a year in review

Every year, I put together a sort of year-in-review of our family for Curt's company's 'Employee Appreciation Day' event.  I worked pretty much on this all day, and I'm happy to say, "it's a wrap!"  Enjoy ...

newborn portrait session

{Not that I blame her}, but I've got one impatient mother on my hands!  I first mentioned their photos here.

Well ... I've finished with her photos in record time and you can find the rest of them here.  Enjoy!

the wonder & joy in christmas

I'd like to invite you to attend "Wonder & Joy," a Christmas play given at my church this weekend. I promise you, it won't disappoint.

Check out more info here. I'm going Saturday at 3:30 ... hope to see you there!

o christmas tree, o christmas tree ...

We picked up our tree last week at Borzynski's ... pretty cold and uneventful.  The highlight was guacamole at Jose's!  {As I'm writing, I can't believe it's been a whole year since I wrote this.}

And here are some photos of us decorating the tree.  Some highlights:

1. Taylor began the night posing with dogs {while Curt was quickly losing patience over our photoshoot}.

2. Hunter had no interest and was zoned out with Max & Ruby {although she joined us later}.

3. Wynter and Piper patiently took turns on the ladder {um, yeah ... didn't go quite like that}.

4. Somehow a photo clip thing got hung on our tree {it's holiday themed, but still ... really?!?}.

5. We played Christmas music while decorating the tree ... brings back memories of my mom's 8 track player every time I decorate the tree. 

6. I hope I'm creating lifelong memories for my girls.

7. It warms my heart to look at these photos.  Christmas is my favorite holiday ... and these are my favorite girls.

newborn baby twins!!

I realize that title might be a bit redundant, but how else was I going to convey my excitement?  I've been dying to get my camera on these little sweeties!

Born 10ish{?} weeks early, Marley & Murphy entered the world on August 28.  They were itty bitty and on lots of machinery.  They slowly gained weight and strength and were able to finally come home.

I had offered mom, right after their birth, to let me know when I could come take photos ... and I finally got the call!  Taylor and I went over on Sunday after church and were blessed to see a little 'twin action' first hand ... yikes!  I thought I had my hands full ...

Their parents seem to have things down to an art {'cept sleeping}, and big sis' Avery is a huge help too ... so sweet to see her loving on her babies!

This is just a sampling of what I'm working on.  I'll post a link when I have them ready.

{note:  i've heard that a photographer should never post the 'best' images from a session ... so just wait 'til you see what i have up my sleeve!  i even managed an action shot ... baby marley in mid-spitup!}

portraits in mexico

Just a quick post before I head to bed to post the Becker's finished photos.  Take a look here.

I sure wish all my shoots were in Mexico ... :)

ten four love ...

Signed, sealed, delivered!  This project is officially in the hands of this beautiful bride.  Can I hear a resounding ... yay!!!

I've posted just the 'artistic edits' on my website, the rest you can view on Pictage, by entering 'ten four' in the search field.

I feel so blessed to have been at this wedding, let alone take photos of it.  Taylor came with me to assist {thank you so much Tay ... and I should mention I still owe her a pair of Converse from the deal!}, so the fact she was with me for the entire day was a blessing in itself.

Kris was my original BFF, and that was back in the day where we coined the phrase BFF.  Man, we had some awesome, awesome good times together.  Some she remembers and I don't.  Some I remember and she doesn't.

We met in fifth grade when I moved to Oak Creek.  By sixth grade, we were at BFF status.  She even left her original, original BFF for me.  It was everything I wanted a friendship to be.  We even went to homecoming together one year.  Um yeah, losers ...

Kris and I went our ways after high school.  We kept in touch a little, but our lives seemed to have brought us different roads to travel.  She had a baby, I had my awesome barber degree to pursue.  :)

We shared a few emails here and there, saw each other a few times and then seemed to reconnect a little better a couple of years ago for our high school reunion {I refuse to say what one we were celebrating}.  We were total Romy & Michelle's, and I'll leave it at that!  And needless to say, the girls that were drunk and dancing on tables in high school, are now women that are drunk and dancing on tables.  Not cool.

Okay, back to the wedding ... Kris and Mark have been 'dating' for 18 years.  Neither have ever been married and they never married each other.  They were content doing the "Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell" thing.

Mark is an incredible man.  I never really had a chance to get to know him, and I regret that.  He's a quiet, gentle spirit.  A very caring man.  He raised Bethany with Kris, from the time Bethany was just a few years old {threeish?}.

This was the first wedding for them both and it was special.  Kris never expected to get married.  Mark asked her to marry him last Christmas ... in the same spot her parents got engaged {goose bumps yet?}.

