It is my pleasure today to share a recent session with some wonderful people. This family has a special place in my heart…they are very dear friends who have always been there for my family and we’ve had some great times together, LOTS of laughs, our share of tears and many memories that will last a lifetime! A bit of history…my family moved to Puyallup 16 years ago and our kids started school at Fruitland Elementary and on the first day of school, our daughter met Jenny, the youngest of these girls and that was the beginning of a life long connection and friendship between all of us! As it turned out…these girls are the same ages as our kids, so we had lots in common and many shared activities throughout the school years! Of course, the kids are all out of school, but that has not been the end of our connection!
Kelly and Tammy are the anchors of the family…they were married when they were young and have shown that it can be done…their marriage is rock solid and what wonderful role models they are for their children and others who are looking for a good example of how to make it work! Together, they have raised two beautiful and kind daughters…who are not only bright, thoughtful, generous, but also funny and unique! Anna, the oldest, is 26 and has just headed out on a new chapter of her life. A few days after our session, she boarded a place for Germany…not to visit, but moving there, where her boyfriend, who is in the Air Force, was recently stationed. What an incredible opportunity and an amazing experience she will have…such a huge step, but what a monumental one that will likely change her life! It’s funny as we always thought Anna would never leave Puyallup, she’s been a homebody and now this move…so exciting! Jenny, the younger one, who is 25, is a kindergarten teacher and I can only imagine how her students must fall in love with her within the first weeks of school each fall! She’s petite, but has a mighty aspiration to give to these students a strong start to their educational career and a strong desire to learn and continue striving to learn more…I’d love to be a fly on the wall in her class to see her sharing her passion with the kids!
Tammy…another great and kind soul with a strong passion to help others! She has worked for years within the Puyallup School District as a para-educator inspecial education. Now, that takes a special person, someone with patience, understanding, a desire to see those who struggle excel at the simplest of tasks…and that is Tammy…and so much more! She’s a dear friend, and those who are fortunate enough to be a friend of hers, know just how special she is and that it’s truly a privilege to be considered a friend…I know I am blessed to count her as one of my closest friends! Kelly…wow, where should I start?!! Ha…he’s a GREAT guy who loves his girls SO much and has given them a special part of his heart and wants the very best for each of them, in whatever they choose in life! He has some passions of his own…which include cars, motorcycles, good food, the beach and of course, FAMILY! Another gift of Kelly’s is his business, Kelly’s Lawn Salon…and he’s taken his business from the ground up and is very successful. From maintaining homes and business grounds to completely landscaping a yard or grounds…he does it all and he cares about the little details and wants to make it right…for all of his customers. That is something that I feel makes someone successful in this economy…making it right and caring that customers are happy with your work!
So, without further delay…here are some photos from our session…which was so much fun…lots of laughter and goofing around, which shows just how this family is…loving and yet, they have fun and live life to the fullest!
Beautiful Anna, such a great smile and sense of humor…I know her parents miss her, but what a perfect excuse to plan a trip to Germany now that she’s living there!
And, the baby…Jenny, who is a beauty with a sparkle in her eyes and a zest for life…
Oh, did I forget to mention that this family are rebels…rules, who needs them (just kidding!)…we couldn’t resist a bit of fun here!
Anna and Jenny, close sisters who share so much more than clothes…and are often found together laughing…how proud their parents must be!!
Love this photo on the left of Tammy and Kelly…such a great couple and they both have hearts that are full of love and kindness!
We couldn’t leave the dogs out…Gunnar is the BIG one, with the crazy tongue…he’s such a lover and wouldn’t hurt a flea…and then there is Malibu (who obviously found something else to look at during this photo!), who sounds ferocious, but wants nothing more than to climb on your lap and get lots of love and attention!
Aren’t these young women both stunning! I love that they both have their own unique look in their eyes…Anna is thinking and planning for her upcoming trip and Jenny is happy with where she is in life and very relaxed.
Hugs from dad…they both love and admire him dearly…it’s refeshing to see such a great connection between them, even as they have both moved on to start new lives outside of their home!
Another one of my favorites from this session…no, not the one on the right, the one on the left!! LOL Kelly is a sweetheart, but hard to get to crack a smile in front of the camera…and here, he’s relaxed and at ease…this IS Kelly!!
Beautiful Tammy, she’s watching her daughters and I’m sure many thoughts are going through her mind during this moment….what pride she must have in seeing what great people they have become! And, no worries…no one was harmed during this…as I said, lots of laughter and goofing around was had this afternoon…a fine example!
