My obsession with all things cute and paper in 2016

I am feeling an obsession about to hit me.  I keep looking at all of the adorable journals and planners available for 2016.  I have no idea if this is my internal desire for spring to come more quickly, or if  I am feeling the need to get organized, or if I just want pretty colorful things to look at.  I have decided the only way I will get out of this without spending a fortune is if I share my favorites on my blog.  Maybe that will help me get it out of my system.  If not, next time you visit me at the studio, you just might find a stack of really cute journal books on my desk!


Kate Spade: $14

This first one is really just a spiral notebook by Kate Spade, but she had me sold with the cover.  I mean right?  I want to look at that quote every day.  I may need to make it my screen saver....

Travel Journal: $7

I found this travel journal on Etsy.  The maker will even personalize it with your name.  Now...I have never had a travel journal and I am not sure what I would do with it, but just the thought of having a "travel journal" just screams fun with a little sophistication.  Right?

 

Mandella Coloring Planner: $13.39

 

When I was home visiting my sister for Christmas, both she and my niece had these really fun adult coloring books.  The entire time we watched TV or just hung out, they colored in their books.  This monthly planner reminds me of their books because you can color the pages in between the months. Someone take my credit card, please!

 

2016 Student Planner: $16.74

Because so many of my clients are high school seniors, I had to share this fun planner designed for students.  I love the colorful fun cover and that the maker will personalize it for you!  You can order it as a journal or as a planner. I just wish I had been that organized in high school or college!

 

  

Life Is Messy Planner Download: $40

Last, but not least (and only last because I have to actually do something other than blog about journals), I LOVE the Life is Messy planner/organizer.  This is actually a download and you put the pages in your own binder.  It is a little bit more expensive, but it has tons of content - and honestly it makes me laugh.  I mean who doesn't want a "mental detox" page?  I may need to get it just for that page!

 

So because an obsession once started never totally goes away, go ahead and feed mine for me.  Comment and tell me your favorite planners and journals.

 

Aimee

 

 

 

 

 

 



Time Out - What I Want High School Seniors To Know

I want to take a time out today from my fashion posts, preparation posts, and all the other posts I do to help senior prepare for their senior pictures. Everything I post about is intended to help you look and feel your best for your senior session.  But, while I want you to look great and have pictures that capture your personality and style and make your friends swoon, there is something more that I want to share.  Maybe it comes from being a mom, maybe it comes from the heart of God; where it comes from doesn't matter.  What matters is that I communicate it to you.

1.  You are beautiful.  Period.  (Ok guys...you are handsome...but I am going to use the word beautiful for simplicity....just change the word in your mind)  It doesn't matter whether you wear a size 0 or a size 18.  It doesn't matter if you have acne.  It doesn't matter if you have blonde hair or black hair.  It doesn't matter if you are tall or short, athletic or not.  None of it matters.  Each one of you are beautiful.  You were made by a Creator who has a plan and a purpose.  You were made to be exactly as you are for a reason.  I know it is hard to see that in ourselves sometimes. And believe me, I know that high school is tough.  But you have to know that everyone around you struggles with the same things.  I can tell you right now that the girl you see surrounded by friends with the "perfect" skin and "perfect" body is just as insecure about herself.  She may not show it, but it is there.  I see it when she comes for her pictures.  And if you are that girl that everyone thinks is "perfect" but you don't feel it about yourself...well let me just tell you that you are truly beautiful. 

It may sound like a cliché that "beauty comes from within" but it is true.  What drives me as a senior photographer is finding that beauty inside of you, pulling it out of you, and displaying it in your senior pictures.  I see it, and I want you to see it too!

2.  You are strong.  You may not think you are strong.  You may feel overwhelmed by the pressures and demands of high school - academic, athletic, and social - but you are strong.  Sometimes we need to take time to asses what is important to us, ground ourselves, and focus on those things.  Your strength is in your character.  No one can take your character away.  No one can choose your character for you.  Stay grounded in your character and find your strength.

3.  You are loved.  I know that sometimes as a teenager (and sometimes as adults) it is easy to feel isolated and unloved.  It is easy to see parents as the enemy and often friends become enemies at times.  It can be such a lonely time when you are in high school.  But here is the thing to remember:  you are loved.  Your parents may not be able to communicate with you in a way that you can understand; and you may feel like your parents don't understand what you are trying to say to them.  However, that is normal and it will change as you both grow older.  Friends will come and go but family is forever. 

