm feeling back in the swing of things with my first wedding of the year :)

Meet Valeri and Sergio, a super nice, lovely couple with equally nice and lovely families. Their ceremony took place at St. Lukes Methodist Church here in Lubbock, and the reception was held at a little place called the Merry Mixer just south of town.

We started the day in the usual way - with the details, and everyone getting ready...

here's Valeri :)

I just love flower girls...

Getting things started with a seriously cute ring bearer!

Down the aisle with dad...

I like to catch people praying :)

the ceremony...

Mr & Mrs! (I love this shot)

A few of the group images...

and the beautiful bride.

Then off to the reception, where they were keeping the cupcakes!!

Now I could not resist this little sweetie...

or this set of Sergio and his mother, who by the way had 15 children! Yes you read that right, Sergio is one of FIFTEEN kids. As soon as I found that out I went and hugged her too!

A toast from the best man...

got the traditional reception activities going...

and then the party really got started! (and this picture is just cool)

All my single ladies put your hands up...

Guess who caught the boquet!

Garter toss!

And then Valeri's dad ended off the night with a fireworks show. How awesome is that?? Now I am no expert at photographing fireworks, but I did manage to get one shot of them.

Congratulations Valeri and Sergio!!

I had such a great time with you and your families on your very special day. Thanks so much for allowing me to be there! I wish you many, many years of happiness together! K

Oh, Baby!

2011-04-18T17:23:00.004-05:00

I thought today would be a good day to post a baby update because, incredibly, Kya is 4 months old today. Seriously, how does that even happen? It's just flying by! I'm pretty much over wishing she was still tiny (well mostly...) because she's so much fun now! Smiling (although not for the camera, of course!), laughing, "talking", scooting around, it's amazing to watch her learn and grow so quickly. In the last week she has decided that she can hold her own bottle, and almost sit up by herself. Really?? Who does she think she is?! Oh yeah, the smartest baby. Ever.

Here she is at 12 weeks.

I wasn't sure about this picture at first but the more I look at it the more I love it.

Wow, my arm is pretty much amazing.

Oh, hi mom.

I love my elephant that mimi gave me. Oh wait, I've had enough pictures for today!

And at 3 months...

Chewing on my hands is the most awesome thing ever!

Hmmmm...

LOVE

And today, my four month birthday :)

I can sit up with just a little help from my boppy!

So I think I'll look over here to my left for a minute...

Let the Olympic Drooling begin!

Oh-my-Jesus-seriously-kid, you are killing your mother with the cuteness. Stop it already.

And that's it for now. Stay tuned for another update soon :) K

Chris & Carissa: A Renewal

2011-04-18T13:03:00.003-05:00

You may remember my awesome steppie, Carissa, and her family from some older posts. Sadly we hadn't seen each other in over a year, which is waaaay too long. So when she called up to say that she and Chris would be renewing their vows for their 10th anniversary and would I please come take pictures for them, I was like heck yeah! Can you say road trip? So I packed up the car (and the baby) and headed that way for a great weekend with family. And to top off all of that goodness, Carissa is also expecting their 3rd baby in October. Yay!

Carissa had custom labels put on the wine bottles (and no she didn't drink!), pretty cool, yes? And the shoes...definitely yes!

Dakota and Carissa had a little help dolling up :)

Beautiful dresses for the girls, and the outdoor fireplace was pretty, too.

Dominic and his cousin Hailey provided everyone with a little pre-ceremony entertainment...

Love, love, love the new rings...

Here come Dominic and Dakota...

Dominic started things of with a little welcome speech (he was adorable!)...

Chris and Carissa came down the "aisle" together...

Carissa read her vows from her ipod...

While Chris went with the more traditional scrap of paper :)

And Dakota finished the ceremony up with her own special message.

Here's Dom and Kota on the way out. I swear the boy cracks me up with his sweet funny self every time I see him...

And that was it! The ceremony was short, sweet and beautiful and it fit them perfectly! I'm so happy that I was able to be there, and I'm so proud of Carissa and her gorgeous family!

Love you guys and I hope I don't have to wait another year to see you again! K

Stormy & Co.

2011-03-08T17:17:00.003-06:00

As promised, a few pics from the stuff I was doing way back when before I became a mommy. This is the fabulous Stormy and her three amazing boys, Tristin, Ryan and Kolter. We spent a chilly but sunny morning in the park getting these shots.

Just us boys...

Hangin' out with mom :)

My fave from the day...

