Last Thursday we participated in our first ever ARTWALK!  It was tons of fun and gave us a good deadline to get stuff around the studio finished…finally!  And we pushed it right to the end…the electrician literally left at 4:49 and the first ARTWALK folks started showing up at 5:05.  Whew.  But it’s done for now and we couldn’t be happier.  We were SO HAPPY to have Brandon and Heather Sampson (The Dovetailers) playing…they were amazing!  (hear them again at the next Americana Showcase concert on October 26).  A big THANK YOU to Cameron from Electrical Solutions for getting my crazy lighting project done just in time and a big THANK YOU to everyone who attended!  I’m working on a “before and after studio” post but for now, here’s the finished product!  Happy Monday!

Tora is another cute peanut that is growing up waaay too fast!  I met up with these guys when I was home in Watertown on a beautiful late summer evening.  Tora’s dress is from this new adorable shop there called Shoppe of the Corner and it’s probably a good thing I don’t live closer or I’d be there every day.  So cute! 

Our very first ARTWALK is tonight from 5-9pm!  We are very excited to have Brandon and Heather Sampson (the Dovetailers!) here from 6-7 for musical entertainment.  We’d love for you to stop by and say hi!

Dustin and Adrianne were married on a beautiful day in August at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Watertown, SD.  It was such an honor to photograph their special day because I have known Dustin since we were little kids (yeah, Go Arrows!).  Their wedding day was the perfect combination of fantastic (and HOT) weather, a beautiful location, an awesome wedding party, and a love worth celebrating.  Congratulations, friends.  We loved spending the day with you and hope you have many, many married days as awesome as your wedding day!

Meg is senior this year and is from my hometown.  That means I remember her when she was just thiiiiis tall (*holding hand to below my waist*).  And yep, that made me sound old.  Oh well, isn’t she cute?  I loved spending the afternoon with you-I hope your senior year is amazing!

Lauren and Jesse had “The Big Fat Farm” wedding of the year.  Their wedding was seriously the epitome of DIY and it was awesome!  They DIY-ed almost everything INCLUDING renovating Lauren’s parents’ barn for the reception.  Apparently not even 2 years prior, there was livestock hanging out where the head table was.  The end product was so so so cool….I cannot imagine how much work they put in!  Other cool things:  They LOVE dogs and included their pooches (Apple and Bobo) on the programs and as a shout out to all dogs, they spent a half an hour serving drinks at the bar and encouraging donations for Safe Hands Rescue.  From what I hear, they raised $250!  They also had a horse drawn trailer escort them to the reception, the guys wore sweet hats, they had a “wishing tree” for a guest book, I could go on and on.  It was a great day and we were so happy to be a part of it!  CONGRATULATIONS!

p.s.  Naura Anderson from Above and Beyond Design did all the design work for the paper products as well as coordinated the entire day.  I cannot say enough good things about them!  Amazing.

Remember Sadie from her newborn session and nine month session?  Well, she turned ONE…I can’t believe it!  She has grown so much and continues to get cuter and cuter and cuter.  Happy First (a little late!) Birthday, Sadie!

Lauren is a senior this year.  She is also a basketball player and a swimmer and a lacrosse player.  AND she is awesome!  I had so much fun with Lauren and her mom in the pool (and the water aerobics ladies 🙂 ) and hiking around in the weeds battling large bugs.  You guys were troopers!  I hope you senior year is amazing, enjoy every minute of it and soak up all the endings and new beginnings.  You are beautiful inside and out!

Heather and Mark were married at the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul, MN and it was gorgeous.  Heather’s dress was amazing.  It was short and she had two, yes TWO pairs of shoes…one of which was blue.  I could go on and on about the D.I.Y details they made for the table decorations (awesome) and the cute little polka dot bow tie that Jack, Heather’s son wore and the awesome birdcage veil she had and the sweet matching socks that Mark and the groomsmen wore and the photobooth they had and and and….there were so many incredible details!  All of these things made the day special and amazing.  But what stood out to me most was Heather’s excitement to see Mark for the first time and her huge smile the ENTIRE day.  And the way that he looked at her.  All day.  They were just genuinely happy and it showed.  I love being a part of weddings like these!  Congratulations!

Anna will be a senior at Mayo this year and like a lot of moms, I think Anna’s mom (and dad!) is amazed that her baby is going to be a SENIOR!  As we were talking about what they had in mind for her senior photos, they mentioned they wanted to capture her fun personality and bright spirit.  Vibrant colors were a must and nothing cheesy or weird.  🙂  Check, check, and check.  Then, while we were shooting, her mom was trying to encourage natural smiles and started singing this song by Lee Brice:

Be a best friend, tell the truth
And overuse “I love you”
Go to work, do your best
Don’t outsmart your common sense
Never let your praying knees get lazy
And love like crazy

And though I’m not a huge country music fan, I have been listening to this song A LOT.  Anna, you are BEAUTIFUL, inside and out.  Your future is bright and I hope you always remember the words to that song 🙂