More than anything you are loved by God.  How do I know this?  I know because I pray over you and seek God on your behalf, and He puts a love in me for each one of you that come to me for your pictures.  As I work with you and get to know you, I truly find a place of love and care in my heart for each of you.  I love when you invite me to your graduation parties and when you come back to see me when you are home for college breaks.  And if you feel that you are truly alone, come see me and lets talk.  You are never alone.

4.  You have a purpose.  You may not find it for awhile, but you do have one.  Usually we find our purpose when we aren't really looking for it.  Please don't ever think that you aren't making a difference in the world.  You ARE making a difference and you will continue to do so.  Your purpose may diverge to the right or left as you grow older.  Your purpose may look different 10 years from now, but you do have one.  Remember....you were made by a Creator to be exactly who you are - nothing about you was an accident.  Nothing.  No matter what anyone tells you - NOTHING about you is an accident. 

I want to leave you with this thought -
"For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb."  Psalm 139:13

So lets plan the fun and fashion of your senior session, but please never forget:

You are beautiful
You are strong
You are loved
You have a purpose

Aimee

Perfect Peace

A couple of weeks ago, my family traveled to Arkansas where we own a few acres.  The land has been in my husband's family for many generations.  As we drove onto the property, this is the scene that greeted us.  The beauty and stillness on the land captivated me, and I felt an inner stillness that I have needed in the crazy fall season.  As I was working on this image, a scripture just kept coming into my mind.  The Lord is our refuge and He bring the ultimate peace and stillness to refresh our soul. 

So...enjoy my view from that morning.  I pray the peace of the Lord over you.

Aimee

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast; because they put their trust in You."  Isaiah 26:3

September 11 - A Day Forever Etched In My Soul

Every year September 11 comes and goes.  Every year I wonder if someone crazy is going to try to take more innocent lives.  Every year I think about how much our lives have changed since that day - not just with airport security and Homeland Security; but in our personal lives - our thoughts, our emotions, our fears.  I look at my children and think about how they never experienced life before that day.  I think about how they remember September 11 as a day in history, similar to how I think of Kennedy's assassination.  My parents said the world changed that day, but I never understood that.  At least I never understood it until I experienced September 11.  The world changed that day.  My world changed that day.  My kids don't understand that...and I hope they never understand that.  I hope they never have to face such tragedy in their lives.  And yet, they face tragedy every day in that our world has become a different place - much more fear and much more hate.

I am not a person that chooses to live in fear.  I will walk into whatever situation is necessary to stand up for what I believe in or to protect my children.  However, when it comes to my kids, I still fight that fear.  Before September 11, I wouldn't have thought twice about putting my kids on an airplane to visit family.  Now the thought terrifies me.  My 12 year old asked if he could fly to visit my sister next summer.  I smiled and told him that was a great idea.  On the inside though, I fight the fear of "what if".  What if some crazy person tried to take over the plane and he had to deal with that alone.

I know I can't live in that fear.  I choose to put my faith and trust in Christ and know that He has my days in His hands and He has the days of my children in His hands.  As a mortal human being, I continuously must lay that fear down at the feet of the cross.  I am sad that my world has changed this way.  I am sad that crazy people think it is ok to kill innocent lives to make a statement.  I am sad that one day changed the world.  I am thankful such a day continually brings me to a place of vulnerability and knowing that I can't control any day and that ultimately I can only place my hope and trust in Christ.

A few weeks after September 11, 2001 I wrote a letter to my then 18 month old son.  I wanted him to understand my heart and to know my thoughts and feelings from that time.  It was part of a scrapbook page with pictures I had taken on the afternoon of 9/11. For some reason, I feel compelled to share that letter here on my blog.  It is personal.  It is raw to me.  It is vulnerable.  It is life after September 11, 2001.

Aimee

Cows and Cars - An Eventful Day in the Texas Countryside

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  My husband, knowing that I love to take my Jeep out into the country and photograph whatever I see, suggested that he take me driving that morning.  I jumped at the chance - excited to capture some fun new images I can turn into fine art.  Well...after I took a couple of images, I asked him to stop on the side of the road so I could take a picture of a group of cows under a tree.  I didn't realize the gravel road sloped on the edge.  I jumped out, my feet hit the gravel, the gravel went tumbling down the small hill, and my feet went tumbling with it.  I slammed my back ribs into the side rail of the Jeep.  Hmmm....let's just say I couldn't breathe....I couldn't talk...I couldn't think...  My sweet husband suggested that we go on home since I was in so much pain.  But...let it never be said that I am not stubborn.  There were some shots I wanted and there was no way I was going home until I got them.  I think being in shock contributed to my crazy decision...but I pressed forward.  A mile or so away, we found this awesome body shop with the coolest rusty cars out front.  I limped along but got the images I wanted.  Let's just say that by the time the shock wore off, I was home.  My ribs were bruised, and I couldn't hold a camera or lift anything for 2 weeks.  Well...I still think it was worth it...