Stormy, I'm so glad we took the time to do these! The boys are so big, it seems like just yesterday Tristin was that sweet, smart little baby. It goes by so fast...
Can't wait to see you all again for more, before all of your men are all grown up and gone! K

Kya is Here!!

2011-03-02T19:02:00.007-06:00

Seriously, 4 months without a blog post?? Yes, it really has been that long. Because that's how I roll. Of course having a new baby gives me an excellent excuse, and really, what's better than spending all my time with her? Absolutely nothing!! Well, you ask, are there pictures? Of course!!

Birth Day!

First day home (daddy LOVES me)

6 days old, our good friend Kaci Pope took these two...

I got here on Dec. 18, so of course mommy had to take a Christmas picture to torture me with when I'm 15.

8 days old in a basket :)

1 month old, love love love this one!

7 weeks, yes she grew this much in three weeks, I am amazed. And I miss her being tiny :( This picture does make my heart melt though!

Unbelievably Kya is now 10 weeks old. It has gone by so fast! She is smiling and "talking" now which is incredibly awesome. And she's actually letting us get some sleep which is almost equally awesome. We could not be happier!

Hopefully I will be better able to keep up with the blog now that I am a little more settled into mommyhood. Be ready to see lots of pictures of Kya as she grows!

In other news, I did do a couple of shoots before the baby arrived on the scene so I will be posting some photos from those in the next few days. Thanks for your patience and for checking back in on the blog now and then! See you soon, Karen

Keeping up with the Jones'

2010-10-25T14:49:00.004-05:00

Hello blog! It has been a while since we last visited, I have missed you! I've been busy getting ready for baby girl Porter, she will be here in January (only 10 weeks away!) and we are super excited about her arrival!

I did manage to squeeze in some photography time last weekend to visit the fabulous Jones family. Brenda invited me into her lovely home to take portraits of her family, three sons, two daughter-in-laws, three granddaughters and one husband :) Now groups are challenging for me so I was a little nervous about this shoot but overall I am pleased with the results. Enjoy!

The family on the patio...

Mom, dad and the boys, love this one...

the granddaughters, with some yummy film grain added, I like the look...

and my favorite from the day!

Thank you so much Brenda! Your family is beautiful and I truly enjoyed meeting all of you :) K

Busy With Babies

2010-06-26T13:36:00.004-05:00

As some of you may know I am lucky enough to get to photograph the newborns at our local hospital every day, which is awesome. But when someone calls me to take pictures of their baby privately, well that's even better than awesome :)

Here's a little peek of two babies that I photographed this month.

This is Blake...

And this is Skylynn...

Stay tuned as I will be photographing these two again as they get bigger! And speaking of babies, we are expecting our own bundle of joy in early January. I hope you don't get tired of seeing pictures of our little peanut :) K

Clint and Jennifer...Married

2010-05-16T14:27:00.003-05:00

You may remember Clint and Jennifer from their engagement session last November. Well the big day finally arrived and this fabulous couple made it official. I was both honored and thrilled to capture their special day :)

They held the ceremony and reception at the beautiful Historic Baker Building downtown, both the building and the details were lovely!

Jennifer and her daughter, McKenna, wore theses gorgeous matching dresses...and the shoes, oh yes, me too!

Finishing touches...

Seriously Jennifer...Raawwwwrr!

We got some group stuff out of the way early, here's one of the girls...

and one of the guys.

Could the flower girl and ring bearer be any cuter?

There's something really nice about the way these two look at each other, don't you think?

Clint and Jennifer included McKenna in their wedding vows. It was so sweet and totally had everyone crying, no fair you guys!

You crack me up, Jennifer :)

We stepped outside to get a few "newlywed" shots!

The cake made a perfect backdrop for the rings...

Jennifer got a lot of hugs, but these two from her dad and nephew, James, were special.

Clint's mom blowing bubbles at McKenna :)

The big exit...

Love, love, love this picture in the limo!

Clint and Jennifer, Thank you so much for sharing your special, beautiful, fabulous wedding day with me. I love being your photographer!! Enjoy your honeymoon in Cozumel :) K

Kevin + Jennifer + Noah = Fabulous Family

2010-05-04T20:48:00.004-05:00

I've been waiting to get my camera in front of this family for what seems like forever. We finally made it happen last Sunday and I couldn't be happier about it. Well worth the wait! We started off in the studio...

This is what happens when you tell Noah to say cheese...

Love this one :)

Hey mom & dad!

Noah likes a good book...or to play peek-a-boo, I'm not sure which is better.

Are you kidding me? I am dying from all the cuteness!

One with just dad...

Then off to the park and one with mom...

