A quick “peek” from a session today with a darling little girl who’s about to turn one…couldn’t resist sharing this with all of you and a chance to wish each of you a wonderful Valentine’s Day…shared with family and friends who you love! More to come of this cutie and her family later this week!
Wednesday…the day that signals you are half way through the week…many are relieved when we hit this point, as it means the work week is close to being finished and the weekend will be here…sooner, rather than later! I enjoyed my day with my sweet granddaughter, Jayden, and let me tell you, I adore these “mimi days” as they are times that create memories and for both of us! As a child, I spent a lot of time with my maternal grandmother and still remember clearly the times together…watching Little House on the Prairie, eating rice pudding for dinner (a real treat!) and all thetimes she had the patience with me, teaching me how to sew, knit and crochet (okay, so I don’t really remember the last two…guess I need to revisit those again someday!)…but what most stands out in my mind, is the love she had for me…and the confidence in what I could do and the encouragement to not give up…and as I sit here and type this, there are tears in my eyes, I still miss her over 26 years since she has passed away. Oh, how I would love to tell her about my days with Jayden, I know she’d love to hear all about it…but she is watching over us…and enjoying it all! So, for me, these “mimi days” are what I hope to create for Jayden…special memories that will live with her for a lifetime…and that she will hopefully, pass along someday to her own grandchildren. Now, I will admit she is my first grandchild…only one so far, but I do know that I want to create these memories with all of our (future!?!) grandchildren…because memories are priceless and will be remembered for a lifetime…of course, I’m throwing in some photos to go along with these…and that makes it all the more special for me!!
Here are a couple photos from our time together today!
Boy, did we ever ring in the new year with a GREAT group of people, who were all brought together for the wedding of Megan Todeschi and Jeff Koehler on New Year’s Eve in Boise, Idaho. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Megan’s parents since college, when my husband and Megan’s dad, Jim, were fraternity brothers. We’ve been friends with Jim and Cindy, Megan’s mom, since then and our oldest children are the same ages…so it’s been a long friendship and was very special to be asked to be a part of their daughter’s wedding day…and to be entrusted to capture memories for a lifetime of the big event! This past summer we had the pleasure of taking the engagement photos for Megan and Jeff and talk with them a bit about their wedding. We also were able to see the church and get an idea of what we’d be working with. I’ll tell you, we were quite excited about this wedding…the church, Cathedral of the Rockies, is so pretty and we were excited about the opportunity to photograph in this amazing place!
My husband and I arrived in Boise the day before the wedding and after getting our blood thickened up (it was COLD) and getting our bearings about us, we got settled into our hotel room at The Grove Hotel, where the reception was to be held. That evening we attended the rehearsal and were able to meet some of the wedding party and get familiar with the ceremony for the next evening. The wedding was scheduled for 7 pm on New Year’s Eve and so we were at the church by mid afternoon, to start preparing and taking photos…knowing that it would be a long day, we were rested and excited for the event.
Megan was a truly stunning and glowing bride…and it was obvious just how ready she was to make this commitment…she and Jeff are such a great couple…so kind, thoughtful and very much in love…and anxious to start their lives together. I worked with Megan and her beautiful bridesmaids (and adorable flower girls!!) and my husband took care of the guys…which although a great group of guys, they aren’t nearly as much fun to photograph as the girls…nor as pretty! These girls were stunning…and actually, the wedding party was a GREAT looking bunch…one of the best looking I’ve seen! The ceremony was lovely, and the readings, music and songs (by the Eagle High School choir…where Megan teaches) were absolutely perfect and fit the couple and event to a “T!” Although it was quite cold, the skies were clear and we didn’t have to worry about blizzards or slick roads…just very cold temperatures…which were bearable for short times (Megan and the bridesmaids were great sports to step outside for a few photos!).
The reception…WOW…an amazing event at a great facility and the family and guests were all delightful, fun and happy to celebrate such a great union of two wonderful people!! The party/celebration went well past midnight and a good time was had by all…and honestly, I can’t think of a better way to have spent the evening than to bear witness to this union and share in their big day! A little bit of interesting information…just over 29 years ago my husband was in the wedding of Jim and Cindy…so to be a part of their wedding and their daughter’s is so special and just another wonderful memory to share with good friends!
Enjoy the photos…as you can see, this is a great looking couple…and they are even nicer than they are good looking…impossible you say…hardly…they are fabulous!!
Megan was a truly stunning bride and with each step of her getting ready, she glowed more each time…it was wonderful to be a part of such a special day for her!
What a great looking group of guys…they were all such nice guys and it was obvious they were honored to be there for Jeff and Megan! And, as to who won the arm wrestling…we won’t say whether it was Jeff of Mario…the best man, who do you think?!
Megan instantly said “no” when someone asked her if we were going outside at all for photos…little did she know I had other ideas and she and all the girls were great sports…we just couldn’t pass up the beauty of the church and the great light we had this VERY cold day!
Megan has some beautiful friends…these gals, some sorority sisters from college and other friends from before…all looked fabulous and I just say what a wonderful bond they all have…and yes, a few tears were shed as they were getting ready, but it was obvious they were tears of joy…happy for what Megan has found and her life ahead with Jeff!
Now a wedding wouldn’t be complete with out some cute little ones and these three….Ryan, the ring bearer and Kaitlyn and Kiera, the flower girls were so cute and sweet…look at their smiles, they were all so good about the pictures…even Ryan who wasn’t sure about all the dressing up part, but he sure looked quite dapper in his tux!!
BEAUTIFUL…a simple word with such a huge meaning…Megan – inside and out!
Jim and Cindy Todeschi…the parents of the bride…what a wonderful job they’ve done with raising such a great daughter! Stan and Betsy Koehler also have done a great job with Jeff…he is a very kind man and look at the beautiful woman he’s chosen to spend his life with…it’s obvious both sets of parents are quite proud, as well they should be!
The Eagle High School Sonous Choir sang during the wedding and they were INCREDIBLE…what a wonderful and generous offering for the students and director to offer this to Megan and Jeff for their wedding…truly an amazing gift!
I just admit that tears always come to my eyes when watching the bride and groom dance with their father and mother….what a touching moment…although we can see that Betsy must have told Jeff a great joke by the look on his face….and Jim is definitely a very proud father…I love this part of the receptions!
And, then there is the first dance as “Mr. and Mrs.” which is one of the sweetest parts of the evening…definitely a dance to remember. Below was the last couple standing (or dancing!) in the anniversary dance…Megan’s grandparents, Doug and Charlotte, married over 50 years…what a great representation of how wonderful a marriage can be!
Ryan and Kiera manage to get their parents on the dance floor and gathered up for a family photo…what a cute family…and they were so nice, I really enjoyed getting to know all of them!
Dancing…whether it be the flower girl or the bride….I think that twirling and spinning is always fun to do with a beautiful dress or gown!
Ahh, into their second day as husband and wife and this photo of Jeff just cracks me up…looking so tough and really he’s not at all like that….how much fun to watch them enjoy a wonderful celebration and ring in the New Year with those who are the closest to them!
Jeff and Megan…it was our pleasure to share in your wedding and we wish you the very best in life and MANY happy years together….more than you can even imagine! It does get better….just love, trust and share together…it’s an amazing journey! Congratulations!