So....without further adieu - here are some of the images I captured that day. 

These were the images BEFORE the crash of August 8, 2015:  A couple of cows and a really cool tractor next to a silo.
 
 

 

 

This was the image that I jumped out of the car to get and ended up falling down.  Sadly...I don't even like it that much....

 I am so glad that we pressed on in spite of the pain.  I found an old body shop and was able to capture these images!  It was totally worth it to me!!!

 

 

 

I love the image of the car above...but it just reminded me of a cartoon.  So I played a little bit and turned him into a caricature.  Just a little fun...

 So there you have it...I spent my anniversary on pain meds and ice for the rest of the day.  I definitely need to make it up to my husband, but I totally love the images I got that day.

Until next time,
Aimee

International Photographic Competition

This year on August 1,  I went outside my comfort zone entered the International Photographic Competition (IPC) sponsored by the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).  This was my 2^nd year to enter the competition. Truthfully, I have been intimated for years to enter this competition as the best of the best enter and are honored for their photography.  Each photographer is allowed to submit 4 images to the competition. I am inspired every year by the images that are chosen for PPA's General Merit Collection and the Prestigious Loan Book.  The photographers who enter this competition are simply amazing.

Wow...just wow!  I was so blessed that 3 out of 4 or my images were honored by peers and jurors for high-quality photography.  One of my images was accepted into the General Collection; and 2 of my images were accepted into the prestigious Loan Collection My work will be on display Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 10-12, 2016.

 A panel of 45 eminent jurors from across the United States selected the top photographs from 5,190 total submitted entries at Gwinnett Technical College in Georgia. Judged against a standard of excellence, less than 40% of the  images were selected for the General Collection and less than 20% were selected for the esteemed Loan Collection—the best of the best. The Loan Collection images will all be published in the much-anticipated "Loan Collection" book which will be published at the end of 2015.

 The following images were my merited (honored) images:

I am so humbled and honored to have my images hang alongside photographers whose work I have admired for year.  I am so thankful to my family who has supported me more than I deserved.  I am truly blessed!

Aimee

About PPA:
Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is the largest international non-profit association created by professional photographers, for professional photographers. Almost as long-lived as photography itself, PPA has roots that date back to 1869. It assists more than 27,000 members through protection, education and resources for their continued success. See how PPA helps photographers be more at ppa.com.

Bring YOUR Style - Making Senior Portraits All About YOU!

PASSION - we are driven by passion at AimeeLouise Photography!  We have a passion for helping each one of our high school seniors to express their passions.  What does that mean for you?

We meet with each one of our seniors prior to their portrait session.  We want to help you prepare for your session, but more importantly, we want to get to know you personally and find out about your PASSIONS!   Passion looks different in each person.  Some seniors are passionate about sports; some are passionate about their pest; some are passionate about fashion....everyone has a passion.  Ok...we admit...some of our senior guys are just passionate about getting their pictures out of the way to make mom happy....but we digress...

Sometimes our seniors don't recognize their passions because they look different than other seniors.  That is ok...we will talk through it and plan a session that you love...a session that reflects you...and most of all, a session that is an incredible experience you will remember for a lifetime.

Just to get your creative juices flowing....here are some ideas from past senior sessions...

When is the Best Time of Year for Senior Portraits?

When is the best time of year for senior pictures?  Each season of the year offers something unique and beautiful.  The decision comes down to the look that you want for your pictures and your school schedule.  

 

SUMMER

Summer is the ideal time for senior portraits!  The majority of senior girls have their portraits done over the summer before their senior year.

Advantages of summer sessions:

~ Senior tribute pages are due to most schools in October.  This is the page that the parent purchases at the back of the yearbook to honor their child.  If you want your senior pictures to be included on your tribute page, you must have your pictures done in the summer in order to get them in time for school deadlines.

~At SENIORS by AimeeLouise, we include a custom designed senior tribute page with every senior session.  Not all schools will accept a third party design, but for those that do, your page will stand out from among your peers.  We need time to design the pages, and can’t usually accommodate a custom design for an October session. Our Class of 2015 designs are on the blog for you to look at and think about the design you would want!)