Ok I'll check out the flowers but then I get to play in the dirt, deal?

There's that awesome cheese again!

Jennifer, thank you so much for bringing your beautiful family over for picture day! See you again soon :) K

Caleb is 8

2010-04-04T12:35:00.005-05:00

Wow, a whole year has gone by since I last got to photograph one of my favorite little boys! Caleb and I spent a couple of hours together yesterday doing some studio pictures and playing at the park. We talked about school, his family, and girls (eewwwww, girls! gross!) and snakes, lizards, cars and legos. You know, boy stuff. I was a lot of fun!

Caleb is just a little bit of a ham...

and has a great laugh!

How do you climb an enormous rock in flip-flops? Very carefully!!

Life is good at the top :)

Love this...

Happy birthday, Caleb! Have fun being eight!! K

The Doctor Is In

2010-02-28T17:46:00.003-06:00

Nabeel came over on Saturday to get some profile pictures made. I could tell he was not too thrilled about getting his picture taken (what guy is?) but after he got warmed up he made an excellent model. Later his very sweet, very tiny mom confided in me that she was trying to get him married off so she could have some grandbabies. (Nabeel's mom, you are adorable!) So here he is, a handsome doctor with with a great smile, a friendly personality and to top it off, legible hand-writing! Ladies???

Thanks Nabeel! It was a pleasure meeting you, and if I ever need someone to scan my brain I know who to call ;) K

Zaviah

2010-02-13T19:14:00.003-06:00

You may remember Zaviah (a.k.a. Pretty Kitty) as the winner of my Halloween costume contest. I must say she is just as pretty in her polka-dot dress!

Love this one...

Seriously, do they come any cuter?

My fave from the shoot...

Thanks Emerias for bringing Zaviah over for picture day! I hope to see you both again very soon. Karen

Meggan: Shallowater Senior

2010-02-09T20:31:00.004-06:00

Meet Meggan. I had the absolute pleasure of visiting her home last Saturday to do her senior portraits. Meggan and her family have a beautiful home outside of Shallowater with plenty of cool spots for pictures, a couple of dogs, interesting farm equipment and even some goats. We had a fabulous time and got some great shots!

I'm not sure what this thing is called but it makes a cool backdrop...

Two things every girl needs...an Ipod...

and a trusted best friend, in this case Daisy :)

Meggan loves flowers and will be going on to floral design school after graduation. Sweet.

Raaawwwwrrr...

I have the best job in the world and people like Meggan make it all that much better. Meggan, thank you so much for inviting me into your home and for trusting me with photographs of this important event in your life. Your future lies at your feet and I wish you all the best! Karen

Sweet Dreams

2010-01-16T10:25:00.003-06:00

I just could not resist snapping a few pictures of my nephew James last night, because really, what's cuter than a sleeping baby?

Sweet dreams, James!

Our Christmas

2010-01-05T17:13:00.002-06:00

We were blessed with a white Christmas this year along with family, friends and a lot of presents!

The snow and icicles were beautiful :)

Aryana will now demonstrate how to make a snow angel...

Christmas morning, you'll notice there are no pictures of the adults...it was
very early...

First pictures with my yummy new lens...thank you Santa a.k.a. my awesome hubby Mont!

My youngest steppie, Aubrey, just moved back from Washington. I was so happy to have her here for the holidays, and to see her two beautiful boys, Jerod & Evan.

I think Evan may have found the Hershey's Kisses...

On Saturday we had an impromtu photo session with my husband's brother and his family, I'm sure you'll recognize my neices as I get them in front of my camera as often as possible.

Aryana is getting so big!

Sisters :)

Seriously, I am thinking about locking Alysity in the closet until she's about 30...

Love this one of Ary & Amanda.

I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours and I wish you a very, very happy 2010full of joy and prosperity, laughter and love. See you soon!! Karen

Clint & Jennifer, Engaged

2009-11-20T10:03:00.006-06:00

He had it all perfectly planned out.

Secretly fly home to ask Jennifer's dad for permission to marry her...check.

Order the ring...check.

Dinner reservations at an awesome restaurant...check.

Book the room at a fabulous hotel...check.

So Jennifer arrives in Denver (where Clint was living at the time). They check into the hotel and head off to dinner. And Jennifer is thinking "this is it, he's going to pop the question!" She waits, and waits...and then... PSYCHE! No ring, no proposal! So she's thinking ok, maybe he's NOT going to ask me. As it turns out the ring was late. But happily it arrived the next day and Clint was able to seal the deal, after a very relaxing couples massage at the spa. Jennifer, you are one lucky girl! And Clint, I have to say you're lucky too!

