We'll be back soon!

But in the mean time, we are closing our office for a few days. We will be available on a limited basis for the next 24 hours. We will be closed from May 30-June 8. If you email or call during that time, please know we are not ignoring you and will be in touch with you as soon as we open up again. :)

I'll leave you with a little puzzle. Can you guess where this tower is?


Here's a picture of the same tower, but I slowed my shutter and tried a little painting with the light. I think it so cool how it looks like it is a watercolor!


Want to see Punk's latest obsession? I'm not going to embed the video here because I understand it really is a gross video to watch a dog eat, but it still makes me laugh at the end of the video when he looks up with watermelon juice dripping from his mouth. If you're up for watching the little guy enjoy his first taste of watermelon click here.

We'll catch you on the flip side! KandE over and out!!

State Track

I don't know what it is about State Track, but I LOVE going every year!! The records that continue to get broken year after year just amaze me. It has been extra fun the last few years because cousin Kayla has been running. I don't know what it is with her, but she not only enjoys running around the track she REALLY enjoys upping the ante by running all the hurdle races. You know, the ones that have the spectators holding their breath with every jump...yeah those! She ran the 100m hurdles, the shuttle hurdle relay and, get this, the 400m hurdles! Honestly, I don't know who in their right mind thinks sprinting 1 full lap around the track is a good idea, much less sprinting along with jumping over a hurdle every now and then! Honestly, isn't that the craziest thing?!?! In case you didn't already draw the conclusion, I wasn't a trackster in high school. I lasted one year and then said I had enough! Perhaps it was because the coach had me run the 400m once...I'm not one who enjoys pain and the feeling that you'll never catch your breath again, it's just not for me! :)

Here's the rockstar herself as she finishes the 400m hurdles...


Yes, this was after the 400m hurdles, I didn't think it would even be possible to be smiling after such a race!

Way to go on a great year Kayla!!

Shop local!

We seem to be doing more local shopping lately and I am just so excited about our experiences that I had to share so the Ames readers can start hanging out at the same places too! They deserve to have your business!

All About Me - I found this little gem on Main St. about a year ago and I LOVE it! They carry the Bare Esentuals line and I totally dig it! I first found it when I followed a bride there to capture her getting her make-up done. I then had to make an appointment for myself and referred another bride there to get her make-up done. Love that place!

Lee's Cellular- We found this place a couple weeks ago in campus town. We have always done our verizon stuff through the verizon store in Merle Hay. However, we weren't up for going to Des Moines so we thought we'd try Lee's as we had just started seeing ads in the paper. We enjoyed our time there and they did a really great job of listening to me whine and moan and groan as I tried to figure out if I wanted another colored phone since my dear hubby wouldn't part with the black one that I wanted. He wouldn't get the red one despite my repeated attempts to tell him it looked REALLY good with the cyclone sweatshirt he was wearing at the time (he was quick to remind me he doesn't wear that everyday...shoot, my attempt failed miserably). We learned long ago that we can't have the same phone if it's the same color...we end up taking eachothers without realizing it. :) I finally gave in, the guys at Lee's were trying really hard to tell me that the red was working for me, it was outselling the black one at all stores etc, etc, etc. :) So I caved. hehe! The other cool thing about Lee's is their referral program. Whenever you send someone there and they mention your name you get $20 towards accessories!

Studio 7 - Mindy referred me to this little gem in Somerset. I called the stylist I have gone to for the past 3 years only to find out she moved to a salon in Ankeny. I was not game for driving to get my hair cut so I finally gave Studio 7 a call (after Mindy has been telling me about Krista for years!)....and am so happy that I did! Krista is great and we had a great conversation! This salon just opened January 5...did I mention that they got the place on December 30? Talk about determination to get a business started! Studio 7 also has a referral program too. If you refer 3 people you get a free cut!

Denny's Automotive (515-233-4000) - I think the worst thing about moving has to be finding a mechanic you can trust and know you won't end up getting charged $300 for a $100 project. Ann referred me to Denny's and they are GREAT! Yes, they are the one's who saw me through my little episode yesterday! I dropped my car off this morning and they called me a couple hours later with an estimate! If you have any problems with your car, seriously, take it here! You won't be disappointed! Since today was "pay it forward" day and I was watching channel 13 news this morning and they were broadcasting from McDonalds as many people in the drive through were paying for the breakfast for the person behind them to pay it forward...I was inspired to go grab some donuts to give to the mechanics before dropping my car off.