~You are out of school in the summer.  This gives so much more flexibility for your session.  We quite often do morning sessions in the summer before the heat of the day.  Morning sessions allow for locations that can’t be used in the evenings which will allow for your session to be unique.

How to choose your senior portrait photographer

So you are now officially a senior (or about to be)!  This is such an exciting time in your life and you want to remember it with amazing senior portraits that stand out – images that reflect you and who you are…and of course images that make you feel fabulous!

The most important step is to choose the right senior photographer for you.  There are many, many options available to you and it can be overwhelming deciding who will give you exactly what you want. 

I want to start by clarifying a common question.  If you live in the North Dallas area, you do have to go to the chosen school photographer for your yearbook photo the summer before your senior year.  However, you do NOT have to purchase any of the images.   You can choose your own photographer to capture your memories.

 

As you begin your search for a senior photographer, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Not your mamma's senior pictures... {McKinney Senior Photography}

When I was in high school, we had one choice for our senior portraits...the school photographer. 

We had three choices of images - the cap and gown, the black velvet drape, and one shirt of your choosing.  Whether or not you wore a dress or pants or shorts didn't matter because they only took a headshot. 

As for location...well....it was the school cafeteria in the summer. 

So this is what I got for a senior picture when I was in school....

Graduation Announcements - We love Custom All The Way.... {McKinney Senior Photographer}

It is coming up on time for graduation for the Class of 2015!  We started the Class of 2015 sessions in June.  It seems almost impossible that it has already been almost a year and time to start designing Graduation Announcements.

At AimeeLouise Photography, we are all about the experience.  We are all about making the senior session all about each particular senior - who they are, what they love, what the think.  We feel that graduation announcements should reflect the same.  When I graduated, our announcements looked something like this...

There is something to be said for the traditional style, but if you want a little personality, and you want to show off your senior images, call us to schedule a design appointment for your graduation announcements.  Here are just a few cards we designed over the last few years...

Glam and Style - Our Most Popular Session! {McKinney Photography}

Our Seniors By AimeeLouise Photography brand has several senior sessions you can choose from.  Our most popular by FAR is our Glam and Style session.  This session is all about giving our seniors the experience of a lifetime - beginning with feeling like America's Next Top Model for a day and ending with amazing imagery to hang on your wall or keep forever in a custom coffee table album.

What makes the Glam and Style session so popular?  We start with a personal consultation in our studio.  I sit down with you and your parent and we plan out your session from start to finish.  I want to get to know YOU - what makes you tick...what do you love...where do you love to shop...what is your style...and most importantly, what are your expectations for your session.  We plan the session at the consultation to ensure that the locations, clothing, and everything else flows together to give you an amazing experience that really captures you. 

The day of your session begins with hair and makeup at our studio with one of our stylists.  Our stylists meet with you beforehand to make sure they are prepared to give you the hair style and the makeup as YOU like it.  For girls that love "glammin' it up" - we can totally do that. 

Protecting Your Memories in a Digital Age {McKinney Senior Photography}

We all do it.  We all use our digital cameras and phones to take pictures of absolutely everything around us and then we allow our images to fall into the digital hole.  We always think that we will take the time to get them off our phone onto our computer, and eventually off of our computer onto a flash drive.  Yet how many of us actually do it, and how often?

So even if you are one of the amazingly organized people who regularly back up your images and get them onto an external storage device, have you ever wondered what would happen if the technology today doesn't exist in 50 years?  Have you wondered how you would access your images then?  I know...I know...I can hear the pontificating even now about how you have it all under control.  BUT...what if you don't?  What if the future holds something you haven't thought of?

Let me give you an example.  When I was in my 20's I purchased every single Disney video when it came out.  After all, Disney said it was going in the vault and might not come out again.  Being the perfect gullible consumer, I believed them and bought every one of them for my children to watch someday. (Ok...I admit, I watched them in the meantime)  Let's set aside the fact that Disney abandoned the concept of the vault; and let's set aside the fact that I had boys and they aren't interested in most of the movies I purchased anyway.  Here is the simple fact - I can't watch them now even if I wanted to.  They were all VHS movies and we don't own a VCR anymore.  I could buy them again in DVD version, sure...but what if those VHS cartridges held my family pictures?  What would I do then?  How would I watch them?