They met when they both worked at a trucking company.  Kris in the office, Mark as a driver.  They would flirt over the phone and he'd end the conversation with "ten-four."

When she told me they'd gotten engaged and were contemplating a date, I wasn't sure why she kept saying she was going to try for this October 4th.  If it wasn't then, she wasn't sure when it would be.

Come to find out the significance in that, is that October 4th, is also translated as "ten-four!"  {goose bumps?}.

Kris has 3 sisters and a brother.  They were always so close ... and still are.  An incredible family and love.  As I'm typing this and remembering our childhoods together ... I almost feel as if somewhere deep inside me, I loved being in the midst of her family and the craziness of everyone all around ... I'm realizing this as I'm typing, but I'm almost thinking that her family is the reason I have a large family myself.

As crazy as things get, I love it.  I love the madness and love that lives in my house.

Back to the wedding ... I loved watching this wedding and their love, from behind the lens.  As I said, I felt truly blessed.  Blessed to witness such a deep commitment to each other.  Blessed to see her family together again.

But I also felt a twinge of regret.  Regret that I missed so many years.

And then blessed again that we've been able to stay in touch and connected after so many years.

Kris, Mark, Bethany, Dale, Sandy, Kathy, Kelly, Kerri, and Jason ... thank you for allowing me to capture this special day and be with you in such a special way.

exuma mama's {revisited}

I finally have our Exuma photos posted ... what fun looking through them and remembering all over again!

We had an absolute blast!  I so look forward to this trip every year.  Thank you friends for joining me this year.  And I love, love, love the book you put together.  Every special memory and detail for me to look at whenever I wish.

Karaoke, eating, sun, birthday dinner, sermon, giant spider, mad gab, trivial pursuit, baptism, deep discussions, chick flicks, mimosa's, friendship, water aerobics, midnight chats, "ride terrie, ride" ... ahhhh ...

Outrageous, contagious joy!  I love you ladies ... enjoy the photos and let me know if you'd like them on a disk.

crazy or desperate?

Am I crazy, or just desperate, that I believed my 13 year old daughter when she told me St. Nick was supposed to come Thursday night, not Friday?  And now that she knows it really was Friday night and he came Thursday ... do I need to do any explaining?

Except that I'm crazy.  And, well ... desperate.

Desperate to get my head back in the game.  Desperate to give focus and attention to my family that they deserve.

My head is in not quite a million places ... I don't want to be all drama diva on you, so realistically, let's say my head is in about 50 places right now.  Proof?

WARNING:  TMI {in a major way}, continue reading at your own risk ... I have my period {yeah, that's tmi, but it gets worse}.  The other night we were decorating our tree and I was having the worst ickyish feeling cramps.  When we were done with the tree, I went to take my tampon out {I warned you!!} and realized I had two in.  Two!!  When I had come home from work, I went to change it, but instead just put another one in.  Crazy!

When I tried to explain to my husband that I'm overloaded and not thinking clearly and gave him this very clear example of where my head is at ... he couldn't get past, "are you really that big in there?"  MEN!!

And then there was Friday night.  Curt had the girls out for dinner so I could 'catch up on things' {I'm so tired of my husband having to carry the load so that I can 'catch up on things!' ... but thank you Lord for my awesome husband}.  The store is featured this month {January's issue} in Lucky magazine.

Friday night, I get an email from a woman at the mag that I've been working with, saying that the promo code isn't working.  I freaked out!  Full-on freak out mode!  Problem number one?  I don't recall even entering a promo code!  I'm desperately looking through my contract like a crazy woman for a promo code.  There it is ... luckybreaks6.  Okay, no prob ... I'll just get the code on my website.  Fortunately, it's a web based program, so I have access from home.

Problem number two?  As I'm desperately trying to sort through this all, I'm slowly realizing that my system won't take more than 8 characters.  The code, I must remind you, that is now. in. print., absolutely won't fit with my system.

I immediately call my trusty bwp consultant, Heather {I'm pretty much sobbing at this point ... oh! and close to hyper-ventilating} for advice.  She walks through it with me and we settle for 'luckybre' and make a notation on the shopping cart page what the new code is.

The problem with this?  Now anyone going to our website has a 25% discount.

I can. not. do this anymore.  I can't be the woman who 'does it all.'  And I don't want to be the woman that does it all.  I want to be the mom and wife that my children & husband want me to be.

And I want to be what God designed me to be.  He has blessed me with four amazing children.  And an amazing husband.  I took the long road to get here, and sometimes the wrong road.

But I know God had it mapped out for me for a reason.  And now I am listening.  When I stand before him some day, is he going to tell me how proud he is of me for all I've done with a paper store?  And how I glorified him through all I did with it?