Clint, who is now living in Utah, came into town last weekend so we were able to get together for an engagement shoot at Tech. Here are a few of my faves from the day.

We started off the shoot with their super-cute daughter, McKenna.

Jenn's mom whisked McKenna away for some grandma time. Couple time for us!

I kinda love this wall...

This is Jenn's favorite tree :)

Yummy light!

Clint & Jennifer, your engagement session was so much fun! I really enjoyed hanging out with you and hearing your funny stories. You guys are awesome and I can't wait to photograph your wedding in May! K :)

P.S. Jennifer & Clint tell their story in a beautiful way so if you've got a minute pop over to their wedding web site here, and get to know them a little better.

Halloween!

2009-11-01T12:31:00.004-06:00

***Update! Our winner is #7, Pretty Kitty. Congratulations!!***

Warning!! This blog post is full of extreme costume cuteness! Enter at your own risk!!

Yesterday I hosted a costume contest for all of the trick-or-treaters in the neighbourhood. The turn-out was good and the costumes were awesome! Here are the top ten...PLEASE VOTE for your favorite by leaving a comment at the bottom of the post. The winner gets a free family photo shoot.

Ok here we go...

1. Wife of Dracula

2. Football Star

3. Well aren't you a cute Little Devil!

4. Pirate with Personality, aaarrrgh!

5. Somehow this Jailbird escaped from monster prison...

6. Uh,oh...the Grim Reaper!

7. Aaawww, Pretty Kitty...

8. A Very Scary Vampire!

9. A real live Stormtrooper!

10. Woodland Fairy

Thanks for voting! I will announce the winner next Sunday :)

Hope you all had a safe, fun, wonderful, scary Halloween!!

6 Photogs + 4 Models = Awesome Group Shoot

2009-10-13T12:24:00.003-05:00

I participated in a group shoot Sunday in Slaton, hosted by Kent Sparkman. It was a great opportunity to try some new things, play off of some great photographers (and play with their equipment!) get some gorgeous people in front of my camera, and basically have a fabulous time, which is exactly what we did! SO MUCH FUN! And everybody got some great shots. Here's a big shoutout to our hot models who braved the freezing weather and were willing to do pretty much anything we told them to! You guys rock! Here are some of my favorites from the day.

Morgan...

I love how her scarf just sets these off...

Meagan...

love everything about this one...

Monique...

and this is the best use of an old green bathtub ever...

Pierre...

hello handsome...

Meagan and Pierre posed as a couple for us...aka the Jon and Kate shoot ;)

love the attitude in this one...

and that nose wrinkle...priceless!

Thank you so much Kent for hosting the shoot and for letting us rearrange your basement and play with all your lights, and for the hot chocolate, too! Can't wait to do it again!!

Lauren is Two

2009-09-18T17:23:00.004-05:00

I spent yesterday morning chasing this little princess around the studio and the park, and wondering where two year olds get so much energy! Lauren is my good friend Andrea's baby girl and she is just precious. I've been photographing her since she was born and it's been so much fun (and exhausting!) for me and her mom. Here's a few of my faves from the shoot.

Lauren is quite the dancer, I'm pretty sure she gets that from her mommy ;)

Thanks Lauren & Andrea!

Kat and Bruce...Married

2009-08-31T11:07:00.004-05:00

First let me say that August has been a crazy month for me! Two weddings, a birthday bash and two weeks of family reunion/vacation = not much time for blogging. Sorry about the lack of posts!

Kat and Bruce's wedding was my first catholic ceremony and it was a little different than what I'm used to! I found all the ritual involved to be quite beautiful, and the small chapel at St. Elizabeth's was just lovely with it's tall stained glass windows letting in all that yummy light.

Kat's dress was simple and elegant, and complimented perfectly by her red cowboy boots!

Opening a gift from Bruce... (it was a lovely pair of diamond earrings)

Kats dad was quite a character, love this shot of him getting his boutonniere pinned on...

All set, taking a quick break with one of the flower girls...

Down the aisle...

exchanging vows...

mass...

the flower girls had their boots on too!

the rings...

communion...

the blessing...

and the kiss!

A few of the group shots...

a BIG family shot!

love this silhouette of Bruce and Kat leaving the church, that's Bruces truck in the background :)

The reception was held at the ultra cool McPherson Cellars. If your looking for a reception venue check them out, they are awesome!

Kat is not a big fan of cake, so they had cupcakes instead.

So everyone did this big dance called the grand march, which I had never seen before. It was a blast! Kind of like a conga line, the cotton-eyed joe and a cake-walk all rolled in to one. Next time I'm participating!