Were you inspired to pay it forward to anyone today after watching the news?

Moral of the story...shop local, you just might be happy with what you find! Oh yeah, and keep paying it forward, it keeps your heart happy!

[I will start posting with photos again soon!]

Sometimes I can be such a girl...

shoot! I just did such a "girl" thing when it comes to cars. Last week I noticed that when I was driving and coasting it felt like the break was going on and then I noticed that my RPM's jumped (come on you should be happy that I at least looked at that right!?!). So I stopped, put it in park and it seemed to "reset" itself so I went about driving with no more problems! Good problem solving I thought to myself!

So today, I'm driving and coasting and the same thing happens...of course I didn't have the shop's number in my phone so I had Eric call the shop to let them know I'd be rolling in but I didn't want to put it in park, because I knew that would "reset" the problem. So they were waiting for me when I showed up....BUT just as I showed up I wanted to bury my hands in my face and drive away! I WASN'T in DRIVE ladies and gentlemen! No! I was driving in L3 gear! DUH!!!!! So I tried to explain this to the tech as he's getting in my car and he listened, but we still took it on the road to "experiment". Sure enough...when you coast in L3, it feels like it's breaking...when you coast in drive, the world is a perfect place. Ladies, keep this in mind to save yourself the embarrassment! (And I want to know how I managed to put my car in L3 gear TWICE in one week and have never done it before that....EVER!)

On another note, we decided I do have some problems with the rotors and brake pads so it will be going back tomorrow for that...I guess the trip wasn't completely wasted....(and I could talk about something else car related rather than having to stay focused on the problem that wasn't!)

Jillian and Matt...

are engaged to be married at the zoo! We can hardly wait!

We got together for their engagement session just a day after the year anniversary of their engagement. Both of them have quite a different story of their engagement story. Jillian's is something to the effect that he proposed after working outside and was all sweaty when he came in to pop the question. When Matt tells the story he is sure to include what the plan WAS suppose to be, however, because Jillian is a social butterfly, his plan never could come to fruition and the diamond ended up burning a hole in his pocket and he couldn't wait one more second to propose....so he abandoned the original plan and did it as soon as he came inside! :) Big props to you Matt on all the planning you did!

So we started the session at the park where my favorite red barn calls home.


My heart nearly broke when we walked up only to find that the beautiful red barn had been white washed! I'm sorry, maybe you didn't fully understand the amount of heartbreak that was going on...a RED barn was WHITE washed! Who would commit such a crime?!?!? I couldn't believe my eyes! Luckily the doors were still red and we could pretend we had an entire red barn to work with.

Here is is in all its white "glory"

But seriously, just ignore the barn and focus on how cute these 2 are together! How fun are they?



Thank you guys for having fun with us and letting me obsess over your totally killer heels Jillian! We can't wait to have so much more fun at the zoo with you and your family and friends!

Oh my goodness...

in case you were wondering, we have not fallen off the face of the earth...I repeat, we have not fallen off the face of the earth!

There has been SO much going on, but I promise to get this updated with images soon! Here's a little idea of what will be coming...Jillian and Matt's engagement session, laundry facility (way cooler than it sounds! The publication won't come out until June, so we'll have to be patient with this update!) and state track.

We are in the process of changing our proofing site too! I think I emailed everyone with galleries, but if I missed you, be sure to get your orders in by May 25...after that the galleries are coming down and we're moving over to our new system! I can't wait for you to use it! It is going to be SO much easier!

Oh yeah and we're closing our office from May 30 - June 8! We are outta here on a little get getaway! So, if you need anything during that time, please know I will be in touch as soon as we return!

Keeping with the spirit of this very random post here's a little treat that has been getting us through the late nights and crazy weeks!

The recipe changes every time I make it but here's a quick list of the ingredients that usually make an appearance: frozen strawberries, yogurt, ice, milk, OJ and bananas. YUM!!

