A Garden Built on Love

Isn't this garden beautiful? I had the good fortune to spend part of one afternoon walking through this garden and just enjoying myself. Tucked away in the backyard of a beautiful home, it is completely apparent that this was a garden built by loving hands. A garden of significance and meaning. A garden of love.

The couple in the next to last photo was celebrating 50 years of marriage. Fifty wonderful years by all accounts. Fifty years later and they are still best friends. Fifty years later and they are still holding the family together in one huge hug of affection. One daughter and three sons, their spouses and children, all make for a loving family weekend celebrating all the memories, devotion, and commitment.

One thing I noticed repeatedly, every person there was familiar with this garden. Familiar with the birdhouses, familiar with the statuary, familiar with the plants, familiar with the lighting. It was obvious to me that each person there had spent time in this garden with these grandparents. This truly is a garden that was built on love!

College Freshmen Shots

I thought I had already posted these, apparently not. Sorry.

We've known him for several years - primarily through debate, of course :). I was supposed to shoot his
high school graduation pictures last year, but life happened and it never worked out.

Fast forward to this year. I was shooting his sister's senior photos and he happened to be home from school -
so here we are!

One pretty squared away young man! I'm sure I will be posting more photos with him soon.

Such a Fun Afternoon

A couple days ago I posted photos of the beautiful little girl in the post below. I mentioned there were two children.
Basically neither one cared to have their pictures taken. This little fellow was more interested in everything around him.
He was busy checking out the grass - haha!

More than once he turned the bucket over and face planted.

Mom and Dad stayed plenty busy trying to get him to focus. I was laughing so hard by this point, that I literally
fell backwards onto the dirt right where I was squatting down, trying to get eye level for a photo.

What he really wanted to do - and was successful at several times - was to get a handful of grass to stuff into his little mouth.

We even tried blowing bubbles, but he was more interested in playing with the tube, than watching bubbles.
Hahahaha! Such a cutie!

I thought I was finally going to get the perfect picture here, when he suddenly pitched backwards and I lost him
out of the frame. Hahaha! I was laughing so much! We all were!

And then he did this :).

And this :).

What a wonderful afternoon! Definitely the most fun photo shoot I've had in awhile!

Little Man, you are such a blessing to your mama and daddy! You are so loved!

And don't you just know it! Thanks for a FuN, fUn, FuN afternoon!

An Entertaining Afternoon

I had a photo shoot this weekend that left me laughing and laughing.
Two toddlers - each seven months old - one boy, one girl, and neither wanted to cooperate.

This little angel cried the entire time we were trying to take photos.
These few pictures (with no tears) were taken as she and her mom were readying to leave.
I had already packed up and was headed to my car.

She stopped for a minute and smiled.

She looked straight at me. I took this picture, then she started crying again.
Hahahaha! So, I got into my car and left. Seriously, I had a great afternoon with my friends "trying" to shoot some family memories.
I'll post some of the little fellow tomorrow!

Easy-to-Make Desktop Collage

Want to make a desktop collage to run as your computer wallpaper, but don't know how?
Recently, I received a newsletter from Scrap Girls which gave simple step-by-step instructions to making a desktop collage.
I used photos from a family photo shoot and compiled this collage. Nothing fancy, nothing hard to do.
Just an opportunity to give this family something beautiful to look at every time they sit down at their computer.

For myself, I used photos I had taken at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando.
To make your own desktop collage, check out Scrap Girls here: http://www.scrapgirls.com/NL/SG_News_120202_Thu_Collage.html
You need to scroll about halfway down into the article. Scrap Girls sends out a daily email, if you are interested,
with digital scrapbooking tips, examples, instructions, and they even have a store.
Have fun making your desktop collage!

Unshakable

Rachel and Justin Are Engaged

Great news for the New Year - Justin asked Rachel to marry him - and she said Yes!

Justin did a great job picking out a ring :) it's beautiful!

We headed to the Ravine Gardens for our shoot. It was a beautiful location, with plenty of locations for awesome pictures!


I loved the rocks that were literally everywhere!

We had a lot of fun!

The thing I enjoyed most about this shoot was that Justin and Rachel were both willing to try anything I asked of them!



As you can tell from this series :).

I talked with them a little about building their marriage around their relationship with Christ.
This is the verse they chose together, to establish their marriage on.


Such a loving couple! But, don't worry, June will be here before you know it!

Rachel literally smiled the entire time we were together. The photos you see where she isn't smiling?
Those were the times I asked her to not smile :).
(I just proofread this post and there AREN'T any pictures of Rachel not smiling :).)

Isn't she gorgeous? The light and colors behind this gazebo was perfect!


And, as my photography students all know, this isn't a true Alice Hendon Photography shoot - unless there are shoe shots and . . .

. . . someone ends up in a tree! hahahaha!

It was sooooooooo much fun!


Rachel ... Justin ... thanks for letting me document this marvelous time in your lives!
God's blessings on your upcoming marriage! Always put Him first in your relationship, and in  your decisions.
He will be faithful to both of you!