The official first dance...

and, of course, a shot of the rings...

happy couple!

Bruce and Kat, thank you so much for letting me share in your wonderful wedding day. I had a blast! Enjoy your trips to Ruidoso and Italy next year! I wish you all the best :) K

Jessica and Jared...Married

2009-08-08T19:42:00.006-05:00

Jared and Jessica were married last Saturday in a lovely ceremony at First United Methodist Church in Littlefield.
Jessica looked beautiful and it was wonderful to see the closeness between her and her family and friends. They adore her! And Jared, you are one lucky guy!

The dress and flowers were gorgeous...

Getting ready with some help from mom...

Pretty bridesmaids, stunning bride...

And while the girls were doing all that...

Jared and mom...

A visit from grandma & grandpa, and a quick prayer with the girls...

Down the aisle!

A traditional ceremony...

Off to the reception at the gorgeous Spirit Ranch!

A few moments alone...

First dance (to I've Got the World on a String, love it!)

Pretty cake (and delicious, too!)

Flower toss!

Showered with rose petals on the way out...

Jessica and Jared, thank you so much for including me in your beautiful, wonderful, extra special day. I truly enjoyed spending the day with you and your families and friends, and I wish you a bright future filled with joy, laughter and love! K

A Names

2009-07-31T10:56:00.004-05:00

Check out this beautiful bunch that I was lucky enough to point my camera at yesterday. All of their names start with an A - I don't know how their mom keeps them straight!

Anthony, Aalisity, Aalizae & Alliah...

Just for fun, a totem pole!

And my favorite of the bunch...

Thanks for bringing your kids over for picture day, Adriana! Oh my gosh, another A name :)

Arian

2009-07-19T12:35:00.006-05:00

Meet Arian. This beautiful gal will be graduating from Tech next month with her BS in Human Developement and Family Studies. She'll be going on to get her Masters in Dallas soon, but we're lucky to have her with us here in Lubbock for a little while longer. Arian lights up a room with her gorgeous smile and sweet personality and she's always ready to laugh, but I have to tell you folks that she is a little bit directionally challenged. I think we can overlook this one little flaw, don't you?

First stop, Texas Tech...

If only Arian was wearing jeans, I so would have had her climb up on the horse!

Off to the park...

Then back to the studio...

Graduation attire :)

Love these two...

Sweet smile...

Thanks for spending your Saturday evening with me Arian!

Fabulous Fourth

2009-07-07T10:05:00.003-05:00

Here's a few snapshots from our 4th of July weekend, spent with family and friends. We are blessed with the best of both!

My steppie, Carissa, and her family enjoying the pool...

Chris staying cool...

Dominic getting some swimming lessons...

Kota bear :)

My awesome hubby, Mont...

The Fourth is also Doug and Andrea's wedding anniversary, Happy 10th!!

Lauren - not. spoiled. at. all.

Serious boy stuff going on...

Can you say DIVA?

Caleb is serious about his watermelon!

It's wonderful to have great friends, a fabulous husband, a loving family, and to live in this great country of ours. I am a lucky gal! Hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July!

Baby James

2009-07-01T09:24:00.002-05:00

I don't get to shoot babies very often, so I was really happy to snap a few pictures of this scrumptious little one a few days ago. James Harley (what a cool name!) is so sweet and good-natured, he had a big smile on his face the whole time, and he's very photogenic to boot! Thanks for letting me take your picture James!

Alysity & Aryana

2009-06-29T14:18:00.003-05:00

I hope you are not tired of seeing my two fabulous nieces because I am definitely not tired of taking their pictures! They were here last week for their yearly summer break trip to Aunt Karen's. Movies, swimming everyday, the gameroom, the mall and lots of friends over... yes, Aunt Karen is tired (and much tanner than a week ago!) but I wouldn't trade spending a week with them for anything in the world!

They love picture day!

Don't let this picture fool you, Aryana is a fireball!

Gorgeous Alysity!

This one totally shows off Ary's personality, love it!

I miss you already, girls! My turn to come visit you soon!

Joseph and Angel...Married

2009-06-10T10:45:00.005-05:00

Joseph and Angel met through mutual friends and knew right away that they were meant to be together. They made it official last Saturday at a lovely and sweet ceremony and I was honored to be a part of it.

The ceremony was held at the Little Chapel of Brookhollow which is tucked away in Ransom Canyon, and has the sweetest little details all around...