The Crew...

Check out this good lookin' crew! What is that you say? 4 of them look familiar? You're right! Part of the crew is the "A" family! They invited us back on Sunday to capture the whole family before T from the A family leaves for his tour of duty in June. We were so honored we were asked to capture their family again and to capture these images that will have to get "the crew" through the year while T is away.


The girls were totally cracking me up again...imagine that! But seriously, I think we may have found some assistants we'll have to start hiring! While their cousins were getting their picture taken, the girls were walking them through our process! For real! They had it down, I couldn't believe everything they remembered! They remembered everything right down to the purple hair joke! (They were the only ones I've ever pulled out the purple hair joke for, but it looks like I may have to do it again...apparently it painted quite the picture in their head!)

Here are the 5 cousins! Girl power! And to the boys, I think you may have just been putting on a "front" for us...deep down, I really do think you were having fun! I haven't found too many images without a smile on your face! That's right, I'm going out on a limb and saying you liked it! :) And to me, a smile = having a good time! By the way, how did that game of tennis on Wii turn out? Next time we'll take you on in a game ok? :)




Here's a little something we like to call PEACE OUT! Check out all the 'tude going on here!

Thanks for having a good time with us! I'll be in touch soon!

Parents beware... :)

We tried our hand at babysitting last night! It was our friend Abbey's birthday (check out their new blog!)and they were looking for a night out without interruption...and we were game for a night of fun with their 2 girls! It was the perfect match!



Now before you think it sounds like a great idea to call and ask us to babysit, there are a couple of things you have to understand.
1.) we don't have kids and therefore don't completely understand how important it is to stay on a schedule.
2.) we like treats...ALOT. That means your kids are liable to indulge as well.

Keeping that in mind, let's get on with the fun of the night! When Olivia thought it was ice cream time, so did we! When Olivia thought she needed a second bowl of ice cream, we thought she did too!! How can you turn a sweet little request for a second bowl with the question is followed by the sweetest "please" you have ever heard? Hey, what can I say? I'm a sucker!

Slumber party? Right on!! There's no need to sleep in bed, why not just hang out on the couch and chant "slumber party, slumber party... That is SO much more fun than going to bed at 8! It is MUCH better to chant slumber party until 10PM! (Oops, their bedtime was 8PM? See #1 above).

We did totally crack up when Olivia finally looked at us around 10PM and asked "can I go to bed?" :) Poor girl, and here we thought it was a ton of fun and she just really wanted her bed!

Matt and Abbey, have you heard a new phrase come out of Olivia's mouth after she drops something? :) We spent a good portion of the night dropping things and then saying in our most high pitched and excited voice...."oopsy daisy!" Actually it was more like... "ooooooooopsy daisy!"

Check out those sweet little faces in the picture! I grabbed my point and shoot from my bag when Sylvia had the biggest smile on her face...like the biggest I have ever seen! But as soon as she saw the camera, her face was so sober. Not even joking, the camera was like an "on/off" switch. Oh well...she's just as sweet with her serious face as she is with her big teeth showing smile!

For another Smidt babysitting adventure check out this story. Perhaps this episode was bought on because of #2 above. I couldn't resist the candy bracelet's at the store when I knew she would be coming over. Apparently it was a big hit!

Did you say you were looking for a babysitter?

100 Great Iowa Nurses...

100 of the greatest Iowa nurses all gathered in the same room this afternoon to be honored. We enjoyed capturing all the excitement in the room! We understood just how excited many were when they started showing up at 1:30 for a 3:00 program! Wow, that's awesome!
There were 276 nominations, from 38 counties with an average service time of 29 years! There was even one woman honored today who had 52 years of experience being a nurse behind her! Thank you to all the nominees and honorees for your service to all the residents of Iowa! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Here's a HUGE electronic hug from us to you!

Excuse me while I digress and focus on the dessert reception for a bit...

How about that for making you crave something yummy and sweet?!!?

I'll close now and let you go find the nearest sweet to satisfy that sweet tooth!

Just because...

No good stories, just a sunset I captured last week. :) Happy Saturday!