A Thorn Among Roses

when paige and austin were getting pics for homecoming, sofia was jacked up...she was saying, "i go dance wif you, austin." as paige and austin made their way to the car to load up, sofia yells, "wait, i need to get my seat.  my car seat, austin. i need my seat." reality started to set in that she wasn't going along...and the eyes started to swell and get all red and puffy... ...and then, sadness fell.  it fell hard!!! and like any woman in love, she chased that car all the way to the end of the street begging him to take her. it's ok...she learned a really good lesson.  when you learn that boys ARE stupid {{boys are scum...kick them and run}}, we unite as women. we went to DQ...with daddy too...the only real man who will not break your heart!

one of the great things about being a photographer is capturing the beauty that sometimes people never take time to see.  i mean, even in people we so often overlook their beauty... i love doing shoots for people i adore...and my students, well, they are my fav!!  i love that we do life together and then we get to do pics together too!  so two of my all time favs did senior pics recently and i just had to share them with you all...bekah and makenzi.  they are gorgeous on the outside for sure...and they both are lovers of jesus.  they serve others fervently. they show the love of christ in their normal, every day lives.   are their lives perfect?  nope.  it's full of divorce. pain. mom's with breast cancer. family struggles. but does it stop them from being who they are in christ?  not one bit. "for we are created in christ jesus"...and they know it.  they live it.  they inspire me. love you girls!!!

a few things that me and fam DID NOT do this week... paige DID NOT play in a softball tournament all day, head home and transform into a homecoming pretty lady saturday night. austin and paige DID NOT look really cute...and me and hubs were NOT a little, well, WOW at how big our little girl has become.  i mean, sophomore!  really?! ryan DID NOT have a convo with austin prior to him leaving with his baby girl... sofia DID NOT start screaming when she discovered that she was not part of the dance...she DID NOT start wailing and chase the car down the court. i DID NOT do 3 bootcamp workouts this week and a flipping spin class. my booty does NOT feel like i rode 327 miles on a bike.  i am NOT ready to have the body of a supermodel with all the work i put in. brooke DID NOT kick open paige's bathroom stall door at bw's the other night.  b DID NOT giggle so loud that you couldn't hear paige's screams. lipgloss can NOT solve the world's problems...i'm just saying th...

if you are tired of hearing about france, you'll have to pardon me... but seriously, i have some awesome pics to share!!! isn't it great to walk down this street to go and get your toothpaste???  i mean, seriously!!! and then, right next to the toothpaste, you find this awesome and amazing piece of furniture! ...and look...there's even a little note on it about me!! and then, there's the buildings...my fav, of course, are these wooden ones.  they are literally swayed so far to the side that you can see how NOT upright they are! streets...well, hard to walk in heels on, but awesome! and when you are high up...the views: my fav part, tho...i kept running into this way too hot guy every where.  so awesome! it worked out! {{forego the terrible picture in the hotel room...but it's the best we could do.}}

so there's a few things i know for sure after being in france. they are smart...bc they totally understand the imperial, majestic quality of good coffee {espresso}.  i mean, any day you can start with a double shot of espresso in a fab ceramic micro mug with a croissant and fresh squeezed juice is FABULOUS!!! the eating and drinking in france is an all together experience...it's not about speed and getting the whole thing over...it's about the beauty of the establishment, the friendliness of the one waiter and one chef...it's about the perfectly fresh, made that day bread which is unmeasurably fantastic and we flipping need to do here in the states!!! at this place, one of our favs on ile st-louis, an island of sorts in the middle os paris, was this fab german/french restaurant.  how many people work there?  2...the chef and the waiter...sometimes the chef's hubs shows up to clear or reset a table, but 2! see the chef in the pic?  yep, we were sitting right on th...

a few things me and the fam DID NOT do the last, well, month or so... i DID NOT fall off the blogging earth lately for school, softball, travel and, well life. my doctor DID NOT report to me this week that i had lost 17 pounds since march...and i DID NOT say "take that boot camp...i'm beating you".  i'm not proud of myself for all my hard work. i DID NOT get to jump a plane and take a vacation with ryan to france while he was on a business trip to paris and rennes, france. the trip was NOT the best, most relaxing vacation of my flipping life...and there was no beach.  can you believe it? while walking up the steps at sacre couer (the highest point in paris...and a beautiful church atop), there was NOT a man playing a harp with our wedding march when we walked by...it was NOT one of the most romantic things of my life. paris was NOT the most beautiful place...it was NOT sincerely the city of love. even a little city street can NOT be simply gorgeous and romantic...a...