I just love this set of Angel with her parents out on the balcony before the ceremony...

one of my faves from the day...

mom and dad stealing a kiss :)

Both of Angel's parents walked her down the aisle, so sweet, and I love the way Angel is looking at Joseph...

the bride and groom were all smiles!

They performed the Celtic cord tying ritual which symbolizes two lives being bound together, beautiful...

and then the kiss!

I know the focus is soft in this one but I love the happy looks on their faces :)

My favorite of the group shots...

and a few of the happy couple alone...

by special request, Joseph's awesome shoes (straight out of an old Chicago gangster movie, right?)

and a silouette shot in front of the window.

Then off to the reception, where we grabbed this cool shot of the rings...

first dance, love the way Joseph is looking at his new bride...

Angel's dad welcomed Joseph to the family with a funny story and a tear or two...

and then, fire up the karaoke machine! Here's Joseph singing "I Will Always Love You" to Angel, so sweet...

and at the end of the day, you know girls just wanna have fun!

Thank you so much for sharing your special day with me, Angel and Joseph! I truly enjoyed spending the day with you and I wish you a future full of love, laughter, blessings and happiness. K :)

Where's Andrea?

2009-06-03T16:18:00.003-05:00

You may remember the post I put up a while back of Caleb's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. Well I sent the pictures over to his mom, my BFF Andrea, and she was like "yeah, why am I never in any of the pictures you take of my kids?" and I was all "because you're always busy running around making sure everyone's happy and y'know, hostessing and stuff."
So I'll be sure to include you in some pictures at the next bash you throw, Andrea!

And meanwhile here's a few regular ol' in the backyard on the swingset pictures we made the other day for Andrea's FB page. And I did make sure to get Andrea in them ;)

And one of Caleb 'cause he's just so darn cute :)

In other news we did a bunch of work to our pool this year, replaced the pump and filter, scrubbed and treated it, and gave it a fresh coat of paint. We did all of the work ourselves (phew!) and it is officially open for the summer, yay! So here I am testing out the first few inches of water as we filled it up, brrrr, chilly!

Who wants to come swim?

Angel Getting Married (soon!)

2009-05-25T11:08:00.002-05:00

Angel and I got together to do a bridal session last weekend. She will be marrying Joseph on June 6th and I am really looking forward to capturing their wedding day in pictures.

First stop, the studio...

Then the arboretum, which you know is one of my favorite spots...

From there we headed to the Veteran's Memorial on 82nd St. The architecture company that Angel works for designed this site so it is special to her, and it turned out to be a great place for some photos.

Angel, thanks for spending your Saturday with me! It was lovely to meet your sister, Kirsten, and I'm glad she was able to come along and help out with all that veil :) See you in June! Karen

Chelsea and Jeremy

2009-05-21T12:25:00.004-05:00

Chelsea and Jeremy met and dated all through high school in the (very) small town of Denver City. They made it official last Friday at Yoakum County Park and the ceremony was sweet and beautiful... and wet. That's right folks, it poured rain, then sprinkled, then poured rain again for about two hours. About the time everyone started thinking they should move things inside the rain slowed down enough to go ahead with the ceremony. We all ran outside and watched as the bridal party rushed through the procession and Jeremy and Chelsea rushed through the I Do's for fear that it would start pouring again, and the whole thing was over just in time for... perfect weather. Yes, not a drop of rain and just enough cloud cover to keep things cool. And that's why we love West Texas.

The dress, and of course, I gotta get a shot of the shoes...

Getting ready with a little help from mom (and check out the fabulous detail on the back of the dress, love it!)

Looking gorgeous...

One of the guys and one of the gals...

One with mom...

And a kiss from dad.

Cute flower girls :)

A quick blessing...

the rings...

the kiss...

Married!!

Got the bride and groom alone for a couple of shots afterward...

This old piano was hiding in the corner of the clubhouse so I thought I'd put it to good use...

Ready for cake!

Love this cake topper :)

Sign your life away, Jeremy! I just love Chelsea's expression in the shot on the left...

Jeremy had everyone cracking up over the garter...

And last but not least, the first dance.

Chelsea and Jeremy, thank you so much for trusting me with your extra special day! I truly enjoyed every minute spent with you and your families. Everyone made me feel right at home and a part of everything, and the barbeque wasn't bad either!
Chelsea, you are a beautiful girl and I hope your handsome and funny husband keeps you laughing throughout the rest of your lives together. I wish you both the very best future ever! K:)

Devnie at 15

2009-04-18T11:46:00.008-05:00

Who doesn't love a good quinceanera? Well this was my first one and let me tell you, I had no idea what I was in for! Devnie is a beautiful girl and obviously very loved, she had fourteen padrinos and ten sponsers, not to mention her parents, grandparents and about 100 friends and other family members, all doting on her for this very special day. The ceremony was lovely and the party afterwards, wow, great fun! I was honored to be a part of it all. Thanks Devnie and mom, Marisa!

