{jessica & beau}

why do i get the brightest ideas on days when it's nearly impossible to follow through? i decided a more "urban" photo shoot would be fun...in december no less. i checked the weekend weather and i was convinced they were confusing indiana with north dakota. "negative temperatures with blustery winds! stay inside, folks!" baaahhhh...what did the weatherman know? he's merely a professional guesser with arm motions rivaling vanna white.

thankfully, i know people like jess (my beautiful, pint-sized friend and former colts cheerleader). "hmmm...she might let me take photos of her." thankfully, she was more than happy to oblige and even suggested bringing her cute boyfriend along for the ride. they were eager for some fun photos, so they braved the freezing temperatures and met me downtown.

we started the session at kilroy's (where they met) and slowly made our way to monument circle. they were such troopers...because holy cow, it was cold...but i think they enjoyed the weather-induced snuggling.

 

 

when i took sideline photos at colts games, jess would never let me pass without giving at least one incredibly awesome face. classic.

 

my faaaaaavorite 

*and many thanks to kilroy's indy for featuring it on your facebook page*

endless thanks to jess and beau for enduring my cheesy one-liners and smiling while their faces were frozen!

{hibernation mode}

i have to admit...i've been neglecting my little blog lately. when did february get so busy?

i could give you a number of reasons but i'll spare you the details...oh what the heck, i make the rules here! - truth is i've been busy enjoying the handful of warm, spring-like days, putting away my lingering holiday decor (ok, so maybe that was just tonight), cleaning like a fool, wedding planning, doing my taxes, reading and preparing for my back-porch garden...basil, cat grass, and strawflowers so far! more importantly...my jumbo photo displays used up all my free "blogger" memory, so i need to purchase additional storage to display more images.

stay tuned...photo overload coming soon! (pinky swear)

realizing photo blogs are way more fun with photos...here is one of my favorites from a winter couples session. more to come from my afternoon with jess & beau soon!

{26}

i woke up uncharacteristically early this morning (as in 5:15am)...and i'm still conscious. i wasn't sure i would survive waking up that early on a saturday. this is a clear sign that i must finally be getting older oh, nevermind.

*deep breathing*

how did i go from age 12 to 26 overnight?! it's not the actual aging process that i mind. i can handle the laugh lines and slowing metabolism...it's mostly the extra responsibility and increasing consequences when i do something wrong. "ohhh you mean 8 percent of my already low income needs to go in a 401K?" talk about kicking a girl while she's down.

with the "joys" of getting older aside, i had a spectacularly great birthday. this year was lovely and fun in a subdued way. 

the celebration started last weekend during round 1,836 of the blizzard. since so many birthdays in our family are crammed into 3 weeks we shared the cake at my parents' house (and down-sized the number of candles...since 111 would have set the whole house on fire).

 the next day, this little present came in the mail!

 my dear friend ashley, a.k.a hashbrowns, delivered the first (and most spot-on) birthday surprise this week. she knows i love photos, cooking (i.e. eating) and off-beat, thoughtful gifts. i squealed with delight when this arrived all the way from north carolina. 

*big thanks to gwen for getting me hooked on the pioneer woman!*

kody had a busy week with work and air force duties, so we enjoyed a quiet dinner on wednesday night at one of our favorite restaurants. we had no idea the loft was so peaceful during the week...we loved our little birthday/valentine combo celebration. it was such a special mid-week treat!

on my actual birthday, my co-workers spoiled me with homemade treats and goodies. my best friend (andrea - sweetest bestie ever) sent me the most gorgeous tulips.

i needed a little sugar and fun to start my 26th year off right!

i really appreciate all the birthday wishes, cards (even the ones made with crayon and the old lady cat card) and surprises that made my week so great! also, thank you m&d for my new fleece! sydney and i are going to arm wrestle to see who gets it first.

.............

now if you'll excuse me...i need to eat my nutritious breakfast.

everyone has their inner-kindergartner, right? (mine just happens to love left-over DQ birthday cake...no judging).

here's to another great year!

{frosty}

mother nature took an exceptionally deep, icy exhale over indiana this week. everything is still covered in a thick layer of smooth  -not to mention slippery- frozen water. thankfully, the temperature should rise to a balmy 30-some degrees this weekend...so maybe we'll thaw out before the next big snow hits.

i can't complain too much...i was granted a full day off work and had a few starbucks treats this week. (why did it still feel like the longest week ever?!) i caught up on blog reading, marked some line items off endless my never-ending list of "stuff to-do" and vacuumed every square inch of the carpet no less than three times this week. february is notorious for draaaaaaaagging on regardless of the fact that it's the shortest month of the year. here's to hoping a certain rodent, named phil, is on his a-game in 2011.

how did you spend your week during "icemaggedon?"

stay toasty, my friends!

{the ross family}

good things come in pairs. 

                                        

i had the privilege of photographing the newest editions to the ross family. landon and logan. i was so excited to take photos of twins...identical twins. thankfully, it was semi-easy to tell them apart since landon clearly hogged some extra food during the "cooking" process. these cuties were sweet as can be and wiiiiiiide awake during the whole session. if there is one thing i've learned about photographing babies, it's that they are on their own schedule. we rolled with the punches and let the twins take the lead. clearly justin and kate are the most fantastically laid-back parents.

meet the ross family...

 

 

 

*kate and i go back a few years...from her time with the indianapolis colts. (ahhh yes, that's why you recognize her! you used to see her cheering on the sidelines!) when i found out she was pregnant with twins, i was skeptical. "where on earth is she going to put them?!" i'm still not convinced she didn't smuggle these babies home from the hospital, because she looks phenomenal!*