Quick Chek 32nd Annual Balloon Festival

     Going to a balloon festival had been on my want to do list for a long time, and finally I got to go this past weekend. It was the 32nd Annual festival held by Quick Chek, which had music, food, rides, and of course hot air balloons!!! When it reached sunset, the balloons slowly started to inflate and finally ascend into the sky. Soon the whole sky above us was filled with beautifully colored balloons.

     Most had the classic shape, but there were also some fun ones likes an Angry Bird, a lighthouse, and even a flying panda! I had a great time, and definitely want to visit again next year and get some closer photographs of the beautiful balloons. Next on my list? Take a ride on a hot air balloon!! Here are a few of my photos from the festival...enjoy! 

Lifestyle Portraits | Seniors | Emilia & Laura

     When I first moved into my new neighborhood, I was around 12 years old. That awkward age when you're starting to grow out of your childhood Barbie dolls and replacing them with American Girl magazines and fashion drawing books. I wasn't all that ready to let go of my dolls yet and luckily for me, one of my closest friends Emilia didn't mind either. Emilia was my first best friend when I moved, and every weekend we would meet halfway on our block and then walk up to my house...lugging every Barbie accessory imaginable. 

     On Fridays, my sister and I would meet Emilia and her cousin Laura after school at Latchkey. Emilia and I would whip out our little drawing pads and talk up a storm about the latest Lizzie Mcguire episode, while my sister and Laura would be in the corner one minute whispering funny jokes with their Polly Pockets, and the next engaging in a pinching war. Ugh little girls. They just couldn't sit still like my sophisticated 12 going on 13 self. :P

     Years passed, and we all grew up. We occasionally still see each other at holiday parties and around town, and always recount our endless stories of those 4 little girls at Latchkey some time ago. It's funny how time passes, yet when you meet again the memories sort of connect you like it was only yesterday. It was so much fun catching up with them...here are a few of my favorites from their shoot the other day! I might just go take a little walk and meet Emilia halfway to give her the photographs...Happy Tuesday!! =)

Oh The Walls That Watched Me Grow

     A few days ago I heard a song that really touched my heart. The song is called "The House that Built Me", by Miranda Lambert. It speaks about a woman that goes back to her old home and watches from a distance the people that now reside in the house she grew up in. As if speaking to them, she recounts all of her memories in that house. Memories that would have no meaning to the new owners, but helped build who she became. 

     And so I couldn't help but think. We all grow up and life changes, and eventually we all leave that home that watched us grow. If walls could speak, they would tell countless stories of all of the moments in our lives. 

     If I could leave behind memories that the walls in my home watched as I grew up, I would recount the time my sister and I slept in the same room as our home was being reconstructed. The laughter we shared as we pranked each other, the secrets we whispered, and of course the arguing of having to share the same closet. 

     The times I would sing and dance after school as I tried on new outfits in my room. The sweet moments that one night I carried my newborn baby brother around the living room, as my mother made him chamomile for his upset stomach. The times I laughed until I couldn't breathe when my best friends and I joked about high school shenanigans.

     The times I wept from joy, heartbreaks, and sadness on my bedroom floor. The family parties that were held in my backyard, and the kids that ran around outside playing freeze tag. The times my mother would call us to come down at 8 in the morning to shovel 10 feet of snow, after wishing for a snow day. The times my sister and I cracked ourselves up making voice impersonations as we dried the dishes.

     The walls in my home would fill dozens of books with the memories that were created. Like in the song, those stories become like secrets engrained within the walls of the home. Time may pass, people may change, but the memory remains alive to those who remember. You would think I am moving away to another place, by the way I'm writing. But truth be told, it can said about any place you leave behind. Certain places bring back feelings of different moments in our lives. And sometimes the simple act of visiting the place, looking at a picture, hearing a song....can replay that memory as if it just happened. I'm thankful for memories, our minds were truly created so beautifully. 

Ashley & Sean | Wedding

     Ashley and I became great friends attending our church during the years. When Ashley introduced Sean to me at their engagement session, I instantly saw why Ashley had fallen in love. Sean was the type of guy who could make you laugh on your worst day. With his funny dance moves, and awesome modeling skills may I add :D... Sean swept Ashley off her feet. And so I was incredibly honored when I was asked to capture their special day this Summer. 

     Their Wedding day was full of family, friends, fun times, and mostly an abundance of love. Ashley will be moving to Florida with Sean after their Wedding, and so the details of the day were all about their love of the sea. Ashley and Sean, thank you from the bottom of my heart for having me capture your special day. Many thanks to Jamie, whom was my second shooter...I couldn't have done it without you!! =) Ashley, I'm going to miss you bunches. I wish you and Sean endless happiness and love in your new chapter of life together. Here are a few of my favorite moments of the day...Enjoy!