Meagon Martindale | {Franklin Pierce 2012 Senior}

As the months turn, the end of the year nears and the life of a high school senior gets that much closer to the “big day” which is otherwise known as GRADUATION! This senior, Meagon, who attends Franklin Pierce High School also is going to school at BJ’s Beauty and Barber School…talk about ambitious!! On top of that, she will finish with ALL of her classes in February, a semester earlier than the rest of her graduating class…now that is impressive! So, for Meagon, the “big day” is much sooner, really just a few months away! It was a pleasure to meet her and her mom, Shiloh, on a rather blustery Sunday morning…and despite the cold weather, we were fortunate, as it didn’t rain!  I’d been watching the forecast all week, as I’m sure Meagon had been…and someone was definitely looking out for us with the dry weather! It’s always a delight to get to know these seniors, find out about their plans, dreams, goals and hear what they are doing and enjoying in their senior year…it’s such an exciting time in their lives and it’s great to hear the excitement and enthusiasm that these young people have.  Meagon was no different…she is ready to finish classes, but a bit nervous about what’s ahead after that. I asked if she planned on moving anywhere new and exciting to start her career….her mom instantly said, “she’s not allowed to leave the area!” I love that…her mom, like all moms, is holding on tight to her little girl and  just isn’t ready for her to go far…I can certainly relate to that. Poor Meagon was freezing when we started out, but I think (or at least acted like it) warmed up a bit as the session went on…she was a great sport and a lot of fun to photograph!! So, it’s now time for you to meet Meagon…a beautiful young woman!

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Beauty…this word is going to be part of Meagon’s career, but also is an adjective describing Meagon….inside and out! undefined

This beautiful tattoo is in memory of Meagon’s grandmother and what a wonderful way to honor and remember someone who obviously meant a lot to Meagon.

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M  M  –  Meagon Martindale…when we saw this in the Graffiti Garages, her mom said she had to get her photo by them…her initials and the print on her shirt nearly matches that of the lettering on the walls!undefined

Did I say beautiful…and she’s got incredible eyes…wow!undefined

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Meagon’s mom is obviously quite proud her daughter, as well she should be…she is obviously a confident and strong young woman!undefined

Oh, this is probably my favorite….BEAUTIFUL, Meagon!!!!undefined

A little attitude…we laughed about attitude because any young woman needs a bit of that to succeed in life!!undefined

The looks say it all, love, pride and joy….in her daughter’s success!undefined

Meagon…you are a wonderful young woman and I know you will be very successful…enjoy life, live it to the fullest, be proud of who you are and remember your family…that’s the key to success!

 

 

Alex & Carly | {Tennessee Kids & their mom}

Last month I was in Tennessee (North Carolina a bit as well)…for some fun, a workshop and to visit friends…and the last bit of the trip involved visiting with friends. Although the whole trip was wonderful, I must way that the time with friends was AWESOME…we met this family when we lived out there (we’ve been in Washington for over 16 years now) and they have remained dear and close friends, who we visit often and occasionally travel with. It’s funny because when we met, our kids were little…preschool and now, I’m photographing their preschool aged grandchildren…it just isn’t possible, is it? Well, I guess time happens and passes, whether we like it or not…we don’t have a choice, so I will just enjoy it and appreciate the times with those we care about! These two little cuties are Alex, who is 4 and Carly, who is 2…and let me tell you, they are BUSY kids…but wait, 2 and 4 year olds are busy…right, right! They kept me on my toes, literally and at first they really weren’t sure about me and/or the camera, but by the end of our visit, they had warmed up and I must say that one night, I was the only who who got a hug and kiss from Carly before she went to bed…that’s the best acceptance ever!! I photographed them a few times, over two days and the first was at Sewanee University in Tennessee. What a beautiful campus…although we didn’t see a lot of it, what I saw was wonderful and oh, I’d love to return some day to see more of this beautiful location…and it’s amazing buildings. We had a bright sunny day, so we had to find some good shade and at that we did…the kids were on the go and happy to be moving and not in a car…  It was a tad chilly, but that certainly didn’t slow them down a bit, as you can see. Their mom, Michelle, is our friends oldest daughter and one thing that stands out in my mind is when our daughter (four years younger) and her would get together, they’d have their own radio talk shows and it was so much fun to listen to…the stories, the songs and the imagination…I can see that in her children!!

