Jesse + Kelli engaged!

I have known Kelli ever since I got involved at the Newman Center on campus and for a semester or two I sat next to her in Women’s Choir! I was so excited when Kelli told me that Jesse proposed because every time I see them together they are in such good spirits – even if they are on their way to study! And now I’ll get to see them and be with them throughout their big day! Can’t wait for next summer!

I think this was about the only tree that didn’t have all the leaves torn off of it by the ‘hurricane’ the day before!

Ben + Kara

Ben and Kara came over this morning for photos, and thankfully the two inches of snow we got yesterday melted before we went to McCrory Gardens! I must be improving on my lighting and navigational skills around McCrory – I seemed to get a lot of great photos in a really short time! That, and I didn’t have to waste my time making a lot of silly jokes for these two to smile – I think part of that was because Kara just got back from school in Oregon for a short vacation so I’m sure they were just happy to see each other! :-)

It was great meeting you two, and I look forward to your wedding next summer! I hope you had fun and enjoy your weekend at home!

Shane + Lacey engaged!

I was so glad that this past weekend worked for Shane and Lacey to do their ‘real’ engagement photos (as opposed to the ones I took on Spring Break when they got engaged) – we could not have had better weather! I met them in Sioux Falls which was great because I love shooting in new locations! 

Shane and Lacey are so funny together – they already bicker like an old married couple, but they act like preschoolers sometimes too!! In the next couple photos you might get a taste of their relationship.. :-) 

For the next photo I told them to pretend like I wasn’t there – they goofed around even more, but then out of nowhere this happened!

We went out to supper after the shoot, and Shane was whining about having to kiss Lacey so much – I told him they better not kiss for at least a week before the wedding. They’ll never make it through the reception unless they have plastic cups and utensils!!

Did you say matching red cardigans?

Lance and I had a little self-portrait fun this weekend before he took off for his temporary job in the Black Hills…

We’re pretty much ready for retirement right now…

Last wedding of the season… for my boss

This past weekend my boss had a wedding in Renner/Sioux Falls. We got there in the morning while the girls were still getting their hair and makeup done, so we had some fun with the dress:

But then again, it’s hard not to get a good photo of a gorgeous dress in an amazing hotel suite!!

When we got to the church in Renner, I set up the lights at the front of the church while Jael did some portraits of the couple. I turned around and saw this:

There’s nothing super spectacular about this next photo…

except that it is straight from the camera!!

The bride wanted lots of detail shots – my specialty!

A traditional ring and flower shot – but it’s so much cooler when the flowers are orchids!

Some reception details:

And just in case they accidentally sat in each other’s spot…

Birthday Party!

This past weekend we celebrated Jonas’s first birthday! 

Here’s Ben lighting the candle and Robin holding Jonas back from the cake:

It wasn’t too long before Jonas started chowing down:

I couldn’t pick a favorite from these:

Robin is just hoping that she doesn’t get any frosting on her :-)

He ate a pretty good chunk out of his cake!

Time for presents! Grandpa Walter was collecting the tissue paper just as fast as Jonas was throwing it out of the bag!

Lance, me and mom staying warm at the campfire.

Jonas is all dressed up, ready for church on Sunday:

trip to the Black Hills

After Jen & Eric’s engagement session, Lance and I toured many locations around the Black Hills and took a few photos to document our journey. 

First, we saw a snake! Lance made me take a picture. 

Shortly after seeing the snake and hearing other creatures, I called Jen to make sure we were on the right trail to Roughlock Falls. That’s when we found out we could drive the mile instead of walking, so we did that instead. :-)

After Deadwood (I was tired of carrying my large camera by this point in the day, so I have no photos of Deadwood – don’t worry, all we did was eat and ride the trolley so you’re not missing anything there – except for the amazing truffle shop!!) we drove through Custer State Park (where Lance will be working for a couple months this winter) and found a lake!

We found a couple other lakes, but those photos look too similar, so I won’t bore you with them. :-)

Sunday we got up early and went to mass and then over to Jewel Cave for a free tour. Which was pretty a pretty drab 15 minutes in one room after waiting over an hour to get in. So we drove part way and walked the rest of the way to the natural entrance. Which was also somewhat drab. Therefore we took goofy pictures here to enhance your viewing pleasure!

After Jewel Cave we ventured over to Mt. Rushmore – notice the extra layer of clothes (it got very chilly that afternoon) and Lance’s change of caps (gotta switch up the different camo patterns!)

Chillin’ with Mr. Gutzon Borglum:

Did you know that it was Gutzon’s idea to carve presidents that represented the birth (Washington), development (Roosevelt), expansion (Jefferson), and preservation (Lincoln) of the nation instead of western heroes? Lance and I do. Because we are official Rushmore Rangers – we even have patches to prove it!

After Mt. Rushmore we took a detour to Sylvan Lake (my favorite) to enjoy a bit of the sunset before we crashed for the night and drove home all day Monday!

Our next adventure: Jonas’s first birthday party this weekend!!