First stop, the hair salon...

Getting pretty...

From a little girl to a young lady...

The smallest padrino...

An arch of roses...

A blessing from the pastor...

Lots of gifts and lots of hugs...

After about 8000 group pictures I'm sure Devnie had cramps in her cheeks!

Then off to the party in a big limo...

Details, details...

Time to switch shoes with some help from dad...

Devnie and friends did a big group dance in their matching shirts...

Some cake and a toast and then (phew!) off to bed!

Goodnight, grown up Devnie! Maybe I'll see you at your wedding in a few, no make that several, years! Thanks for including me in your big day, I wish you all the best in the future.

Caleb is 7

2009-03-30T16:39:00.004-05:00

My girl Andrea had a rockin' birthday party for her son, Caleb, this weekend at (where else?) Chuck E. Cheese. I went and hung out for a little while to have some pizza and birthday cake, take a few pictures and celebrate!

I think maybe Caleb is into Star Wars (totally encouraged by his dad!)...

All of Caleb's friends turned out to do the Chuck E. Cheese - yell happy birthday as loud as you can - dance...

Happy Birthday To You!!

With a best friend to help you open presents while Dad and Grandma stand by, 7 is good.

They grow up so fast! Happy Birthday, Caleb!

Shawnnita Marie

2009-03-16T19:01:00.008-05:00

Meet Shawnnita. This gorgeous gal will be graduating from Texas Tech in May so we got together Sunday to do some graduation pictures. When it's all said and done Shawnnita will have a degree in psychology and a minor in forensic science, all in 4 years while holding down a full time job. Go on with your bad self, girl!

We had to include her spunky little dog, Baby...

love the colors in this one...

And of course, the cap and gown shot!

Watch out world! Shawnnita is ready to tear it up!

Ups and Downs

2009-03-09T16:42:00.007-05:00

I'm so bummed! Linda and Sheldon had something come up and had to reschedule their photo shoot. I was really looking forward to shooting them and their cool motorcycles yesterday AND the weather was perfect! We'll catch up with them next month.

So to make myself feel better I thought I'd post some pictures from a family shoot I did last summer. My awesome steppie and her family came all the way from Dallas to let me do their family pictures for the year. Carissa is a nurse down in Garland, she's smart, beautiful, sweet, and a great mom. I'm so proud of her! She has two wonderful kids, Dakota & Dominic (don't tell anyone I'm a grandma!) and a super cool husband, too, Chris.

First we went over to the arboretum for some fun shots...

Then into the studio for some nice portraits.

Oh, that face!

Love you guys, see you soon!

Two Nights in a Row

2009-03-07T14:14:00.012-06:00

So we had two Scion Events in a row this week and I must say, although they are really fun, I am exhausted (and definitely not 21 anymore :))!

The first one on Thursday was at the Daquiri Lounge/Beer Garden.

We showed off some motorcycles courtesy of Family Power Sports...

The Coors Light girls were happy to help out...

It never hurts to have a few Rock Stars around...

Hayden Bershard & the West Texas Wind rocked out the Beer Garden...

Then it was on to Klusoz on Friday.

This group was having an awesome time (and totally cracking me up!)...

Best dancers of the night/couple having the most fun (I just love this picture)...

No night out is complete without the cupid shuffle...

Wendy and the girls from ULofts were out and looking fierce...

And here's my hubby posing with Sara Jean Underwood, bunny on tour.

In other news I am totally stoked to photograph Sheldon and Linda tomorrow in a just because session, just because they are so fabulous. Get ready to see some Harleys and leather. Can't wait!

Dogs from A to Z

2009-02-23T19:26:00.007-06:00

Say hello to my two favorite animals...

this is the completely neurotic Angel...

and this is our giant bundle of love known as Zeke.

We inherited Angel from my mom, who rescued her from the pound, so we have no idea what kind of dog she is. But she is very sweet and very needy and extremely loveable (and did I mention neurotic?).

Zeke is possibly the friendliest dog in the world, and he loves to pose for the camera, as long as there's a treat involved!

Life is better with furry family members!