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Aren’t these two adorable…such great smiles and beautiful bright eyes…full of lifeundefined

I love these photos of Alex and his mom…such a special relationship!!undefinedundefined

LOVE, this…the smiles, grins and expressions…this is them…full of life, with mom holding on time while they are little!undefined

A reward at Cracker Barrel (oh, how I love that place!), for lunch…Alex was determined to try and beat this game…it’s certainly challenging!undefinedundefined

The next day we were in the yard and Alex had to show me his sword that went with his Halloween costume….you can see, he was having fun!!undefinedundefinedundefined

Carly absolutely LOVES swinging…as you can see, she’s quite comfortable…it was a time she was still and content being in one spot!! LOLundefined

Isn’t she a beauty…look at those eyes, she’s going to have the boys calling when she gets older!!undefinedundefined

Alex loved racing cars with his Papa (and my husband)…you can see he’s pretty adept at this and knows what he’s doing…he was sure concentrating!undefinedundefined

Beautiful Michelle…we had to grab a few photos of mom, alone, since this is probably a rare thing…alone when you have two little ones…it’s time you cherish and appreciate!undefined

Getting Carly roped in for this photo was a challenge…she wanted nothing to do with being still on this beautiful morning…but we managed to get this before she darted off!
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Our little pink spider…loved the tights and shoes with the skirt…too cute!undefined

I must say that we sort of got in “trouble” before this shot! We had a security guard yell at us as we approached the “tree” made of oak barrels…which were on the grounds of the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee…it’s funny as we didn’t even see him until he shouted that we were to “step back!” You would have thought that we were in a high security area of a government building…it was just oak barrels! Thankfully, he seemed to back off as we moved a bit away and we were able to grab this photo!undefined

Oh, I LOVE this shot…Carly had a bit of a melt down (she was exhausted!)…and so her papa took her ahead of the rest of us to head back to the car. I couldn’t resist “lurking” behind with the camera (surprise!!)…and capturing this very sweet moment!undefined

Both Alex and Carly were excited to model their Halloween costumes, so we stepped outside to capture these..which were going to be put to use the very next day!undefined

Michelle, it was great to see you and the kids and I enjoyed capturing some special memories/photos for you and the kids. I will look forward to the next time we visit and seeing how they’ve grown…enjoy them as they grow way too fast!!

Dills Family | {delightfully charming}

Have I said lately just how much I enjoy my job? Well, if you’ve heard it before, you will hear it again because I do LOVE what I do…and meeting families and people like the Dills family is exactly why I love this! We met at the UW Tacoma campus last Sunday afternoon and although I had only spoken with Kimberly (mom), it was something I was really looking to as I could just tell this would be a fun session!!  Not only did I get to meet and know beautiful Dahlia and her parents, Daniel and Kimberly, but they were also joined by Daniel’s parents, Paul and Leticia as well as Daniel’s brother, Paul, Jr.  Such a great family – very easy to talk with, work with and so down to earth! It was a GREAT afternoon!!

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Papa and Nana (otherwise known as Paul and Leticia) and Uncle Paul…it was wonderful to see just how close this extended family it…so refreshing!

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Paul and Leticia…they were wonderful to visit with and it’s obvious they have a great love for one another…and the pride they beamed with in watching their family was amazing to see!

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This little beauty, who is 17 months old, was so good, despite not choosing to take a nap this day…she knew what she wanted and when she was finished with something, she’d “sign” she was all done…it was so cute and I couldn’t help but laugh…and of course, keep shooting!undefined

This little girl is loved dearly by her parents and you can see just how happy she is…her parents were delightful and it was obvious they are SO in love with her!!!

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What a handsome looking family…and they are all just nice!

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Such a beautiful family…I love this photo!!

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Someone has her Papa wrapped around her little finger!!

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The boys…and Dahlia…she loves them all!!!!

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Yes, I encouraged her to sit on the gravel and play in it…she was quite happy and seemed to really enjoy it…and a little bit of dirt, no problem, that’s part of being a child and growing up!undefined

These grandparents are absolutely LOVING their new roles in life and it was fun to talk with them about just how wonderful it is to be a grandparent…we shared stories with one another about how amazing it is…I completely know how they feel!undefinedundefined

Kimberly and Daniel said they couldn’t remember the last time they had a photo taken of just the two of them…as once Dahlia entered their lives, they have been busy with her, so we made sure to get some of this wonderful couple…just them!

undefinedAnother photo that I LOVE…Dahlia’s expression is priceless and it’s as though she’s letting me know that SHE is in charge…of her parents and not afraid to show that she has them wrapped around her fingers!!!

Dills family…thank you for asking me to capture some special memories for your family, I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to meet all of you…enjoy the photos and hopefully, this will hold you until they are all ready!