Well, you say, you can take them to a service and have them transferred to DVD.  Yes, I can.  In fact, I did just that with all of my family movies back to the 1950's that were on Super 8 format.  I boxed up hundreds of reels dating from 1950-1986 and took them to a company to transfer for me.  A couple of things occurred in the process.  The first horrifying realization was that it would cost me well over $1,000 to transfer them to DVD.  I bit the bullet and did it and pretended to myself that DVDs will always exist and I won't ever have to pay to transfer the data again.  But then I received the call.  The company called me to let me know that somehow the shipping company had lost 40 of my reels.  A box had opened in transit and they fell out; there was no way to trace them.  40 reels of my family memories were gone - just like that.  I will never get them back.  Never.

While I let that sink in, I encourage you to apply this to all of your family pictures sitting on a computer, or phone, or CD, or flash drive.  There is only one way to protect those memories...and that is to print them.  Yes, it is old fashioned.  Yes it takes up space.  Yes it is a pain.  Yes wall space in our homes is at a premium.  Yes it takes time to put them in an album.  I could go on and on.  Yes to everything I mentioned.  But, in the long run, isn't it worth it? 

How many times do you actually sit down at your computer, put in the flash drive and look at your family pictures you had taken last year?  I bet not often.  And yet, several times a year I will pull out my photo albums or my wedding album and let the memories wash over me.  Looking through those albums brings me back to a place in time I can't ever live again, but I can remember.

Every time I look at my walls and see my children's portraits or my family portraits, I stop to think about the day we took them and what was going on in our family.  When I look at the image of my two boys when they were 5 and 8 with the dog under the tree, my heart fills with laughter and tears at the same time.  Laughter because my then 5 year old INSISTED on tucking in his shirt even though that wasn't the style and it drove me INSANE to take his portraits with his shirt looking that way.  Sadness because the precious dog my boys were walking passed away 3 years ago.  When I look at my family picture taken 5 years ago on the beach, I can't help but think of the vacation we were taking at the time.  I have to laugh at that picture too because the same said child from the dog picture refused to wear the shirt I had brought for him that coordinated with everyone else.  Instead he wore the shirt he wanted to and it is immortalized forever on a canvas on our wall.  (Fortunately the shirt he picked looked ok, just not as good as the one I picked :-))  I remember how the photographer had the boys laughing and goofing around even though 5 minutes before we got out of the car they were fighting.  I wouldn't remember most of that if my images were on a flash drive.  I certainly wouldn't think about it and relive the memories as often as I do passing by them hanging on the wall.

So I just want to leave you with a thought.  How will your kids remember their childhood?  How will you?  Will they have the records you have left behind for them to look at, or will they be stuck in a computer or lost in a shipping warehouse to be forgotten?  Do you need some new family portraits so that you can hang new memories on your wall?  Come and see us.  We will provide you with beautiful fine art images, and we can create a custom album for you to remember all of the little funny details from your session.  Then next year, you can sit down with your kids during the latest Dallas Snowmaggeden and open the album and remember the fun. Sometimes the old way is the best way.

Aimee

Spring Fashion Guides - How to Dress for Senior Pictures {McKinney Senior Photography}

It may not feel like it or look like it, but Spring is just around the corner!  One of the main questions on the mind of every senior girl who walks in our door is "What do I wear?"

In our sit down consultation, I go over every detail from head to toe concerning what to wear and more importantly, what NOT to wear. 

But, until you actually sit down and plan your session with me, here are just a few cute outfit ideas to get you started thinking....

Our senior girls (and guys) know they can always call us with questions or text us pictures of what they are thinking of wearing.  We are always here for our clients!

Aimee

When it's time to die....

It is the season of Lent.  Growing up, I was in a denomination that not only did not practice Lent, it was never even mentioned or acknowledged.  Lent has always been the thing that other people do.  We started attending Hope Fellowship a couple of years ago.  Last year our Pastor spoke about Lent and encouraged us to participate.  I just wasn’t there.  This year, however, I am in a place in my walk with Christ that I have just been compelled to participate.  I have also added a “Devotions for Lent” to my morning quiet time. (It is available from Youversion).  Yesterday, after reading Psalm 51, the devotion was one sentence.  That sentence stopped me in my tracks with the truth and power behind it.  E.M Bounds wrote: “All God’s plans have the mark of the cross on them and all His plans have death to self in them.” 

