{marvelous} Portland Oregon Wedding Dress Shopping!

I love these girls.  I grew up with them and they are like sisters to me.  Did I mention they kinda are my sisters now? (in-law...lol)  Anyway, that's another story for another day.

Sara is getting married!  You can follow their hilarious blog, Marvelously Mediocre, HERE.

They hired me to document this special day; Sara was surprised with a trip home to pick out her gown with her mama and sister.  I had the privilege of tagging along and doing some work for them that will be featured in Wedding Guide of Alaska as they document this wonderful journey.

Needless to say, in the name of hiding the 'real' dress from the groom's eyes, I had to be selective in the photos I posted.  But yes, she did find 'the' dress and it was NOT 'marvelously mediocre!' It was stunning!

The "interview"...lol it was intense!

Mama getting a little sentimental...;)

I had to post this one...the look on her face was so precious when she realized this was her dress. Aww...

Congratulations, Sara, I love you!

{please excuse our dust}

I am in the process of trying to combine my website/blog into one awesome place.  It will simplify my life and my approach.  In the meantime, please dismiss anything that looks odd or doesn't work...lol.  It will be fixed soon.  ;)

-Krista

{twice is nice} Kelso Washington Senior Portrait Photographer

This pretty little lady chose me to do her senior portraits - twice!  This was especially fun.  We did a session at the end of last summer (see the session here) when the sun was hot and her hair was long!  She knew she was going to cut it, so we totally went for a before/after kind of thing with the two shoots.  This weekend's session was incredible; so modern and sleek with her new look.  Mariah, you're gorgeous inside and out!

{grateful}

So I've been doing this "Project Gratitude" album on Facebook to try and stay positive and look for something I'm grateful for each day.  I've been feeling guilty for falling behind and not posting every day (which was not the point of the project!) Maybe it's partially because I'm not as grateful as I should be, but mostly because I've been so insanely busy lately.

On Tuesday I drove to Hoquiam for a volunteer project.  It was a dreary day.  And when I say dreary, I mean dreary!  On the way home it was raining buckets on the narrow roads and bridges along highway 12.  I was exhausted.  Before I headed home, I grabbed some coffee and lunch and put in my new Lucinda Williams CD and cranked it up. I was driving and listening and pondering her matchless ability to write lyrics that penetrate your heart.  I drove through this area of low-lying farmland that was flooded from the recent rains.  I thought, "man I'm glad I don't live down there!"

 I was listening to the words of "Copenhagen:"  

But you, have disappeared

You have been released

You are flecks of light

You are missed

Somewhere, spinning round the sun

Circling the moon

Traveling through time

You are missed

Then it hit me.

My mind was instantly flooded with images I've seen of the disaster in Japan; people's homes completely under water and utterly destroyed. Entire towns gone; families ripped apart.  Little babies like my own found alive after two days in the rubble. Exposure to radiation, contamination, and hypothermia. 

I suddenly felt much more grateful for what I have.  So I pulled over to the side of the road and snapped this photo to remind me that it's all about your perspective.  You may feel that each day is a dreary journey of survival.  Sometimes it may be.  But don't forget that, like the title of Lucinda's new album, we are "blessed" in many ways that others are not. We cannot forget that.

{Love} Longview Washington Outdoor Engagement Photography

A real estate agent for Prudential Northwest Properties, I have known Aman through business networking over the last few months, and I was thrilled when he asked me to do engagement photos for he and his fiancee.  We headed to the lake for an outdoor mini-session, and it was fantastic!  The weather was perfect and we had a blast.  Enjoy your preview! :)

{Five} Kelso Washington Children's Portraiture

I felt so honored that this guy's mama came into town all the way from the coast to have me photograph her son.  He was one of the most polite, handsome, and joyful little boys I have ever met!