This Week

2009-02-20T12:08:00.006-06:00

I know, I know, a whole week since I've posted anything! Not that I've been all that busy, but we have had a few things going on. We bought a new (old) truck from my good friend Andrea. She was sad to see it go but hey, we are keeping it in the family, right? We also had the pleasure (ha ha) of replacing our hot water heater which was slowly dying, and slowly making a nice puddle on the closet floor. Long hot showers are back, thank God!

In other news, Mont and Kyle hosted a Scion Event at the Mainstreet Bar last Saturday, so I went with them and took some photos for the Scion Life web site. The turn out was great and everybody had a super time!

Scion Events happen once a month or so, and I'll be covering them on a regular basis, so stay tuned, more to come. See you next time!

Mmmmm, Chocolate...

2009-02-13T21:35:00.003-06:00

Is there anything better than Dove Dark Chocolate and fresh red roses? Well nothing comes to mind at the moment. I just love it when my sweet husband shows up with these. And sometimes he even does it when it's NOT Valentine's Day. I am a lucky girl...

Love is in the air...

2009-02-12T16:22:00.004-06:00

Of all the things I love to capture with my camera my favorite is...love. There's just something so nice about the way two people in love look at each other.

On that note I wanted to remind all of my readers that I am having a Valentine's Day special, $25 off your session fee and a $25 product credit, good for the whole month of February.

Happy Valentine's Day Every One!

Elvis at the Office

2009-02-10T11:18:00.005-06:00

I made it out last Saturday to see Elvis T. Busboy and the Blues Butchers at The Office. Sadly I had to leave my husband home as he was not feeling well :( so I didn't stay out too long, but I did manage to snap a few pictures of one of my all time favourite bands. Elvis and the gang will be back in May and they are super talented and monumentally fun to watch so get out of the house and go see them.

You can check out their schedule at http://www.elvistbusboy.com/

Superbowl Sunday

2009-02-04T12:28:00.004-06:00

At our house, we love football! This year was especially fun for us as my husband, Mont, grew up in Pittsburg and is a die hard Steelers fan. So a swingin' get-together was absolutely the right thing to do! What's better than friends, football and (really sinful) party food?

We had all the necessary gear, we even found Pittsburg paper plates!

Mont checking the stats and getting ready for the kickoff...

Our smallest guest was a Broncos fan!

Caleb is ready to party after a peanut butter sandwich...

And, wow! what a great game!
The guests were split, half Cardinals, half Steelers, so the room was pretty lively all afternoon! We really had a lot of fun and enjoyed every one's company.

I was very happy that my good friend Catherine, and her guy, John Sprott, were able to attend.

They were looking sharp in their matching Cowboy's hoodies...

By the way, John is one of our (incredibly talented) local Lubbock musicians. If you've never seen him play, do yourself a favor, drop whatever you're doing, find out where he's performing next, and GO SEE HIM. You will not be disappointed!

And...Yay, Steelers!!

Thanks to every one who came by and spent their Sunday with us!

We can't wait till the next Superbowl!!

Chris and Jessica...Married!

2009-01-31T10:37:00.008-06:00

Here's a little peek of a wedding I shot last month. Chris and Jessica are both very sweet and extremely funny and I was honored to be a part of their special day.

Jessica's dress was handmade with love by her mom...

the girls got pampered at the make-up counter at Dillard's...

While the guys goofed off...I mean, got ready, at the venue...

add an adorable flower girl and make some last minute adjustments...

throw in some lovely details...

the vows...

the rings...

and the kiss...married!!

Chris and Jessica, thank you so much for allowing me to document your beautiful (and really fun!) wedding day! And by the way, Jessica, you totally ROCK the pink hair!!

Christina and Donovan

2009-01-29T10:21:00.006-06:00

Got a visit a few days ago from my good friend Christina who just moved back to town from Colorado. (Ahhhh, Colorado...home of my childhood, mountains, Garden of the Gods, beautiful weather, I do miss it there!) As we caught up on each others lives I was thinking about how great it is to reconnect with a friend that you haven't seen in a long time, and to be able to pick up right where you left off, as if you had seen each other only a few days ago. That is a good feeling. Christina brought along a new addition to her family, her baby boy Donovan, who is super cute, and at the time was also super tired! I couldn't help snapping a few pictures of him just for fun...

See you soon, Christina, we'll do lunch :)

Alysity & Aryana ... Sisters

2009-01-28T13:41:00.001-06:00

So my birthday present this year was (among other things) to spend the weekend with my two beautiful nieces and of course, we had to do some pictures while they were here...

They look so cute in their basketball uniforms...

Aryana loves her new boots...

Alysity, b-ball star or supermodel? I can't decide...

Love you girls, thanks for making my birthday a great one!