Why have I never thought about that before?  All of God’s plans have death to self in them.  ALL of His plans!  So we spend time praying God’s will be done, that He will lead us down His paths.  However, when trials come that cause us to change and grow and trust in Him, then we cry out to Him about how difficult it is.  And yet…when we are praying for His will and to walk in His plans, we are essentially asking Him to take us into places that will cause us to stretch and grow.  Why?  Because God’s ultimate goal for us is that we will completely die to ourselves, die to our flesh, die to our wants and desires.  He wants us to die to ourselves so that we will truly live for Him.  That we will trust in Him, that we will walk His way, that we will reflect Christ in everything we say and do.  We can’t do that when we are still relying on ourselves to get through life.

Essentially, when I ask the Lord to have His way, I am asking Him to bring it on – take me through the trials so that I can die to self that He might be glorified.  That is some powerful stuff and it requires much faith and trust in Him. 

The AimeeLouise Photography that exists today was something I never would have thought or imagined.  God has blessed me abundantly.  But with that abundant blessing comes huge responsibility.  Each morning when I arrive at my studio I spend time in prayer and in God’s word.  Each morning I walk through the studio and offices and pray that God will use me and will use my staff, and use this business to glorify Him.  I pray that He will touch each person that walks through our doors.  I ask Him to bless our family of clients and keep them safe.  Above all, I pray that God will have His way here whatever that means, because ultimately I don’t want to spend my time doing anything that doesn’t ultimately glorify Christ.  Essentially, the entire time I have been asking the Lord to bring on whatever He needs to do to cause me to die to self – because that is part of His plan. 

 So the question before me is: now that I know what I am asking, do I continue to pray that God will bring His plans and purposes for AimeeLouise Photography?  Of course my answer is “yes” but now as I pray for Him to do His will in this place, I will now know that I am allowing Him to do whatever He needs to do in ME in order to accomplish His plans.  That is sobering and exciting at the same time.

Years ago my BFF and very wise friend Debbie Gatti (who also owns the best cupcake bakery in the world in the Houston area – Mrs. Gatti’s Gourmet) made a statement to me that has stayed with me always.  She said: “God is interested in your CHARACTER, not in your COMFORT.”  Essentially, God is interested in us dying to self, not having an easy life.

And so I pray: “Lord – may Your will be done in my life and in my business.  I desire that Your plans and purposes will be done with AimeeLouise Photography.  I don’t know where you plan to take my business from here, but wherever it is Lord, I only want to walk the paths that You have for me.  Your blessings only mean something if we are walking down the path that You have chosen for us.  May everything we say and everything we do bring glory to you, Lord.”

 

 

Have a blessed weekend,

Aimee

Learning to Fly! {McKinney Children's Photographer}

Today is Kite Day at my children’s school.  When my youngest son was in kindergarten, he had a 5^th grader assigned to him on Kite Day to help him fly his kite.  I went back and looked at the pictures from that year and I just love the joy on his face as he tries to get his kite in the air.  He was so excited that the 5^th grader had helped him and remembers it to this day.

 

 

Well, today my son is the 5^th grader and he was partnered up with a sweet little preschool girl. (Her mother and I might have manipulated that pairing since we are friends, but I will neither confirm nor deny that possibility)  I can’t help but reflect at how quickly 6 years have gone by.  He is no longer that little boy completely innocent and trusting of everyone.  He is still a boy, but he is different now – his personality has come to the surface and he knows exactly what he wants to do and how to do it. I wish I could have attended kite day today to see him interact with his partner – how he will help her and encourage her and make her laugh – just like his partner did with him 6 years ago.  Thankfully their teachers sent me some images from this morning.

*Photo credits go to Laura Clow and Lana Hamilton

 

So I got to thinking, the 5^th grade boy that helped him is now close to finishing high school.  I know his mom is wondering where the time went as well.  As much as I want to hold on to my children, I know I need to let them go and become the men God has called them to be.  So I guess that Kite Day has shown me a tangible vision of letting our children go – so that like the kites, they can fly!

 

That moment something unexpected stops you in your tracks.... {McKinney Photographer}

One evening last fall as I was leaving the studio to go home for the evening, I was greeted by this amazing sight.  It was as if God painted the sky right before me.  I just happened to have my “real” camera with me as opposed to my iPhone which sadly captures many of my family’s memories.  I had to stop and capture the beauty that was before me. 

I am not one to stop and look at nature.  My poor husband knows this better than anyone.  When we were on our honeymoon in Canada and driving through the mountains he kept “oohing” and “ahhing” over the majesty of our surroundings.  When he noticed I wasn’t doing the same, he asked me about it.  I promise this was my response: “When you have seen one tree, you have seen them all”.  After his stunned silence I realized that I may be needed to rethink that just a little bit.