I don't think so.

I want him to tell me what an awesome job I did in raising my children {his children} the way he wanted me to.  And {I'm still praying for this one to happen but,} that through my example, I brought my husband to Christ.

That's what I want to focus on.  And the thing is ... for me ... I'm blessed enough to do this.  I realize not everyone can.  But again, this is the path that God has laid out for me.  I am able.  And so I need to take advantage of that.

I have decided to sell the store.  I have truly decided.  If you know me, you know that I have always said I was going to sell the store.  Seriously, a broken record over here.  But the bottom line is, I never meant it.  I would never sell the store.  It was {and is} my pride and joy.

This time I mean it.

I announced the news to my staff last week.  Everyone seems supportive.  I know it's scary and uncertain, but they understand the many directions I'm being stretched and seem pretty supportive.  Now I just need to find a buyer!  I've talked a bit to Paper Source and am waiting to hear back from them.  And we'll also be listing with a broker soon.

Now that I have made my decision, I absolutely can not wait to get started on this new chapter of my life.

I give thanks to God for holding my hand through all of this.  For talking to me, guiding me, loving me, and for giving me the wisdom and courage I need.

God is good and I am crazy, desperately in love with him.

uh-oh ...

Hey Pipes, what's going on?  Who're you talking to?

What?!  Wynter is locked in the bathroom?!

Um, yeah ... good times at the Stier-Johnson house.  Never a dull moment ...

Piper is an amazing sister.  She cares for and takes care of her little sisters so amazingly.  Wynter did, in fact get trapped in the bathroom {toilet room} the other night.  Take a look at the door handle in the second photo.  They were installed wrong, and poor Wyntie was the victim.

Piper kept telling her, "I'm here Wynt, can you feel my hand?  I'm right here."

Unfortunately, I had to leave for an event at work, so left this little project in the capable hands of Odinn and Curt.  Masters of the screwdriver they are and Wynter escaped unharmed.

elf yourself {holiday fun}

I did this last year and was so happy to find it again this year! Enjoy ... and try a little 'elf-yourselfing' too!

Charleston ...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Disco ...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

and Classic ...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

bring on the monkeys ...

I love this photo.

One of the things Curt had arranged in Mexico was a petting zoo.  That would be a mobile petting zoo.  The animals came to the house, all in one small car, complete with the animal trainers, animals, equipment and someone's family.  Quite the operation!

There were two monkeys, a couple of macaws, a toucan, and massively-sized iguana!

The kids {and let's admit it, the adults too} throughly enjoyed handling these animals.  How often do you get to cuddle with an iguana?  :)

bible study birthday

Amazing. That's what you women are ...

Last night they surprised me with a little birthday celebration! I was surprised once again ... never expected it. Not even when Heather was buying plates at the store today, brought them over and told me she was in charge of plates. :) Didn't catch on even then!

Can you believe Brigitte made this cake?!? For me ... unbelievable. It took her nine hours. For me ... unbelievable.

Then they presented me with this amazing charm bracelet. Amazing. Each woman picked out a special charm that reminded them of me. Something we shared together, a memory, joke, moment, martini! :)

My most awesome friend Marta, who's battled a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer had a 'pink' ribbon charm put on. I've tried to be with Marta every step of the way as she went through her journey. Holding her hand at chemo treatments, drying her tears at doctor's visits, and most recently encouraging to bear that beautiful head of hers and take the wig off ... and ... she did it!! I'm so proud of you Marta and that charm means everything to me.

Every woman wrote me a card saying which charm was theirs and why. I haven't had a chance to read them yet, and want to do it when it's quiet and I have a box of kleenex.

I'm pretty loved. :)

t40 birthday video

I cry every time I watch this.  The love and care that went into putting it together ... the whole surprise together, from my husband absolutely amazes me.

Curt, you continue to amaze me everyday ...

another session delivered

I'm happy to say that the Behrend family has their photos in hand!  This was a great opportunity for me.  As I posted earlier ... it was a challenging shoot, in that, the lighting was bad, the kids weren't completely cooperative and we had the family pet to be included in the shots.

I was happy when I saw we got one good shot.  The rest are all fun, but here's the shot most family's want to see ... everyone looking at the camera, smiling.

It was also fun to post-process these, and to see where I needed to turn some into black and white, or sepia.  Because the lighting was so dark, there was a lot of grain in the photos and turning them into b&w, helps hide some of that and makes for a better image.

You can view the images here on my website.  I've also set up an account with an online photo management company.  You can purchase photos or albums directly from the site.  It's something new I'm trying out.  You can view this session here.  {If the link doesn't work, you may need to register (free) to view, and then search Behrend Family}.