The newest member of our family: Clover is a black & tan shorthaired miniature dachshund. We brought her home the day before Thanksgiving. She was under 3 pounds, and slept most of the time the first few days. She’s come a long way in almost 6 weeks. She’s a few pounds heavier and her body is a lot longer. She’s more independent and loves to go outside and pick a stick to bring inside to chew to bits! She is a great snuggler, and tries our older doxy Stella’s patience with all of her puppy energy and tendency to tackle:) She’s added a lot of spunk to our life, that’s for sure!

Well, our Christmas decorations are stored and the presents put away for the most part. We had a wonderful Christmas with our family. A group of my girlfriends got together this week to catch up. Someone brought up that each year it doesn’t really feel like Christmas. That magic we all remember as kids just isn’t there like it used to be. Its easy for me to get caught up in one of my favorite things: making & giving gifts. Each year Dave and I come to realize it’s not about the presents, parties and Christmas movies (I like those, don’t get me wrong). It’s about celebrating the humble birth of our savior Jesus Christ.

I got a little crazy making gifts this year. I always tend to think projects will take a lot less time than they actually do….Thanks to my loving husband helping me everything got done. My favorite two projects were taking a pallet and making it into a fun photo display (thanks Dave for making the silhouettes and painting all of the frames) and making rag dolls that look like our 4 nieces (which would have been bald without Dave helping me!)

Mary & Nick were married on Thanksgiving Weekend.  A beautiful couple starting a new life together.  Congratulations Mary & Nick!

Melinda & Dustin were married on September 4th with a ceremony at her Dad’s house and a reception at Cityscapes.  It was a gorgeous day, full with laughter and tears. We had a blast getting to know this couple and their close friends and family. My favorite part of the day was when they saw each other for the first time. We took them away from everyone to a lovely front lawn area. That first look gets to me every time! Here are a few of my favorite images. All the best to your happily ever after, Melinda & Dustin!

Here are the vendors that made the day:

Wedding Dress: Nancy’s Bridal Boutique
Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist: Terry Fruin from Honore Salon
Florist: Dorothy’s Floral Studio
Cupcakes: Lindsey Pompileo from Cupcake Zoo

Click here to see a slideshow of the wedding day.

(you can see the entire image gallery by clicking on the shopping cart icon at the bottom right corner of the slideshow)

Nicole and Danny are getting married next June. We had a wonderful fall day for their engagement session. They brought along their adorable dog Chevy, who was the most well behaved dog I’ve met! We started out atthe W.K. Kellogg Forest and finished up at my Uncle’s Farm with a beautiful 37 Buick and rows and rows of beautiful grape vines ready for the harvest. Nicole & Danny I had an amazing time getting to know you and we can’t wait for your wedding! Here are a few of my favorite images.

To see a slideshow featuring all of the images click here…

A few weeks ago Kelly contacted me about photographing her dog. She and her husband just found out their 5 year old Golden Retriever has cancer. It was my honor to capture the lovable and fun-loving personality of Marley. Dogs make such an impact on their owner’s lives. The hardest thing is how short the time is we have with them. Here are a few of my favorite images.

To see the slideshow click here (to see the full gallery click on the shopping cart icon at the bottom of the slideshow)

Each spring the Kalamazoo Humane Society has a Dog Walk. This year I had the privilege of offering dog photography sessions as prizes for those who raised the most for this worthy cause. The grand prize winner was Yvonne. We did a session at her house a few weeks ago with her family and two dogs Luke & Ruca. I had a blast getting to know this family. Yvonne has passion for saving and finding homes for dogs and cats. She volunteers at the Kalamazoo Animal Rescue.  Here are a few of my favorite images.

To see a slideshow of the entire session click HERE.