I still am not someone who is captivated by nature for the sake of nature.  I will never be a landscape photographer.  I can’t think of anything more boring.  I do love to use nature to frame a beautiful portrait – but the end result is still about the person and not nature.  Still, even this immune to natural beauty photographer, was stopped dead in my tracks.  I don’t think I have ever seen a more beautiful sunset before and I know I haven’t since.

I leave you with God’s masterpiece painted just for me that night.  I have not enhanced the colors in any way.  This is how it looked that evening in person.

I leave you with Numbers 6:24-27 to think upon as you look at the splendor of the sky:

²⁴ The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;

²⁵ The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

 

 

Preserving Our Memories In A Digital Age

I am blessed to be the mom of two amazing boys – one, a 13 year old teenager (which is very difficult for me to accept) and one who is at the impressionable age of 10.  On September 11 this year, as we watched the horrifying images from 12 years ago, my kids began to ask questions.  I pulled out my scrapbook where I had carefully recorded my pictures from that day and written a letter to my son, who was at the time only a year old.  In the process, the boys kept turning the pages and looking at pictures of this amazing teenager when he was just a baby.  My 10 year old asked to look at pictures of himself at that age.  I pulled out the book and we started looking, and discovered that the pages stopped suddenly.  With deep disappointment in his eyes, my precious boy asked where the rest of his pictures were.  I came to a stunning revelation.  The rest of his pictures are in folders on my computer; because once I started shooting digitally, I stopped printing pictures.  Why should I print these, I had once thought, when I can always look at them on my computer?

And yet, the truth of the matter is, they are buried in folders and I don’t ever look at them.  I really wouldn’t know where to start.  It made me start to think about what we are doing to ourselves in this digital age.  Everything is “in the cloud” but in truth, a cloud in nothing but a wisp of air.  The wind can blow and it will dissipate.  Isn’t the same true when we keep our memories in digital cyberspace?  A hard drive can fail, a folder can be accidentally deleted, a DVD can break in half.  And, truth be told, what is to say that we will even be able to access the files we have stored in 40 years.  When I was in my 20s, I bought all the Disney movies on VHS before they went in the vault so I could watch my favorite princesses with my darling children.  Setting aside the fact that I had boys who thought princess movies were boring and stupid, by the time my children were born, we didn’t even own a VCR and couldn’t watch the movies even if we wanted to.  Why do we think that our DVDs and USBs and external hard drives won’t meet the same fate someday?

But beyond all of the technical thoughts, what shook me to the core was that because my memories were in folders on my computer, my children were missing a part of their past.  They wanted to connect with who they once were,  but had nothing to refer to.  So, I set out on a task.  I am going through folder by folder and printing all of the images I have saved.  MPIX is going to make a fortune on me over the next few months.  Forget the creative and beautiful scrapbook, I bought a photo album with slip in pockets for my pictures – after all, they are boys and wouldn’t appreciate a creative effort even if I had time to do it.    I spent the weekend looking through these pictures I had printed and putting them in the page pockets.  My greatest joy was hearing the giggles as my 10 year old found a picture of his brother running around naked with a diaper on his head; and my 13 year old laughed at memories long forgotten but brought back to his mind. 

And so my sisters, I encourage you.  Don’t get so caught up in today’s digital cloud that you accidentally neglect to preserve your present and your past.  There is something to be said about remembering the milestones in life and being able to share them tangibly with your family.  Life is too short to be tucked away in cyberspace.  Some things should never become retro – our memories should always be present.

I leave you today with a silly outtake from our family pictures this year.  You can be sure this will be printed and preserved.  I love my precious family and am so glad we can remember this silly day together!

Aimee

 

Text written by Aimee Woolverton, CPP

Image taken by Tamara Starkey

Life Lessons

Today I found something that impacted me deeply...so deeply that I had to share.  It has nothing to do with photography and everything to do with life.  Funny and profound, this made me pause and think how I will go about approaching some of these with my son. I think my date nights with my boys this year will focus on one of these each time. 

You can find the original post here (The Parenthood 101 Facebook page)

TWENTY THINGS A MOM SHOULD TELL HER SON

1.  Play a sport.

 It will teach you how to win honorably, lose gracefully, respect authority,  work with others, manage your time, and stay out of trouble.

 And maybe even throw or catch.

