Mom

I’ve been thinking about this post for days and I’m still not sure I’m going to do her justice by writing, but I’m going to try. The “her” I am about to write about is my mom. She was born in a small village in a country called Serbia. She had parents who loved and provided for all eleven kids (yup, eleven). At a young age, my mom and dad met through family and mutual friends in Ohio while they were both visiting family. Not very long after, they married and settled in Ohio. Of all places in the world…OHIO (blah). They raised the five of us in a strict, but balanced Christian home and did whatever they could to provide a good life for us. We were never the family that went on vacations or played board games on the weekends, but I wouldn’t change a thing.


I know many people might say this about their mom, but my mom, she’s one of a kind. She is loving, understanding, strong, honest, forgiving, hard working, funny, and so much more. She can read people better than anyone I know, she can make a stranger feel like family, she can empathize with you like she walked a mile in those shoes, she can work all day and night for weeks and not complain once, she can create a gourmet meal from five things she randomly found in the fridge, and the five of us kids get to call her Mom.

There are moments in life that I wish I could take back, but I know that only I remember them. Not her. She loves unconditionally and not with parts of her, but with her whole being. She is an amazing daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, and grandmother. In life many of us take family for granted and sometimes treat them worse than we might treat our own friends, but life only happens once. No redo’s, no take backs, no erasing. I’ve got one mom and she deserves all the love and respect I could possibly give her. I’m so thankful to God for giving me the mom I have. I only hope that I will become a blessing to my kids as she is to me.

Harper Shea Leubner

Scott and I got to spend some time with our friends Kim and Jason. They were blessed with a beautiful little girl named Harper, two months ago. I brought my camera so we could take some photos of her and torture her a bit with the bright sun and adorable headbands. She is so so cute and we can't wait to see her again. Thank you guys for having us! You two are amazing parents of one amazing little girl.

 

Sofia Violet Iaboni

 

She's here!!!! It's been a week since Sofia has been born and last night I was able to visit and take photos for Alison and Joe. This was the highlight of my month:) She is just as adorable as I imagined and more. I seriously could have eaten her up! Thank you Alison and Joe for keeping me part of this amazing time in your lives. I can't wait to see the three of you again before she grows up so fast.

Bri's Baby Shower

 

 

  

When we first moved to Arizona I was under the impression that it would be easy for me to get a teaching job. Little did I know I was completely wrong. Two weeks into school starting I got an interview at a brand new school called Norterra. I was super nervous for the interview and during the interview I felt like crawling under the table or just running out. I was being interviewed by the principal, Judith, and Bri. My first impression of Bri was that she rather be somewhere else then in this interview and Judith, well...she just intimidated me more then anyone ever has. After leaving the interview I got into the car and called Scott. Basically cried and said there was no way I got the job. Oh, but God had different plans:) A day later I got the call that I got the job and and that I was going to start days later. Kathy and Liz are two other teachers that were part of the team and the five of us had one great year:) Sadly that following year I had to move to another school and had to leave these amazing friends, but thankfully we still are part of each others lives. Bri is now married and about to have a baby boy or girl in February. Kathy, Judith, and Liz planned an adorable baby shower at Judith's and there was a great group of family and friends there to celebrate. Bri looked amazing and fashionable as usual. She was laughing and smiling all afternoon and ready to meet her baby sooner than later. I am so excited for Bri and Marc! They are going to be amazing parents.

Lake Havasu

Scott and I went to Lake Havasu today. We got up at the butt crack of dawn and drove 3 and half hours hoping to see hundreds of hot air balloons fly into the air at the same time. Didn't exactly happen that way...was it worth the drive though? ehhhh, not really. We made the most of it though and drove right back:) 

Two things that could have made the trip a little better was a ride in a balloon ($185 a person, no thanks) and a funnel cake. When its all said and done i'm glad we are exploring Arizona before we move away and regret not getting in the car and just driving somewhere. Would love to hear what others did on this beautiful Saturday:)  

Reading...

I have never really made any goals or resolutions in the years past. This year though was very different for me. My biggest goal for 2011 is to be better and more intentional about reading. I would not call myself a reader by an means. Scott on the other hand is, he loves it:) And I love seeing him read ha ha, but never got motivated enough to do it myself. As most of you know i've fallen in love with photography and am pursuing it as a career. I want to watch every video/training, read every book, go to workshops, and simply take pictures as often as I can. Of course this is hard when living in the day to day. I'm still teaching kindergarten, involved with a fabulous bible study group that meets on Monday nights, doing my best to not neglect Scott and give him the attention he wants:), and starting a business with my brother in law all takes time. Don't get me wrong, I am loving every minute of this time in our lives and am very excited to see what the next few months have to hold.

The most important reading goal I made was to read the bible in one year, and so far I am on track and doing just that. God is most important to me and neglecting the Word is the worst thing I could do for myself. For Christmas I received a lot of photography books that I can't wait to start and finish reading as well. So...happy reading to me and i'm looking forward to all the great stuff i'll be learning:)

Tucson Weekend

Scott and I went "away" for the weekend. We got tickets to see Wicked:) The play was on Saturday night, we got there in time for lunch and to check into our hotel. Its a really quaint college town and we had a really nice time. On Sunday morning we woke up and got breakfast at a place called The Cereal Box and then wanted to go somewhere else before heading back home. Scott looked up places to do in Tucson on his phone and found a Botanical Garden that was about 8 minutes away:) Scott's step mom (Cindy) would be very proud of me because she loves that kind of stuff. And yes, Scott is extremely excited about this (said with sarcasm). When we pulled up we saw a sign saying that in January they were holding a Butterfly exhibit. Score! Butterflies totally freak me out, but they are beautiful and fabulous for taking pictures.

We walked through the gardens and soon after approached the butterfly exhibit. As soon as Scott and I walked in we were attacked with butterflies and it was steaming hot. Not a very good combo ha ha. Of course there were children inside and totally fine with all the butterflies flying around and landing on our heads and theres me gringing and acting like the biggest baby. I quickly sucked it up and starting focusing on getting some pictures then getting the heck out of there. Overall, I had a great weekend and wish the weekend wasn't already over.

Juliana & Michael's Engagement Party

Yesterday afternoon I photographed Juliana and Michael's engagement party. I met them through the fabulous Italian family who has be calling me for family events lately:) (love them!) The party was held at Windgate Ranch in Scottsdale. It was a beautiful affair:) Juliana and Michael were dressed liked movie stars and were the best hosts to their friends and family. Juliana, you are beautiful! You are going to make the most beautiful bride, Michael is such a lucky guy:) Thank you so much for asking me to be part of this event I hope you enjoy the photos.