And, one of my other favorites from this session…such a great looking couple, but most importantly, GREAT people!!!!
Kelly asks….are we finished yet? Ha…no worries, he really didn’t spray them, but that was probably because the water was turned off to this hose! Love the faces…and the playful spirit of this family! Thank you Grimm family, for entrusting me to capture some special photos of your wonderful family…you guys are AWESOME!!
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!!
Wow, I’m not quite sure what happened to the last few weeks of 2010….I had great intentions of posting a blog before the end of the year, but obviously that didn’t happen. I will say that the last couple of weeks were filled with fun, family, travels, work and some splurging…and it was all fabulous! So, I will admit that I turned 50 just before Christmas…and I’m feeling okay about that number, it really doesn’t bother me. I’ve always said, and truly believe that you are only as old as you feel and I don’t feel “50” and am happy with where I am in life right now! My birthday was probably my best (beside my BIRTHday) and most memorable…my mom came over and she, myself, my daughter and my cousin spent the day at a spa, getting spoiled and pampered…and was that ever nice! I’ve never done that before, so what a treat it was…and one that I could certainly handle more than every 50 years! 🙂 My (wonderful) husband informed me that I had to be home and ready to leave for dinner by 5:15 that evening, so we were back and dressed and ready to go…when lo and behold, a limo shows up, with my daughter, son in-law, son and granddaughter…was I ever surprised and excited! Myself, my mom and husband all loaded in with the kids and we headed to Seattle for a fabulous dinner and my cousin and her husband met us there…another wonderful surprise of the day…as I said, it was a very special and memorable day!
Christmas was just a couple of days later and with some more family coming into town, it was time to head the meal planning mode and with the help of my mom, everything came off without a hitch and we had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends…it certainly can’t be any better than when you are able to spend the holidays with those you love and care about!
There were a couple of days to pick up from Christmas before my husband and I headed off to Boise, Idaho for a wedding we were shooting. This was a special one…it was the wedding of some good friend’s daughter…on New Year’s Eve…and over 29 years ago my husband was in their wedding, so to be able to be in one wedding and then capture some special memories for their daughter was a real treat! The wedding was beautiful (post coming later this week with photos!) and was a great way to ring in the new year, celebrating a brand new beginning for a lovely couple, and with some great friends…it doesn’t get much better than that! While in Boise, we had the delight of seeing a few relatives of mine who live there…and it’s always great to catch up with what is going on with their lives…and give them a hug since we don’t get to see them often…family is truly a special gift and I am always thankful when we get to see them in person!
So, the new year began, it was a late, or really early start into the new year and I am feeling excited and refreshed. 2010 was a good year and although not everything goes our way, I have great memories and have met some wonderful people through my work…and feel so blessed with what I have and those I know…life is all about what you make it and I truly want to make it the very best possible. 2011 brings new possibilities, new adventures and hopefully, some new clients and friends…which I always look forward to. Of course, there are the resolutions we all make and as a friend of my put it, she has “hopes” for the new year, which is what I think is a better way to put it…”hopes” that we can accomplish some new things for the year, “hopes” that we are able to meet some goals we set for ourselves and “hopes” that we will continue to be blessed with a loving and happy life as we continue on our journey! I have many of the usual “hopes” such as organizing my closets, the garage and my file cabinets and would like to find more time for myself…whether it be to read, relax or walk through the park with my amazing husband or maybe take a nap…whatever…I know that I look forward to the future, with open eyes and feel great about what is ahead.
For you…I wish joy, good health and good times with those you care about…because life is to short to take for granted and worry about the little things (like the dust in the corner of the room!!!)…live and ENJOY life and those you care about, while you have it!!!
My granddaughter, a couple of days before Christmas…do I ever love her smile!
Just finishing up our spa time…we were all feeling relaxed and refreshed!
Christmas morning…cuddling with our granddaughter on her new “couch” and we all fit!!
Riding her new bike…that smile says it all!
A little bit of winter showed up just two days before we flew to Boise…and what a treat it was to get outside for a bit of (cold) fun! Our dog is over 15 and although she doesn’t frolick like she used to, she still was happy to be outside with my granddaughter and myself. And, as you can see, my granddaughter has that mischevious look about her…like a snowball is about to come my way!
The view of the foothills around Boise from our hotel window…truly stunning!
Another view from our hotel window…at about 2 am on New Year’s morning!