 

2.  You will set the tone for the dating relationship, so don't take something away from her that you can't give back.

 

3.  Use careful aim when you pee.   Somebody's got to clean that up, you know.

 

4. Save money when you're young because you're going to need it someday.

 

5. Allow me to introduce you to the dishwasher, oven, washing machine, iron, vacuum, mop and broom.

 Now please go use them.

 

6. Pray and be a spiritual leader.

 

7. Don't ever be a bully  and don't ever start a fight, but if some idiot clocks you, please defend yourself.

 

8. Your knowledge and education is something that nobody can take away from you.

 

9. Treat women kindly.

 Forever is a long time to live alone and it's even longer to live with somebody who hates your guts.

10. Take pride in your appearance.

 

11. Be strong and tender at the same time.

 

12. A woman can do everything that you can do.

 This includes her having a successful career and you changing diapers at 3 A.M.
 Mutual respect is the key to a good relationship.

 

13. "Yes ma'am" and "yes sir” still go a long way.

 

14. The reason that they're called "private parts” is because they're "private".

 Please do not scratch them in public.

 

15. Peer pressure is a scary thing.

 Be a good leader and others will follow.

 

16. Bringing her flowers for no reason is always a good idea.

 

17. It is better to be kind than to be right.

 

18. A sense of humor goes a long way  in the healing process.

 

19. Please choose your spouse wisely.

 My daughter-in-law will be the gatekeeper for me spending time with you and my grandchildren.

20. Remember to call your mother because I might be missing you.

May 2013 be a year of blessing!
Aimee

Weekly Word

Have you ever been in a situation that you knew would change your life?  You can experience it with another person and they may not be impacted, but for you, you know you will never be the same.  That happened to me this morning and is the basis for the scripture I chose for this week.

I was at the school volunteering in my 1st grader's class.  An announcement came on to lock down the school.  We quickly locked the doors, closed the blinds, got the children on the floor against the wall with their heads down and arms over their heads.  This was NOT a drill.  Even as I type these words I feel the emotion of that moment again.  I looked at my precious, beautiful, and innocent child and wondered what the next moments would bring.  I knew in my head that this was probably nothing, but the nagging thought is still there that it was for some reason.  Word came that the McKinney Police Department ordered the lockdown for safety for something that was going on near the school. 

As we sat there for about 15 minutes in silence, my thoughts were all over the place.  I prayed fervently for safety.  I also discovered something about myself that I had wondered about for years.  We always say we will lay down our lives for our children.  I had always wondered what I would do if put in that situation.  Would the instinct to save my children prevail or self preservation?  I always assumed I would save my children, but what if I didn't.  (I know, I know...it seems stupid but it has been a tormenting thought for years).  Well...now I know.  As I sat there wondering, waiting, and praying, I was also planning how I could angle my body to cover the most children if a gunmen came into the classroom.  There was no hesitation.  My only thought was how to shield the most kids. 

I also struggled with the separation from my older son hunkered down in another classroom.  I could only pray for him that he was not fearful and that God would protect him.

As it turned out, the threat was some kids shooting off air soft guns near the school (they were not kids from our school).  Everyone was safe and class went back to normal.  I did not go back to normal, however.  I am profoundly changed.  I am deeply aware of the thin thread of life. I knew it before, but am reminded again that we are not guaranteed another breath.  I know that God protects me and my family, but I also know that His protection may not take the form that I want it to.  I am thankful that this was "nothing", and I am thankful for the reminder that each day and each breath is a gift from God.  I want to grab my boys and hold on tight and never let go, but I know that is not possible (nor would they let me do it - there is too much to do to hug mom!)  In my heart; however, I will hold them tight.  I will remember that editing photos because a client wants their pictures can wait an hour or two until they go to bed.  I will remember that while the socks in the living room annoy me, at least I have the ones that took off those socks alive and well in the next room.  I will remember that the muddy footprints tracked across my wood floor are signs of life - two little lives that I love and adore and could never live without.
Most of all, I will remember that I have a God in heaven who watches over me and takes care of me.  He is faithful to me even when I am not faithful to Him.  And He enables me to do what He calls me to do, even when I am afraid and have no strength. 

So...the weekly word is Phillipians 4:19.  The broken down fence almost completely consumed by the nature around it reminds me that while it is weak and seems to be failing, it is still holding up and serving it's purpose.  Blessings this week!



Thank you to Myssy Thompson and Julie Kuehn for both sending in this scripture.  Please don't forget to share this with your friends.  The person whose scripture with my picture gets the most comments will get an 8x10 of their weekly word from me. 

Aimee